Ignoring the discussions outside, Shekh lay on the bed and lifted the curtain in the car to look out.
Last night, a fierce snowstorm raged, and during the day, the sky was cloudless. The snow outside reflected the light so brightly it was blinding.
It's all that wolf's fault for howling outside last night; she didn't get a good night's sleep.
She pulled a cushion over her neck, tilted her head and leaned back down. Shi Jin folded his hands behind his back, held her little finger, and sat on the edge of the bed looking at a map.
Through the light of the golden cocoon, he found the path into the snow-capped mountain. It was a winding route, and this journey would take at least one to two days.
On the map, there are several locations marked with symbols for wolves, sheep, and leopards, indicating a high probability of encountering these three creatures when venturing into the mountains.
"This wolf should be the same kind we saw last night."
“I don’t like that wolf. It says it wants your blood.” Shekh moved closer and wrapped his arms around Shi Jin’s bent waist from behind. “Would you like it?”
"...I don't like animals."
"Um?"
"...I like animals, but not with the same feelings I have for you..."
This was a question that no normal person could answer, so Shi Jinzhe told her, "You're different from them, don't compare yourself to them."
"How are we different? We are all living beings."
"...In my heart, you are different."
He wasn't a promiscuous pervert; what could he possibly like about a wolf, especially one that wanted to drink his blood? He would avoid it like the plague.
Put the map away carefully, and then close the box containing the golden cocoon.
“Wait a minute, it’s lit up.” Shekh stopped him. “Look.”
Inside the wooden box, the metallic cocoon shell gleamed even brighter, its light more pronounced than yesterday.
Shekh raised his folded hand, his fingers resting on the edge of the wooden box, touching a small part of the golden cocoon. "Is it because of your skill?"
Shi Jinzhe raised his hand. He had no external injuries or bleeding. The cocoon could change. Could it be that he could now promote evolution even through his skin?
Did you hear what those people outside were saying?
“I heard them. They’re planning to follow us.” Shekh sat up, leaned on his back, and looked at the blocked glass.
"Twelve people and five cars are waiting for us."
"Ask the system if the golden cocoon is bound to the player, and if it will be immediately judged as a failure if it is damaged. If not, following us means you have twelve spare golden cocoons. If this one is damaged, we'll just steal it."
Shekh called out to the system in his mind.
After a moment of silence in the car, she said, "It seems to be blocking me out, probably because I made it roll away yesterday."
"It's okay, if we can't ask, we'll just proceed as planned."
"No, wait a minute." Shekh grabbed the ribbon and made as if to untie it.
If you don't come out soon, I'm going to destroy the instance.
【…Please speak.】
[Is the golden cocoon bound to the user? If it breaks, how long will it be considered a failure?]
"Since you're asking like that, how about I help him finish the game?"
"Okay, you can come."
[...] System slacking off: [Not bound, three minutes.]
【That's all for you, go on your way.】
Shech used it and threw it away, then turned around and told Shi Jin the answer.
"Thank you for your hard work." Knowing that there was a backup, Shi Jinzhe gently touched the golden cocoon and began to test his idea.
As he placed his finger on it, the pale golden light of the cocoon shimmered once more, and a small bulge appeared on the cocoon shell, touching his fingertip several times, as if greeting him.
“Do you know what this looks like?” Shekh said to himself, “Like a human baby seeing its father through its belly.”
Time is running out: ...
"Did I give you the wrong impression that my tastes are a bit strange?"
He doesn't like wolves, nor does he want to be the father of a butterfly that is still in liquid form.
“Describe it as it is.” Shekh meant no other than, “It seems very close to you, the frequency of its beating is like Sleeping Beauty being awakened.”
Shi Jinzhe was reminded by her, "I think that's how I woke you up back then."
"So I am Sleeping Beauty."
"No, you are Sleeping Beauty Snake."
That's you.
Shi Jinzhe was stunned by her words, and after a couple of seconds of confusion, he replied: "...Why do you learn everything?"
Being blunt is already overwhelming enough, but now that they're saying things with hidden meanings, it's even more damaging.
“It’s true.” Shekh stared at the golden cocoon. “Look at its shell, it’s changed, it’s become a bit harder.”
She poked it. "The texture is a bit like gold. It looks really valuable. Will it metamorphose prematurely during awakening and evolution?"
"Uncertain." Shi Jinzhe withdrew his hand. "The wolf last night also came for me, which means my skills are improving and I have more power at my disposal."
“In the game where we searched for the bomb at the airport, your blood dispelled my negative status,” Shekh helped him recall. “You also repaired the energy I had consumed, allowing me to maintain my full snake form.”
Shi Jinzhe: "Although I don't know the name of the skill, judging from these points, it's related to healing or life."
Having grasped the initial signs of the skill and gained a general direction, Shi Jinzhe felt much more relaxed. The potential of the two-word skill was very high, and he could explore these points further.
Things are moving in a positive direction; it would be even better if we could find information about parents in the game.
With a hand resting on his waist, he turned his head and said, "Get up. We'll have to get going after you finish eating. Let's walk as much as possible while the road is still good."
Sher responded, picked up a cushion, put on his coat, got into the front of the car, and sat down in the seat.
The connecting door closed at the back. He took the wooden box, folded the carriage back into the ring, and sat back in the driver's seat.
After finishing his meal, he started the car.
The road is easy to find; the route markers and the wolf tracks are in the same direction, so just follow them.
The car behind followed at a distance that wasn't too close, and Shekh would sometimes relay what the people in the pickup truck were saying to him.
"They plan to store some snow water, do we need it?"
“Okay, I’ll store it in my ring. Since the front of the car won’t be retracted for long, we’ll drink drinking water and use snow water for the rest.”
Although snowmelt and rainwater are polluted, they are better than rivers and lakes that contain parasites and various bacteria. After being filtered by a water source filter, they can be used as drinking water.
The only sounds in the deserted wilderness were the engine sounds of cars. The animals didn't appear during the day, and the journey had been smooth so far.
The sun rose and then slowly set. Around four o'clock in the afternoon, Shi Jinzhe parked his car at the foot of the mountain.
The towering stone walls, covered in white snow, stand like knife cuts on the wilderness. The mountains on both sides form a narrow strip of sky, and the road into the mountains is squeezed in the middle, less wide than the sunlight that leaks through.
Shi Jin got out of the car: "We're not going today, we'll start early tomorrow."
He had just seen loose rocks rolling down the cliff face, so there was no need to risk it in the dark today.
As usual, Shech drew a large circle, much larger than yesterday's.
The main reason was that she didn't want to hear that wolf whimpering at her in the middle of the night anymore.
The car following behind didn't understand what she meant either. Was she warning them not to enter that area and disturb them?
After careful consideration, the cars behind stopped right outside the circle. When Shekh returned after drawing the circle and saw them like this, he was momentarily unsure whether these people were stupid or clever.
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