The only tool for loading supplies was the sleds they had used before.
Dr. Han is utterly useless; he does nothing but carry the sample boxes.
Xia Chuhe was worried about Lu Dangui's leg and didn't dare let her pull heavy things, so he still tied the sled rope to himself.
“I only know the approximate location of the frozen lake, but I don’t know what they’re doing there,” Dr. Han muttered. “Hopefully they didn’t throw supplies into the water.”
Dr. Han didn't care about anyone or anything; he just wanted to find the toolbox, fix the sled, and rush back to the research institute with the sample box.
The three were lucky and encountered no danger on the way.
Dr. Han, who frequently travels to polar regions, was the first to discover the collapsed ice cave.
"This area isn't covered by snow and ice yet; it must have collapsed recently!"
Searching along the collapsed ice cave, Xia Chuhe found another collapse point.
Dr. Han said, "There are no signs of human activity by the lake, so they most likely entered the ice cave. I estimate that the ice cave collapsed at both ends, trapping them inside and preventing them from getting out."
Dr. Han reached for the spot on his waist where the auger was supposed to hang, but only found a sample box. He asked, "Did you bring the auger?"
Xia Chuhe rummaged through the supplies and found a spiral drill, which he handed to Dr. Han.
The ice cave was hidden deep beneath the ice. The three of them took turns using the spiral drill and drilled for about three to five meters before a faint white light began to emanate from beneath the ice.
Dr. Han breathed a sigh of relief: "There is light, it's an LED light, they are down there."
With hope in their hearts, the three became even more motivated.
The thick ice layer was completely drilled through, and Dr. Han met Xu Nuo, who was staring blankly upwards.
Dr. Han, lying in the crater he had drilled, asked, "Did you bring the tracked vehicle repair tools? Hand them over."
"Take it." Xu Nuo turned around and went to the tent to find tools.
Xu Ding stopped him and shouted to Dr. Han, "You pull us up first, then you can take the tools last."
Dr. Han suppressed his eagerness to immediately retrieve the toolbox and lowered the rope first.
The first person to come up was Dr. Zhao.
Xia Chuhe frowned.
In this situation, shouldn't Mr. Qian be the first to come up?
The second person to come up was Xu Ding.
As soon as Xu Ding came up, he moved close to Xia Chuhe, keeping a good distance from Dr. Zhao.
Only after the two men went up did Xu Nuo begin passing supplies up.
The toolbox was handed to him, and Dr. Han picked it up and squatted down next to the sled: "I'm tired, I can't do any more."
Remembering that Xu Nuo was still downstairs, Xu Ding quickly took over Dr. Han's position.
First-aid kits, food and water, dismantled tents and other supplies were brought up one after another, and Xu Nuo was brought up last.
Xu Dingnu grimaced and said, "Why are you so heavy?!"
Only after pulling him up did they see that Xu Nuo was still carrying that giant long-lived fish, which was as tall as a person.
"Where are Boss Qian and Xiao Zhou?" Dr. Han asked belatedly.
Xu Ding pointed at the longevity fish, his tone heavy: "They wanted to catch this fish, but it ate them instead. Alas, I couldn't save them, so I could only catch the fish to avenge them."
Dr. Han was caught off guard by the sudden bad news.
He looked around and realized that, apart from himself, no one cared about Boss Qian's life or death...
Dr. Han instinctively hugged the sample box and toolbox tightly.
After trekking through the polar regions and engaging in a great deal of labor, the group was exhausted and hungry.
Xu Nuo suggested, "I heard that eating this fish can prolong life, why don't we grill it?"
"no!"
Xia Chuhe briefly describes the deaths of the director and the polar bear, and speculates about the existence of unknown creatures in the polar regions.
Xu Nuo gave up on eating the fish, but still doubted Xia Chuhe's statement. After all, according to her, if there were any unknown creatures in the immortal fish, they would have been sucked dry by now, instead of still being plump and full of flesh.
The six people ate some vacuum-packed food and then hurriedly returned to the sled.
There were three people on the way there and six on the way back. The number of sleds increased to three, the supplies were distributed evenly, and everyone took turns to help, making the return journey much easier.
On the way back, Xia Chuhe and Xu Ding exchanged information.
Xu Ding concealed the cause of death of Boss Qian and Xiao Zhou, only revealing the legend of the immortal fish.
Xia Chuhe added about the unknown organism and the lack of experience in extracting samples.
Therefore, Xu Ding was not surprised when he saw the director and the polar bear carcass next to the sled.
Xu Ding opened the car door and wasn't surprised to see Qi Zhen sitting inside.
He simply asked, "Director Qi, why are you waiting here by yourself?"
Through Xu Ding's back, Xia Chuhe saw Qi Zhen sitting in the car, and his scalp tingled instantly.
When Qi Zhen was left in the snow, he had a high fever and had just been pulled out of the icy river; his fate was sealed.
How did she get back safely?!
Not only did he return, but his high fever subsided, and his legs and feet were fine.
Lu Dangui subconsciously reached out and hooked the hem of Xia Chuhe's winter coat.
Dr. Han, even more pathetic, took a large step back, almost falling to the ground: "Director, you're still alive!"
The joy of the director being alive and the disappointment of losing the opportunity for promotion intertwined, temporarily overshadowing Dr. Han's fear of witnessing someone come back to life.
"You're asking? I woke up to find a bear sniffing me, I was almost scared to death." Qi Zhen complained lightly, her voice full of life.
The reactions of Dr. Han and others, and Qi Zhen's answer, made Xu Ding's mind race and his breath catch in his throat.
He casually stepped back and stood by the open car door like a gentleman: "Ladies first."
Xia Chuhe rolled his eyes at him, then moved with lightning speed, grabbing Xu Ding by the neck and shoving him into the car.
Xu Ding's pupils contracted, and he uncontrollably crashed into Qi Zhen's calf.
Qi Zhen nimbly pulled back his leg, reached out and pushed, stopping Xu Ding's fall.
"What are you doing?!" Xu Dingchong roared at Xia Chuhe.
Xia Chuhe laughed and said, "Sorry, my hand slipped."
Although he was yelled at, Xu Ding's current situation at least shows that Qi Zhen is currently harmless.
Xia Chuhe recalled the supernatural tales he had heard in modern times:
Some dead people are unaware that they are dead, and if no one reminds them, they can live like normal people.
Only when someone reminds them will they lose their "vitality" and turn into rotting flesh and bones.
Perhaps Qi is truly in a state where he doesn't know he's already dead.
Xia Chuhe decided not to remind Qi Zhen.
She forcefully squeezed onto the bus, sitting in the same row as Xu Ding and Qi Zhen, and tentatively asked, "Are you feeling better?"
"I'm fine. I've never felt so good. Even the polar regions don't feel cold anymore."
Xia Chuhe's thoughts returned—Qi Zhen was dead.
However, Lu Dangui, who was in the back seat, leaned over and whispered to her, "I don't think I feel cold anymore."
Xu Nuo subconsciously echoed, "Me too."
Xu Ding snorted coldly, offering no opposing viewpoint.
Xia Chuhe's eyes flickered slightly as he rubbed his fingers together at his side. A small spark flashed, enough to ignite the fire, but not enough to increase its intensity.
My powers have recovered a little. Is this related to Qi Zhen's return?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
