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Chapter 3

Author: Attack on Cheese
When I regained consciousness, I was already floating as a spirit.

Following my instincts, I drifted toward the safe camp several dozen kilometers away.

Claire was helping Alex out of the vehicle, supporting him all the way into the medical tent.

“Doctor, please take a look at his foot!”

The veteran military medic stationed at the camp put on his reading glasses and approached with a cotton swab soaked in antiseptic.

After examining the foot for a long while, the medic frowned deeply.

“It’s just a blister?

“There’s no redness or swelling around it. The skin isn’t even broken. You called an emergency rescue vehicle to bring him back for this?”

Claire stepped in front of Alex, her expression serious.

“Doctor, he has always been in poor health.

“There are a lot of bacteria in the desert. If it gets infected and leads to sepsis, it could become serious.

“Please give him the best antibiotics available. I’ll cover the cost.”

The medic shook his head speechlessly and casually handed her a bandage.

“Just put this on it. Keep it dry.”

After washing his hands in the basin, the medic glanced out the window, his expression turning grim.

“There’s something strange about the temperature today. The ground temperature is approaching 60°C.

“Are you absolutely sure there’s no one else still out in the desert?

“In weather like this, anyone who stays outside for two hours is as good as dead.”

Claire walked over to the water dispenser and poured a glass of ice water.

She carefully tested the temperature before handing it to Alex.

Her voice was firm, without the slightest hesitation.

“No one else is out there.

“That teammate who dropped out runs marathons every day. He’s built like a tank.

“He’s probably already taken a cab back to a five-star hotel in the city, lying in a bathtub with the air conditioning blasting.”

The other team members, who had just returned to camp on foot, pushed open the door.

They happened to hear her words and immediately joined in with their own taunts.

“Exactly. Daniel is way too clever to let himself suffer.”

“He’s obviously faking it. He just wants to see Claire panic over him.”

“But Claire didn’t fall for it. He’s probably hiding in a hotel somewhere, drinking ice-cold beer right now.”

Alex sat beside Claire, guilt flickering across his face as he pressed his lips together.

“I wonder if Daniel has his radio. I’m worried he won’t be able to contact us.”

Claire gently patted his shoulder reassuringly.

“His radio is in his backpack. You don’t need to worry about him.

“Once he’s done throwing his tantrum and realizes no one is going to pay attention to him, he’ll come back and apologize on his own.”

She turned toward the other team members and began assigning their supplies and accommodations for the night.

“Alex has been through a lot today, so he’ll take the only air-conditioned room tonight.

“Everyone, take out the food you brought. Let’s have a proper celebration tonight to mark the successful end of our hike.”

I floated near the ceiling of the medical tent.

Watching them laugh and celebrate.

Watching them forget about me completely.

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  • Under the Blazing Sun, You Regretted Too Late   Chapter 10

    The police investigation results were announced soon after.Although the circumstances in the desert did not meet the legal definition of direct murder, Claire Whitmore, as the expedition leader, was found to have committed gross negligence and abandonment.Worse, she had knowingly concealed the severity of my condition from the rescue team despite knowing that my life was in danger.She faced not only prison time but also substantial civil damages.In court, Claire had become so thin that she was almost unrecognizable.She kept her head lowered throughout the entire proceedings and never offered a single word in her own defense.When the judge announced her sentence, she collapsed to her knees and sobbed uncontrollably.Alex Sterling was also prosecuted.The court determined that he had deliberately misled the others and improperly diverted emergency resources during the incident.He was likewise ordered to pay substantial damages.Outside the courthouse, Claire’s parents an

  • Under the Blazing Sun, You Regretted Too Late   Chapter 9

    The storm online came far faster than anyone had expected.Someone had uploaded the recording from the walkie-talkie to the internet.My faint, desperate cries for help left everyone who heard them furious.Then came Claire’s cold, merciless insults.Alex’s attempts to stir things up in the background could also be heard clearly.The rescue team’s records were exposed soon after.Claire’s statement to the rescue team, in which she had lied about the number of people in our group, was made public in full.The tide of public opinion turned instantly.The people who had originally harassed me online were now absolutely furious.Alex’s post portraying himself as the victim became irrefutable evidence of their wrongdoing.Thousands of comments flooded the post.“Murderers! Every single one of them is a murderer!”“They took away the water that could have saved him and cut off his only chance of survival. If that’s not murder, then what is?”“Arrest that man, Alex Sterling!”“C

  • Under the Blazing Sun, You Regretted Too Late   Chapter 8

    I floated above them, watching their remorse with a blank expression.After hearing what had happened, the coroner added coldly, “The deceased suffered severe heatstroke from prolonged exposure to extreme temperatures.“If he had been given electrolytes in time or taken to a hospital sooner, he wouldn’t have died.”The moment Claire heard the word “electrolytes,” her eyes locked onto Alex, who was hiding just outside the door.That afternoon, the only bottle of electrolyte water the entire team had belonged to me.Alex had claimed he was dizzy and nauseous.Without hesitation, Claire had taken the bottle from me and handed it to him.The moment Alex met Claire’s gaze, he stumbled backward in fear.“Claire, don’t look at me like that…“I didn’t know Daniel was that sick!“And I was suffering from heat exhaustion too. My foot was injured…”Just then, a nurse walked over with a medical chart.“Which one of you is Alex Sterling?”Alex nervously raised his hand.“That’s me.”

  • Under the Blazing Sun, You Regretted Too Late   Chapter 7

    Half an hour later, Claire walked into the local police station with Alex.“I’m here for Daniel Hayes.“Tell him to stop pretending and come out here to apologize already.”The officer on duty frowned and looked at her.“You’re Claire Whitmore?”Claire lifted her chin.“Yes. I’m his girlfriend.“Where is he? Where’s he hiding?”The officer stood up and handed her a document.“He’s not here. He’s at the county hospital morgue.“These are the photos from the scene. Take a look.”Claire accepted the document with a cold laugh.“You prepared everything pretty thoroughly. Did you even Photoshop the photos?”She casually flipped open the first page.The smile instantly froze on her face.In the photograph, a shriveled and horribly twisted male body lay in the sand.His fingers were covered in blood and had dug deep into the sand.Two unopened bottles of water lay scattered beside the body.Claire’s breath caught.She stared at those two bottles of water.They were the sam

  • Under the Blazing Sun, You Regretted Too Late   Chapter 6

    No matter how many times they tagged me, my profile picture remained gray and inactive.The next day, Claire could no longer stand it. She went straight to the apartment I had been renting.But there was no sign that I had been back.“Are you hiding? Do you think moving somewhere else will make me worry about you more? Dream on!”As if venting her anger, she stuffed all my belongings into garbage bags and threw them into the dumpster at the end of the hallway.Then she took out her phone and sent Alex a voice message.“Alex, are you ready? I’ll pick you up in a bit and take you to the city hospital for a full checkup.”Meanwhile, deep in the Mojave Desert, a national geological survey team was conducting routine soil sampling.Suddenly, one of their detectors began beeping.“Captain! We’ve found something!”Half an hour later, local police officers and a forensic examiner quickly arrived at the scene.After a thorough examination, the forensic examiner announced the findings

  • Under the Blazing Sun, You Regretted Too Late   Chapter 5

    Claire ran within three feet of me.She instinctively stepped forward, reaching out as if she wanted to touch my face.Suddenly, Alex screamed.“Claire! There’s a snake!”Claire immediately forgot about me and turned, rushing toward Alex.“Alex! Don’t move!”She grabbed Alex and pulled him behind her, keeping a wary eye on the ground.Alex clutched her arm, trembling uncontrollably.“Claire, I’m scared…”He panted heavily before peeking out from behind her and looking at me lying on the ground.“What happened to Daniel?“Is he still angry? Is he pretending to lie there just to scare us?”Marcus and another team member, Ryan Dawson, mustered up the courage to get out of the vehicle.They stood by the door, shining powerful flashlights toward me from a distance.“He’s definitely faking it.“We were honking the horn like crazy just now, and he didn’t even move.“I don’t believe a living person could hold their breath for this long right under our noses.”Marcus chimed in.

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