A chill instantly ran through Min Shu’s heart.

The wind and snow outside were fierce; the cold wind howled as it swept through the glacier, making a tremendous noise.

The wind blew the hair on Min Shu’s forehead into his eyes. He raised the lantern to try to see into the distance, but the light only illuminated the swirling snowflakes; there was no sign of Wei Changchuan anywhere.

Not seeing him, Min Shu thought perhaps the sample hadn’t been collected yet. Although the wind and snow were fierce, Wei Changchuan was so capable—surely he’d be fine?

He looked out at the blizzard and felt a pang of worry for the sled dogs still waiting outside the ice tongue. However, he had placed them in a sheltered recess of an ice wall, and with their thick fur, their survival skills in the snow were far superior to his own—they should be fine.

The temperature outside had dropped significantly. Min Shu stood at the cave entrance for a few minutes, but his hands and face grew numb from the cold, so he had no choice but to turn and head back inside.

Fortunately, the cave Wei Changchuan had found was deep enough that there was virtually no wind inside. Min Shu walked to the back of the cave, lit all the oil lamps he’d brought, and illuminated the interior so that Wei Changchuan could find his way here by the light as soon as he approached.

Next, he took out the gas canister, set up a simple little stove, boiled a pot of hot water, and made himself a cup of hot chocolate. After drinking it, he felt a bit hungry, so he cooked up a bowl of instant noodles to tide him over.

After finishing his simple dinner and tidying up the area, Min Shu began waiting for Wei Changchuan.

He had a box of soda crackers within reach and a comic book—which he’d brought along with the other snacks—resting on his lap. He read as he waited for Wei Changchuan to return.

The comic book was a Japanese manga popular in the last century; the copy Min Shu held was a Taiwanese translation, and the faintly printed traditional Chinese characters were a bit of a struggle to read. But by the time Min Shu had stumbled his way through the entire book, Wei Changchuan still hadn’t returned.

Outside the cave, the wind and snow had not only failed to let up but were growing increasingly fierce.

A fierce, icy wind howled through the glacier, lashing harshly across the ice. As the sound of the wind echoed and built, it sounded almost like the wailing of countless people all at once.

Min Shu put down his comic book. Growing restless, he stood up and began pacing in circles, occasionally walking over to the cave entrance to look out.

But as he waited, the night wore on into the small hours. The darkness was so thick you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face; without a light, even the falling snow was indistinguishable.

The temperature inside the cave was dropping steadily. Even with two layers of fur draped over his shoulders, Min Shu still felt a chill, but at that moment, he couldn’t spare a thought for the cold.

Min Shu stood at the cave entrance, frowning as he looked out.

With the wind and snow this fierce, and the moon obscured, would Wei Changchuan be able to find his way?

He hadn’t seen Wei Changchuan carry any instruments or a compass—just a map. And that map didn’t show the specific terrain inside the glacier, did it? Or had he fallen off somewhere and knocked himself unconscious?

The more Min Shu thought about it, the more worried he became, and his brow furrowed deeper and deeper.

Just then, a faint sound suddenly reached his ears.

It was an extremely faint “crack,” but the moment Min Shu heard it, his whole body shuddered, and he immediately took a hurried step back—the next instant, the ice ledge above the cave entrance suddenly snapped, and the accumulated snow came crashing down.

The falling icicles plunged deep into the ice. After a dull thud, a half-meter-high wall of snow instantly piled up in front of the cave entrance. If Min Shu hadn’t dodged, he would have been buried by the snow and ice at best; at worst, the icicles would have pierced his body.

However, having lived on the island for many years, Min Shu had developed a conditioned reflex to such situations. As he looked at the icicles protruding from the snow and ice, he felt no lingering fear; all he could think about at that moment was—

Could Wei Changchuan have been buried by the snow? Or had he fallen somewhere, injured and unable to move, which was why he hadn’t returned?

The image of the man impaled by an icicle, lying in a pool of blood, instantly flashed through Min Shu’s mind. He shuddered and screamed inwardly, “No!”

Wei Changchuan was strong, but his skills were focused on stamina and health. He was, after all, only human—if he really had been impaled by an ice spike, could he possibly still be alive?

The more Min Shu thought about it, the more convinced he became that he was right. The glacier’s terrain wasn’t particularly complex; logically, following the deep ravine should lead straight to the start of the ice tongue. Wei Changchuan hadn’t returned after all this time—he must have been injured and unable to move!

Min Shu grew increasingly anxious. After standing there for a moment, he finally gritted his teeth, stamped his foot, turned back, grabbed his fur coat, and, clutching the whale oil lamp, charged into the blizzard!

The moment he stepped out of the cave, howling winds and snow immediately engulfed him.

Min Shu clamped his hat down tightly; for a moment, the wind and snow nearly forced his eyes shut. The bone-chilling wind lashed his face, stinging like the cut of a knife. The head-on gale created immense resistance around him, making it nearly impossible for Min Shu to take a single step forward.

The wind is too strong!

Almost the moment he stepped into the wind and snow, Min Shu felt a wave of regret wash over him. His body, rapidly losing warmth, and his human instinct to seek safety and avoid danger urged him to return to the warm cave.

However, thinking of Wei Changchuan, whose fate was still unknown, Min Shu gritted his teeth and stepped into the snow that had piled up to his calves in just a few short hours. He might be a useless person, but he’d had plenty of rest and good food and drink—his stamina was at its peak. Right now, they were the only two people within a hundred-mile radius. If something had really happened to Wei Changchuan, he was the only one who could be counted on.

Under these circumstances, no matter who was trapped, Min Shu simply couldn’t stand by and do nothing. Not to mention, Wei Changchuan was so handsome!

Braving the wind, Min Shu trudged with difficulty through the snow, shouting into the vast glacier valley: “Wei Changchuan—”

The howling wind and snow nearly drowned out his voice. Min Shu trudged through the snow, using the oil lamp in his hand to illuminate the ravines beneath his feet as he searched for the man’s footprints, all the while calling out his name:

“Wei Changchuan—brother—where are you?”

“Brother—where are you—”

“If you can hear me, just answer—Brother—”

The wind and snow showed no sign of letting up. Snowflakes had stuck Min Shu’s eyelashes together, and he was practically walking through the snow with his eyes closed. Just then, he suddenly felt his foot hit something. His foot slipped, and he instantly lost his balance, tumbling forward.

“Ah!”

Min Shu only managed to let out a half-cry before instinctively shielding the whale oil lamp. Just then, a tremendous force suddenly grabbed the collar of his coat and yanked him upright.

Min Shu felt his body shoot into the air. He looked up and saw a handsome face emerge from behind the snow and ice. Min Shu’s eyes lit up instantly: “Brother!”

What a coincidence! He’d only taken a few steps outside and found him right away!

Min Shu was overjoyed, but before he could finish his sentence, his shoulders were grabbed roughly:

“What are you doing out here?!”

The man’s furious voice exploded in his ear. Min Shu was instantly stunned by the shout, staring wide-eyed at Wei Changchuan, whose face had turned slightly pale.

Wei Changchuan was clearly furious; the veins on his forehead were bulging slightly. His stern gaze fixed on Min Shu, and the hand gripping his shoulder felt like an iron clamp:

“Didn’t I tell you not to come out?”

Min Shu looked into the man’s eyes, flustered. “I—I saw you hadn’t come back for so long… I was afraid something had happened to you.” As he spoke, he wiggled his arm and said pitifully, “Bro, you’re squeezing me so hard—”

The young man’s voice sounded a bit aggrieved. Wei Changchuan froze for a moment, then released his grip in a flash.

Min Shu landed on the ground, instinctively rubbing his shoulder. He cautiously looked up and saw Wei Changchuan standing there with a grim expression. He couldn’t help but shrink his neck, too afraid to speak.

The wind and snow howled past them. Standing in the snow, Min Shu couldn’t help but shiver.

Just then, Wei Changchuan suddenly moved. He took a few steps forward, wrapped his long arm around Min Shu, and clamped him against him at the waist as if he were a folder.

Min Shu felt himself grow light; before he could react, her feet had left the ground.

He instinctively grabbed the man’s arm with his hand: “Bro, bro?” He tried to turn his head in that awkward position to look at Wei Changchuan’s face: “Bro…I can walk on my own—”

But Wei Changchuan paid him no mind. He strode forward with the speed of a bird, unfazed by the wind and snow, and in just a few steps, he had carried Min Shu to the cave entrance.

As soon as they entered the cave, the howling wind outside immediately died down. The warm, yellow glow of the whale oil lamp spilled out, illuminating the soft furs piled on the ground and the snacks scattered about. The water in the small pot on the stove was still warm, giving off a wisp of steam. The pile of furs around the pot had clearly sunk in one spot, forming a small nest-like hollow—one could almost picture Min Shu sitting there, cradling a comic book.

Wei Changchuan stood amidst the sweet scent of hot cocoa, his chest rising and falling a few times as the frosty lines at the corners of his brows gradually softened.

The next moment, Min Shu felt himself being set down. No sooner had he steadied himself than a slightly cool hand reached out, first brushing his cheek, then touching the side of his neck, before finally grasping his hand and clasping his fingers tightly.

Confused, Min Shu held out his hands and looked up at the man. He saw Wei Changchuan with his head bowed, his eyelashes—framed by frost and snow—glistening white, radiating a unique beauty.

“How long have you been out?”

Min Shu looked at him, then at his own hands still clasped in the man’s grip. He swallowed hard, his voice tight with tension: “…Just a short while.”

Wei Changchuan felt the warmth radiating from her fingers. His expression softened slightly; he glanced at Min Shu, then released his hands.

Min Shu yanked his hands back, tugged at his pant leg, and avoided the man’s gaze: “I’m really fine. I’d only been out for a short while when I ran into you.”

He then turned his head nervously and used the gas canister to light the stove. “Bro, you’ve been out for so long. You must be cold. Let me make you something hot to drink—”

Just as he picked up the gas canister, Wei Changchuan took it from him. Min Shu froze, then turned back to see the man skillfully lighting the flame and placing the pot over the fire, then went outside to scoop up some clean, fresh snow and put it into the pot.

While the snow was boiling, Min Shu had nothing to do, so he sat down on the fur and stared blankly at Wei Changchuan.

Only then did he notice that Wei Changchuan’s cloak was already covered in snow. Min Shu recalled that earlier, the man’s eyebrows and eyelashes had been frosted over, his face was pale, and his palms—which had once been scorching hot—were now cool to the touch. He must have been walking through the wind and snow for a long time.

“Brother, why did you come back so late?” Min Shu couldn’t help but ask, “I was worried something had happened to you.”

Hearing this, Wei Changchuan paused and turned to look at Min Shu.

The young man sat nestled in soft fur, a snow-white blanket draped over his legs. His pointed chin was tucked into his collar, and a pair of slender, almond-shaped eyes gazed at him—a gaze that was gentle and clear, bearing an innocence untouched by the apocalypse.

Wei Changchuan remained silent.

He lowered his head and pulled a test tube from beneath his cloak. The slender, transparent glass tube contained two ice cubes; within their microscopic structure, harbored a virus that had been frozen deep within the ice since ancient times.

“Ah.”  Min Shu saw the test tube and exclaimed with delight, “Brother, did you get the sample?”

Wei Changchuan didn’t answer him. In fact, everything had gone smoothly until he descended to the deepest part of the glacier, located the correct ice layer according to the instructions from the base’s scientists, and collected the sample. There were no clouds in the sky, and the massive ice blocks glowed with a deep, mysterious blue amidst the pink glow gradually enveloping the heavens and earth—a scene that could truly be called magnificent.

However, just as he had finished collecting the sample and begun his return journey, the weather suddenly took a turn for the worse. Within less than half an hour, a storm had swept across the entire glacier, reducing visibility to less than a meter.

Even so, Wei Changchuan didn’t think much of it. His genetic mutation enhanced his sensitivity to the Earth’s magnetic field, allowing him to find the correct direction without any instruments or landmarks to guide him.

Yet in this storm, he actually lost his way.

Just like the last time he approached the glacier alone, Wei Changchuan found himself trapped in the storm. Surrounded by a grayish-white snow fog, he gradually lost his sense of direction. Soon, he lost track of time, and his body temperature began to drop. Wei Changchuan had no scientific explanation for any of this; if he had to describe it, he could only use the colloquial expression “running in circles.”

He didn’t know how long he’d been walking through the blizzard; it seemed no matter which way he went, he couldn’t break free from the storm’s grip. It was as if he were walking through an infinite void, or treading water in place, getting nowhere.

If someone with a less steadfast mind had found themselves in this situation, they would likely have broken down long ago. Even an Immune would rapidly lose body heat if exposed to such temperatures for an extended period.

But Wei Changchuan didn’t stop. He wandered aimlessly through the blizzard for a very, very long time, and then, in a single instant, he suddenly heard a voice.

It was Min Shu calling his name.

The next moment, as if by magic, Wei Changchuan suddenly spotted a slender figure amidst the gray haze, holding a lantern and approaching him from a distance.

He grabbed Min Shu, and the moment he saw the young man’s pale cheeks, everything suddenly returned to normal. Without even looking, Wei Changchuan found his way, carrying the young man, and he walked less than fifty meters before returning to the cave.