Embrace the light

At nearly six o'clock, a group of five people finally reached the top of the first mountain.

To everyone's disappointment, there are still no houses or trees on the other side of the mountain, only continuous undulating low mountains and white snow.

Everyone stood on the top of the mountain, looking far into the distance, and saw a desolate scene.

Heng used the mobile phone camera to zoom in and carefully observed the conditions of the surrounding mountains. There was still snow in the eyes, and nothing else could be seen.He put away his mobile phone and used his gloves to clear out an open space under his feet. Under the snow layer was a hard rock, and occasionally there were one or two traces of dead grass in the cracks of the rock.

Ian held a piece of withered grass, "The grass here grows so short on the mountain and below."

Heng replied: "Maybe the wind is very strong during the season when the grass grows, and the taller plants cannot survive. Or the autumn and winter here are long and the spring and summer are short, and the vegetation only has time to grow so high before it withers."

Captain Zhou nodded, "But it's also possible that there are only these types of short grass on this planet, and there are no other types."

Kong Shao said: "Is it possible that there are animals that eat a lot of herbivores here, and they eat the vegetation before they have time to grow taller?"

"Are you still in the mood to study the ecological environment here?" Alva was very irritable. "This is a barren place where the birds don't shit. We have to stay where we are and wait for rescue? If we still haven't waited for the rescue before the food is gone, what should we do?"

Captain Zhou reassured him and said, "Calm down, the situation is already in this situation. Dick will keep trying to call the headquarters when he stays on the Starship aircraft. Before we wait for the rescue, what we have to do is to stabilize our mentality, It is very important to save food, save energy, and pay attention to the surrounding environment, and it is to prepare for our safety and find a way out."

"So now based on this broken grass, what useful conclusions have you drawn?"

Ian frowned, "Didn't we express our opinions just now? Didn't you hear? You didn't participate and you came to disturb us."

Alva looked at Ian in surprise and anger, "Did you get knocked stupid? You talk so much all of a sudden?"

"Because it's annoying to see you ruining the atmosphere. Now that the future is unknown, I don't want to tolerate your bad temper anymore."

Alva wanted to say more, Heng interrupted him and said: "Let's go down first, it's getting late now. Go back and tell everyone what we have seen, and then collectively discuss how to act tomorrow."

Captain Zhou said: "Well, let's go down first while the sky is still half-bright. Don't think the mountain is not high, why do I feel it's getting colder?"

Ian looked at his watch, and the temperature has indeed dropped a lot. It was around minus ten degrees before going up the mountain, and now it is minus twenty degrees. It should be getting colder and colder at night.

Ian reached out and tidied Heng's hat, scarf, and gloves, then tidied his own, and took his suitcase aside after finishing.

There is no need to carry it when going down the mountain, Ian put the suitcase directly on the snow surface, grabbed its handle and let it slide down the snow.As the temperature dropped, the snow began to freeze and become more solid, so it was very convenient to slide the suitcase on it.

Ian walked in the front, and Heng followed behind him.

The speed of going down the mountain is faster than that of going up, but it was completely dark when we returned to the Star Aircraft.Moreover, there is no moonlight here. After the sun sets, the sky and the earth become dark, and the five of them can only rely on the light of their mobile phones to see the way down the mountain.

The five of them returned to the Starship aircraft, and all the members were present.

Everyone told about the situation of investigations from all directions, but found nothing. The atmosphere in the cabin became dignified, and everyone remained silent.

"Don't be dejected, our flight crew will always try to get in touch with the Imperial City, everyone come to brainstorm and see how to proceed."

After Captain Zhou finished speaking, the flight attendant said, "Why don't we first count the situation of everyone's clothes and food, and adopt a centralized distribution."

Captain Zhou looked around at the passengers in the cabin. Some of them were checking, while others were not moving. "Do you agree with this proposal?"

Heng replied: "I don't agree. Those who want can adopt centralized distribution, but Ian and Ian's things are kept by ourselves. Of course, after we run out of things, we won't enjoy yours."

Alva laughed and said, "How can we guarantee that you won't come to snatch us after you finish eating?"

Heng glanced at him, but said nothing.

Captain Zhou said: "Well, let's raise our hands and vote first to see everyone's general opinions."

There are 20 people in total, excluding two children, there are [-] adults.Among them, eight people are willing to centralize distribution, and the remaining ten are unwilling.

Ian looked around at the eight people, except for one stewardess, the other seven were boys, and Alva was among them.Ian felt that he generously agreed to adopt centralized distribution, most likely because he didn't have any food reserves on hand.

In Ian's impression, Alva is an arrogant and domineering nobleman. The nobleman mostly travels lightly, they are not short of money, and they can buy whatever they want when they arrive at the destination.

Among the ten unwilling people, the two couples with children must have more food reserves. After all, snacks are an essential tool to comfort children during the journey, and the other four young girls should also bring a lot of snacks, and He and Heng also packed a lot in their backpacks.

Captain Zhou scratched his head, there was nothing he could do with this kind of voting result.

"Then the eight of us have a look at the food first. If the amount is relatively small, we can share more of the food in the food warehouse. Do the other ten of you think it's okay?"

You can't force people to death, and the wave of people who disagree with handing over the food all nodded.

Heng said: "We eat the food we bring, and the food in the food warehouse doesn't count as ours."

Ian said: "Well, captain, you can calculate the assignment again."

There are three kinds of food in the food compartment: luncheon meat, bread and pure water, twenty servings of each.

Ian was glad that he suddenly bought two bags of chocolate beans and six chocolate bars on a whim. Now such high-calorie things are very precious on this desolate planet.Coupled with the burgers, sandwiches, rice balls and biscuits he made, it was enough for him and Heng to last for about a week.

He will try to eat as little as possible and save some for Heng.

Ian apologized to his fellow passengers in his heart, I'm sorry, Heng's life is the top priority here, and I want to leave all possibilities of survival to him.

Usually, Ian doesn't eat much for dinner, so he handed two seaweed rice balls to Heng, but Heng only ate one, and then took a cup of hot water from the water heater with a thermos to drink.Ian himself ate a piece of melon seed shortbread, and then drank a cup of hot water.

The hot water is shared unlimitedly, because Captain Zhou has tested the snow here with an instrument, and there are no elements exceeding the standard, which is within the edible range.You just need to put the clean white snow outside into the water heater to boil it and then drink it. However, this also requires electricity, so it is better to save it if you can.

How to wash has become a big problem. I fell asleep in the star flight last night and didn't wash. If I don't wash today, Ian feels that everything is wrong with him.Ian packed two bags of clean snow in a fresh-keeping bag, and after it turned into ice water, he went to the bathroom and wiped his body quickly with a wet towel.Heng also followed suit.

After changing the underwear, Yi Jian put it into a small fresh-keeping bag and prepared to wash it with snow water in the morning and then dry it in the sun.

The four young girls saw that Yi An and Heng used fresh-keeping bags to wash with melted snow water, and asked him if he had any extra.Ian has a total of six fresh-keeping bags, and he took out one of them to the young girl who came to ask, "This is for you to use."

There were three clean ones left, and Ian was going to give one to each of the two couples, and the remaining one to the captain and the others.

"Okay, thank you little brother."

"You're welcome."

On the first night, everyone was relatively calm in general, and the two children were also very well-behaved and never cried.

As the night got darker and the temperature dropped lower and lower, everyone who didn't feel sleepy could only stay in their seats and couldn't get down.The light in the Starship aircraft was turned on at the front, and the light was not glaring, which was suitable for sleepiness.There are a few young people who want to smoke, but they can't carry cigarettes and lighters on the Star Air plane, and they can't find anywhere now.

Ian grabbed Heng's hand and asked him in a low voice, "Is your arm sore? Shall I give you a massage?"

Heng replied, "I'm not tired, just massage yourself."

Ian pressed left and right alternately for a while, then pulled Heng's arm over to massage and relax for him.

Heng Wei lowered his head to watch Yi An busy with work, and after Yi An finished his work, he raised his head and looked at him, Chao Heng smiled.

The watch showed that it was already ten o'clock, and Ian set up the blankets on himself and Heng, preparing to close his eyes and rest.

With Heng by his side, Ian soon felt sleepy, but sleeping on his back on the seat was actually not comfortable, so he could only take a nap.If you fall asleep like this and cannot turn over, your head and body will soon become stiff and sore.

Waking up in a daze, Ian stretched his neck, saw Heng half-opened his eyes and looked at him, and asked him silently: "I woke you up."

Heng lightly shook his head.

Ian whispered, "Shall we raise the armrest? Then you lie down on the seat and sleep."

Heng said, "What about you?"

Ian pointed to the slightly more spacious door, "I sat on the floor and slept against the door."

Heng raised the armrest between the two so that there was no barrier between them.

"Lie down and sleep."

"Your legs will be numb."

"I'll replace you when I'm numb."

Ian thought about it and nodded.He folded the thin blanket and used it as a pillow, and then took off his down jacket as a quilt.

Ian sat near the window, and there was still some distance between the seat and the window, which was just right for his legs.

Lying on Heng's lap, looking at Heng from the bottom up, this is the first time they have met each other from this angle.

"Good night." Ian said silently.

Heng spread out his thin blanket and covered Ian with another layer, and then wrapped his arms around Ian.

When Ian opened his eyes again, the sun had already risen.

Ian stared at Heng's chin for a while, there were some black stubbles, he really wanted to reach out and touch them.

After a while, Heng noticed that Ian had woken up and looked down at him.

"Good morning." Ian said silently.

"morning."

It feels good to be able to wake up to another day and see the people you care about the most when you wake up.

Ian got up from Heng's lap, sat down in his seat, put on his down jacket and began to massage Heng's legs. Heng did not refuse Ian's service.

"You sleep on my lap tonight, shall we take turns every day?" Ian said while watching Heng.

Heng didn't answer, but just stretched out his hands to straighten his messy hair.Ian also realized that he must have a bad image now, so he smiled embarrassedly.

With the arrival of a new day, the sound inside the Starship aircraft gradually resumed.Good morning to those around us.

Captain Zhou opened the door of the plane and went outside to test the temperature. It was still below zero, but it was higher than during the day yesterday, and it might rise above zero at noon.

Melting ice and snow will be a good situation for now.

With less snow, it is easier to see and understand the surrounding environment.Maybe there will be some vegetation revealed, or some animals in action.

The danger may increase accordingly, but it is better than a vast expanse of snow, desolation and dead silence to wait for death.

Captain Zhou divided the snowfield into two parts, one of which is used for drinking and washing, and the other is a convenient place for walking.

Everyone basically used snow to scrub their cheeks, and took two mouthfuls of snow as a mouthwash.

Last night when he packed the snow in a fresh-keeping bag, Ian also filled two empty pure water bottles with full snow. This morning, the melted snow water was just enough for him and Heng to brush their teeth.

Yes, Ian would bring his toothbrush and toothpaste with him every time he travels. Fortunately, considering that the journey took a long time, he brought brand new unopened toothpaste. If he saved a little, it would be enough for the two of them for a long time.

Alva saw Ian and Heng brushing their teeth from a distance, curled his lips, he thought he would arrive at Snowy Snow soon, so he didn't wear his luggage, because Aria, who was one step ahead, had already bought brand new supplies for him.I don't know if my sister will be worried or sad if she didn't wait for me as expected.

In fact, he didn't have any personal prejudice against Ian, it's just that Fang Yiyun always took special care of Ian, and he just looked very upset.Ariya has been in love with Fang Yiyun since she was a child, so Fang Yiyun must belong to her sister, and no one can take it away.On the road of protecting his sister's lifelong happiness, it's nothing for him to play the role of a villain.

It's just that I didn't expect that one day I would share troubles with the enemy. This plot is quite ironic.

Feeling the glued eyes behind him, Ian turned his head and looked over, just in time to see Alva staring at him, this time the expression was not joking and mocking, but a little unclear.

ill.Ian cursed in his heart.

After everyone washed up, they returned to the Starship and had breakfast while discussing today's pathfinding arrangements.

The result of the discussion is that they are still divided into four groups today, and a team is sent to investigate in each direction. Each team consists of four people, and the weapons assigned are seat armrests.The remaining two are responsible for taking care of the children on the Starship.

It is roughly the same as yesterday, but today we will leave early in the morning and return in the evening to increase the investigation time.

Yi'an and Heng were assigned to the northern team, and together with the captain and the flight attendant, they still went to the mountain for investigation.

Everyone packed their lunch and water and started to set off.

Walking along the trail opened up yesterday, climbing becomes easier than yesterday.

Captain Zhou led the way at the front, and this time he was not in a hurry to climb to the top of the mountain.Yesterday we went all the way to the top of the mountain to know the situation on the other side of the mountain. Today we have to stop and go and pay attention to the various situations on the mountain road.

But if you observe carefully, you can't find any birds, beasts, fish or insects here. The snow is still unstained and there are no footprints. Stop and listen carefully. It's really quiet.

Ian asked Captain Zhou: "Uncle Zhou, did the Star Airlines send a distress signal to the headquarters when the plane crashed?"

Captain Zhou nodded, "Sent it. But to be honest, there is no signal coverage here. It is really difficult for the rescue team to find us. So I can only pray that this is not a death star, so that we can wait until rescue Opportunity."

"It's definitely not from the Death Star. There are traces of dead grass under the snow here. Where there is grass, there will be worms. Where there are worms, there will be birds. Where there are birds, there will be beasts. We will definitely find something to eat."

Kong Shao smiled, "I found that the two of you have been very calm from the beginning, is this the power of love in the legend?"

Captain Zhou also looked at Yi An and Heng playfully, and Yi An smiled at them, "Does Brother Kong have a lover?"

"My name is Zhang Minglin, you can call me Minglin." Young Master Kong replied, "I'm still single."

Everyone walked and chatted, and the atmosphere gradually relaxed a lot.Yi'an and Heng have no other relatives except each other, but Zhang Minglin is different from Captain Zhou. Zhang Minglin's parents are still alive, and he has a younger sister who is in high school. Captain Zhou has a wife and a child, so the two of them feel heavier.One can imagine how the family would grieve if it happened here.

It was after ten o'clock in the morning when we reached the top of the mountain.The sun gradually rises, and the temperature gradually rises. The snow on the top of the mountain melts first, exposing black and brown rocks.

The four of them crossed the mountain and continued to walk north. The hillside to the north was relatively steep, so the four of them had to be very careful when walking.Heng untied the seaweed wristband and tied the long and tough seaweed around his and Ian's waists to ensure the connection between the two.As for Captain Zhou and Zhang Minglin, they could only hold hands to protect each other.

Zhang Minglin walked down cautiously, and said, "The equipment you two are carrying is really complete. Do you have any predictive ability?"

Ian replied: "It's just a coincidence. If we had the ability to predict, we would not have started this journey. In this case, we are staying at home now."

Walking in the mountains, the four focused on observing the traces on the snow surface as well as rock crevices and caves.There is no vegetation here, and it can be seen at a glance. So far, no biological signs have been found.

After climbing over several bare summits and ridges, the four decided to take a break.

Ian took out three biscuits and Hengfen from his backpack and ate them, while Captain Zhou and Zhang Minglin each had half a piece of bread.

Zhang Minglin stared at the bread in his hand for a while, "In normal times, I wouldn't even try this tasteless bread. Who would have thought that what I detested in the past has become a luxury now."

Captain Zhou likes bread very much, and eats it with great relish, "When I get back to Imperial City, I'll take you to Liangji Western Restaurant to try. His bread is the best I've ever eaten."

After eating the food in his hands, Ian opened the thermos and took a few sips of water.While drinking, Ian suddenly stopped. He listened carefully for a while, and found that there were no other sounds except Zhou Zhang chatting.

"What?" Seeing Ian paused in doubt, Heng asked him.

Ian rubbed his ears wrapped in the hat, "I seem to hear someone whispering, but when I listen carefully, it's gone."

Zhou and Zhang stopped talking immediately when they heard the words, and the four of them listened attentively together.

"Everything was quiet, I heard nothing."

Captain Zhou also said, "I didn't hear that either."

Ian smiled shyly, "I must be hallucinating."

Heng also didn't hear anything, he tidied up Ian's hat, "Listen later, maybe your hearing is better than ours."

Ian nodded, "Yeah. I'll keep an eye on it. But maybe we're talking here, and there's a slight echo in the valley."

After eating, drinking and resting, the four continued to walk north.

After the snow melted, the mountain roads began to become more difficult. The original dry and cold snow layer became wet and soft, and one foot was deep and the other was shallow when stepping on it, making it easy to fall.

Heng simply grabbed Ian's hand, and the two walked side by side, with the suitcase acting as a crutch.

The further north you go, the more rocks are revealed.Ian looked at his watch, it showed that it was two o'clock in the afternoon.

After turning over a few more hilltops, the mountain became gentler, and it was easier to move forward on this section of the road.

The original plan of the four was to start walking back around three o'clock, but now that there is not much time left, everyone speeded up their pace in unison.

The snow began to melt, and the surface of the snow layer began to become bumpy. It was not easy to judge the whereabouts in the mountains, so we had to pay more attention to the movement around us.

"It's time, let's go back." Captain Zhou said.

There is still nothing discovered today, no fresh vegetation, no fresh animals and people.

Heng used his mobile phone camera to take a final look at all directions of the mountains. After the snow began to melt, he could see more exposed rocks.

Ian looked at him and asked, "Do you want to move on?"

Heng looked at Ian, and replied: "Go back and check the situation in the other three directions first. If you don't find anything, then we will start tomorrow without turning back, and just go straight down to check the situation."

Zhang Minglin asked suspiciously: "Should we go south? If there are aborigines, they should also live in the plains."

Captain Zhou also looked around again, "Go back and see what the other teams are doing, and discuss it before making a decision."

When returning the same way, the four of them quickened their pace, and it was after seven o'clock when they returned to the Star Aircraft.

Two groups of teams from other directions came back, and the group heading east didn't come back until almost eight o'clock.

"It's a desolate place, and I haven't seen a single ghost." Dongzu said.

Xizu also spread his hands, "Let's not talk about animals, I didn't see any vegetation, and I found a strange phenomenon, there are no lakes or rivers here."

Everyone turned their attention to the four people in the southern group, and they said dejectedly, "We didn't find anything, the situation is the same as that of your two groups."

Captain Zhou said: "Well, it seems that we have nothing to gain today. Tomorrow shall we change the direction of exploration, or extend the exploration time?"

Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay, Yi'an raised his hand and said, "Heng and I are going to continue walking northward for three days to have a look."

Alva pursed his lips and said, "Isn't it because your northern team has discovered something and didn't tell us? Are you afraid that we will rob you of resources?"

Ian didn't answer his question, but his words obviously aroused everyone's suspicion.

Captain Zhou waved his hand, "This is the situation now, please be kind. If you have any doubts, then you should go with me."

Zhang Minglin asked Ian seriously: "Why did you choose the north? There are many mountains there. If there are signs of life, it stands to reason that the probability of being in the south should be higher."

Ian replied: "Since none of the four teams have made any progress, it doesn't really matter which direction you choose."

Heng said: "The environment here is different from that of the Imperial Star. The theory and experience of the Imperial Star may not be effective on this planet. I chose to go to the mountains because the environment in the mountains is changeable, and it may be easier to accommodate the diversity of living things."

Ian nodded, "We chose to go straight to the north. You can also discuss tomorrow's plan to see whether to change direction or what."

Everyone started to discuss and discuss. What Ian didn't expect was that one of them chose to go with them.

A young woman said: "My intuition tells me that if I follow you, there may be salvation."

Her companion also said: "I think what the two handsome guys said is very reasonable. And even if you end up on the road unfortunately, it would be more regrettable to die next to the two handsome guys."

Ian couldn't laugh or cry when he heard this, but the feeling that someone is willing to trust him and Heng is heartwarming.

"Don't rush to make a decision today, everyone can think about it tonight." Captain Zhou said, "Especially your own food, please plan and allocate it reasonably, the days ahead will be long."

When it comes to food, Ian is still a little thankful that he is now in a cold environment, which prolongs the shelf life of his desserts.

Although the amount of exercise is sufficient today, I still need to eat less at night.Ian and Heng each ate a cookie and drank half a cup of hot water.

When Ian finished washing and was about to return to his seat to rest, he saw Heng standing aside and waiting for him.

Ian looked towards the seat, the seats of both of them had been lowered, and the three armrests had also been raised.It was spread out here as a small bed about one meter long and wide, and two thin blankets of myself and Heng were spread on the bed.Ian lifted the blanket and looked. Under the blanket were the two men's thin down jackets and trousers, and at the bottom was their suitcase.

The first reaction in his mind turned out to be to hope that the suitcase was strong enough.

There was no doubt that it was Ian who slept on the suitcase.His weight should be lower than Heng's, after all, height and body shape are here.

But sleeping like this is indeed much more comfortable than lying on your back, especially since you can turn over, which makes Ian feel much more comfortable.

He leaned against Heng's side, but Heng didn't push him away, so he boldly hugged Heng's waist.Heng turned his head to look at Ian, who showed a comforting smile.

"I'll hold you, okay?"

Although it was a question, in fact, he had already done so.

"Yeah." Heng tidied up the down jackets the two of them were wearing, covering Ian's body.

Sleeping next to Heng, embracing the person he likes and cares about the most, Ian can't help but wonder if he was traveling alone today and encountered a Starship crash, would he be extremely fearful and anxious?Now staying by Heng's side, he not only has no fear at all, but also falls asleep very calmly and even sweetly.

This is the promise of life and death.Ian sighed quietly.