166: Chapter 166 Blizzard Seals Off the Forest

At 1:00 AM, Li Xin stepped out from the back door of the wooden house.

The snow was still falling, heavier than it had been during the day. It wasn't the kind that drifted down in delicate flakes; it came down in heavy clumps that stung when they hit his face. He kept his head down, pulled his scarf up to cover half his face, and walked up the slope behind the house.

The slope wasn't steep, but the snow was deep, reaching his calves with every step. He had to pull his foot out of the snow before taking the next step. Less than a hundred meters later, his back was already sweating.

He glanced back at the village. A few dim, yellowish lights blurred into a single mass behind the curtain of snow, making it impossible to tell which house was which.

He continued climbing.

After passing the crest, a gentle slope led downward to a dry gully at the bottom. The gully wasn't deep, but it had banks on both sides that provided shelter from the wind. He walked north along the bottom of the gully. The snow lessened, but the wind grew stronger, howling as it rushed in from the gully's mouth.

After walking for nearly an hour, he reached the vicinity of the location.

It was a mountain col, surrounded on three sides by low slopes and opening toward the south. A few larch trees grew on the slopes, their bare branches laden with icicles that chimed in the wind. The snow in the col was shallower than outside, reaching only to his ankles.

Li Xin found a spot at the foot of the slope on the north side of the col. There was a protruding rock formation with an indentation in the rock wall, just enough to accommodate a crouching person. From the outside, the rock blocked the view, making it impossible to see inside unless one walked right up to it.

He crouched down and pressed his hand against the ground.

"AI System, confirm the location."

[Location locked. Currently approximately 9.8 kilometers from the core area of the ore vein; within the Extraction range.]

"Start Extraction."

[Extraction initiated. Target: North ore vein of the Sukhoy Log mining area. Extractable amount: 1152 tons. Extraction rate: 50 tons/hour. Extraction will be split into two batches; the first batch is 600 tons. Estimated time: 12 hours. Countdown: 11:59:59.]

The progress bar began to jump.

He took his sleeping bag out of his space, spread it on the ground, and sat inside. He then took out a thermos and took a sip of tea. The tea, brewed earlier, was still warm. As time ticked by and the amount of gold extracted increased, everything proceeded normally. Li Xin felt quite satisfied; this Extraction was going very smoothly. Perhaps his prayers to the Bodhisattvas and Buddhas over the past few days had finally worked?

[Ding... Extraction complete. North ore vein of the Sukhoy Log mining area, first batch of 600 tons. Purity 99.99%.]

[Cumulative gold: 3204.2057 tons.]

[System entering cooldown mode. Countdown: 11:59:59.]

"Haha, fantastic!" Li Xin couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Twelve hours later, at the same time and the same place.

"AI System, continue with the Extraction of the remaining 552 tons of gold."

[Received. Extraction in progress... 552 tons of gold. Estimated time 11 hours. Please wait patiently!]

The Extraction progress bar began to move again.

The snow fell heavier and heavier; it was no longer just hitting, but pouring down. He could hear the sound of snow landing on the rocks—a soft 'pfft, pfft, pfft'—like someone patting cotton overhead. The wind had also picked up, rushing into the col and carrying snow spray that stung his face.

He pulled his scarf up higher, leaving only his eyes exposed.

The progress jumped to four percent.

Sounds came from the distance. Not the wind, but human voices. They were coming from the south—the sound of footsteps from several people, crunching on the snow.

Li Xin held his breath and shrank back into the rock wall.

The footsteps drew closer. Flashlight beams swayed in the curtain of snow—one, two, three. Three beams of light swept in from the mouth of the col, scanning back and forth across the snow.

Someone spoke. It was Russian, not loud, but clear in the night.

"...Have you checked this side?"

"Checked it. Nothing."

"What about over there? That low slope?"

"Nothing. Not even a single footprint."

"Keep moving forward. The captain said we must search that ridge tonight."

The footsteps passed by the mouth of the col without turning in. The light beam swept over the rock wall once, then moved away.

Li Xin waited until the footsteps had completely faded before exhaling.

His palms were covered in sweat.

The progress jumped to eight percent.

At 3:00 AM, the snow eased up a bit. It hadn't stopped, but shifted from "pouring" to "drifting." The snowflakes were larger, swirling in the wind. The temperature had dropped further, to over twenty degrees below zero.

With the system's constant temperature feature, he felt like it was in the low twenties and wasn't cold. However, he could feel the cold air frosting on his skin; icicles hung from his eyebrows, and the white mist he exhaled froze onto his scarf, turning it stiff.

The progress jumped to sixteen percent.

Sounds came from the distance again. This time not human voices, but the sound of engines. Not cars, but snowmobiles. Several of them were coming from the west, the sound growing louder.

Headlights illuminated the curtain of snow, two beams of light sweeping back and forth across the snow. The snowmobiles were moving very slowly, stopping and starting. Someone was shouting through a loudspeaker.

"All personnel in the vicinity of the mining area, leave immediately. Repeat, all personnel in the vicinity of the mining area, leave immediately."

The sound of the loudspeaker was piercing in the snowy night, echoing in the valley for several seconds.

Li Xin didn't move.

The headlights swept past the mouth of the col without stopping. The snowmobiles continued forward, the sound fading into the distance.

The progress jumped to twenty-three percent.

At 5:00 AM, it was still dark. The snow stopped. It didn't taper off slowly; it just suddenly ceased. The wind also died down, leaving only the occasional gust that blew into the col, feeling chilly.

Li Xin emerged from his sleeping bag and stretched his legs. He had been sitting for too long and they were numb. He took two steps while crouching, then crouched back down.

The progress jumped to thirty-one percent.

Gunshots rang out in the distance. Not just one, but several, cracking like firecrackers. They came from the east, muffled by the ridge, making it hard to hear clearly. People were shouting and cursing, their voices obscured by the mountain, sounding indistinct.

[On the east side, two groups have started fighting, distance about two kilometers.]

"How many people?"

[At least twenty, with guns and homemade explosives.]

The gunfire became more frequent. Interspersed with muffled explosions, the ground even shook slightly. A flash of light appeared in the distance, blocked by the mountain, making it hard to see clearly.

Li Xin stared at the panel. Progress at thirty-eight percent.

The gunfire lasted for nearly an hour before gradually thinning out. Occasionally a shot would ring out, followed by a long silence. Someone was crying, though it was unclear what they were shouting. The cursing was clear, however—Russian profanities, the same few phrases repeated over and over.

The progress jumped to forty-six percent.

The sky began to brighten. It wasn't sunrise, but the reflection of the snow—a grayish haze that made it impossible to distinguish between sky and earth. The distant ridge was only visible as a silhouette, dark and imposing like a wall.

Li Xin took some water from his space and took a few sips. The water was icy, leaving his stomach feeling chilly. He then took out some bread, tore off a small piece, and chewed it slowly.

Gunshots rang out in the distance again. More frequent and closer than before. The explosions were also louder, the ground shaking so hard that icicles on the rock wall fell, clattering against the stones.

[They are fighting again, this time closer, distance about 1.2 kilometers.]

"Will the fighting reach here?"

[Not necessarily. They are fighting over that mining tunnel on the east side. If one side is defeated, they might retreat to the west.]

Li Xin shrank further into the rock wall.

The gunfire grew closer. Someone was shouting, "To the west! Run to the west!" Footsteps were chaotic, crunching on the snow. People were crying, screaming, and yelling in pain.

Flashlight beams swayed wildly in the curtain of snow.

Someone ran into the mouth of the col. Not walking, but running, stumbling, falling, and scrambling up to keep running. Someone was chasing them from behind, cursing as they ran.

Li Xin huddled behind the rock, motionless.

The person who ran in fell less than ten meters in front of him, lying on the ground panting. The person chasing them caught up, stepped on their back, and pointed a gun at their head.

"Run, go ahead and run."

The person lying on the ground didn't speak, just panted.

The pursuer crouched down and searched them. They emptied the contents of their pockets, stuffed them into their own, then stood up and kicked them.

"Get lost, and don't come back."

The person on the ground scrambled up and limped away toward the south. The pursuer stood at the mouth of the col and scanned the surroundings. The flashlight beam swept over the rock.

Li Xin held his breath.

The person stood there for a moment, then turned and left. The footsteps faded into the distance.

The progress jumped to fifty-four percent.

At 9:00 AM, the snow started falling again. This time it wasn't heavy snow, but fine, granular snow like salt, blown by the wind and hitting his face with a rustling sound.

Li Xin leaned against the rock wall, staring at the panel. Progress at sixty-two percent.

The sound of a helicopter came from the distance. The buzzing of the rotors approached from the west, circled overhead a few times, and then headed east.

[Mining area patrol helicopter. Conducting low-altitude patrol.]

The helicopter hovered over the forest to the east for over ten minutes before flying off to the north.

Progress at sixty-eight percent.

At 12:00 PM, the snow stopped. The sun peeked out from behind the clouds, its light blinding. The snow reflected the light, creating a vast white expanse. The distant ridge became clear, and he could see the trees upon it, one by one, their branches bowed under the weight of the snow.

Li Xin took out his lunch from his space: bread, sausage, and cheese. He ate slowly and drank a few sips of tea. The tea had long since gone cold, but it was still drinkable.

The progress jumped to seventy-six percent.

At 2:00 PM, the helicopter returned. This time it flew even lower, passing over the mouth of the col, the wind from its rotors whipping up the snow and sending it flying everywhere. Li Xin huddled behind the rock, closing his eyes and waiting for it to fly away.

The helicopter circled the valley twice and headed south.

Progress at eighty-four percent.

At 4:00 PM, the sky began to darken. Not because the sun was setting, but because the clouds had thickened, blocking out the light. The snow started falling again, this time heavy, even heavier than last night. The snowflakes came in clumps, stinging his face.

Li Xin took a headlamp from his space and put it on. He didn't turn it on.

Progress at ninety-one percent.

Sounds came from the distance again. Not gunshots, but barking. Several dogs were barking fiercely, coming from the east and getting closer.

[Patrol Team with dogs, distance about eight hundred meters. Moving west.]

The barking grew closer. Someone was shouting, "This way, over here." Flashlight beams swayed in the curtain of snow.

Li Xin huddled behind the rock, not daring to move.

The barking reached the mouth of the col and stopped. The dogs were barking fiercely, directed toward where he was hiding.

"Is there someone over there? Go check it out."

Footsteps approached. The flashlight beam swept over the rock wall.

Li Xin buried his face in the snow.

"No one there, the dogs smelled wrong. Let's go, it's freezing here."

The footsteps stopped. They hesitated for a few seconds.

"Let's go, let's check over there."

The footsteps faded. The dogs were still barking, being dragged away.

Progress at ninety-six percent.

At 7:00 PM, the progress bar jumped to ninety-nine percent.

Li Xin stared at the panel, counting second by second.

Ninety-nine point two, ninety-nine point five, ninety-nine point eight.

[Ding—Extraction complete. North ore vein of the Sukhoy Log mining area, 552 tons. Purity 99.99%.]

[Cumulative gold: 3756.2057 tons.]

[System entering cooldown mode. Countdown: 11:59:59.]

Li Xin didn't move. He sat in the snow, looking at those numbers.

1152 tons. Plus the previous amount, 3756 tons.

He stood up; his legs were numb and devoid of feeling, so he leaned against the rock wall for a while. Then, he put the sleeping bag back into his space and cleaned up the traces on the ground.

The snow was still falling, heavily. His footprints were quickly covered up.

He climbed out from the north side of the col, took a wide detour to avoid the patrol route, and walked back through the forest. The snow was deep, so he couldn't move fast. Snow fell from the branches, hitting his head and pouring down his neck.

After walking for nearly two hours, he finally saw the lights of the village.

He entered the wooden house through the back door; the Old Lady was already asleep. He entered the room in the dark, didn't turn on the light, and sat on the bed.