"What's going on?" I couldn't bother with Liu Xue being stark naked as I hurriedly went to support her.

Liu Xue just cried, completely ignoring my questions. In my panic, I still managed to drape a woman's mink coat over her, and then grabbed two or three men's clothes, stuffing them haphazardly onto her.

"My arms and legs feel broken," Liu Xue finally managed.

That wasn't right. She could still roll over just moments ago, and even adjust the position of her brassiere.

Liu Xue, not hearing my voice, thought I didn't believe her, and added, "Suddenly, I couldn't control my limbs and fell to the ground. Luckily, my mouth still worked, otherwise my body would have frozen stiff again. My limbs are numb to the extreme, completely unresponsive to my commands."

I closed my eyes and groped around, finally managing to fasten all of Liu Xue's buttons. To say I didn't take advantage a little during this process would be a lie, but the situation outside at the moment prevented me from dwelling on it. "Don't worry. We'll build a fire first. The temperature outside is dropping fast and will soon affect this area. We need the fire to ward off the cold. Your body probably just experienced a temporary loss of nerve control; it should recover after a while."

Liu Xue replied in pain, "I hope so. There should be reserve emergency batteries on the plane; see if you can find them. It's inconvenient with the lights out all the time, and starting a fire might actually ignite the plane, which would be a disaster."

I was fine personally, but Liu Xue's mind had cleared, and her vision wasn't like mine—everything remained murky, which was genuinely uncomfortable. There wasn't much space on the plane to hide things. After a careful sweep, I actually found three emergency lights in the lower cargo hold. I wasn't sure if they were original to the plane, but they used high-energy storage batteries from Dadi Energy. That was excellent; they could stay lit for thousands of hours without worry.

Snap! The three lights turned on simultaneously. Liu Xue squinted for a long time before adjusting. "Ah, Zhao Qian, look at your face!"

I picked up the small mirror from the discarded makeup kit on the floor and looked. Damn! It was a complete mess! Right, when I pulled open the first-class cabin, I must have choked on something, and some dust must have fallen on my face. With the snow cooling it down and my frantic wiping, how could it not be smeared?

I laughed and walked out of the cabin to wash my face with snow again. A faint, crisp metallic sound caught my attention. My heart jumped. The snow accumulation on the roof was getting thicker, and the plane's frame was starting to buckle under the strain. We couldn't stay here long, or we'd be buried alive.

"Zhao Qian, did anyone else survive here?" Liu Xue sat obediently in a seat, too ashamed to look at me, keeping her head down when she spoke. After all, I had essentially touched her entire body just now; for a girl, even if unavoidable, it was mortifying enough.

I shook my head. "I checked. All the first-class passengers are here except you. Some people probably escaped from economy class, but with this terrible weather, they likely met a grim fate. All the flight crew in the cockpit are dead; the nose hit so hard, I doubt even their bodies are intact."

Liu Xue snuffled. The weather was too cold; the chill made her nose run involuntarily. Perhaps it was also the sadness of so many deaths. "It seems I was lucky. Are we waiting for rescue here?"

I rummaged through several trunks while replying, "I doubt rescue teams can arrive anytime soon. Even Taihao's spacecraft can't fly in this environment, let alone in this icy snow—who knows where to find us without proper positioning? Now, we can only save ourselves."

"Save ourselves? What can we do? There's nothing here."

I looked at the plane. In reality, there was everything we needed for food, clothing, and daily life, and all of it top-brand quality. Ordinary people wouldn't easily take a flight. Many people were traveling and wouldn't leave without buying something to take back. Now, it benefited us. It was also fortunate that the cargo hold wasn't ignited by the fire in first class, or we would starve to death.

I said, "As long as we have food and clothes, we can live. The snow on top is too thick; the plane is about to give way. We can't stay here; we must leave."

Liu Xue was startled. "Go outside? Didn't you say there's a blizzard outside, and you can't fly? Do you plan to walk back to Lhasa?"

It wasn't as simple as Liu Xue imagined. The wind was too strong, severely impeding movement. Although my running speed is very fast, this gale force would probably blow me back two steps for every one I take forward. Moreover, we were lost; who knows where Lhasa is? If we walked in the wrong direction and got trapped in the endless mountains, it would be worse. I knew there was possibly a massive tunnel system beneath our feet, but that was hundreds or thousands of meters underground—how could I dig my way in? I only came to find someone; I didn't even bring my laser sword. Digging through mountains barehanded is sheer fantasy.

I explained to Liu Xue, "I want to walk back to Lhasa, but the wind is too strong to proceed, and I can't determine the direction. I'm afraid we'll freeze to death on the road. Let's shelter from this cold snap first; once the heavy snow stops, I can fly you back."

Liu Xue struggled to get up. "Then let's go quickly. Hearing you say that makes me very scared. It would be terrible if we were crushed in here."

I gathered the contents of the two largest trunks, focusing on useful items, while comforting Liu Xue. "No rush for now. This isn't an avalanche or a landslide; the snow accumulates bit by bit. We still have time. Let's find some useful things first; otherwise, we'll starve if we don't freeze outside."

Liu Xue nodded. "I feel some reaction in my limbs. Maybe waiting will improve things. I can help you look for useful items."

I went down to the baggage hold and dumped all the useful things upstairs. On the way, I also found a windproof lighter, which would definitely be useful if we needed to start a fire later. The temperature was too low; I had to keep it close to my body for warmth.

Seeing this, Liu Xue struggled to stand up. "I'll help you. My limbs are numb but have feeling now. Maybe I fell because I moved too vigorously just now. It should be fine if I take it slow."

I said, "Good. You organize things here. I'll go to the surface to see if there's any place we can shelter temporarily. If we truly can't find one, we'll have to stay here. It's dangerous, but no shelter on the surface is even riskier."

Liu Xue nodded at my words. I climbed back to the surface. The snow was indeed much thicker than before. If it kept accumulating at this rate, the plane would collapse in less than a day. It was already quite bright outside, but this light was still a dull gray, and with the blizzard, visibility was extremely low, making it impossible to locate the sun to determine direction.

I put on the few clothes I found earlier. Since the anti-gravity boots were useless, I changed into a warmer pair of shoes. Both my feet were bright red from the cold; if I didn't warm them up, they might freeze stiff, which would make movement impossible and worse.

Looking at the distribution of the surrounding mountains, as long as I didn't stray too far, I shouldn't get lost within this range. But where to find the next refuge? The base of the mountain was the most dangerous place. As the snow thickened, the possibility of an avalanche was high. Open ground was impossible to stay on; even if we didn't freeze to death, the gale outside could sweep a person away, especially since the wind force had increased since my last check.

Climbing to the summit was likely beyond me, let alone bringing Liu Xue. Besides, the wind force up there probably wasn't less than on the ground. I realized I had never felt so lost and helpless. No matter how great one's personal ability, it was nothing against the power of nature.

I climbed out of the snow cave and circled the vicinity but found no suitable spot, so I crawled back in. Liu Xue was laboriously stuffing things into several boxes—a chaotic pile of food and clothes. I found a few tabletops, then cut several sturdy cables from the cockpit area, and dismantled two chair legs, crudely constructing a sled.

Testing it on the ground, although clumsy, it was much better than walking through snow that reached above my waist. That required immense effort for every step, slowing movement so I couldn't venture farther. Now, I could glide quite a distance with a simple push, and if I got lucky, a favorable gust of wind could even carry me along without effort. However, the wind direction in this mountain hollow was erratic, shifting from east to west, so I could only move randomly in different directions along the wind flow to scout further out.

After nearly an hour of moving around, I finally got a general idea of our location. This was likely a fault zone in Zangyuan. The plane was situated at the foot of an unnamed peak above the fault zone. Less than a kilometer ahead along the open ground at the foot of the mountain, the terrain dropped sharply, forming a large rift valley. The bottom was deep and hazy, impossible to see clearly. However, I spotted a stone platform the size of a football field about ten meters below the edge of this fault. Out of curiosity, I jumped down.

Carefully surveying the surroundings from the stone platform, I understood the geological formation. There must have once been a large river in this open area, its water sourced from the snowmelt of the mountains ahead. When the water reached this sharp drop, it rushed downwards, scouring out these stone platforms one by one.

The platform I was currently on was the closest to the top. The ones further down were not as spacious and were very far apart. I feared jumping down in this terrible weather—if I couldn't fly back up, it wouldn't be worth it, so I decided against exploring further down.

What was pleasing was that on the inner side of the platform, against the cliff wall, I found several recessed alcoves. These were likely formed by the water crashing onto the platform, creating turbulent flows that, over time, carved out these hollows. Although most were shallow and narrow, I found one suitable for temporary refuge.

The cave was three meters wide and two meters deep, but the height was very low—about 1.5 meters near the entrance, shrinking to only half a meter at the very back. Above it was over ten meters of solid rock. I squatted inside and tested it: because the platform was shielded on three sides by rock, the violent winds rushing up from the valley floor were directly channeled into the air currents above, having little effect here.

I climbed out again to check the surroundings. Even if the snow layer above got thicker, it shouldn't crush over ten meters of solid rock, and this location was far from the main peak, so an avalanche shouldn't affect it either.

Decision made: we'd set up camp here. Although it wasn't as warm or quiet as being inside the plane, it was much better than being crushed into a pancake. If I built another snow wall to block the cold air and started a large bonfire, damn, it would be just like winter mountain camping! I might as well consider this a trip for pleasure—and with a famous star for company! Few people could enjoy such a romantic affair. This trip was well worth it; good deeds are rewarded!

Thinking this, I resolved to go back and fetch her. I jumped onto the stone platform, but a gust of wind knocked me off balance, and I almost tumbled into the valley! It took great effort to return to the cabin. I was actually sweating profusely, showing how much physical energy I had expended. They say fighting heaven is endlessly amusing, but from now on, I'll have no interest in it. Even if I have to fight, it won't be with brute force.

"Zhao Qian! You're finally back!" Liu Xue's face lit up with joy when she saw me open the cabin door, like a drowning person suddenly seeing a piece of driftwood—she almost didn't hug me immediately.

"What's wrong? I found a place to shelter. The wind outside was too strong, so I was delayed."

Tears welled up in Liu Xue's eyes. "I was scared. The plane made loud creaking noises just now; I thought I was going to be crushed inside."

It seemed the situation was more critical than I anticipated. This damned weather! If I hadn't jumped down to the stone platform out of curiosity just now, we might still be waiting here in fear. "Don't be afraid, Liu Xue. We're leaving immediately for a cave. It's surrounded by solid rock; this amount of snow shouldn't collapse it."

"Okay!" Liu Xue snuffled and agreed heavily. "But... but I still can't walk. Otherwise, I would have run out of the cabin to wait for you earlier."

"Don't worry, I'll carry you." Saying that, I started looking for suitable ropes. Since I would need my hands for the sled, I couldn't hold Liu Xue directly. I had to tie her to my back; otherwise, she wouldn't be able to hold on and would be blown away by the wind?

Liu Xue didn't object; she knew her own physical limits. She was exhausted just from packing up all those things—a total of four large boxes of usable items—but bringing them out was a problem.

Seeing Liu Xue staring blankly at the pile of boxes, I said, "Don't worry about those for now; escaping is the priority. Let's move some cold-weather gear and food over there first. The stuff isn't going anywhere by staying here."

"Alright. If the weather truly is unpredictable as you say, we need to prepare better, or we'll starve if we don't freeze." As she spoke, Liu Xue's stomach betrayed her with a few rumbles. I knew she hadn't eaten for over a day. She hadn't noticed before because her body was stiff, but now that she was somewhat warmed up from the rubbing, her digestive system was starting up again.

"I'll take you over, and then I'll come back for more. Besides, we need to build a fire, and we can use a lot of the wood from the furniture here. We'll take it one step at a time."

Creeeeak! Another sharp metallic sound, and some debris fell from the ceiling, startling Liu Xue into falling into my arms. I quickly caught the soft bundle. I was wearing too many clothes, which made my body feel softer in contrast.

"Let's go," I said, helping Liu Xue stabilize herself into a crouch. Liu Xue obediently bent over my back. I tied her tightly with a rope and then picked up a box full of clothes. Staying warm was the priority; we could dig out the food even if it was underneath.

Unexpectedly, burdened with a person on my back and a box in my hand, I couldn't squeeze out of the original snow cave. Annoyed, I put Liu Xue down and widened the opening considerably. But as soon as the fierce wind blew in, Liu Xue couldn't handle it. "Z-Z-Zhao Qian, it's t-t-too cold! I... I can't bear it."

I was exasperated. It was much colder outside, and the wind was far stronger! If Liu Xue couldn't handle it now, how could she make it to the cave on the stone platform in the river valley?

I asked, "Can you hold on for twenty minutes? It will take us twenty-five minutes at most to get there. The wind is much lighter there. Although the temperature is lower than here, I brought extra clothes, and with a fire, we should manage."

Liu Xue's face was turning purple. She shook her head with difficulty. "I... I really can't. My body feels stiff again. It's much colder here than in the cabin."

My mind was in chaos. Several continuous creaking sounds echoed through the snow cave—the cabin was about to collapse under the weight of the snow. Even if we wanted to go back for temporary shelter, we couldn't. But at the current temperature, Liu Xue's body couldn't take it. What should I do? I couldn't carry her over only to have her turn into a frozen carcass, could I?

I found a large piece of clothing and wrapped it around Liu Xue. "I'll hold you. It's much warmer this way than being on my back. You must hold on, or we will both die here."

A faint blush returned to Liu Xue's pale face. But since her body had already been rubbed all over, what was one more hug? She obediently let me wrap her in the coat, tucked her head in, and closed her eyes.

For safety, I still looped the rope around her twice before jumping out of the snow cave. The sharp, biting gale felt like knives. Liu Xue didn't even have the strength left to cry out from the cold; her body was shaking uncontrollably. I dared not delay; one more minute on the surface increased the chance of death by ten percent. I had to run now.

Since the mountain peak served as a guide, I wasn't afraid of getting lost here. Holding Liu Xue in one arm, I used the chair leg to push off backward and ran with a gust of wind coming from behind. This wind was incredibly strong and conveniently headed in the right direction—what luck! It seemed it wouldn't take twenty minutes, maybe ten at most, to reach the stone platform in the valley.

Liu Xue in my arms didn't utter a sound. I thought even if she wanted to speak, she couldn't open her mouth. The temperature must be well below minus sixty degrees Celsius now; inhaling a mouthful of cold air could freeze her oral cavity!

Perhaps it was because things were going too smoothly. Taking advantage of the wind, I leaped down. Just as I was about to successfully land on the stone platform, a tornado-like hurricane rushed up from the bottom of the valley, swirling and sweeping both of us into the air!

I secretly cursed, thinking, Not good. I tried to adjust my body to aim back at the platform, but the force of this wind was beyond my imagination. It pulled me sideways, drifting away from the platform. Mid-air, I struggled, tumbling backward, and with a snap, the frozen rope suddenly broke! Liu Xue flew out of my embrace, plummeting toward the valley floor!

My hands were slightly stiff, slowing my reaction, and Liu Xue was already nearly clear of the platform's surface. Luckily, my body had landed successfully on the platform. I extended both hands and barely managed to grab Liu Xue's collar. With a zzzzip, Liu Xue's collar tore under the strain and ripped downwards. I instinctively grabbed again, and this time, I caught Liu Xue's entire head of long hair! Liu Xue let out a sharp cry of pain. I ignored everything else and exerted force, yanking her onto the stone platform. She wasn't me; falling down would leave her crippled if not dead.

Liu Xue's face was ashen. Perhaps from the scalp pain, a tear escaped her eye and instantly froze into an ice shard. By this time, she didn't even have the strength to shiver. The situation was critical. I ignored further words and held her, immediately shrinking back into the stone cave we had selected. The violent wind swept past the platform, carrying away a large patch of thick snow, but luckily, the cave was concealed, so air didn't rush in violently.

I placed Liu Xue at the innermost part of the cave and quickly checked her breathing. Her vitality was indeed tenacious; her breath was stable, so there wasn't a major issue. I took off my outer clothes and covered her with them, then tore off the sleeves. Then, I pulled out the windproof lighter I kept close and ignited it. In a short time, I dismantled the tabletops and chair legs and built a blazing bonfire at the cave entrance.

"Liu Xue, Liu Xue, how are you?" I whispered to Liu Xue, who was lying at the back. As the residual force of gusts of wind carried the heat from the bonfire into every corner of the cave, Liu Xue slightly parted her pale lips. "I'm okay, not dead. But my body seems stiff again. So embarrassing."

I quickly said, "It's good you're alright. Your body is extraordinary. Although your blood and muscles are stiff, the vitality of your cells is incredibly tenacious. A little roasting by the fire should help you recover."

Liu Xue gave a bleak smile. "First snow rubbing, then fire roasting. We've violated every rule from start to finish."

I retorted, "Don't listen to that dogmatic nonsense. I think rubbing with snow was a very correct method; we proved it just now."

Liu Xue closed her eyes and said softly, "Alright, rub me again later."

"Ah!... I—I... If you're fine, I need to go back for clothes and food. Besides, this wood is nearly burned out; I must fetch more fuel for the fire."

Liu Xue nodded slightly. "I won't die anyway, so go ahead. Wear your clothes; I'll be better off in the cave. You absolutely cannot get into trouble."

My heart warmed, and a feeling of tenderness and concern arose. "Don't worry, my constitution is strong; even minus two hundred degrees might not affect me. First, I'll build a snow wall at the entrance to block the heat from escaping."

Although the strong gale from the valley floor had swept away much of the snow on the platform, it still covered my legs up to my thighs. With my strength, and without Liu Xue weighing me down, I wasn't afraid of being swept away by a sudden hurricane. Putting forth my full strength, in a short while, I built a half-meter-thick snow wall in front of the cave, leaving only an opening for entry and exit. I didn't know how long the wind would last before sweeping the wall away, but I'd block it for as long as possible.

The makeshift sled was used to keep Liu Xue warm. This time, it took Herculean effort to run back to the Boeing 737. The tail section had collapsed, but it only contained machinery and such, which didn't hinder me from retrieving items.

I locked the three crates tightly, then found a length of rope to bind them together. They held clothes, food, and even some medicine—I was terrified that Liu Xue might develop a fever from the cold, so I had to prepare. Otherwise, resorting to the same methods used to save Elena wouldn't be appropriate; after all, Liu Xue and I have always maintained a proper distance. I don't even know if she has a boyfriend. Though I might have taken some liberties just now, that was a necessary evil borne of the situation.

The most critical issue now was finding enough timber to make a fire. This was paramount. Without fire to seal out the cold air from the cave entrance, if the temperature dropped any further, even with Liu Xue's cockroach-like resilience, she might not survive. But the plane wreckage was mostly aluminum alloy, so it took me quite a while just to scrape together enough material for a meager bundle of firewood. It would probably last until nightfall, and then I’d have to figure out something else.

I climbed out onto the surface carrying the haul, and bang, one crate was snatched by the wind and smacked me on the head. Whoosh, another one hit me square in the backside. The tabletops and chair legs nearly went flying away too. Startled, I immediately dropped down and scrambled back into the snow cave. It seemed Heaven wouldn't allow me to be greedy and take everything at once.

After some deliberation, I placed an emergency lantern, a pile of snacks and drinks someone must have bought, and a few warm layers of clothing into one large box. The rest of the items I abandoned. It was simple enough to strap one suitcase to my back, and I carried the large bundle of firewood in my hand, navigating back to the stone ledge by rolling and crawling intermittently with the wind.

Fighting a hurricane depletes energy just as much as a life-or-death battle, I mused. No wonder Elder Jin wrote in his novels that Yang Guo went to train beneath waterfalls and in the crashing waves to forge his peerless martial arts—there was definitely a profound truth to that.

The interior of the snow wall, though baked by the heat source, remained intensely cold outside, causing it to harden further. Despite gusts of hurricane-force winds rushing up from the valley floor, they couldn't breach it. After tossing the supplies inside, I reinforced the exterior and then stacked a meager barricade of snow blocks across the entrance hole that barely qualified as a door.

"You're back," Liu Xue said, her complexion showing some recovery. Her greeting warmed my heart.

The fire was almost out. As I fed it more wood, I replied, "The wind was too fierce; I couldn't carry much back. We’ll have to make do for now. I don't have the strength to make another trip right now."

Liu Xue nodded. I spread the few clothes I brought onto the cave floor first, then helped Liu Xue lie down on top of them. The remaining pieces were piled over her. This counted as a rather high-class bedding arrangement; every single garment wasn't a designer piece, likely brought by tourists who knew the altitude demanded extra layers.

"Zhao... Zhao Qian, this doesn't feel right. Feel my arms and legs; they’re stiff again. See?"

What trick was this wretched sky playing now? Did I have to resort to rubbing her with snow again? Blushing, I examined Liu Xue’s body, but it really wasn't good—the warmth I had rubbed into her earlier had stiffened her again. Although her mind was clear, it would be such a waste if she truly ended up paralyzed on the ** floor.

I switched on the emergency lantern and set it in a corner. The formerly dim cave instantly brightened. "Rubbing with snow? If you feel it's necessary, then so be it."

"No, no, no need for snow," Liu Xue hurried to say.

I paused, realizing I had jumped to the wrong conclusion. Liu Xue probably just wanted me to hold her close to the fire to warm up. "Then I'll move you closer to the fire. Maybe warming up will help."

Liu Xue hesitated, "All right."

I dragged her entire body, still lying down, closer to the makeshift fire pit and helped expose her pale arms and legs. I instantly regretted turning on the light. While I personally didn't care if the light was on or off, it was different for Liu Xue. Exposing so much of her body made her deeply shy, yet her shyness only made me more captivated—especially the gentle swell beneath her arm and the deep shadow beneath her thigh; the half-concealed was the most intoxicating.

"It hurts! It hurts!" Liu Xue suddenly cried out softly.

I had been lost in my own thoughts. Looking closely now, I saw a large patch on her thigh, placed near the fire, had swollen significantly! No fire! I didn’t understand the exact physics, but rubbing must be permitted, while direct heat was not! I quickly pulled Liu Xue away from the heat source.

"It really shouldn't be roasted!"

Liu Xue gasped, "Yes, it’s swollen and aching terribly. I think... I think we should just..."

I sighed, feeling a mix of resignation and secret pleasure, "Then we rub."

Liu Xue corrected me, "Actually, I was going to say we don't need to add snow, just increase the circulation of blood."

If I rubbed snow into the bedding, it would melt from the fire and turn into a mess, which would be troublesome. "I'll try it that way."

"Turn off the light, save some power," Liu Xue murmured low, though she knew that particular lamp wasn't susceptible to wasted electricity.

This time I was adept, knowing precisely where to touch and where not to, where to apply pressure and where to be gentle. With the roaring bonfire blazing at the cave mouth, the interior temperature felt like spring, warmth accumulating more and more. Liu Xue's voice grew increasingly soft and alluring, punctuated by soft moans and longer sighs that made my heart soar as if suspended in mid-air. Perhaps it was the sheer exhaustion, but I ended up falling asleep while holding both of Liu Xue’s feet against the far cave wall.