39: dilemma

The RV came to a complete stop ten meters away from the crystal stone.

The four wheels spun futilely on the compacted mixture of snow and ice, the engine emitting a low hum, but the vehicle remained motionless.

Qin Lin tried reversing and adjusting the direction left and right.

Ten meters.

The constant temperature ice crystal was right there.

Qin Lin looked at the shocking number on the external thermometer.

He then looked at the red dot on the energy scan map, which was close at hand, and slowly exhaled.

"I have no choice but to get out and dig."

These words hit the inside of the car like a block of ice. Su Yuran had the strongest reaction:

"No! You'll die if you get out!"

"I have a protective suit."

Qin Lin pulled up the System Store.

"An Elementary Extreme Cold Protective Suit can last fifteen minutes. I've calculated it—at ten meters, if the passage goes smoothly, one round trip plus digging time should be enough."

"What if it's not enough?"

Su Yuran grabbed his arm.

"What if the snow collapses, what if you get lost, what if the protective suit malfunctions..."

The more she spoke, the more her voice trembled, and her eyes began to redden.

Lin Wanwan also whispered, "Qin Lin, it's too dangerous... Can we think of another way?"

Qin Lin shook his head. "There's no other way. The car can't move. The only hope is to get the crystal stone and use it to upgrade the RV."

"Maybe the new functions after the upgrade can help us escape."

He paused and looked at the two girls:

"Right now the car is in a dilemma; it can't go forward, and it can't go back—look behind us."

The two of them looked at the rear-view camera.

The road they had come from was already mostly filled by newly fallen snow and the slush churned up by the vehicle's struggles.

Even if they could reverse, it would be as difficult as coming in, and it would consume a massive amount of energy.

"We can't waste energy on meaningless struggles," Qin Lin said. "We must get the crystal stone and upgrade."

His tone was calm, but his gaze was firm.

Su Yuran knew that once he made a decision, it was hard to change.

She bit her lip and finally let go of his hand:

"Then... you must promise to come back safely."

"I promise," Qin Lin said.

He began to prepare.

First, he purchased an [Extreme Cold Protective Suit (Elementary)] from the System Store, costing 30 survival points.

The protective suit was a silver-gray jumpsuit design, complete with a helmet and a breathing filtration System.

Qin Lin tried it on inside the car first.

It was a bit tight, but his movement wasn't restricted.

The helmet visor was double-layered anti-fog glass, providing clear vision.

Then, the tools.

The Entrenching Shovel was the basic tool, but facing this ice-snow mixture, it might not be enough.

Qin Lin spent another 5 points to buy an [Ice Axe]. The front was a sharp ice pick, and the back was a flat spade, suitable for carving into ice walls.

Rope. He found a bundle of climbing rope from the supermarket toolbox; it was fifty meters long, which was plenty.

His safety measure was to fix one end of the rope to a load-bearing pillar inside the RV and tie the other end around his waist.

This way, if the snow collapsed or he got lost, he would at least have a tether.

"While I'm digging, you two stay in the car and keep an eye on the rope."

Qin Lin said to the two girls.

"If the rope suddenly tightens or doesn't move for a long time, pull back gently. That's the signal that I'm in trouble."

Su Yuran nodded vigorously. "Okay."

Lin Wanwan also said, "We'll keep a close watch."

Qin Lin glanced at the time: 1:47 PM.

"First attempt," he said. "I'll make sure to return within five minutes."

He took a deep breath, tightened the helmet latch of the protective suit, and checked the breathing valve—it was normal.

He opened the car door.

Even through the protective suit, that extreme cold instantly seeped in.

Qin Lin felt as if he had jumped into an icy sea; every pore was screaming.

He pulled out the Ice Axe and began digging from the car door.

The first strike.

The sharp ice pick pierced into the ice-snow mixture, making a dull "thud."

With a forceful pry, a large chunk of hard snow crumbled away.

Qin Lin cleared it quickly, then the second strike, the third strike... the efficiency was lower than expected.

This ice-snow mixture was too hard. Every strike required his full strength, and he could only pry off a piece the size of a fist.

At this rate, digging a ten-meter passage might take... dozens of hours?

But there was no time for calculations.

Qin Lin buried his head in the work.

Soon, he had dug a half-meter deep groove.

One meter.

The visor of the protective suit began to fog up—his breathing was too rapid.

Qin Lin slowed his pace and adjusted his breathing.

The visor had an automatic defogging function, but it needed time.

Time was up.

Qin Lin decisively turned around and retreated back into the car along the narrow passage he had just dug.

Closing the car door, he leaned against it, gasping for air.

A layer of white frost quickly formed on the surface of the protective suit, and the inside of the helmet visor was covered in condensation.

The temperature inside the car had dropped five degrees because of the open door and was slowly rising back up.

"How was it?"

Su Yuran handed him hot water.

Qin Lin took it, his hands shaking.

It wasn't from the cold, but from muscle spasms caused by overexertion.

"It's too hard."

He took a sip of water.

"At this rate, ten meters might take twenty or thirty trips."

Qin Lin did the math.

But that was the ideal situation.

As the passage deepened, the time required would increase.

"I'll dig three meters today," Qin Lin said.

"And continue tomorrow."

He rested for twenty minutes until his body warmed up and the frost on the surface of the protective suit melted before starting the second dig.

The Ice Axe swung, and hard snow crumbled.

The passage extended forward like a mine shaft, its width only enough for one person to pass, and its height only about 1.5 meters.

Qin Lin had to work hunched over.

Moreover, once away from the RV, there were no heat sources around.

The air in the passage barely moved, and it was as cold as solidified gel.

With every breath, the fog on the visor grew thicker.

By the time he retreated to the car, his fingers were already numb from the cold. After taking off the protective suit, his fingertips showed an abnormal bluish-white color.

"You can't dig anymore."

Su Yuran grabbed his hands and soaked them in warm water.

"That's enough for today."

Qin Lin did not object.

He had indeed reached his limit.

That evening, the three of them had a simple dinner—none of them had much of an appetite.

After treatment, Qin Lin's fingers regained some sensation, but the numbness in his fingertips remained.

He didn't sleep well that night.

His dreams were filled with white snow walls that he could never finish digging.

The Ice Axe broke, the protective suit tore, and the cold air stabbed in like knives... He woke up with a start, drenched in cold sweat.

Outside the window, it wasn't light yet.

The wind and snow continued unabated.

The next morning, Qin Lin continued.

With yesterday's experience, he adjusted his strategy:

He no longer pursued depth, but instead ensured the safety of each dig.

At the same time, he had Su Yuran and Lin Wanwan prepare first-aid supplies in the car.

Hot water, blankets, and frostbite ointment.

When he had dug to the sixth meter, an accident occurred.

Qin Lin was prying a piece of hard snow with force when suddenly, the snow layer on the side wall loosened, and a large slab of snow collapsed!

He instinctively dodged backward but was still buried up to his waist in snow.

Icy snow poured into the gaps of the protective suit, instantly stripping away a massive amount of body heat.

Qin Lin struggled violently, using his hands to clear the snow from his chest while pulling the rope at his waist.

Three tugs—the emergency signal.