Arctic survival, starting in hell at minus fifty degrees Celsius

As Sun Chengwu's voice faded, most people stepped forward.

Richard and Zhou Xiaolian stood still.

Sophia and Fang Wei wanted to move forward, but seeing that Zhou Xiaolian hadn't moved, they also stood still.

Sun Chengwu nodded. "Okay, it's not short to get to the coastline from here. Although we have plenty of food this time, it doesn't mean there won't be other dangers along the way."

If you want to go, I'll take you.

But if danger arises, I need someone from your team to step forward and take responsibility.

Sun Chengwu's gaze swept across everyone's faces. "Bald, Williams, and Old Yang, you are the leaders of the three teams."

"You tell me, what do we do if something goes wrong?"

The three men looked at each other for a while. Old Yang, who seemed the most responsible, said, "Xiao Wu, I know you're doing this for our own good, but we won't give up until we see it with our own eyes."

If anything happens, I'll cover your retreat.

If anyone dies, I will take care of their family.

This wasn't Sun Chengwu morally blackmailing anyone; rather, there were some things he had to clarify beforehand to avoid taking the blame later.

Sun Chengwu asked Lao Yang, "Do the brothers all agree?"

Old Yang nodded, "They all want to go and see; it's not just my idea."

Sun Chengwu then looked at Williams and the bald man, "What about you?"

Someone stepped forward, and the bald man immediately agreed, "I can do it too."

Williams didn't speak. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "I won't be responsible for their lives. It was their own decision to go. But as their captain, I will take responsibility as much as possible if something happens. I won't run away."

After the pots were distributed, Sun Chengwu finally spoke, "Since you all want to go and see, I can't stop you."

Let's rest first, and set off tomorrow.

Someone shouted from the crowd, "Brother Wu, even if you let us rest, we can't rest properly."

I want to leave now.

Sun Chengwu asked, "Do others share this view?"

Everyone shouted, "Boss, no need to rest, we can set off now!"

Their eagerness to go home had clouded their judgment.

At this point, it's better to guide than to block, so Sun Chengwu had no choice but to go along with them. Otherwise, if they sneaked away while he was asleep at night, the consequences would be even more serious.

Sun Chengwu nodded. "Alright, break camp and set off."

The ice lake is quite a distance from the sea. There is a gap in the ice lake, and the ice lake meanders down to the sea.

They struggled to walk along the riverbank, braving the cold wind and the university.

The closer you get to the sea, the stronger the cold wind becomes.

Thick, dark clouds in the distance formed an inverted funnel over the ocean—that was a typhoon.

Two days have passed since they set off, and the ship's horn has not sounded since it was first heard two days ago.

None of them knew whether the boat had left or not.

But the thought of going home and leaving this hellish place was something they were willing to try, no matter how small the hope.

By the third day, the wind had reached level twelve.

The strong wind, carrying ice and snow, left wounds on their faces.

Sun Chengwu rubbed his face, feeling a sharp pain.

They took shelter behind a small, windproof hill and started a fire.

After the stinging area was heated, it became both painful and itchy, as if ants were biting it.

Many people have suffered frostbite on their faces, fingers, and toes.

The most severely affected was a middle-aged man in his forties in Williams' team. Three toes on his left foot had turned black and purple, and there was also obvious frostbite on the big toe of his other foot.

He was in so much pain that he couldn't walk anymore.

Williams sought help from Sun Chengwu, "Boss, David can no longer walk with his toes. Could you please take a look?"

Sun Chengwu came to David's side.

David saw Sun Chengwu and stood up somewhat fearfully.

Sun Chengwu raised his hand, gesturing for him to sit down.

David's Chinese isn't very good. He can understand some everyday words, but when they're put together, he can't understand them.

Sun Chengwu spoke to him in English, asking, "How do your toes feel?"

David said painfully, "These three toes hurt a lot. They hurt even when I don't move. It feels like I'm walking on nails."

My thumb doesn't hurt when I walk, but it's very itchy, and I really want to scratch it.

It hurts when I scratch it.

Sun Chengwu turned around and called to Fang Wei, "Bring some warm water."

The reason for not using hot water is that in such cold weather, hot water would actually burn his toes.

After the heat dissipates, it will not only fail to alleviate the condition, but will also make the patient more susceptible to frostbite, causing secondary damage.

Soon, the snow melted into water, and after heating it slightly, Fang Wei brought the water over.

They used earthenware pots to boil water.

Sun Chengwu poured warm water on David's three severely frostbitten little toes.

"what!"

David screamed in pain, clutching his foot and rolling on the ground in agony.

Sun Chengwu calmly said, "Bear with it, let's wash it clean first."

They traveled day and night, their shoes filled with sweat and smelling particularly bad.

After being exposed to a cold wind, the sweat cools down, creating a damp environment.

Water has a higher specific heat capacity, so it transfers heat faster, which is the main reason why they get frostbite.

However, in addition to frostbite, it also caused problems such as skin ulceration.

Sun Chengwu continued to pour water on David's feet, saying, "Wash them yourself."

David endured the excruciating pain as he slowly washed the soles of his feet. The pain contorted his features, and his teeth clenched so tightly they made a grinding sound.

Generally speaking, early-stage frostbite is like David's big toe—it's itchy, and it only hurts when you scratch it.

This mild frostbite will heal on its own with just a little warmth and by sitting by a fire.

However, three toes on the right foot were clearly in serious condition, even showing signs of necrosis.

It hurts even when watering; that's not a good sign.

After washing it clean, Sun Chengwu pinched his little toe.

David trembled all over in pain, sweat beading on his forehead.

Sun Chengwu gently pinched it, feeling that his little finger was already swollen, and asked, "Besides the stinging pain, what else does it feel like?"

David shook his head, unable to speak.

After checking each of the three toes, Sun Chengwu got up and said, "Boil water and soak the toes in warm water overnight. Observe them."

In a modern environment, there might still be a chance to recover.

However, Sun Chengwu did not have much hope in this environment.

Not long after Sun Chengwu fell asleep, he was woken up again by Williams, who said with a serious expression, "David is in so much pain that he can't sleep."

Sun Chengwu got up and came to David again.

David, a man who is 1.8 meters tall, was in so much pain that snot and tears streamed down his face. He wiped his tears and said, "Boss, it hurts so much. It feels like someone is hitting my toes with a rock."

Sun Chengwu re-examined his toes and found that the swelling had worsened, and the forefoot had also become swollen.

The skin turned transparent, revealing a black liquid inside.

Sun Chengwu paused for two seconds before saying, "It's already necrotic; amputation is necessary."