Alone Between Heaven and Earth

Snowflakes drifted down in a soft, steady flurry. Less than an hour after the rules took effect, the city ground had already been blanketed in pure white.

The electric car's wipers swept back and forth continuously, keeping the view ahead clear.

"Ha..."

Guan Tong sat in the car, breathing warmth into his hands.

The temperature was dropping even faster than he had imagined. Even inside the car, he could feel the cold seeping through his clothes.

But since it had not yet become unbearable, he did not activate the Thermostatic Tech Underwear again. It could only be used for six hours a day, so he had to make every minute count.

He had not turned on the car heater either. Electric cars already consumed power faster as temperatures dropped. If he turned on the heater too, its original thousand-kilometer range might shrink dramatically, leaving him stranded before he reached his destination.

"There are gradually fewer people and civilian vehicles on the streets. Looks like everyone has gathered indoors by now."

The vehicles still visible outside were basically all from Official Departments.

For instance, there were massive snowplows with huge blades at the front and large hoppers mounted on their backs.

There were also Unmanned Transport Vehicles from the Life Support Department, carrying food and other survival supplies.

Some of the vehicles had drivers. When they saw Guan Tong's shared car traveling down the road, quite a few cast curious looks at him, wondering where he was headed.

As Guan Tong watched the dwindling traffic, he also guessed the authorities' final choice.

They would still concentrate people in major cities rather than evacuate them on a large scale.

He felt that this was most likely a choice born of helplessness.

A mass evacuation would require the emergency mobilization of transport capacity and supplies, as well as deciding where to evacuate people and how many people should be placed in each group.

Not to mention that the city's population exceeded ten million, and everyone had their own thoughts. Even if people were told plainly that snowfall was tied to population density, many might still choose to stay behind and cluster together in the big city.

They would still believe that big cities were safer, with more supplies and better equipment, while evacuation to remote regions offered no sense of security at all.

That way of thinking could not be called wrong, because no one could guarantee safety in remote areas. Yes, the snow might be lighter there, but if food and other supplies could not keep up, people might even go hungry.

Even a little back-and-forth like that would waste precious time for leaving the city.

Unless individuals, or small groups of people, were determined enough to set out immediately after learning the contents of the Hidden Rules, they could still outrun the blizzard.

Otherwise, with even the slightest delay, the heavy snowfall would soon pile up on every road except the city's main roads, which were constantly being treated with snow-melting agents and cleared by snowplows, making them impassable.

A small boat was easier to turn around.

Once a boat got big, even if the captain wanted to turn it around at full rudder, it would take a long time.

Under these circumstances, the smallest "boat" was undoubtedly a single person.

Guan Tong increased his speed. As he drew closer to the edge of the city, there were fewer and fewer Official Department vehicles.

With fewer snowplows, the snow on the roads was visibly much thicker than in the city center.

"No, I can't use autopilot anymore."

Guan Tong immediately turned off autopilot and took control himself.

Autopilot was bound by legal restrictions, and its speed limit within the city was very low.

If he kept driving at this speed, Guan Tong feared that the snow would become too deep before he reached his destination, leaving the car unable to move and trapping him in an impossible situation.

Besides, there would be no snowplows outside the city to clear the roads. He absolutely could not assume that conditions outside would be the same as those in the city.

He accelerated, reaching the New City Development Zone more than twenty minutes later.

The place looked utterly lifeless, without the slightest movement. Between heaven and earth, it seemed as though only the soft rustle of falling snow could be heard, giving Guan Tong an inexplicable sense of desolation.

He knew that most of this area consisted of lights-out factories. There had not been many people here to begin with, and once the snow started falling, they had long since fled into the city.

Guan Tong took a deep breath and continued onward.

He knew that since he had chosen from the very beginning to stay away from crowds and cities, there was no medicine for regret. He could only keep walking this path to the end.

He drove out of the New City Development Zone at top speed, leaving Yunhua City and entering the towns under its jurisdiction.

The moment he left the city, road conditions worsened considerably. Snow was visibly accumulating at a rapid pace.

Guan Tong gripped the steering wheel tightly and drove with complete focus. He did not let his mind wander, much less check his phone for the latest news online.

He had only one goal now: reach Mingdao Mountain as quickly as possible. He had to watch the road, drive carefully, and make sure his wheels did not slip and send him off the road.

After driving for more than an hour, Guan Tong looked at the size and speed of the snowflakes outside the window and felt something clearly: the snow had lessened.

That was right. He had vaguely sensed it earlier, and now, as he got farther and farther from Yunhua City, the phenomenon became even more obvious.

In the center of Yunhua City, it had not felt like snow was falling. It had felt like snow was being dumped from above! As if a giant stood in the sky with an enormous dustpan filled with snow, constantly pouring it down in torrents!

But now, far from the big city, there were villages along both sides of the road. As villages surrounding a major city, they actually had quite a few residents and were far livelier than villages in remote areas.

Even so, the snow had visibly decreased. It was still heavy compared to winter snow in previous years, but this change filled Guan Tong with excitement.

He knew that as long as he kept driving, the snow would only grow lighter as he moved farther away from population centers!

Keep going!

Guan Tong did not have time to stop for lunch. He took out a bar of chocolate from his bag, ate it to replenish his energy, then pulled himself together and continued driving.

Another hour passed.

Creak, creak, creak...

The sound of the car crushing snow had become especially distinct. Guan Tong looked at the layer of snow on the road ahead. Less than three hours after the rules took effect, the accumulated snow was already seven or eight centimeters deep, nearly halfway up the tires.

And the distance to his target was still...

Guan Tong glanced at the navigation. Mingdao Mountain was still around two hundred kilometers away.

Two hundred kilometers. If he could drive at one hundred kilometers per hour, he could get there in two hours.

But even though there were hardly any cars on the road, Guan Tong did not dare drive that fast in these snowy conditions.

Guan Tong checked the time. "It's 12:13 now. If I drive at seventy kilometers per hour, covering two hundred kilometers will take around three hours. If everything goes smoothly, I can get there before four in the afternoon."

He could still accept arriving at that time. If he arrived later than four or five in the afternoon, he might have to deal with nightfall.

Normally, it would not get dark so early in June, but after the rules took effect, thick clouds had covered the sky. It was already extremely gloomy at noon, and by five, it would definitely be pitch-black.

Even if the snow at Mingdao Mountain had become lighter by then, entering the mountain after dark would undoubtedly be dangerous.

Having planned out his time and speed, Guan Tong stopped thinking about it and focused on carrying out the plan.

He could not allow himself even the slightest distraction. Only then could he ensure his safety on the road.

"Continue straight. Mingdao Mountain is currently 178 kilometers away."

"Turn right at the intersection ahead. Take the first lane. Mingdao Mountain is 145 kilometers away."

"Rainy and snowy conditions. Please slow down and drive carefully."

"Mingdao Mountain is 109 kilometers away."

The electric car ran quietly. Apart from the sound of the wheels crushing snow and the navigation prompts, Guan Tong could hear only his own breathing.

As the navigation continued reporting, the distance between Guan Tong and Mingdao Mountain steadily shrank.

From more than two hundred kilometers, to more than one hundred, then ninety, eighty, seventy...

"Mingdao Mountain is 31 kilometers away."

Almost there, he was almost there!

Guan Tong was in high spirits and even began humming a song.

Because he could clearly see that the snow outside was getting lighter and lighter. By now, it was roughly at the level of an ordinary heavy snowfall.

Although an ordinary heavy snowfall lasting a month would still be a terrifying snow disaster, as long as he dealt with it carefully, he would at least not easily die in one!

"Mingdao Mountain is 17 kilometers away."

"Mingdao Mountain is 9 kilometers away."

Through the windshield, Guan Tong could vaguely make out the outline of the mountain.

Just then, he suddenly saw several cars stopped on the road ahead and hurriedly slammed on the brakes.

"Skreeeech—bang!"

Although Guan Tong reacted quickly enough, the snowy road was slippery and braking was ineffective. The car still lightly collided with a sedan blocking the road.

"Collision detected. Automatically contacting emergency services!"

Guan Tong took several ragged breaths, then muttered with a bitter smile, "Why report it? If traffic police were coming here, they would've cleared away those cars blocking the road already..."

The shared car automatically shut off after the accident. He got out and carefully looked ahead.

It seemed that four or five cars had been involved in a chain collision earlier, completely blocking the road. But because this place was remote, and the new rules were about to be announced, no one had come to deal with it, so the cars had remained there.

"This is troublesome..."

There were long, deep ditches on both sides of the road. Even if Guan Tong reversed, he could not get around them.

"There's less than ten kilometers left. Should I just walk? But..."

Guan Tong looked down at his feet. The snow had already risen past part of his calves, and walking through these conditions would take a great deal of effort. On top of that, he had a large backpack, a small backpack, and a sleeping bag full of supplies to carry.

After thinking for a moment, Guan Tong put all the supplies on his back. Then he took out the Wordless Book and summoned Shadow.

He had Shadow carry him on his back, then ran forward at top speed!

He would make use of Shadow's limitless stamina, having him carry Guan Tong as far as possible during the duration. He would walk the remaining distance himself afterward.