The Chinese research team at the Taishan Antarctic Research Station withdrew three years ago, so apart from Xu Milu herself, the only other thing in the entire base, besides the robot that works day and night, can barely be considered a "living thing"—a "moving object".

Because China has built more than a dozen energy supply stations in Antarctica, there is a place to charge the robots every 40 kilometers. In addition, these robots can perform self-inspection and repair through programs. Therefore, even though the research station has been abandoned for three years, all the robots can still operate normally after the entire base is opened.

During her expedition to Antarctica, the Chinese side will remotely control the robots, write new operating programs, and use the robots to build Antarctic plantations.

—Since the onset of the polar night, planes from the United Government have been circling over Antarctica, dropping huge containers full of supplies every now and then.

As the supplies landed, countless DOG robots unloaded them according to the operating procedure. Xu Milu could then watch as these metal devices were pieced together bit by bit, just like assembling Lego bricks.

Although Xu Milu didn't know much about the technology on Earth, she knew that some of the equipment being built was probably not essential for the botanical garden.

[Ms. Xu, please don't worry. What you are seeing is an optical telescope independently developed by China. The primary mirror has a diameter of 58 meters. Once completed, it will become the largest optical telescope in Antarctica. At the same time, the United Government will also be constructing a space station. After its successful completion, the 'Navigator' space station will be parallel to Antarctica. You can observe this unique spectacle of humanity's encounter with space from Taishan Station.]

Xu Milu: "..."

Here it comes, here it comes, that familiar feeling of the rabbit trying to fool people.

She wouldn't be so narcissistic as to think that having the same appearance would be enough to gain the complete trust of the Chinese side, but the completion of the fully automated planting base is what she wanted to see, and restarting the Taishan scientific research station is also in China's interests, so both sides maintain a certain "tacit understanding".

...

...

The arrival of the polar night was a good start to the journey. After a night's rest, Xu Milu drove a snowmobile northward. If all went well, she expected to arrive at the Zhongshan Research Station in Antarctica on the morning of the third day.

Strictly speaking, Xu Milu did not have a driver's license for cars on this planet, but considering that she might be the only person in the entire Antarctic, the Chinese side granted her permission to drive a snowmobile.

"Buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz..."

As the snowmobile's large tires rolled over the ice, the sound of snowflakes breaking could be clearly heard. To avoid experiencing snow blindness, Xu Milu, who was sitting in the driver's seat, even wore sunglasses.

As she walked across the boundless ice field, all she could see was white. The distant mountains varied in height, and almost no part of their surfaces were exposed. From a distance, the mountains and the horizon seemed to merge into one, as if she had stumbled into an endless, pure white world.

Fortune smiled upon Xu Milu once again. After traveling north for more than four hours, a group of Antarctic spirits came into view.

It was a group of less than a hundred penguins. A dozen or so emperor penguin chicks huddled together for warmth on the ice. Their light gray down made them look just like large, moldy kiwis.

Compared to adult penguins, these little penguins have softer beaks. They are only black, white, and gray. The most striking feature is the distinct "U"-shaped white stripe on their heads. Their black eyes, like two Maltesers, look curiously at the "uninvited guests" who have entered their territory.

"Caw caw caw!"

"Gagaga—"

"quack!"

Seemingly having not seen any human presence for too long, the adult penguins remained highly vigilant, shouting loudly at the snowmobile, their noise no less than that of the village bully geese.

To get a closer look at the penguins, Xu Milu parked her snowmobile some distance away and approached on foot. However, to her surprise, the moment she appeared, the previously wary penguins seemed to be injected with hormones, turning their heads in unison and charging towards her with frantic screeching.

"Ah ...

"Ah ...

"Ah ah ha ha ha!"

"Caw caw caw!"

Even the penguin chicks huddled together forgot to ward off the cold, stumbling and wobbling toward her with their small, chubby bodies, their innocent cries full of joy.

"Caw caw caw!"

"Chirp chirp chirp!"

"Chirp chirp chirp!"

In the blink of an eye, Xu Milu was surrounded by a large group of penguins. The adult penguins even kept rubbing their thick downy feathers against Xu Milu's thighs and occasionally made some kind of "humming" sound.

Xu Milu was a little confused, but she still tentatively reached out and gently picked up the penguin closest to her. The surrounding penguins immediately let out cries that sounded like they were jealous.

"Chirp chirp chirp chirp!"

"Chirp chirp chirp!"

Xu Milu was certain that what they were saying was definitely bird swearing.

It's quite dirty and needs to be censored.

The penguin chick in her hand tilted its head, opened its mouth, and cried out to her urgently. The next second, a small fish covered in an unknown liquid was spat out of its throat.

"No, thank you, I'm not hungry."

While righteously refusing the other party's kindness, Xu Milu reached out her wicked hand and frantically petted the little penguin.

Seemingly to withstand the extreme cold, the penguins' feathers have evolved to be thicker and thicker. You can't even touch the penguin's skin if you reach in. The little penguin she was holding was shaped like a small wooden barrel and was quite heavy. Xu Milu guessed that these penguins that survive in extreme cold must have undergone an evolution.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!