The third convoy immediately split into three smaller convoys, with the distance between them gradually increasing.

"This is the Dragon City Sandstorm Observation Center. According to the latest observations, the path of Death Storm No. 5198 has changed direction again... Additionally, the speed of the sandstorm has now accelerated to 450 kilometers per hour..."

"Phew..." The mercenary with a face full of scars wiped the sweat from his forehead and leaned back heavily on his chair. "Did you hear that? If we wait until five kilometers to split, by that time No. 5198’s speed could hit 500, do you think we can still escape?"

...

Convoy number two, part of the split convoys.

"Storm No. 5198 has changed direction again, and it’s heading towards us now!" said a nervous driver, Hunter. "Damn it, this isn’t what we agreed! Convoy three split when the sandstorm was still over twenty kilometers away! Cowards!"

"I knew those losers couldn’t be trusted!" Ya Qiaoxi gritted her teeth and muttered angrily.

"It’s likely because the sudden acceleration of the storm triggered panic within convoy three," Candle Dragon immediately analyzed. "It’s somewhat understandable as human nature."

"Understandable for them maybe, but they left the trouble to us! Damn it!" Ya Qiaoxi switched to steering her motorcycle with one hand while tapping quickly on the AR screen-enabled windshield with the other.

The windshield displayed the current trajectories of the convoys, and the estimated impact range of the sandstorm based on real-time observation data from the center—a growing black vortex. In front of the black vortex, a pale black dashed line the same width as the vortex’s diameter represented the sandstorm’s future path.

This thick, pale black dashed line could be seen cutting right through several colored lines representing the convoys’ trajectories. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"According to the original strategy, we should divert immediately," said Ya Qiaoxi. "But even if we choose to divert, because convoy three split early, the sandstorm’s return time is accelerated by dozens of seconds, and convoy one cannot reach the predetermined pull point—even if it’s not attracted by me, it will still roll over our repeatedly split convoys... Damn it, we have nowhere to hide!"

"Is there a stone forest nearby?" Candle Dragon asked.

"No! Where we are now is called Bald Beach, like the name suggests, this stretch of the Gobi Desert extends for tens of kilometers, completely bare, not even a big rock in sight!" Ya Qiaoxi’s tone became hurried, "The nearest stone forest is all the way at Sunfall Ridge!"

"Have the convoy immediately slow down, stop, and then turn around and head back!" Sun Hang said.

"It’s too late to turn back now!" Ya Qiaoxi responded, "The diameter of the sandstorm has already expanded several times, its center is nearly nine kilometers behind us... Instead of turning around, it’s better to move forward at full speed..."

"But even at full speed, we won’t make it out." Candle Dragon said gravely, "Among all the vehicles here, the only one that might escape the storm before it hits is Nagano Souta’s White Tiger..."

"Nagano Souta, are you still on the comm channel?" Sun Hang suddenly asked.

"I’m here." Nagano Souta’s voice came through, sounding utterly calm.

He indeed had no reason to panic, whether choosing to flee or endure, his White Tiger could survive the rampage of the death storm. Removing the "commander" role from consideration, he was indeed the one with the least to fear in the whole convoy.

"Can you contact convoy one?"

"I can."

"Tell them to immediately turn around and retreat, and we will divert, move at full speed!" Sun Hang said.

"Thought the same. I passed that order to them five seconds ago." Nagano Souta replied.

"Good."

After Sun Hang’s convoy split again, convoy one became the most resilient group in this area of the Gobi Desert, and storm No. 5198 would unhesitatingly designate them as its latest target.

When convoy one started moving in the opposite direction, the storm’s path would be skewed accordingly, thus sidestepping Sun Hang’s group moving at full speed.

"Calculating the latest interference between the sandstorm impact range and convoy path..." The main computer’s voice came through Sun Hang’s headset. "The latest route has been adjusted, adding an extra 20% redundancy to storm acceleration and expansion speed... Based on calculations, your convoy will brush past Death Storm No. 5198 in 49 seconds, with a theoretical minimum distance of 35 meters between the two."

"Wow, that’s cutting it close?"

"This result is calculated with the maximum redundancy," the main computer replied. "If the sandstorm’s acceleration and expansion speed remain unchanged, the distance should be 470 meters."

"Still cutting it close... only a gap of a few seconds," Sun Hang sighed.

As every driver in the convoy slammed the pedal to the metal, a modified Humvee suddenly lost control of its steering, bumped into two other nearby vehicles a few times, then spun out of the convoy, carving a huge arc on the Gobi Desert and came to a stop.

"Damn it! The car broke down! Help!" A howl echoed through the convoy’s public comm channel, "Someone save us! This junker is totaled! Can’t start it up!"

"I don’t want to die here! Someone save me! Anyone! I’ll agree to any terms!" Another mercenary in the broken-down Humvee shouted.

Everyone in the convoy heard their cries for help, but not a single vehicle stopped—not even slowed down.

While their computers might not be as precise as the main computer, they also knew that they had at most a few seconds of leeway, and stopping to help someone would mean not escaping the storm themselves.

Nobody spoke up in the public comm channel, and the distance between the convoy and the broken-down vehicle instantly expanded significantly.

"They’re doomed," Ya Qiaoxi murmured.

Now, forget turning back to rescue them—even if a miracle occurred and the broken-down vehicle suddenly started up normally, they might not escape.

Sometimes, the difference between life and death is just a matter of seconds.

While most of the convoy felt a twinge of shared fate and silently prayed their vehicles wouldn’t malfunction, the White Tiger Mecha, which had been idle, suddenly activated.

The six eyes on either side of the tiger’s head lit up instantly, detaching its hooks, the entire machine performed a backflip, and its rear thrusters engaged fully, skimming the ground as it flew toward the rear of the convoy.

As the White Tiger Mecha raced past the convoy, everyone could only see a blurred massive silhouette and the three elongated crimson streaks that looked like eyes.

With a loud "boom," the White Tiger landed heavily next to the broken-down Humvee, with one massive paw digging into the ground to slow down, and the other striking toward the Humvee a few meters away.

The hard sand terrain was immediately plowed into three deep grooves, and at the same time, as the sound of metal tearing rang out, the heavy armor plates welded to the Humvee’s exterior fell to the ground one by one.

The White Tiger grabbed the now lightened Humvee and instantly turned around, reigniting its rear thrusters!