"Hoo, hold on tight..." Feeling Xiaoya's nervousness, Jiang Hai grabbed her hand and placed it firmly on the upper right handle.
He knew it was too late to turn back to town now. On such a snowy day, with the storm worsening, his car wouldn't be faster than these deer. Instead of trying to lead them into town, it was better to take a chance and push forward.
In a narrow road confrontation, the brave usually win—at least that's what Jiang Hai believed. Looking at the deer blocking his path, he flicked on the headlights again and prepared to force his way through.
"Moo!" Despite being deer, that was the sound they made when calling. Responding to the call of the largest male deer, the herd surged toward Jiang Hai rapidly. Seeing them rush in, he pressed the accelerator harder.
His car and about thirty male deer were closing in fast. As the deer reached their top speed, Jiang Hai's car hit around 100 kilometers per hour. Bang! Bang! The first deer collided head-on with his car. Its hard antlers shattered his headlights instantly, but the impact also snapped the antlers clean off.
The deer's body was lifted and slammed heavily against Jiang Hai's windshield.
He noticed the glass was already covered in cracks...
But Jiang Hai didn't slow down—he accelerated. The deer had gone mad.
They no longer cared if he stopped or not; their only goal was to charge forward relentlessly.
Bloodthirsty, these deer were undeterred by anything in front of them—even if it were a Tyrannosaurus.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" The sounds of collisions echoed repeatedly, mixed with the distant screams of deer being knocked aside. But Jiang Hai remained unmoved. He knew that if he didn't fight back, he'd be dead.
In "Madonna mode," his morals wavered, but now, this was about survival. He had no machine gun, or else he wouldn't hesitate to take down every last one of them.
The impact force and sturdiness of his war shield were far beyond natural creatures. Even a polar bear wouldn't stand a chance against his car. So it didn't take long—ten or twenty seconds, maybe—before Jiang Hai realized he'd hit at least ten deer on the road.
Those that collided with his car were now gone.
The windshield was completely shattered. Deer blood smeared the glass, blocking his view. But he had to keep moving forward blindly—his only chance was to break out of the herd's encirclement.
He figured the remaining obstacles would be the female deer and fawns. Once past them, he could reach the manor.
Suddenly, a figure appeared alongside the car...
It was moving closer to Xiaoya inside. Panic surged through Jiang Hai, momentarily forgetting that his car was bulletproof.
"Watch out!" he shouted, stretching out a hand to shield Xiaoya's head just before a massive force struck.
The car, previously steady on the road, was shoved off course by the deer. The slippery snow didn't help. Regardless, the car was pushed out of the road, and Jiang Hai still couldn't see ahead. He couldn't let go of the accelerator or he'd be vulnerable to the deer's attack.
He had no idea how long the car could hold up. All he knew was that he had to break free from the herd's grip. Then came a sudden sensation of weightlessness.
He knew he was in trouble—the car had run off the road.
Sure enough, with a loud bang, the vehicle plunged down a dirt slope beside the road. The drop was about a meter deep, but the car, impressively sturdy, only shook—no serious damage.
It was still moving...
Jiang Hai tried to steer, but it was too late. The car veered again.
After ten more seconds, a black shadow flashed before him, followed by a deafening crash.
His mind barely registered it—maybe he'd hit a tree. Instantly, the airbag deployed.
The soft fabric exploded outward, striking his face with burning force, scalding him and knocking him unconscious. His ears buzzed and darkness closed in. Time lost meaning—minutes? Hours? He had no idea.
"Who..." Jiang Hai slowly stirred, clutching his throbbing forehead. He forced himself to stay calm and glanced at Xiaoya beside him.
She was unconscious too, her face flushed but breathing steady.
Relief washed over him, though she showed no signs of waking.
After several deep breaths, Jiang Hai regained some clarity and began assessing their situation. His face was no longer burning, but a cold draft blew through a gap in the shattered front glass.
Despite the damage, the car's glass had held remarkably well—no debris fell inside. Instead, the seal between the glass and the frame had broken, letting the cold wind in.
Worse still, the collision had destroyed the engine.
The antlers that had impaled the grille had pierced the metal housing and wrecked the engine block. Now the car couldn't start, and the smell of gasoline filled the cabin.
"I still have to get out..." Jiang Hai muttered. Though battered, the car was unlikely to explode immediately, unlike what happens in the movies. Still, he knew better than to take chances.
But where to go now? That was the real problem.
He glanced at his side window. Thankfully, it was intact. He rolled it down and peered outside—the wind and snowstorm raged on.
In the distance, a small house appeared faintly through the blizzard. Jiang Hai squinted, grateful for his sharp eyesight.
His phone had no signal, unsurprisingly, but the offline map was still functional.
He pulled up the map and confirmed his location—indeed, near a small house within the orchard of the Contley family from Winthrop Town. They sold fruit in town and maintained the orchard on this land. The small house served as a guard post.
Jiang Hai knew the family somewhat—not close, but friendly enough.
"Let's check it out," he said, moving his neck to ease stiffness. He unbuckled his seatbelt, then carefully unfastened Xiaoya's.
Gently, he called her name. He couldn't leave her alone in the car—if she fell asleep here, she might become a frozen statue by morning.
"Xiaoya... Xiaoya..." After a few seconds, her eyes fluttered open. Seeing Jiang Hai, she relaxed and scanned the dark surroundings.
"Are we safe?" she asked, voice tinged with numbness from the cold.
"Not yet. We're in the Contley orchard. We need to get to their hut for shelter," Jiang Hai said, glancing around.
Xiaoya nodded and stood up, but Jiang Hai stopped her.
He knew how serious the impact was. He'd taken time to calm down—so did she.
"Don't move yet. Wake up fully. I'll go find food and weapons, then open the door for you," he said.
He felt thankful—he'd packed some food just in case. Out here, it made all the difference.
He slung the food pack over his back and opened his side door.
Stepping out, he scanned the area—no immediate danger.
He walked to the back of the car. People often stored items there while driving in China or the U.S., especially weapons for self-defense.
Jiang Hai opened the trunk and pulled out a box from under the rear seat.
Inside were his AUG rifle and a satellite phone—taken for mountain excursions to avoid losing contact.
He pocketed the phone, then strapped it to his leg. Checking the rifle, he confirmed thirty full magazines.
Satisfied, he closed the trunk.
Approaching Xiaoya's door, he frowned.
The last deer attack had been from a large adult reindeer. Its strength was brutal—not only had it shattered the car window (though bulletproof), it also dented the car door heavily.
"Damn thing," Jiang Hai muttered, irritated at the deer king's presence. He forced the door open.
Xiaoya startled but relaxed when she saw him.
She stepped down cautiously and grabbed his arm, clearly shaken.
"Let's go!" Jiang Hai urged, touching her head gently.
They moved away, but after only a few steps...
"Hum... Hum..." Strange sounds whispered through the wind and snow behind them.
"Something's wrong!" Jiang Hai's senses screamed alarm. He tightened his grip on the gun and glanced back.
No night vision, no moon or stars tonight—only the swirling blizzard. But his instincts were sharp, heightened by the Dragon Ball's power. Danger was coming.
He pulled Xiaoya closer and told her to hold on to his clothes as they retreated slowly.
Jiang Hai turned on his phone's flashlight and tied it to his gun, trying to improve visibility.
Then he saw them—four deer emerging from the base of the hill.
"Who the hell are you!" he cursed silently.
The deer saw him too. Both sides bristled with hostility. Without hesitation, the deer charged.
"Pah!" Two quick shots rang out as Jiang Hai fired his AUG. No automatic fire—American civilian rifles didn't have full auto mode—so he pulled the trigger twice carefully.
Two bullets struck the heads of two deer, dropping them instantly.
But the remaining two lowered their sharp antlers and aimed straight at Jiang Hai!
(To be continued.)