The Death Knell

Ahead was a ridge, and even with the strong wind blowing snowflakes everywhere, the rugged terrain could still be distinguished.

The sleds and supplies can only be left where they are, and everyone needs to hike up the mountain.

It took almost two hours for the team to reach the short three-mile journey. When Witwicky approached the pathfinder dogs, the two puppies just kept walking in circles on the snow, heading towards the circle they stepped on. Central barked.

He knelt down and touched the dog's neck. The thick fur was equally cold, transmitted to his palm through his gloves.

"Children, there won't be anything alive under the ice. What did you find?"

But he accidentally walked into the circle made by the puppies, and with the crisp sound of the ice cracking, he fell downwards.

Suddenly it was like falling into an abyss, and he felt like he was finished.

There are countless bodies buried in the crevices of the glacier, and today he will be one of them.

However, his fate was different from that of the ancients. He only fell two or three meters before he felt his body hit the ground. Although his whole body was in severe pain, at least he was still alive.

But as he sat up with a grin on his face, he found that he was caught by a huge monster. He fell right into the palm of the monster, and below was an abyss.

The monster's whole body was covered with ice and snow, and the crystal clear ice kept it with its five fingers pointing upward, as if it had been holding something in its palm.

But as the sun set from above, Witwicky discovered that the ice was wrapped in a silver metal that he had never seen before. A metal giant with fangs was emerging from the iceberg with a ferocious look.

Although it remained motionless, its huge window-like eyes seemed to still be staring at him.

"Oh, God......"

"Captain! Captain! Are you okay?" The voices of the team members came from above.

"I'm fine, boys!"

Witwicky climbed up and picked up the ice-breaking pick he had dropped. He planned to remove the ice layer on the monster and see it more clearly.

This monster is completely made of metal. Are its fangs used for eating? He thought he had discovered something extraordinary.

But as his ice ax fell, the monster's eyes suddenly glowed with a strong red light, and the entire cave was illuminated red.

"ah!"

Witwicky fell softly to the ground. He felt that he could not see anything. The stimulation of the bright light caused him to fall into temporary blindness.

However, his glasses fell to the ice and were engraved with patterns invisible to humans.

............................

Time returns to the present, the United States, the suburbs of Tranquilliti, the urban expansion area.

This is not a slum, but it is not a residential area for the rich either. The people living in this community are basically ordinary working-class people who earn relatively little.

At this time, in a house on the roadside, a young man, Sam, was checking his 'ebuy' account in front of the computer. He wanted to sell some things he found in the garage.

For example, a pair of silver candlesticks from an unknown era; a jewelry box that might have been inlaid with gems but was just an ordinary wooden box at this time; and a Civil War-era scimitar that was so dull that it was no better than a file.

There is also a pair of glasses that was a relic of his great-great-grandfather, Witwicky.

No way, he is not a child from a rich family, and he can't earn pocket money by mowing his parents' lawn.

He is sixteen years old and has a girl he likes, but he has no money and can't even afford a drink. How can he talk to a girl?

So after getting his father's permission, he planned to sell some worthless 'antiques'. Unlike the previous flea market on the grass in front of his house, now is the Internet age.

Just take some photos, put them on the online trading platform, and enter the tempting introduction...

boom! Business is done.

Of course, that's what Sam thought a few days ago.

It turns out that no one wants to buy a pair of funny old glasses, even if a genuine antique carries a price tag of $100.

Others laughed at Sam in the comments section below.

"Brother, are you crazy about money? Go work."

"Who do you think Witwicky is? Possibly the first person in the United States to reach the Arctic Circle? That's not what history says, right? Is this a story from a parallel world?"

"I have the Shroud of God in my hand, or so I think. If you need it, please enter: in the address bar at the top of the browser."

...

So after a few days, Sam sold nothing except a set of old comics for ten dollars.

Every day he lowers the price of these things, and today, this pair of glasses has dropped to $25.

"These are really my great-great-grandfather Witwicky's glasses, and his Arctic diary is also being auctioned! You believe me!"

Sam's heart roared as he entered the new price and hit Enter.

The price changed a bit, but still, no one bought it.

At this time, his father was already calling him downstairs: "Sam! Come down quickly, haven't you always wanted a car?"

Sam jumped up happily, quickly closed the computer, and hurriedly got dressed. Things on the Internet were temporarily forgotten by him. He was going to have a car!

Is it a two-seat sports car that wants to attract attention? Or do you want a luxurious and comfortable car? It's so annoying, hehe...

But as his father drove his pickup truck, he pulled him closer and closer to the slums, until an hour later he turned into the parking lot of a used car company.

Sam woke up from his dream.

"You said you would give me half of the money to buy me a car, but not scrap metal."

There was helplessness in his eyes. The cars here were all old-fashioned. Just by looking at the changed-color windshields, you could tell that they were at least thirty years old.

However, his father didn't listen to him. No money means no money, so he gave his son a slap.

"When I was your age, would it have been nice to just have four tires and an engine, or would you have been happier buying you a bike?"

Sam got out of the car dejectedly and followed his father step by step into the 'junk yard'.

A fat man in a tight suit came up to him quickly, like a meat ball rolling on the ground. As he ran, he wiped the sweat on his bald head with a small handkerchief.

"Gentlemen, welcome to Bobby's Auto Mart, I'm your friend Bobby Bolivar, come on, take a look, you're welcome, be free! The spirit of America is under these hoods!"

He quickly approached Sam's father, spitting and talking, shaking hands with the two of them quickly, and then hooked Sam's shoulder in a familiar way.

"Come on, kid, remember what Bobby said, it's not the man who chooses the car, it's the car that chooses the man."

Such enthusiastic sales tactics left both father and son stuck. Sam's father was more knowledgeable, so he still said a word.

"I want to pick out my son's first car."

The fat man seemed to suddenly realize it. He smiled and raised his arms in a gesture like a plant sprouting, and began to spin in place.

"Then you've come to the right place! Look around, 100 cars, I have a whole 100 cars! Right here, right next to you! Each one is very suitable to be a young man's first car! Cheap! Safe! Excellent quality! Every car is an eternal classic!”

Sam twitched the corner of his mouth, yes, it is a timeless classic. Cars of the same era as them should have been remade into steel, right?

If there was only one old model like theirs left in the world, it would really be a classic.

But in fact, they are currently only one level above scrap metal - scrap metal with rubber tires.

However, the businessman's face would not care if a high school student made a face. Bobby was still smiling: "So young man, what type of car do you want?"

"Well, it's like being able to drive to school and take your classmates for a ride..."

Sam blushed. He actually wanted to take his female classmate for a ride, but his father was staring at him and he was too embarrassed to say it.

But Bobby had sold more cars than Sam had ever eaten, and the fat businessman understood instantly.

Although he is now obese, losing his hair, suffering from constipation, hemorrhoids and heart disease, who has not been over sixteen or seventeen years old?

"Come, come this way, young friend, take a look at this Ford Tianba. It is pure white. The paint, hardware and interior are all original. It is in good condition and can be driven to school immediately." The fat businessman said As Sam kept walking to one side of the field, he turned to look at Sam's father, lowered his voice and whispered to Sam: "The biggest advantage is-the shock absorbing effect is particularly good."

After saying that, he winked and gave Sam a "you know what" look.

If it were someone else, he might really understand, but Sam is a simple boy whose biggest hobby is playing with cartoon figures.

Sam has heard of the Ford Tianba. It is said that it was discontinued in 1994. Because its seat belts are electric, if there is a problem, the seat belts will not stop on the chest, but will be strangled around the neck. After a crash, the driver will be The driver and co-pilot lost their heads...

And this car is so ugly, its appearance is worse than Santana. It looks like a shoe box with four wheels.

So Sam shook his head.

The fat man also saw something from his expression. It was probably that the young man didn't like the appearance of the car. It was easy to say.

"It doesn't matter, young man, I said, it's the car that chooses the people, come and see this car."

"Jaguar Daimler was produced in 1992, but I guarantee it is exactly the same as a new car. Take a look at these beautiful headlights, this large silver metal air intake grille with exquisite craftsmanship, and look at the engine. It's perfect!"

As the fat man spoke, he kept stroking the little leopard statue on the hood, and gave a thumbs up on Sam's shoulder with his other hand.

Girls all like cats.

But Sam shook his head again. A black car and a very old-fashioned metal air intake? Girls won't like it.

The fat man understood again that this young man had a dull heart and what he needed was a sports car.

"Come, take a look at this car, the Dodge Challenger, the king of the sports car world 40 years ago, you deserve it! Don't worry, young man, I still have 97 cars to introduce. I will definitely let you drive home today."

The streamlined body and sharp and flamboyant appearance immediately attracted Sam's heart. It is the protagonist's car in many old Hollywood movies.

"How much does this car cost?"

"Ten thousand dollars, but it's worth it. This is a Dodge Challenger!" The fat man immediately began to incite.

However, Sam’s father immediately said that he didn’t have that much money, so he asked Sam to consider the price of about three thousand dollars.

Sam and Fatty fell into despair for different reasons, but at this moment, someone not far away called Bobby over.

It was a man wearing a high-end suit but with only one eye. Just a casual glance here made Sam's heart skip a beat. He didn't know why. It was like a mouse meeting a cat. His life was threatened. Feel.

The man quickly withdrew his gaze and asked the fat man to do business.

"How do you sell your yellow and black Chevrolet?"

"Five thousand dollars. Look at the paint on this racing car. It is definitely not the paint I sprayed later. This car used to be a racing car and has been fully modified..."

"Shut your mouth and take my money!"

A man in a black suit tossed out a wad of money.