Chapter 43: Sandstorm

“Swoosh”— Jiang Si opened the security door and, separated by the iron gate, stepped down hard on Lin Zu’s hand.

“Aaaaah!”

Lin Zu screamed in pain and let go of the bars. In that split second, the violent sandstorm swept several people away.

They were like kites with broken strings, blown into the air and carried off.

Lin Chenghua, using only one good hand, had his eyes stung by sand and wind. Tears streamed down his face, making him look especially pitiful.

He shouted furiously,

“Jiang Si! We’re all from the same village—how can you be so vicious?! All we asked was for you to open the door and help us! Not only did you refuse, you trampled on us and left people to die! I’ll report you! I’ll have you arrested and thrown out of this camp!”

His voice roared over the howling wind. His eyes were bloodshot, as if infected.

The storm grew even fiercer outside. Jiang Si smirked coldly and said:

“You won’t live long enough for that.”

Boom! A tree stump the size of a grown man’s thigh hurtled through the air. Lin Chenghua’s pupils contracted in shock.

In the blink of an eye, he and the others were violently swept away by the wind.

Jiang Si pulled the metal shutter down. The deafening howls of the storm still raged outside.

She turned around, finally feeling irritation in her eyes—probably from the sand that had gotten in.

Rubbing them directly could lead to infection.

So she gently wiped them with a clean, damp towel. The stinging eased, and then she used some eye drops.

Even with the windows and doors closed, the air was bone-dry.

The wind howled as if determined to blow the entire world away.

Jiang Si took out goggles, dust masks, and disinfected protective suits and handed them out:

“Just in case the house gets damaged, put these on immediately. The dust-filled air will make it hard to breathe and can cause respiratory illnesses. Your eyes and ears could also get infected—conjunctivitis is likely.”

Everyone accepted the gear.

Then Jiang Si took out a high-efficiency moisturizing cream:

“Apply this. The dry air will make your skin crack.”

Jiang Linhai hesitated, reluctant to use it:

“Your grandpa and I can handle a little roughness. You younger ones use more.”

Jiang Si shook her head:

“The dryness and heavy dust will cause the skin to lose moisture. That’s not just about roughness—dust clogs pores, and without proper care, it can lead to acne. For someone like Mom with sensitive skin, it could trigger dermatitis or rashes. Everyone should use some. I brought plenty, and even if we run out, I’ve planted aloe vera in the space. I can make more cream from that.”

Fearing a face full of acne, Jiang Linhai finally gave in. A single scoop of the 2,000-yuan luxury cream used up nearly half the jar.

He slathered it on. The cream absorbed instantly, making his skin smooth and refreshed. He widened his eyes in shock:

“Holy crap! This stuff works like magic! No wonder your mom used to hoard it and never let me touch it.”

Shen Baoying glared at him:

“I never said you couldn’t use it! Don’t talk nonsense!”

Jiang Linhai chuckled:

“If I’d used it and gotten younger-looking, you’d be anxious all day! I didn’t dare!”

Shen Baoying blushed and gave him a playful scolding for joking like that in front of everyone. Jiang Si smiled quietly—as long as her father was healthy and alive, her mom wouldn’t fall into depression in this life.

The sandstorm raged on for three hours.

The deafening friction and shock of the wind and sand was unbearable. The low-frequency hum of the wind made both Shen Baoying and Jiang Chengwu—being older—feel dizzy, nauseated, and irritable.

To help, Jiang Si brewed peppermint lemon tea to calm them down and rehydrate, helping their bodies flush out toxins and relieve their symptoms.

Jiang Linhai sipped the tea, felt refreshed, and commented:

“The temperature’s dropped to 35°C. Does that mean the solar radiation will stop in the morning?”

Jiang Si nodded:

“Most likely, yes.”

BANG!

Something slammed into their insulated roof. Maybe a massive tree branch from the forest… or even a person. The shock was intense—the floor trembled.

CRASH!

The insulation panels on their roof shook violently in the wind.

Jiang Si grew uneasy. Shen Baoying, worried, said:

“I wonder if Qin Shen is home. I hope he’s not out in this weather…”

Jiang Si frowned:

“He doesn’t go to the forest every day. He should be home.”

The more she interacted with Qin Shen, the more she admired his personality. The family had taken a liking to him.

Shen Baoying said:

“Your room faces his house, right? Go see if he’s okay.”

Everyone agreed:

“Yeah, we’ve troubled him so much recently. If he really needs help and we don’t show up—that’s not right.”

Jiang Si took out her night-vision binoculars. Through the window, she peered toward Qin Shen’s house.

The sky was dark, covered in yellow sand. She could only make out a house standing firm amidst the storm.

If Qin Shen was home, he was probably hiding in one of the rooms.

Jiang Si shook her head:

“I don’t see anyone. Let’s wait until morning.”

The temperature had dropped, and the night seemed longer.

They took turns watching by the window. After about five hours, daylight finally started to break.

Thick dust still blanketed the sky, making it look like a sunshade had been opened above. The house was shrouded in darkness and cold.

Everyone put on an extra layer. Grandma even dressed Dahei and Xiaohei (the dogs) in little vests.

Jiang Si picked up the binoculars again—but the windows were caked with sand, making it impossible to see Qin Shen’s house clearly.

WHOOOOOSH—

The storm grew stronger. The windows rattled as if they were about to explode.

Quickly, Jiang Si pulled down the metal shutters.

BOOM! All the windows shattered at once, like several bombs going off.

Everyone huddled together in fear. The floor began to vibrate, and the ceiling lights swung violently.

Jiang Linhai cried out:

“Si Si, I think it’s an earthquake!”

Just as he said that, thick layers of dust fell from the ceiling, and the steel reinforcements in the doors groaned painfully.

Jiang Si quickly summoned an anti-seismic safety pod from her storage space and told everyone to get inside.

The pod was similar to a mini shipping container, but it was cutting-edge tech from Japan, built to withstand earthquakes—even being crushed under a 20-story building wouldn’t damage it.

And it was heavy enough not to be blown away.

Jiang Si had bought it specifically in case of tectonic plate shifts.

She never expected to actually use it so soon.

Everyone fastened their seatbelts and sat on a long bench. They could feel every jolt of the sandstorm’s fury.

In the middle of the storm, Jiang Si entered her space, used an induction stove to cook a pot of lotus-root soup, roasted some bread and sausages, and picked a dozen ripe cherry tomatoes.

After eating and drinking, the situation outside the safety pod finally calmed down.

Jiang Si instructed everyone to gear up—including Dahei and Xiaohei, who had scarves tied around their heads to protect their eyes and ears.

Then, she cautiously opened the hatch of the safety pod.

Whoosh—
A thick layer of sand poured in. Jiang Si waved it away and slowly climbed out…

But just then, a loud, unfamiliar male voice roared from the attic:

“Idiot! Grab the gun!”