Chapter 544: White Ice Cotton, Moon-gazing Frog Appears

Wu Keji had this idea not long ago, but he quickly rejected it.

When they were breaking the ice for fishing a few days ago, he had asked Yue Feng to measure it actually, and the thickness of the ice was about 40 centimeters.

With this thickness, a small car can drive over it without any problem.

But ice cracks are different. The thickness of the ice layer in the areas where they exist is not fixed. It can be thin in some areas, ranging from ten centimeters to five centimeters.

Even a thin snow crust of only one centimeter thick is possible!
In this situation, if you rashly get too close, you will fall directly into the ice hole and disappear in an instant.

It’s going to be very difficult to rescue the person in this remote place.

Even if the person can be pulled out, it is hard to say whether he is alive or dead.

The temperature under the ice is definitely close to zero degrees. People will quickly suffer from hypothermia in this state, and there are no rescue conditions around.

Yue Feng scratched his head and said in confusion, “I feel that we have been wandering around for half the night and can’t find any traces!
If this continues, this evening will be over! I don’t know if my tiger brother’s cub can survive until next month!”

“No, I definitely can’t risk my life! I don’t agree with this job.

If you really fell into the ice hole, how can I explain it to your master?” Uncle Wu shook his head repeatedly and refused to give in.

“I understand your concerns, but I have a plan. Can you listen to it and then decide?”

A bold idea came to Yue Feng’s mind.

“What trick? Just don’t use some stupid trick that makes you think you’re right!!”

If Wu Keji could come up with a plan, he would have thought of it a long time ago.

He was helpless. In his eyes, Yue Feng was still a green hand and was not sure how he could come up with any brilliant strategy.

Yue Feng said: “Listen to me, what we are worried about now is mainly the safety issue!
No one knows the exact depth of the area around this ice crevice, and it might even be partially suspended in the air, so people are afraid of falling in!
So, let’s cut a few two-meter-long pine sticks that are as thick as wrists, and then cross them on the back! Even if a person really steps on empty space, there are sticks to block it, so he will definitely not fall easily.

In addition to this, there is another safety feature: tie a hemp rope around your waist, and have another person hold the rope and stay in a safe place!

In addition, we can move some of the firewood from the north and south piles to the outside of the ice crevasse in the northwest. Even if we accidentally fall into the water, we can quickly take off our wet clothes and keep warm by the fire!

With this double insurance, there will be no safety issues! What do you think of my idea? “

Yue Feng’s idea was well-founded. He had watched foreign documentaries in his previous life. Participating in ice cave rescue by carrying a long stick could greatly reduce the risk.

After listening to Yue Feng’s plan, Wu Keji was slightly stunned.

My nephew’s idea seems to be feasible.

Wu Keji thought for a moment and said, “If I had known earlier, I should have brought a few bamboo poles with me before going up the mountain! They are light in weight. With two people carrying a long bamboo pole at each end and one person tied to the bamboo pole and sliding along, I’m sure I won’t fall down!”

But your suggestion of carrying a pine stick can also increase the margin of error!”

“You promised!!”

Yue Feng didn’t worry about whether to use a pine stick or a bamboo pole. As long as Uncle Wu agreed, he would give it a try.

Yue Feng is not a person who gives up easily. As long as there is a way, he will keep trying.

“Hey, give it a try!! But I have to do this job! You are all too heavy, and it is easier to fall if you step on the ice shell!!”

Wu Keji immediately stated that he would be the one to take the risk by walking on the ice.

Yue Feng shook his head repeatedly: “How can that be possible! Even though you are lighter, a difference of a few dozen pounds won’t do anything. The ice shell will still break.

We are still young and have strong firepower. Even if we fall down, there will be no aftereffects if we are pulled up and warm ourselves by the fire.

Your body has been soaked by the icy water, but you have to leave your roots behind!”

Wu Keji did not continue to argue, and said in a serious tone: “Do as I say! My eyesight is better than yours, and my reaction is faster than yours!
Let’s not argue about this anymore. If you want to try, hurry up and get people ready!”

“Oh well!”

Yue Feng knew that Uncle Wu was taking the risk for him, and he was deeply touched. He did not dare to argue, so he had to bite the bullet and agree.

“Everyone, come here!! Xiaowu, you guys come and gather together! Let’s try a different approach!!!”

Yue Feng shouted at the second team in the north at the top of his voice, and soon Xiaowu and his men came over.

Yue Feng told everyone about the new plan, and soon everyone got busy.

Brothers Wang Chao and Ma Liang went to cut suitable pine sticks, while Xiao Tao went back to the cellar to get the hemp rope.

The rest of the people, except Uncle Wu who was doing various physical exercises for stretching, Yue Feng and Xiao Wu went to carry firewood for the fire.

There is strength in numbers. In a short while, the pine sticks, ropes, and firewood piles were all ready.

Uncle Wu also finished warming up and, following the method he had discussed with Yue Feng before, tied several long, crossed pine sticks behind his back.

The old man stretched his legs with the stick on his back. It was okay. The weight was not too heavy and there was no debris on the ice, so he could move smoothly.

After fixing the stick and tying it with a double-strand hemp rope, the preparation work is complete.

“Give me an ice pick!”

Wu Keji asked for an ice pick and held it in his hand, then walked towards the ice crevice with light steps.

Every step he took was tested with an ice pick, and he was trembling with fear at every step.

After walking four or five steps and leaving the edge of the ice crevice, when I used the ice pick to test it, there were only hollow echoes all around.

Wu Keji slowly squatted down, pulled out a pair of shiny leg scissors from his calf, and gently scraped the snow crust with the blade. After repeating this several times, the snow crust covering the ice surface was completely scraped off, revealing the ice crust underneath.

When Wu Keji shone the flashlight, he discovered something unusual.

Beneath the ice layer is a huge bubble-shaped cavity. The inconsistent sounds detected by the ice pick were actually caused by the inconsistent echoes in the cavity.

After Wu Keji saw the situation clearly under his feet, he used the flashlight to scan the surroundings at an angle. However, the ice was not transparent enough. He could see a little clearly under his feet, but the surroundings were blurry and unclear as they were far away.

So he moved a few steps to the middle and used the same trick again to scrape away the snow and look down.

I didn’t see anything valuable the first few times until I moved about one meter inward.

Under the ice shell, where there should have been azure blue lake water, there seemed to be a ball of white ice cotton slightly smaller than a football floating.

“Huh!!” Wu Keji exclaimed softly and changed direction to continue looking.

Still unable to see clearly, he simply lay down, his eyes almost touching the ice, and looked down.

Now, the ball of ice cotton can be seen more clearly.

The outside is whitish ice, and inside the ice there is a darker ‘core’ that is very suspicious.

“What’s up, sir? What did you find?”

Yue Feng heard the old man’s movements and saw his abnormal behavior, so he immediately asked.

“Hold the rope tight. I have to use an ice pick to break open the snow crust. There’s something in the water!”

“Well, with five of us, we can definitely hold you back! Be careful of the shattering range of the ice shell under your feet, so take it easy!” Yue Feng reminded with concern.

“Don’t worry about it! I know what’s going on!”

After saying this, Wu Keji got busy.

Half-kneeling on the ice shell, he took off his gloves directly, revealing his skinny but strong hands.

He held the cold ice pick in his hand, then controlled the force and smashed it down.

Ding!
Ding!Ding!
Under the moonlight, the sound of the ice pick hitting the ice shell was a little dull. Everyone was on edge, and every hit seemed to hit everyone’s heart.

Soon, a small hole was knocked out in the ice shell on the surface, and a white mist immediately emerged from the hole below.

The thickness of this ice shell was a little thicker than everyone expected, about four or five centimeters. The old man applied force evenly with his hands, and after knocking a hole, the rest of the ice shell shattered and collapsed without breaking the balance.

“Brother, why is there smoke coming out of the cave!” Xiao Tao asked curiously when he saw white mist coming out.

“The temperature down there is higher than up there, so the gas comes out and naturally forms fog. This is a normal phenomenon! Stop making a fuss and look at what Uncle Wu is doing next.”

Yue Feng gave a warning, his eyes still fixed on the front.

Wu Keji felt the thickness of the ice with his hand and moved to the side carefully.

Change position and repeat the same technique to continue drilling holes.

After completing a few holes in a row, he tapped the leg gouge a few times with the back of the handle.

Five or six holes connected to form a rough circle, breaking the balance of the originally fragile structure, and soon the entire ice shell was knocked off.

Without the obstruction of the ice shell, the icy cotton-like “football” floating below looks more real.

Wu Keji took a closer look and was overjoyed.

After searching for a long time, it was finally found without any effort. In the middle of the ice-cotton-like “football”, there lay a toad about the same size as an ordinary female leopard.

“Xiao Feng, go to the cellar and assemble the scoop net on the No. 3 horse sled and bring it over!!”

“Ah? Good! Did you find it?” Yue Feng responded and asked with concern.

“I’m not sure yet, but there’s something down there. Go get the landing net! Remember to use a small net loop and a net bag with fine mesh!”

“Okay, I’ll get it right away! Please be careful!”

Yue Feng immediately turned around, stretched out his long legs and ran straight to the cellar.

Running back to the cellar panting, Yue Feng suppressed the impulse in his heart, found the pile of supplies pulled by Horse No. 3, and quickly dug out the scoop net he had brought up the mountain.

Put a dense net bag on the net circle and insert a one and a half meter long elm stick, and the handmade scoop net is assembled.

When preparing to go back, Yue Feng suddenly had an idea and picked up the black rubber bucket next to him.

If the Moon-Gazing Frog you are looking for is really under the crevasse, you can’t just hold it in your hands after you fish it out. It’s more appropriate to put it in a bucket!
Soon, Yue Feng came back panting and carrying his equipment.

Everyone was still walking. Grandpa Wu moved slightly sideways by about half a meter, making room behind him so that his body would not block the moonlight from the sky.

“Uncle, here you go!!” Yue Feng handed over the scoop net.

Wu Keji reached out to take the scoop net, then scooped up the ice cotton ball in the water.

The net went into the water, the puck went in, and everything seemed normal. But when it was being pulled up, something unusual happened.

When the ice cotton ball, which seemed quite solid, was lifted up in the net bag, a lot of it leaked out through the gaps in the net bag.

The toad that had been lying there motionless also moved!

(End of this chapter)