Volume 2: Winter’s End
Shu Xun, holding the nut with his chubby paws, paused after taking a couple of bites. Then, tilting his little head, he glanced toward the location of the door. No need for further explanation; Shu Xun had already guessed that, during his slumber, Ye Qian had gone out in search of food, and the results were nearly negligible.
Setting down the nut in his hands, Shu Xun took small steps towards Ye Qian’s outstretched palm. He then picked up one nut, making a soft “pat-pat” sound as he approached the side facing Ye Qian. “You get one,” he said, placing the nut down. Afterward, he walked back to the original position, hugged another nut, and placed it on the other side. “I get one.”
Ye Qian lowered his head, watching the little bundle on his hand as Shu Xun divided the nuts one by one. A slight itch emerged in his heart. With just six nuts, Shu Xun quickly distributed them all. Shu Xun seemed to think of something and walked back to the partially eaten nuts. He then lifted one high, asking, “Do you want a bite?”
Ye Qian remained silent for a moment, then lifted the little bundle, using Shu Xun’s hand to directly eat the nut. Shu Xun raised his chubby paws, silently watching the empty palm. Indeed, only one bite.
Looking at the slightly puzzled little bundle, Ye Qian reached out and touched Shu Xun’s small head. He then took Shu Xun’s little backpack, putting all the nuts inside. “For chewing on the way.”
“Three nuts each,” Shu Xun insisted because he knew that this was probably the only food Ye Qian had found outside. With such low temperatures, the micro-lake must be frozen to a great depth, possibly entirely frozen. Animals would seek shelter and not venture outside.
Baiyan Nuts were not easy to find. Animals that had survived until now must have developed an instinctive reaction to the blue light. Before the arrival of the blue light, they would certainly find a safe haven and enough food, just like that white wolf, knowing that without food, it couldn’t survive, choosing to die in battle rather than starve or freeze to death.
Looking at the determined little bundle, Ye Qian took out a familiar can from his pocket. The light yellow peach fruit pattern looked very tempting; it was the can Shu Xun had discovered on Qing Mo and then returned. “You can make do with this.”
Shu Xun silently observed for a moment, nodding his little head. Obviously, in Ye Qian’s eyes, the heat and energy provided by Baiyan Nuts far exceeded that of the fruit can. The value of this small can of fruit was not higher than six nuts, so he left the can for Shu Xun and kept the nuts for himself.
But in Shu Xun’s eyes, it was all about the peaches! Peaches! Peaches!
Though Shu Xun wanted to jump up and hug the can, saying he was willing to give up all the Baiyan Nuts, it was just a thought. Despite the hunger, Shu Xun’s little brain was still in operation, understanding Ye Qian’s intention.
Ye Qian used the warmth of the campfire to heat and melt the frozen canned fruit. Shu Xun took out a nut, sat beside him, and started munching on it. He then forcibly shifted his gaze away from the can, staring at the warm yellow flames, lost in thought, pondering some meaningless questions. For example, why did he like peaches so much? Shu Xun thought for a long time but couldn’t figure it out.
Amid his wandering thoughts, a white porcelain plate suddenly appeared in front of Shu Xun. The pale yellow peach flesh on the white plate was very conspicuous. Shu Xun looked up, and Ye Qian pointed to the Baiyan Nut, indicating an exchange for the one Shu Xun had just eaten.
Understanding instantly, Shu Xun swiftly swallowed the nut’s flesh in his hand, then contentedly stepped onto the plate. The amount of fruit flesh on the plate was equivalent to half a peach. Shu Xun supported the flesh and began nibbling from the edge.
The canned fruit had a slightly strange taste due to being heated over the fire, but after eating it, Shu Xun felt warm and comfortable all over. By the time Shu Xun finished nibbling the fruit flesh, Ye Qian had already consumed the canned fruit. He organized the surrounding supplies and transferred the items from his pockets to Shu Xun’s small backpack. Seeing this, Shu Xun guessed that Ye Qian planned to travel in the form of a giant wolf. Clothes couldn’t be carried on the body, so they had to be placed in the backpack, meaning the pocket space needed to be cleared.
Shu Xun wiped his paws and little face with a tissue, walked to Ye Qian’s side, took the small backpack, and then witnessed the transformation process of the gray-furred giant wolf. The transition from human to beast form allowed the clothes to be detached directly, similar to Shu Xun’s transformation. Clothes could be controlled by consciousness and stored directly in the spirit space.
Shu Xun picked up Ye Qian’s clothes and placed them in the small backpack. Then, tilting his little head, he gazed at the giant wolf sitting silently in front of him, pondering whether he should climb up along the wolf’s paws. The giant wolf, however, lowered its head. Shu Xun immediately ran up, gripping the wolf’s whiskers, and climbed up its face.
The gray giant wolf lifted its head again, and its towering figure made the surroundings seem somewhat crowded. Shu Xun walked around the giant wolf’s head for two rounds, but couldn’t find a suitable place to settle. As the wolf stood up, Shu Xun directly sat in the middle of its head, extending his short arms. Sadly, he discovered that his two arms were still far away from the two huge furry ears.
Feeling satisfied with his seating position, Shu Xun waited for the giant wolf to move. After a while with no movement, just as Shu Xun started to wonder, he suddenly noticed the trembling of the giant wolf’s ear on his right. It twitched slightly, and Shu Xun remained calm, watching the ear move. He speculated that the giant wolf might be scanning the surroundings for information.
After a short pause, the wolf’s ear finally stopped moving. Shu Xun grabbed the fur on Ye Qian’s forehead with both hands to prevent himself from falling when the wolf started moving. However, a massive wolf paw reached over, grabbing the back of Shu Xun’s collar and lifting him to the side of the ear.
Shu Xun: “…”
Testing it, Shu Xun tentatively took small steps toward the wolf’s ear. The ear responded by moving slightly, seemingly signaling him to continue forward. Shu Xun pitter-pattered directly into the giant wolf’s ear, finding a position that wouldn’t get too close to the inside and wouldn’t expose him on the outside.
The giant wolf seemed satisfied, finally taking a step and walking to the door, pushing it open. The villa’s campfire had already been extinguished, and as soon as the door was opened, the winter cold rushed in, covering the area near the door with a thin layer of ice. After a moment, the heavy door closed again. Shu Xun sat in Ye Qian’s ear, peeking his little head out to see the outside situation.
As soon as he poked his head out, he felt a sudden stinging sensation on his cheeks. It was the intense discomfort of the skin exposed to extremely low temperatures. Shu Xun could anticipate that if he were exposed outside, it wouldn’t take long—just fifteen minutes—to get frostbite. It seemed that the temperature “warming up” as mentioned by Ye Qian wasn’t as optimistic as it sounded. Continuing to wait meant facing a dire situation, so they had to take the risk and hit the road.
The giant wolf was over two meters long, with four massive paws firmly planted on the ground, leaving clear prints that looked incredibly heavy and powerful.
Shu Xun saw that Qing Mo’s body remained unchanged from the beginning, sitting peacefully with eyes fixed ahead. In the ice-blue pupils, an unwavering expectation persisted. Shu Xun quietly clenched his little fist, deciding to observe carefully along the way. If he could find Qu Yan’s body, he would seize a suitable opportunity to bring Qu Yan back to Micro Lake.
As Ye Qian moved, Qing Mo’s body quickly disappeared from view. The aesthetically pleasing ice-blue Micro Lake also gradually receded, and the field of vision returned to a vast expanse of white. Setting out from Micro Lake, there was only one road leading to Micro City, and this road had already been covered by heavy white snow. The only way to discern the path was through some road signs on the sides. The ice-blue glow had dimmed considerably, but the bone-chilling cold persisted. Shu Xun felt that the only benefit of the appearance of the ice-blue glow might be the disappearance of the blizzard.
The giant wolf’s body was extremely agile, and its run was as light and swift as the wind. In the snowy white world, the gray giant wolf darted through, leaving the fine white snow still unsettled as its gray figure leaped over a dozen meters away.
Seated in the ear, Shu Xun felt the undulating motion, occasionally poking his little head out to check the surroundings and guide the correct direction. Every time this happened, Shu Xun felt that nestling in Ye Qian’s ear was an incredibly correct choice because he didn’t have to worry about the wind and snow drowning out his voice.
Moving swiftly for a whole morning, the blue glow disappeared entirely, and Shu Xun could clearly sense the rapid warming of the surroundings. Although the temperature remained terrifyingly low, the transition from minus eighty degrees to minus fifty degrees was unmistakable. However, accompanying this change was the dense overcast sky and the increasingly fierce cold wind blowing directly against them.
It seemed like the blizzard had been waiting eagerly, unwilling to waste a second after the departure of the blue glow. The snowfall intensified in an instant, obscuring the surroundings. The sun, never visible, hid behind the clouds, and the heavy snow once again swirled in the air, accompanied by the biting cold wind sweeping across the land.
Shu Xun began to frequently poke his head out to check the route, ensuring that Ye Qian, running swiftly, did not deviate from the direction. At the same time, he attentively observed the surroundings, hoping to find any clues. After all, this was the only road to Micro City, and the indigenous people, like Qu Yan seeking help from Micro City, could only travel this path.
The road was unusually smooth due to the blowing snow. Although the heavy snowfall persisted, the presence of the strong wind prevented the accumulation of too thick a layer of snow on the flat road. A glance into the distance revealed an empty and serene landscape, smooth like a waveless sea. There was not a single body or even a vehicle in sight.
Shu Xun’s mood was slightly complex. He hoped to find Qu Yan but also didn’t want to. This conflict continued until the afternoon when they arrived at the town of Baiyan. Along the way, they didn’t discover any bodies, but later, they found some vehicles. However, the extremely low temperatures rendered the vehicles useless.
What was more peculiar was that they found supplies in one of the cars, including food, water, and some daily necessities. However, there was no person in the car, no body, and the car key was even left in the ignition.
Shu Xun speculated that if the car owner sensed something amiss, they might have driven halfway to Micro City, found the car malfunctioning, and decided to abandon it and continue on foot. But why abandon valuable supplies and even leave the car key in the locked position?
Unable to come up with a reasonable answer, Shu Xun and Ye Qian had no choice but to collect the supplies and continue on their journey. When they stood at the entrance of the town, that strong sense of incongruity struck again. Even before entering, they could feel that the town was too quiet and deserted.
Ye Qian opened his paw and stepped into the town. The town’s layout was very orderly, with a main road leading straight to the other side, and symmetrically branched side roads on both sides. At this moment, the streets and alleys were covered in white snow. Occasionally, in the howling wind, a thin layer of snow would be lifted, drifting close to the ground.
Observing the town, now cold and desolate, Shu Xun poked his little head out, feeling an inexplicable unease. He reached out his chubby hand and grabbed the furry edge of Ye Qian’s ear, and Ye Qian took a step forward. Shu Xun couldn’t pinpoint what was wrong but felt a strange sensation deep within. It wasn’t like the ominous feeling when they first saw the blue light, nor was it the anticipation of something surprising. Instead, it was contradictory and inexplicable.
In his conflicted state, Shu Xun unconsciously clung to Ye Qian’s ear, treating it like a small blanket and pulling it down to wrap it around himself.
Ye Qian’s lifted paw hesitated for a moment, then fell down, continuing to walk forward calmly.
In the live stream:
“From now on, I, Ye Qian, am the first wolf whose ears can curl up!”
“Shu Xun, let go of Ye Qian’s ear. Pulling his ear like that damages his image!”
“Pure wolf fur comes with a built-in heating-type small blanket, should be very warm!”
“There are footprints! Footprints! In such heavy snow, the footprints are still very clear. Someone is nearby!”
Sure enough, Ye Qian had already stopped, and in front of the giant gray wolf, a row of footprints spread out from a house, heading in the direction of leaving Baiyan Town. Judging by the size of the footprints, it was at least an adult man.
Author’s note:
A wolf fur blanket sounds very warm, and Old Xuan fantasizes about not freezing to death in this winter…
Thank you for the landmines, irrigation, and ratings. Regarding why a general would play games, Old Xuan doesn’t want to spoil it. Additionally, it should be mentioned in the text that each major race has military teams participating in various real games to compete for resources. There will be no further explanation in the future~ (*￣3) (ε￣*)
