Sand Sonic

Survive?

No, Ni Ni's goal was to live, and she wanted to live well even in this perilous time. She wasn't one to ever give up hope. She might have lost a lot of herself in difficult times but what she never lost was her desire to live. She was just unwilling to die and even more unwilling to live worse than those who hurt her.

And now she even had a system with her. Although the system seemed like a little fool to her, she did not doubt its abilities for now. 

"Sister, how are we traveling?" 

Ni Mei shrugged, "We are traveling on foot."

"Are you kidding me?"

"I'm not," replied Ni Mei. "Nature had already swallowed most means of transportation in the world. Whatever was left was raided by those big bases who had the ability. And even if we do have a vehicle, have you seen a road? Look around you carefully! How are you gonna drive through the ruins?"

Ni Ni looked at the remains of what was once a bustling city and pursed her lips. It indeed didn't look suitable for driving.

She didn't continue to ask further and just followed Ni Mei's lead. The two suns in the sky seemed to be getting hotter and hotter with time. It was just noon and Ni Ni felt like she had just been roasted in a furnace. 

The hot wind continued to assault their exposed skin, and sweat was pouring down their bodies without a pause. Ni Ni felt increasingly drained and wanted to drink water again and again. But it's not like they had so much water that could be wasted, so she had to drag the time as much as possible for now.

Now she was really looking forward to the next broadcast so that she could get some points. Or else, with their pitiful supplies, Ni Ni didn't think they'd be able to reach their destination. 

"Sister, why is there sand here? Are we walking toward a dessert?" Ni Ni crouched down to touch the sand.

"Don't touch it!" Ni Mei shouted loudly but it was still a little late.

Ni Ni let out a sharp cry of pain as she felt like she just touched a searing hot pan but as if throbbing pain wasn't enough, the grain of sand beneath her began to writhe and shift unnaturally.

The tiny particles moved with eerie precision, swirling together and coalescing into the grotesque form of a strange creature. Its rough, grainy body twisted as it took shape, and when it stabilized, it opened a jagged, gaping mouth and let out a bone-chilling roar that echoed across the desolate landscape.

Ni Ni's instincts screamed at her to cry out again but before she could, Ni Mei clamped her hand over her mouth. Her eyes were locked on the monstrosity before her.

"Don't," In a low voice, she said, "This creature is named the sand sonic. It can't see you. But it can hear you. The one thing it hates is loud sounds. So, don't shout. Lay low and sneak out of here."

Ni Ni nodded her head and tried to even hold her breath so as not to catch the attention of this monster. No matter how much of an attention seeker she was before, she certainly wanted to be transparent right now. 

The sand sonic moved his head as if its hollow eyes were trying to find its prey. The sand beneath it hissed and shifted with every movement reminding the Ni sisters that they were no longer alone in this wasteland. 

With their tense muscles, they tried to move as lightly as possible but then thinking of something Ni Ni stopped in her movements. She crouched down to pick up a few stones that were abundant in the wasteland, she threw them in the opposite direction making sure that they made a loud sound.

When the sand sonic turned in that direction, both of them made a run. They only stopped after making sure that they had left the monster far behind. Ni Ni was panting heavily, having difficulty catching her breath. 

"Sister, I thought we only had zombies to look out for."

Ni Mei sighed, "Ni Ni, we have to look out for everything. Even humans are acting like conscienceless and heartless beasts at this time. What else are you expecting? There is danger everywhere. Seemingly harmless things can turn into man-eating beasts. So, don't touch anything carelessly."

Ni Ni slumped down on the ground but just as her butt touched the ground, she jumped up in pain. "Ah! Is this ground made of fire too? Why is everything against me?"

Ni Mei felt distressed for her but she also felt like laughing when she saw the expression on Ni Ni's face. Although she wanted to provide Ni Ni with all the convenience as before, it was obvious that it was impossible. That convenience was possible in the base but she would never let Ni Ni stay in the base after what happened.

"Let's bear with this," she tried to soothe Ni Ni in a comforting voice.

Ni Ni gave her a strange look. "I'm not complaining. I can still take it. I'm just feeling annoyed. Clearly, I just wanted to see why there was so much sand there. And I also wanted to see closely what was shining in the sand. How would I know it'd turn out like this?"

"It's okay. Just don't touch things randomly again," instructed Ni Mei as she unscrewed a bottle of water and offered it to her. Then she took the other bottle and took a couple of sips too.

"Sister, how long do we have to walk?"

"According to my calculation, with our speed and your stamina, we can reach there in a week for sure."

Ni Ni did not like that answer but there was no way around it actually. Who told her body to be so disappointing? She really couldn't walk for long. She was already feeling weary and wanted to give up. 

'System, is there a way to increase my stamina?'

[There is a potion that can increase your stamina but you don't have...]

'I know I don't have points. Stop harping about it.' Ni Ni rolled her eyes at this stupid system and then asked, 'Isn't there a Newbie Package?'

[How does the host know about the Newbie Package?]

'Of course, I have read enough novels in my life too,' Ni Ni sounded pleased with herself.