Charlie Wade, posing as a military meteorologist on a vital mission, arrives at a remote Antarctic research station just as the short daylight hours wane. He instructs the waiting expedition members to cooperate fully with his clandestine work and forget his existence, prompting immediate agreement from Charles Johnson, one of the three men preparing the station for unmanned winter operations.
Hero of heart The amazing son in law complete
Chapter 7437
When Charlie and his group of four disembarked the ship, the short daylight hours were almost over.
On the ice shelf a hundred meters from the ship, three members of the Nordic polar expedition team were waiting beside a snowmobile.
The message they received was that after restocking the research station with fuel and supplies, they would set it to unmanned operation. The station’s power, heating, and water supplies would operate automatically, and it would remain habitable.
Instruments and equipment will record operational status and key indicators such as temperature, humidity, air quality, and oxygen levels inside the station. If the unmanned operation of the research station throughout this winter goes smoothly, a group of research team members could actually live there for next winter.
Due to the lack of sunlight and unstable winds in Antarctica during winter, there is virtually no clean energy available. The most stable energy source is diesel generators, and the heat generated by these generators during electricity generation can also be used to heat research stations.
Therefore, this research vessel needs to refill the research station with at least 150 tons of diesel fuel to support its operations throughout the winter.
Transporting fuel is relatively cumbersome, requiring at least two or three trips to complete the delivery. Therefore, the research team members are gearing up for a busy day, hoping to complete their mission this morning and return to their warm homes in Northern Europe.
When they saw Charlie and his three companions, the three members of the research team who had come from the station were somewhat surprised. They were riding snowmobiles to tow the crew cabin, intending to bring back the people on board who could help, but they didn’t expect to see four Asian faces on board.
Charlie stepped forward and shook hands with the leader. Using his spiritual energy to mentally suggest himself, he introduced himself to the three men: “Gentlemen, I am a meteorologist from the military. I am here on a very important mission. While you are here, you must cooperate fully with my work. After you leave, you must forget about my existence. Can you do that?”
The three of them immediately answered in unison, “We can do it.”
Charlie nodded and asked the man in front, “What is your name?”
Another man said respectfully, “My name is Charles, Charles Johnson.”
Charlie asked him, “Okay, Charles, how many people are there at the research station now?”
Charles said, “Originally we were a team of sixteen people, but most of them went home at the end of the summer, so now it’s just the three of us here to prepare for unmanned operations in the winter.”
Charlie nodded and instructed, “Then, send us there now.”
Charles nodded and said, “No problem, everyone, please get in the car. Two of my colleagues will be responsible for driving us home.”
Accompanied by Charles, Charlie and three others climbed into the crew cabin, while the other two sat in the driver’s cabin of the snow tractor. The vehicle then began moving toward the research station, more than 100 kilometers away.
Antarctica is truly the edge of the world, surrounded by ice, snow, and endless mountains. There are no actual roads, but much of the terrain is relatively flat, allowing snowmobiles to traverse it easily.
There is absolutely no trace of human presence here, making it perhaps the only pristine land on Earth that has remained virtually unchanged for hundreds of millions of years.
According to Charles, research stations in the Antarctic interior are not actually concentrated. They are scattered about 100 kilometers inland from the coastline. The Nordic research stations are relatively close to the coastline.
Most research stations are actually located inland, 200 to 300 kilometers deep. Some are even located as far away as the South Pole. If you want to reach them by land, the distance is at least a thousand kilometers.
It’s nearly impossible to reach in winter. Only in summer can we use the simple airstrips on the ice for resupply and personnel transfers.
However, most research stations cease operations during the winter. In Antarctica, a continent larger than Canada, very few research stations remain operational during the winter.
Charlie also learned from her that once winter arrived, the still-operating research station had strict operational guidelines. Barring unforeseen circumstances, they were not allowed to leave the station for more than 24 hours.