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The four individuals aboard the Astral Express were deposited onto Jarilo VI.
Unrelenting wind and snow blanketed the landscape, leaving nothing but a vast expanse of white as far as the eye could see. Not a single movement was visible amidst the whiteness.
"Wow... truly a frozen wasteland," March 7th sighed.
Echoing her sentiment unintentionally, Bochang repeated, "Truly a frozen wasteland..."
"Hey! Why did you mimic me?" March 7th placed her hands on her hips, cheeks puffing as she glared at the black-haired youth. "Bochang, when did you become such a..."
"Truly a frozen wasteland..." Stelle chimed in, cutting off March 7th's words. With a look of disbelief, March 7th stared at both of them and exclaimed, "Are you two parrots now?"
The gray-haired girl turned away, avoiding March 7th's gaze.
Bochang immediately rushed to inspect the snowmobile.
Ignoring the others, March 7th turned towards Dan Heng.
"Dan Heng, which direction should we take?"
"Based on the coordinates, our target is not far ahead, so... Who will ride the snowmobile and who will walk? Firstly... Bochang will definitely be driving, so only one of you can join him."
Dan Heng spread his hands, allowing snowflakes to fall and melt into water at his fingertips.
March 7th and Stelle looked at each other.
Just as Dan Heng began speaking, another choice presented itself to Bochang.
[Dating Options activated.]
[Option 1: Take Stelle on the snowmobile and say, "Stelle, hop on quickly. I'll give you a taste of flying." - Completion Reward: Drinking Water Will Inevitably Cause Poisoning.]
[Option 2: Take Dan Heng on the snowmobile and say, "Dan Heng, with your knowledge, let's go explore up ahead together." - Completion Reward: Obtain a Random Item, ranging from small as a matchstick to large as a starship destroyer. Note: This type of item will...]
Option Three: Take March 7th on the snowmobile and say, "March, let's go together." — Completion Reward: Guaranteed crash within ten meters, resulting in injury.
Option Four: Take both March 7th and Stelle on the snowmobile and say, "March, Stelle, come along with us; this vehicle is cramped but can still fit three people." — Completion Reward: Certain plunge off a cliff while driving.
「Ah? ↘↗」
「What kind of dating options are these?! More like hindering love...」
Ever since encountering issues with choices favoring either Stelle or March 7th last time,
Bochang knew it was turning disastrous.
And now it seems... indeed so.
After a brief moment of silence, Bochang tearfully chose the second option, saying, "Dan Heng, you're knowledgeable, so I'll take you ahead to scout."
"Me? Hmm... Alright, honestly, I thought you would choose March or Stelle... Never expected it to be me..."
Dan Heng rubbed his chin, feeling completely caught off guard by this decision.
He was genuinely having trouble understanding Bochang's thought process.
"Do you think I wouldn't prefer to take March 7th or Stelle... If possible, I'd want them all with me, but... it's just not feasible..."
Bochang sighed helplessly within himself.
Dan Heng climbed onto the snowmobile and steadied himself, placing a hand on the black-haired youth's shoulder. "Alright, let's head out. Stelle, March, follow along the vehicle tracks... We'll go ahead first to scout."
March 7th remained silent.
Stelle also said nothing.
[Rewards being distributed - Congratulations! You have received the reward: Clara's Bra. Returning this bra may unexpectedly yield unforeseen benefits. Note: The item has been stored in the system space.]
"Ah? A bra? Is it unworn?"
[Of course.]
Hearing the system's notification, Bochang swiftly turned the snowmobile's steering and sped away.
A bra, by itself, seemed rather useless.
However, the potential benefits of returning it were intriguing to Bochang. The only challenge was figuring out how to return the bra without causing awkwardness or being mistaken for a pervert.
Watching two grown men racing off on a snowmobile, both Stelle and March 7th stared wide-eyed.
After a moment, the pink-haired girl exclaimed, "They... just left like that?"
"Yes..." Stelle nodded expressionlessly.
March 7th scratched her head, unsure what to say at that instant.
Stelle suggested, "We should follow them too; otherwise, their tracks will be covered by the heavy snow over time."
And so... the two girls diligently followed behind, step by step.
Up ahead, Bochang and Dan Heng encountered rift creatures on their path, swiftly dispatching them as they drove.
Not long after, they came across a peculiar snowdrift.
If Bochang wasn't mistaken, it seemed to move slightly, instantly alerting him to something.
"Sampo, you're hiding in there, aren't you?! Watch me charge straight through!"
The engine's roar was loud amidst the snowy terrain.
Bochang shouted, "Dan Heng, do you think I can use this upcoming snowdrift to launch us airborne?"
"I don't know if you'll achieve flight, but what I do know is that crashing into it like this will likely render your freshly repaired snowmobile... beyond repair."
Dan Heng prepared himself to jump off the vehicle.
Just as the snowmobile neared the collision point, a figure suddenly emerged from within the snowdrift.
Bochang skillfully executed a drift stop, then gazed at the man with short blue hair—Sampo Koski, a smooth-talking smuggler merchant. In the original storyline... he betrayed the Trailblaze team right from the start.
Later, this figure would render everyone unconscious and take them to Jarilo VI's Underworld.
That was all Bochang knew before encountering the familiar trope of transmigration events.
"Hey man, you definitely saw me just now, right? There's nothing wrong with hiding in the snow, so there was no need to drive that thing over and nearly hit me!"
Sampo spread his arms innocently.
Bochang dismounted from the snowmobile, picked up the Vow Spear resting on it, and stared at the newcomer.
Dan Heng wasn't yet clear about the situation unfolding.
However...
Since Bochang had gotten off, he followed suit instead of remaining seated, joining him on foot.
The black-haired youth crossed his arms as he looked at Sampo and said, "It's your own choice to sneakily hide in the snow; don't blame me for that."
"Ah...well, okay then. May I ask if Officer Gepard is here? We're quite acquainted."
"Who? Don't know him," Bochang shook his head.
A thoughtful expression appeared on Sampo's face.
"Oh... So you're not actually from the Silvermane Guards? You should have said earlier... Fighting among ourselves, isn't that unnecessary?"
"I don't consider us to be on the same side," Bochang shook his head.
Sampo fell silent for a moment.
"Anyway, let's introduce ourselves first. My name is Sampo Koski."
The other two had no intention of revealing their names. Instead, Dan Heng directly asked, "Why did you bury yourself in the snow?"
"Me? Well, it was because you two startled me. I was initially searching here and there, hoping to find some ancient relics to make a small profit. But when you caused such a commotion, I thought the Silvermane Guards had arrived..."
"Let me plead with both of you, please be more discreet next time, seriously."
"The Silvermane Guards wouldn't hide in the snow upon encountering trouble; as for you, you'd likely end up behind bars..." Sampo spoke rapidly without pausing.
This exchange gave Dan Heng some insight into the local social environment, which seemed rather unfriendly.
They needed to be prepared accordingly.