In the ice cave where Dr. Yog died, the oil drum that was once filled with penguin grease had been turned upside down. The three cans placed on it were each half full of grease, and one of them was burning with black smoke.
rope wick.
Around the oil drums, Wei Ran and Hanno were sitting side by side on the sleigh, each wearing two layers of thick sleeping bags.
This is already the third day since they arrived here. During these three days, Hanno would start the generator and send a message almost every hour or two. However, from beginning to end, he did not get any radio response.
.
"Hanno, sneeze!"
Wei Ran sneezed, tightened the sleeping bag around him and said again, "Hanno, all the fuel has been burned out. If this continues, we will have to dismantle a sleigh for warmth. We should go back.
"
"hold on"
Hanno, who was still sending the telegram, trembled and said, "One hour, hold on for another hour. If there is no response, we will go back."
"enough"
Before Wei Ran finished speaking, he reached out and turned off the radio, "Hannuo, we should go back. While the wind is not strong now, we should go back. If we don't set off immediately, the two of us will die here."
, if we also die here, how long do you think Dr. Cross can survive?"
Hearing this, Hannuo shivered involuntarily, and finally moved his red hands away from the cold keys, sighed and said feebly, "Okay... okay, let's go back, we'll go back right now.
"
"Pack your things! Quick!"
As Wei Ran spoke, he got out of his bloated sleeping bag. Originally, they had a chance to leave during yesterday's snowstorm, but Hannuo insisted on staying and trying to send another message while the weather was good.
Because of this, they also missed the opportunity to leave.
But now, everything they can burn has been burned. If they wait any longer, Weiyan will have to take out the life-saving fuel from the metal book. But how long can the fuel last, especially if it can last until the next storm?
When the snow stops, no one knows.
At his urging, Hanno loaded the radio equipment and generator onto the sled that came in, while Weihan tied the remaining supplies together with Dr. Yog's frozen body to another sleigh.
Finally loading some extra penguin meat, Wei Ran waited until Hanno shouted for his sleigh to start running, then shook the reins and followed.
However, even the weather seemed to be against them. They were only halfway through when the wind and snow began to increase again.
"Hanno! We must lighten the load!" Wei Ran shouted, "We must drop something to make the sled dogs run faster!"
"Penguin meat?!" Hanno shouted in response, and at the same time threw a small bucket of penguin meat out of the sled.
"Far from enough!"
As Wei Ran spoke, he also kicked down the penguin meat from the extra oil barrel carried on the sleigh, "We have to throw away some things! Generator! Hanno! Throw away your generator!"
"No!" Hanno refused without thinking, "We..."
"We can come back and get the generator next time! It won't freeze!"
After saying that, Wei Ran pushed out the two heavy bundles of canvas tents on his sleigh, "Throw them away quickly! Otherwise we will all die here!"
Gritting his teeth, Hanno pulled the reins to make the dogs stop, untied the ropes and pushed the heavy generator into the snow outside the sled.
Then, he tied the waterproof canvas to the frame of the engine and let it rustle in the strong wind.
The two sleighs started running again, obviously much faster, but the increasingly fierce cold wind and the random flying snowflakes carried by the wind had completely obscured the view.
At this time, both Wei Ran and Han Nuo, the only thing they could do was to lie on the sleigh, hold on to the two layers of penguin down sleeping bags, and put the iron bucket on the head wrapped in the sleeping bag. As for these two
Whether the car can return safely depends on the dogs still running.
Gradually, the storm became stronger and stronger, and more and more rocks and ice were carried in the wind. The fleeing sled dogs were also beaten and howled. But even so, they did not stop.
Finally, after an unknown amount of time, the sled dogs stopped, and the sound of the wind and snow became much quieter.
Wei Ran, whose whole body ached from being smashed along the way, carefully opened a gap in his frost-covered sleeping bag. When he saw the entrance of the cave less than five meters away, he was completely relieved this time and struggled to get out of the room.
Dr. Ge sat up on top of Dr. Ge's already frozen body.
He subconsciously looked around. Fortunately, the sleigh Hanno was riding in was also there, and he had already sat up.
Without daring to waste any time, Wei Ran took off his sleeping bag and ran to the entrance of the cave and started breaking down the door. Hannuo immediately drove the dogs into a tent surrounded by oil drums on one side of the cave entrance.
"Cross! Dr. Cross!"
Wei Ran patted the door that was blocked from the inside again, but he felt something was wrong in his heart.
"What's wrong?" Hanno asked loudly.
"Dr. Cross didn't open the door!"
Wei Ran said as he pushed aside the accumulated snow at the door, "The door is frozen, come here and help!"
Hearing this, Hannuo quickly ran over with a snow shovel, and together with Wei Ran dug out the entrance of the cave that was almost completely buried.
"Get away" Wei Ran greeted, and then put his foot on the wooden door.
"Bang!"
Amidst the dull banging sound, the folding wooden door did not move at all, but Wei Ran sat on the ground.
"come together!"
Hannuo threw away the snow shovel and kicked the wooden door hard with Wei Ran.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Click!"
With a cracking sound, the wooden door that was pinned from the inside was finally kicked open by the two of them.
“We’ll go in later”
Wei Ran grabbed Han Nuo who was about to rush in, then pointed to the chimney on one side of the cave entrance that had been sealed by ice and snow and said, "There is probably no oxygen inside, so we'll wait and go in."
"So Dr. Cross is also dead?" Hanno asked, sitting at the entrance of the cave almost collapsed.
"I have no idea"
Wei Ran looked at the dark cave inside. There was no light at all, and there was not much temperature at all. The answer was obvious, but it was something he could not have imagined no matter what.
Wei Ran took out his cigarette case tremblingly, took out a cigarette from it, lit it, took a puff, and then flicked the cigarette butt into the cave.
After waiting for a while, seeing that the sparks from the cigarette butt were not extinguished, he took out the kerosene gas lamp he brought back from his pocket, lit it, and was the first to walk into the cave.
At first glance, everything in the cave was no different from when they left. The only extra thing was a 100-pound flour bucket filled with bread. Obviously, during the few days they left, Dr. Cross
Still busy baking bread.
Finally, he found Dr. Cross wrapped in a sleeping bag on the bed next to the stove.
He just lay there quietly, his skin was as bright red as a cherry, and his eyes were slightly protruding. If you got closer, you could even smell a bit of feces stench coming from his body.
He didn't know whether he should be grateful for the things he learned at Hongqi Forest Farm, but that knowledge clearly told him that this doctor who usually had no independent opinions died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
"he died"
Wei Ran said before Hanno touched Dr. Cross's body, "Died of carbon monoxide poisoning."
"He...how could he make such a mistake!" Hanno clenched his fists and hammered the bed board hard.
"He is the only one"
Wei Ran put the kerosene lamp on the stove and said as he walked outside, "He always has to sleep. Maybe it was at that time that the snow buried the vents and chimneys."
Hearing this, Hanno didn't say anything else, but he just tried Dr. Cross' breath without giving up, then stood up and walked silently outside the cave.
"What are you going to do?" Wei Ran turned around and asked.
"Go find two oil barrels for Yog and Cross," Hanno stopped and explained, "and bury them."
"Let me help you," Wei Ran said and walked out of the cave.
Hannuo didn't say anything else, and let Wei Ran help him clean out the two 200-liter oil drums filled with frozen meat. After carefully wiping them clean, he put the bodies of Dr. Yog and Dr. Cross in separate containers.
inside and sealed.
"We are the only ones left now"
Hanno walked into the cave holding the radio transmitter and asked, "Victor, there are only a few days left before the polar night. This is the last chance. Do you want to leave here?"
"Unless you leave"
Wei Ran, who was holding the receiver, said that he had only collected two suicide notes so far, and had only taken five or six photos. This return mission was equivalent to half completed, so how could he leave?
What's more, he is not from this time and space in the first place, so what's the point even if he goes to the coastline?
"Then stay"
As Hanno spoke, he put the radio in his hand on the table, "Victor, come and light the stove."
"good"
Wei Ran simply put down the equipment in his hand, and first used a snow shovel to clear away the frozen snow on the vents and chimney, and then lit the stove that he had made by himself, and which directly killed Dr. Cross.
Just one more suicide note...
Wei Ran subconsciously glanced at Hannuo, who had just moved the radio equipment in, but his heart was filled with contradictions and a sense of powerlessness.
On the one hand, the companions who had died one after another these days, as well as the crazy long nights and snowstorms, had already made him fed up with this place, and he thought about leaving and returning to the warm world he was familiar with all the time.
But on the other hand, he hoped that Hanno could survive until the winter was over and the summer came.
But this winter has just begun, can he...can he really survive?
In other words, how long can Hanno last? One week? Ten days? One month? Or half a year? This is destined to be a cruel question with no answer.
"Victor, let's get out of here." Hanno said abruptly.
"What did you say?" Wei Ran looked at the other party in astonishment and asked.
"I said, let's get out of here."
Hanno said again, "Let's leave here before winter has completely entered, go to the coastline, find the Norwegian whaling station, or find the British, no matter who it is, let's leave here."
"You...have you decided?" Wei Ran asked with a frown.
"I've decided"
Hanno nodded, "Dr. Cross is dead, Mr. Carsten is dead, and the radio contact cannot be reached. There is no point in our staying here, so let's leave here."
"family"
Wei Ran felt a little vigilant in his heart, "What should I do with my family?"
"As long as we keep the secret here, and even keep our identity as Germans, our families will not be in danger. And when the time comes, I will leave a letter explaining that we have contacted the mine many times and there has been no response.
I was worried that there would be an accident there, so I decided to go and have a look. This way, even if we were caught, we would have a reasonable excuse."
Hanno said slightly excitedly, "How about it? Do you want to leave here with me? You just said that you will not leave unless I leave."
"Have you really decided?" Wei Ran asked with a frown.
"Decided"
Hanno said seriously, "I have decided that when the next sunny day comes, we will leave here and go to the coastline!"
"Okay..." Wei Ran nodded hesitantly, "Okay, let's get out of here."
"In this case, let's make some preparations in advance."
Hanno said and looked around, "We still have enough frozen meat, but before we set off, we need to process them into a state that can be eaten as long as they are heated. Victor, leave this matter to us.
How about you take charge? Cross has already baked enough bread, as long as we prepare some more meat and vegetables."
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! "Okay, leave it to me."
Wei Ran agreed with hesitation. He could vaguely feel that Hannuo was hiding something, but he also knew clearly that he could not change anything.
"We also need to bring in all the supplies outside, including the bodies of Yog and the others."
Hanno continued, "When I leave, I will blow up the entrance to the cave to seal this place, so Victor, before that, we must be fully prepared."
"You will escape with me, right?" Wei Ran asked abruptly.
"certainly"
Hanno replied without thinking, "I raised this matter, and I will bear the consequences. Victor, don't waste time, hurry up and prepare. Maybe this snowstorm will be very serious."
It’s about to stop.”
After saying that, Hannuo had put on his gloves again, bent down and got out of the cave, which had begun to get warm.
With a silent sigh, Wei Ran followed him out of the cave and brought back a large bucket full of frozen beef and various vegetables in an iron bucket.
Throwing these ingredients into the water tank covered with a layer of ice and slowly melting, Wei Ran helped Hannuo move in all the oil drums and stored supplies outside - including the oil drums containing the bodies of his three companions.
"I'll leave a letter first, indicating that we are going to the mine."
As Hanno spoke, he was already sitting at the table with the radio. He first wrote a letter, then translated it into a telegraph code, then encrypted it with a cipher machine, and finally copied it onto a telegraph newspaper.
And wrote down the crucial encryption time at the end.
While he was busy writing letters, Wei Ran also cut into pieces of melted meat and absent-mindedly made a large pot full of beef stew with carrots and onions. He also planned to bake some beef jerky in the oven for easy consumption at any time.
Before the beef stew he was cooking came out of the pot, Hanno picked up the rifle and loaded the gun with a "click".
Just when Wei Ran, who tensed up his muscles, subconsciously wanted to find a place to hide, Hannuo pointed his gun at the cipher machine on the table and pulled the trigger with a bang.
"Scared you?" As Hanno spoke, he fired a second bullet.
“At least say hello in advance”
Wei Ran complained, blocked his ears with his fingers, and allowed Hannuo to pull the trigger a second time, hitting the cipher machine with a bullet again.
Throwing the rifle aside, Hanno picked up the cipher machine and walked to the stove.
Upon seeing this, Wei Ran immediately opened the furnace door and allowed the other party to stuff the entire wooden-cased cipher machine inside.
"How about a drink later?" Hanno asked proactively.
"You also want to do what Yog did?" Although Wei Ran said this, he still picked up the kettle next to him and gave him a glass of wine.
“Just one drink is enough”
Hanno picked up the cup and took a sip, then sat on the nearest bed and said, "Major Schubert is my teacher, my mountaineering instructor, and my father's comrade-in-arms."
"How do you talk about this?"
Wei Ran also poured himself a glass of wine, and took out two beef strips from the oven that were already cooked but not dry yet and gave them to the other party. Then he sat on the other side of the stove that originally belonged to Dr. Yog.
On the bed.
“There’s always something to talk about.”
Hanno took a bite of the beef stick and said while chewing, "Major Schubert's wife is my aunt, and she and my mother are biological sisters."
"You are so close to each other"
Wei Ran, who also took a bite of the beef strips, said in astonishment, "I didn't realize how kind the Major's attitude towards you is."
"he?"
Hannuo snorted, threw the remaining half of the beef stick in his hand into his mouth, leaned forward with the cup and touched it with Wei Ran, then shook the rank military ring on his other hand and said,
"He is only loyal to this. Family love can only be ranked third in his eyes."
"What's the second one?" Wei Ran asked curiously.
"higher mountains"
Hanno took a sip of wine and said, "The purpose of his coming to Antarctica is to find and climb the highest mountain in Antarctica. Unfortunately, life here is not as free as we imagined before coming."
"What about you?" Wei Ran asked, "What are you here for?"
Hearing this, Hannuo fell into silence.
After a long time, he drank the last sip of wine left in the glass, then lit another cigarette, and then replied, "It's the best ending to come here, otherwise I might have become an invader of other countries."
The invaders."
After opening his mouth, Wei Ran subconsciously thought of too many friends who did not want to fight but were forced to go to the battlefield. Among those people were civilians, nobles, doctors, singers, hunters and even fugitives. Some of them became
Some of the invaders only wanted to block the invaders, while others were just meaninglessly involved in forced wars.
From this point of view, Hanno is undoubtedly lucky, but...
"It's just that I didn't expect that even though I hid in Antarctica, it would be as dangerous as the battlefield."
Hanno said helplessly in the swirling smoke, "Major Schubert is dead, and so is Jorg, who was also trying to avoid the war. Also, Carsten and Dr. Cross, who had nothing to do with the war, are also dead.
Death, it’s really...it’s really hard to do anything about it.”
"Yog who is also trying to escape the war?"
While Wei Ran refilled the other person's glass with wine, he repeated what the other person had just said, "So you and Yog have known each other before?"
"do not know"
Hanno said matter-of-factly, "Doctor Jorg is a military doctor of the 3rd Mountain Division. He submitted the application on his own initiative. On the ship to Antarctica, I was in the same cabin as him and was responsible for monitoring him."
Hannuo picked up the filled wine glass, opened the oven, took out a few beef strips and gave them to Wei Ran, and kept saying, "He talked to me at that time, and he said that if he didn't come to Antarctica,
, may be about to participate in combat missions. Looking at it now, if he had not boarded the ship at that time, he might have been sent to Norway."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! "I have never heard of such a thing," Wei Ran said in a dumbfounded voice.
"The Major never allowed us to reveal our previous experience and units of service when he was alive."
Hanno spread his hands, "But it doesn't matter now, they didn't survive, right?"
"Tell me about your plan."
Wei Ran asked seriously, "You must know something and where to escape, right?"
"Wait me a moment"
Hanno said, having put down his cup and stood up, walked to an airdrop box in the distance, opened it, took out the weather balloon stored inside, and then pulled out an envelope from the bottom.
Returning to the stove, Hanno took out a map from the envelope and said, "This is the map the major brought secretly. Our current location is here."
Hearing this, Wei Ran went over to take a look, and then heard Han Nuo say, "We are running towards the coastline, and the altitude is lowering along the way, so the speed will actually be very fast, and then we will come here."
"Enderby Land?"
"right"
Hanno nodded, "After arriving at Enderby Land, follow the coastline to the west. It won't take long to find the Norwegian whaling stations. There are enough whaling stations there, and there must be people spending the winter there."
"So all we have to gamble is luck. Will we encounter a snowstorm that can kill us before we reach the coast?"
"Luck is more important than any other factor"
Hanno folded the map and stuffed it back into the envelope, "We should be lucky that there are still enough sled dogs. I went out to check just now while you were busy. There are still 39 sled dogs in good condition, and the rest are all
We were more or less injured when we came back."
"What are you going to do?" Wei Ran asked.
"Twenty-seven of them are towing a sleigh, and you will be driving it to transport the supplies on our road."
Hanno said seriously, "The other 12 are towing a sleigh, and I will drive it. I will be responsible for leading the way."
"That's fine." Wei Ran nodded absently.
"How about you take some pictures for me?"
Hanno suddenly changed the subject, "I don't know if we can survive, but I want to take some photos while I'm still alive to leave them to my wife and children."
"Okay, I'm going to get the camera right now."
Wei Ran took a deep breath, stood up, and walked towards his own bed.
only...
Wei Ran glanced at Han Nuo who was not far away, but how much of his words were true...
