"..."
Su Yuan was stunned. If he had realized earlier, why bother building a snow house? Wouldn't it have been easier to just dig a pit under the snow with a few shovels?
However, on second thought, there was still a risk of collapse—especially if Shi Shi were the one digging. Since there was still time, building a snow house was the safer option.
"Su Yuan, what should we do?"
The remaining Beast Girls also walked over. Su Yuan thought for a moment, then said:
"Cat Night, you and White Rabbit go look for wood and branches nearby."
"Fox Nine, come with me and stack the snow bricks in a circle like this."
"Okay, Cat Night understands! I'll take White Rabbit to gather branches!"
White Rabbit actually wanted to stay, but before she could say anything, Cat Night had already pulled her away. Fox Nine took the snow bricks Shi Shi handed her and began stacking them, imitating Su Yuan.
"Su Yuan, won't a house made of snow be cold?"
As the structure neared completion, Fox Nine looked at the small, white, dome-shaped house with confusion. Wouldn't living in a snow house freeze them solid?
"Don't worry, it will be very warm inside. Shi Shi, that's enough—you can come back now!"
The three gathered outside the snow house. The dark clouds in the sky were drawing closer—the blizzard was about to arrive.
"Why haven't Cat Night and the others come back yet? Did something happen to them?"
Su Yuan looked around anxiously, but the falling snow blocked his view.
"No, they'll be fine. Cat Night may not be strong, but she's very fast. No one can catch her."
Just as Fox Nine finished speaking, Cat Night's excited voice rang out from afar:
"I'm back!"
Cat Night and White Rabbit came running over, covered in snow. Even White Rabbit had a faint, awkward smile on her face.
Especially her small belly—it was bulging and swaying as she walked.
"White Rabbit found a lot of fruit! We just gathered some and brought them back."
Cat Night dropped the bundle of branches and pulled open White Rabbit's clothes—several red fruits rolled out.
"You must be freezing!"
Ignoring the fruit, Su Yuan stepped forward and placed his hand gently on White Rabbit's stomach. As expected—it was ice cold.
No wonder she had been acting strange earlier.
"So warm…"
White Rabbit felt the warmth of his hand. It wasn't particularly warm, but compared to her freezing body, it felt comforting.
"Quick, put the fruit away! The ice god is coming!"
The distant storm surged forward, snow swirling wildly. The blizzard swallowed everything in sight. Fox Nine and Shi Shi quickly gathered the scattered fruit.
"Alright, everyone—get into the snow house!"
Despite her fragile appearance, White Rabbit had endured something most people couldn't. Carrying ice-cold fruit against her body like that could have killed her.
One by one, the Beast Girls crawled into the snow house, bringing the wood and fruit with them. When Shi Shi was about to enter, she handed the entrenching tool back to Su Yuan.
"This is very sharp."
Her face showed reluctance, but she still returned it. It was far sharper than her bone knife—something only large tribes might possess.
"Alright, get inside quickly."
Su Yuan took the tool. At the moment, it would be more useful to him.
"Mm."
Shi Shi's build was much stronger than the others—especially her chest, which made entering the small opening difficult.
"Su Yuan, can you push me from behind?"
Half of her body was stuck, and her voice came out muffled from inside.
"Still too small… I really underestimated Shi Shi."
Su Yuan glanced at the approaching blizzard and hurried over. Her long legs were still outside, her thighs wrapped in hide, but her strong, fair calves were exposed.
"So smooth…"
As he grabbed her leg, he noticed how smooth it felt—but also how cold. Her muscles were tense from the freezing air.
"I'm going to push!"
He held both her legs and pushed. Inside, the others pulled as well.
Soon, Shi Shi was finally inside.
"Are we sealing the entrance with snow?"
Su Yuan stayed near the entrance, leaving his upper body outside. One snow block wasn't enough to close it.
"Shi Shi, let me use the hide wrapped around your thighs."
Inside the dark shelter, Shi Shi immediately untied it and handed it over. The hide was still warm. As she pressed close in the cramped space, Su Yuan's thoughts almost wandered—
"If you keep thinking nonsense, you'll freeze to death."
He shook his head, secured the hide over the entrance with branches, and packed snow around it.
"Alright. Shi Shi, are you cold?"
"It's fine. It's much warmer inside."
Darkness filled the shelter. Five people squeezed into the small space—it was cramped, and Su Yuan couldn't even tell who was pressed against him.
Grrr…
"I… I'm hungry…"
White Rabbit spoke weakly. In the darkness, Fox Nine fumbled around and handed her a fruit.
"Everyone move to the back. Cat Night, give me the branches."
"Mm! Su Yuan, where are you?"
"Here."
In the darkness, hands brushed against each other. Suddenly, Su Yuan touched something soft and furry—like a plush toy.
"Ah!"
A soft cry echoed.
Su Yuan quickly pulled his hand back, though he couldn't tell whose voice it was. The size… felt like Shi Shi, but she didn't seem like the type to react like that.
"Su Yuan, I'm coming!"
Cat Night appeared, holding branches.
Now wasn't the time to think about that. He needed light—otherwise, more awkward moments would happen… though it had felt surprisingly nice.
"Alright, stand behind me."
Breaking the branches into smaller pieces, Su Yuan searched his backpack and found his windproof lighter. Luckily, he had been hiking when he was transported here—otherwise, survival would have been much harder.
Wait… didn't he have a system?
No—deal with that later.
After fumbling for a moment, he finally found the lighter.
Click.
A small flame appeared.
At last, the interior of the snow house lit up—and he could clearly see everyone.