From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

After a brief moment of silence and thought, I immediately finalized the plan, saying, "Let's not worry about the hot springs for now; let's save our lives and get out of this predicament first."

"The next three cars will stay close behind. You two must not let your distance increase. If you can't see the taillights of the car in front, immediately honk your horn to warn them!"

Luo Peng immediately responded, then said with a worried expression, "But Brother Lin, the terrain around here is so complicated, and the fog is so thick, your lead car might be in danger!"

I sighed softly and said, "There's no other way; someone has to scout ahead. Staying put is too risky. We need to get out of this core fog zone and find a safe place to rest."

The situation was urgent, and no one was willing to waste any more words.

The three quickly divided the tasks and took their positions, adjusting the distance between the three vehicles to form a tight column.

All the headlights were turned on in fog light mode, and the warm yellow light pierced through the white fog, barely leaving a visible trail.

We got back on the bus and continued our journey.

The car was crawling along, with only the low rumble of the engine and the soft crunch of the wheels on the ice.

I stared intently ahead, glancing occasionally at Su Wan and Luo Peng's car in the rearview mirror, my nerves on edge.

Every inch of the road is unknown, and every step forward is a gamble with life.

Dark ice, empty shells, ice cracks, piles of floating ice...

It's everywhere and impossible to guard against.

I habitually picked up the walkie-talkie, wanting to provide real-time traffic updates:

"Caution: There is an ice mound rising on the right ahead, and there is a high probability that there are a series of ice cracks underneath."

"The fog is flowing erratically, and there is a high probability that we are approaching an ice gully. Slow down."

The only response I received was the harsh crackling of static from the walkie-talkie.

At that moment, the feeling of helplessness in my heart completely erupted.

Even though their teammates were right behind them, only a few meters away, they couldn't communicate.

They could only slowly follow my path, moving forward little by little.

The convoy moved forward inch by inch in the pure white chaos.

After driving for an unknown amount of time, the fog grew thicker and thicker, and the light of day grew dimmer and dimmer.

It was noon, yet the entire glacier was dark and oppressive, like the end of dusk.

The surrounding scenery was completely monotonous and lifeless, with only the same white mist in sight.

There are no reference points that can be used to locate or determine direction.

At that moment, a bone-chilling coldness instantly swept over my entire body.

My heart sank suddenly, and the most terrifying thought popped into my head.

We are lost.

Just as I was in that moment of shock, a piercing, urgent car horn suddenly sounded behind me.

As I mentioned when we set off, if any accident occurs or we fall behind, we should immediately honk the horn to warn others. This is our only means of communication after we lost contact.

The sudden blare of a horn behind me meant, without a doubt, that something had happened.

My heart clenched, and I tensed up instantly. Even though I was already disoriented, I didn't care about my confusion and slammed on the brakes to stop the car.

The next second, in the thick fog behind them, Su Wan's headlights began to flash alternately, switching rapidly between high and low beams, sending out an emergency signal in the white fog.

My unease grew stronger, so I immediately rolled down the car window.

A biting wind, carrying fine ice shards, rushed in instantly.

The cold wasn't the biting chill of a normal winter; it was the frigid polar cold with a sense of deadly power, which made my skin go numb in an instant.

Su Wan also rolled down the car window and shouted at me:

"Lin Ye, something's wrong! Luo Peng's car is missing; he's fallen behind!"

"What?!"

My mind went blank for a moment, and without thinking, I pushed open the car door and jumped out.

As my feet touched the ice, the icy sensation instantly spread from my toes throughout my body.

I stared at the back of the convoy, and all I could see was the billowing white fog and Su Wan's car, which was parked quietly in the fog.

Luo Peng, who was originally lagging behind, along with his entire car, completely disappeared into the vast fog.

A wave of extreme panic washed over me instantly. I rushed to Su Wan's car and asked urgently, "When did he fall behind? Wasn't he just following behind?"

Su Wan's expression was grave, but her eyes remained clear. She said, "I was watching the rearview mirror the whole way, and I could clearly see his headlights. I didn't lose sight of him the entire time. Just now, a thick fog rolled in, obscuring my vision for a few seconds. When I turned around again, he had disappeared."

I froze on the spot, my whole body turning ice cold.

The thick fog swallowed people up silently.

After a brief moment of surprise, Su Wan immediately picked up the car radio and continued trying to make calls.

"Luo Peng, a reply received! Luo Peng! Can you hear me? Reply immediately!"

The only response she received was the crackling static from the walkie-talkie; otherwise, there was complete silence.

I immediately opened my mouth and shouted into the thick white fog, "Luo Peng! Where are you? Answer me if you can hear me! Luo Peng!"

My voice was loud, but it was like a stone sinking into the sea; it was swallowed up by the thick fog as soon as it came out, and not even a trace of echo could be heard.

The entire glacier was deathly silent; there was no roar of engines, no sound of horns.

I was completely lost, and my heart was filled with panic and confusion.

Not to mention that we're now lost, Luo Peng has also gone missing!

This uninhabited glacier area is already an inaccessible wilderness, and the current situation is simply deadly.

I quickly composed myself and made a decision, saying in a deep voice to Su Wan, "You stay where you are, I'm going back to find him!"

I turned to rush into the thick fog, but Su Wan immediately called out to me, "Don't go!"

"Visibility in the fog is less than two meters, and there are absolutely no landmarks. If you turn back alone, you'll most likely lose your way back. If that happens, we'll both lose contact, and we'll really be trapped here."

I was extremely anxious at that moment, my mind filled with thoughts of the missing Luo Peng, and my tone unconsciously became more forceful:

"Are we just going to abandon him like this? Let him be trapped in the fog all by himself?"

Su Wan, however, remained extremely rational and clear-headed, unaffected by her emotions.

"I didn't say we wouldn't do anything. Now let's turn off the car and listen carefully to see if we can hear his engine or horn nearby."

I snapped out of my daze and immediately shut my mouth.

Su Wan immediately turned off her car, and the roar of the two engines abruptly stopped, plunging the entire world into complete silence.

But there was no sound in the world except for the faint sound of ice cracking.

After waiting a few seconds and confirming that there was no movement, Su Wan quickly and clearly stated two solutions:

"Now we only have two paths. First, we continue forward and try to break out of this icy fog zone. Once we get out of the fog, the shortwave signal will be restored, and the walkie-talkies will work normally. But the downside is that Luo Peng is most likely still trapped in the core of the fog zone, and we still can't contact him."

"Secondly, we will return together in both vehicles to search and rescue. However, there are no landmarks in this foggy area, and turning back will most likely result in going in circles and completely losing track of the route."

I frowned and said in a deep voice, "But we're already lost, and whether we go forward or backward is unknown."

"That's right."

Su Wan nodded, her tone resolute.

"But if we keep going, there's still a glimmer of hope to break through the fog and restore signal. Turning back to search and rescue in place is almost certainly a certain death sentence."