The cold wind whisked the snowflakes into a wild dance in the air, swirling as though they were graceful celestial fairies, but for Luo Zheng and his companions, this was a terrifying sight; everyone trudged forward heavily along the mountain ridge. The sunshine was brilliant, providing so warmth as it shone upon them, but the cold wind quickly swept that warmth away. If it weren't for the specially designed tight-fitting clothes they wore, which had strong cold resistance, they would have frozen long ago.
No one knew how far they had walked, but everyone was tired and drowsy. Before they realized it, night fell, the moon shone brightly in the sky, and the silence around them was as deep as death—no chirping of insects, no bird calls, no animal roars, no explosions. There was nothing but the sound of the wind howling, it felt as though they were in a desolate and icy world.
After Luo Zheng gestured for everyone to stop, he took a deep breath. The icy cold wind filled his lungs through his trachea, and he felt as though he would freeze instantly; his mind cooled considerably, his gaze hardened, and a touch of worry appeared as he said, "We can't go any further, we must find a place to rest."
"We're no longer in Arctic Bear Country, even if the Arctic Bear pursues us, it will only be a small force. The team is too exhausted; we indeed need to rest. You decide," Lan Xue said in agreent.
Having previous experience surviving in the snow mountains, Luo Zheng knew what to do. Pointing at the canyon ahead, he said, "Let's head to the slope across. There's a chance that Arctic Bear's forces might co from the southwest. Even if they do co, the area in front is a dead valley. If we occupy the slope and take the high ground, even if we can't beat them, escaping shouldn't be a problem."
Everyone took a look at the terrain and felt that it made sense. Coming from the southwest, whether through the canyon or the ridge, reaching this valley was like entering a dead zone. By taking the higher ground and hiding on the slope, they would have a geographical advantage, so everyone agreed. They descended the ridge, walked to the valley, and then climbed up the slope. The straight-line distance was only two kiloters, but it took them an entire hour to traverse it.
Standing on the slope and surveying the area, Luo Zheng found the snow quite stable. Looking at the high points around, all of them were over two thousand ters away. With various crosswinds howling irregularly through the valley, even the most skilled snipers wouldn't be able to target their position from these high points. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said, "This will do, everyone dig a snow cave and hide."
Digging a snow cave was nothing new to them; although they were not experts, they knew what to do. Originally, Luo Zheng had managed to dig out a snow shelter by himself with just his hands. Now, with more people and everyone equipped with engineer shovels, a perfect snow cave was excavated in about half an hour. Everyone crawled inside the snow cave to hide.
The snow cave was sufficiently large for everyone to get up and move around. The cold wind couldn't get inside, and although it was very cold, it felt much more comfortable than facing the cold wind outside. Everyone folded their camouflage suits, placed them on the snowy ground, and sat down. The suits were thick enough that sitting on them, they couldn't feel the icy chill of the snow, and they all took out their rations to eat.
"Ghost, brother, since you've fought the Snow Bear, you're familiar with them. When do you estimate they might catch up?" Ghost Hand asked curiously, carefully chewing his food to generate heat.
"If the Snow Bear has set an ambush in the southwest, they could arrive here around four or five in the morning," Luo Zheng replied thoughtfully and softly.
"That soon?" Ghost Hand asked in surprise. Seeing that Luo Zheng didn't seem to be lying, his expression grew serious. After thinking for a mont, he said, "I didn't expect them to be so formidable. I underestimated them. It's good though, clashing with such masters will definitely be very interesting. How shall we fight when the ti cos?"
"We're not going to fight," Luo Zheng said without hesitation. Seeing everyone looking at him curiously, he explained, "We've dug a snow cave here for camouflage. The satellite above certainly sees it, and Snow Bear will definitely rush over. By the ti they get here, even if they are made of iron, they won't be able to withstand it. We don't need to fight them. We'll withdraw around three in the morning when the night is darkest, which will help us stay hidden. Everyone will be asleep by then, and Arctic Bear will definitely think we are staying overnight. They won't expect us to leave during the night."
"You want to compete with Arctic Bear in a test of endurance?" Ghost Hand asked in surprise.
"Yes, everyone's physical condition is similar. In the face of nature, being slightly stronger doesn't make a difference. We've been fighting continuously and are very drained, and Snow Bear will be too after rushing over all night. We'll leave during the night, and when they arrive here to find us gone, worried that we've escaped, they'll also chase after us during the night. By then, we will have rested for most of the night. If we can't beat them, we'll just drag them along until they are worn out and break down. Then we can counterattack, and maybe we'll have a chance to win," Luo Zheng analyzed solemnly.
"That makes sense. We're all human; if we can't stand it, they might not be able to either. First, we compete in willpower to see who lasts the longest, then in combat strength. The further and longer we go, the more advantageous it will be for us. We'll use guerrilla tactics to defeat them," Lan Xue said approvingly, her eyes sparkling with spirit.
Everyone laughed upon hearing this, nodded knowingly, and began to move around quickly to generate heat, encouraging normal blood flow and preventing their muscles from freezing stiff. After feeling much better, everyone took sleeping bags from their backpacks, quickly took off their outer clothing, and jumped into the bags to sleep.
The sleeping bags, specially made by the National Blade Equipnt Team, were very good at insulating against the cold and moisture, and they were also very warm. With their bellies full and warm, and enough heat generated in their bodies to keep the heat from dissipating, everyone could barely manage to fall asleep in the freezing snow cave. Soon, everyone drifted into dreams.
In the icy highlands of the snow mountains, a team hurried along, led by a determined-looking major from Arctic Bear Country whose face, sharp as if carved by a knife and ax, glinted like an unsheathed sword sweeping coldly across the highlands. A signalman with a Single Soldier Radio on his back ca over and handed the major the microphone. After listening for a mont, the major hung up, his face as cold as the surrounding snow mountains.
Everyone could tell that the major was furious. They all stopped and looked at him with puzzled expressions. Adjusting his emotions, the major coldly said, "According to the intelligence we've gathered, those bastards have actually stopped to rest. This is an insult to us. Let's pick up the pace and catch up to them before dawn and finish them off."
"They've stopped?" a captain exclaid in surprise.
"Yes, they've stopped and even dug a snow cave to rest in, without worrying about our pursuit. Warriors, what do you say we should do?" the major said coldly.
"Catch up to them and tear them apart!" Upon hearing this, everyone beca furious. The idea that their prey would dare to stop and rest during the chase was outrageous and insulting.
"Snow Bear, kill!" the major roared towards the snowfield ahead, his eyes seeming to spit fire.
User Comments
0 comments from readers