Alaska Gold Rush Diary

Chapter 205 A Traveler Returns Home on a Snowy Night

"Where are they?" Zhou Xin couldn't help but ask when no one else appeared.

"They were all injured, so I came to find you first. And," Sofia's face showed sadness, "Wyatt is dead."

Zhou Xin was not surprised by this information, but he still felt a little sad.

They had gone through many hardships together and finally obtained the treasure, but he collapsed on the way back.

"Let's go and meet up with them first!" Zhou Xin said, standing up and walking with Sophia towards Bell and the others.

Blood kept flowing from his arm, and he needed Bell and the others to help him with some basic first aid.

Logan sniffed the wolf king's corpse and followed after it, limping along.

They weren't far from Bell and the others, and it didn't take them long to get back to where they started.

Several people had quite a few injuries, but none of them were very serious.

Windsor crouched on the ground, sobbing softly, while Wyatt, whom she held in her arms, was already pale and stiff.

The cold wind howled, and the heavy snow showed no signs of stopping.

Everyone was deeply saddened, but they had no time to grieve.

Bell cut open Zhou Xin's clothes on his arm and disinfected and bandaged the wound.

At least the bleeding has stopped, but the wound is so deep that the bone is visible, and systematic treatment is not possible right now.

Moreover, the wolves may carry the rabies virus, so it is essential to return as soon as possible and receive a rabies vaccination.

Sophia briefly recounted Zhou Xin's feat of killing the wolf king, and everyone expressed their deep admiration for Zhou Xin's wit and bravery.

"If you hadn't killed the wolf king in time, we might all be dead here," Bell said gratefully.

"I just wanted to give it a try, and thankfully the result was good, but Wyatt—" Zhou Xin said, glancing at Windsor, who was squatting on the ground crying.

"Windsor, we are all very saddened by Wyatt's sacrifice," Bell said, his face full of reluctance. "But we can't stay here for too long. We have no ability to resist anymore. If the wolf pack regroups, we will all be stuck here with Wyatt."

"Please give me ten more minutes," Windsor pressed her face against Wyatt's gradually cooling face. "I want to spend one last moment with him."

Bell looked at her but didn't try to persuade her further.

"In that case, Walsh, let's go and help Mr. Zhou get the wolf king's pelt back."

Such a white mutant horse and wolf is an extremely rare species, and it is very likely that there is only one of its kind in the world.

Its fur is enough to drive any fur collector crazy.

If it finds the right seller, its value could even exceed that of this gold treasure.

Zhou Xin was unaware of this, but Bell, as a seasoned hunter, was very familiar with it.

Soon, the experienced Bell and Walsh returned with a snow-white wolf pelt.

Windsor had composed herself. She stood up and wiped away her tears. "Let's go."

The gold in Wyatt's bag was carried by Bell and Walsh, respectively.

Sophia had already retrieved her backpack, and since Zhou Xin was seriously injured, she naturally wouldn't let him carry her backpack anymore.

They had no way to deal with Wyatt's body and could only leave it there.

They were mentally prepared for this the moment they decided to become treasure hunters.

Rather than risk your life for a corpse, cherish the lives of the living.

They turned and walked back up the mountain they had come from, without ever looking back.

Only Zhou Xin looked back after walking for a while.

Wyatt's body lay there quietly, gradually being buried by the snow.

The blizzard continued until evening, by which time the group had reached the mountainside.

At their current pace, it will take them at least five days to return to the village.

Their food supplies were running low, but fortunately, Bell had thought things through and removed one of the wolf king's legs as a reserve food while skinning him.

But there are still five of them, and this amount of food is only enough for them to eat for one day.

With the remaining dry rations, we can last for at most one more day.

Therefore, they still need to find food on their return journey.

Although everyone was exhausted and longed to lie down and get a good night's sleep, they knew that the wolf pack might regroup and attack at any time, so they had to get away from the Hibernation Valley area as soon as possible.

So instead of stopping, they decided to cross the mountain overnight and set up camp to rest in the forest at the foot of the opposite mountain.

Fortunately, the blizzard has now stopped, and the environment is slightly less harsh.

Moreover, it's not yet the coldest season in Alaska, so traveling at night is still manageable.

Along the way, they heard no more wolf howls, as if they had all suddenly disappeared.

They knew that this was entirely due to Zhou Xin taking care of the wolf king. Now that the wolves were leaderless, they no longer cared about them.

After a difficult night of trekking, they finally crossed the mountain around 0 a.m. and returned to the forest.

They set up camp and rested on the spot, planning to continue their journey at nine o'clock in the morning when it was light.

Zhou Xin's right arm is now completely immobile; even the slightest movement causes excruciating pain.

But he still used his left hand to help collect firewood nearby.

When the campfire was relit, everyone finally felt alive again.

Only then did everyone realize that they had actually found the treasure and brought it out.

Looking back on the past few days, especially yesterday's experience, everyone felt a sense of unreality, as if it were all just a dream.

However, the wounds on their bodies, the heavy gold in their backpacks, and the absence of Wyatt all reminded them that it was all real.

Although they were all exhausted, everyone's brains were in a state of extreme excitement, and they could hardly sleep.

Zhou Xin wasn't having trouble sleeping because his brain was too excited, but because his arm was in so much pain.

Instead of keeping watch, they assigned the task to Logan and the remaining two hounds.

I slept fitfully until dawn. Although my body was still sore, I had finally regained some strength.

So they continued on their way, determined to cross the next mountain in one go.

After yesterday's storm, the weather cleared up today, which improved everyone's mood.

It seemed that things had turned around for the better; they encountered no further danger and successfully reached the valley at six o'clock the next morning.

The group took three hours to rest, and set off again as soon as it was light.

They traveled day and night, and finally, after four days and nights of continuous travel, they returned to the village.

When the previous homeowners saw them standing before them, covered in wounds, their faces showed undisguised shock.

"You, you actually came back alive!" The homeowner exclaimed in disbelief.

"Yes, we came back alive from hell!" Zhou Xin laughed.