For three days, the blizzard had raged on without any sign of stopping.
On the morning of the third day, I woke to find the snow had already half-blocked the cave entrance. I quickly roused everyone, and we all set about shoveling it out.
A sense of fear washed over me.
If I had woken up any later, the snow would have completely sealed the cave, and we would have all suffocated from lack of oxygen.
I called Guan Hai'er and Luo Yaqin over and gave them a few instructions.
There was no alternative; I had to go out every day to search for food, so the task of shoveling snow would have to fall to the women left in the cave.
Perhaps my luck had been used up on the first day. For the next two days, I went out in search of food but found almost nothing, only a few berries buried under the snow.
What's more, an even more pressing problem loomed before us. While we still had enough food to last for a while, our supply of fresh water was dwindling rapidly!
So, starting from the second day, we brought back snow each day and melted it for water, just enough to drink.
However, melted snow could only quench our thirst so much.
In addition to searching for food, I had to keep an eye out for any potential sources of drinkable water nearby.
I went to the spot where we had been getting our water before. Everything was a vast expanse of white. The small stream that had been there was now frozen solid.
No matter how hard I tried to chisel it with my knife, I couldn't break through the ice.
After we had all finished shoveling the snow from the entrance and cleared a path, we returned to the campfire and began eating breakfast. As the blizzard continued incessantly, the spirits of everyone in the cave grew increasingly dejected.
After breakfast, I informed everyone and then set out, armed with my alloy knife and pistol. In this weather, the arrows Qu Xiangyun had left were useless. Out of necessity, I had to bring the pistol I had always treasured.
"I hope the blizzard stops by the time I wake up tomorrow. May God bless us."
This was a silent prayer I repeated to myself every time I ventured out. Although I wasn't religious, at a time like this, I hoped for divine protection.
I clung to the conviction that this blizzard would eventually end. After all, when we first arrived on the island, the lush green forest had been incredibly dense. If this blizzard were a long-term phenomenon, everything in the forest would have long since perished.
Yet, a part of me couldn't help but despondently wonder if I would live to see that day.
The blizzard seemed to have no effect on Pudding; he was as lively as ever, bounding around daily. He was the sole source of joy amidst our increasingly somber mood.
Once again, it was just me and the dog, walking through a world of white.
Every time I went out with Pudding to search for food was the most pessimistic time of my day.
Everywhere was deathly silent, an unending expanse of despairing white. The environment I was in was essentially unchanged day after day, monotonous and fraught with danger. Sometimes, even a shift in the wind became one of my few diversions.
Heaven shows no mercy, treating all things as straw dogs.
They say man can conquer nature, but faced with the overwhelming power of the natural world, human strength feels so insignificant.
Whenever I felt despondent, I would think of Qu Xiangyun, wondering where she was now and if she could survive this blizzard.
I also thought of everyone in the cave, their hopes resting entirely on me. If I were to fall, could they still survive on this island?
The only belief that sustained me now wasn't for my own survival, but to protect these girls I wished to safeguard!
The surrounding scenery remained monotonously the same. Suddenly, I noticed a spot that seemed different from the rest. I quickly urged Pudding to run towards it.
What is this!
I stared at the tracks in the snow with a heavy heart, a sense of dread creeping in.
On the snow before me lay a colossal three-toed footprint, easily half a meter long. Strangely, there were no other tracks before or after it, only this single imprint.
I was greatly surprised. As far as I knew, no animal possessed such a massive size.
I had a premonition that this blizzard concealed an unseen predator, one that was greedily eyeing me.
My intuition told me that the appearance of this mysterious creature was inextricably linked to the blizzard. Without hesitation, I abandoned my search for food and called out to Pudding.
"Pudding, let's go back!"
Guan Hai'er, who was shoveling snow at the entrance, looked at me with surprise. "Ye Gege, why are you back so soon?"
Without a word, I grabbed her and pulled her into the cave.
Once inside and seeing all the women gathered, I let out a sigh of relief and told them about the claw print I had discovered.
Luo Yaqin listened, a hint of confusion in her voice. "A half-meter long, three-toed footprint with no other tracks? It sounds like a bird, but is there any bird in the world that large?"
Xia Liuli shivered, huddling closer as if seeking safety.
"Let's not worry about what it is. For the next couple of days, none of us are going outside! If that mysterious creature finds us, we're finished!"
Our current provisions could last a few more days. I was determined not to venture out during this time. I had a strong premonition that if we encountered this mysterious creature, something terrible would happen!
By afternoon, a thick layer of snow had once again accumulated at the entrance. Seeing this, Xu Jiaojiao quietly picked up a shovel and walked towards the cave mouth.
Xu Jiaojiao was quite sensible. Perhaps I could be kinder to her in the future.
My head felt heavy, and I was just about to drift off to sleep when suddenly, Xu Jiaojiao's scream echoed from the entrance.
At that thought, I jolted upright from the ground, grabbed my gun, and rushed outside.
The scene that greeted me upon stepping out sent a shiver down my spine, my nerves instantly on edge.
The worst-case scenario I had envisioned had come to pass.
That mysterious creature had found us!
And now, it stood before me!