168: First Avalanche Famine

The weather cleared after the snow.

Sunlight broke through the clouds, reflecting blindingly off the snow.

Li Xin stood at the entrance of the cabin, squinting as he looked into the distance.

The trees on the ridge were covered in snow, fluffy and white. When the wind blew, tiny ice crystals drifted into the air, sparkling in the sunlight.

The Old Lady called him inside for breakfast.

He turned and went inside. On the table were porridge, black bread, pickled cucumbers, and a small plate of smoked venison jerky.

The venison jerky was sliced thin, dark red, with a ring of white fat around the edges.

"This is what was left over from yesterday. I noticed you seemed to like it. If you don't mind, take it with you and eat it on your way back." The Old Lady pointed to a package wrapped in oil paper on the stove.

"Thank you, Grandma. You are so thoughtful! How could I mind? I love it." Li Xin smiled and continued.

"Then I will accept it and enjoy it on the way back. How much should I pay you for this?"

"Young man, this doesn't cost anything. Just take it and eat it." She sat down and poured herself a cup of tea. "You were out all night last night?"

Li Xin scratched his head, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Yes, I went out to take care of some business last night. It was an all-nighter. I won't stand on ceremony and will accept the food. Thank you."

The Old Lady sipped her tea and waved her hand.

"No need to be polite. If you like it, take it. When you're busy out there, be sure to stay safe and don't overwork yourself."

"Mhm!" Li Xin focused on eating his porridge.

The Old Lady didn't press him further. She slowly finished her tea, then stood up to clear the table, her movements slow but efficient.

After eating, Li Xin thanked the Old Lady again and went upstairs.

He packed the oil-paper-wrapped venison deep into the bottom of his backpack.

Walking to the window, he glanced out at the lake.

Scattered people were fishing on the ice, squatting by holes they had chiseled out, sitting motionless.

The clouds over the distant ridge had cleared a bit, faintly revealing mountains further away. It was all a hazy gray, with the mountains and clouds blending together, hard to distinguish.

Li Xin packed up and went downstairs. The Old Lady was in the yard, sweeping snow with a broom.

After he checked out, the Old Lady went back to sweeping the snow. Seeming to remember something, she spoke up.

"If you walk south along the lakeshore, you will see a village. There are vehicles going to the city there. If you want to go to the city center, you can catch a ride there."

"Okay, thank you, Grandma."

He put on his pack and walked south along the shore. The snow had been packed down, so it wasn't difficult to walk. The ice on the lake shimmered blue in the sunlight, and he could see bubbles trapped beneath the ice, frozen in strings like amber.

He hadn't walked far when an open area appeared ahead. The snow was very thick and smooth, like a sheet of white paper.

He stopped and squatted down. He reached out, grabbed a handful of snow, rolled it into a small ball, and placed it on the ground. He rolled another and stacked it on top. Then another, and kept stacking. It was crooked and looked quite funny, like a lumpy little snowman.

He fished a candy out of his backpack's side pocket, unwrapped it, and stuck it on the snowman's face as eyes. He stood up, looked at it, and thought it was quite ugly. He continued walking forward.

After walking for nearly an hour, he finally arrived at another village. It was larger than the previous one, with a few dozen households scattered across the hillside.

There was a small store at the entrance of the village, with several snowmobiles parked outside. He pushed the door open and went in. The store was warm with a roaring stove. A kettle sat on the iron stove cover, bubbling away.

A fat woman sat behind the counter, knitting a sweater. She glanced at him and continued knitting.

"Boss, do you have hot cocoa?"

"Yes, yes, I do. I don't have any ready-made hot cocoa, but shall I make you a cup?"

She set down the half-knitted sweater and stood up. She took a tin can from the shelf, scooped two spoonfuls of cocoa powder into a cup, poured hot water over it, stirred it a couple of times, and pushed it forward.

Li Xin took the cup and sat by the window. He could see the lake outside. Someone was walking on the ice, leading a dog. The dog was running in front, dragging the person along, stumbling.

He took a sip of the cocoa; it was scalding hot and sickeningly sweet, but he took another sip. Then he fished the package of venison out of his backpack, tore off a small piece, and chewed it slowly.

The venison was a bit salty and tough, but the more he chewed, the richer the meaty flavor became. He couldn't seem to stop.

Li Xin just sat there, soaking up the sun, drinking cocoa, and eating venison jerky. He had nothing to do and didn't want to do anything. The Gold Search and Refining System 2.0 was still cooling down, with several hours left.

Images of last night kept playing over and over in his mind: the gunfire, the explosions, and that glaring pool of blood in the snow.

He pondered for a while, then decided to stop thinking about it. After finishing the cocoa, he handed the cup back.

The fat woman took it and glanced up at him. "Handsome, are you staying at the inn?"

"No, thank you. I'm just passing through." She nodded and continued knitting.

Li Xin left the store and walked along the village road. Behind the village was a birch forest. The trees were thin, crowded together, and the branches were covered in frost.

He wandered around the forest. He had no destination, just wanted to walk around. The snow here only reached his ankles, crunching under his feet.

After walking for about another half hour, he exited the forest. His body had warmed up from the walking, and his back was slightly sweaty and damp.

Returning to the village entrance, he looked east. The lakeshore was winding, stretching into the distance and disappearing into the mist. In the distance was a mountain with a snow-covered peak, glowing white in the sunlight.

Shortly after two in the afternoon, the Gold Search and Refining System 2.0 finished cooling down.

He didn't rush to leave. He wandered around the village, bought a few loaves of bread, and then walked east along the lakeshore.

After walking for nearly an hour, he was far from the village. There was no one by the lake, only the wind and the occasional sound of ice cracking on the surface—dull, like thunder.

He found a sheltered spot and sat down. Behind him was a large rock blocking the wind. In front of him was the lake, the ice gray-blue, stretching to the horizon.

He accessed the Scan results from the AI System. "Scan the southwest area again."

[Scanning. In the southwest direction, about 26 kilometers from the current location, there is a gang activity area. Gunfire is ongoing. The gold burial area currently has no personnel activity.]

"Confirm the gold's location."

[Confirmed. About 30 kilometers from the current location, there is 35 tons of gold. 22 kilometers away, there is about 8 tons of gold. Given the current situation, nighttime operation is better.]

Li Xin looked at the sky. The sun was beginning to set in the west, and the light was fading. "What type of gold is at these two points?"

[Signal characteristics match Tsarist gold coins. Likely individual burials, not official caches. Unclaimed, fully available for Extraction.]

"Record it."

He stood up and brushed the snow off his pants. Just as he was about to leave, an explosion sounded in the distance.

It wasn't gunfire, but that kind of dull thud coming from underground, shaking the ice beneath his feet. Immediately after, there were a few more, even louder. The ice on the lake cracked, a crunching sound, and the fissures extended into the distance.

Li Xin squatted down, pressing his hand against the ice. "Damn... here we go again. AI System, what's happening?"

[Those gangs are fighting again, using homemade bombs. Distance is about 8 kilometers. The explosion caused the ice layer to crack, but it does not affect travel.]

As soon as the words fell, a larger explosion came. This time it wasn't a dull thud, but like a thunderclap, making his ears ring. The ice beneath his feet shook violently, and cracks spread in all directions like a spiderweb. Li Xin stood up and ran toward the shore.

He hadn't run many steps when a loud roar came from behind. This time it wasn't an explosion; it was an avalanche. Li Xin turned his head sharply and saw the entire snow slope on the eastern ridge sliding down.

It wasn't sliding slowly; it was collapsing, like someone pouring a basin of flour from the top of the mountain. Waves of snow, rolling with rubble and broken trees, rumbled downward. The sound grew louder and more intense.

Li Xin ran even faster. His feet slipped on the ice, and he fell, his knee hitting the ice surface, causing piercing pain. He scrambled up and kept running.

The sound of the avalanche was too loud, making his brain numb. He couldn't hear anything, only feel the ground shaking.

He ran to the shore, climbed up, and dived into the forest. A dull thud came from behind as the snow wave hit the lakeshore, sending snow spray flying over a dozen meters high, landing on the treetops and cascading down.

He lay on the ground, covering his head with both hands. Snow fell from the trees, burying him halfway. He lay there for about ten seconds until the sound faded. He climbed up and shook the snow off his body.

He looked back. A large area of the lake was covered in snow, grayish-white, reflecting in the sunlight. A large chunk of the eastern ridge had collapsed, revealing the black rock underneath. The trees on the mountainside were uprooted, lying helter-skelter in the snow.

[Avalanche has stopped. The current area is safe.]

Li Xin didn't speak. He stood there, looking at the devastation. The explosions continued, but they were distant, behind the mountain, and hard to hear clearly.

He turned and walked south along the lakeshore. He wasn't walking fast; his legs were a bit weak, and his knee hurt, throbbing with every step.

After walking for nearly an hour, the sky began to darken. The setting sun shone on the snow, orange-red. The distant ridge line was dyed golden-red.

He found a sheltered spot and sat down. He took bread out of his backpack, tore off a piece, and chewed it slowly. He drank some hot water.

"AI System, are the gold burial points still safe?"

[Both gold burial points currently have no personnel activity. The gang firefight has spread north, about 16 kilometers from the points.]

[No personnel activity nearby. It is recommended to extract the scattered gold at night first, then proceed to the forest burial point.]

"How far?"

[The 8-ton scattered gold location is about 22 kilometers from the current position. The 35-ton forest burial location is about 30 kilometers from here + about 10 hours of hiking in total.]

Li Xin calculated in his mind. Walk to the scattered gold point after dark, extract, then rush to the forest burial point overnight, finishing before dawn.

"Let's go."

He stood up and continued walking east. It was completely dark. He turned on his headlamp, the beam swinging over the snow. The temperature dropped rapidly, and the white mist he exhaled froze on his scarf, becoming stiff.

After walking for nearly three hours, he reached the vicinity of the scattered gold point. It was a gentle slope with bare larch trees. The snow was deep, reaching his calves. He found a relatively flat spot on the slope, squatted down, and pressed his hand to the ground.

"AI System, confirm the location."

[Location locked. 12 meters underground, Tsarist gold coin cache, 8.2 tons. Ready for Extraction.]

"Start."

[Extraction started. 8.2 tons, estimated time 10 minutes.]

The progress bar started moving. He leaned against a tree, staring at the panel.

The forest was very quiet. No wind, no birds chirping, not even the sound of insects. Only his own breathing and the soft thud of snow falling from the branches.

Ten minutes later, the progress bar was full.

[Extraction complete. Tsarist gold coin cache, 8.2 tons. Cumulative gold: 3786.2057 tons.]

He stood up and brushed the dust off his hands. He didn't stop. He continued walking east.

After walking for nearly two hours, he reached the vicinity of the forest gold burial point. That forest was denser, the canopy blocking the sky. The headlamp's beam couldn't reach far, only illuminating the few trees in front.

He found a spot, squatted down, and pressed his hand to the ground.

[Location locked. 16 meters underground, brick cache, 35 tons. Ready for Extraction.]

"Start."

[Extraction started. 35 tons, estimated time 42 minutes.]

The progress bar started moving. In the distance, dog barking was heard—several dogs, barking fiercely, coming from the west, getting closer and closer.

[Patrol Team with dogs, distance about 1.2 kilometers. Moving eastward.]

The barking grew closer. Someone was shouting in Russian, but he couldn't hear what was being said.

Li Xin huddled behind a tree, not daring to move.

The barking reached the vicinity and stopped. The dogs were barking, very fiercely, toward the direction where he was hiding.

"Is someone over there?"

"No, let's go. It's freezing here."

The footsteps stopped. They hesitated for a few seconds.

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

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

The progress bar was moving. Sixty-three percent, seventy-one, eighty-two.

Twenty-six minutes later, the progress bar was full.

[Extraction complete, forest gold burial, 35 tons. Cumulative gold: 3821.2057 tons.]

He stood up and cleared the traces on the ground. Then he entered the forest and walked north.

After walking for nearly an hour, a dirt road appeared ahead. The road was covered in snow, revealing only two tire tracks in the middle.

He walked north along the dirt road. He hadn't gone far when he heard the sound of an engine behind him. He turned around and saw two sets of car headlights lighting up in the snow, getting closer and closer.

They weren't ordinary cars; they were off-road vehicles, driving very fast.

He left the dirt road and dived into the forest. The vehicles stopped on the dirt road. Car doors opened and closed. Someone was shouting, and flashlight beams were swinging wildly in the forest.

"Come out! I see you!"

Li Xin didn't stop. He bent his waist and wove through the trees. There were footsteps behind him—several people.

He quickened his pace. Ahead was a ditch, not deep, but steep. He slid down; the bottom of the ditch was covered in gravel and dead leaves.

He ran north along the bottom of the ditch. He hadn't run far when he turned a corner. He stopped and squatted at the bend.

Footsteps stopped at the edge of the ditch. "Go down and check." "Go down? It's so deep." "Then what should we do?" "Go around and block him."

The footsteps dispersed. Li Xin stood up and continued running north along the bottom of the ditch.

The ditch came to an end. Ahead was a steep slope with shrubs growing on it. He grabbed the shrub branches and climbed up. The slope was steep, the gravel slippery; he slid back half a step for every step he climbed.

He climbed to the top, lay on the ground, and caught his breath. The footsteps behind him had faded.

He stood up and continued walking north. He wasn't walking fast. His legs were weak, and his knee hurt badly.

After walking for nearly an hour, lights appeared ahead. It was a village, not big, with a dozen or so households.

He walked into the village and knocked on the door of the nearest house. An old man opened the door, wearing an old cotton-padded jacket, his face unshaven.

"I want to stay at the inn."

"One thousand a night."

Li Xin paid the money and followed him inside. The room wasn't large, the sheets washed until they were faded white. He lay down and stared at the ceiling. Outside the window, the wind was howling.