The missile locked onto the escape pod, a deadly projectile cutting through the night sky. The metallic shriek tore through the darkness as flames raced forward, time seemingly stretched into infinity. Li Chuan held his breath, heart pounding, eyes locked on the incoming blaze.

This was a perfect death machine, precise, merciless, and unstoppable.

Li Chuan and Su Na exchanged a glance, fingers interlocked, no words, just a moment of unspoken understanding and silent promise. Xiao Bai squeezed his eyes shut, a tear of defiance tracing down his cheek.

Just as the missile was about to hit the pod, a silver figure streaked across the sky, intercepting the missile.

The explosion shattered the night, debris scattering, but the escape pod remained untouched.

Li Chuan’s fists unclenched, his knuckles pale. Su Na’s breath was still uneven, heart seemingly still frozen in that instant. Xiao Bai blinked away his tears, staring in disbelief, as if confirming they had truly survived.

Without pause, Noah dove toward the approaching patrol craft. The ships reacted quickly, adjusting their weapons, beams of light cutting through the air, aiming to lock onto their target. But Noah moved with such agility that he seemed to defy the laws of physics. The lasers only struck his fading afterimage.

One patrol ship lost control, spiraling toward the ground. The others quickly reformed, launching another volley of missiles. Explosions echoed in the sky, flames lighting up the heavens.

Noah darted through the chaos, his silver form flashing as the blue energy shield deflected every attack. Finally, he focused on the core systems of the patrol ships, releasing a wave of energy. Systems shorted out, and the ships plummeted one by one.

The battlefield fell silent. Noah hovered for a moment, confirming the safety of the escape pod before vanishing into the sky like a silver meteor.

Li Chuan relaxed his hands, Su Na gripping his arm.

Xiao Bai’s breaths were quick and heavy, his mouth twitching into a small smile, followed by a soft laugh.

For a moment, they were all lost in the shock of surviving, as if time had stopped, and the universe was reduced to just them and the endless sky above.

Suddenly, the escape pod shuddered, beginning a rapid descent. The pod shook violently, alarms blaring in their ears. Li Chuan was thrown back into his seat as the gravity spiked, making breathing difficult.

The sky outside stretched into blurred lines as they hurtled toward the ground. The parachutes fought to open, slowing them only momentarily before the pod was pulled downward again by gravity.

“Hold on!” Li Chuan gritted his teeth, gripping the handles tightly.

They broke through a layer of clouds, the desert sand below coming into focus. The wind roared past them. At the last second, the pod's reverse thrusters fired, a blast of white-hot air, and the pod jolted as the speed drastically decreased.

But impact was inevitable. The pod slammed into the ground with tremendous force, dust rising in clouds, the violent collision making the metal groan. Li Chuan felt the shock reverberate through him, his chest aching as the control panels flickered and went dark.

Moments later, the pod stilled, and silence descended.

Their feet touched the cold, coarse sand. The chill of the night pierced to the bone. In the distance, towering rock pillars stood, casting long shadows in the darkness.

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Above, the Milky Way stretched across the sky, stars scattered across the still desert. Wind occasionally howled through the canyon, kicking up faint silver dust that drifted lazily in the air.

Su Na sighed softly, crossing her arms as her gaze drifted to the stars, her expression complex.

“Incredible,” she whispered. “We were just in the sky, brushing past death.”

Li Chuan didn’t respond, his eyes still fixed on the galaxy above, his mind swirling with questions. Why had Noah saved them? Why had he appeared at that precise moment?

“Why did he save us?” Li Chuan asked softly.

“I don’t know,” Su Na replied, shaking her head.

Their thoughts lingered on the question, but the answer remained elusive. Xiao Bai looked up at the sky and slowly said, “At least we’re still alive.”

Su Na’s brow furrowed, her voice calm but tinged with worry. “What about He Ling? Is the base still safe?” She stared at the communicator, but the screen remained filled with static.

Xiao Bai knelt, inspecting the device, but the flickering static persisted. He shook his head and tossed the communicator aside, looking up at the starry sky.

The next day, the sun poured over the endless desert. Su Na, Li Chuan, and Xiao Bai stood beside the escape pod, their eyes fixed on the distant fire. The wreckage of the command ship still burned, thick smoke rising slowly into the horizon, like a lingering threat.

Xiao Bai examined the communication equipment, his voice low. “There’s interference coming from the wreckage. It’s jamming our signal.”

“That means the wreckage is still operational. There could be danger.” Su Na frowned.

Li Chuan nodded, his tone firm. “Whatever the case, we need to find out.”

Without delay, the three decided to head for the wreckage.

In the distance, the rumbling of engines echoed from behind the dunes, the silhouettes of sand bikes drawing closer.

“They stopped,” Su Na whispered, her eyes narrowing at the approaching riders.

Li Chuan nodded, “They’re here to check the escape pod. Wait until they split up.”

Several bikes stopped near the pod. The riders cautiously scanned the surroundings, two of them dismounting and moving toward the pod.

“The moment’s here,” Su Na motioned to Xiao Bai. Li Chuan crouched and began circling around.

The two riders approached cautiously, their weapons still drawn. “No one’s here,” one muttered, but they remained alert, gripping their guns tightly.

Li Chuan, Xiao Bai, and Su Na lay in wait behind the rocks, their breaths held, waiting for the perfect moment. The distant sandstorm still swirled, the hum of engines fading.

Su Na’s gaze locked onto the two approaching men.

As one leaned down to inspect the pod’s door, Li Chuan fired first. The bullet whizzed through the air, striking the rider’s shoulder, sending him crashing to the ground, his gun skidding away.

The second rider reacted quickly, rolling behind cover, firing blindly at Li Chuan’s position.

“Fire!” Su Na ordered. Xiao Bai popped out from the opposite side, firing a volley of shots to suppress the enemy. Su Na flanked swiftly, taking up a tactical position.

The lone rider fought smart, using the bike and dunes for cover, occasionally popping out to fire, his bullets kicking up clouds of sand and dust around them. The gunfire echoed across the desert, the battle in a deadlock.

“He’s pinned!” Xiao Bai shouted to Li Chuan, continuing to apply pressure with his shots.

“I’ll draw him out. Be ready,” Li Chuan gritted his teeth, breaking from cover and firing a few shots, forcing the rider into the open.

As the enemy lined up his shot on Li Chuan, Su Na was already in position. Her aim was true, the bullet hitting the rider squarely in the chest. His body jerked, and his gun fell to the ground, lifeless.

With the fight over, the trio moved quickly to check the downed riders.

Su Na found a communicator on one of the men and turned it on. The screen was filled with static.

“They’re being jammed, just like us,” Xiao Bai said, inspecting another device.

Su Na pocketed the communicator. “At least they didn’t get a signal out. But we need to move fast.”

“Let’s gather what we can. Check for supplies,” Su Na commanded, scanning the area to ensure no more threats were nearby.

Xiao Bai rifled through the riders' packs. “Food… water,” he said with relief, holding up a few bottles of water and some compressed rations.

“This will last us a few days,” Li Chuan said, taking a bottle of water, drinking a few gulps, then passing it to Su Na.

Su Na drank as well before looking at the sand bikes. “We can use these. They’re fast and will save us a lot of time.”

Xiao Bai checked the fuel tanks, nodding in approval. “Fuel’s almost full. We’re good to go.”

They quickly gathered the rest of the supplies, including ammunition, weapons, and a rough map showing the nearby patrol routes. Xiao Bai folded the map and tucked it into his jacket.

“Alright, before reinforcements show up, let’s get moving,” Li Chuan said, starting up one of the bikes. The three of them mounted the vehicles and sped off, leaving a trail of dust behind them.