The temperature inside the room was stable at 20 degrees Celsius, and the birchwood in the fireplace was burning brightly, casting an orange-red glow on the wall.
Cotton Candy was already asleep beside his legs, emitting soft snoring.
Su Wei wasn't sleepy at all.
He leaned back on the sofa, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the coffee table.
The food problem might be solved by ice fishing.
But there's an even more critical problem that hasn't been solved—fuel.
The generator was still running in the garage, but the diesel fuel in the tank would only last for two days.
Even under the lowest possible power supply conditions for the log cabin.
Two days later, once the power is cut off, the water pump stops running, and the electric heater also stops working.
The temperature inside the cabin would inevitably drop if the fireplace were used alone.
At that time, it's estimated that only the living room on the first floor will still maintain a suitable temperature.
Moreover, without electricity, he was completely cut off from the outside world, and his mobile phone became unusable.
Fuel is a big problem.
Or, find a way out of here.
Su Wei stood up and walked to the window.
The snow had piled up to the bottom of the windowsill.
At this rate, the snow at the door will definitely be over a meter deep by tomorrow morning.
His Dodge, though four-wheel drive, couldn't move in the soft snow.
The tires would slip, and the chassis would be lifted up by the snow, making it impossible to move.
Unless a snowplow clears the way.
But can we really rely on the town's municipal snowplows?
He knew Kodiak Town's efficiency all too well; with such a heavy snowfall, it would take a week to clear the main roads, and it would probably take another two weeks to clear the way to his remote mountainside.
If you wait half a month, he and the Cotton Candy will have long since frozen into ice sculptures.
Su Wei's gaze cut through the wind and snow, landing on the garage not far away.
There's a big thing parked there.
That was the snowmobile Emily was riding when the accident happened.
The motorcycle managed to hold on a little longer when they pulled Emily down the mountain that day.
When Emily was taken to the hospital, the snowmobile was left behind.
Now, a sudden blizzard has struck.
The motorcycle that was supposed to be towed away was also stopped.
However, this became an opportunity for the Su Wei.
Su Wei recalled that during the inspection that day, the motorcycle's steering handlebars were bent and the front shell was cracked; these were the visible damages.
As for the engine...
The situation was urgent, and he was only focused on saving people, so he didn't check the engine carefully.
At that time, he remembered that the engine did indeed have some problems.
But after some attempts, it was successfully started.
As for now, he couldn't guarantee it.
After all, it was a last resort at the time.
This vehicle, specially designed for snow, has a large track contact area and a lightweight body, making it a godsend for dealing with deep snow.
If it could move, even at a speed of only thirty kilometers per hour, it would be enough for him to drive to town and bring back a few barrels of life-saving diesel.
In fact, if he really couldn't hold on any longer, this would be his only means of escape.
Thinking of this, Su Wei couldn't sit still any longer.
"Stay put and don't move."
He tossed a sentence to the Cotton Candy that had just looked up, then turned and walked toward the entrance.
Put on a heavy down jacket, goggles, and bulky snow boots.
Fully armed, he pushed open the side door leading to the garage.
"Hoo €€€€"
A chill crept in through the crack in the door, and the temperature dropped instantly.
The garage has no heating; the temperature inside is only slightly higher than outside.
The old diesel generator sat in the corner, making a "putt-putt-putt" noise, with black smoke billowing from its exhaust pipe.
Su Wei turned on the flashlight.
The flashlight beam swept across the Dodge parked in the middle, finally settling on the innermost corner.
A snowmobile lay there quietly.
This is an older model Polaris snowmobile, with a black and red color scheme.
The left side of the casing had a large crack, exposing the pipes inside.
The handlebars are slightly crooked, but it doesn't affect usability.
None of that matters. The key is the engine.
Su Wei straddled it.
The leather seat cushions became as hard as rocks in low temperatures, making them both cold and hard to sit on.
He took a key out of his pocket.
This is what Emily gave him that day; it's been sitting on the plate in the entryway ever since.
Insert it into the keyhole.
Twist it.
"Sizzle..."
The dashboard light flickered faintly and then went out.
The power is out.
As expected.
In this kind of weather, a battery will run out of power overnight, let alone a car that's been sitting here for several days.
It has no electric starter; it can only be started by hand.
Su Wei took a deep breath, adjusted his posture, held the handlebars with his left hand, and gripped the starter lever on the lower right side with his right hand.
This is hard work.
Especially when starting the engine cold, the engine oil freezes like glue, making it extremely difficult to pull.
"Rise!"
Su Wei tensed his arm muscles and pulled back sharply.
"Ku€€€€"
The rope was pulled out a meter long, the engine emitted a muffled hissing sound, turned twice, and then went silent again.
The high resistance indicates that the cylinder pressure is not the problem.
There's hope.
Su Wei did not rush to pull a second time.
He located the choke lever, pulled it to its highest position, and pressed the fuel pump button a few times to force the fuel into the fuel injector.
After doing all this, he stood up, steadied himself, and calmed down.
Grip the handle tightly with your right hand again.
This time, he used all his strength.
"Drink!"
Su Wei let out a low shout and, with all his might, pulled the rope all the way to the bottom.
"Pfft pfft pfft... Pfft."
The engine jolted, a puff of white smoke came out of the exhaust pipe, and it made a few noises, as if it was about to start, but it quickly lost power and stopped.
He's not completely dead yet.
A thin layer of sweat appeared on Su Wei's forehead.
He didn't bother wiping it, released the rope to let it spring back, and adjusted his breathing.