Chapter 63: The Road of Dual Exile, Part 5

Bear?

Of course, bears would never appear in the desert.

As she drew nearer, Shi Xianyu saw clearly it was a giant lizard. Its body was a sandy yellow-brown, plump-bellied with a thick tail, and on its back bloomed an enormous crimson flower speckled with star-shaped patterns. It was precisely this flower that, from a distance, had made Shi Xianyu mistake it for a bear sprawled on the ground.

But how could a lizard grow flowers? The mutated creatures of this world were truly bizarre.

She slowed down, pondering how to bypass it. Such a massive beast—driving straight over was out of the question; she’d risk overturning the vehicle. Worse, it lay directly across the road, flanked by guardrails on both sides. Even if she steered the RV to the very edge, she would still crush its tail.

What should she do?

As she fretted, the giant lizard stirred, slowly rising from the ground, sand sliding off its back. Its eyelids lifted, revealing a pair of luminous green slit-pupils. Twisting its neck, it turned toward the RV.

Still, its legs weren’t particularly long, so standing made little difference in height from lying down.

Seeing it move, Shi Xianyu’s hopes rose—maybe it would crawl away, clear the path!

Yet, instead, the giant lizard began to crawl toward her.

A sense of foreboding gripped her. The lizard’s speed was increasing. She gripped the steering wheel, summoning all her driving skill to sharply turn away.

Bang!—

The giant lizard lunged at the RV! The entire vehicle rocked; the window beside the kitchen counter cracked into a web of frost patterns.

Shi Xianyu’s face turned pale in fright.

Seriously? The RV is this fragile?!

Clutching the wheel, she kept turning, trying to reverse, but the giant lizard struck again, its head like forged iron, shattering the glass! Its massive head squeezed into the cabin—had its neck not been so thick, it might have crawled in entirely.

“Xiao Li! Get in the storage cabinet!” Shi Xianyu shouted in panic, flooring the accelerator. The RV shot forward at maximum speed!

She hoped to shake the giant lizard off with her speed. As she suddenly accelerated, the gaping maw slipped out the window. But before her heart could settle, a loud thump sounded—the vehicle slowed, as if something were dragging it back!

She glanced in the rearview mirror and saw the giant lizard clinging to the tail of her RV!

Shi Xianyu pushed harder on the accelerator.

The giant lizard was dragged along, its mouth clamped tightly on the rear ladder rail, refusing to let go!

Frantic, Shi Xianyu alternated between gas and brake—accelerate, then brake, then accelerate again—in a desperate, chaotic sequence. At last, she managed to shake the lizard off.

In the mirror, the giant lizard tumbled to the ground, the flower on its back flattened.

She thought, surely now she was safe?

But hardly two seconds later, she saw in the rearview mirror the giant lizard rise once more, two blood-red vine-like appendages unfurling from the crimson flower on its back, whipping toward her! They snapped against the RV, then wound tightly around it!

Shi Xianyu nearly broke down—this lizard was relentless!

She could only grit her teeth and press the accelerator again.

The RV was heavy to begin with, and now it was dragging a giant lizard; speed was hard to muster.

Shi Xianyu clung to the hope that the lizard would eventually tire and let go. She drove onward, dragging the creature behind her, the two vines never loosening their grip.

Half an hour later, Shi Xianyu realized she couldn’t keep this up. She had to change tactics—otherwise, even with backup fuel, the RV would soon break down.

Despite her anxiety, she braked and stopped the vehicle.

In the rearview mirror, the lizard looked like a dull, flowered stone dragged behind her. Sensing its target had stopped, it began to crawl forward along the blood-red vines, limping and battered, yet undeterred—pressing its entire body against the RV, its head squeezing in through the broken window, heedless of the glass cutting its skin!

Shi Xianyu was utterly exasperated.

She rose from the driver’s seat, grabbed the pepper spray strapped to her waist, and prepared to launch an attack.

The wind outside poured in through the window gaps. Spraying now would likely fill the whole cabin with spicy fumes; for safety, she needed to find her goggles first.

Her gaze swept the cabin, then landed on the small tomato plant knocked to the floor.

Shi Xianyu paused.

The giant lizard was still struggling to squeeze inside, its huge eyes almost contorted.

She’d felt something was off before—even if she’d startled it from its rest, it shouldn’t have pursued her so relentlessly, especially under the blazing sun, which would dry it up soon. Now, seeing the tomato plant, she had a new suspicion.

Shi Xianyu bent to pick up the pot, grabbed two small tomatoes, and tentatively tossed them into the giant lizard’s mouth.

It immediately began to munch.

Though small, these tomatoes were cultivated in the spirit herb garden’s soil, juicy and sweet—a delicacy for any parched creature.

Shi Xianyu watched as it swallowed both tomatoes, still smacking its lips as if craving more.

She proceeded to pluck all the tomatoes from the plant, tossing them into its mouth. Then, she swiftly climbed back into the driver’s seat. As the lizard chewed, she started the RV and sped away, putting a good distance between them.

Shi Xianyu laughed, feeling incredibly clever.

Her joy lasted only a few seconds—then she saw in the mirror the giant lizard stretching out its vines, catching the RV’s tail again!

…Well, never mind.

Now that she had experience, Shi Xianyu felt more confident. She took out large tomatoes from her storage space. When the giant lizard approached the window, she proactively stuffed them into its mouth, then repeated her trick, driving off even farther.

Once, twice, three times…

Each time, she fed it more tomatoes; each time, it chewed longer; each time, she managed to escape farther.

At last, the giant lizard could no longer catch up. Even with its vines stretched to their limit, it couldn’t reach her speeding RV.

No trace of it could be seen in the rearview mirror. Shi Xianyu finally let out a deep breath, relieved.

But when she turned her gaze back to the road, she realized she was in a new predicament—her prolonged struggle with the lizard had led her astray, circling the city unknowingly.

And now, dusk was falling.

Her past travels with Shen Xiao and Lin Yuan had taught her the dangers of nighttime journeys. She must find her way out of the city before sunset, and ideally, locate a safe place to park and rest.

“Xiao Li—” She drove while calling for Lu Li.

Lu Li opened the cabinet door, slowly crawling out. She had obediently hidden inside as Shi Xianyu had instructed.

“Don’t be afraid, it’s all over now.” Shi Xianyu drove slowly, consulting her map from time to time. “Xiao Li, could you help me find the tape? It should be in the box to the left of the storage cabinet.”