ushernet Chapter 519
Chapter 519
That night, the cave became an isolated island cut off from the outside world.
Outside the cave, there was a blizzard strong enough to freeze steel and crack it; inside, there was a bone-chilling cold and the heavy pressure brought by the murals.
No one could truly fall asleep. The occasional beam of the flashlight swept across the dark red lines, as if one could hear the shouts of ancient warriors and the sighs of despair.
The fat man, wrapped in a sleeping bag, muttered "one million... two million..." as if trying to numb his fear with money.
Zhang Qilin crossed his arms and closed his eyes, like a stone sculpture.
Wu Tianzhen and Xie Xiaohua discussed the details of the mural and possible clues in hushed tones.
Yi Sa and Ding Yudie huddled together for warmth, while Huo Xiuxiu snuggled close to Wu Tianzhen, seeking a sense of security.
Zhang Hao stood guard at the closest point to the cave entrance, his golden-red eyes like two inextinguishable flames in the darkness, watching for any unusual activity outside the cave and sensing the faint, heart-pounding pulse emanating from the depths of the mountains.
After an unknown amount of time, the howling wind outside the cave gradually subsided, leaving only the soft sound of snowflakes falling gently.
Sunlight, filtering through the snow piled up at the cave entrance, managed to seep in with a faint gray-white hue.
"The snowstorm has stopped."
Zhang Hao stood up and stretched his somewhat stiff joints.
The group quickly packed their belongings and dug through the thick snow at the cave entrance.
Outside was a world completely reshaped by the blizzard. The sky and earth were a blinding silver-white, and the snow was thigh-deep. The warning posts and patrol tracks that were previously visible had long been completely buried.
The majestic Kunlun Mountains appear even more solemn, yet also more dangerous, against the backdrop of pure snow.
"Hurry up, the road is getting harder to travel."
Zhang Hao determined the direction and stepped into the knee-deep snow first.
Every step was incredibly difficult; snow powder poured into the boots, chilling them to the bone.
The team trudged silently toward the higher mountain peak, each person holding their breath, the shadows cast by the murals and the increasingly thin air like invisible shackles.
After walking for about two hours, the group took a short break at the edge of a relatively flat glacier.
Yi Sa habitually counted the number of people, and as her gaze swept over them, her heart sank.
"Jade Disc?!"
She cried out, her voice exceptionally clear on the silent snowfield.
Everyone turned around in horror.
At the end of the line, where Ding Yudie should have been, was an empty seat!
Only a single string of footprints extended to a depression behind and to the side, hidden by a huge ice rock.
"broken!"
The fat man slapped his thigh:
"This kid fell behind?"
"Go back and find it quickly!"
Zhang Hao made a quick decision, his golden-red eyes sharply scanning the tracks in the snow.
Ignoring their exhaustion, the group immediately followed the footprints back, their steps uneven.
After bypassing the massive ice rock, the sight before them made everyone gasp in astonishment.
Ding Yudie lay on her back in the snow, her face as pale as paper, her lips purple, her eyes closed, already unconscious.
He fell in a very delicate spot, right next to the edge of a steep ice slope, with a deeper ravine below.
"Jade Disc!"
Yi Sa was the first to rush over, kneeling on the ground to check his pulse and breathing:
"He's still breathing! He's frozen stiff, and he might have hit his head!"
"Quick! Start a fire! Get warm blankets!"
Jie Xiaohua quickly gave instructions.
Huo Xiuxiu and Wu Tianzhen immediately rummaged through their backpacks for first-aid supplies.
Zhang Qilin and Zhang Hao cautiously looked around. The terrain here was complex, with towering ice rocks that could easily conceal danger.
The fat man also came over, muttering, "Thank God, it's good that everyone's alright..."
His eyes, however, involuntarily drifted down the icy slope where Ding Yudie had fallen.
There appeared to be a thick, translucent layer of glacial ice piled up below.
Suddenly, his small eyes widened as if he had discovered something incredible.
"Oh my goodness! My dear mother and great-grandmother!"
The fat man let out a gasp that went off in a different tone, his finger trembling as he pointed to a section of ice half-hidden by snow below the ice slope:
"Look! Isn't there a person inside that ice?!"
Everyone's attention was instantly drawn to it.