Chapter 178: Snow Mountain: They’re Trapped Here

Chapter 178 Snow Mountain: They Were Trapped Here

No one knew how any of it happened.

The ski resort had been operating here for over a decade, with wave after wave of tourists coming and going. No matter how noisy and bustling the foot of the mountain was, the distant snow-capped peak had always stood there, silent and unmoving, like a giant. Not once, since the day people first settled at the mountain's base, had an avalanche ever occurred.

But now it had happened.

With a faint crackling sound, the thick ice layers that had solidified over hundreds of years suddenly split apart. At the summit, snow and ice weighing over a thousand tons turned into an endless wall of white, thundering down the sheer cliff face.

Everything in its path—rock, ice, everything—was swallowed up by the surging snow. The mighty snow wave kicked up diamond-like crystals across the mountain, and the sunset's glow draped over it like a curtain, casting a dazzling, mesmerizing halo over the layer of snow mist.

If Everly and the other three hadn't been standing right in the avalanche's path, they would have thought the avalanche was magnificent—a white funeral thrown by the mountain itself, showing off nature's raw power.

But right now, the only thing they could do was run.

They ran along the muddy, slippery road, heading for the lodge, away from the avalanche's center—running, running, running, never stopping.

The collapsing snow cascaded downward, carrying ice chunks and rubble, growing thicker and thicker like a flood made of snow. When it plunged to the mountainside, the snow pine forest there snapped like countless fragile matchsticks, desperately trying to hold back the unstoppable torrent.

They blocked, bent, and then toppled...

Ahead, the silhouette of the lodge was already faintly visible.

"Hurry! Don't stop!"

The avalanche had hit the southern slope of Mount Nathanjoa, right above the ski resort, while the lodge sat on the southeastern slope. A jutting ridge between the two slopes marked the boundary. If they could just make it to the platform where the lodge stood, they'd just barely escape the avalanche.

But it all happened way too fast!

In the blink of an eye, the snow pines on the mountainside were gone, reduced to broken branches and debris swept along by the descending snow wall.

The ground beneath their feet began to tremble, and a rumbling roar like an ancient beast's bellow hammered at their eardrums. Without even looking up, they could feel snow crystals shaken loose from the slopes beside them—the avalanche's vanguard—already pelting their bodies.

Each snow crystal was a tiny knife, barely visible, piercing through their pores and making their exposed cheeks sting. Even with masks on, the air they breathed was bone-chillingly cold. Every breath felt like swallowing ice spikes, freezing their lungs solid.

Meanwhile, the rest of their bodies burned like furnaces from the intense exertion.

The four of them clung to each other, sprinting desperately along the wet, muddy road.

A few meters away, on the other side of the road, loomed a steep, sheer cliff face. If they couldn't reach the platform before the avalanche hit, they'd either be buried under the snow or swept off the cliff by the surging mass. Either way, they were dead.

Knowing this all too well, when the snow wall finally thundered down the slope, with massive clumps of snow, rubble, and broken branches slamming onto their shoulders, Old John spread his arms wide, trying to shield the others, and let out a hoarse scream: "Jump—!"

There was no time to think. The moment the command registered, adrenaline surged, and their bodies reacted on their own. A fierce will to survive ignited every ounce of strength they had. Screaming silently, just before the snow crushed them, they launched themselves into the air, all diving toward the platform just within reach.

"Boom!"

The torrent of snow, rock, and broken wood roared behind them, swallowing the whole road. Everly coughed, pushed herself up from the dirt-and-ice-covered ground, and looked around. Through the snow mist kicked up by the avalanche, she could just make out several other figures on the ground nearby.

One, two, three...

She walked around them, and seeing that everyone was battered but alive and in one piece, Everly let out a huge sigh of relief.

"We can't stay here long—let's get inside the lodge."

With that, she stepped forward and, with Misha on the other side, helped Rebecca—who'd lost a shoe during the run—up from the ground. Old John was still spry and got up on his own.

The four didn't dare linger, quickening their pace to get away from the still-cascading snow behind them.

Several people were already standing at the lodge's entrance, having come out to see what the commotion was.

Seeing four people emerge from the avalanche, they looked stunned. A young man and woman dressed like students stepped forward as if to help, but glancing at the distant avalanche, hesitation flickered across their faces. Their companions nearby gave a slight tug, and they stopped.

Instead, a middle-aged man and woman they didn't recognize stepped out of the crowd and charged out of the lodge without hesitation to meet them.

The middle-aged man helped carry Rebecca on his back, while the middle-aged woman, seeing Old John still had strength to spare, accompanied the other three inside.

When they finally reached the lodge entrance, Everly turned and glanced back.

After a while, the avalanche around the mountain path had mostly subsided. A thick layer of snow had completely blocked the only road in and out. Above the snow were steep, unclimbable slopes, and just below it was a bottomless cliff.

That road was the only way in or out of the lodge.

They were trapped here!

But even so, their situation was still better than the ski resort on the slope.

From what Everly had observed earlier, the Pence Ski Resort was right at the avalanche's epicenter. To mark off the paid area, the resort was fenced in. When the avalanche hit, anyone still inside probably never had a chance to escape the fenced area before being buried under the snow.

Thinking of how brightly lit the resort had been, packed with tourists when she left, Everly couldn't help but shiver.

It was a cruel burial of snow.

After an avalanche, with America's rescue speed, who knew how long it would take to dig out the people buried inside. By the time rescuers finished with the resort and got to the lodge, it would probably take even longer...

"That was terrifying... It's a miracle you all made it out alive—God bless."

"Sit down, want some hot milk? Joshua, go grab some blankets..."

The middle-aged couple led the group, ushering Everly and the other three to the crackling fireplace. The middle-aged woman brought over a tray of hot milk, pressing cups into the hands of the four freezing people. A middle-aged man named Joshua silently walked off, then came back with a thick stack of blankets and handed them out.

From how familiar the two were with the lodge, they were probably employees or the owners.

After settling the four on the sofa, everyone in the lodge gathered in the main hall, chattering.

Everyone was still shaken by the avalanche, and grateful that the southeastern slope where the lodge stood hadn't been hit. Others were worrying about how they'd leave now that the road down was blocked.

"Nothing we can do but wait for rescue. That kind of avalanche snow—don't let the thick layer fool you. It's packed with rocks and branches, so there could be hidden pits underneath. Step in one and you'll sink deep—very dangerous. No one's getting through until it's cleared," Old John said.

A young man in glasses and a vest had been fiddling with the landline at the front desk. Hearing that, he set down the receiver, turned around, and broke the bad news to everyone: "I just tried—I don't know if the phone line got damaged in the avalanche, but the landline won't connect to call for help."

"Really? Let me try another phone next door!" Joshua's face tensed, and he hurried off toward a room on the left side of the hallway.

A red-haired young man holding his phone added: "The lodge's Wi-Fi is down too—it was working fine before the avalanche!"

Reminded by that, the others around also pulled out their phones to check.

"Yeah, I can't get online either."

"Me too!"

"Did the cable get cut too?"

America's cell tower coverage was never as extensive as China's back in her previous life. If you went somewhere a bit remote, it was common to lose signal, and everyone was used to it. The snow mountain where Yormore Resort was, for instance, had no signal at all.

Originally, the lodge offered free Wi-Fi, so everyone could video chat and message friends and family back home. Now that even the Wi-Fi was down, their phones were completely useless—just bricks.

Clutching their brick-like phones, everyone waited with grim expressions until Joshua finally came back, his face dark.

"How is it?" a stout, middle-aged man in his forties or fifties asked, sounding anxious from the crowd.

Joshua shook his head. "No luck. I tried several landlines, and none of them got through. The phone lines are probably dead."

"So we just gotta wait for someone outside to notice us? Damn, I have a lecture early in the month..." The stout man cursed, his face turning grim for a moment.

The others didn't look too happy about it either.

In theory, help was bound to show up.

The avalanche was such a huge deal that it would be impossible for the outside world not to notice. And Yormore Lodge was located near the ski resort, not some isolated, remote place. Any halfway careful rescue team would spot their problem.

Besides, the lodge was currently housing several guests—none of them had materialized out of thin air. Friends or family on the outside would eventually catch on and report it to the rescue teams. So, sooner or later, someone would come to help.

The problem, though, was that no one knew exactly when the outside world would realize what had happened here.

For one, it was the Christmas holiday, and many rescue personnel were away on vacation. The local government would likely struggle to muster a full rescue force on short notice. For another, the Pence Ski Resort to the west had been hit hard, with many people caught in the avalanche, so the rescue teams' attention would probably be drawn there first.

As for Yormore Lodge, its location was a bit awkward. On the map, it wasn't within the avalanche's coverage. If the rescue team was careless, it might take them a long time to discover that there were unlucky souls trapped here.

And by the time they finally figured it out and came to help, who knew how much time would have passed? If the lodge ran out of fuel or food by then, that would be a huge headache!