Chapter 1

Cold, biting wind whipped across my face.

I gasped, my eyes snapping open.

In front of me was a blindingly white ski slope, and a man stood right in my face, holding up his phone.

He was gripping a ski pole, and caught on its sharp metal tip was a shred of pink fiber.

I looked down at my left arm.

My professional-grade ski jacket had been ripped open, leaving a long, nasty gash that exposed the high-tech insulation layer inside.

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The man angled his phone camera directly at my face.

"Look at this, guys," he sneered into his microphone. "This is exactly what’s wrong with the slopes these days. Another textbook snow bunny."

"Dressed up in flashy pink, hogging the black diamond run just to take selfies and bait rich guys."

"But don’t worry, chat. Today, Carter Thorne is doing public service. I'm going to teach this clout chaser a lesson!"

As he spoke, he shoved the camera even closer to my face.

The live stream chat on his screen was scrolling at lightning speed.

*— 'Exposing the ski resort gold digger! She actually tried to extort me after I called her out. Go back to the bunny slopes if you can't afford real gear.'*

*— 'Seriously, nine out of ten girls in pink are just there to fish for rich guys.'*

*— 'Serves her right! Good job ripping her jacket!'*

Staring at his arrogant face, a wave of sheer terror and fury washed over me. The memory of freezing to death in my past life rushed back.

In my previous life, I had stood here arguing with him, demanding he pay for the ruined jacket.

Then, the avalanche hit.

The moment I pulled out my avalanche beacon, he snatched it out of my hands.

He used my beacon to get rescued and became a national hero—the 'miracle survivor' praised by millions online.

Meanwhile, I was left to freeze to death in a dark, suffocating crevice, dozens of feet below the ice.

But now, I was back. I had reincarnated right to the exact second he ripped my jacket and started his hate-train live stream.

I quickly took two steps back, putting some distance between us.

"You ruined my jacket," I said, my voice cold.

Carter shrugged, completely unfazed.

"Oh, please. How much could a cheap pink jacket cost? A twenty-dollar Wish knockoff, and you have the balls to wear it on the black diamond run?"

"If you're too broke to buy real gear, get lost. Stop embarrassing yourself."

I pulled out my phone and tapped the record button.

"This is a polar-grade, specialized arctic research jacket. It has a built-in aerogel insulation layer and a vital-sign monitoring chip."

"It costs twelve thousand dollars."

"What you just did constitutes felony destruction of federal research property."

Carter blinked, stunned for a fraction of a second, before bursting into a hysterical laugh.

"Twelve grand? Are you out of your mind?!"

"Did you hear that, chat? This gold digger got caught, and now she’s trying to extort me!"

"Polar research? Sure, honey. And if you’re a scientist, then I’m the Pope."

A crowd of skiers began to gather around us, whispering and pointing at me.

"Well, wearing bright pink on a black diamond run does look a bit... unprofessional," someone mumbled.

"Yeah, there are way too many influencers posing on the slopes lately. It's so annoying."

Seeing the crowd side with him, Carter’s chest puffed out.

He leaned in close, lowering his voice to a threatening whisper.

"Get lost while I’m still being nice. Don't make me post your face all over Snapchat and ruin your life forever."

"Stay away from me," I said.

I purposely lowered my voice, acting as if I was terrified of him.

Seeing me retreat, Carter got even more arrogant.

"What? Not so tough now, are we?"

"Scared? There are fifty thousand people watching you right now on my live stream, you clout chaser."

He turned back to his phone, yelling into the camera.

"You see this, guys? Girls like this just need to be humbled. Put on some pink and suddenly they think they're royalty!"

I didn't bother replying to his provocations.

Under my feet, I felt a very faint, deep vibration.

If my memory served me right, the massive avalanche was less than sixty seconds away.

I quickly scanned the area, calculating the best escape route.

To the left, there was a massive, solid rock formation. I immediately shifted my weight and kicked off, snowboarding toward it.

As I sped past a few beginners who were standing around watching the drama, I screamed at the top of my lungs.

"Move! Head for high ground! Avalanche!"

The beginners froze for a second, but seeing how fast I was booking it, they instinctively scrambled toward the rock structure.

Behind me, Carter’s mocking laugh echoed across the slope.

"Look at her go! She can't even lie with a straight face!"

"An avalanche? On a perfectly sunny day? She’s just running away because she's guilty!"

"Chat, I'm not letting her get away. Let’s chase her down!"

He kicked off his board, speeding right after me.

Right then, a thunderous boom echoed from the peak of the mountain.

The entire mountain shook violently.

The peaceful snow-covered slope suddenly transformed into a roaring, violent ocean of white. A massive wall of snow and ice came crashing down with terrifying speed.

Carter’s laughter died instantly.

He looked back over his shoulder, his face turning pale as a ghost.

"Holy shit!"

He tried to turn and run, but it was too late.

The colossal white wave swallowed him whole.

Meanwhile, I had safely made it behind the massive rock formation.

I gripped the cold stone tightly, feeling the violent rush of snow roaring past me like a freight train.

A few minutes later, the roaring stopped.

The world fell into a dead, suffocating silence.

I took a deep breath, reached into my inner pocket, pulled out my avalanche beacon, and pressed the SOS button.

This time, the beacon stayed with me.

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