SWNOVELXO Chapter 5: 5
The cold snow soaked Mark's clothes, making him feel bone-chilling cold. He shuddered, rubbed his frozen hands, and exhaled a breath of white air. The wind and snow were still raging, and the sky and the earth were all white, with extremely low visibility. He squinted his eyes and tried to identify the direction.
"We must find a place to shelter from the wind." Mark whispered to himself, and his voice was torn into pieces by the howling wind and snow. He looked around and vaguely saw a towering object in the distance, looming in the wind and snow.
"Radio tower?" Mark had a glimmer of hope in his heart. He had seen a map of the nearby area on the plane, and a radio tower was marked on the map. If he could get there, he might be able to send a distress signal.
Mark trudged through the wind and snow, and the snow was over his knees, making it very difficult to walk. Every step was as heavy as if it was filled with lead, but he didn't dare to stop. He knew that once he stopped, he might never be able to stand up again. The wind and snow slapped his face mercilessly, making it almost impossible for him to open his eyes. He could only move forward step by step by feeling. The biting cold wind cut across his cheek like a knife, leaving a burning pain. His eyelashes were covered with frost, and his vision became more blurred.
He walked for about two hours according to the mark on the map, and the towering radio tower finally appeared clearly in his sight. The steel skeleton of the tower was covered with ice and snow, standing like a huge ice sculpture in the wind and snow.
"Finally here!" Mark was ecstatic, he quickened his pace and ran towards the radio tower. When he ran to the bottom of the tower, he found that the tower door was closed and a heavy iron lock was hung on it.
Mark took out a multi-purpose tool knife from his backpack, and the blade reflected a cold light. He pried it a few times with the knife, but the iron lock did not move. He changed the angle and pried it again, and heard a "click" sound, and the iron lock broke.
He pushed open the tower door, and a damp metal smell came to his face. There is a simple staircase in the tower leading to the top of the tower. Mark took a deep breath and began to climb up the ladder.
The snow on the ladder was very thick and slippery, so Mark had to be extra careful. He held the handrail of the ladder tightly with both hands and climbed up step by step. The wind and snow poured in from the gaps in the tower, making a sharp whistling sound, as if to blow him off the ladder.
The climbing process was extremely difficult, and Mark's hands and feet were already numb from the cold, but he still persisted. He knew that this was his only hope. He gritted his teeth and continued to climb up.
Finally, he climbed to the top of the tower. There was a small control room on the top of the tower, and the door of the control room was also closed. Mark pried open the door of the control room with tools.
The control room was very cold, and the air was filled with a damp and moldy smell. There was a radio device in the center of the room, and the device was covered with a thin layer of frost.
Mark walked to the radio device, checked the device, and found that the device was intact and could work normally. He was ecstatic and quickly connected the device to the power supply.
After the device was started, Mark began to try to send a distress signal to the outside world. "This is Mark Westwood. I'm in a plane crash and I need help! My location is..." He repeated the distress message over and over again, anxiously waiting for a reply.
Time passed by minute by minute, and there was only rustling noise in the radio equipment, and no response. Mark's heart gradually sank. Could it be that no one could really receive his signal?
Just when he was about to despair, a clear voice suddenly came from the radio equipment: "This is the Arctic expedition team. We received your distress signal. Please let us know your specific location and situation."
"This is Mark Westwood! I..." Mark was so excited that he could hardly speak. He quickly told the expedition team his location and situation.
"Mr. Mark, please stay calm, we will send someone to rescue immediately." The voice of the expedition team was steady and powerful, which gave Mark great comfort.
Mark put down the radio equipment and slumped on the ground with a sense of relief. He raised his head and looked at the sky outside the window that was gradually clearing up, and his heart was full of gratitude. He knew that he was saved. He closed his eyes, feeling the joy of surviving the disaster, waiting for the rescue. He leaned against the cold wall weakly, slowly slid to the ground, and closed his eyes tiredly.
Mark trembled his lips and said intermittently: "I am... 71 degrees north latitude... near 98 degrees west longitude... My plane lost control and crashed... I have been trapped here for two days..." As he spoke, he wiped the ice on his face with his hands, took a deep breath, and continued: "I... I need food and water... My leg is injured..."
"Mr. Mark, we have recorded your location information," the expedition team replied, "Please stay calm and try to save your energy. We will send a helicopter to pick you up as soon as possible. Can you move?"
Mark moved his somewhat stiff legs, and the pain made him gasp. "I can... but my legs are injured and I move slowly." He held the table with his hands and tried to stand up, but the pain in his legs forced him to sit down again.
"Understood," the expedition team said, "We will inform the rescuers of your situation. To ensure the smooth progress of the rescue, please describe your surroundings and the specific situation of the radio tower."
Mark looked around and tried to keep himself awake. "I... I am in the control room of a radio tower," he pointed out the window, "outside is a snowfield... The radio tower is very high, about... about fifty meters... The tower is red, and there is a... a round platform on the top..." His voice became weaker and weaker, and his breathing became more rapid.
"Okay, Mr. Mark, we have understood the situation," the expedition team responded, "Please keep the radio open and wait for our further instructions."
"Thank you..." Mark spit out these two words weakly, and he felt his eyelids getting heavier and heavier. He struggled to stay awake, but fatigue and cold made him unable to resist. He leaned against the cold wall and slowly closed his eyes.
The lights in the control room flickered, and the radio equipment came with the communication between the expedition team and the rescue helicopter. Outside the window, the wind and snow were still howling, but the sky was gradually clearing up.