After barely escaping danger, everyone clearly relaxed a lot.
Outside, the storm still raged, and everything visible was crimson sand and dust.
The car isolated them from the gale, but the constant rattling sound of gravel hitting the car shell, like a torrential downpour, kept everyone on edge.
Reminding them that they weren't completely safe yet.
On the left side, Berry was feigning comfort for V, who was heartbroken from losing her beloved car.
She patted V's back, saying things about growing pains, the twists and turns of exploration, and necessary sacrifices.
It was unclear if it helped, but at least the others in the car found it quite absurd.
Mitch, lying on the floor, wasn't in good shape. He was struggling to move his thighs, holding a first-aid kit, to try and keep his butt higher, protecting his tender backside from the bumps of the vehicle.
"I say, Panam Palmer, are we safe yet? Can you drive a little more steadily? My..."
Mitch found it hard to speak, but everyone more or less understood the reason.
But unfortunately, things seemed to be working against Mitch.
At a man's most difficult moment, he was about to get a punch to his 'Apple'.
"One good news, one bad news."
Panam Palmer was driving, frequently checking the rearview mirror.
Fortunately, she didn't play the game of 'which news do you want to hear first' but just stated it directly.
"The good news is our car didn't break down in the Sandstorm; that's a miracle. The bad news is, the Wraiths seem to have caught up!"
As if to confirm Panam Palmer's words, several off-road vehicles burst out of the storm behind them like fish jumping out of water. Their roaring engines could be heard even over the howling Sandstorm.
These off-road vehicles leaped over sand dunes, slammed into the sandy ground, and their skidding front ends pursued the vehicle ahead along a winding path.
"Damn it, stop them! Don't let them catch up!"
Panam Palmer's startled shout seized everyone's attention. Without another word, several bolt-rattling sounds came from the compartment, and Scorpion pushed open the back door.
As the door opened, sand and dry gale poured in, but they also clearly saw the urgent situation behind them.
Indeed, several cars were chasing them, not intending to let them escape.
"Open fire, take out these tails!"
Seeing injustice, everyone collectively opened fire.
"What the hell is that!?"
The Gunman in the vehicle behind was just about to poke his head out and shoot when he was forced back by the fierce gunfire.
The Wraiths would never have imagined how many people were packed into their small van.
Three Aldecaldos, three Hive members—six guns immediately forced the Wraiths back, preventing them from showing their heads.
Not to mention these were all seasoned Gunmen, every shot hitting its mark.
Under such fierce firepower, the Wraiths quickly suffered a setback.
Vehicles broke down one after another, stuck in the sand and dust.
Soon, the van carried the group deep into the storm, completely shaking off their pursuers.
"Phew, maybe I need some blood pressure medication."
Watching the pursuers completely disappear, Berry exhaled the breath she had been holding in her chest.
It was rare for her actual body to be out on a job, and this life-or-death situation, full of twists and turns, almost broke her.
Damn it, why me?
Thinking of her miserable experience, Berry felt somewhat indignant.
Logically, with her looks, whether debuting in person or streaming as a V-tuber, she should be raking in cash from all the Night City shut-ins.
Did she really need to do this kind of life-risking business every day?
No way, absolutely not..."The storm is too big, we have to find a place to take shelter."
Outside the car window, the gale raged, sounding like it was trying to smash the glass.
As the wind intensified, the steering wheel in Panam Palmer's hands was hydroplaning, and visibility was a murky yellow; all she could see was sand and dust in the air, thick like yellow paint, and the headlights couldn't even penetrate a meter.
Continuing to drive under these conditions was clearly unwise; they had to find a place to hide from the sandstorm first.
Fortunately, the Badlands weren't truly just sand like a desert.
There were many ruined buildings in the Badlands that offered shelter, thanks to Night City's previous ill-conceived expansion and resettlement plan.
New towns were built in the Badlands to alleviate Night City's severe population issues.
The plan was perfect, but reality slapped those gullible fools who actually believed it right across the face.
The fools who sold their city property to join the resettlement plan discovered that in the Badlands, the clean water sources and comprehensive life support promised by the suited salesmen were, to put it mildly, nonexistent.
All they could see were empty houses, a scorching sun, and land so barren that nothing but cacti could grow.
Therefore, aside from a few areas where living conditions were decent, most newly constructed buildings were abandoned, left to be swallowed by the wind and sand.
But for the group struggling in the storm, these abandoned houses became a lifeline.
"Look quickly, there's an abandoned farm! Panam Palmer, drive over there!"
Panam Palmer was actually planning to do that anyway.
Those in the back who weren't holding the wheel didn't know the reality; she felt like this crappy van was about to fall apart, the wheels kept drifting, threatening to flip the vehicle and dump them onto the ground to eat sand.
The car barely stopped in front of the abandoned house. As soon as the door was pushed open, several people rushed inside, supporting the injured Mitch.
Berry took a moment to glance back, and that single look left a deep impression on her.
The sky hadn't completely vanished, but everything visible was chaos.
Within a visibility range of less than two meters, rolling sand and dust filled the dim air, emitting continuous, vicious howls that threatened to pierce one's eardrums.
The heavy door was tightly shut, and with a bang, it isolated the two worlds, inside and out.
It was pitch black inside, but at this moment, it felt safe because the raging wind and sand were sealed outside.
After scanning around with their guns and confirming that no Homeless men or bandits were hiding inside, Scorpion and Saul lowered the supported Mitch onto the floor, face down.
"It's too dark, can someone check if we can get the power working?"
Panam Palmer walked around checking the doors and windows for security, but nearly tripped over an empty can on the floor, prompting her to complain.
Unlike the others who had modifications, she was a flesh-and-blood person and didn't have cyber-eyes with night vision mode.
"I'll go check."
Berry had just caught her breath leaning against the fireplace; hearing Panam Palmer, she got up to look for the house's circuit breaker.
It was pitch black, and she truly felt uncomfortable without some light.
Berry fumbled around looking for the circuit breaker. The remaining people were either sitting on the old sofa or leaning against the wall, all taking shallow breaths and recovering their strength.
After the chaos they had just gone through, the moment they sat down, their bodies felt like they had been hammered, and exhaustion and fatigue swept over them, nearly causing them to collapse right there.
"I'll go check on Berry."
Only V, forcing down the fatigue pressing against her forehead, went to find Berry.
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/SolyuraMT
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"