Others are fleeing famine, but I am a salted fish

According to the experience passed down by the older generation, wherever an owl appears, bad things will happen. If the cry of an owl is heard in someone's yard, it means that someone in that family is about to die. Therefore, people have always regarded owls as ominous birds that bring bad luck and death.

Lin Xiaoyue was slightly surprised. Just like that? ?

Anyone who has watched Animal World knows that owls are carnivores and they particularly like to eat carrion.

Because of its keen sense of smell, it will fly over to find the smell of rotten meat. If it flies to someone's yard, it can only mean that the family must have food that attracts it, such as dead mice, some rotten food, or that an elderly person in the family is about to die.

But the people here don't know the truth and just label it as an ominous bird, which is... quite unfair.

Lin Xiaoyue didn't know what to say, and she was too lazy to explain to others the habits of owls. After all, many things she told them wouldn't make anyone understand, and might even think she was crazy. Forget it, it's better to have less trouble than more, just let it be a misunderstanding.

It's the meat of an owl, which is actually a grain of food... Well, it seems to be able to cure headaches. Of course, she is not a professional medical student, so it is hard to say how true or false this folk remedy that she heard from others is.

When they caught up with the person running in front at Lin Xiaoyue's house, they were almost halfway up the mountain after running all the way.

This mountain was not as steep as the previous one, and the road was easier to walk on. But based on the speed of the crowd and the ghosts behind them, the distance they ran in just half an hour was equivalent to a normal half-day journey.

Sure enough, when a person is extremely frightened, his adrenaline surges, his heart rate speeds up for a short period of time, and his body's potential is stimulated, breaking through the barriers of previous limits.

Standing on the hillside, Lin Xiaoyue, carrying Old Man Lin on her back, saw everyone collapsed on the ground due to exhaustion, and couldn't help feeling a lot of emotion in her heart.

Just as everyone was still in shock and gasping for breath, stroking their chests, the sky suddenly darkened, strong winds howled, and blew up clouds of dust. Everyone looked up at the sky at the same time.

The clear sky with the sun hanging high in the sky was instantly swallowed up by thick yellow sand, leaving only a gray haze.

A giant "sand wall" blocked out the sky and rushed towards them rapidly.

The original refreshing scent of the mountains and forests was replaced by a strong smell of sand. The wind roared, and the sand hit the face, bringing bursts of sharp stinging pain.

Lin Xiaoyue gasped, damn, this is a sandstorm!!!

The people around also began to panic. Some began to shout loudly, trying to find their family members, but their mouths were inevitably filled with sand as soon as they opened them.

The wind and sand were blowing so fast that the mountain road under everyone's feet became blurred, and the dust was everywhere. Visibility was reduced to only a few meters. Even relatives who were a little further away could not be seen. How could people not panic?

Moreover, we were standing halfway up the mountain, surrounded by open space, with very few trees to provide shelter, and the winds brought by the sandstorm were extremely strong.

Not to mention the trees in the mountains and forests a hundred meters away were shaking in the strong wind, making a sharp whistling sound.

At this moment, this group of people were blown to and fro by the gusts of sand and dust stirred up by the strong wind, and they could hardly stand.

Lin Xiaoyue had Old Man Lin acting as a ballast on his back, so she was able to keep her balance, but the same could not be said for the others around her.

The sandstorm blew the feet of Xiao Si and Xiao Wu off the ground. Fortunately, Xiao Cao and Lin Zhaodi were right beside them and quickly grabbed them. Otherwise, the two kids would have been swept away by the sandstorm.

Suddenly, there was a shrill scream, followed by the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground. Everyone's heart tightened and they quickly looked in the direction of the sound.

Lin Dahua, holding Xiaomaizi, lost her balance due to the wind and fell heavily to the ground.

Doctor Qiao and Chun Xing, who were nearby, rushed forward to help, but dust filled the air and visibility was too low. The two could only carefully pull the reins around the cow's neck and reach out to feel around based on their intuition.

People nearby huddled together tightly, trying to use their physical strength to resist the raging storm. Unfortunately, under the majesty and incomparable power of nature, people's strength seemed increasingly insignificant.

At this moment, a stronger storm came, blowing everyone's hats, clothes and belongings on the back racks into pieces.

Everyone had to lie down and hold on to the ground tightly with their hands, for fear that they would be blown away with the backpack if they were not careful.

Seeing that if this continued, everyone would be doomed sooner or later, Lin Xiaoyue hurriedly took out the ropes in the space, and asked everyone to wrap them around their waists one by one, line up, lower their bodies, and move forward little by little.

In this way, people who are not heavy enough can at least be pulled up by the people in front and behind them, so as not to be blown away by the sandstorm.

However, marching in the raging storm and against the wind and sand, every step was difficult and everyone was at risk of being overturned at any time.

Moreover, the sand under their feet was blown up by the wind and hit everyone, just like being whipped by countless branches.

The power of the sandstorm cannot be underestimated. Everyone dared not delay. They pulled each other's clothes by the waist, tied them together on a long rope, and moved forward slowly.

As the wind grew stronger, sand mixed with large stones slapped everyone's faces, causing great pain. Everyone's breathing became difficult, and their throats were filled with sand particles, as if being pierced by countless tiny needles.

Fortunately, everyone became alerted and realized Lin Xiaoyue's intention, and they all moved closer to her. The shaky group of people worked together, and before the stronger sandstorm came, they used up their last bit of strength to hide in the dense forest a hundred meters away. Relying on the cover of the tall trees in the dense forest, although the air was still filled with dust, at least the exhausted people had a little room to breathe.

After more than an hour, the sandstorm finally subsided.

The sky began to regain some blue, and the mountains in the distance gradually revealed their outlines. Everyone stood up tired but grateful, and couldn't help shedding tears of surviving the disaster.

However, the tears of joy soon turned into howlings of sorrow and grief, because the few belongings that everyone had were all swept away by the sudden sandstorm.

Only then did everyone realize what true misery was.

The sandstorm was so severe that the wind blew away everyone's head and hair. Everyone was left with nothing but the clothes they were wearing, some silver and money kept close to their bodies, a small amount of food, a water bag, and self-defense weapons.

The Qiao family and the Lin Laosan family were considered to be slightly better off among these people. Apart from their personal belongings, they at least had two animals left, a cow and a mule, but the items on the animals' backs were also swept away.

Faced with this tragic situation, everyone cried until they were out of breath, but after crying, they still had to continue to find ways to survive.

Otherwise, you can't just lie there and wait to die.