Volume 2: Winter’s End
Continuing to unfold several other crumpled pieces of paper, Shu Xun found that they were all transfer documents, and the destination marked on each of them was the same – Yuanhai. Yuanhai is called the lowest point in the world. According to the map, there are indeed some large islands there, but they belong to the public domain of this world and do not belong to any country. Shu Xun vaguely felt that Yuanhai should be their final destination to unravel the mystery.
According to the information previously found in the library, the World Union and several countries were conducting new energy development on the Blue Amber Crystal Stone, but the research center was not on the sea. Looking at the dates on the transfer orders, it was clear that they were entering the low-temperature period. In such a pressing situation, some organizations hidden in the dark would naturally be exposed. It seemed that Yuanhai was such an existence.
Shu Xun carefully noted the latitude and longitude on the transfer orders and then examined the items being transported. Surprisingly, they were all marked as the same item: Blue Amber Ore. This was the raw material for the new energy source developed in this world.
Indeed, although Shu Xun and the others had learned about the development of the Blue Amber Crystal Stone from relevant documents, they had not seen a piece of raw Blue Amber Crystal Stone material. It seemed that it was being centrally collected and processed. However, this action did not prevent the world from heading towards destruction. Whether the Blue Amber Crystal Stone truly had life and would melt to absorb a large amount of heat remained to be seen. Perhaps seeing the raw Blue Amber Crystal Stone material would give them a conclusion, determining the true cause of the world’s imminent ice sealing.
Shu Xun raised the transfer order and showed it to the others. Nuan Dong and Ye Qian bent down to take the documents, looking at the information on them in silence. Meanwhile, Gray and Lie Yang were still immersed in the mountains of materials.
At this critical moment when everyone was busy pondering, Shu Xun suddenly felt a strong sense of unease creeping in. Almost in the next instant, Shu Xun immediately realized that the so-called ice sealing was about to descend. Shu Xun quickly ran to the window and climbed onto the windowsill to look outside. Sure enough, the northern sky had silently transformed into a deep azure color, clear as if there were no impurities in the sky. However, Shu Xun knew that it was not the sky but an extremely low temperature.
The blue color at this moment was like a surging sea, slowly spreading and rolling in. Shu Xun stared at the sky for a moment, estimating the speed of the azure color spreading. Using his little fingers to calculate, he finally confirmed that they had less than two hours left.
“It seems we should leave,” Nuan Dong’s voice sounded from behind. Shu Xun turned around and found that Nuan Dong had also appeared at the window at some point, looking deeply at the blue tide in the sky.
After spending another ten minutes organizing the collected materials, hastily stashing them into backpacks without careful examination, the group left the research institute and headed towards the last destination – the meteorological station.
The location of the meteorological station is already very close to the edge of Micro City. After searching, they can leave Micro City directly on their way. Upon seeing the information on the transfer orders, Shu Xun, Nuan Dong, and Ye Qian’s almost immediate reaction was to search for a port and then take a boat directly to Yuanhai. However, due to the current extremely low temperature, the coastal areas are frozen, and ordinary boats cannot even go out to sea. To leave, they must find a boat capable of breaking through the ice. Micro City is not a port city; it is adjacent to the Micro Mountain Range. This means they must head to the next city.
The situation at the meteorological station is much more optimistic than at the research institute. After a glance at the material classification, the group directly packed the parts they might need into their backpacks and left, preparing to head south to the next port city, Fuzhou.
After leaving the bustling district, Micro City appeared even quieter and more desolate. The recently raging snowstorm also disappeared unknowingly, as if it too feared this extremely low temperature and went into hiding.
While walking, the only sound besides the squeaking on the snow-covered ground was the absence of other noises. In the north, the deep azure color of the sky had slowly approached, hazy and uncontrollable. After passing through both prosperity and desolation, they traversed the entire Micro City. On the smooth road covered with thick white snow, a string of deep footprints was left, slowly extending towards the more distant horizon.
About half an hour away from the Micro City limits, Shu Xun and his group stood at the highest point of the gently undulating road, looking back at the entire Micro City. The azure color of the sky had surged and arrived like an unfeeling sea swallowing everything. Where the blue light passed, an immediately frozen layer of thick and crystal-clear ice-blue color sealed everything perfectly. The entire Micro City had finally and perhaps lastingly become a crystalline dreamlike city.
Shu Xun couldn’t see the more detailed situation in Micro City, but he could imagine that if the blue low temperature was caused by the Blue Butterfly, the Micro City, now icy blue, must be filled with translucent blue butterflies drifting and settling, no longer drifting aimlessly.
The deep blue color began to gradually fade from the edge of Micro City, but it continued to spread. Shu Xun and the others took a final glance at Micro City and then turned away. However, just as they turned around, several cold glints approached them, and at the same time, several figures leaped out from the snow on both sides of the road, rushing towards them.
With Ye Qian, Nuan Dong, and Lie Yang’s strength, there was no need to doubt that the probability of a successful ambush against them was very low. What surprised Shu Xun was that Gray’s strength was also quite good. Despite the seemingly inexperienced youth, his movements were exceptionally sharp, each moment containing a perfectly timed explosive force. This was completely different from his speaking style, appearing very clean and neat.
Thus, the first ambush completely failed, and Shu Xun and his group were almost unharmed. Before they could settle, the second wave of attacks ensued. Shu Xun tightly grabbed the pocket to prevent himself from falling out, while carefully observing the attackers. There were seven attackers in total, all wearing predominantly white clothing, and among them was a man with silver-white hair. There was no need for much speculation; these seven people must be the hunters Gray mentioned, and indeed, they formed a team.
The unexpected stalemate in the battle lasted for a few minutes. These seven individuals, individually, were not as strong as Ye Qian and the others. However, their strength lay in their seamless and tacit cooperation, allowing them to flawlessly fill each other’s vulnerabilities and strengthen each other’s attacks.
In this situation, Shu Xun could only watch, considering that his current state was just in the early developmental stage, and he hadn’t practiced any attack-oriented martial arts. However, the little dumpling appeared unusually calm because he firmly believed that the team he was in was the strongest squad in “Winter’s End,” even though they had only spent a short time getting to know each other. Each member was sharp, and everywhere was like a blade. If you wanted to make a move, you had to be prepared for severe injuries.
Just when Shu Xun thought the battle would continue to be at a standstill, the situation suddenly turned around amidst the interplay of light and shadows. The outcome was determined in an instant. As Ye Qian seized the vulnerability of one of the opponents, Nuan Dong quickly supported and expanded the opening, while Lie Yang and Gray took advantage of the opportunity to turn the tide. Because of the flawless cooperation between the opponents, any mistake made by one person, if not promptly rectified, would be seized upon, leading to a complete collapse.
In the live broadcast room, the audience witnessing this short few minutes of the battle was already buzzing.
“What does it mean to be a pro? A pro is someone who can familiarize themselves with each other and understand each other’s needs even in the first-time collaboration in just a few minutes!”
“My king’s moves are so cool; the invisible Butterfly Blades in close combat are absolutely invincible! Let’s mourn for the hunters.”
“That Gray, the Leaf Butterfly, unexpectedly stands out. His movements are clean and neat, a world of difference from his irritating way of speaking!”
“The little dumpling is so calm; it feels like he’s just missing a can of beverage to casually drink while watching.”
