Chapter 3619 I want to go and take a look.

When Ye Chen heard the faint sound of an engine, the other three girls were completely confused.

Apart from the sound of the wind and the rustling of the wind blowing the ice and snow on the ground, there is no other sound here. How could there be a helicopter?

Moreover, when they arrived at the research station and met with the Nordic research team, they heard them say that helicopters are rarely used in Antarctica during the winter. Unless there is an emergency concerning personal safety, it is absolutely impossible to risk starting them, as a slight mistake could result in the destruction of the aircraft and the loss of life.

However, since Ye Chen said he heard it, they all believed that Ye Chen was definitely not just saying it casually.

So Lin Wan'er said, "Perhaps it's another scientific expedition team's helicopter on a mission."

Ye Chen said, "If helicopters are really deployed for the mission, it's highly likely that someone has been injured."

As he spoke, he frowned and said, "The helicopter seems to be getting closer and closer to us."

At this moment, dozens of kilometers away, Wu Hangong's helicopter was searching along the predetermined route.

They mounted an aerial ice radar on the helicopter and used it at full power to detect the ice sheet below.

Their planned flight path brought them within a few kilometers of the Nordic research station. Because they needed to explore the ice sheet, they had to precisely control the helicopter's altitude, keeping it as close to the ground as possible.

As the helicopter drew closer, Yun Rugo and Song Ruyu also heard its movements. Yun Rugo asked Ye Chen, "Mr. Ye, should we go back first, or wait here and see?"

"Let's wait and see," Ye Chen said. "They've flown this far; it doesn't seem like they're here to rescue people. After all, in such extreme weather, who would send someone out to carry out a mission this far?"

"Okay." The group decided to wait and see which country's research helicopter would be carrying out such a large-scale mission at this time.

Because Wu Han Palace's scientific research helicopter was conducting exploration, it was not moving very fast. The four of them waited for a long time before a helicopter appeared in the aurora-covered sky.

Although they were still several kilometers away, Ye Chen immediately spotted the large red circle on the fuselage and exclaimed in surprise, "Looks like a Japanese helicopter. What are they up to at this time of year?"

Lin Wan'er remembered something and said, "When you were in seclusion, I saw some news about Antarctica. It seems that the Japanese research team launched their largest-ever winter research expedition to Antarctica this year. It is said that the research stations are fully staffed or even almost overstaffed."

"Oh?" Ye Chen also found it strange and said, "We've been here once before, so we know that even if some countries have permanent stations that are still operating year-round, they are reducing their personnel to ensure sufficient supplies. After all, it's not easy to supply supplies, and now they can't even get them in. With Japan launching such a large-scale operation this time, can their supply reserves be used?"

Lin Wan'er shook her head: "I don't know about that, but what you said makes sense. Even if they can bring a lot of supplies through the research vessel, the scale of the research station is limited. Take our current research station, for example. First of all, there is a clear limit to the fuel reserves. Moreover, the construction of the oil storage tank is very troublesome. Not only does the entire oil storage tank equipment need to be transported directly from other continents, but the supporting stabilization equipment and transmission pipelines also need to be transported to the station. The oil tanks need to be unloaded from the ship and transported to the research station. A large pit also needs to be dug to bury them. This definitely cannot be completed in winter. They have not announced any information about the expansion of the research station. With so many people suddenly coming, the fuel and supplies may not be enough."

"What's more, they're using helicopters on such a large scale. I've looked at the map these past few days and roughly know the locations of some other countries' research stations. It's at least 300 kilometers from the Japanese research station. Their helicopters not only didn't turn back, but they kept going forward. This trip will probably consume a lot of fuel. Are they just trying to survive? If dozens of people don't have fuel to generate electricity and keep warm, it could easily lead to deaths."

Ye Chen thought Lin Wan'er's words made sense, so he said, "I'll ask someone to help me find out what's going on. If the Japanese are planning to conduct large-scale scientific research in Antarctica this winter, it will be a problem for us."

Lin Wan'er nodded and said, "Does the young master want to ask Miss Ito for help?"

“Yes.” Ye Chen smiled. “Nanako has a lot of influence in Japan. Her people should be able to figure out what big moves Japan is planning in Antarctica.”

He then called the three of them back to the research station and used a satellite phone to call Nanako.

When the call connected, Nanako asked with surprise and delight, "Is Ye Chenjun calling me from Antarctica right now?"

"Yes." Ye Chen smiled and said, "We are still under the aurora borealis in Antarctica and are heading back."

"How romantic." Nanako couldn't help but exclaim, then asked him, "Did Ye Chenjun call because there's something he needs me to do?"

Ye Chen said directly, "Nanako, I hope you can help me investigate what Japan is up to with this largest-ever Antarctic expedition. It would be even better if you could figure out their mission."

Nanako immediately replied, "No problem, Ye Chenjun, I'll have someone look into it right away."

The Ito family's influence in Japan is no less than that of the Samsung family in South Korea.

They wield significant influence not only in the private and financial spheres but also in various government departments and even within the cabinet.

Although Japan's Antarctic expedition was kept highly confidential, this level of secrecy was like a thin sheet of paper to the Ito family, easily pierced with a simple gesture.

So, Nanako quickly called back and told Ye Chen, "Ye Chen-kun, I just had someone look into it. This Japanese scientific expedition to Antarctica, on the surface, is the largest in history, but it was actually caused by a human accident."

"A human error?" Ye Chen asked her, "Do you know the specifics?"

Nanako said, "I know. The newly launched research vessel transported the research team that was on a winter mission to Antarctica. They planned to unload the personnel and supplies and then return with the summer research team. However, because they needed a few days to transport the supplies, the ship's propulsion system suddenly malfunctioned and could not be repaired in a short time. Now the ship is frozen in ice, far beyond its icebreaking capabilities, so the ship and its crew are stuck in Antarctica. In order to avoid a scandal, they announced that it was done on purpose."

Ye Chen frowned even more deeply and said, "If twice the number of personnel are stranded in Antarctica, then supplies and fuel should be quite scarce. How could they be so extravagant, directly using helicopters? Could you also ask the Japanese side what mission the helicopters are carrying out? Shouldn't the research team here report to Japan?"

Nanako then said, "Ye Chen-kun, please wait a moment. I'll ask about the helicopter again."

"Okay, Nanako, thank you for your hard work."

Ye Chen waited for a while, and then Nanako called back, saying with some shock, "Ye Chen-kun, the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology said that they did not see any record of the helicopter taking off. If what you just saw was really a helicopter from the Japanese research station, then it can only mean that they deliberately concealed the helicopter's movement information."

Ye Chen was even more puzzled.

First, the research team members were stranded; second, the research team members secretly called in helicopters without the knowledge of the domestic authorities. This doesn't seem like a normal situation at all.

So he asked Nanako, "Isn't the Japanese research vessel stuck in transit? Do you have the coordinates of its location? I want to go and take a look!"