<h4>Chapter 1132: Chapter 1139: Survive</h4>


    Heart of the desert.


    Zhu Hong and another man trudged forward, their footsteps heavy. They had stripped down to almost nothing, as the desert’s high temperatures were unbearable for anyone without cooling systems after prolonged exposure.


    On that day, to evade capture, Zhu Hong and another man charged with protecting him drove a jeep recklessly all over the ce. Fortunately, they seeded in shaking off their pursuers. Unfortunately, they got lost.


    Losing direction in the desert is undoubtedly a fatal mistake.


    That jeep had no GPS, nopass, and certainly no food, only two bottles of water. Half a day into the desert, the jeep ran out of fuel. With no other options, Zhu Hong and hispanion had to use their legs in an attempt to walk out of the desert.


    The first day they could barely hold on, but by the second day, Zhu Hong was truly at his limit. The water they brought was long gone, and in desperation, they resorted to drinking their own urine. To survive, Zhu Hong had to endure such nauseating actions. In the bottle, there remained only half of their urine, theirst source of hydration.


    With not enough to drink, even urine was scarce.


    "Let’s take a break." the man next to him spoke. Walking for most of the day, under the scorching sun, thirst and hunger set in; even a body made of iron wouldn’t withstand it.


    Zhu Hong remained silent, quietly sitting down on the sand. His throat parched, he took out the water bottle, staring at the little remaining liquid while the eyes of both men remained fixed on it.


    They knew the water was only enough for one of them. But who should drink it?


    Zhu Hong’s status was undoubtedly higher than the other man’s; after all, he was Ling Beichuan’s representative and logically, should be the most deserving of the water. Yet, Zhu Hong thought differently. The man beside him was sent by Ling Beichuan, specifically to ensure his safety.


    More importantly, this man was highly skilled, capable of killing him with ease. This is what worried Zhu Hong the most, something he tried his best to avoid.


    After a brief mental struggle, Zhu Hong finally made a decision. He unscrewed the bottle cap, avoiding the increasingly cold gaze of hispanion.


    "Here, you drink. I can still hold on."


    Seeing Zhu Hong offer the bottle to him, the man was slightly startled. Clearly, Zhu Hong’s action was unexpected; he thought Zhu Hong would drink thest bit of water himself but was surprised by Zhu Hong’s gesture.


    At the moment Zhu Hong unscrewed the cap, the man did feel a surge of murderous intent. To kill Zhu Hong and snatch thest of the water. In this deste desert, the longer one survives, the greater the hope for escape.


    Receiving the bottle, the man’s cracked lips curled slightly. Indeed, this guy was quite self-aware. Immediately, he tilted his head back and gulped down thest drop of water.


    But just then, an unexpected turn of events unfolded.


    As the man tilted his head back, Zhu Hong, who was previously motionless, suddenly lunged at him, knocking him to the sand. Simultaneously, Zhu Hong somehow produced a dagger in his hand.


    Without a hint of hesitation, Zhu Hong gritted his teeth and the sharp dagger plunged into the man’s heart.


    Intense pain struck, causing the man to grip Zhu Hong’s arm tightly, his eyes wide with anger and a hint of resentment.


    He never anticipated Zhu Hong would ambush him while he drank water. He med himself for being too careless, thinking Zhu Hong was afraid of him and thus offering thest bit of water. Clearly, Zhu Hong had premeditated this move. Offering thest of the water was a tactic to feign weakness, lulling his guard. Only then did Zhu Hong have the chance to sessfullyunch his attack.


    Feeling his strength gradually ebb away, the man opened his mouth, yearning to curse. Yet, his weakened body left him without the energy to speak.


    Watching the man’s eyes slowly close, Zhu Hong finally let out a sigh of relief, copsing onto the corpse.


    After taking a moment to rest and regain some strength, Zhu Hong pulled out the dagger lodged in the man’s heart.


    In that instant, a torrent of blood flowed from the wound.


    Blood... Blood... Water...


    Zhu Hong swallowed hard, his expression twisting into something feral. Finally, the desire to survive overcame everything. Without hesitation, Zhu Hong opened his mouth, leaning forward to gulp voraciously.


    At this moment, he couldn’t feel anything, his mind singrly focused.


    Survive... Survive... He couldn’t give up; this corpse was his sole hope out of the desert.


    Quenching his thirst, Zhu Hong slowly lifted his head. His face mask was now stained with crimson blood, resembling a beast that had just hunted its prey, eyes afire with red, devoid of human rationality.


    Huff... Huff...


    Zhu Hong gasped heavily, a flicker of awareness returning to his eyes. Looking at the corpse lying there and the blood on his hands, the metallic taste in his mouth, Zhu Hong seemed to go mad, roaring hoarsely at the sky like a devil, striking fear.


    "I cannot die... I cannot die... I must leave alive, I will leave alive."


    Like a chant, Zhu Hong opened his mouth, quietly mumbling. With each murmured word, his gaze grew resolute.


    In such a desperate situation, willpower decided everything.


    Not knowing how long it took, Zhu Hong ceased his chant, his eyes now icy and resolved, disturbingly calm.


    ncing at the discarded dagger, Zhu Hong picked it up and grabbed the corpse’s arm, slicing down.


    To survive, he needed food...


    ...


    Desert base.


    Ling Chen ced a cup of tea in front of Ling Tao, then sat down across from him.


    Ling Tao watched the tea leaves whirl in the cup, his fingers gently tapping the chair’s armrest, seemingly pondering his next words.


    "Before I tell you the secrets of the Ling Family, I think it’s necessary to first rify the family’s internal factions, so you understand what follows."


    Ling Chen nodded silently, presently an attentive listener. He was mentally prepared; no matter how startling Ling Tao’s story might be, he was ready to handle it.


    At this moment, the vast meeting room echoed only with Ling Tao’s voice.


    "Within the Ling Family, there are two factions. One is the Southern Ling Family, the force you’ve been dealing with. The other faction is the Northern Ling Family, which is the force we represent. You may wonder why, although both are members of the Ling Family, they divide into two factions. The reason is quite simple: because of Ling Gengqiu."