"Brother, have you heard? Someone else froze to death yesterday."

"This place is not bad, it's just a bit small."

"Ha, to freeze to death even after leaving that place, you can only say you're unlucky."

"Keep your voice down, aren't you afraid someone will hear you?"

"So what if we hear it? We've already come out of the ice cave."

"No, this one won't do. The rock is loose and might fall down."

"Are you even listening to me?! In the end, it's all thanks to those two Huang brothers. When they first joined the team, you made things difficult for them and looked down on their vehicles. Now, they're practically the second-in-command!"

"Fine, if you're going to bring up old grievances, then get lost and don't bother me!"

"Oh, it's such a pity. If we had built a better relationship back then, we wouldn't be doing this hard labor here. Hey, bro, don't go..."

A rustling sound came from below the rocks, and the white frost in the bushes fell with each step. The two people who had just been chatting enthusiastically stopped in their tracks.

There are indeed people on the mountaintop.

"Where? Wait for me! Oh my god, really! Uh-huh, are we still going up?"

"Look at those cooking fires in the distance. They don't seem to be hiding from people, so they probably don't mean any harm."

"There are actually people faster than us? Could it be that the Huang brothers aren't the only oddballs in the world driving those diamond cars?!"

"Not necessarily. There's also a down-the-hole drill rig, a rock drilling rig."

"Oh, they're all pretty much the same...aren't they all just digging the ground on construction sites?"

"Anyway, let's go up and take a look first. Keep your voice down, don't alert them."

“I understand… But why not? The surface of the ice field is so dangerous. How could we possibly reach the refuge island so quickly without carving a hole in the ice to get underneath?!”

"Shh-"

The two people wrapped in waterproof cloth suddenly stopped, and Xi Zhongcang, who had been listening to the entire conversation from behind a boulder, immediately held his breath.

"Was it just my imagination? I thought there was some noise just now."

"Is it accumulated snow? In previous years, snow often broke tree branches during the winter."

As the footsteps faded into the distance and disappeared completely from his ears, Xi Zhongcang breathed a sigh of relief and quickly turned around.

Now that he has all his legs and feet, he seems to have wings on his feet, taking a shortcut to quickly get back to the top of the mountain.

As soon as they arrived at the parking space, Xi Zhongcang told Xi Xi and Chu Zhiqin everything he had seen and heard.

“Upgrading a motorhome will retain all of its original performance except for the driving system. It seems that the vehicle was originally a rock drilling vehicle, which is why it retained this function after the upgrade.” As soon as Xi Xi spoke, the white mist she exhaled was torn into wisps by the wind.

"I never expected there to be such a method!" Chu Zhiqin exclaimed. Indeed, the saying "all roads lead to Rome" is absolutely true.

"What did the Cheng and Liu families say?" Xi Zhongcang picked up the pliers and stirred the campfire that Xi Xi had lit according to plan, asking in a low voice.

"No reply yet." Xi Xi shook her head. "Let's see how things go. Maybe they're on their way."

Chu Zhiqin, who was standing nearby, suddenly coughed violently. The father and daughter knew this was a signal, so they immediately fell silent and reached out to help Xi Ma up.

The three of them tacitly turned into the back of the car, which was sheltered from the wind. Xi Zhongcang took out a thermos, and the warm aroma of ginger soup instantly wafted out.

In the distance, two figures were prying at the rocks blocking the only path. It was a decoy deliberately created by Xi Xi in pursuit of realism.

"Who?!" Xi Xi deliberately stood up, her voice clear and loud, her eyes fixed on the direction from which the voice came from not far away.

With her hand secretly reaching for the sickle at her waist, Xi Xi thought to herself that she would not hesitate to strike if the other party made the slightest move.

However, the two people opposite unexpectedly raised their hands, trying to indicate that they meant no harm, and even made friendly gestures as they cautiously walked toward the parking space.

As the two approached, the three finally saw their faces clearly.

Leading the way was a tall man with dark skin and a faint scar on his face. Behind him was a relatively short woman who looked quite young, with a touch of childishness on her face.

"Hello, we mean no harm," the tall man said first, his voice deep and resonant.

“Your daughter is very vigilant.” The man, who called himself the scout leader of the “Prairie Fire” organization, walked around behind the campfire, glanced at the three of them, and finally looked at Xi Zhongcang. “Just like my sister, she always says that the kindness of strangers is like a fishhook with a barb.”

After saying that, he pointed to the woman behind him.

"Looks like we're all compatriots!" The scarred man stepped forward and shook hands with Xi Zhongcang. Clearly, he acknowledged that Xi Zhongcang, the only male member of the team, was the core leader and attempted to engage in conversation with him.

Xi Zhongcang, playing along, used his body to shield his "delicate" wife and daughter, the frost on his rough woolen coat fluttering off with his movement: "What do you want to discuss?"

The snow water in the campfire was boiling, bubbling and making a gurgling sound. Chu Zhiqin pretended to cough violently again, trying to lower the other party's guard, and Xi Xi took the opportunity to pat her mother's back.

Surprisingly, the man opposite did not show the slightest malice.

He stated his purpose directly: "Our organization wants to find a place to camp. As you can see, there is only one low mountain on this island. It's not particularly steep, but there really isn't a suitable place for a large group to camp."

The scarred man pointed to the open space around them and continued, "The workings of the Earth Spirit Guardian Shield are no longer a secret, so I'll be blunt. You understand. Right now, it seems the most suitable flat area to take shelter from a strong earthquake is this hilltop."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!