As the twenty-one sled dogs charged forward together, Xie Tianlang, sitting in the driver's seat of the first vehicle, simultaneously shouted into the walkie-talkie, "Go!"
The roar of car engines mingled with the barking of dogs and meowing of cats as three snowmobiles, linked together, sped straight up the frozen Yangtze River through the snowstorm.
Holding her father tightly in his arms, Wen Xingxing, wearing a small helmet, sat in the car. It was the first time she had seen a whole river frozen solid. She blinked her round eyes and looked out at the river. She saw the thick ice and was amazed to see a big fish frozen under the ice.
However, her little head, which had been sticking out, was quickly pressed back by her father, and the little one nestled obediently in her father's arms.
But she still kept her head up, observing her surroundings. She had gotten used to the wind and snow in the past few days, but this time the wind and snow no longer obscured her view, and she could finally see more.
However, her attention was now focused on the huge, spinning white snow tornado in front of her.
The little girl watched as the snow tornado, resembling a giant white serpent, rapidly moved towards them, and she gasped in fear in a low voice:
"Dad! A monster is coming!"
Wen Boyuan and the others in the car were also on edge, watching the first snow tornado that suddenly turned towards them. Although Gou Fugui had told them that snow tornadoes move irregularly and could even suddenly turn and attack, they did not expect to encounter such a difficulty as soon as they got on the ice.
Obviously, life's difficulties are never like those in games, where you progress through levels from low to high. Real survival games only have two endings: success or death.
The leader, Ha Fugui, who was running at the front, naturally saw the snow tornado that suddenly moved towards them. As the first snow tornado suddenly moved towards them, the distance between the first and second snow tornadoes was rapidly decreasing.
At this point, he had to choose between changing direction or speeding up and rushing forward. He sniffed the scent of the wind and snow, felt the force of the snow tornado, and finally let out a roar, directly increasing his speed.
Changing direction at this point could very likely result in colliding with the sudden change in speed of the second tornado, but the distance between the first and second tornadoes, though small, is known to be such that a more dangerous change is unlikely.
If they are fast enough, they can rush straight through, but if they run towards the second tornado and then encounter the second tornado suddenly changing direction, the convoy will crash directly into the second snow tornado.
So the sled dogs sped up. Xie Tianlang, in the vehicle, immediately sensed this and slammed on the accelerator.
His reaction time was enough to allow him to release the accelerator or slow down before danger arrived, but the two cars behind him could no longer accelerate, or they would overturn.
The convoy moved straight through the increasingly narrow gap between the first and second tornadoes at a rapid pace.
Because of the accurate judgment and extremely high speed, the car almost brushed past the outermost snowflakes of the first snow tornado.
They quickly passed the second snow tornado, and just as they were about to leave it behind, the second snow tornado, which had been moving to the left, suddenly changed its direction of travel, just like the first snow tornado, and moved half a meter to the right.
If the leader, Ha Fugui, had chosen to run in the opposite direction of the second snow tornado, then the third snowmobile at the very back of the procession would have definitely scraped against the swirling, knife-like snowflakes of the second snow tornado.
Sitting at the back, Lu Hao, his wife, and two brothers all jumped in surprise at the sudden shift of the snow tornado. Lu Hao couldn't help but curse, "Damn it."
If they ran on their own, they would likely get swept away by the ice and snow.
The third, fourth, and fifth snow tornadoes that were blocking their way across the river were also quickly and accurately swept past under the leadership of Ha Fugui, who moved like the wind.
The sled dogs, led by their leader, were all spirited and filled with the excitement and determination to run forward.
In this race against time and life, the wild instincts within them, long forgotten by time, are gradually awakening and reviving.
"Awoooooo!!"
"Awoo awoo—"
The sled dogs pulled the convoy swiftly across the frozen surface of the Yangtze River. Starting from the second half of the journey, the dogs in the sled team, led by an Alaskan Malamute and two other Huskies, became increasingly sensitive to snow tornadoes and their surroundings. On several occasions, they even followed the leader Ha Fugui's intentions and chose the same direction and speed as him.
Sensing the changes, the leader, Hafugui, grinned and stuck out his tongue in a cheerful laugh.
It's not just humans who grow through crises; all things have a spirit, and those with a spirit can reach the pinnacle.
After slightly changing direction for the third time and passing the seventh snow tornado, the sled caravan led by Chief Ha Fugui had reached the southern part of the frozen Yangtze River.
The only thing blocking their way was the last snow tornado, which was larger than the others. Behind this snow tornado was the familiar yet strangely reassuring blizzard that they had been watching for the past ten days.
"Awooooooo—"
The leader, Ha Fugui, roared to the sky, signaling to his underlings that they were only a few hundred meters away from victory.
Xie Tianlang looked at the snow-covered land ahead, a hint of a smile and even more vigilance appearing in his eyes.
"Attention! The last snow tornado is ahead! After we pass it, we'll cross the Yangtze River! No one should let their guard down in this final moment! Drivers, get ready and listen to my instructions!!"
Everyone on the bus unconsciously sat up straight at that moment, and everyone was wearing a simple seat belt to prevent them from being thrown out in the event of a rollover.
Then, amidst everyone's tense yet expectant expressions, the sled team sped past the last snow tornado.
!!
"We made it!! Haha, we made it!!" The tall, thin male college student sitting in the second car couldn't help but shout excitedly.
But then, something unexpected happened.
The last snow tornado, which had clearly been left behind by them and was originally more than ten meters away from them, suddenly made an S-shaped turn on the spot and then swept towards them at an extremely terrifying speed!
Lu Hao, who was sitting in the last car, shouted it out on the spot!
"Thanks, brother! The snow tornado suddenly changed direction and caught up!"
Dao Hong immediately stepped on her husband's foot and slammed down on the gas pedal.
Xie Tianlang, who saw the snow tornado through his rearview mirror, gritted his teeth and honked his horn twice before frantically turning the steering wheel to the right.
Fugui, the husky running ahead, tensed up when he heard the two horns. He roared and led his minions to suddenly turn right. At the same time, the two-faced cow cat that had been perched on the back of the Alaskan Malamute let out a meow, and all nine cats jumped up and ran towards the back of the convoy.
As the sleds suddenly turned, the skis of the three sleds left deep marks on the ice, but because the ice was too slippery, the third sled at the very back was almost thrown off.
Lu Hao held his mother down tightly, while trying to hold his wife down as well. To his horror, he discovered that his wife had already unbuckled her seatbelt, grabbed his arm, and slammed her body against the left side of the sled that was already being thrown into the air! She managed to stop the sled from flying away.
However, at this moment, the snow tornado behind them seemed to have eyes and began to quickly move to the right to chase after their convoy.
But at this moment, the sled dogs running ahead suddenly changed direction and galloped off to the left.
At this moment, Xie Tianlang also slammed on the steering wheel and stepped on the brakes to prevent the entire convoy from overturning and skidding.
"Apply the brakes gradually! To prevent the vehicle from overturning!"
Wang Xuan and Lu Hao, who were holding down their elderly mother, gritted their teeth and slowly stepped on the brake while adjusting the steering wheel according to the direction of the vehicle.
This second sudden change in direction finally succeeded in widening the distance between the convoy and the pursuing snow tornado.
However, because the change of direction was too abrupt, all three vehicles are now in a dangerous state of almost overturning. Even the dogs that were frantically pulling the vehicles in front of them, two of the smaller Border Collies slipped on the ice because they were a little slow in adjusting their direction, and they didn't have time to get up and continue running.
Fortunately, the dogs could already see the snowfield ahead, and just as the three vehicles behind were about to overturn on the ice, the nine running cats finally jumped from the left to the right in unison, crushing the sled that was almost out of control due to the sharp turn.
One of the orange cats, which had gained five pounds in the past ten days, played a very significant role in slowing down the car.
Finally, with superb skill, Ha Fugui leaped up, using his hind legs to propel himself onto the ice, and landed steadily... pressing a handsome crater into the snow.
Behind him, the Alaskan Malamute, two Huskies, and other sled dogs such as Border Collies, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, and Giant Poodles crashed into the snowdrift one after another, creating twenty snow craters in completely different poses.
Finally, there were three sleds that were still rushing towards the shore at an extremely high speed despite braking. These three vehicles almost slid sideways to the shore, leaving model dents in the high snow piled up on the banks.
Interspersed along the way were two cats that had been flung away and landed in the snow, howling loudly.
Whether it's a person, a dog, or a cat, they all ended up looking rather disheveled when they finally reached the shore.
But even buried in the snow, even after being knocked over and thrown about, all the people and animals on the south bank of the Yangtze River felt a heartfelt and immense joy.
"Hahaha, we made it!! We made it successfully, hahaha!"
"My God, it's unbelievable! We actually made it through that ice and those snow tornadoes!"
"South of the Yangtze River! Hehehe, we've arrived in Jiangnan. Will the temperature keep rising and rising until it returns to normal?"
"Who cares? We've already successfully crossed the river. Is there anything we can't do after this?! Nothing!!"
"Woof woof woof woof woof!" Haha, awesome! Boss, you're amazing!
"Awoooooo!" I can run another twenty laps!!
"Meow..." How annoying, why did you run away? I was freezing to death just now!
The joyful shouts of the people and the excited barking of the cats and dogs mingled together, creating a noisy yet strangely comforting and vibrant atmosphere.
"Hehe, alright, alright, our team is really great. Now everyone take a break before continuing south." Grandma Lu stretched her old arms and legs, then looked at the front of the convoy with some concern: "Where's Xiao Fugui? Didn't Fugui suddenly have a fever? After all that commotion, how is he?"
Immediately, everyone who was happy turned their worried gazes toward the first car. Then, the wealthy and beautiful woman, wrapped in a thick blanket, her face flushed and covered in cold sweat, straightened up and smiled at the people looking over.
"Thank you for your concern, Grandma. I'm fine. I just caught a cold a couple of days ago, but I'm much better now after taking the medicine."
When everyone saw that Fugui looked a little tired but his complexion was still rosy and he seemed to be in good spirits, their last worry was relieved.
After that, everyone began to repair the convoy and supplies, untangle the three vehicles that were connected together, and prepare for departure.
As for Fugui, who was in charge of the project, and the animals of the sled team, each of them was fed a sausage as an extra meal. Of course, Fugui ate a piece of chocolate by himself, and then they were piled together as mascots and placed on the vehicle.
"Fugui, you've trained the dogs exceptionally well. We wouldn't have made it through this without them, so you can all rest here now. Leave the rest to us."
"Yes, yes, I know several places where we can replenish supplies after crossing the Yangtze River. I just asked Dr. Si, and the temperature here has risen another two degrees! It's -54℃ now, haha!"
"Maybe after another three days of driving, the temperature where we arrive will drop below -50°C!"
Gou Fugui sat in the car with an Alaskan Malamute and a Husky behind him, and a black and white cat and a big orange cat in his arms. He smiled slightly as he looked at his energetic teammates.
Then I became drowsy.
His mind was indeed under great tension just now, so he can finally get some rest.
When Gou Fugui woke up again, three hours had passed, and it was almost noon. He subconsciously opened his eyes and looked up, only to see the familiar, swirling snow.
However, this same heavy snowfall was ultimately different from the previous ones—
The blizzard in Jiangbei brought with it a biting wind, howling fiercely wherever it passed, even the snowflakes were cold and hard.
The snow in Jiangnan was heavy enough, but the wind was much gentler. As a result, the snow itself seemed much gentler.
Song Sanchuan's voice rang in my ears: "Huh, you're really awake? I didn't believe the boss when he said you were awake... Tsk, this damn telepathy. I'm going to kick over this bowl of dog food!"
The wealthy and beautiful woman couldn't help but chuckle, then asked, "Where are we now? Where are we going next?"
Upon hearing the question, Song Sanchuan became visibly pleased: "We've already entered the area of Wannan City. I've located a large food export market, where we can replenish our supplies."
"Then I checked the situation here, and it's actually similar to ours. It snowed suddenly and it's been snowing for eleven days straight. However, the temperature here is a bit higher than where we are, and the wind is less. The signal isn't affected much. The entire city of southern Anhui is broadcasting government disaster relief information, and you can also check the news online."
Gou Fugui nodded; it was indeed something to be happy about that Song Sanchuan was able to connect to the internet.
How's the situation online?
Song Sanchuan sat up straight, his voice a little serious: "That's exactly what I was about to tell you."
"Over the past eleven days, Anhui Province has been conducting emergency rescues for its residents despite the snow. They have all gathered in underground air-raid shelters. For the time being, they seem to be taking refuge in this way, which is not really our concern."
"It mainly consists of messages released by the government online."
"The last message released by the National Astronomical and Meteorological Administration was the day before yesterday, which basically confirmed that the ice age has suddenly arrived."
"The entire Northern Hemisphere region above 30 degrees north latitude has now been explored and is now in a frozen zone. The Meteorological Service says the frozen area will remain completely frozen for about seven days. Temperatures may drop to -70°C to -80°C. Therefore, survivors in areas above 30 degrees north latitude are urged to head south."
Gou Fugui twitched the corner of his mouth: "...We know this even if they don't say it."
In short, it's nonsense.
Song Sanchuan also gave a wry smile: "But in the face of such a sudden disaster, even if the country wanted to send troops to rescue, it couldn't. It can only save itself."
Gou Fugui didn't allow himself to think about what life would be like in areas north of 30 degrees north latitude. He lowered his eyes and asked, "What else?"
Song Sanchuan couldn't even laugh this time: "Also, I suggest that all survivors from Huazhou go to the equatorial region or Hainan Island."
"Because the meteorological bureau has detected that the second wave of the freezing cold wave will move southward in seven days as the entire 30°N latitude region freezes over, and by then the southern region will basically become the same as the northern region."
Gou Fugui leaned against the Alaskan Malamute's back without saying a word.
He didn't know if anyone could survive in the frozen area, but he was determined to make sure he, his animals, and his team survived.
"After we finish resupplying, let's head to Hainan as fast as we can."
Travel day and night without stopping.
"...I have a feeling that the second major cold wave might be...even more terrifying than the first wave of heavy snowfall."
So before that, they must get to a warm enough place as soon as possible.
Song Sanchuan smirked: "So this is what they call a damn telepathic connection."
"That's what the boss said too. He told us to travel through the night."
Gou Fugui petted the cat.
"Great minds think alike."
Of course, it's also a matter of mutual understanding.
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