My Pet Beast is Super Fearsome
Chapter 351 - Chapter 351 Chapter 350 Antarctica (Two-in-One Request for

Chapter 351: Chapter 350: Antarctica (Two-in-One, Request for Votes) Chapter 351: Chapter 350: Antarctica (Two-in-One, Request for Votes) January 28, 2021, Ross Sea Floating Ice Zone.

The low-hanging clouds obscured the sunlight of the Polar Day Zone, and the cold wind howled, the goose-feather-like heavy snow hitting the windows like grains of ice in the wind.

After they headed to Forgotten Cold River, Shao Zifeng thought Chen Yixing would seek him out to discuss the infection, but she acted as if the incident had never happened.

However, after their departure, the Xuelong, which had been moored in the Ross Sea for a long time, once again embarked on its journey. This floating ice area, like a vast expanse of pure white ice plains, served as the last barrier between the Ross Sea and Antarctica and was one of the riskiest areas on their Antarctic expedition.

Crack!

The sound of continuous breaking echoed through the blizzard, as the Xuelong’s bow, sharp like a blade, slowly cut through the solid ice layer, like a piece of paper being slowly torn.

The Xuelong left behind a long black trail in its wake, which quickly refroze in the low temperatures.

“Captain, my ship has penetrated deep into the Floating Ice Zone, and the thickness of the ice ahead is approaching 1.5 meters.”

Inside the ship’s bridge control room, as reports continuously sounded, the captain who had been pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back, stopped, leaned forward with one hand on the second officer’s chair back, and peered at the screen for a while.

“Notify everyone, prepare to fill the fore water tank, preheat the bow propeller, and increase power on the main propeller for ice-breaking!”

“Yes! Beginning to fill the water tank.”

“Liquid ballast ready.”

…

“Bow propeller preheat complete.”

“Propeller initiated, ready to pump the water beneath the ice ahead.”

…

“Main propeller is at maximum power, ready.”

The captain’s orders were completed methodically. He nodded satisfactorily, his eyes intently watching the ice thickness measurements on the screen.

1.43 meters.

1.47 meters.

1.51 meters.

“Begin the charge!”

“Yes, starting the charge!”

Rumble!

The control room suddenly trembled, and the sounds of creaking came continuously from the outside.

The Xuelong, like an unleashed wild horse, fiercely charged onto the solid ice layer. As its weight shifted, the ice beneath the Xuelong quickly cracked and collapsed.

Splash!

As the ice layer broke apart, the hull heavily crashed into the sea, lifting a large splash of water.

The next moment, the Xuelong charged onto the ice ahead once more, initiating a cycle of ice-breaking.

“Whoa~”

A sudden jolt sent the coffee in Cang Haiyuan’s hand splashing out, and Shao Zifeng quickly moved his feet to avoid the spill.

This was a small-sized guest room, designed to alleviate the solitude of the Antarctic expedition. The Xuelong had many such themed guest rooms.

The guest room was small, only roomy enough for three or four friends to chat, but each one was decorated in a strikingly different style.

The room they were in was decorated in a somewhat European, understated luxury style.

The floor was covered with a thick wool carpet, on top of which was a European-style coffee table and four matching sofas.

The wall-mounted fireplace display flickered with red, blazing flames, occasionally crackling.

Qiuqiu seemed to really like the fireplace, curling up into a ball beside it.

The record player beside the fireplace had been playing music, but Shao Zifeng turned it off for fear it would disturb Qiuqiu’s sleep.

Besides that, there were coat racks, a coffee machine, and other small decorative items, making one completely forget that they were on a ship heading to Antarctica.

Boom!

Before Shao Zifeng could speak, the Snow Dragon once again tilted briefly, with various tremors and loud noises faintly audible.

The ball that Qiuqiu had curled into rolled around the room, and when Shao Zifeng picked it up, the little guy’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

“Ying~”

In a great mood, Qiuqiu snuggled into Shao Zifeng’s arms, and soon fell deeply asleep again.

After finishing the remaining coffee in his cup, Cang Haiyuan stretched his neck to look outside.

Due to the significant temperature difference inside and outside, a thick layer of steam had fogged up the porthole.

Cang Haiyuan got up to wipe off the steam.

“Tsk, I didn’t expect they had started ice-breaking by charge already,” he said.

Holding Qiuqiu, who was curled up asleep in his arms, Shao Zifeng gave Cang Haiyuan a questioning look.

Returning to put the cup on the table, Cang Haiyuan pulled out a tissue to wipe off the coffee stains on his clothes and explained, “Modern polar icebreakers generally use two methods, one is ‘continuous’ ice-breaking, which relies on the icebreaker’s specially designed bow to cut through the ice layer and open a channel with the ship’s powerful engine, but this method is only suitable for ice layers thinner than 1.5 meters.”

“The other method is the ‘charge’ ice-breaking currently being used by the Snow Dragon. It basically involves using the front propeller to extract the water supporting the ice underneath, then powering up to charge onto the ice layer, relying on the icebreaker’s own weight to crush the ice,” he said.

After finishing, he crossed his hands behind his head and lazily leaned back on the sofa, “Looks like it’s going to be another sleepless night tonight.”

Gently stroking Qiuqiu’s rough shell, Shao Zifeng turned to look outside at the gloomy clouds, “After passing this floating ice zone, is that Antarctica then?”

“Yes, our destination this time is the new station being constructed at Encksburg Island in Ross Bay. Going by the current few knots of speed, it’s estimated we’ll arrive in two days,” said Haiyuan.

“New station?” Shao Zifeng was taken aback, “Wasn’t our first stop supposed to be the Great Wall Station on King George Island?”

Cang Haiyuan sighed and propped his legs up on the coffee table in front of him.

“The ship is carrying a lot of building materials this time. We need to dock there for a while and provide the construction materials and supplies for the workers who are building the new station,” he explained.

As someone who didn’t even know Antarctica had seasons before, Shao Zifeng only knew about the Great Wall station built in the early years.

As for the other stations like Zhongshan, Kunlun, and Taishan, he slowly learned about them after boarding the ship. And now, a new station in Ross Bay cropped up.

“What about the Great Wall Station then?”

“We’re not going there anymore…” Cang Haiyuan grimaced, “The Great Wall Station is located on King George Island, which strictly speaking is not even an Antarctic research station, as it lies outside the Antarctic Circle. As our country’s first research station, it holds more symbolic significance.”

“If we had enough time, the initial plan indeed was to stop at the Great Wall Station, but now…” Cang Haiyuan smacked his lips, “According to Professor Chen’s wishes, we’ll disembark at the new station in Ross Bay, then head inland all the way to ‘ice dome A’ located at the highest point of the Antarctic inland ice sheet, where our summer research station ‘Kunlun Station’ is,” he explained.

“Crossing the Antarctic interior?”

Shao Zifeng was stunned by Chen Yixing’s bold idea.

Antarctica is considered the last pristine area in the world, protected by international laws in addition to its nearly uninhabitable harsh conditions.

The Antarctic continent is extremely cold, with frequent violent blizzards, dry air, and scarce precipitation.

Due to the high altitude, the thin air, plus the reflection of solar radiation by the ice and snow surfaces, Antarctica is the coldest area in the world, with an average temperature 20degC lower than the Arctic.

The average annual temperature in Antarctica is -25, with coastal areas averaging from -17 to -20 and the inland regions plummeting to between -40 and -50.

This meant that if they set out from the new Ross Sea station towards the inland ice dome at Kunlun Station, the environment would only become more severe, and the temperature would only drop further.

If it were just the cold, the three-piece cold-weather gear they were equipped with would have sufficed to withstand it.

However, apart from the low temperatures, Antarctica is also the windiest place in the world.

Here, an average of 300 days per year witness winds stronger than 8 on the Beaufort scale, with an average wind speed of 19.4 meters per second.

Moreover, scientists have recorded hurricane wind speeds of 100 meters per second in Antarctica, three times as strong as a Category 12 typhoon and the highest wind speed recorded in the world to date.

Putting it plainly though, many people might not grasp the concrete concept.

In 1960, Dr. Fukushima, who was conducting a scientific survey at Fusang Station, stepped out of the base cafeteria to feed the dogs.

In just a few dozen meters, he encountered a blizzard with wind speeds of 35 meters per second, and after the blizzard passed, Dr. Fukushima had vanished.

It wasn’t until seven years later that his body was found 4.2 kilometers away from the research station, illustrating the power of the Antarctic storm.

Once blown away by fierce winds in Antarctica, survival is hardly an option, and even if one is lucky not to be killed by the fall, they would succumb to rapid hypothermia.

The blizzard roared outside the porthole while the subtle quivering of the Xuelong ship breaking through the ice layers was faintly audible.

The room was silent except for the crackling noise from the electric fireplace.

Haiyuan glanced at the coffee machine by the door and, succumbing to his laziness, gave up the idea of having coffee.

“If we had enough time, according to the original plan, we would stay for a while at the Great Wall Station, then detour to the new station to unload building materials, and finally reach Zhongshan Station in the Lisman Hills in southeastern Antarctica,” Haiyuan said.

“Zhongshan Station, serving as the starting point to Kunlun Station, is not only closer in distance but also allows for restocking at Taishan Station along the way.”

“But as you know, we’ve been delayed too much during the voyage, and now the window for the Antarctic summer is rapidly closing, reducing the time available for the scientific team day by day.”

“At the speed the icebreaker is traveling now, by the time we reach Zhongshan Station, the summer might be over, which is why Professor Chen refuses to waste more time on the icebreaker.”

Zifeng understood this all too well, but perhaps it was because of Chen Zhenglong’s influence, or Chen Yixin’s disregard for life, that Zifeng felt inexplicably irritated.

“But even so, doesn’t she know what the environment in Antarctica is like? It’s easy to talk about, but what about the reality? To travel from the new Ross Sea station to the ice dome means crossing half the continent. How will they manage with such a long distance, carrying various equipment and living supplies? What about supplies? Eat snow?”

“Even if she doesn’t consider her own life, can’t she think of the lives of others?”

The more Zifeng spoke, the more agitated he became, and eventually, he began to speak recklessly.

The room fell silent for a moment, Haiyuan looked at Zifeng, surprised, not understanding why he had become so angered.

Qiuqiu was also woken up by Zifeng’s rant, sleepily lifting its little head to look at him.

The little one was rarely exposed to Zifeng’s anger and seemed a bit unsettled.

“So this is how you see me,” said a voice suddenly from behind them.

Upon hearing this, Haiyuan quickly assumed a composed posture, gracefully lifted a coffee cup, and stared straight ahead.

Oops, no more coffee.

Never mind, just pretend there’s still some coffee.

With that thought, Haiyuan lifted the coffee cup to his lips, covering his nose.

His eyes darted around restlessly.

Zifeng turned his head and saw Chen Yixin, dressed in a white lab coat, casually leaning against the door, her freshly washed curly hair loosely draped.

Catching Zifeng’s gaze, she pushed her glasses up and smiled warmly at him, “I wouldn’t have known had you not mentioned it.”

As she entered, she casually closed the solid wood door and passed by the coffee machine to brew two cups of coffee.

“I came to find you for a reason, and the access card Tang Tang helped me with wasn’t meant to overhear your conversation,” she said.

Handing a cup of coffee to Shao Zifeng, Chen Yixing sat on a sofa facing the door.

She took a sip of the instant coffee from the machine and took off her glasses, placing them on the table. She then pinched the bridge of her nose with her hand.

“I already told the team, this operation won’t force anyone to participate.”

“In other words, even if I’m alone, I’d still proceed,” she added.

Shao Zifeng looked straight at Chen Yixing: “Only by living does one have more possibilities.”

“Isn’t that the truth,” Chen Yixing said with a casual smile. “But choosing to come to Antarctica means being prepared to die at any time, like Dr. Fukushima from Japan, who honestly stayed in his research base yet still died.”

“Perhaps that’s just a person’s fate.”

“An objective idealism perspective.”

Chen Yixing tossed her hair back with a smile: “You know, what I want to study is precisely the existence of idealism.”

“So, will you go?” she asked, looking intently at Shao Zifeng.

Shao Zifeng looked at her for a long while, finally shaking his head helplessly: “I’ll go.”

Hearing his response, Chen Yixing’s smile grew even wider.

…

Creak.

The Xuelong stopped at a cliff-like fracture, with a ten-meter-high ice layer blocking their path ahead.

The fractured ice layer stretched for thousands of miles, blending into the pure white world.

This was the limit of where the icebreaker could go, at the boundary between the Ross Sea and Antarctica.

Above the fault was a true snowfield, where a dozen people were already waiting; they were the construction staff for the new station in the Ross Sea, responsible for receiving the building materials.

At this moment, the blizzard gradually ceased, and the dim sun peeked out from the dark clouds, with the distant cries of mutant creatures echoing.

Shao Zifeng stepped out from the superstructure onto the deck, taking a deep breath of the cold air, which made him feel as though his lungs were about to freeze.

Qiuqiu, who had fallen asleep in his arms, woke up due to the cold, grunting discontentedly while burrowing into Shao Zifeng’s winter gear.

The cold air snuck in through the openings, making Shao Zifeng shiver involuntarily.

“Ying~”

Qiuqiu clung to the neckline with its tiny paws, staring at the pristine white world in front of it, its little mouth agape in shock.

At that moment, the deck’s crane and gantry crane began to operate slowly after de-icing, starting to unload supplies onto the ice layer above.

Shao Zifeng stood watching for a while before turning and heading towards the gangway.

He still had things to do today.

After entering Antarctica, the Ice Horned Whale could no longer follow; he had to clarify the contract issue with the Ice Horned Whale today.

If it was willing to follow him.

Shao Zifeng clenched the portable contract pendant in his pocket.

(PS: Since no one has responded to my survey so far, I’ve compiled a chapter and posted it. Also, please stop asking me to voice type, I get distracted when I do.)