Chapter 397 Please look at the big screen! The Emperor Penguin hesitated for a moment, then did something that stunned everyone.

It wobbled closer to Xia Zhining and gently pressed its soft, warm belly against the back of Xia Zhining's hand.

In an instant, a solid, furry warmth came through the gloves.

Emperor penguins have the thickest feathers and a warm brood pouch on their bellies. They use this to keep their eggs and chicks warm.

Now, the emperor penguin is using this warmest part of its body to warm a human who has helped them.

It raised its head, making a very soft "cooing" sound in its throat: [Will it be warmer now?]

Xia Zhining was completely stunned. The selfless warmth on the back of her hand surged up her bloodstream to her eyes, making her nose suddenly sting.

In this coldest land, she received the warmest gift.

Xia Zhining bandaged the wings of an Adelie penguin, then, as if remembering something, asked softly, "Back then, were the bodies of all your companions... taken away by that big ship?"

Among the emperor penguins who were quietly queuing and exuding a calm demeanor, one slowly walked forward.

It lowered its head, its voice low and sorrowful: "No... not all of them were taken. Those villains' ships seem to be overflowing."

[I saw with my own eyes that they bound my uncle and several friends' bodies with very heavy stones, and then... pushed them into the deep sea through a crevasse in the ice.]

As it spoke, it stretched its neck and pointed to a particularly dark area of ​​sea ice in the distance.

Xia Zhining's heart tightened suddenly, then hope ignited—

If there are still bodies at the bottom of the sea, that is irrefutable evidence!

"Can you lead us to that place?"

She asked immediately.

The emperor penguin nodded: [Sure. We can dive down, but it's very deep and dark there; you humans probably can't see it.]

To retrieve animal carcasses, a specialized salvage vessel needs to be dispatched, and it takes quite some time.

Xia Zhining immediately had an idea.

She took out a waterproof and pressure-resistant miniature underwater action camera and carefully secured it to the side of the emperor penguin's streamlined body with a flexible and secure strap.

“Take this little pair of glasses down with you,” she whispered to the emperor penguin. “Go to where the body sank and take a look for us. Safety first, don’t push yourself.”

The emperor penguin tilted its head to feel the weight of the camera, then nodded solemnly: "[Okay, leave it to me.]"

It knew this was its chance to avenge its comrades!

Emperor penguins are undoubtedly the diving champions among birds. In order to hunt, they can easily dive to depths of more than 500 meters and hold their breath for more than 20 minutes.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the emperor penguin walked to the edge of the ice, gracefully leaped, and disappeared into the dark blue sea.

The twenty minutes of waiting felt exceptionally long.

Finally, the sea broke open, and the emperor penguins leaped back onto the ice with their agile figures.

It shook off the water droplets, walked up to Xia Zhining, and gently touched her hand with its beak.

[Mission Complete!]

Anhe immediately assisted Xia Zhining in importing the underwater footage into the tablet computer.

A deep blue, dark ocean scene emerges.

The camera slowly pans across the area illuminated by the light...

The stiff bodies of penguins and seals, bound tightly with rough ropes and weighed down with stones, lay silently on the cold seabed.

Some were even slightly swayed by the ocean currents, their shapes contorted.

The only sounds in the video are the soft slurping of emperor penguins skimming the water and a desolate, deathly silence.

The entire expedition team fell silent. Anhe clenched his fists tightly, his eyes reddening.

Xia Zhining closed her eyes, took a deep breath of the frigid Antarctic air, and when she opened them again, her eyes were filled with only icy determination and anger.

She gently stroked the emperor penguin that had brought back crucial evidence: "We saw it."

"We will make those shameless bastards pay the price!"

Anhe stared at the screen and snorted coldly: "They're so sloppy in even handling corpses. They've really shot themselves in the foot."

"The special fiber ropes and counterweights used to tie up animal carcasses are clearly ship-specific specifications, and are very likely special products supplied by their country."

"Once it's retrieved and tested, it will be irrefutable evidence!"

Another team member immediately added, "I'll contact the domestic authorities right away and get the nearest research and fishing vessel over."

"At the same time, we will secure all evidence at the scene according to procedure and formally request the Antarctic Oceanographic Commission to send an observer to witness the entire process!"

After a while, Anhe received a phone call and said excitedly, "Expert Xia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has taken simultaneous action and will hold an emergency press conference in three hours."

"Our salvage vessel will arrive before the press conference begins, and will then be directly connected to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' live broadcast to simultaneously showcase the salvage process and key evidence—"

"We must beat the murderers to death in front of the whole world and smash their faces!"

Xia Zhining nodded emphatically.

She turned around and quickly threw herself into the final preparations.

Together with Albatross and his team, they meticulously pieced together the complete timeline, from witnessing the ship incident to the crime itself, and finally to the removal of the body and its sinking at sea, forming an impeccable chain of evidence.

The research team members split up to take photos of the scene from multiple angles and collect ice samples.

Several Adélie penguins dutifully helped "guard" the critical ice crevasse area, preventing other animals from getting close and causing damage.

Meanwhile, the emperor penguins waited on the icy shore, ready to lead the staff to precisely retrieve the bodies of their family members once the salvage boat arrived.

It was 4:30 in the afternoon.

The press conference hall of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China was packed to capacity.

A special press conference on the "Hope Bay penguin and seal deaths" was held on schedule.

Below the stage, a forest of cameras and microphones stood, and many foreign journalists wore undisguised expressions of doubt and provocation.

The atmosphere became tense as soon as the Q&A session began.

A journalist from the Oceania Federation grabbed the microphone, his tone sharp:

"Madam Spokesperson, the evidence against your country's ships for damaging the Antarctic ecosystem is irrefutable."

"Is this press conference being held now to apologize, or to continue making excuses?"

"The international community demands that your country immediately acknowledge its mistake, compensate for the losses, and guarantee that it will never return to the relevant waters!"

A chorus of agreement arose from the audience.

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Dragon Kingdom was a composed and elegant lady. She listened calmly to the translation, her gaze sweeping across the room before she spoke with composure:

"Regarding the 'ironclad evidence' you mentioned, we have made new progress in our investigation."

"Before answering your question, I would like to show everyone a live video feed."

She turned slightly to the side and raised her hand to indicate the huge screen behind her:

"Ladies and gentlemen, please look at the big screen."