Epilogue (Part Two) 0093

On a cold winter day, covered in ice and snow, Song Ning came out of the wooden villa, greeted his neighbor Gilder, and then the two went to his dog farm together.

Upon arriving at the dog farm, Gilder selected several sled dogs and tied them to the sled.

Song Ning helped tie it up, and a sled dog excitedly jumped its front paws and rubbed against Song Ning. Song Ning smiled and patted its head: "Be good, Bauer."

Bauer reluctantly grunted and walked back to his companion Lera.

After tying up the sled dogs, Song Ning and Gilder slung their hunting rifles over their shoulders and headed to the helicopter takeoff point.

The plane landed on the untouched tundra. Song Ning and explorer Lucas and others got out of the car and rode in a bear-shaped vehicle into the heart of the tundra to search for traces of polar bears.

The tundra roads were uneven, and the bear-drawn cart rattled and clattered.

Song Ning swayed, holding onto something for support, and looked at the animal footprints in front of her.

Seeing that Song Ning seemed distracted, Lucas asked in English, "Haven't you received a reply yet?"

Song Ning leaned against the wall, her head resting against the window, her gaze distant: "Perhaps he stopped waiting a long time ago."

Lucas boldly and directly said, "Nichols, if he doesn't wait anymore, then accept my advances, how about it? I'm going back to the US soon, why don't you come back with me?"

Song Ning smiled kindly: "Thank you, Lucas, but I can't go with you."

Lucas wasn't upset about being rejected and joked, "You're not planning to stay, are you?"

"Perhaps." Song Ning looked out of the car window.

The footprints in the snow were swallowed by the wind, snow and tires, making them increasingly difficult to trace.

Lucas exclaimed in surprise, "You really intend to do this? Are you still going to write the book?"

Song Ning quoted a line from the movie Casablanca in his reply: "I never make plans that far ahead."

Lucas smiled regretfully: "Our interests are so similar, even our favorite movies. We would have a lot of fun together."

Song Ning looked at Lucas, a typical Western face, mature and unrestrained yet gentlemanly, very charming.

Unfortunately, she was too heartless.

Song Ning said, "I enjoyed the trip with you, and I will miss you."

“I don’t think I’m the first person to hear this, and I probably won’t be the last, but I’m still very happy that you said it.” Lucas smiled, then pointed to the shadow that appeared not far away. “Look, we found it.”

Song Ning looked in the direction he was looking, and outside, the heavy snow obscured the view, while a polar bear slowly moved forward in the snow.

Hans stopped the car.

Four people stood inside the vehicle, observing and recording the polar bear's movements while subtly following it.

Gradually, the wind and snow intensified, turning everything into a white expanse that obstructed their view of the trail.

Lucas said, "We should go back, or we might not be able to get to where the plane landed."

The other three agreed, but none of them expected that the snowstorm would suddenly intensify halfway through the journey, completely trapping their vehicle and preventing them from moving forward.

The blizzard blocked their vehicle, and the severe weather disrupted all communication. Fortunately, all four were explorers from various places and were already used to such situations.

The four people squatted inside the car, wrapped tightly in blankets.

Hans joked, "I haven't told my wife my bank card PIN yet."

"Come on, where did you get a wife from?" Daniel exposed him.

“That’s my Lina.”

"Lina is a Love doll."

Song Ning and Lucas smiled slightly.

"Don't you dare talk to Lina like that, or I'll throw you out of the car."

“OK.” Daniel gestured for her to shut up.

Hans ignored Daniel and turned to Song Ning: "Nichols, you loved that person so much, why did you leave him in the first place?"

Song Ning glanced at the blizzard outside the car, leaned her head back against the metal car, and said casually, "Something happened back then, and I couldn't get over it. If I continued to stay by his side, it would only make us both suffer more. I didn't want him to see me as a coward anymore."

Hans said, "You're a coward? In my opinion, you're the toughest woman I've ever met. It's hard to imagine anyone treating you as weak. When you were negotiating with those primitive men in the rainforest last time, no one dared to treat you as weak."

The other two laughed, seemingly agreeing with Hans's statement.

Song Ning didn't take it to heart: "I cried too much when I was a child. In his heart, I was always a weak person. I think he saw me as a woman who could stand shoulder to shoulder with him, not a woman who needed to be protected. It's just that at that time, I didn't have the confidence to do so, so I could only leave him."

“Oh my god, I can’t imagine you crying. I really hope I can see you crying before I go to see God,” Daniel said.

Song Ning smiled slightly: "Thank you, Danny, but I'm afraid you'll be disappointed."

Instead of Daniel's teasing, Lucas focused on something else: "So, have you gotten over that?"

Song Ning smiled and said, "At least I can handle it now."

"What if he really falls in love with someone else? Are you going to wait for him your whole life?" Lucas looked at Song Ning with his deep eyes.

“I’m just gambling. I’m gambling that in his heart, I’m the best, and no one else can replace me,” Song Ning replied casually.

Lucas thought bitterly, "I really envy that man. Nichols, believe me, he will definitely reply to you."

The people in the car were silent for a moment. In fact, no one could say for sure whether there would be a future for this situation.

As extreme explorers, they often walk the line between life and death.

Some people seek thrills out of boredom, like Lucas; others lose hope in life and seek a meaningful way to die, like Daniel and Hans; and still others, like Song Ning, seek relief or redemption through a life of adventure…

Ultimately, some of them discovered that life is inherently meaningless and disappeared, others found meaning in themselves and returned to normal life, and still others, whether willingly or unwillingly, perished on their adventures…

They were prepared for this outcome.

As night falls, the situation here will become even more dangerous. In addition to enduring the frigid temperatures, they will also have to guard against attacks from polar bears. If the snowstorm does not stop tonight, the heavy snow may damage the heating system, and they may freeze to death here.

The wind and snow intensified, and relaxed conversations resumed inside the carriage. As time passed, the heating in the carriage gradually weakened, making it difficult to maintain the temperature inside.

The four of them ate something and drank some strong liquor to maintain their body heat.

“Fortunately, we brought enough wine.” Song Ning said, sipping the wine from the flask.

My throat felt burning, just like this rugged land, giving me a sense of boldness and freedom.

“Down it.” Daniel downed the rest of his drink in one gulp.

When the others didn't cooperate, Daniel put down the wine jug, laughing and cursing.

Night fell over the snow-covered ground, and nothing could be seen outside the car except for the darkness; the only sound was the wind slapping against the metal.

Hans said sadly, "I wish there were aurora borealis tonight."

Daniel shivered from the cold: "Damn it, I wish we could find a more comfortable place."

Lucas and Song Ning did not speak.

Song Ning leaned his head against the metal sheet, his fingers resting on his collarbone through his winter coat.

Looking out into the darkness where she couldn't tell the time, she felt her life slipping away bit by bit.

He's right, the world is indeed big and wonderful, but in so many worlds, she is always an observer; only in his world is she a participant.

It's a real shame; I may never have the chance to tell him again.