12:30 pm on December 31st.
The fourth day of the massive snowstorm in the Northern Hemisphere.
Gou Fugui and his group of eighteen people, plus twenty-nine cats and dogs, had been traveling for three and a half hours in the icy and snowy conditions.
During those three and a half hours, they didn't travel very fast in the wind and snow. They covered a total of more than 70 kilometers south, which is equivalent to an average speed of 20 kilometers per hour.
The speed of a snowmobile is much slower than that of a regular car, almost the same as that of an electric scooter.
But this is already the fastest speed that everyone can accept.
It's not that snowmobiles only reach a top speed of around 20 kilometers per hour, but once the speed exceeds 25 kilometers per hour, the snowmobile transforms from a regular "bouncing car" into a "crazy bouncing car." A person can endure it for about ten minutes, but after that, it's like an old man hanging himself.
Moreover, because the blizzard was so severe, it seemed like they were always being hit by a headwind no matter which direction they went. It was as if the gale was swirling around them from all directions, and the speed was so fast that even with simple windproof triangles, the cold wind mixed with snowflakes was hitting their helmets and bodies painfully.
Finally, in Gou Fugui and Xie Tianlang's car number one, several cats and dogs, along with Wen Boyuan and his wife, surrounded the two children, Wen Xingxing and Wen Feilian, tightly. Wen Xingxing even held a long-haired cat in her arms for warmth and to keep out the wind.
Meanwhile, Lu Hao's mother, who was the weakest in the third car, was also holding a cat in her arms, surrounded by dogs, and covered with a thick quilt and a windproof cloth.
The old lady made a thickened car seat with springs for shock absorption, but she still felt a bit uncomfortable from the bumps. Fortunately, she was in good health and was able to endure the three and a half hours to reach the rest area.
When the three snowmobiles came to a stop one after another, everyone sitting in them had an expression as if they had survived a disaster. Even the usually tough stray cats and dogs looked listless and dispirited.
However, when the car stopped, all the cats and dogs perked up. They immediately demonstrated their animal agility, jumping off the car one after another to enjoy the feeling of being on solid ground!
"Meow meow meow meow~"
"Woof woof woof woof woof woof!!"
"Awoooooo!!"
Now that I've calculated it, it really drove the cats/dogs crazy!
Even the designer, Song Sanchuan, got out of the car looking pale, and then Gou Fugui suddenly slapped him on the shoulder, almost causing his legs to buckle and bury him in the snow.
"I'll give you one noon! No, no, no, ptooey! You have to solve my damn bumpy, bouncing problem, no matter what materials or methods you use! Otherwise, I'll beat you every time I see you."
He was jostled around for three and a half hours, and now that he's off the bus, he can barely speak properly.
Song Sanchuan's lips twitched. He saw that everyone else beside him, though not speaking, were looking at him with smiles on the surface but threatening eyes. After a moment of silence, he finally gave in.
"Well, I've thought of a way to reduce the shock. But each car needs two giant alloy spring axles, which you don't have there. We'll have to find a machine shop to modify them."
"However, the detailed world map I downloaded from the satellite shows the location of a large mechanical parts manufacturing plant, which is only about half an hour away from where we are now. We can either rest here for a while and then go to the factory, or we can go directly to the factory and then eat and rest later."
As Song Sanchuan spoke, he looked at everyone and said that the places they had chosen to rest were all hotels that looked quite nice.
Although they drove for three and a half hours on the road, they had only just left Zhongyuan City and arrived at the county town under Zhongyuan City by following the half-buried provincial highway.
They are currently in a six-story hotel next to the main road in the county town.
In their minds, there were at least beds and bedding to rest on, and possibly food. It was a suitable place for a temporary rest.
Gou Fugui looked at Xie Tianlang, who glanced at the elderly, women and children in the group, thought for a moment and then said, "We've been cold, hungry and... bumpy for three and a half hours, let's rest here for a while."
"Those who are physically fit can get out and scout ahead, while the elderly, women, and children can stay in the car and wait. In addition, an adult man will stay in each car to protect them, and the cats and dogs will also be there to guard them. There shouldn't be any problems."
Everyone nodded at the same time, and then the taller men got off the car first. Even though they were mentally prepared, they were immediately buried in snow after jumping off the car.
Gou Fugui grew another two centimeters to 1.8 meters tall, but the snow buried up to his neck, which shows how deep the snow was.
"...Oh, I never thought I'd be buried in snow one day."
The wealthy and beautiful woman sighed. Xie Tianlang, standing beside her, laughed: "Now you've experienced it."
They practically "swam" through the snow to the hotel entrance. However, they also slapped their bodies against the snow along the way to compact the thick layer.
However, it was obvious that the door of the six-story hotel had been closed. Xie Tianlang glanced at the second-floor window, which was less than half a meter away from him, chuckled, and reached out with his gloved hand to pull the sliding window to the side.
He was strong enough that he could pull open any window, even if it was frozen solid by ice and snow, as long as it wasn't locked.
However, the window of this room was obviously locked from the inside. Xie Tianlang walked to a few more rooms and finally opened the window in the fourth room.
There was clearly no one inside.
However, the space was still quite large, and the bedding on the bed had been moved but was still there. After jumping into the room by holding onto the windowsill, you could hear the sounds coming from upstairs.
So, the refugees here are all gathered on the third or fourth floor?
Xie Tianlang thought for a moment and decided not to meet with the people here. After all, they were just looking for a place to rest and have a meal before leaving. Even if they met and talked to the people here, what could they say?
Gou Fugui and the others thought the same way, so after opening the room, they went back and brought over the people who had stayed in the car.
When they left, all three snowmobiles were secured to the iron gate at the entrance, and a thick tarpaulin was placed over them to prevent them from being covered in snow when they returned.
Upon entering the house, Gou Fugui pretended to carry two fire buckets filled with wood, instantly raising the temperature inside the room considerably.
"..." Zhou Ren stared at the two metal buckets, remaining silent.
Although the words on it had been worn away, he could still tell from the shape and material of the bucket that it was indeed a bucket from their hotel.
So, Mr. Fugui and his group actually brought two extra buckets in their car for burning wood to keep warm?
That's incredibly forward-thinking.
Gou Fugui actually wanted to take the automatic generator out of his pocket, but after seriously considering it for a moment, he decided it was better not to go too far.
He could occasionally pull out some food and inconspicuous consumables from his backpack, but he shouldn't challenge other people's memory or nerves with large, obviously unmanageable items.
These two buckets, which could be used for heating and boiling water for cooking, were perfect, so he cleverly carried them along.
On a snowy day, the only thing you can eat is a hot pot of noodles.
As the manager of Longhu Hotel, Zhou Ren certainly had the right to allocate supplies. However, the snowfall created a sense of crisis for everyone, so Zhou Ren only brought an extra box of high-calorie food and some seasonings that were only available in the kitchen.
Fortunately, Gou Fugui had reminded Wen Boyuan to stock up on supplies early, and each member of Wen Boyuan's family carried a large backpack full of food.
Lu Hao and his group of five also packed their food to the brim. They swaggered into the hotel's warehouse to take their food, saying they were going to take enough for the next three months.
Because they were tall and strong, no one dared to stop them.
So although the ingredients weren't very plentiful, everyone still had enough food.
Two large pots were placed on top of each fire bucket, mineral water was poured in, and meatballs, noodles, hot pot ingredients, and shrimp were put into the pots to cook together. The others lay on the bed or directly on the carpet, enjoying the peaceful bliss.
"Ah... finally it's not bumpy anymore."
Lu Hao rolled around comfortably on the carpet.
The other people had strange, speechless, yet somewhat amused expressions.
Just as their two pots of rice were starting to steam, someone suddenly knocked on their door.
The relaxed atmosphere instantly froze.
Even Wen Feilian gripped the sturdy wrench in his hand tightly.
Gou Fugui paused for two seconds, then got up and opened the door. The people waiting outside were shocked and somewhat... excited when they saw that someone had actually opened the door.
"Hey kid, you really didn't see wrong! Someone actually came all the way here from outside in this heavy snow!"
"Most importantly, there are quite a few people here."
"Where did you guys come from? It's such a blizzard outside, and the temperature is so low. You can't even start your car. Did you walk here?"
The young man outside the door, wearing a down jacket and wrapped in a thick quilt, spoke with great excitement, seemingly out of pure enthusiasm and without malice.
While Gou Fugui was still considering whether to let them in, the young man pulled out a bag of chocolates and a bottle of Moutai from his pocket.
"Hey bro! We really didn't mean any harm. We've just been cooped up here for too long and it's really unexpected that someone would come over in this snowy weather."
I'll treat you guys to drinks and food. Tell us about what's going on out there and how you got here.
Looking at the young man's grinning face, I opened the door and let him in.
The person who knocked on the door with him did not enter the house; his eyes were wary, probably wondering what so many people inside might be up to.
Xie Tianlang glanced at him casually with a cold expression, while Zhou Ren, the manager who was particularly good at talking, took the initiative to start exchanging information with the young man.
Both of them spoke in very low voices. The temperature inside the room was much warmer than the freezing cold outside, making people feel drowsy.
Before Zhou Ren and the young man knew it, they had finished a bottle of Moutai and eaten several plates of cold dishes that someone upstairs had brought down sometime earlier. Then the young man learned that Zhou Ren and the others had actually arrived in a modified snowmobile.
"Wow, you guys are amazing! You can even modify snowmobiles!"
Zhou Ren smiled and said, "Our mechanical experts are still the best."
"That's right, that's right."
As he spoke, the young man glanced out the window at the spot where the three cars were parked, then looked at the man and woman, young and old, resting with their eyes closed inside the house, and smiled: "I see you're all tired from the journey. Since you still have a long way to go, we won't disturb your short rest."
"I won't say much else. It's fate that we met. I hope everyone has a smooth journey ahead and arrives safely in the equatorial region."
Zhou Ren smiled, clearly pleased: "Then I'll take your kind words, brother."
The two said goodbye with smiles, but as soon as the door closed, Zhou Ren's smile vanished.
He glanced cautiously at the door, then lowered his voice and walked over to Xie Tianlang and the other three: "This person isn't right. This place isn't right either."
"This person has been asking us about our situation and even how to operate our snowmobiles. They might be after our vehicles."
Zhou Ren paused for a moment, then said, "Why don't we leave now? That way, once we have it, whatever their ulterior motives or plans may be, it won't matter."
Just then, the skinny young man with Lu Hao's excellent hearing suddenly twitched his ears and sat up straight:
"I can hear a lot of footsteps rapidly approaching us! Seven, eight, ten... fifteen... twenty-five... more than thirty people!!"
Immediately, the four college students who had never experienced anything like this, along with Wen Boyuan's wife and children, all showed expressions of worry and fear. They subconsciously looked at the people they could rely on, and then almost everyone looked at Xie Tianlang.
Well, Xie Tianlang's fighting strength is probably equivalent to more than all the people in their room.
Xie Tianlang had just raised an eyebrow when the door to the guest room was kicked open violently.
What came into view was a group of more than thirty burly men, already quite intimidating, crowding around the doorway with kitchen knives and sticks.
The young man who had been chatting and laughing with Zhou Ren stood at the edge of the door. He wasn't holding any sticks or kitchen knives, but the smile on his face turned extremely evil and gloating.
"Hehe, meeting is fate. No wonder we are the chosen ones. We were almost going crazy in this place and we were about to run out of food when you came. Hey, you even have a modified snowmobile. Isn't this like sending equipment from afar? It's a small gift but a big sentiment."
The men outside burst into laughter, and then the one in the middle who looked particularly fierce and imposing said, "Bring up all your supplies and vehicles, and we won't hit you. Also, keep these cats and dogs for us as spare food. Now you have time to go upstairs and stay there. Don't blame us for not... uh!"
Before he could finish speaking, the henchman standing at the front was kicked out by Xie Tianlang, who had somehow appeared by the door.
The kick was incredibly powerful, knocking down everyone standing behind it and throwing the seemingly imposing group of over thirty people into disarray.
Then a clear, cold laugh rang out: "Hahaha. It's time to show our true tearing power! All of you, charge!!"
While the smiling youths were still pondering what "ah-la-ha-ha" and "tear up the house" meant, they saw twenty medium to large stray dogs fiercely pounce out of the house!
Among them, the Alaskan Malamute, which is the size of a calf, is the most ferocious and terrifying. Its gaping maw gives one the feeling that it could easily bite off a person's arm.
It turns out that those who wanted to bully the weak have met their match.
Before Xie Tianlang could even lift a finger, these people were beaten so badly by the twenty-nine cats and dogs, along with Wen Boyuan, Wang Xuan, and Lu Hao, that they cried for their parents and repeatedly apologized.
Finally, these people were tied up and locked in their original rooms. At this time, another group of more than forty people who had been bullied by these local thugs also came out of the hotel. They thanked Gou Fugui, Xie Tianlang and the others profusely, thanking them for finally eradicating this group of scourges.
However, it was impossible for these people to get Xie Tianlang and the others to stay.
They could only watch helplessly as Gou Fugui and his group came and went briefly, just like the snow in March.
However, the snow now is the snow of winter, as hard as solid ice, as if it will never melt.
After getting back on the bus, Gou Fugui and the others finally arrived at the large mechanical parts manufacturing plant half an hour later.
Although most of the factory was buried in snow, the various parts manufactured inside were still complete.
After everyone cleared the snow from the entrance, they drove three snowmobiles into the factory.
This time, everyone stared intently at the windmill blade-type power transmission shaft that Song Sanchuan had modified.
"Are you sure that once these huge springs are installed, it won't bounce anymore?"
"Yes, Xiaochuan, my old bones can't keep bouncing like this, or they'll fall apart."
"If it bounces any more, it won't no, it won't be able to talk anymore, la la la!"
Little Star's innocent words made everyone laugh. Song Sanchuan glared at everyone else, annoyed, and said, "Don't worry! This time, I definitely won't let you break your bones, crack your butts, or become mute!"
Previously, he could only make simple modifications because he lacked the necessary materials. Now, in this metal factory where all kinds of parts are plentiful, if he doesn't make careful improvements, his reputation will be ruined!
After spending two hours in the machine shop, Song Sanchuan finally completed the modification of the high-dampening spring drive shafts for three vehicles.
But when he confidently let everyone get in the car to experience the modified version, he found that none of the people who had previously praised him as a mechanical genius dared to look him in the eye or decide to get in and experience it!
Even dogs, man's most loyal friends, raise their big heads to look at the sky, the ground, and the cats, but never at themselves.
Song Sanchuan: "...What happened to the trust between teammates?"
Gou Fugui smirked: "It's all gone from those crazy three and a half hours."
Song Sanchuan roared, "I already said it was because we were missing key parts!! Now I've fixed it! Fixed it!! All of you, get up here! Since no one is willing to experiment, then we'll share the good times and the bad!"
Everyone: "..."
It seems this is the only way.
Then, just when everyone was mentally prepared to ride the snowmobile again, the drivers of all three vehicles stepped on the gas at the same time, and the three snowmobiles roared forward once more!
But this time, apart from the initial forward propulsion being a bit stronger, they really weren't jostled around on the snowy road anymore!
Although I could still feel a slight vibration coming from under my buttocks, but!
That's the difference between the slight vibration of a small massage chair and the terrible vibration of a bumper car!
The latter is deadly, while the former can be completely ignored or even somewhat enjoyed.
This journey through wind and snow finally became less deadly.
Perhaps it was the good fortune brought about by the improved vibration control, but their three-day journey through the ice and snow went very smoothly.
Five more people in the convoy learned to drive snowmobiles, and their three snowmobiles were fitted with ski baskets for carrying supplies and fuel.
Because they kept heading south, on the third day Si Wuyai even discovered that the temperature had stopped dropping and started to rise from -58℃!
Although it only rose by one degree, that proves their choice was correct.
Everyone seems to be doing well.
Until the fourth day of the journey.
In the boundless blizzard, they saw swirling snow tornadoes ahead, and the north-south dividing line, almost devoid of snow due to the presence of snow tornadoes, yet frozen for hundreds of miles—
Yangtze.
This glacier, nestled within a snow tornado, resembles a gigantic ice monster, coiling along the only route from north to south.
Above the glacier, dozens of snow tornadoes, moving erratically and reaching straight to the sky, roared and howled, threatening to engulf everything in their path.
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