Clearing the snow

A cold wind howled, sweeping across the mountainside again and again.

Lu Heng slowly walked down the stone steps from the second floor. As soon as he landed on the first floor, his gaze subconsciously fell on the main entrance of the Shelter.

With just one glance, my heart sank.

The relentless blizzard overnight completely blocked the stone gate with its thick snow. The open space at the entrance, which was clear yesterday, was now nowhere to be seen. The white snow was packed very tightly, and the surface was covered with a hard ice shell blown out by the fierce winds all night, firmly sealing the entrance and making the stone cave entrance airtight.

Looking out through the crack in the door from the inside, all that could be seen was a deathly, blinding white expanse, not even the slightest gap.

The Shelter has its own complete oxygen supply and circulation system, so there is naturally no risk of oxygen deficiency. But the sight of it being completely sealed off still makes people feel uneasy.

The blizzard continued to accumulate, and the snow piled up thicker and thicker at the entrance, completely blocking the way out. If the snow was allowed to freeze and compact, the ice would eventually seal the stone door, making it even more difficult to go out to explore and collect supplies. It had to be cleared as soon as possible.

The main entrance was completely blocked by snow, making it impossible to open from the inside.

Lu Heng simply turned around and went back to the second-floor open-air platform.

The second-floor platform was also covered with thick snow. Looking into the distance, the entire wilderness was completely flattened by the white snow. The world was a pale white, the wind and snow howled incessantly, and the extreme low temperature froze all wild life. The whole world was so quiet that only the sound of the wind could be heard.

He slightly bent his knees to steady himself, and without any hesitation, leaped off the second-floor platform.

A muffled thud.

His legs plummeted straight down, plunging him directly into the deep snow, with most of his calves instantly submerged. The loose snow beneath was already frozen solid, wedging his boots tightly, and his movements froze the moment he landed.

Lu Heng paused slightly, a hint of embarrassment crossing his mind.

He held his breath and slowly used his waist and legs to pull his feet out of the snow, bit by bit. The snow was thick and compact, providing great resistance, and it took a lot of effort to pull each foot out. After several slow efforts, he finally pulled his legs out of the snow pit. His boots were covered with cold snow, and the chill seeped into them.

He took a step forward.

The biting wind, at minus thirty degrees Celsius, swept in, penetrating the air and scraping against the skin with a chilling force. Even wearing special forces protective clothing, one could still clearly feel the oppressive pressure of the extreme low temperature. Every step sank deep into the snow, making each step heavy and sluggish, making even a short distance of a few meters feel exceptionally difficult and dragging.

After struggling to reach the main entrance of the cave, the view became increasingly clear.

The snow piled up at the entrance was half a person high, with a hard, tough, and cold outer crust, and the lower layers of snow were compacted and extremely dense, making it impossible to remove a large area at once.

Lu Heng did not act rashly or impulsively.

He stood sideways in the wind and snow, raising his hands to first break the frozen surface of the snow with his palms and elbows, cracking and breaking the entire block of hard snow, then bending down to pick up and peel it off piece by piece. The wind and snow kept falling on his shoulders and hair, instantly condensing into fine white frost that settled into the texture of his clothes.

He could only maintain his body temperature by constantly moving, slowly gnawing at the thick snowdrifts.

After clearing a space, all the loose snow was piled up in the low-lying area on the side, compacted and stacked firmly to prevent the wind and snow from blowing back to the entrance. The process was tedious, slow, and physically demanding, with no shortcuts. The entire snow layer clung tightly to the entrance of the mountain, and clearing even an inch of path required real effort.

The repetitive and tedious snow-clearing actions allowed my mind to clear slightly.

Looking at the vast expanse of white snow before him, a peculiar thought suddenly flashed through Lu Heng's mind.

This wasteland is teeming with wild beasts and ferocious creatures, most of which are naturally suspicious and fearful of humans, and extremely wary of strange, giant objects. If a giant snowman were to be built at the entrance of the Shelter, its massive size and striking shape would make it resemble a human figure standing from afar.

The creatures in the wilderness are extremely vigilant and will most likely be frightened and will not dare to approach the shelter easily.

After a moment's thought, he immediately rejected the idea.

The area around the Shelter has always maintained a low profile and disguise. The mountains and cave entrances have been concealed, making it difficult to detect any signs of human habitation from the outside. This has been his long-standing security barrier.

Building a giant snowman would be tantamount to deliberately revealing the location of the stronghold. A snowman standing out starkly on the pure white snowfield would be too conspicuous and would attract the attention of wandering ferocious beasts and unknown monsters, which would be a loss.

With the blizzard still raging and the wind and snow still blowing, now is definitely not the time to change the external camouflage.

As Lu Heng continued to slowly clear the snow, he silently made plans in his mind.

We can put this idea aside for now, and wait until the snowstorm completely stops and the temperature warms up a bit before placing a few simple snowmen in secluded locations around the Shelter as makeshift stakes.

No need for excessive refinement, just strive for realistic outlines.

If any wild animal or monster touches or damages the snowman, he can immediately detect the disturbance, which is equivalent to having an extra free, simple early warning trap, silently protecting the safety of his dwelling.

Once the thought was settled, Lu Heng pulled himself out of his thoughts and continued clearing the snow.

In the biting wind and snow, his figure repeatedly bent down, raised his hand, and moved snow piles up, clearing a path to survival inch by inch from the snowstorm.