This is the core area of North Mountain, the central region of the tens of thousands of hectares of mountain range. It is said that this place is the origin of the entire North Mountain range.
Countless expedition teams have perished here, and even the G-country government itself doesn't possess a complete map of this location.
Because those who entered never came out alive and their remains were never found, that is the normal state of affairs for this place.
For this reason, the people living in North City regard this place as a sacred mountain, a place that humans cannot conquer.
The North River, which originates here, has nourished the hundreds of thousands of residents living near North Mountain. The area near the river also became the gathering place for the earliest inhabitants, which is the origin of North City's predecessor.
For these reasons, all the people in the northern part of G-country believe that within North Mountain exist the most beautiful natural scenery and snowy landscapes, as well as animals that have never been seen on the continent.
It's just a shame that no one has ever witnessed it with their own eyes.
They should also know that throughout North Mountain, the path is littered with white bones, and frozen corpses.
The scenery is one in a million, but it is also the most cruel and dangerous place.
After a short rest on the snow, they successfully followed the tracks and arrived at the snowfield.
The strong smell of blood rushed at them. The few people looked up and saw the corpses of a pack of wolves scattered across the vast snowy wilderness.
"Oh my, they must have run into a wolf pack," Xia Chen said, looking at the wolf corpses covering the ground before them.
Such a grand scene—it looks like quite a number were killed.
"Don't approach; take a closer look," Wen Li said, stopping Xia Chen's movement of wanting to go further forward.
"There's something up ahead." Fu Yuxiu's long phoenix eyes slightly narrowed as he spotted a moving white figure not far away.
“That is…” Xia Chen pulled out the binoculars he carried and looked ahead.
In the middle of the wolf corpses, an entirely snow-white lion was searching for half-dead wolves to gnaw on and eat.
"It looks like a lion."
Xia Chen’s eyes widened—cursing, where on earth had anyone ever seen such a huge lion?
Don't these creatures usually have some pride? How can it just pick up and eat corpses like that?
The snow lion was massive; it was larger than any lion they had ever seen, more than two or three times the size of an ordinary lion.
Its sense of smell and speed are beyond ordinary—amid the stench of blood, the sudden trace of humans will surely trigger its reaction.
Sure enough, after swallowing the wolf leg in its mouth, it turned around. Its golden eyes were filled with ferocity and clearly reflected the images of the four people.
"It seems to have spotted us," Xia Chen said, taking a step back.
It looks like this thing is about to pounce.
Furthermore, regarding lions: the one in front of them was purely wild. Not only was it fully untamed, but its sheer size was also larger than that of an ordinary lion.
Isn't this enough to scare someone half to death?
It was staring at them menacingly now, and the saliva continuously dripping from its sharp teeth clearly indicated its covetous desire for them.
“Damn.” Xia Chen had already raised the gun in his hands.
How many bullets will it take to kill a lion that big?
“Tranquilizer gun!” Wen Li shouted.
Xia Chen was a bit stunned: "Boss, we're not going to kill it?"
“Tranquilizer gun!” Wen Li shouted again.
Xia Chen had no choice but to obediently set down his pack and swap the bullets for tranquilizers.
The barrel of the gun in Wen Li's hand also aimed at the ferocious lion that was pouncing towards them.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
The lion lunged straight at them, with no room to dodge, taking three tranquilizer shots head‑on.
The powerful tranquilizer took effect quickly—with a heavy thud, the snow lion collapsed twenty meters away.
Xia Chen and Fei Ran were the first to walk over and check the situation. The lion on the ground was panting heavily, and the sound was exceptionally obvious.
"Boss, it seems to be injured."
The snow lion’s hind leg bore a massive wound, festering with rot and hindering its movement—no wonder it had set aside its pride to gnaw at the wolf’s carcass.
Wen Li looked off into the distance; the sky in the mountains was overcast. It had brightened up, but there was no telling when a major blizzard might strike.
"You want to treat its wounds?" Fu Yuxiu asked, watching Wen Li crouch down.
“It’s no trouble—maybe once it’s healed, this lion might even help us.” Wen Li said.
She deftly drew her dagger, while beside her Xia Chen pulled out Wen Li’s medical kit.
Fei Ran looked at his movements, somewhat stunned. "Are you really a walking treasure chest? Can you fit absolutely everything in there?"
Ever since they entered North Mountain, this guy's backpack has had absolutely everything in it!
A magical pocket?
Thinking this, Fei Ran reached out and pulled the backpack over. He crouched down to examine it carefully, and the more he looked, the stranger it seemed.
"What are you doing?" Xia Chen snapped, pulling the backpack away from him.
Fei Ran stood up. "I think you're hiding something from me."
He must be keeping something secret; the backpack only contains four or five magazines, a dagger, and an electric torch.
“You’re not my boss.” Xia Chen clutched the backpack and quietly moved to Wen Li’s side.
All those things were stashed into the bracelet the boss gave him—it’s unbelievably convenient. Before leaving the imperial capital for North City, he crammed in everything he possibly could.
Anyway, he didn't have to carry it on his back, so it was incredibly comfortable.
Fu Yuxiu stood beside Wen Li, gazing down at the array of herbs and surgical tools by the girl’s side.
The man remained indifferent for a long while and said nothing, yet his eyes were fixed intently on the movements of her hands.
After sterilizing the scalpel, Wen Li excised the necrotic flesh from the snow lion’s wound—it looked like it had been there for quite some time.
It is said that many animals' saliva has the ability to disinfect and sterilize, so this lion may also have attempted to treat itself.
But the wound was simply too large to heal on its own, so it could only fester and drag on.
It could also feel the pain itself. Because of the burden of the wound, it likely suffered a great deal in this place.
“Wen Li, with that thought, administered a precise dose of antibiotics to the snow lion.”
The snow lion let out a low rumble from its throat, its golden eyes constantly staring at the person beside it.
"Alas..." Xia Chen leaned against a tree and sighed.
Why does it feel like the boss is wasting time? If they don’t hurry over, Li Li might die in there.
Wen Li was very quick; after suturing the wound, she injected it with medicine.
As long as there’s no drastic movement, the sutures will dissolve on their own as the wound heals—and besides, the medicine she used is the finest.
It should heal up in just two or three days.
“Their tracks paused here—it seems they’re nearly at their destination.” Fu Yuxiu’s gaze fell on the traces of a fire in the distance.
"Let's go."
Wen Li packed up her things and stood up.
The lion on the ground suddenly let out a low rumble, its eyes fixed on Wen Li.
“Boss, is this lion thanking you?”
Xia Chen, by contrast, found the situation novel and interesting.
In the past, wherever Evans went to battle, the commander's standing order was that while ensuring their own safety, they must not interfere with the lives of the local residents.
This is also why, after Evans pacified the S-Continent's conflict with an iron fist, they were still able to earn the love and respect of the local residents.
So the Boss is showing respect for North Mountain's animals?
But the Boss doesn't seem like that kind of kind-hearted person either.
It's just that he wonders if this lion's meat is tasty. Fried, roasted, braised, deep-fried, boiled—he still hasn't ever eaten lion meat!
Thinking this, the look in Xia Chen's eyes as he stared at the lion became slightly unusual.
"The view ahead is clear. Use the glide mats to cross over," Wen Li instructed.
Xia Chen straightened up at once, beaming with joy as he pulled three gliding pads from his backpack.
"What is this now?"
Fei Ran's mentality was quickly approaching its breaking point.
“Gliding pads, of course.”
Xia Chen thoughtfully laid out the three pads, made of special material perfect for sliding on sand or snow.
Furthermore, it comes with a matching controller that allows for both manual and automatic control, making it extremely suitable for use here.
"Quite good," Fei Ran said, offering a compliment.
The items that Xia Chen has are actually all quite useful.
Xia Chen handed him the device. “This is the controller.”
However, the two of them stared at the items, baffled; there were only three glide mats, which wasn't enough.
Xia Chen thought about it and proposed his idea: "Boss, Fei Ran and I can share one, and the two of you each take one."
Doesn't that solve the problem? Thinking this, Xia Chen felt quite good about his suggestion.
Fei Ran, wore an expression of someone caring for the intellectually disabled. He stepped forward, grabbed the gliding pad from Xia Chen’s hands, and rode it himself.
"I'll try it out first; you hurry up and catch up!"
The person sitting on the glide mat quickly slid away at a high speed. In just a moment, he was already far in the distance.
Xia Chen was holding the mat in his hands, feeling somewhat awkward. How was he supposed to know there would be four people? If he had known earlier, he would have brought four mats.
"Otherwise, how about Mister Fu and I share one, and Boss you use one by yourself?"
The young man was extremely serious when he said this, and reluctantly handed over the controller in his hand.
Fu Yuxiu stepped forward and pulled Wen Li to sit down on the black mat. The mat had originally been designed to accommodate two people.
The man positioned himself behind her, securing Wen Li between his legs. He extended his arms around her from behind, completely enveloping her in his embrace.
“Don’t move around—if you fall, I won’t be responsible,” Fu Yuxiu said, his chin resting on the girl’s shoulder.
Seeing the close actions of the two, Xia Chen awkwardly rubbed his nose even more. Since that was the case, he simply went on ahead by himself.
The three glide mats sped across the snowfield. After passing through the forest, the entire snowfield's view opened up, making it the most suitable place to use the glide mats.
Behind the group, the snow lion that had been left behind lay flat, watching the direction they left in, and let out a whimper from its throat.
However, using these glide mats to move forward has one major drawback: it's exactly like driving a convertible sports car in a raging storm.
The cold wind lashed against their faces—it stung sharply.
Xia Chen pulled his collar up to cover half his face, just enough to keep the cold wind from freezing him stiff.
Fei Ran was also freezing over here. The speed certainly picked up, but the cold was also intensely real.
Fu Yuxiu leaned in close to Wen Li's ear, pulling her tighter into his embrace, and softly asked, "Are you cold?"
Not hearing the girl's answer, a smile appeared in his eyes. He reached out and lifted her into his arms.
Wen Li didn't dare to move while the glide mat was speeding along, so Fu Yuxiu flipped her around to face him.
Wen Li ended up face‑to‑face in his arms; Fu Yuxiu pulled open his coat buttons and tucked her inside.
“Still cold?” he asked, lowering his head to kiss the girl’s forehead.
Wen Li pressed tightly against him; he positioned her legs around his waist, and his open overcoat wrapped her snugly in his embrace.
A steady warmth flowed into her; Wen Li lowered her head, rubbing her face against his heated collarbone.
“Baby, don’t move.” Fu Yuxiu spoke, his voice hoarse.
The two were pressed so close, every inch of skin touching; Wen Li could feel the surging desire within him.
The man was holding her, controlling the direction with the controller in his hand.
He brushed his chin lightly against the girl’s head and coaxed, “Sleep a bit—we’ll be there.”
The gentle warmth made Wen Li soften unconsciously, her eyes drifting closed.
Fu Yuxiu lowered his head and carefully pulled the edges of his overcoat, covering Wen Li's two exposed ears.
After carefully pressing Wen Li's legs behind his own and completing this series of movements, he lowered his head and gently coaxed the person in his arms to sleep.
Xia Chen looked back and saw the man—Fu Yuxiu—sitting in a relaxed, lazy posture on the glide mat, calmly lowering his head to carefully adjust his clothing....making sure that the girl was properly and snugly wrapped inside his overcoat.
He shivered, pulled the zipper of his jacket up to its highest point, and covered half of his face.
How should he put this? It seems there isn't just physical harm involved, but a certain emotional/psychological harm as well.
.........
The group traveled for half a day. Since these individuals were all elite team members, weighted cross-country trekking was completely effortless for them. A distance that would take an average person two days to cover, they reached in a single morning.
The man at the front gazed into the vine‑entangled, icy world ahead, his gun loaded, watching silently.
Li Li felt much better after taking the medicine on Xiao Yan's back; she was now looking ahead, though still feeling weak all over.
"Do you feel like something isn't right?" Li Li asked weakly.
Along the way, they encountered fewer and fewer creatures.
At first there were still wolf packs and wild hares, but the farther they went, the more lifeless it became.
Even in the little stream behind them, not a single fish could be seen.
Ahead stood vines frozen into ice, forming a wall hundreds of meters high.
But only upon reaching here did they truly grasp what lifeless meant—within a hundred miles, not a trace of life remained.
What rushed at their faces was the feeling of deathly cold, giving them a sense that they had arrived at the Palace of the King of Hell.
"Do they intend to drag me in there and sacrifice me for something?" Li Li said with a bitter smile.
Xiao Yan, who had never understood their language, froze for a moment. “What did you just say?”
Li Li had nothing left to hide, so she replied: "Their leader said they want to use me as a sacrifice, or something like that."
Bottom line: the sacrifice has to be alive, and it has to be female.
They seemed to have brought a woman with them on the way here, but she was hit by a stray bullet and died when they entered the back mountain of the villa.
And she, unfortunately, just happened to run into them.
"A sacrifice?"
Xiao Yan muttered those two words under his breath.
“We’ve come this far. If they throw you down later, don’t struggle—otherwise they really will kill you,” Li Li said.
Now that they had reached their destination, her threats no longer carried any weight.
These people would no longer have any scruples; what she really feared was Xiao Yan dying here because of her.
“Why are you so calm?” Xiao Yan tilted his head and looked at him.
Leaning on Xiao Yan’s shoulder, Li Li gave a faint smile. “I’ve run out of strength.”
In the past, how could she have so calmly accepted being killed by these people of unknown origin?
But she had just been ill, and now her whole body was drained of strength.
After a day and night in the freezing snow, she no longer had the will to struggle.
“So you have to listen to me. Later, walk away on your own—and could you bring a message to my grandmother?” Li Li muttered, beginning to leave her last words.
“Tell my sister to give all the comic books in my study to Qianqian. As for the jewelry Grandma bought me over the years, let my sister have it—but there’s a limited‑edition tiger gemstone pendant, ask her to give that to Qianqian too. In my study there’s a painting I made, meant as a birthday gift for Second Uncle. And tell Grandma… tell her I’m sorry. She raised me all these years, yet I’m dying in a place like this, where she won’t even see my body…”
The person on Xiao Yan’s back grew sadder as she spoke; her burning tears fell onto his clothes and instantly froze.
“And one more thing—don’t forget to change the water and feed my fish regularly. Ask Aunt Qiu to keep an eye on Qianqian; she’s been wanting to eat my fish for ages. If she really can’t be stopped, then have her write me a letter telling me how it tasted…”
“Suddenly I feel my life has been such a failure—nothing accomplished, only burdening those around me…”
Li Li closed her eyes, suddenly thinking of the time she spent in Ningzhou.
She was also being pursued, but when Wen Li made her move, she was so ruthless and decisive, showing no mercy whatsoever. If today's situation had been handled by Wen Li...
These people would probably end up sacrificed to the heavens by Wen Li instead.
The person on his back sobbed and hiccupped for a while.
“Shut up.” After listening for so long, Xiao Yan suddenly spoke.
Li Li stopped sobbing, but immediately her sorrow deepened even more.
She was in such pain, yet this man still spoke to her so coldly, even impatiently.
Not gentle at all.
With the machetes they carried, the soldiers hacked bit by bit through the frozen vines, opening an entrance the size of a doorway.
“General.” The soldier turned back and called out.
The leader turned back and gestured to the people behind him.
Sure enough, just as Li Li said, the soldiers stepped forward and roughly snatched the person off Xiao Yan’s shoulder, carrying her away.
The dark muzzle of the gun was aimed straight at Xiao Yan.
“Don’t shoot—the noise will attract other things.”
Obeying the leader’s words, the soldier switched to a dagger and stepped forward, while Xiao Yan warily retreated a step.
“Run! They’re going to kill you!” Li Li cried out, struggling.
But with her head lowered, the rush of blood made her even dizzier.
Xiao Yan stepped back, but the three soldiers closed in swiftly and in no time pinned him to the ground.
The dagger in his hand plunged into Xiao Yan’s chest.
The leader lowered his head, glanced once, then stopped the soldier who wanted to strike again: “That’s enough.”
Struck by that blade, whether he lives or dies now depends on his fate.
"As long as he doesn't interfere with the sacrifice, whether he lives or dies leaving North Mountain is none of their concern."
“Xiao Yan!” Li Li cried out.
Watching helplessly as the man lying in the pool of blood closed his eyes—those eyes, devoid of feeling, remained just as cold even in their final shut.
“Let me go!!” Li Li kept pounding on the man carrying her. “Put me down! Didn’t you hear me?!”
"Unfortunately, the other person was unmoved. He continued to carry Li Li, passing through the vines and heading inward."
“Xiao Yan!”
Li Li watched the figure on the snow grow farther and farther away, her eyes red from crying as the tears fell even harder.
The man crawling on the snow trembled, his body covered in frost, blood seeping from the wound and staining his clothes red…
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