LOGINCharlie's Earthnet was a security camera network embedded in vending machines at airports, ports, and train stations, all wired to his state-of-the-art AI module.It had caught sight of the Qing Eliminating Society's three elders before, when they departed and returned to South America.On this occasion, they first traveled by seaplane to the waters near Buenos Aires, before transferring to a speedboat to make landfall, after which they headed straight for the airport.The moment they arrived at the airport's VIP lounge, Earthnet immediately identified them.Neither Fleur nor the three elders seemed to understand the danger of facial profiling, nor did they know Charlie possessed such a powerful tool in his arsenal that was almost insidious.It was a stroke of genius to cover all transit points such as airports, train stations, and piers. During travel, especially international, facial concealment was prohibited. And when they pass through any checkpoints without facial disguises,
Unlike the four seasons elsewhere across the world, those who work in Antarctica only had two seasons. For them, there was only one summer that started from November to March, and one winter from April to October—the latter was naturally much longer, lasting seven months.That also meant there would be no tourists on the Antarctic continent for the next seven months, while all commercial shipping would be completely suspended. Currently, a small number of research vessels were still traveling to and from Antarctica, but by late April, there wouldn't be ships traveling to Antarctica. After all, even research vessels would be unable to handle the extreme temperatures in that period.In other words, people who stayed on the Antarctic continent would be unable to leave even if they wanted to, as the next ships will only arrive in October.Still, even though six months would have passed in the blink of an eye for him, Charlie couldn't help but worry for his family and friends, in cas
Once it was time to leave port, every berthed vessel promptly weighed anchor and steered out to sea, all of them bound for the South Pole.Even if every vessel was bound for Antarctica, they were all taking different routes.Most research vessels traversed the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands, and very few ships went to the Antarctic continent, where the climate was harsher. Therefore, after leaving the port and sailing just a few dozen nautical miles, all the ships changed vectors and spread out.In contrast, the Elliot was heading straight for Antartica, after which they would pick up the researchers from the Norwegian research bases around the islands before returning to Ushuaia. After that, everyone would be flying home, while the Elliot would spend another month at sea before reaching her home port.Still, as they arrived at the Drake Passage on the second day of their voyage, the infamous Roaring Forties lived up to their name; winds here typically reached
Barlin nodded. "In that case, I will take the north and the south."-While the three high elders eagerly left seclusion, it was dinner time at the Elliot.Captain Tracen had gathered everyone at the mess hall as asked, suggesting that he would introduce Charlie's group to them.No one found it suspicious, as it was a typical sailor tradition. Even for the research, since everyone was going to be stuck with each other for two weeks or so, getting to know each other would make life much easier.In fact, as Charlie's group just arrived at the mess hall, everyone aboard the Elliot was waiting in the mess hall.The Norwegian crew had stacked the ship's dining tables into a single long dining table over thirty feet long. Dishes—primarily Norway's specialty seafood including smoked salmon, various sausages, shrimp, and crab, were the main courses.Captain Tracen, still under Charlie's mind-bending influence, remained compliant and respectful, smiling at everyone as he called to the cr
Upon hearing Fleur's suggestion for them to leave in search of providence and natural treasures, the three elders naturally agreed to it without the slightest hesitation. Prolonged seclusion was a process of building momentum, but it also inevitably weakened over time. If one were to remain in seclusion until opening their pineal glands, time would pass in the blink of an eye amidst endless cultivation. However, being interrupted at the crucial moment made it extremely difficult to re-engage and regain that state of mind. And with Fleur having interrupted them before, going back to seclusion saw little progress. And they had grown increasingly impatient since. Fleur knew very well that if she were in their shoes, she would massacre a village to quell her frustration, after being interrupted just as she was about to open her pineal gland. Therefore, she decided to set the three elders loose, partly to help ease frustration, and partly to see if they might encounter providence.
Moreover, the three high elders had much to complain about their progress on unsealing their pineal glands. After all, they had mostly stayed in seclusion for a century, and if they had just gritted their teeth and persevered for another ten years or so, they might have opened their pineal glands one after another. And once they did, they'd live over 200, if not more.However, Fleur kept interrupting. As their enlightenment progress kept being set back for decades, catching up would take just as long and that was another few decades wasted.Still, Barlin was quick-witted enough to keep his mouth shut and his mind clear.He knelt on one knee and bowed his head, answering, "No, Lady Griffin—we will never presume to demand rewards for servitude. But you just need to say the word, and we will carry it out to the letter. We only humbly request that you grant us permission to leave the island and search for Vera Lavor!"The other two high elders quickly caught on—their minds must hav
Fleur asked in turn, "And why do you think they are reconciling, even collaborating on a joint project?"Tarpon replied, "If I may be frank, I don't think it's that strange a move for three reasons."First and foremost, the Ackers barely escaped complete devastation on multiple occasions. Morale i
Hence, after twelve hours, Jimmy Smith was still livid as his flight landed at Kennedy Airport while Nate Ares waited eagerly to receive him. Jimmy never slept throughout his journey as he was contemplating endlessly on how he could destroy his boss.Ares LLC's yearly net profit was around five h
Zachary's voice was choking with tears. "Please, don't just see how much it actually is—the problem is that we're just amateurs and sold that bronze sculpture as a forgery. That's something we can't change…"Jacob remained brazenly stubborn. "Don't give me that crap—that's not what I'm talking abou
Seeing that Jimmy was getting a little nervous, Charlie smiled and assured him, "Please, you have nothing to worry about. No one's going to do anything to you, but if you feel threatened in any way, you can call the cops. The Oskian emergency hotline is 110, by the way."Jimmy was slightly relieved







