Chapter 47: Chapter 46: Traveling Alone Between Heaven and Earth

Snowflakes drifted down from the sky. Only an hour or so after the rules began, the city ground was already covered in a layer of pure white.

The electric car’s windshield wipers swiped back and forth, keeping the view ahead clear.

"Haaa..."

Guan Tong sat in the car, blowing warm air into his palms.

The temperature was dropping faster than he had imagined. Even sitting in the car, he could feel the chill seeping through his clothes.

But since it wasn’t unbearable yet, he didn’t activate his Thermoregulating Technology Underwear. The suit could only be used for six hours a day, so he had to budget its use carefully.

He also left the car’s heater off. Electric cars like this one naturally consumed power faster in low temperatures. If he turned on the heat, the car’s original 1,000-kilometer range might shrink drastically, and he could run out of power before reaching his destination.

’The streets are emptying of people and civilian vehicles. Looks like everyone’s gathered indoors now.’ 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

The vehicles still visible outside were basically all official government ones.

For example, large snowplows with massive blades on the front and hoppers on the back.

There were also unmanned transport vehicles from the Department of Livelihood Security, used for moving food and other survival supplies.

Some of the driven vehicles cast curious glances at Guan Tong’s rental car, wondering where he was headed.

As for Guan Tong, seeing fewer and fewer cars on the road, he guessed what the government’s final decision had been.

They were concentrating people in the major cities rather than ordering a large-scale evacuation.

He felt this was likely a choice born of helplessness.

A mass evacuation would require not only an emergency mobilization of transport and resources but also research into where to move people and in what group sizes.

Not to mention, in a city with over ten million people, everyone had their own ideas. Even if you clearly told them that snowfall was related to population density, many would probably still choose to stay and huddle together in the big city.

They would still believe it was safer in a major city with ample supplies and facilities, feeling no security at all in being evacuated to a remote area.

You couldn’t say that thinking was wrong, either. No one could guarantee that evacuating to a remote area would be safe. Yes, the snow might be lighter there, but if food and other supplies couldn’t keep up, they might just starve instead.

This kind of indecision would waste precious time that could be used to leave the city.

Only individuals or small, determined groups who set off immediately after learning the hidden rules could outrun the blizzard.

Otherwise, any delay would be fatal. Given the speed of the mega-blizzard, all roads—except for the main city arteries constantly being treated with de-icing agents and cleared by snowplows—would soon be piled high with snow, becoming impassable.

It was like the old saying: a small boat is easier to turn around.

When the ship is massive, even if the captain wants to turn the rudder hard over, it takes a long time to change course.

In this situation, the smallest "boat" was undoubtedly a single person.

Guan Tong increased his speed. As he neared the edge of the city, the number of government vehicles dwindled.

With fewer snowplows, the snow on the road was visibly much deeper than in the city center.

’This won’t do. I can’t use auto-drive anymore.’

Guan Tong immediately disabled the self-driving feature and took the wheel himself.

The self-driving system had built-in legal restrictions that kept its speed low within city limits.

At that speed, Guan Tong worried the snow would become too deep before he reached his destination, leaving his car stuck and putting him in a no-win situation.

Besides, there wouldn’t be any snowplows clearing the roads outside the city. He absolutely couldn’t assume conditions outside the city would be the same as inside.

He sped up, arriving at the New City Development Zone about twenty minutes later.

The area was dead silent, without a single sound. It felt as if the only thing in the world was the soft fall of snow, giving Guan Tong a grim, desolate feeling.

He knew this area was mostly composed of "dark factories," which were already sparsely populated. With the heavy snow, anyone who had been here would have fled into the city long ago.

Guan Tong took a deep breath and pressed on.

He knew that since he had chosen to get away from the crowds and the city from the very beginning, there was no turning back. He had to see this path through to the end.

He drove out of the New City Development Zone as fast as he could, leaving Yunhua City proper and entering the surrounding township areas.

As soon as he was out of the city, the road conditions worsened significantly. The snow was visibly accumulating at a rapid pace.

Guan Tong gripped the steering wheel, driving with his full concentration. He didn’t let his mind wander, nor did he check his phone for the latest news online.

He had only one goal now: get to Mingdao Mountain as quickly as possible, pay attention to the road, and drive carefully. He couldn’t afford a moment’s inattention and have his wheels slip, sending him off the road.

After driving for over an hour, Guan Tong looked at the size and speed of the snowflakes falling outside his window and had a distinct feeling: the snow was letting up.

Yes, he’d had a vague sense of it earlier, but now, as he got farther and farther from Yunhua City, the phenomenon was becoming more obvious.

In downtown Yunhua, it hadn’t felt like it was snowing so much as being buried in it! It was as if a giant were standing in the sky, endlessly dumping massive shovelfuls of snow from a huge dustpan!

But now, far from the big city, the roads were flanked by villages. As settlements on the outskirts of a metropolis, they were actually quite populated—much livelier than villages in truly remote areas.

Even so, the snow was visibly lighter. Although it was still heavy compared to a normal winter’s snowfall, the change was incredibly encouraging to Guan Tong.

He knew that as long as he kept driving, the farther he got from populated areas, the lighter the snow would become!

Onward!

Guan Tong didn’t have the luxury of stopping for lunch. He pulled a chocolate bar from his bag, ate it to replenish his energy, and rallied himself to keep driving.

Another hour passed.

CRUNCH... CRUNCH... CRUNCH...

The sound of the tires crushing the snow had become particularly distinct. Guan Tong looked at the layer of snow on the road ahead. Less than three hours after the rules had taken effect, the snow was already seven or eight centimeters deep, nearly halfway up the car’s tires.

And the distance to his destination was...

Guan Tong glanced at the GPS. Still about two hundred kilometers to Mingdao Mountain.

Two hundred kilometers. If he could drive at one hundred kilometers per hour, he could make it in two hours.

But even with almost no other cars on the road, he didn’t dare drive that fast on such a snow-covered road.

Guan Tong checked the time. ’It’s 12:13. If I average 70 kilometers per hour, it’ll take about three hours to cover the remaining 200 kilometers. If things go smoothly, I can get there before 4 PM.’

Arriving at that time was acceptable to Guan Tong. Any later, around 4 or 5 PM, and he’d be dealing with darkness.

Normally, it wouldn’t get dark so early in June. But after the rules took effect, a thick layer of clouds obscured the sky. It was already gloomy at noon; by 5 PM, it would be absolutely pitch black.

Even if the snow was light by the time he reached Mingdao Mountain, entering the mountains after dark was undoubtedly very dangerous.

Having planned his time and speed, Guan Tong stopped overthinking and focused on execution.

He couldn’t afford even a sliver of distraction; it was the only way to ensure he drove safely.

"Continue straight. Current distance to destination Mingdao Mountain: 178 kilometers."

"Turn right at the upcoming intersection, use the first lane. Distance to destination Mingdao Mountain: 145 kilometers."

"Rain and snow warning. Please reduce speed and drive slowly."

"Distance to destination Mingdao Mountain: 109 kilometers."

The electric car ran quietly. Apart from the crunch of tires on snow and the GPS voice prompts, Guan Tong could only hear the sound of his own breathing.

With each GPS update, Guan Tong drew closer to Mingdao Mountain.

From over two hundred kilometers, to over one hundred, then ninety, eighty, seventy...

"Distance to destination Mingdao Mountain: 31 kilometers."

’Almost there!’

Guan Tong’s mood lifted, and he couldn’t help but start humming a song.

He could clearly see that the snow outside was getting lighter and lighter, now at the level of a normal heavy snowfall.

While a month of normal heavy snow would still be a terrible disaster, at least it wouldn’t be something he couldn’t survive if he was careful!

"Distance to destination Mingdao Mountain: 17 kilometers."

"Distance to destination Mingdao Mountain: 9 kilometers."

Through the front windshield, Guan Tong could already make out the faint outline of the great mountain.

Just then, he suddenly saw several cars stopped on the road ahead and quickly slammed on the brakes.

"SCREEECH—BANG!"

Although Guan Tong had reacted in time, the snowy road was slippery and the brakes weren’t very effective. His car still lightly collided with one of the sedans blocking the road.

"Collision detected. Automatically alerting the authorities!"

Guan Tong took a few deep breaths and muttered with a wry smile, ’What’s the point of calling the police? If the traffic cops could get here, they would have already cleared these cars blocking the road...’

After the accident, the rental car’s engine automatically shut off. He got out of the car and looked carefully at what was ahead.

It seemed a four- or five-car pile-up had happened earlier, completely blocking the road. But because the location was remote and the new rules were about to be announced, no one had come to deal with it, so the cars had been left here.

’This is trouble...’

This road was flanked by long, deep ditches on both sides. Even if Guan Tong reversed, there was no way to get around the blockage.

’It’s less than ten kilometers. Maybe I should just walk? But...’

Guan Tong looked down at his feet. The snow already came up past his calves. Walking in these conditions would be met with heavy resistance. And he still had to carry one large backpack, one small backpack, and a sleeping bag full of supplies.

After a moment of thought, Guan Tong hoisted all his supplies onto his back, then took out the Wordless Book and summoned his Shadow.

He had the Shadow carry him on its back, then told it to run forward as fast as it could!

He was going to take advantage of the Shadow’s infinite stamina, having it carry him as far as possible within its duration. He would then walk the remaining distance himself.