Condes Mountains
Dasong grew up in love and is an empathetic person. After hearing about Tuna's experience, he felt even more sorry for her.
I lost my mother after I was born, lacking the most important companionship in life, and have never felt what maternal love is like.
In life, the only person who can give her family comfort is her father who has been with her and taken care of her since she was a child.
Being able to spend the next few decades of my life with my father could be considered a happy life.
Unfortunately, God did not favor Tuna, and even the last bit of happiness was taken away from her. Her father died while going on an expedition to the snowy mountains.
The only remaining relatives are no longer able to stay with me. It is difficult for anyone to get over such an experience.
But Tuna was very strong. She survived the most difficult time alone and was willing to travel thousands of miles to the small town of Kandas to face her inner fragility and give advice and help to everyone who came to the snow-capped mountains.
It’s just because she doesn’t want anyone else to follow in the same footsteps as her father, and she doesn’t want another family to fall apart.
"It must be hard for you to live here alone?"
Tuna smiled warmly. "No, quite the opposite. The townspeople are like my elders, taking great care of me. I'm very happy here."
She came alone, was young, and because of her tragic experience, she was easily accepted by the local residents.
Most of the young people in the town have gone to more developed cities to work, and many of those who still live in the small town of Condas are middle-aged and elderly.
They took care of Tuna as if she were their own child, and her sweet and delicate appearance easily aroused others' desire to protect her.
The people here chose a small house for her to live in, as it was owned by a family that had already moved out. They often came to ask about her well-being and took care of her daily life.
Even though the climate is a bit cold, Tuna's life here is much better than being alone in her hometown. She has also gained a group of relatives and friends.
Isn't it also another destination of her life?
Dasong still felt sorry for the girl and couldn't help but put on a pitying expression.
"I hope you can live a good life and continue to be happy like this."
Tuna nodded and said, "Of course I want to live happily. I'll just help my parents see more of the beautiful world."
Ding Can still didn't give up: "Is there any place to rent a carriage up ahead?"
Tuna's lips curled slightly. "The only place with carriages and horses is the post station at the entrance to town. You must have missed it. Now we can only hike up the mountain. But it's not too difficult to get to Mr. Mellen's cabin. I often take this route, and it takes about an hour and a half."
One and a half hours was not much shorter than what Dasong had just said. Ding Can turned his ankle and started warming up, preparing in advance for the long journey ahead.
"Thank you for your help. We will set off now." Dasong looked at the snow-capped mountains, his eyes full of longing.
It’s because I’m about to get closer to the career I long for, and also because there are friendly people here.
Tuna suddenly looked back and said, "Hey, it seems like there are people coming into the mountain pass again."
Ding Can turned his head when he heard the sound, and sure enough, he saw a small shadow covered by wind and snow more than a hundred meters away.
After a few seconds, I realized that it was an open-top mountain off-road vehicle, which did not reduce its speed even on the extremely slippery snow.
As they got closer, the huge engine sound drowned out the sound of the wind, and Ding Can saw clearly that there were several circles of anti-skid chains tied around the surface of the tires.
The driver of the off-road vehicle also realized that there was someone in front of him, and began to slow down when there were still more than ten meters. Then, he accurately used Tuna's wild mushroom stall as a reference, turned the steering wheel to the full throttle, and stopped parallel to the road.
Finally, the car braked suddenly, and the tires rubbed against the ground rapidly, splashing small pieces of snow and mud, which almost splashed on them.
Tuna nervously took half a step back and hid behind Dasong.
Ding Can finally saw clearly that there were two people in the car.
The driver was a burly man. Although he was sitting, his head was higher than the roof of the convertible. It was estimated that he was nearly two meters tall.
His body was so wide that the cab was barely big enough to accommodate him.
He has a red crew cut and a noticeable scar on his right cheekbone. His face is square, but he doesn't look honest at all. Instead, he naturally exudes a fierceness.
In the freezing weather of the snowy mountains, this man was only wearing a thin combat uniform. His taut muscles could be clearly seen through the fabric, and he didn't look like he was feeling cold.
At this moment, the man was putting one hand on the car window, looking at the few people silently.
Next to him, in the passenger seat, was a woman with short hair.
His black hair only reaches the tips of his ears, giving him a neat and dashing look. His thin eyelids are slightly upturned at the ends of his eyes, and his gaze is as sharp as a knife.
She didn't wear any makeup, but only applied purple-red lipstick on her lips. The already bright color was even more vivid against the white snow.
She pulled her camouflage jacket to the top of the collar, bent one leg, and leaned comfortably on the backrest.
Although she was much smaller than the man next to her, Ding Can felt that her aura was just as great.
"Who are you?"
The woman's voice was low and seductive, reminiscent of a reptile with painted tongue in the desert.
As a latecomer, I didn't expect that before Ding Can and the other three spoke, the newcomer spoke first.
Tuna bravely took a small step to the side. "Are you here for an adventure? The snow and wind are quite strong in the mountains right now. If possible, I suggest you return to the mountains next spring."
"Also, your equipment is a bit too simple. The snowy mountains are not as simple as you think."
Tuna saw that they were dressed casually and there were many potential dangers if they went up the mountain like this, so she certainly couldn't let them go.
"Thank you for your concern. We just want to go up the mountain to take a look."
Tuna was a little confused, but she still tried to persuade them earnestly: "What's the point of going up the mountain to take a look? If it's not necessary, you'd better not..."
"We have our own things to do." The short-haired girl interrupted her.
The atmosphere suddenly became tense and cold. Dasong looked at Tuna, whose lips drooped, and felt a little sorry for her. "Why are you talking so harshly? Tuna is doing this for your own good. It's really not safe up there."
The other party was obviously not going to follow their advice and directly restarted the engine, obviously intending to continue moving forward.
Ding Can glanced at the ruts left by the off-road vehicle. They were very obvious marks in the snow, and it was obvious that the vehicle itself was very heavy.
If you go up the mountain, it should be enough to move steadily on the snow slope.
She didn't want to miss the opportunity to go up the mountain. Although the other party had a strange temper, it would be a great help if he was willing to let her and Dasong take a ride.
"Hey, you two, we're going to the mountain too. Look, there are two empty seats behind you. Can you give us a ride?"
Knowing that the driver couldn't make the decision, Ding Can went straight to the short-haired girl's car window and asked politely.
The short-haired girl gave him another cold look and nodded gently, "Come on in. Clean the snow off the back seat yourselves."
"Thank you so much," Ding Can turned around and gestured to Dasong, "Let's go."
Dasong looked hesitant. He didn't want to get in the car of two impolite people, and he was also conflicted because Ding Can had already asked others for help.
Ding Can saw what he was thinking and walked over to whisper, "Tuna said there's been a big snowstorm lately, and we're not familiar with the road conditions. It would be troublesome if we can't reach the cabin before dark."
Tuna saw his reluctance and said, "How about I take you up the mountain? I walk this road almost every day."
"No need," Dasong said, not wanting to make Tuna go through this hard time. "Let's just take a ride."
He turned around and thanked the two people in the car earnestly: "Thank you for your trouble."
"Wait!" Tuna took out two small cloth bags from her bag. "These are medicine bags I made from wild grass from the mountains. You're new to the snowy mountains and you might not be used to it. The glare of the snow during the day might affect your sleep at night. This can help calm your nerves."
Dasong took it with both hands, his eyes shining: "Thank you."
Tuna blinked her beautiful blue eyes and said, "You're welcome. Since you've come to the Snow Mountain, you're my friends. We'll have many opportunities to meet in the future. Who knows, I might need your help."
The short-haired girl impatiently curled up a few fingers and put them on her chin: "Are you done? We're in a hurry."
Half a minute later, Tuna was still standing there, with one hand raised, waving from afar at the off-road vehicle that had already climbed up the mountain and was about to disappear in the wind and snow.
*
On the snow-capped mountains where few people go, an off-road vehicle is currently driving along a forest path, bypassing low bushes.
There were four people sitting in the car, but none of them showed any interest in talking to each other.
The two people in the front seat were probably silent to begin with, but the people in the back seat were simply freezing to death.
Ding Can had already started to regret it.
In temperatures of dozens of degrees below zero, no normal person would choose to face the wind and snow in a convertible driving at high speed.
She was blown by the howling cold wind and couldn't even open her eyes, let alone open her mouth to speak.
The snow particles blowing in her face became like pebbles scraping against her body. She covered her face with her gloves to at least avoid direct attacks.
Dasong next to him was not in much better condition. The two of them put their arms together tightly, but they couldn't keep each other warm.
Just as they were suffering, the speeding off-road vehicle suddenly stopped. Due to inertia, their upper bodies fell forward at the same time. Thanks to the thick clothes on their bodies that acted as a cushion, they avoided getting injured.
"What happened?" After this collision, Dasong's almost stiff fingers seemed to regain some consciousness.
"It must have hit something in the snow. I'll go down and take a look."
The burly man driving the SUV finally spoke, but he was talking to the girl with short hair. He didn't take the new passenger in the back seriously at all.
Dasong opened the car door and said, "I'll go too. I'll stretch my legs a bit. Maybe I can help."
Everyone got off the car and found some large stones under the thick snow. They were hidden by the permafrost layer all year round and could not be discovered.
The left front tire burst due to the impact, so I have to replace it with the spare tire first.
During the repair break, Ding Can found an opportunity to chat: "My name is Ding Can. You are not actually backpackers who come to explore the snowy mountains as Tuna said?"
The short-haired girl glanced over and asked: "How do you know?"
"Only experienced snow mountain explorers would challenge peaks like the Kandasi Mountains, and they would come fully prepared."
Ding Can raised the corner of his mouth and jokingly said, "Well, the most important thing is that you two are so fearless of the cold that you seem to have surpassed the level of ordinary people."
If she hadn't known that this dungeon was a solo mission, she would have almost suspected that they were students using props.
"Just now you said you were going to Myron's cabin. Are you the reserve ranger selected?"
Dasong pricked up his ears. "Have you heard of us?"
"I heard a few words from someone before I went on the mission."
The short-haired girl pointed at the burly man holding the spare tire with ease and said, "My name is Ye Shan. I'm the leader of the action team that came here to investigate the poachers. This is Joseph, one of my team members."
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