Chapter 179: Snow Mountain (4) |
While the people in the hall discussed the situation all at once, Everly wasn’t idle either.
Holding a cup in her hands, she sipped her milk while quietly observing everyone present.
At this point, she had every reason to suspect that she had stumbled into a classic “Closed Circle of Suspects” thriller scenario—
A sudden avalanche, communication cut off from the outside world, and a group of people trapped inside a lodge… With all these elements stacked together, it would almost be a waste of the disaster if it didn’t lead to a series of murders!
So what would happen next inside the lodge? A revenge killing? Or would they be trapped on the mountain for too long, leading to conflict over limited supplies—until people turned on each other, losing their humanity and fighting over food?
After observing everyone, Everly felt both possibilities were equally likely.
The lodge might be small, but it housed quite a few guests. Aside from Everly’s group of four, the middle-aged couple, and the front desk clerk, there were eight other guests in the hall.
And each of those eight seemed like they had a story.
The first guest was the man with glasses. From the moment he appeared, he had been sitting by the fireplace reading a book. He dressed like an old-fashioned gentleman. Though not very old, he carried a calm, profound demeanor—and he also had a strikingly handsome face. In a movie, someone like him would either be the protagonist… or the main villain.
Among them, one of the boys was tall and well-built, with decent looks, but his mannerisms had a slightly roguish, greasy edge. One of the girls wore designer brands and always held her chin high, appearing arrogant. In contrast, the other two seemed timid and submissive, with little presence. It was obvious at a glance who held power in the group—and who didn’t.
Connected to that second group of guests was the older, short and stout man. Whenever the four young people discussed something, they would occasionally consult him, and there was a faint sense that he was their leader.
That left the final two guests: a hot-tempered red-haired young man, and a delicate-looking blonde woman. There was something odd about them as well.
When they stood together, they stood shoulder to shoulder, their body language intimate. The man would unconsciously wrap an arm around the woman’s waist. At first glance, they seemed to have a good relationship—but on closer observation, each time the man held her, the woman’s body would stiffen slightly, even trying to pull away.
…
Even from a brief observation, Everly had already noticed more than one subtle tension among the guests. She felt there was a high chance that conflicts—and even infighting—would break out later.
If this were a movie, she would have gladly grabbed some snacks and drinks and watched everything unfold from the sidelines. But unfortunately, she had walked straight onto the set and become part of the film herself.
No matter what stories these people carried, or how events might develop, for her own safety, she would do everything she could to keep the situation within manageable limits.
With that thought, Everly leaned across the table and exchanged a look with Old John.
Receiving his granddaughter’s signal, Old John—who had long been prepared—gave a subtle nod. He set down his cup, stood up, and clapped his hands to draw everyone’s attention, gesturing for calm.
“Everyone, listen to me. There’s no need to panic. The situation you’re worried about won’t happen—because when we set out, just in case, we brought a satellite phone.”
“A satellite phone? What’s that? Can it really connect us to the outside world?”
“Yes. Unless we encounter extreme weather, a satellite phone can still connect to the outside world even in remote mountains… Everly, could you go to my room and bring the satellite phone from my luggage?” As he spoke, Old John took out a room key card from his pocket.
“Got it!” Everly replied crisply. She took the key card, left the hall, and jogged upstairs.
Back in the hall, Old John continued speaking.
“Once we have the satellite phone, we’ll call 911 and inform them that there are still fifteen people trapped at Yomoor Lodge. However, before the phone is brought over, it would be best for us to take stock of the lodge’s food and fuel supplies, and plan how to use them over the next few days…”
“If we can contact rescue right away, isn’t it unnecessary to go through the trouble of inventorying supplies?” the short, stout man suddenly interrupted.
Old John didn’t get angry. His tone remained calm and unhurried, like he was patiently explaining something to an inexperienced junior:
“Because rescue resources are limited. Right now, compared to us—who have food and shelter—the people buried under the snow at Pence Ski Resort clearly need urgent help more. I believe the rescue teams may ask us to hold out on the mountain for a while. That’s why I suggested checking our supplies. On one hand, we need a clear understanding of what we have and plan our consumption for the coming days. On the other hand, the rescue team will likely need this information when we contact them.”
“I see…”
“That makes sense.”
“The old gentleman is right.”
As soon as he finished speaking, aside from the stout man—who looked a bit embarrassed and displeased—everyone else showed agreement.
“Since the phone isn’t here yet, let’s go check the kitchen and storage first,” the lodge owner, Joshua, suggested.
No one objected.
So, led by the middle-aged couple, the group moved together in a large procession toward the kitchen located in the western corner of the first floor.
When the last figure disappeared through the kitchen doorway, no one noticed a slender shadow flicker silently across the staircase in the middle of the corridor…
Following the lodge owners, everyone proceeded to take inventory of the food and fuel in the kitchen, cold storage, and utility room.
The lodge was currently in peak season. To avoid food shortages and guest dissatisfaction, the owners had stocked up well in advance. If meals were served normally three times a day, the supplies could feed the fifteen people for about five days. If portions were strictly controlled—not aiming for balanced nutrition or variety, but simply meeting basic survival needs with a little extra—it could last eight to nine days.
Compared to food, fuel was more limited.
Recently, with many guests staying and the mountain climate being extremely cold, the lodge’s boiler had to run 24 hours a day, distributing heat to every room through pipes.
The boiler ran on diesel, and the supply was already running low. Joshua had originally planned to restock in a couple of days, but the avalanche had struck today instead.
Fortunately, aside from the boiler, the lodge also had fireplaces and a large stack of firewood.
If they lowered their living standards—reducing boiler usage, relying on wood-burning fireplaces during the day, and only running the boiler for two to three hours at night—it should last six to seven days.
If absolutely necessary, they could even collect gasoline from the cars outside and use it for heating.
Looking at it this way, if they were careful, everyone could survive here for at least a week.
Hearing this estimate, the people in the hall visibly relaxed.
Tap, tap—just then, the sound of quick footsteps echoed.
Everyone turned to look and saw Everly hurrying downstairs, holding the satellite phone, breathing heavily as she rushed toward them.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry—I mixed up the password for my grandfather’s lockbox and spent ages trying it there… Did I keep everyone waiting?” Everly blinked and put on an innocent, clueless expression, offering the group in the hall an apologetic smile.
“No, no, we just finished here too.”
“So this is a satellite phone—I’ve never seen one before.”
People were always more willing to show kindness to someone who looked good. Even though Everly had been a bit slow and disorganized, now that she had brought the phone back, everyone’s attitude toward her remained friendly.
After handing the satellite phone to Old John, Everly stepped aside and smoothly resumed her role as a harmless, empty-headed pretty girl.
Then, under everyone’s expectant gaze, Old John dialed 911.
As expected—just as they had feared—the rescue forces composed of firefighters, police, and the National Guard had only just managed to assemble. They were currently preparing to depart, with their target set at the ski resort at the base of the mountain.
As for this lodge, located less than two kilometers away from the resort—sorry, but no one had even realized there were stranded people here who needed rescue.
On the call, the operator recorded the number of people trapped and their physical conditions, stating that they would immediately contact the rescue teams. If necessary, the rescuers would call back using this satellite phone, so it must be kept available at all times.
After hanging up, all that was left to do was wait.
The lodge owner’s wife, Layla, called Minny from the front desk and went with her to prepare food for everyone. From their conversation, Minny seemed to be the daughter of the owners, here to help during the holiday—a family that appeared to be on very good terms.
Meanwhile, to conserve fuel, Joshua followed Old John’s suggestion and went into the boiler room to shut down the heating system.
Without central heating, the entire snow mountain lodge quickly began to cool down. Only the hall, where the fireplace was still burning, retained some warmth.
To wait for the rescue team’s call, no one left. Everyone stayed in the hall, sitting on the sofas and warming themselves by the fire.
Everly’s group of four shared one sofa. The short, stout man and the middle-aged couple sat across from them. The four student-like individuals squeezed onto another sofa, while the man with glasses, somewhat aloof, chose not to sit with anyone—he leaned by the window, quietly reading his book.
With no phone signal, there wasn’t much to do but wait. The stout man took the lead, and everyone began the classic round of introductions.
According to his introduction, the stout man was named Samuel, a professor of botany at a university. The four people with him were his graduate students. This trip to Mount Nathanjoya was for researching the ecology of the mountain’s snow pine forests.
“Professor Samuel is very famous in botanical circles,” the roguish-looking student Daniel added. “He made a major breakthrough in the artificial cultivation of cushion plants—his paper was even published in the Proceedings of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences!”
The girl dressed in designer brands, Fatima, chimed in flatteringly, “That’s right. Thanks to his research achievements in protecting endangered desert plants, the professor was also elected as the president-elect of the American Society of Plant Biologists. Once the current president steps down, he’ll take over.”
Hearing his students’ praise, a trace of barely concealed pride appeared on Samuel’s plump face.
Unfortunately, the others present didn’t really understand any of it.
Things like the Proceedings of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences or the American Society of Plant Biologists sounded impressive enough—but that was as far as it went. As outsiders, they couldn’t fully grasp just how significant those achievements were, so their reactions to Samuel were rather lukewarm.
After a round of perfunctory “mm-hmm”s and “oh, I see,” the introductions continued.
Next up were the couple with the strange, uneasy dynamic.
The boyfriend was the red-haired young man named Jones. The blonde woman beside him was Hilda. The two worked at the same company—an office romance—and had only recently confirmed their relationship. Jones had already planned a skiing trip for the Christmas holiday back in July and booked the Yomoor Snow Mountain Lodge. After they became a couple, they simply decided to spend the holiday there together.
Next was the bespectacled man who had struck Everly as rather mysterious. He introduced himself as Lucas, a freelancer who had come to the mountain to relax.
When it was Old John’s group’s turn, to avoid unnecessary trouble, the old man simply said he had brought his granddaughter and her friends along for a skiing trip.
“Then why would you carry a satellite phone with you?” Lucas suddenly set down his book, his sharp gaze fixed directly on Old John. “Forgive me for being blunt, but this kind of specialized equipment isn’t something an ordinary person would spend money on.”
If you know it’s rude, then don’t ask…
Everly didn’t like his interrogative, almost accusatory tone. The slight goodwill she had felt toward Lucas because of his looks vanished instantly.
Old John, being older, was more tolerant of younger people. Even under such a scrutinizing gaze, he didn’t show any displeasure. Still, he clearly had no intention of revealing his identity in full, so he answered vaguely:
“Because this is a snow mountain, and mobile signals are often unreliable. So I brought along things I thought might be useful.”
Lucas stared at the old man’s frost-dusted face for a moment, his gaze trailing down along Old John’s sturdy arms before lingering on his large, calloused hands. After a brief silence, he nodded.
“I understand. My apologies—I can be overly curious at times.”
Old John just smiled and said nothing more.
It seemed like the matter would end there, but unexpectedly, after observing Old John, Lucas shifted his gaze toward Everly and the other two beside her.
“And these three…?”
Beep, beep!
At that moment, the satellite phone on the coffee table rang.
Everyone had been waiting for the rescue team’s callback. Instantly, all eyes turned toward the phone.