Chapter 599 - 396: Competition 2

Chapter 599: Chapter 396: Competition 2

The once-frigid air gradually warmed, and the biting wind softened.

River Beach Camp seemed to have become the sole paradise amidst the cold wave sweeping the Far North Tundra.

The Melting Ice River began to thaw. Beneath the thick layer of ice on its surface, the water started to flow slowly.

Propelled by the current, the dormant hydroelectric system began to operate.

When the lights flickered on, the entire camp was instantly enveloped in a warm glow.

The soft halos of the streetlights pierced the snowy mist, casting their light on the log cabins, the snowy paths, and every face.

The children jumped and cheered with excitement, while the adults simply stared at the lights, their eyes slowly welling with tears.

The return of the light not only dispelled the darkness and cold, but it also ignited the hope in everyone’s hearts.

But just across the river, the Mossy Wasteland remained firmly in the grip of the cold wave and blizzard.

A raging blizzard swept across the land with the force of an avalanche. The snow was as dense as an impenetrable white net, each flake carrying an arctic chill as it slammed into the ground.

The wind howled through the wasteland, its mournful shrieks threatening to tear everything between heaven and earth to shreds.

Heeding Feng Shan’s warning, no one dared cross the Melting Ice River looking for trouble.

However, the cold wave’s impact extended far beyond the Far North of Alaska.

Thousands of miles away, Canada, and even the states of Montana and North Dakota in the North American Region, were all severely impacted without exception.

In Canada, the biting wind was like a sharp blade, carving its way across every inch of the land.

Toronto Pearson International Airport descended into chaos and paralysis. Hundreds of flights were canceled, leaving vast numbers of passengers stranded. Anxiety and helplessness spread through the crowds.

City streets were buried in snow, bringing traffic to a near standstill. Cars crawled along the icy roads, and frequent collisions occurred as vehicles skidded out of control.

Power lines, unable to bear the weight of the ice and snow, collapsed one after another, plunging multiple areas into darkness.

Residents shivered in the cold and dark, desperately awaiting rescue.

Montana was in a similarly dire situation.

The capital, Helena, was buried under layers of snow, with accumulation reaching historic highs.

Roads were blocked by snowdrifts, making travel exceptionally difficult. Residents were forced to trudge through the deep snow, sinking with every step.

Schools were forced to close, and factory machinery ground to a halt in the severe cold. Workers stayed home, helpless, worrying about their livelihoods.

The plummeting temperatures caused severe damage to infrastructure, with frequent issues like burst pipes and failing heaters.

This brought immense hardship to the residents’ daily lives.

The situation in North Dakota was even worse.

Oil production was hit hard, with more than half of the state’s crude output halted and numerous wells shut down.

The extreme cold froze equipment solid, making repairs nearly impossible.

According to Justin Klinstad, director of the North Dakota Pipeline Authority, the suspended crude oil production reached as high as 650,000 barrels per day.

Natural gas production also plummeted, dropping to about half of the state’s total output.

Furthermore, the severe cold triggered approximately 60 oil spills, posing a serious threat to the local environment.

As the weather gradually warms, the risk of further spills increases, adding insult to injury for the already fragile ecosystem.

Despite the bitter cold and hardships, some people still braved the weather to take to the streets.

They held up signs and loudly chanted for freedom.

They protested the government’s inadequate response to the cold wave, demanding more measures to protect public welfare and solve issues like damaged infrastructure and insufficient supplies.

As the North American Continent trembled under the ravages of the cold wave...

Thousands of miles away, the Alaska Crown Territory was a scene of jubilation.

The howling gales and bitter cold were held at bay by the Fire Seed’s invisible barrier.

In River Beach Camp, a wildly creative sled-building competition was about to begin.

Feng Shan stood on a temporary platform made of packed snow in front of a log cabin. Looking down at the laughing, cheerful crowd, he cleared his throat and announced the rules of the competition.

"The sleds must be creative and handmade. As for who—or what—pulls them, you’ll have to figure that out on your own!"

"You can get materials from the workshop. What you make is up to you."

"The race starts at the main cabin, goes one lap around the camp, and finishes back here. The fastest time wins first place and a prize of 100 US Dollars."

"..."

No one really cared about the prize money.

For everyone cooped up in the camp, having some fun was far more valuable than any amount of money.

After all, in this world of ice and snow, a bit of excitement was the rarest treasure of all.

Once the rules were explained, the contestants swarmed toward the workshop, laughing and shouting.

The grating shriek of saws on wood and the sharp POUND of hammers on nails mingled with laughter and playful curses, kicking up flurries of crystalline snow.

The workshop was buzzing with feverish activity.

Sawdust and snowflakes danced in the air as everyone poured their wildest imaginations into their creations.

One by one, unique sleds began to take shape.

Ma Wei and a few other veterans formed a hardcore team, putting their battlefield mentality on full display.

They dug discarded metal plates out of the scrap heap and hammered them into shape. Amidst a shower of sparks, the angular form of an armored-vehicle sled began to emerge.

With a cigarette dangling from his lips, Ma Wei squinted and directed the painting of their armored sled.

Camouflage spray paint bled across the metal surface, instantly giving the cold, steel contraption a combative air.

If Yves hadn’t stopped him, Ma Wei was fully prepared to go to the firing range and mount a heavy machine gun on it.

Fiona’s and Liu Lan’s heads were full of fairy tales.

The two girls built a castle-shaped sled and filled it with all sorts of plush toys.

The Bear Tribe, meanwhile, showcased their wisdom of living in harmony with nature.

They stretched reindeer hides over a sturdy wooden frame, their bone needles flying through the leather.

A sled in the shape of a fierce, imposing brown bear gradually took form.

Other creations were simply hilarious.

One person had flipped a discarded chimney upside down to create a chimney-sled, pretending to be Santa Claus delivering gifts. Someone else built a rocket sled out of cardboard and colored markers. Another ingeniously cobbled together old tires and planks to make a car-sled, even taking the time to draw on headlights and a license plate.

Even the aloof Queen, Natasha, couldn’t resist the temptation of this festival.

Standing to one side, she elegantly directed Andrei and her bodyguards as they constructed a magnificent warship sled out of wooden planks.

Natasha personally christened it the *Peter the Great*, a name befitting her royal demeanor.

As the organizer, Feng Shan also threw himself into the fun.

After some thought, he built a boat-shaped sled modeled roughly after the *River Beach*.

Once the sleds were finished, the question remained: who would pull them?

The contestants’ mischievous gazes fell upon the tigers and wolves that were watching the commotion from the sidelines.

The contestants used every trick in the book to convince the tigers and wolves to become their engines.

Some knelt in the snow, offering up beef and trying to curry favor with the Tiger Pack.

Others imitated low growls, attempting to build a rapport with the Wolf Pack.

Still others broke out their stashes of treasured snacks, trying to coax and cajole the animals into helping them.

Natasha, meanwhile, elegantly stroked the thick fur of Ivan at her side.

Ivan let out a low purr, his amber eyes lazily sweeping over the people scurrying about.

It was as if he were mocking the foolishness of humans.

A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched Natasha’s lips as she gave an order to Andrei.

"Fit Ivan with the silver-trimmed harness."

The epitome of aristocratic flair.

With the preparations complete, the race was finally ready to begin.

Flags made of colorful cloth strips were planted in the snowbanks lining the racetrack, fluttering loudly in the wind.

Over twenty sleds of all shapes and sizes were lined up in the starting order determined by a draw.

It was a magnificent sight.

In front of Ma Wei’s armored sled, a tiger was strapped into a harness, its eyes glinting with a feral light.

A snow-white Taiga Wolf curiously sniffed the reins of Fiona and Liu Lan’s castle sled.

The Bear Tribe’s brown bear sled, however, was pulled by two of their own tribesmen.

Feng Shan climbed aboard his own snowy version of the *River Beach*. Tyson crouched in the pulling position, his tail thumping excitedly against the snow.

Yves, wrapped in a heavy bearskin coat, slowly climbed the temporary platform built of packed snow.

He slowly raised a pistol, its muzzle aimed at the lead-gray sky.

BANG!

The gunshot rang out.

A chorus of shouts erupted.

"Go!"

"Charge!"

"Go, go, go!"

...