BXBX NOVEL Chapter 68 - 67: Nightmare
A line of people spread out like geese in flight, with Bi Fang leading the way at the front.
The piercing wind felt as if knives were slicing through the skin, and whenever one wiped their face, they could always brush off a thick layer of snowflakes.
Although the blizzard had died down considerably, it was now confirmed that this was wolf territory. Even though the car was larger and more likely to be spotted by a helicopter, they couldn’t stay any longer.
Bi Fang didn’t want the helicopter to discover just a pack of well-fed wolves.
After walking for a while, he took out his water bottle to quench everyone’s thirst.
Everyone had brought insulated cups, and melting snow with their body heat was out of the question; besides, they were now far from any stream, so any water saved was a boon.
However, Zheng Tianfang and the others only took a few sips, leaving most of the water for Lin Xue. Ever since they found out who she was, everyone took good care of her, not letting her carry her backpack, although she wanted to share the load.
Bi Fang was also finding out for the first time that even Lin Xue’s colleagues did not know she was with Shenhua Group. The confidentiality was well- maintained.
She appeared to be a strong and decisive woman.
If this were decades ago, she would definitely be recognized as an advanced member of society.
[The wind seems still so strong, everything is a blur of white, it looks so dangerous.]
[Ah, I wonder if we can escape this time.]
[What kind of live stream is this, in the Arctic? Are streamers really going to such lengths to get views now?]
New viewers who joined were quickly enlightened with answers to their questions.
[Damn, are there wolves chasing them from behind? Isn’t that a bit too outrageous? Shouldn’t this be on the news?]
[Not yet, but it’s true. Tens of thousands of eyes were watching last night, could that be fake?]
Seeing so many people speak with such certainty, many new viewers stayed after collecting their treasure chests. The stream had a very high stickiness rate. If it weren’t for the average number of online viewers being dragged down by last night’s constant streaming, Bi Fang estimated that he would have completed his mission by now.
In the thinly dispersed snow forest, the group trudged on with difficulty. Wu Mingtao, battling against the strong wind, began to shiver all over. He didn’t know how much further they had to go, but his steps grew more labored as he watched the main group pull ahead, feeling panic rise within him.
He shouted, but his voice was drowned out by the wind. He tried to get up, but he didn’t have the strength.
Just as Wu Mingtao watched his teammates’ figures growing smaller and smaller, with anxiety gnawing at him, three shadows suddenly charged toward him from the snowy wind not far away.
Wolves!
Three wolves!
Wu Mingtao was terrified. He wanted to get back to the team, but he was too weak and couldn’t outrun the nimble wolves. He fell to the ground again.
Blood splattered on Wu Mingtao’s face, and he clearly saw the white bone on his forearm—so fragile, like thin, brittle cookies.
He even heard the crisp sound of it breaking.
Another wolf latched onto his lower leg, and as the agonizing pain shot through him, Wu Mingtao saw a blur before his eyes, feeling like a balloon deflating as all the air escaped with the bite.
Was he going to be reduced to a skeleton?
Curse words, regret, resentment—all these emotions climbed like venomous snakes onto Wu Mingtao’s heart, but it was all in vain.
The agile wolves left clear footprints in the snow, the prey’s blood spreading out, staining the wolf paw prints red on the snow.
The nauseating stench of decay emanating from the wolves’ snouts was like dead fish from a seafood market.
Wu Mingtao’s pupils dilated, and he felt extremely weary, wishing only for a good sleep.
He thought he would never leave this snow forest again.
Bones of the ages, forests of a thousand years, glaciers of ten thousand years.
Everything felt like a terrible dream. He tried hard to close his eyes and then open them, hoping to see the familiar room and his family, but all that met his gaze was a sea of red, and his wounds no longer hurt.
The cold gradually crept into his body. He knew he couldn’t sleep, but his eyes wouldn’t obey.
Too tired, just too tired.
He couldn’t… walk any further…
Smack!
A loud slap rang out.
“Hey!”
“Wake up, quick!”
“Don’t sleep, don’t you dare sleep!”
Shouts erupted.
Bi Fang slapped Wu Mingtao’s face hard, hoping to awaken him from his unconscious state.
Fortunately, the situation wasn’t serious, and in no time, Wu Mingtao slowly regained consciousness. He looked at the four people who had gathered around him and felt instinctively for his forearm and thigh, only to find both were unharmed.
“What happened to me?”
“You were too tired and fainted!” Bi Fang said, having been startled when the man suddenly collapsed.
It was indeed all just a nightmare.
How wonderful would it be if it were all just a dream?
Wu Mingtao thought.
“Haha, you were scared silly, weren’t you?” Big Beard laughed heartily as he watched Wu Mingtao feel his leg and face. He reached out, helped him up from the snow, and brushed off the snow that had piled up on his back.
[I was so scared, I thought something else happened. Thankfully, it was just a fainting spell.]
[Yeah, you gave me a fright, just collapsing so suddenly and stiffly.]
[Definitely too tired, suffering injuries without being able to get proper rest, on top of trekking so far. Not to mention the wolves chasing us—there’s no way I could endure that.]
[Right, I used to look down on them, but thinking about it now, the man with the limp’s reaction was the normal one. These people are very strong, all excellent comrades!]
The drone trailed at the back, capturing all of the members; this was Bi Fang’s measure to prevent anyone from getting left behind. So many viewers saw quite clearly that Wu Mingtao had suddenly fallen.
Bi Fang looked at the snowy forest that was still some distance away, then at Wu Mingtao’s pale face, and decided they should find a wind-sheltered slope to rest and have something to eat first.
In the backpack were some scavenged compressed biscuits and five lampreys, one for each person.
At the wind-sheltered slope, Bi Fang restarted the fire and took out the lampreys to distribute them.
“What’s this?” Big Beard took the frozen and stiff lamprey, examined it, and was immediately startled by its head, almost throwing it away.
“This is a delicacy!”
On the other side, Zheng Tianfang was quite pleased. He recognized the creature; lampreys often appeared at the fish market in Mohe. Whether steamed, fried, or grilled, they were delicious, and there was also the belief in “like cures like.”
[Like cures like? Now that you mention this, I’m not sleepy anymore (jokingly)!]
[Good lord, wish you’d told me sooner. Suddenly, it’s starting to look cute to me.]
[What does “like cures like” mean?]
[Young man, you wouldn’t understand, there’s deep meaning in it. Let go and let me get my fix! ]
[Seeing it makes me feel like I’m losing sanity again. If I become a believer, none of you can avoid the blame! ]
Seeing that no one else had eaten it before, “local tour guide” Zheng Tianfang took the initiative to explain.
“Lampreys are easy to prepare, just cut off the entire gill part, and the body is like an empty tube, different from regular fish. It tastes great when grilled. These have already been processed, so you can skewer and eat them straight away!”
Zheng Tianfang skewered the lampreys and set them over the fire to grill, inviting the others to try it: “Everyone should try it, it’s really good!”
Perhaps driven by hunger, the others also grabbed branches and prepared to take a taste.
Since the lampreys were rigid from freezing, and it was impossible to skewer through their bodies, everyone pierced from the head through to the stomach. Watching them slowly soften over the fire and start to ooze fine oils was quite a sight.
Zheng Tianfang, who had started ahead of the others, was very experienced with this. During the season of crisp autumn weather, a great time for fresh seafood, he would often try the freshest grilled lampreys at the night markets, which were very tasty.
Without salt, he sprinkled on some compressed biscuit crumbs flavored with green onion, which added a unique taste.
Once one person started, the rest followed suit, and they found that, just as Zheng Tianfang had said, it was delicious, and hunger further enhanced the flavor.
Bi Fang took a bite. Due to being frozen, the texture wasn’t great, neither like meat nor fish but it was a “pleasurable delight.”
Paired with compressed biscuits, it turned out to be a nice lunch after all.
Seeing how everyone was enjoying their meal, the audience on the screen also felt a craving.
[It’s making me want to try it now, it’s mid-October, the perfect season for freshwater delicacies.]
[Is there any of this at the night market in Heilonghe?]
[Not sure, I live in Heilonghe, but I’ve never seen it…]
[You probably have to go further north, right? Mohe is the northernmost part of Heilonghe.]
After everyone had replenished their fluids, Bi Fang and the rest continued their journey. They had to reach the denser snowy forest before nightfall at all costs.
The previous snowy forest was too sparse to stop the wolf pack effectively. That’s why Zheng Tianfang and others had decided to drive into it rather than take a longer route to avoid it, but that decision had led to a big problem.
However, before continuing the trek, Bi Fang had climbed to a higher ground to take a look and saw that there was a bare, treeless area between the two snowy forests, which was truly troubling.
Terrains like this were ideal for a wolf pack’s encirclement…