Just as Evan Chu was talking with Luna, the Sword Spirit, a voice suddenly called out: "Look over there, what a huge snowball! Could Evan be inside that snowball?"
It was Jenny Sima’s voice—only she called him Evan. Macy Mei, the Violet Thunder Fox, always called him Boss, while Goldwing the Golden Vulture spoke with a man's voice.
Evan wanted to shout, but Luna stopped him. "Don’t rush. Since they’ve spotted the snowball, they’ll come over. Even if you call out now, they might not hear you."
"Seriously? I can hear them just fine, so why can’t they hear me?" Evan asked, confused.
"If you don’t believe me, try it yourself. See if I’m lying to you," Luna said.
Evan really did try to shout, but his voice seemed stuck in his throat—it couldn’t come out at all.
"What’s going on?" Evan asked, puzzled.
"Your lips have been frozen shut—didn’t you notice? Honestly, I’m speechless," Luna replied.
Only after Luna pointed it out did Evan realize his mouth really couldn’t open.
Jenny, Macy, and Goldwing arrived in front of the giant snowball where Evan was trapped. "No way Boss is inside this thing, right?" Goldwing said.
"Can't you sense anything? You're hopeless, honestly." Macy said, shaking her head.
"I really can't sense anything. Boss feels both far and close at the same time—I can't explain it." Goldwing said, sounding frustrated.
"Dead goldfeathers, quit messing with us! This snowball's huge, and you're saying you don't know? If anything happens to Evan, I'll pluck every feather off you!" Macy snapped.
Evan could hear Macy's voice and almost wanted to laugh. "This little fox is gutsy—she even dares to threaten Goldwing. Not bad, Macy!" he thought.
Luna, unimpressed, retorted, "Can you keep your thoughts clean for once? Why is your brain always full of this nonsense?"
"Don't get it twisted. Goldwing's a flying beast, so of course his feathers are bird feathers. What, you think they're chicken feathers or rabbit fur?" Evan muttered defensively.
Luna didn't respond. Evan figured she was probably rolling her eyes at him, but now that his rescue squad was here, he started feeling a little cocky—even though he'd been pretty hopeless just moments ago.
"Evan, Evan, are you in there?" Jenny Sima called out.
Evan couldn't speak, but he managed to let out a few muffled sounds from his throat. The noise wasn't loud, but if someone listened closely, they could hear him.
"Did you guys hear that? I think I heard something from inside!" Jenny exclaimed.
Goldwing laughed, "Jenny, are you sure you didn’t mishear? The wind’s howling up here, and you’ve got that purple barrier around you. If Boss was really inside, he’d be shouting his head off."
Evan heard Goldwing’s words and felt like coughing up blood. Damn that old bird—so sure of himself! When I get out of here, I swear I’ll pluck every feather off him, or I’ll never forgive myself.
"Boss, Boss, can you hear me? Say something—if you can’t talk, just make some noise!" Macy Mei pressed her ear to the snowball, listening intently.
If Evan could make noise, he would’ve done it ages ago! His throat kept making muffled sounds—not loud, but Macy caught them.
"I hear something inside! Boss is definitely in there! Goldwing, hurry up and dig him out!" Macy shouted, excitement in her voice.
Finally, Evan breathed a sigh of relief, thrilled. "Alex Xiao, you’re amazing! I love you!" he thought.
"Who do you love, huh? That little fox?" Luna immediately interrupted, sounding jealous.
"No, no, I was just excited, blurting things out!" Evan replied, but inside, he thought, Why’s Luna so worked up just because I said I love Alex Xiao? Is she jealous?
"If you keep daydreaming, I won’t mind giving you a taste of something truly unforgettable!" Luna threatened, her voice dark and dangerous.
Macy’s words snapped both Goldwing and Jenny to attention. "Foxy Macy, is Boss really in there?" Goldwing asked.
"Hurry up and dig! If anything happens to Boss, I’ll go after you!" Macy snapped angrily.
"Dig? What for? I’ll just smash it open with a punch!" Goldwing rolled his eyes at Macy, then swung his fist at the snowball.
Goldwing’s attack was fierce—his punch blew apart the five-meter-wide snowball, instantly revealing Evan’s frozen form inside.
"Evan!" "Boss!" "Big Brother!" The three shouted at once, clearly shaken and excited to see him.
Goldwing tried to grab Evan, but the instant his hand touched the ice, a bone-chilling cold shot through him. He yanked his hand back, shocked. "That’s freezing!"
Macy didn’t move at first, just stared at the ice encasing Evan. After a long moment, she said in awe, "Boss, you’re a real monster. Hit by Glacial Coldflame during Coldtide and you’re still alive—unbelievable."
"We need to get him out, Alex Xiao! Do you have any ideas?" Jenny asked anxiously. If not for the purple barrier, she’d have rushed in herself.
"I’ve got a way, but I’m not sure it’ll work. My power dropped a rank, so my violet lightning’s only about seventy percent as strong as before," Macy said.
Purple light flashed around Macy as she shifted into her true form, her body crackling with violet lightning.
Suddenly, she opened her mouth and spat a bolt of violet lightning straight at the ice encasing Evan.
Evan instantly felt a wave of tingling numbness and a bit of pain shoot through his whole body.
Jenny saw a tiny crack appear in the ice and shouted, "Go, Alex Xiao! It’s working!"
Macy kept blasting the ice with violet lightning, and the cracks spread faster and faster. Evan was almost free when the lightning suddenly stopped.
"Goldwing, it’s your turn. I’m out of lightning—I’ve burned through everything I’ve got!" Macy said tiredly, her purple glow fading.
"No problem. Leave the rest to me!" Goldwing declared. He shifted into his true form and flew low, fighting against the savage astral wind.
A flash of gold lit up his body as he fired volleys of golden feather-arrows, crackling against the ice.
The cracks widened with each barrage. After several rounds, Goldwing landed just as Evan finally began to stir.
Macy’s lightning had left Evan’s whole body numb, but the ice on his lips was gone and his hair was still smoking. Most importantly, he could move again.
Chaos Qi surged through Evan’s body. He roared, "Break for me! Break! Break!"
With a thunderous bang, a wild-haired, soot-black Evan burst out in front of everyone—alive, battered, and more defiant than ever.
[Author’s Note: Update delayed due to personal matters this afternoon. Thanks for your support—please keep voting and tipping!]
[Note: This line is not part of the story and can be skipped in the final translation.]