On the dark plains, a patch of yellow-white light emerged, growing closer. It was thousands of base vehicles, each with its headlights on.
Many spider armored vehicles were already moving about, their headlights blazing, beams cutting through the blizzard-like falling snow.
Jiang Ye switched his flying car to manual driving mode and circled above Bai'e City, his expression growing grimmer.
The situation was ten times more severe than anticipated.
The snow was at least a meter deep, turning the plains into a thick sea of snow. Many people walking on their legs were stuck as if glued, barely able to take two steps in a long while.
The outermost base vehicles were completely buried in snow, becoming bulging snowdrifts. They were buried because the wind was too strong, blowing vast amounts of snow that settled on the vehicles, accumulating until they were completely covered.
The spiders were working hard to dig the snow off the base vehicles, violently breaking doors and windows to rescue those trapped inside.
Jiang Ye found a flat snowy area and landed.
He opened the car door, and the fierce wind and snow hit him.
Jiang Ye walked against the snow towards the more crowded area. The howling wind sounded like ghosts crying from all directions. Snow powder drilled into his neck and ears, melting and refreezing, soaking his clothes and making him feel like he would freeze to death.
A few auxiliary police officers, clearing the snow, wore black raincoats issued by the police station. They wearily scraped snow from the main roads, piling it up under the trees by the roadside. The poor trees were almost buried.
"This snow is too damn heavy, when will it stop!"
"It won't stop anytime soon. I feel like people are going to die. There are always casualties in heavy snow."
"If I keep working, I'll be the first to freeze to death! Why can't this road ever be cleared! My boots are full of ice, and my sweat has frozen!"
"Hey, it's only us low-ranking soldiers doing the hardest work in the middle of the night. Do you know where those big shots live? The hot spring area! They have hot springs at home, forty to fifty degrees. They can soak in them while watching the snow, how enjoyable."
"Maybe there are bikini-clad beauties to accompany them in the hot springs, with some wine. How wonderful. When can we become rich people?"
The auxiliary police complained incessantly while shoveling snow and ice.
A person suddenly walked over, "Excuse me, where is your officer in charge?"
The auxiliary police looked up and were stunned to recognize the speaker as the General. Their mouths fell open in shock, and they froze for a moment. After a few seconds, one reacted, stood at attention, and saluted. The others scrambled to salute.
They hadn't expected Jiang Ye to come to the scene himself!
"Report, our officer in charge is two intersections ahead, by a large bonfire," one auxiliary policeman said.
"Are there any difficulties you need me to resolve?" Jiang Ye asked again.
The auxiliary police exchanged glances, then straightened their chests. "No!"
Jiang Ye nodded. "If you have any difficulties, message me directly. You've all worked hard, and you will be commended after the snow disaster is over."
With that, Jiang Ye shook the snow off his clothes and hurried on.
Jiang Ye walked two blocks and arrived at the intersection with the bonfire.
The bonfire was quite intense. Several chopped trees were burning together, the flames reaching five meters high. The snow at the entire intersection had melted, leaving the ground wet. Dozens of injured people lay on stretchers, groaning as they warmed themselves by the fire.
As soon as Jiang Ye appeared, he was quickly recognized by the nearby military police, who assembled and saluted.
"Find people to carry these injured to the subway station. They can take the subway to Binhai City and be sent directly to the hospital. Doctors will arrive tomorrow morning," Jiang Ye ordered immediately. "What's the point of leaving them here? They'll all die if left here any longer."
"Yes!"
"What's the current rescue situation?"
"Most of the trapped personnel have been rescued. The spiders are working at full speed to save others. Don't worry, sir, we can ensure everyone's safety!"
"Have the numbers been verified?"
"No... no."
"Check every household to verify the numbers, ensure everyone can be contacted. Those who cannot be contacted will be treated as missing. Hurry up and find them. Send all the information to my phone," Jiang Ye said, his face full of urgency. "The situation is dire, everyone must persevere. You will be commended after the snow disaster."
After the injured by the bonfire were sent to the subway station, Jiang Ye trudged back to his car.
The snow was still falling, and the car was covered in a layer of white. Fortunately, he hadn't bought a white car, or he wouldn't have been able to find it.
He shook the snow off his clothes, got into the car, and headed for Shale City.
The situation in Shale City was slightly better. People were using shale gas canisters they had extracted to spray fire and clear the snow.
The shale gas canisters were one meter long and dark green, with each person able to carry two. Connected to a combustion tube, they could spray a one-meter-long flame.
They looked somewhat like flamethrower soldiers, but the flame's temperature was not high, and the intensity was low, with very little lethality, only capable of melting snow.
There was no snow visible on the main roads, but water flowed turbulently, like rivers. Thin ice floes floated on the water, colliding with each other and making crisp sounds.
The busy military police were greatly surprised by Jiang Ye's appearance; they hadn't expected the General to personally travel through the heavy snow.
Some of them even had red eyes, shedding tears of emotion.
Jiang Ye inspected the situation in Shale City and ordered the troops to transport 5,000 shale gas canisters to Bai'e City and another 5,000 canisters to Binhai City.
All shale gas must be used by the military police, as it could easily become a bomb and should not fall into the hands of ordinary people.
The troops immediately set to work, retrieving the gas canisters from the mine, bundling them together in threes, securing them with wooden boards, and then transporting them to the subway station.
Jiang Ye made a phone call, and within minutes, an empty subway train arrived. Soldiers quickly loaded the gas canisters onto the train and watched it depart into the distance.
Fortunately, this subway line had been built, otherwise, the injured and the gas canisters could not have been transported.
With all ten thousand shale gas canisters transported, Jiang Ye got into his car and headed for Binhai City.
The situation in Binhai City was the best. The snow was only half a meter deep, and with a large population, each resident swept a section of the road in front of their own house, essentially clearing the snow from all the city's main roads.
The streets were brightly lit, with all shops and homes illuminated. Almost no one was sleeping. Many people were rushing to buy goods and transport them home, carrying large bags on the streets. The roads were also filled with water, but there were few ice floes, as they had been trampled and broken.
Jiang Ye went straight to the police station and happened to meet Shao Wan, who returned dripping wet.
"Emergency mission, eight hundred medical personnel are arriving. You need to clear a landing field outside the city, at least six hundred square meters," Jiang Ye said. "They should arrive in a few hours, so there's enough time. Take a break and then lead your men to do it."
Shao Wan looked troubled. "The snow outside the city is too thick, I need to take my men there immediately."
"No need. I'll call the air force to drop a couple of bombs, and that will blast open a snow-free area. You and your men just need to do a simple sweep," Jiang Ye said with a smile.
Shao Wan was taken aback, seemingly shocked by this crude plan. "That works too."
Jiang Ye immediately took out his phone and called Ban Saka Ryosuke.
After hearing Jiang Ye's request, Ban Saka Ryosuke replied decisively, "I will depart immediately."
Jiang Ye waited on the north side of Binhai City. After standing in the wind and snow for a short while, he heard a high-frequency buzzing sound from a distance, clearly from some kind of aircraft.
Immediately after, there was a flash of light that illuminated half the night sky. A terrifying fireball rose from six hundred meters away, and large amounts of white snow were thrown into the sky, falling back down like heavy rain. The dull roar was like an earthquake, and Jiang Ye clearly felt the ground vibrate.
The police officers behind Jiang Ye let out a low "Holy shit," and then collectively moved out, carrying shovels towards the bombing site.
Twenty minutes later, a flat, snow-free landing field was cleared. The police officers, in twos and threes, carried shale gas canisters and sprayed fire on the ground to eliminate newly falling snowflakes.
With several hours to go before the medical personnel arrived, Jiang Ye was cold and tired. Most of the main work was done, so he decided to go to his old acquaintance Ju Lanlan's house for a short nap.