Otherworld Bone Dragon Operation Guide

Chapter 177 Snowfield Search
Su Ming retrieved two drones and released a third for rotation. In low temperatures, the drones' battery capacity decreased drastically and was consumed rapidly.

As darkness fell completely, the train moved slowly through the winding canyon, its headlights appearing and disappearing intermittently. Due to the extremely poor visibility at night, Hanster had to frequently adjust the route based on terrain data transmitted by the drone.

Gospel is also learning how to work in conjunction with remote sensing data.

After two hours of arduous driving, the Youth Civilization train finally broke out of the canyon area, and the terrain ahead gradually leveled out. When the altitude reached 700 meters, the mountains on both sides disappeared, and the view suddenly opened up—they had officially stepped onto the first step of the ice field!

As the terrain returned to normal, the locomotive was guided by the terrain radar at the front. Hanst continuously sought flat areas to guide the train's turns, and Gospel was also adapting to this driving philosophy, which was completely different from rail transport.

The three people and the beast high-fived in celebration, and Fuyin happily sang "Sailing the Seas Depends on the Helmsman".

****
Su Ming finished retrieving the drone and returned to the workshop. Zi Jin was in much better condition, holding a cup of hot milk and studying the map on the table.

"What happened to your right eye?" Su Ming asked.

He noticed when he returned that one of Violet's eyes had returned to its original color and was no longer covered by a faint blue tinge.

“I’ve removed the omniscient inscription from this eye,” Violet explained. “Now I have omniscient vision and all five natural senses at the same time.”

Su Ming felt a little emotional. Was Zi Jin being too decisive? All she did was interrupt him once.

However, in contrast to her pale blue left eye, the girl's light brown right eye was watery, shimmering with a delicate halo under the carriage lights. Su Ming couldn't help but think of a cat, and couldn't help but glance at it a few more times, which was noticed by the scholar.

"Do I look strange like this?"

"No, no. Is there any negative effect to the inscription that erases one eye?" Su Ming asked, trying to cover up his misunderstanding.

Zijin suddenly reached out and poked Su Ming's arm, even pinching it.

"Hello?" Su Ming was very puzzled.

"Not yet," Violet replied.

Su Ming was baffled by the girl's action.

"Can we go to Zoumapo now?" Zijin asked immediately.

"You want to... find Catherine?"

“Yes,” Violet admitted.

“The Youth Civilization Team can’t catch up.” Su Ming shook his head and pointed to the map. “There’s a mountain range between us and Zoumapo. To get there, we have to go around from the front, which is at least several hundred kilometers away and takes three days.”

This other world isn't Earth, with its crisscrossing railway tracks. It was already remarkable that Su Ming could find a barely passable route across the snowfield. This was only possible because the ice sheet historically had abundant water flow, with hundreds of thousands of years of alluvial deposits leaving behind many ancient riverbeds and channels. Su Ming had to cram in a lot of geography knowledge and utilize modern equipment to drive in this pristine region.

Special thanks are due to Catherine's book, "The Blue Book of Military Maps," which contains a more detailed description of military terrain than any conventional map.

Violet didn't speak, and continued looking at the map.

“The only way to get there is by snowmobile,” Su Ming thought for a moment. “It’s more than 500 kilometers as the crow flies, and it takes ten hours. But the snowmobile doesn’t have enough fuel for a round trip.”

He turned on his computer and launched the MATLAB software. The snowmobile's range was only three to four hundred kilometers, and even with extra fuel, it couldn't make such a long round trip. However, by setting up supply points and dropping off some fuel and supplies along the way for the return trip, the range could be increased.

The specific number of supply points to set up, the amount of fuel and supplies to be placed at each supply point, and the maximum range all need to be calculated.

Su Ming suddenly stopped moving. "No, that's not right. Catherine definitely isn't where she is now; the ice field is so vast—"

Catherine was attacked two days ago. Her current location is likely a large circle spanning several hundred kilometers, or tens of thousands of square kilometers. If Su Ming could bring the Bone Fortress there and use it as a base to conduct a drone swarm search, there might still be a glimmer of hope.

"Su Ming, where is Catherine most likely to be?" the scholar asked softly.

Su Ming was somewhat surprised, "Ask me?"

The girl nodded. "Kathaline is a shrewd and calculating person; you're similar to her in that respect."

“I have indeed been reading about her recently.” Collecting and studying information about opponents is something Su Ming learned to do when he was a game commander. Especially with the upcoming battle against the Temple of Light in the Holy Mountain Divine Might Prison, it is essential to know as much as possible about the enemy's chief commander. “Although I am happy that you compared me to her, I really dare not compare myself to her.”

"Is this what you call humility in Chinese culture?"

"State the facts. I'm just a lowly commander who failed to reach the top four in a fifty-person game, while she's a highly decorated High Priestess of the Inspectorate in real life," Su Ming said. "I feel I need to apologize for using the word 'humility'."

As he spoke, he carefully examined the map. "There's too little information, so I'll just make a guess. Let's assume Catherine is in a predicament and hasn't been caught yet."

The "Qingjian Yunzhi" contains detailed geographical and cultural information from various regions, indicating that Catherine highly values ​​and understands geography. Considering her personality and style, Su Ming pondered, drawing a winding line of light on the map with his fingertip.

"She's coming this way?" Zijin asked in surprise. "This is uninhabited territory. We need to cross a branch of the Lower Ridge Mountains, where the terrain is uneven and there are no roads. It's the most difficult part of the journey!"

“The harsh environment is actually an advantage for her,” Su Ming explained. “She can’t defeat an enemy that is ten times her size, but she can go faster and farther than any of them.”

Using the natural environment to shake off the enemy is a choice she would and could make.

"Of course, this is based on the premise that Catherine has an advantage in personal strength," Su Ming added.

“Kathalyn is a powerful mage with a cunning fighting style; she won't be captured so easily.” Violet marked a point on the path Su Ming had drawn, more than 400 kilometers northeast of Zouma Slope, and less than 200 kilometers from the Youth Civilization Ship. “Here!”

"Why this?" Su Ming asked.

“With livestock and sleds, a lightly equipped person can only travel a maximum of 400 kilometers in two days across the snowfield. This location I marked is the limit for the pursuers,” Violet said. “So Catherine will definitely cross this limit no matter what.” She looked up at Su Ming, “Can you take me here to search?”

“Okay.” Su Ming picked up his coat and went to the warehouse to prepare the snowmobile.

Zijin was very surprised that Su Ming agreed so readily without asking any questions. But she didn't delay and quickly got up to prepare.

****
A few minutes later, the Youth Civilization Train slowly reduced its speed. The side door of the machinery warehouse opened, extending a small platform. The snowmobile leaped down from it and sped southward.

【Drive forward fifty kilometers, then find a secluded spot to park and wait for us.】 Su Ming left a message using wind communication techniques.

"Su Ming, my lotus root box!" Qi Luo complained.

I'll make it for you when I get back.

"We must be back before the blizzard," the unicorn emphasized anxiously. "Otherwise, I'll fall asleep!" Su Ming drove very fast, the snow kicked up by the tracks flying to both sides. Some of it hit the underside of the vehicle, making a crackling sound.

Zijin felt the vibrations of the motorcycle speeding by and relaxed a little. "Su Ming, you're acting strange today," she questioned Su Ming.

What did I do wrong?

“We’ve just suffered a great loss, and our magic levels are all very low. Especially now that I’ve left the Bone Fortress, my combat strength will drop even further,” Violet said. “Yet you’re doing this for Catherine of the opposing faction—I thought you would object.”

Unexpectedly, the villain accused her first. Su Ming rolled her eyes at the girl and said, "I don't think I can convince you, so I'll give up my objection."

Zi Jin wanted to say, "You are my master," but she quickly swallowed the words. She wasn't stupid; some words, even if meant as a joke, could hurt Su Ming.

The girl knew she was being treated with sincerity.

"Of course, that's a joke," Su Ming said seriously. "It would be great to catch Catherine if we had the chance. With her gone, the threat to the Temple of Light is reduced by at least half."

People can be saved, but whether they are released back into the wild after being saved is another matter entirely.

Zijin did not object to Su Ming's intentions. "I owe Catherine a rather heavy favor," she explained.

"Oh?" Su Ming was somewhat surprised. "Didn't you two have a bad relationship?"

“When I was about to leave the convent, I made a foolish and fatal mistake,” Violet said. “She reminded me and helped me escape.”

“…Then this favor can be repaid,” Su Ming said. “Why did she do that back then?”

Zijin shook her head, "I don't understand either."

****
The weather was gloomy today, with no moonlight, and the distant horizon was distorted into blurry waves. The poor visibility affected Su Ming's observation of the terrain, so he stopped the motorcycle and recalibrated the gyroscope.

"Did one of your important friends on Earth pass away the day before yesterday?" Violet suddenly asked.

"Yes, a senior student named Si Ran," Su Ming replied.

"Si Ran must be a very important person to have enabled you to understand 'Exhausted Mind' in such a short time."

Su Ming wanted to say that you actually had a share, but he didn't say it, since the girl had specifically warned him about it.

“Si Ran taught me many important things,” Su Ming briefly recounted their past. However, mentioning “Heartbreak” brought up another question, “Zi Jin, why is your mental defense so weak?”

Su Ming could barely withstand Qi Luo's seductive spells, but unfortunately, the scholar's defenses were as fragile as paper. During their battle that morning, she was also directly suppressed by her own "Exhausted Heart" spell.

Zi Jin's tone was somewhat disappointed, "This is a congenital defect of mine. I was born through alchemy, and my soul did not undergo sufficient gestation, so my spiritual form is much smaller than that of a normal person."

"Lingmian?" This was the first time Su Ming had heard this concept.

“It’s just redundancy,” Violet explained. “For example, the undead you summon are actually carried by your soul. An ordinary necromancer can summon hundreds of skeletons and zombies, or a dozen or so more powerful undead, because the soul has a lot of spare capacity besides carrying itself.”

Su Ming tried to understand, "You don't have that margin?"

“Yes,” Violet confirmed. “That’s why I need to use you to share the pressure on the Bone Fortress. The zombies were also summoned by me by sharing your carrying capacity.”

"No wonder you couldn't control both Elisa's form and the Bone Dragon form at the same time." Su Ming finally understood a question that had been bothering him for a long time.

Su Ming pondered for a moment, then suddenly slapped his forehead dramatically, "Then didn't I analyze it for nothing?"

"Analyze what?" Violet asked, puzzled.

“The Bone Mark,” Su Ming replied. “I didn’t understand the dynamic cycle of the third layer; I’m stuck there. I was hoping that once I figured it out, I could give up the Bone Mark and return your freedom.”

"No way!" Violet hurriedly said, "Right now, it's less about being controlled by you and more about me being a parasite. Without your help, my power will be severely limited."

She quickly noticed another point Su Ming revealed in the conversation, “How did you calculate so many runes and spells on the White Bone Mark to the third level—no, no wonder you improved so quickly, you can do this much!” the scholar exclaimed.

Su Ming sighed deeply. These past three months had felt like he was back in his senior year of high school, but this time working in a machine factory.

At least back then, even under pressure, he wouldn't have been completely without time to slack off. If he were that diligent and self-disciplined on Earth, he'd be confident he could get into a top-tier university without taking the entrance exam and rise through the ranks in the factory, outshining his colleagues.

The conversation between the two did not continue. Violet, exhausted from using the levitation spell, felt a wave of fatigue wash over her. She leaned back in her chair and quieted down.

Su Ming told her to sleep for a while and that he would wake her when they arrived. The girl softly hummed in agreement and closed her eyes to rest. Gradually, her head tilted against Su Ming's shoulder, and she truly fell asleep.

****
Several hours later, Su Ming finally arrived at the designated location. He woke up Zi Jin, stopped the motorcycle, and released the drone to search the surrounding area. But it was nighttime, and ordinary cameras couldn't see anything.

"Do you have any methods to conceal body temperature?" Su Ming asked.

Violet stretched and moved her neck. "Of course, Catherine is very good at it."

"That's troublesome." Su Ming had a headache, which meant that the infrared camera was also useless.

“I have a simple way,” said Violet. She took off her magic-banning cloak, and the aura of a necromancer spread out without any hindrance. “If we can’t find her, we can make her come to me.”

"They might be the enemy!" Su Ming said.

“If an enemy appears here, they must be looking for her,” Violet replied. “Just take them out; we’ll eventually find a way to settle things.”

"Alright." Su Ming also took off his magic-banning cloak, checked his weapons and equipment, and prepared for battle.

He recalled the drone, restarted the snowmobile, and drove Violet back and forth around the designated location.

The girl had just slept for a while and was feeling much better. "Shall I drive?"

"It's alright, I'm fine," Su Ming said. "You should save your energy for any potential battles."

Zijin nodded. "Okay."

(End of this chapter)