Mecha Star Wars.

Chapter 1413 Escaping the Sand Region

Immediately after the accident, Qi Mai quickly analyzed the consequences of various choices.

Since there was no difference between going forward, backward, or staying still, he chose to speed up and "brute force" his way through, hoping for a stroke of luck.

Qi Mai's character is similar to his life experience: sweetness comes first, then bitterness, and finally, after all the bitterness comes happiness.

At first, things went well; he successfully avoided several near-crimes. Just when his confidence was soaring, his luck seemed to have run out.

In the dim sandstorm, Qi Mai was trapped in the middle of three rock pillars that collapsed inwards from the front, middle and back directions, forming a triangular shape.

Before Qi Mai could recover from the shock of being crushed by Mount Tai, he felt himself being forcibly restrained—the strong magnetic field carried by the intact rock pillar, which was not completely broken, was pulling him from three different directions.

Although the traction force reaches a certain equilibrium, the surface of the object being subjected to the force is equivalent to being stationary and suspended.

But as the only living being subjected to the force, Qi Mai's experience was far from pleasant.

Gravity from different directions pulled at his blood, muscles, and his entire body. It was as if every single hair was being pulled and pushed by a noticeable force. He couldn't even breathe properly.

Whether it was the upward buoyancy from the continuous jet of the engine or something else, the Star Shuttle remained pressed against his feet and did not fall.

Qi Mai was in excruciating pain, but he couldn't do anything; he couldn't even move his fingers.

What should I do? His muddled mind was no longer capable of thinking clearly.

One moment he thought, "If the pillar were to fall right now, he definitely wouldn't have time to react"; the next moment he thought, "It's okay to be eliminated like this"; then he thought, "No, I can't give up so easily..."

No one knew what to think of his unique luck, so they could only offer words of comfort.

Merlinnil even went to look for him. But when the sand settled and visibility returned, he still couldn't find Qi Mai anywhere, so he had to leave.

It was only after Lu Xinyuan entered and searched carefully with a purpose that he was able to rescue the poor Qi Mai.

Lin Fan is currently ranked first.

Although she had been safe and sound since leaving the rock pillar area, she dared not let her guard down at all.

Shifting sands, magnetic sandstorms, rock pillar areas...

Although she caused the accident in the rock pillar area, based on the rock pillar structure, it was probably not her, but someone else who triggered it.

Regardless of the event layout or the pace, the crisis in the desert region is probably not over yet.

Why not just move to the next area directly? Why leave such a long safe zone?

Long-distance flights over sandy terrain, with the surrounding scenery largely unchanged, can easily cause those flying through it to unconsciously become numb, and their energy and sense of danger will decrease accordingly.

This stretch of road felt like a deliberate attempt to gradually put people at ease.

Therefore, when Lin Fan felt the star shuttle beneath her feet suddenly shift slightly, she immediately controlled the star shuttle to climb upwards.

Looking down, I saw that the sand below, tens of meters in diameter, had instantly sunk, forming a huge funnel-shaped vortex.

Unlike the initial quicksand trap, this vortex continues to sink as the quicksand inside keeps churning.

The magnetized sand gradually swells above the quicksand, forming a complex "magnetic sand vortex".

The vortex's gravity was extremely strong. Even though Lin Fan had anticipated the ascent, he still felt a faint pull from below and quickly continued to rise.

"Watch out!" Lin Fan warned the others immediately after escaping danger. "There's a magnetic sand vortex ahead. It's extremely magnetic and will generate significant dust. You'll need to be pulled at least 1,200 meters to break free of its pull. Be careful!"

"Roger, robber!" Antonio responded first. His smile was immediately wiped off by the figure that had just passed him.

"Holy crap!" He whirled around, only to see several strangers following behind him, none of them Wu Yi or Guan Ying. "Wait, Wu Yi, weren't you just behind me? Where did you go?"

"I got overtaken!" Wu Yi said dejectedly. "I don't know how these people drive. One of them passed me without me noticing, and then another one passed me... I'm completely numb."

"It's normal, it's normal!" Lu Xinyuan comforted Qi Mai, who was still a little dejected. "After all, this is our first time participating in a competition. The smell in our helmets hasn't dissipated yet. How can we compare to those experienced drivers who have participated many times? Piloting the Star Shuttle does require a certain level of skill. Don't worry, Wu Yi!"

“No rush, no rush,” Wu Yi sighed softly. “Just now, I really thought I could get into the top three, and I was even thinking of surpassing Anton.”

"See! You got what you deserved!" Antonio chuckled. "Superman is someone who surpasses everyone else."

"You talk as if you weren't overtaken," Guan Ying scoffed.

"That was a strategic overtake," Antonio had recovered by now, watching another runner brush past him nonchalantly. "Let them go first. If I run any faster, hey~ I'll just disappear right into the middle and won't be able to get out, hehehe..."

Sure enough, not long after, when Antonio saw the yellow dust rising higher, the people in front of him, due to carelessness, did not rise high enough and were pulled into the edge of the vortex, desperately trying to get rid of it.

They turned their engines up to maximum, but like wild beasts stuck in a swamp, every movement was extremely difficult.

The vortex ahead seemed to be alive, constantly devouring the surrounding sand and gravel, emitting a low rumble. Before long, the star shuttle was pulled into the vortex.

The contestant above struggled futilely for a few moments before being swept into the vortex along with the Star Shuttle, instantly swallowed by the sand and completely disappearing from sight. Even the slightest ripple left behind was quickly covered up by the sand waves and vanished without a trace.

"I'll let you surpass me." Antonio smugly hummed from above. "Speaking of which, is there a hollow or something under the quicksand? Could it be a safe house set up by the organizers? If it weren't for the competition, I'd really like to go down and take a look. Hey, if any of you go down, could you check it out for me?"

Unfortunately, everyone was focused on their own game and no one paid him any attention.

Although the magnetic sand vortex was obvious, without a contestant falling into it as a visual reference, some contestants would still carelessly fall in, thus eliminating many people.

With Lin Fan providing advance warning, the basic eligibility of everyone on the Noah was guaranteed.

When Qi Mai finally regained his strength and passed over the magnetic sand vortex, Lin Fan could already see the vast ice field ahead, with its alternating blue and white colors.

Beneath the smooth ice surface, deep blue cracks in the ice layer are faintly visible.

In the distance, towering, jagged canyons are covered with thick ice. Glistening icicles are visible to the naked eye, hanging from the canyon walls, occasionally falling and striking the ice with a crisp sound that echoes throughout the canyon.

As soon as Lin Fan approached, he felt the biting cold air in the air, and a layer of white mist instantly condensed on the surface of the Star Shuttle and the soft armor.

The further you go, the colder it gets.

Once she officially entered the icy zone, she began to feel a stinging pain all over her body, as if she had been given a stiffening buff. Forget about dodging nimbly, even controlling the star shuttle became difficult.

That's not even the worst part.

The star shuttle seemed to have frozen solid, and it fell directly onto the ice, where it began to slip.

Lin Fan quickly adjusted his stiff posture, and with the help of shifting his center of gravity and controlling the engine, he finally regained his balance.

"Ice skating..."

Amidst a chorus of sighs, Antonio once again spoke up triumphantly: "I can do it! I'm good at it."

“Let’s talk about it when you get there,” Lin Fan said, already starting to walk. “The bottom of the Star Shuttle isn’t flat, and it’s not as sharp as an ice skate. Besides, it’s not just simple skating…”

“Speaking of which,” Antonio said, his mood completely unaffected, “we’ve been through lava, seawater, then hot deserts, and now we’re heading into an ice zone… are the temperature settings really that extreme?”

"You should be glad you didn't go into the ice field soaking wet," Lin Fan replied.

Suddenly, her star shuttle crashed onto a white, reflective ice surface.

The ice shattered instantly, plunging into the bottomless crevice below...