The Chase on the Snowy Plains

Night had fully risen, swallowing the entire Li Mountain in darkness.

The courtyard of the Martial Arts Hall stood empty, the surrounding floodlights illuminating the whole yard, yet the rooms on all sides were plunged into deep blackness.

Only one study remained lit. If one looked in from outside, they could clearly see a silhouette leaning back in a wicker chair, as if asleep.

"Whoosh~"

"Woo~ woo~"

When Lin Tuo shifted his consciousness into the avatar and began falling toward the land, the first sound he heard was the howl of the cold wind.

The wind wasn't particularly strong, but perhaps because it passed through the nearby mountain range, it produced an echo, making it especially loud and mournful, as if the earth itself were weeping.

His eyelashes fluttered as he opened his eyes. The wind, carrying fine snowflakes, struck his face directly.

The chill crept into his clothes through his collar and neck. Even Lin Tuo, whose physique far surpassed ordinary people, couldn't help but shiver.

"So cold!"

This thought surfaced in his mind.

Instinctively, he tugged the zipper of his thick jacket higher... Before entering, he had judged that the temperature in the Sandbox was very low.

So he had first placed his avatar into the Martial Arts Hall within the Sandbox, rummaged through it to find a lightweight winter down jacket, cotton shoes, and gloves, and fully geared himself up.

Although with his current body, he could endure winter in thin clothing, he wasn't a masochist. If conditions allowed, he naturally sought warmth.

As it turned out, this decision was wise.

He looked around warily. His field of vision revealed a dim, desolate wilderness, vast and empty. Behind him lay the mountain range, and not far ahead, a badly damaged road.

The ground beneath his feet was covered in a thin layer of snow, clearly indicating it was deep winter.

It was roughly around dawn, still some time before daylight.

Lin Tuo adapted to the environment, confirmed there was no danger nearby, and then raised his head to look at the sky.

In the dim night, wisps of black clouds drifted overhead, with only sparse starlight filtering through the gaps, barely providing some visibility.

"A bit better than I expected." Lin Tuo took off one glove and exposed his right hand to the air.

Besides the cold, he could faintly feel a slight stinging sensation.

The Aether within his body was even more active than usual.

"Radiation." Lin Tuo murmured the word softly, his expression growing heavier.

From the description in the Operation Log, he had deduced that the "Annihilation Bomb" that caused the disaster was likely a Super Weapon with less power than a nuclear bomb but similar in nature.

Though not nuclear, it was clear that the energy from its explosion had still produced a phenomenon akin to "radiation."

And it had led to the deaths of countless lives.

Before entering, Lin Tuo had mentally prepared himself. He believed that since many ordinary people here had managed to survive, his own body, which had already undergone tempering, should certainly be able to withstand it.

Things turned out as he had expected.

"This level of radiation can indeed cause a stinging sensation, but it's very mild. As long as I don't stay long-term, it's not a big problem."

Reassured, Lin Tuo put his glove back on and began to orient himself.

Recalling the faint lights of what seemed to be a settlement he had glimpsed from above in this area, he took a deep breath and started jogging at a steady pace along the badly damaged road, which was completely unusable for vehicles.

"If I follow this road, I should be able to find a city."

"Rumble..."

Meanwhile, at a spot separated from Lin Tuo by one mountain.

If one pulled the perspective high and looked down from midair, they would see three modified vehicles engaged in a chase across the snow-covered wilderness.

The smallest of them led the way, its headlights off, leaving the two behind it as it lurched forward like a mad bull racing across the wasteland.

It let out a strained, roaring sound.

Farther behind, the other two modified off-road vehicles drove with their headlights blazing, appearing much more "relaxed."

Their massive, menacing tires kicked up sheets of snow, leaving four deep ruts across the wilderness.

If one zoomed in, they would find that inside the vehicles were several soldiers in dark cotton military coats, clutching firearms.

At that moment, the man sitting in the front passenger seat, wearing epaulets and clearly an officer, wore a grim expression and asked:

"Where are we?"

In the back seat, a soldier held a flashlight in one hand and pressed a paper map against his knee with the other. After checking, he replied:

"Ahead is Mine Town, not far now. At most five minutes, and we'll be there."

"Mine Town? That hunter must be heading there. That car's fuel tank isn't full. After running this far, it's almost certainly out of gas." The officer said.

Then, raising his voice slightly, he barked:

"Everyone, get your heads in the game! Check your weapons, prepare for capture. If we let him slip away, once we're back at the company, everyone gets punished!"

"Yes, Chief!"

Voices answered, mingled with the clatter of gun safeties being clicked off.

Before long, the outline of a small town indeed appeared in their field of vision.

Collapsed buildings, crumbling walls. Outside the town stood a rusted, dilapidated steel windmill. At a glance, it looked like nothing but ruins.

Only the sparse lights within the town indicated that humans still lived here.

As the convoy of soldiers and vehicles drew near, vicious barking erupted from the town, along with a commotion. Faintly, the glow of fire flickered into view.

"Chief, they abandoned the vehicle!" The driver pointed at a stalled car lying dead outside Mine Town.

"Keep driving," the officer said, drawing a pistol and firing it into the air.

Bang!

The sharp crack cut through the air, and the noise in the town suddenly faltered. The two vehicles drove in as if no one stood in their way, rolling along the broken roads into the central square before stopping.

There, a crowd had already gathered in the town.

Compared to the armed soldiers in their thick military coats, these people were far worse off.

Most were short and scrawny, clad in filthy, tattered clothes whose original form was impossible to discern. Their hair was matted, their faces caked with grime, and a foul odor clung to them.

They clutched "weapons" like wooden clubs or steel bars, huddling together in fear and timidity, gazing toward the soldiers with awe.

In the firelight, some among them bore obvious deformities.

These were the refugees of Mine Town.

"Where's the person in charge here?" As a group of soldiers jumped out of the vehicles, cradling their rifles, they swept their muzzles cautiously around.

The officer narrowed his eyes and demanded harshly.

No one answered.

Only fear showed on the refugees' faces.

"Here! Over here!" Suddenly, a stir rose from the back of the crowd.

A tense but vigorous voice called out.

The crowd parted like water, and a middle-aged man in a worn-out cotton jacket and relatively intact work pants hurried forward.

Behind him followed a few thugs carrying rifles.

But compared to the soldiers' weapons, those beat-up rifles were little better than fire pokers—their deterrent value far outweighed their actual effectiveness.

"Sir, I'm the person in charge of Mine Town. May I ask what orders you have?" The man quickly glanced at the soldiers' uniforms and the insignia on their vehicles, then put on a fawning smile.

As he spoke, he deliberately puffed out his chest, making a polished metal badge hanging there more conspicuous.

The badge was brass, embossed with a flame in bloom against a background of a forest standing in a snowy plain.

It was the emblem of the Burning Fire Company.

"We're on a capture mission," the officer said, looking down at him expressionlessly. "A Wasteland Hunter stole company property and killed our men. The target abandoned a vehicle not long ago and entered this town."

At this, the officer lifted his chin slightly, his prominent nose twitching as he sniffed the air.

"I confirm the target is still in this town and hasn't left. Now, you—immediately gather everyone to assist us in the search. Understood?"

Meanwhile.

Inside a collapsed building in the southwest corner of the town's central square.

A figure watched the scene in the square through a window, their eyes flickering. Then, with a silent movement, they vanished like a civet cat.

Not far away.

In another patch of shadow, Lin Tuo, clad in a black down jacket, slowly emerged from the darkness. He glanced at the spot where the figure had disappeared, a thoughtful expression crossing his face.