Veil of Eternal Winter

Su Ming quickly immersed himself in analyzing the data obtained from the aerial battle. During the brief engagement between Rainbow Two- 2, its multi-angle high-definition cameras remained operational throughout, faithfully recording and transmitting a large amount of video data. Su Ming carefully examined each frame, and soon, he noticed a clear indication!

He immediately summoned Stacy.

The medical scholar leaned closer to the operating table, carefully examining the details of the highly magnified image on the screen—a close-up of the scales on the Silver Dragon's body. After a moment, she adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses and nodded confidently. "The abnormal pale pink tinge at the edges of the scales, accompanied by fine keratin lifting and slight scaling... these are undoubtedly typical symptoms of psoriasis!"

Psoriasis is a widespread contagious disease among the otherworldly dragon race, with dragons contracting it almost every year. Its course is usually long, and even with various treatments, it takes at least half a month to recover.

In severe cases, the illness can last for two or three months.

Based on the condition of the dragon scales in the images, Stacy made a professional judgment: these Silver Dragon will begin their acute attack tomorrow. The intense itching, as if countless scorching insects are frantically gnawing at the scales, is enough to make even the toughest dragons suffer unbearably.

Zijin unconsciously hugged herself, "I feel so sorry for my kind!"

"Even a dragon with an itchy body can still fight, right?" Su Ming asked.

"Of course," Zijin replied, "It will take at least another week of illness to break through their scales' defenses."

"I'll personally make contact, and I can ensure they won't be on the battlefield tomorrow." Stacy's lips curled into a confident smile. "Don't worry, I'm absolutely certain."

"Alright, then I'll leave it to you!" Su Ming nodded.

Zijin, standing nearby, solemnly instructed Stacy, "Remember! You only need to keep them in check and make them willingly stay on the island to recover! Whatever you do—" she emphasized, "Don't let your heart soften and bring them back!"

"Of course not!" Stacy replied immediately.

Zijin, however, remained serious and emphasized, "My people have an unusually large appetite! They really will devour the entire Pansy!"

"I understand," Stacy replied.

****

In the early hours of March 11, a biting cold wave arrived as expected, completely sweeping across the northern seas.

In a short time, the wide deck of the Pansy was covered with a hard, smooth shell of ice. Icicles, as thick as a baby's arm and crystal clear, quickly formed on the railings, the gunwales, and even the antennas.

The faint warmth that had finally begun to seep in with the arrival of early spring was instantly driven away by the biting cold. The temperature plummeted like a falling boulder, dropping below minus twenty-five degrees Celsius, and continues to fall.

Su Ming was sleeping on a recliner in the command room when he was awakened by the howling wind outside the porthole.

He rubbed his slightly sore eyes and looked up at his watch: four in the morning.

He got up to check the weather radar data, his brow furrowing slightly—the blizzard had arrived earlier than predicted.

Sure enough, as far as the eye could see, fine snowflakes began to fall, and then the snow fell heavier and heavier until it completely filled the gray sky, weaving a huge, impenetrable white net. The snowflakes were carried by the icy, biting sea wind, like countless tiny ice blades, lashing wildly at the hull of the Pansy.

But even in such extremely bad weather, several crew members on night watch ran up to the deck and excitedly started a snowball fight! They clumsily slid on the smooth, mirror-like ice, throwing snowballs at each other and cheering wildly.

They hadn't been playing for long when the biting cold penetrated their clothes, and they all grimaced from the cold, quickly running back to the warm cabin.

"Those are people from the south; they've never seen such heavy snow before," the duty officer at the bridge explained to Su Ming.

As the blizzard descended, the X-band fire control radar screen was now filled with noise and completely malfunctioned.

It was exactly as predicted before the war.

Su Ming decisively activated the longer-wavelength S-band search radar, and the image on the screen immediately became much clearer!

The radar quickly detected the target: two battle groups of the Light Fleet, like open crab claws, appeared on the sea thirty kilometers away, flanking the Pansy from the left and right.

There was still some buffer time at this distance. Su Ming instructed the staff on duty to closely monitor the radar movements, and then leaned back in his recliner, intending to take a short rest.

But not long after, Zijin hurriedly pushed open the door to the control panel and walked in.

"Why didn't you wake me up?" she complained, her tone tinged with the languor of someone who had just woken up.

"We're still more than 20 kilometers apart," Su Ming replied, pointing to the radar screen. "Even if they rush over at full speed, it will take them about half an hour."

Even with the amplification from "Eternal Winter Veil," the attack range of "Heart of Winter Veil of Eternal Winter" should theoretically not exceed ten kilometers.

"... You're not planning to wait until they unleash their magical weapons and freeze this place into an icebox before waking me up, are you?" Zijin neatly piled her hair up and secured it with the Bone Staff of the End, complaining with dissatisfaction, "Are you planning to deny me even time to brush my teeth?"

At this moment, the logistics team delivered steaming hot drinks and several easily digestible, delicate breakfast items.

Each holding a warm cup, the two stood side by side in front of the huge porthole, gazing at the densely swirling snowflakes that obscured the sky and earth, like a white curtain.

"Su Ming," Zijin gazed at the wind and snow, and suddenly said softly, "My hometown has warm winter sunshine, and it never snows. It's a... warm and humid place, always filled with the fragrance of flowers and grass."

[We're headed there next.] The information concerned our next move and needed to be kept secret, so Su Ming responded Mind Synchronization. He suddenly remembered something, [Your two mothers are there, aren't they?]

Zijin paused slightly, suddenly realizing that once this journey took place, it would mean formally introducing Su Ming to them.

[Yes, that's right.] She nodded, a hint of confusion in her voice. [I just don't know why Atiya went there... Her relationship with Misaila has actually been... very strained all these years.]

"[I possess the White Bone Mark, will they want to beat me up?]" Su Ming asked worriedly. These two, one a dragon and the other a Shattered Light Sword Saint, were not easy to deal with.

Zijin's lips couldn't help but curve upwards, revealing a smile. [Misaila wouldn't care about these things. As for Atiya...] She paused, [She's actually a rather pure person, not difficult to get along with.]

[I hope so. Even if all of us combined, we probably couldn't beat her, right?]

"Of course!" Zijin's eyes immediately shone with immense pride. "She is, undisputed, the strongest warrior in this world!"

"Looks like I'll have to prepare a decent gift for our first meeting," Su Ming said earnestly. "Do they have any particular likes or preferences?"

[Well...] Zijin thought for a moment, [Whatever you like, as long as it's the thought that counts. Just don't cause a mess like what happened with Grandpa Xiwo...]

"[Hey, I was innocent that time, okay?]" Su Ming retorted, dissatisfied.

****

As the two were talking, an extremely powerful and ethereal magical rhythm suddenly swept across the ship's hull, disappearing like an invisible ripple.

A knowing smile instantly appeared on Su Ming's lips.

"They're starting from such a distance?" Zijin seemed quite surprised, her delicate brows furrowing slightly.

The blizzard had not yet reached its peak intensity, but clearly, the enemy was already impatient.

This is a sign of impatience! It clearly reflects that General Tai'ao'duo's mindset at this moment has become somewhat desperate.

Even for a seasoned veteran like General Tai'ao'duo, after losing two crucial flying beast carriers, he had no way out. If he couldn't eliminate Su Ming in this battle, he would face severe punishment and purges from within the Temple of Light.

On the contrary, as long as he successfully achieves his goal, he can retire gracefully and be granted a prestigious and carefree position, enjoying endless wealth and glory for the rest of his life.

"Issue a full combat readiness order!" Su Ming's voice instantly turned icy.

The piercing alarm bells immediately rang throughout the entire ship! The Pansy, this sleeping behemoth, was instantly awakened, and all personnel quickly mobilized and took their respective combat posts.

Apart from key positions such as engine room crew that had to be held, all surplus personnel were incorporated into the combat sequence and began the final pre-battle preparations in a tense but orderly manner.

On the frigid deck, Younier arranged for a team to brave the raging blizzard and work tirelessly to clear the rapidly condensing ice and snow from the radar antennas and various modern, sophisticated electronic devices. They strictly adhered to a cleaning schedule of "every ten minutes" to ensure that the Pansy's "eyes" remained clear at all times.

As time ticked by, the signal dot representing the Light Fleet on the radar screen continued to approach at an ever-shrinking distance.

Just then, an even more powerful magical wave, carrying a chilling aura, swept across! The intensity of "Veil of Eternal Winter" was suddenly increased to a new level.

In an instant, Pansy seemed to have been thrown into a giant, pure white blender. What surrounded her was no longer ordinary snow, but a snow wall that was astonishingly thick and tangible! The snowflakes swirling wildly were so dense that they blocked out all light, and visibility plummeted to almost zero.

Even the beams of powerful searchlights could only reach a few meters away!

Under this magical weather interference that far exceeds the limits of nature, even the longer-wavelength S-band search radar completely lost the last target signal on the screen amidst a chaotic noise.

Without hesitation, Su Ming immediately activated the VHF radar system in the contingency plan.