Steel steam and flame

Relying on a strong sense of direction to find the way forward, Cassia looked at several raised peaks in the distance to adjust the route. Snow will change the landscape at any time, and in an environment where the scenery is roughly the same, these peaks can only be used as an accurate reference.

In the afternoon, there was no longer any shadow of the airship overhead, but the traces of snow vehicles that had not been smoothed over by the snow could occasionally be seen on the ice. A layer of ice had formed on her hair early, and as she breathed, Cassia felt her face becoming stiffer. The temperature dropped further, and as it was getting dark, the gathering clouds began to roll in.

While sighing that she didn't seem to have the right time, Cassia finally understood the reason why those airships and vehicles chose to leave together. They are not large airships. At best, they are small and medium-sized ones that can transport a large amount of materials. There will be no problem in thunderstorms in the outside world, but in extreme areas, because they are subject to invisible interference, their functions will regress a lot. In addition, The harshness of the environmental climate has increased, and small and medium-sized airships cannot resist it.

Speeding up her speed, Cassia wanted to find a place that could withstand the snowstorm as soon as possible before dark. The disadvantages of acting alone were revealed at this time. Even though Himya had brought him a detailed map of the assessment area when he left the military school, how many of the locations noted above could still be used in these two months? Fortunately, Cassia himself did not have high expectations.

According to his memory, he rushed towards the nearest large cave where he could rest. The sky darkened even faster, and soon the wind started blowing. In a world where all the water turned to frost, snow and mist spread all over the sky like dust under the scorching sun, and like mold spores.

Soon after, two bright beams of light shone from the side, and the sound of a steam engine finally spread. Cassia immediately stopped where he was, approached his iron box, and pulled out his revolver.

He breathed a sigh of relief. The revolver now felt painful to the touch, and the temperature was much colder than the environment. After moving her body, Cassia looked at the approaching vehicle and looked at its general direction. It should be that it was rushing back to the nearest station. According to their speed, it would take almost ten hours to get back.

Most of the vehicles in the snow are specialized. The wheels have abandoned rubber and are completely made of meteorite copper to process the shape. They are equipped with anti-skid chains and some short spikes to enhance the grip. The structure in front of the vehicle is similar to the one used by trains to plow snow on the railway. They both have curved triangular spires that can push snow to both sides.

The speed was very fast, and the two vehicles drove side by side, about ten meters apart, to avoid the snow shoveled away by the spire. The extremely strong power and shock-absorbing performance make the vehicle extremely stable, and it can carve out two obvious lanes in the snow.

Cassia just watched the two limousines driving sideways quietly, hoping that the rising snow and fog could separate her from them. But as if Cassia was found standing there, the passing vehicle immediately slowed down, turned a small bend and drove straight over, stopping forty or fifty meters away.

The strong beams of the headlights hit both sides of Cassia, and the snow suddenly became brighter. Cassia squinted her eyes slightly and watched as one of the car doors opened, and hot steam came out, like thick smoke rising. A man and a woman came out of it, both wearing cold-proof clothing that clung to their bodies, making them look much stronger.

The other car just opened the window, and under the light of the interior lights, there were two women and a man. Probably people from the same family, or friends who met together, formed a team. At this time, they all looked at Cassia. Their gazes stayed for less than a second, and then naturally turned to the iron box aside.

The box is not big, like an iron coffin. The original drawings that Cassia made were exactly like the coffin, which was just enough to hold himself and have some extra space.

"Hey, friend, where are you going? Do you need me to give you a ride?" The man who got off the car asked with a smile, "It's free. I guarantee that I will send you to your destination. Look, a snowstorm is coming soon. Now, you are alone and don’t have a vehicle to travel, so your movements will definitely be restricted afterwards.”

Cassia breathed a sigh of relief, waved her hand, and smiled back: "Thank you very much, no need, my car is not far away, and I will return to the nearest station soon. You should leave first, the snowstorm may be coming. , maybe I can catch up with you later through the lane you drove out."

The man made a rogue gesture, but the woman beside him gave him a gentle push. The man glanced at the woman, as if to say don't worry. The snow and fog were thick, and Cassia couldn't see clearly. But a bad feeling has arisen in my heart.

"Friend, can I ask something?" the man said, taking a step forward and pointing at the iron box. "What is in there? It should be the materials you prepared for this assessment, right?"

The smile seemed to be stiff on the stiff face, and Cassia nodded: "Some firearms and ammunition, although I know that I won't get good results, but everyone is making preparations. I thought about following suit, at least not to let them pass after the assessment." Leave yourself no regrets."

"I see, I understand." The man also nodded, as if he suddenly understood, "Then you have to speed up the time to catch up, and we can go back together then."

As he got into the car, the engine started and made a buzzing sound. The man waved from the car window, and the car turned the corner and drove in the same direction. Soon, the vehicle was more than a hundred meters away, and when the snow and fog were about to surround them, Cassia kicked the lower part of the iron box hard, causing it to open about ten meters away.

Sliding on the snow could not move faster than the bullets fired at him. As Cassia moved backward, several crisp sounds hit his head like lightning strikes. The bullet stirred up a white fountain where he had just stood. After a few seconds, the muffled sound of gunfire disappeared.

Cassia knew that the group of people just wanted to have fun, and there were beautiful wild flowers on the roadside, so she picked them casually to have a look. After taking a few steps to the edge of the iron box, Cassia looked to the side and saw seven or eight dents, and all the bullets penetrated the inside of the box. Finally, he was forced to stop by the steel tank containing dragon blood.

Looking up at the dense black clouds in the sky, the airflow brought by the wind was getting stronger. Cassia knew that she would not be able to reach the nearest cave before the storm came. The sound of snowmobile engines was fading from his range of perception.

"I should have thought that I would encounter this kind of thing, and I should have added a layer of composite bulletproof material on it before I came here." Cassia looked for his own reasons and was a little annoyed. This was something he had not considered. But the small sound of the wind made him feel uncomfortable all over, and his scalp was numb. It seemed as if something had invaded his body in the past few days, causing his blood to boil rapidly just now. An unnatural blush appeared on his face that was slightly pale from the cold. This was something Cassia himself didn't notice. The environment and unknown effects of the extreme area were affecting him all the time.

Looking at the two looming cars, the only thing that can identify them now is the solid beam of the headlights.

When the wind got stronger and the snow mist continued to fly, the snow on the ground was blown away and began to smooth out the scars on the smooth surface. In the snow, there was an iron box alone, left there by someone unknown, and soon a small snowdrift was piled there.