On the top of the central mountain of Heard Island, the biting cold wind pushed the long snow camouflage hood to sway slightly, taking away some smoke and dust from the chimney that extended out of the tent. Compared with the temperature of 30 to 40 degrees below zero outside the tent,

It was low temperature and filled with the smell of body odor and smelly feet, but the inside of the tent was extremely warm, and there was even a hint of rice porridge in the middle.

The crackling wood stove was steaming with scarlet flames, and the steamer on top was not only cooking thick rice porridge, but the steamer was even filled with pork stuffed buns.

Such homely food was naturally prepared by Mate Zhang on the ship, especially those quick-frozen pork stuffed buns that were as hard as stone eggs. It would not be a problem to store them in the extremely cold environment outside the tent for ten days and a half.

And most importantly, it is far more delicious than professional mountain rations.

The so-called anti-hunger ingredients often only require the simplest cooking methods. Chef Shi, who had been busy for more than half an hour, brought hot pork stuffed buns and four large bowls of rice porridge mixed with vegetables to the folding table.

In the small stainless steel bowl in the center, there are four red pieces of soybean curd.

Taking a sip of the hot and salty green vegetable porridge, Shi Quan said with emotion, "Who would have thought that we would be eating this on a snow-capped mountain more than 2,000 meters high? It's so comfortable to have money. How can this be an adventure? It's like a vacation.

Come."

"It's a blessing that we have that helicopter, otherwise we would be wading through the penguin nests and bird droppings at the foot of the mountain right now, trying to figure out how to climb up." He Tianlei agreed, and then bit off half of it with a big bite.

Meat stuffed buns.

"It's time to eat. It's such a good mood. Why are you bringing that thing up?" Xianyu looked disgusted.

"I've eaten seal meat, I've eaten polar bear meat, and I don't know what the southernmost penguin on earth tastes like," Asak sighed in a naive voice.

Eating penguins? The three of them looked at each other in confusion. This is an idea that only the Nenets who grew up in the Arctic Circle can figure out.

"Penguin, don't even think about it."

Shi Quan dismissed the image of a penguin with its feathers plucked and roasted on the fire in his mind, and directly changed the topic, "After dinner, Xianyu will stay at the camp. If there is any danger, contact Big Ivan in time to bring those Nenets guys over.

Rescue, they are more comfortable in this environment."

Xianyu nodded. He was indeed inferior to Asak and his tribe in this environment. After all, the danger here could not be solved with guns. Even in order to prevent the snow on the mountainside on the east side from collapsing, they even brought them with them symbolically.

The few self-defense weapons that came were all screwed on with silencers.

"The three of us will wait and walk around the crater."

"There won't be magma in there, right?" The salted fish, who was eating so deliciously, froze when he heard this. He squatted down nervously and asked Shi Quan.

"If there is lava, can it be covered by snow?" Shi Quan picked up a small piece of soybean curd and spread it on the steamed buns and swallowed it in one gulp. "Don't worry, although this is an active volcano, if nothing else happens, it is estimated that the few of us will

I won’t spout anything before I retire.”

Xianyu was slightly relieved after hearing this, "But how can we find such a large area?"

"There are several scientific research stations nearby that were urgently closed in 1955. We mainly go there to take a look." Shi Quan recalled the collected information and explained patiently, "According to the information found, these scientific research stations at that time

The reason for the closure was that clear signs of an eruption were detected in March of that year.

But it later turned out to be just a sign, but since then, the scientific research stations around the crater have never been used, so if we are lucky, we may be able to find some clues from those abandoned scientific research stations."

He Tianlei was not so optimistic after hearing this, "If there were any clues there, I'm afraid the Australians would have discovered it long ago."

"Anyway, the only clues currently are those scientific research stations, so let's go and take a look first. If we really can't find anything, we can only activate the backup plan."

"When did we have a backup plan?" He Tianlei asked in surprise.

"When you got seasick two days ago, Ivan and I discussed this."

Shi Quan said while eating, "After all, the clues were found in the submarine. Just imagine, a World War II German submarine went through all the hardships to get here. To be precise, it could only dock offshore because of the waves.

, a small island that is windy all year round and is home to countless penguins, where do you think they would park the submarine? Oh, by the way, don’t forget, this was still the territory of the British at that time.”

"Underwater?" The three people shouted the same answer in unison.

Shi Quan nodded, "So if we can't find any useful clues in the crater, we can only go around the island and search underwater. We might even have to search around McDonald Island where we first stopped.

Check it out.”

"Are those Germans gophers? Why are they digging holes all over the world?" He Tianlei couldn't help but be speechless.

"Because the ground is the best defensive bunker," Xianyu picked up the second bun and said seriously, "As long as you dig deep enough, even nuclear bombs can be blocked."

"Okay, let's eat quickly." Shi Quan took the initiative to end the topic, "When you're full and have a rest, we'll start work at nine o'clock sharp!"

The four men were not slow-tempered. After finishing the meat buns and all the vegetables and rice porridge like a storm, they even had the leisure to drink a pot of fragrant and refreshing jasmine in their free time before starting work.

After eating, drinking, and resting, the three of them were neatly dressed. The formation, headed by Asak and ending by He Tianlei, was strung together with climbing ropes ten meters apart and cautiously headed towards the abandoned scientific research station.

Xianyu, who was left behind, was not idle either. He took out four individual radars from the supply bag and pointed them in different directions around the tent, while he himself was leisurely hiding in the hood and staring at the radar screen, while using

Have a brief communication with Shi Quan and the others every five minutes.

Against the biting westerly wind, Shi Quan and the other three people advanced cautiously through the snow mixed with gravel. The leader, Asak, held a two-meter-long alloy probe. Before taking each step, he had to look at where he was about to land.

The location is virtual and real.

The two brothers Shi Quan and He Tianlei followed behind with a sleigh full of supplies, pulling and pushing each other. Although the speed was much slower, it was safe enough. Anyway, they had enough time and supplies.

Supplies are also convenient. Even if we stay here for half a month, it won’t be a big problem.

Less than 300 meters away along the platform at the edge of the crater, a man-made building half buried in snow attracted the attention of the three of them. Walking quickly over, He Tianlei pulled out three wooden-handled snow shovels from the sled.

For Shiquan and Asak, there was no need to divide the work at all. With the help of the wind, it took less than half an hour to clear the surrounding snow.

This building is simply pitiful. Even the construction area is probably less than 15 square meters. From the outside, it looks like a round stone house with a few pointed roofs. Except for a few rusty steel water tanks around it,

There was also a collapsed weather box and a wind turbine that was rusted into lumps of metal.

But what gave them some peace of mind was that the iron door on the stone house was still tightly closed, and even the window, which was no bigger than a toilet seat, was intact.

He gestured to He Tianlei, who stepped forward and tried to turn the door handle. Unexpectedly, the iron door was not locked at all. The three of them looked at each other, locked the sleigh, and each picked up their bulging mountaineering bags and bent down to get in.

Entering the low and narrow scientific research station. As the iron door closed again, the scientific research station that was almost half buried in the ground instantly became dim and quiet.

Shi Quan put down his backpack and took a breath, then said to Asak, "Light up the gas lamp. Besides there is no wind inside, the temperature is even lower than outside."

Upon hearing this, the latter immediately opened his backpack and took out a gas lamp that was only slightly smaller than a mineral water bucket and a small pump. In addition to the gas lamp, he also had a 10-liter kerosene bottle in his bag, which was enough for the lamp.

It's not a problem for a large gas lamp to stay lit all day long.

Although this antique-like equipment is far less convenient than adding a gas tank and a stove, it is more reliable than it is without having to consider the effects of low temperature and altitude on the gas tank. In addition, in an emergency, the kerosene can be poured out directly for use.

After inflating, pressurizing, and preheating, the dazzling yellow light came on, emitting a steady stream of heat. The illuminated interior of the scientific research station, except for some documents scattered on the ground, had become damp.

Except for the blur, everything else remains the same as it once was.

The cement prefabricated board above the head is still solid, and there are a few faded posters and a few maps of Heard Island posted on the surrounding walls made of volcanic stone and cement. On the iron shelf desk, the old-fashioned tube radio station still maintains its original appearance.

Surrounded by a pile of sticky paper materials, there was also a photo frame that had not been taken away in time. The photo in it vaguely showed that of a young man with a somewhat fat and nerdy personality.

In addition to these, this simple room, which is more like a scientific research station than a hunter's cabin, also has a folding single bed, a kerosene stove with both heating and cooking functions, and a plastic that is suspected to be used to collect excrement.

bucket.

"Whoever was sent to this hellish place was just unlucky. The environment in the prison is better than here, right?" He Tianlei was dumbfounded. The ground of this small house was full of bumpy stones, and there wasn't even a wooden floor.

"Then it's comparable to a prison somewhere. It's at least much better than a correctional camp." Shi Quan Xin picked up a folder on the table and opened it, "Look for them all. I should have brought Ono here if I had known.

This is all in English and I can’t understand it at all.”

"Boss, have you forgotten that Xianyu is also a chemical engineer?" Asak, who couldn't straighten up at all, reminded him faintly.
Chapter completed!