From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

The howling wind and snow continued to rage outside the stone hollow, with clumps of snow pounding against the rock top as if countless hands were pounding the thin stone from the outside.

The few remaining dry branches in the fire crackled twice, and the flames visibly dimmed.

The little bit of warmth that had been painstakingly accumulated was slowly drawn away by the cold wind through the cracks in the rock wall.

The wound on my forehead from being hit by a rock was still throbbing, and warm blood slowly trickled down my brow bone, blurring half of my eyes.

I raised my arm and rubbed it hard with the cuff of my windbreaker, instantly staining the fabric a large patch of dark red.

A wave of dizziness surged up the back of my head, as if someone was gently shaking inside my head.

I shook my head hard, gritting my teeth to force myself to stay awake.

At a time like this, I absolutely cannot give up.

Sheep leaned against the cold stone wall, her body trembling uncontrollably.

Her breathing was rough and shallow, and with each inhale, there was a gurgling sound in her throat, like bubbles bursting.

Our current predicament can be summed up in one word.

awful.

Wang Ge hasn't come back yet. I don't know if he stepped into a snow pit or got stuck on the falling rocks.

The blow to my forehead wasn't a fatal injury, but the persistent dull pain was making me uneasy.

I never imagined that this trip to Terra would be filled with so many unpleasant things.

Looking back on my previous trip to the no-man's-land, despite all the hardships, I never got hurt.

Of course, I know in my heart that these messy thoughts that are popping up now are not me complaining, but negative emotions brought out by the pressure of being in dire straits.

I took a deep breath of the icy air, forcibly suppressing those discouraging thoughts and forcing myself to think positively.

The most important thing right now is to protect the sheep.

Ah Qiu said she only had a 10% chance of surviving, and even if it was only that small chance, I had to seize it for her.

After calming myself down a bit, I picked up the water bottle that had cooled to lukewarm and brought it to her lips to feed her water.

But now she has great difficulty even swallowing, and most of the warm water flows down her chin and into her collar.

I gently patted her arm and called to her in a low voice:

"Wake up! Drink some water, hang in there a little longer. You've already endured so long, don't give up."

With great effort, she managed to open her eyes and let out a weak groan, too weak even to nod.

But she still subconsciously raised her chin slightly, trying her best to cooperate by swallowing a few mouthfuls of hot water.

Ah Qiu had told me that drinking more warm water would help promote urination and reduce the pressure of fluid buildup in her lungs, so I could only remind her again and again.

Outside the stone hollow, the howling wind, carrying snowflakes, sounded like the wailing of ghosts, stretching endlessly.

It has been a full hour since Wang Ge went out to collect firewood.

I felt increasingly uneasy, and I would turn my head to look at the cave entrance every now and then, hoping that his figure would emerge from the wind and snow.

Since we started going into the mountains, whenever we were short of firewood, it was Brother Wang who went out to find it; it has never taken this long before.

I had a very bad feeling.

No matter how much outdoor experience Wang Ge has, he himself has told me that in the face of nature, humans are insignificant and not worth mentioning.

Those who drown in rivers are often people who can swim.

Although I was anxious, I tried my best to restrain myself and dared not think about the worst-case scenario.

But a terrible question popped up uncontrollably: If something really happens to Wang Ge, what should I do about the rest of my life?

Waiting for rescue is basically equivalent to waiting to die.

We still have at least two days of hiking to go before we reach the exit, and given Yangyang's condition, our pace will only slow down further.

I can't guarantee that if I lead her forward, I won't also perish here.

Strangely enough, when I actually thought about taking this step, I wasn't as afraid as I had imagined.

I don't regret embarking on the Terra Line.

I chose this path myself, and if it really comes to that, then that's my fate.

The fire's flames grew weaker and weaker until only a few dark red embers remained, and the remaining warmth quickly dissipated.

Without new firewood to fuel the fire, this ember will eventually be extinguished completely.

Once the fire is gone, hypothermia will silently envelop us and swallow us both whole.

I reached out and touched the ice axe at my feet, my heart torn apart.

Should we go out and find Brother Wang?

I had a head injury and was almost completely exhausted. Outside, the wind and snow were raging and the visibility was so low that I couldn't see the road.

Once I also got lost in the pile of rocks, the sheep in the rock nest was left all alone there.

She has coughed up blood due to pulmonary edema, and with no one to take care of her, she won't last much longer.

Are we just going to stand here and wait?

What if Brother Wang is already trapped and is waiting for someone to lend a hand?

The dilemma weighed heavily on my mind, making it almost impossible for me to breathe.

Just as my mind was in turmoil and I was about to grit my teeth and risk going out, I vaguely heard the sound of light footsteps through the gaps in the howling wind.

Stepping on the thick snow, it crunched softly, almost drowned out by the wind.

My spirits lifted instantly. I shuffled along the cold rock wall to the exit of the stone hollow, squinted, and peered out into the swirling snow.

All I could see was a vast expanse of white; I couldn't make out anything.

"Brother Wang! Brother Wang..."

I shouted at the top of my lungs, but my voice was immediately torn apart by the gale and scattered in the snow mist.

After a few seconds, at the gap in the pile of rocks, a hunched figure, head down, braved the wind and snow, and slowly and laboriously moved towards this side.

The moment I saw that figure, I even wondered if it was the exhaustion of the past few days combined with the injury on my head that was causing me to hallucinate.

I quickly called out again, "Brother Wang! Is that you? Are you alright?"

Hearing my call, he struggled to lift his head and responded in a hoarse voice.

The moment I heard that sound, my heart, which had been in my throat, slowly began to settle down.

Wang Ge looked as if he had been pulled out of the snow. His shoulders were covered with a thick layer of snow, his eyebrows and eyelashes were covered with a layer of white frost, his cheeks were frozen purple and red, and there was a layer of hard, thin ice on the fabric of his windbreaker.

He had a large bundle of dry shrubs tightly tucked under one arm, and in his other hand he was even carrying a motionless rabbit.

I was both surprised and delighted, and rushed over to greet him: "Brother Wang, why did you take so long? Are you hurt? Where did you catch this rabbit?"

Brother Wang waved his hand slightly, indicating that I should go into the stone pit first.

We crawled into the stone hollow one after the other. He hunched over slightly and shook his shoulders vigorously.

The snow fell softly, piling up in a small white heap at our feet.

He gently stacked the bundle of dry shrubs he was carrying beside the fire, and casually placed the snow rabbit on the open ground to the side.

As soon as he opened his mouth, the hot breath he exhaled immediately condensed into a cloud of white mist.

After settling my things, his gaze fell on my forehead, and his brows furrowed instantly: "What happened to your forehead?"

"It's nothing. The windshield was blown away by the wind, and a rock rolled down and hit me. It seems like I'm not bleeding much anymore."

"Even the smallest wound cannot be treated carelessly in this place. It's cold at high altitudes and can easily become infected."