Chapter 3607 Capture

As soon as the departure window opened, the waiting ships weighed anchor, lined up, and sailed out of the dock, embarking on their journey to Antarctica.

Although these research vessels are all heading to Antarctica, their routes are quite different. Most of the research vessels go to the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands, and very few ships go to the Antarctic continent with its harsher climate. Therefore, after leaving port, just a few dozen nautical miles away, all the ships changed direction and their tracks scattered.

The Iliad research vessel's first stop is Antarctica. After arriving in Antarctica, they will pick up the staff of that research station and then go to other research stations on the archipelago. Eventually, all the staff will be evacuated to Ushuaia. At that time, the staff will fly back to Northern Europe, while the research vessel will take nearly a month to return to its home port.

On the second day of the voyage, the research vessel entered the Drake Passage. The infamous Roaring Forties lived up to their name, with winds generally reaching force 8 to 10 and waves at least five meters high. The ship sailing through this strait was like a tiny boat in a raging storm, appearing exceptionally small.

Due to the harsh weather and the fact that the research vessel itself was not traveling very fast, it was not until the third day that the research vessel had not yet left the Drake Passage, and the wind and waves outside were getting bigger and bigger.

While Ye Chen, Yun Rugo, and Song Ruyu were single-mindedly practicing the Great Sun Tathagata Hand Seal, Lin Wan'er was in her room using her delicate body to resist the violent ups and downs and rocking of the ship. At the same time, her dark eyes were fixed on the deep, almost black seawater outside the window and the waves that were higher than the cabin, and she clenched her fists nervously.

In her more than three hundred years of life, Lin Wan'er had never been to Antarctica.

She had boundless anticipation for Antarctica, but she also dared not forget her awe of nature. As she watched the ocean, which was even higher than the ship, slam against the porthole with tremendous force, causing the entire ship to tremble, she couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

Ye Chen felt the ship heaving violently. The first thing he did when he opened his eyes was to look for Lin Wan'er. He saw Lin Wan'er gripping a small table fixed to the floor, barely managing to stay afloat amidst the raging waves. He immediately went over, took her hand, and asked, "Miss Lin, how are you feeling? Are you seasick?"

Lin Wan'er was surprised that Ye Chen had woken up from his meditation. She said somewhat shyly, "Thank you for your concern, young master. I'm not seasick, just a little nervous. Although I've been on many transoceanic ships, I've never seen such big waves before..."

Lin Wan'er traveled between Europe and America, Japan and Southeast Asia in modern times, which naturally involved crossing oceans by ship. However, the climate of almost all the seas she sailed through was not as extreme as the Roaring Forties.

Let alone sailing ships or steam-powered iron ships of that era, even most modern ships do not meet the requirements for traversing the Roaring Forties. Only special ships that can withstand winds and waves of force 10 or higher and have obtained polar vessel certificates are allowed to pass through here, and they must also follow regulations and can only pass through when the maritime authorities deem it appropriate; otherwise, there is a risk of capsizing.

Ye Chen channeled some spiritual energy into her meridians through her pulse points, saying, "Spiritual energy can help you enhance the strength of your limbs, which will also help you cope with the storms. Once we cross the Drake Passage and approach the Antarctic continent, the storms will subside."

Lin Wan'er felt a surge of power within her body, her balance and core strength against the storms were greatly enhanced, and she felt much less uncomfortable than before. She nodded gratefully and said softly, "Young Master, please go into meditation and cultivate. Don't worry about me."

Ye Chen smiled and said, "It's rare to come to a place like this, so let's enjoy the scenery together."

A hint of joy flashed in Lin Wan'er's eyes, and she nodded shyly.

At this time, the Drake Passage was filled with howling winds that whipped up huge, dark blue waves that looked almost black. The entire sea surface was surging violently like boiling water, hardly a scenic view at all.

But Ye Chen stared blankly at the raging sea.

He was prepared to endure the entire Antarctic winter on his trip to Antarctica, wondering what kind of adventures awaited him on the mysterious continent over the next six months.

Unlike the usual four seasons, people who work in Antarctica only divide the Antarctic seasons into two: summer, which is from November to March, and winter, which is from April to October. Winter is relatively longer, lasting a full seven months.

For the next seven months, there will be no tourists in Antarctica, and all commercial ships will be completely shut down. Currently, there are still a few research vessels traveling to and from Antarctica, but by late April, the routes to and from Antarctica will be completely suspended, as even research vessels will be unable to cope with the extreme temperatures at that time.

In other words, at that time, people on the Antarctic continent will not be able to leave even if they want to, and navigation will not resume until October.

Half a year has passed in the blink of an eye, and Ye Chen can't help but worry that if his relatives and friends encounter trouble during this time, he will be unable to help them from his distance in Antarctica.

As for his wife, Xiao Churan, he was even more powerless to search for her and could only pray that she was well.

Seeing that Ye Chen seemed distracted, Lin Wan'er asked him with concern, "Is the young master worried about things at home?"

Ye Chen nodded frankly and said, "None of our relatives, friends, and followers have the ability to protect themselves in the face of the Po Qing Society. We only hope that the Po Qing Society will not make any moves or progress during our time in Antarctica."

Lin Wan'er comforted him, "Right now, the only ones who are in the public eye are your maternal grandparents' family. However, I believe that Wu Feiyan should be wary of them and will not act rashly."

Ye Chen nodded slightly and sighed, "I hope so."

After saying that, he thought of the Ye family again, so he used the satellite network on the ship to send a WeChat message to his grandfather, instructing him: "Grandpa, I have something to do recently and cannot get away. I will not be able to return to Yeling Mountain to participate in the Qingming Festival ancestral worship this year. Please take care of everything and keep things simple and low-key."

Ye Zhongquan replied to his message, asking, "Chen'er, where did you go? Can't you even find time to come back for Qingming Festival?"

Ye Chen replied, "Grandpa doesn't need to ask where I'm going. I'll return to China as soon as I'm done."

Ye Zhongquan then said, "Alright, then I will arrange the ancestral worship ceremony. Don't worry, only direct members of the Ye family can participate this year. No branch members are allowed to come to Beijing."

Ye Chen felt relieved and replied, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Grandpa."

After sending the message, he saw his grandfather reply with, "We're all family, no need for formalities."

However, he did not reply again, but put his phone aside.

Just as I was about to chat with Lin Wan'er for a bit, my phone suddenly received another WeChat message.

When he opened it, he saw that the WeChat message was not from his grandfather Ye Zhongquan, but from Li Yalin.

He clicked to play the voice message sent by Li Yalin, and heard Li Yalin say nervously, "Mr. Ye, our ground network system has just captured the facial features of the three elders of the Breaking the Qing Society in Buenos Aires!"