I returned to my hometown after winning the koi lottery.

The snow was falling heavily, and the sky and the earth seemed to be covered by a thick white curtain. The earth was covered in silver and there was a dead silence.

Sister Xiao Tao suddenly woke up in a bone-chilling cold. She felt that the cold was like countless tiny ice needles, penetrating her body without a single pore, and her teeth were chattering from the cold.

"Is the air conditioner broken?" She muttered subconsciously. In this confused moment, she thought she was just in her warm home and had encountered an air conditioner failure.

However, when she struggled to open her eyes, the scene before her made her open her eyes wide in horror.

A tattered shack appeared in her sight. The roof was full of holes and snowflakes were falling in through the gaps.

"How is this going?"

A strong sense of uneasiness surged in her heart, "Is this a test from the system?"

As someone who has been immersed in various virtual games and system tasks for a long time, she instinctively guessed that this might be a difficult problem thrown by a mysterious system.

But at this moment, the cruel reality did not allow her to think too much.

The cold air that hit her face was like a ferocious beast, constantly biting her body.

From the waist down, especially the tattered shoes, could hardly provide any protection for her feet. Her toes were numb from the cold, as if they were pricked by countless tiny ice spikes. The feeling of gradually losing consciousness made her panic.

She hurriedly got up from the cold ground and looked around anxiously.

The shack is not very spacious. Roughly speaking, it can accommodate five or six people to rest.

But the strange thing was that the shack was deserted at this moment, with only her alone.

The shack was leaking everywhere, and the howling cold wind was like a sharp whistle, pouring in from every gap.

If she hadn't been covered with those tattered clothes and quilts, although they were thin and torn, they at least served to keep out the wind and cold. I'm afraid Sister Tao would have frozen to death in her sleep.

Sister Xiaotao couldn't help but shudder, she thought of the famous fairy tale "The Little Match Girl".

That poor little girl also froze to death on the street on such a cold winter night, suffering from hunger and cold.

And my current situation doesn't seem to be any better.

"No, I can't just sit there and wait for death."

Sister Xiaotao gritted her teeth and secretly encouraged herself.

She knew very well that in such a desperate situation, the only way to survive was to remain calm and actively seek a way out.

She began to look around the shack carefully, hoping to find some useful clues.

In the corner of the shack, there were some tattered miscellaneous items piled up, including several wooden sticks of different lengths that looked like they were used to support the shack, as well as some rags and miscellaneous items.

Sister Tao walked over, squatted down, and rummaged through the sundries. Suddenly, her hand touched something hard, and when she took it out, she saw that it was a rusty knife.

Although the blade is a bit blunt, it is still a usable tool.

She held the knife tightly, as if holding on to a glimmer of hope.

She stood up and began to think about what to do next.

First of all, the most urgent thing is to find a way to warm yourself up. Otherwise, even if you find a way out, you will not be able to escape due to hypothermia.

Sister Xiaotao decided to use the existing materials to build a fire in the shack.

She tore the rags into small pieces, found some dry grass, and piled them together with sticks.

Then she took the knife and rubbed it vigorously on a stone, trying to create sparks. One, two, three...

Her hands trembled slightly from the cold and the effort, but she never gave up.

Finally, after countless attempts, a spark splashed onto the dry grass. Slowly, the dry grass began to smoke, and then a small flame ignited.

Sister Xiaotao carefully protected the hard-earned flame and blew gently on it. Slowly, the flame grew bigger and bigger, and warmth began to spread in the shack.

She moved closer to the fire, feeling the long-lost warmth, and her body gradually regained some consciousness.

With the guarantee of warmth, Sister Xiaotao began to think about where she was and how to leave.

She recalled that in previous games and system tasks, when she encountered difficulties, she always found a way out by looking for clues and solving puzzles.

Then, there must be some clues hidden in this shack.

She looked carefully at every corner of the shack again, and suddenly, she found some strange symbols and marks on the walls of the shack.

These symbols look like some kind of ancient writing, or like random graffiti, but Sister Xiao Tao firmly believes that they must have special meanings.

She picked up a charred stick and copied the symbols and marks, trying to find a pattern.

After some research, she discovered that the symbols seemed to form a simple map.

There was a direction marked on the map, pointing north of the shack.

Sister Xiaotao thought that maybe if she walked in this direction, she would be able to find a way out of here.

However, the heavy snow outside continued to fall, and the cold weather was a huge challenge for her.

She knew that she had to be fully prepared before setting off.

She rearranged the rags and old clothes and tied them around her body with ropes to add as much warmth as possible.

He found a larger piece of rag and wrapped it around his feet, treating it as a pair of simple shoes.

Everything was ready. Sister Xiaotao took a deep breath, picked up the rusty knife, and walked out of the shack.

The world outside was covered in white, and the strong wind blew snowflakes in her face, making it almost impossible for her to open her eyes.

She walked forward with difficulty according to the direction marked on the map.

Every step she took required tremendous effort, as the snow was so deep it often reached above her knees.

The cold air stung her lungs, and her exhaled breath instantly condensed into white mist in front of her.

But Sister Xiaotao has only one belief in her heart, which is to survive and find a way to leave here.

As she walked, she suddenly noticed a vague figure in front of her.

The figure was looming in the snow, like a person walking with difficulty.

Sister Xiaotao was delighted, thinking that perhaps this person could help her or provide her with some useful information.

She quickened her pace and chased after the figure.

As she got closer, she realized that it was an old man in tattered clothes.

The old man's face was covered with wrinkles, and his eyes revealed fatigue and confusion.

Sister Xiao Tao walked forward and asked politely, "Old man, do you know where this is? How do I get out of here?"

The old man slowly raised his head, glanced at her, and said in a hoarse voice, "This is a wasteland of ice and snow. Few people can get out alive. Child, you'd better go back and don't go any further, otherwise you will die in vain."

Sister Xiaotao felt a tightness in her heart, but she had no intention of giving up.

She said firmly, "Old man, I can't give up. I must find a way out. Can you tell me something about this place?"

The old man sighed and said, "This wasteland is shrouded in a mysterious force and is full of dangers. Many people have tried to cross it, but most have disappeared. However, I heard that in the center of the wasteland, there is an ancient castle that holds the key to unlocking all these mysteries. But reaching it is not easy. Along the way, there is not only bad weather but also all kinds of ferocious beasts."

After hearing this, Xiao Tao felt a glimmer of hope. She said to the old man, "Thank you for telling me this. I'm willing to give it a try."

The old man looked at her determined eyes, shook his head helplessly, and said, "Since you have made up your mind, I won't persuade you any more. Child, you have to be careful." After that, the old man turned around and slowly left, disappearing in the vast snow fog.

Sister Xiaotao continued to move towards the north, and she encountered many difficulties along the way.

She accidentally fell into a snow pit and took a lot of effort to climb out.

She encountered a hungry wolf, which pounced on her with bloodshot eyes and a bloody mouth.

In a panic, Sister Xiaotao took out the rusty knife and started a desperate fight with the wolf.

She used all her strength to stab the wolf's eyes. The wolf felt pain and ran away howling.

After several days and nights of arduous journey, Sister Xiaotao finally arrived at the center of the wilderness.

A magnificent and ancient castle appeared before her eyes.

The castle gate was closed and a mysterious atmosphere filled the air.

Sister Xiaotao walked forward and pushed the door, but it didn't move.

She looked closely at the gate and found a groove in it that matched the shape of a strange stone she had found in the shack.

She took out the stone and put it into the groove. With a "click", the door slowly opened.

Sister Xiao Tao walked into the castle, which was dark and gloomy, and filled with a smell of decay.

She walked carefully, and suddenly, she heard a strange sound, like someone crying, or the humming of some mysterious creature.

She gripped the knife tightly in her hand and looked around vigilantly.