603: Chapter 598 A Series of Trials and Tribulations

Manager Liu stood rooted to the spot.

His fists were clenched tightly.

The office door felt like a dividing line.

Outside the line was the new era represented by Shen Yan.

Inside the line was the old world he clung to.

Elder Zhou's voice sounded behind him.

Devoid of any emotion.

“The old Board of Directors of Ocean Shipping is still deadlocked in disputes.”

“The old guard at Huafang Group still doubts the importance of industrial data.”

“The remaining founders of Huanyu Studio are still regretting the loss of their controlling stake.”

Elder Zhou's words were like pebbles,

Dropped into Manager Liu's stagnant heart.

“They all made one mistake.”

“They thought what they saw was everything.”

“They focused on the immediate gains and losses, but failed to see the world beyond the chessboard.”

Elder Zhou walked to Manager Liu’s side.

He patted Manager Liu’s shoulder.

The gesture was very light.

“We are old, Manager Liu.”

“Our experience is both wealth and potentially a burden.”

“Sometimes, we must yield the road to the younger generation to forge ahead.”

Manager Liu’s body relaxed.

He looked out the window.

The glass reflected his weary face,

And the white hairs at his temples.

The nation's mineral veins could not stop in the hands of their generation.

Beneath the ice layers of Xili Cocoa, a new answer was needed.

Perhaps,

This young man named Shen Yan was that answer.

Manager Liu let out a long breath.

That breath carried away his final resistance.

“I understand, Elder Zhou.”

He didn't say another word.

He turned,

And walked out of the office.

His back was somewhat stooped.

The silhouette of an era.

Seven days later.

The Zangqing Plateau.

Mountain Pass.

Altitude of 4,500 meters.

The wind was like knives.

Three black snow leopard no. 6 all-terrain tracked vehicles were parked quietly.

The lines of the vehicle bodies were cold and hard,

Like monsters driven out of a science fiction movie.

Twelve men stood beside the vehicles.

They wore matching black combat uniforms.

Their faces bore the marks of wind and frost.

The leading man walked toward Shen Yan.

He handed over a tablet.

It contained a manifest of equipment and personnel.

Shen Yan took it,

And checked it one by one.

Tundra-class exoskeleton life support systems, twelve sets.

Portable energy core, one unit.

Deep-ground exploration radar.

Core drilling machine.

Supplies were sufficient to support thirty days of high-intensity operations.

Personnel:

Geologist, Dr. Li, a top authority in structural geology in the country.

Demolition expert, codenamed 'Detonator'.

Mechanical Engineer, codenamed 'Wrench'.

Combat medic, codenamed 'Suture Needle', a former battlefield doctor from Alpha Team.

The remaining eight were former Polar Special Operations members.

Each person's resume was enough to fill a novel.

Shen Yan signed his name at the bottom of the list.

The handover was complete.

That man didn't waste any words.

He got into an off-road vehicle with his team,

And disappeared at the other end of the mountain pass,

As if they had never been there.

The 'Artisan' team was only responsible for delivering the personnel and equipment to the entrance of the restricted zone.

The road ahead,

Shen Yan had to walk himself.

Shen Yan looked at his own team.

Twelve pairs of eyes converged on him.

No doubt.

No fear.

Only the calmness of waiting for orders.

He boarded the lead vehicle.

“Move out.”

The engine let out a low roar.

The three snow leopard no. 6 vehicles formed a triangle shape.

The tracks crushed the gravel,

And drove into the Xili Cocoa uninhabited zone, known as the 'Life Forbidden Zone'.

The first day entering the uninhabited zone,

The weather was clear.

The plateau sun scorched the earth.

Everything went smoothly.

The performance of the snow leopard no. 6 exceeded expectations.

It was like traversing flat ground.

The second day,

The sky changed.

Lead-gray clouds surged from the horizon,

Pressing low,

As if about to swallow the entire world.

The wind picked up,

Kicking up ice crystals and sand from the ground,

Pounding against the windows,

Making a crackling sound.

The temperature dropped by twenty degrees within half an hour.

The onboard computer emitted a piercing alarm.

“Warning, encountering a polar storm.”

“Wind speed, forty meters per second.”

“Visibility, less than five meters.”

The convoy stopped.

On the communication channel, Wrench's voice came through.

“Activate the ground anchoring system.”

Eight massive alloy anchors extended from the underside of the three snow leopard no. 6 vehicles,

Digging deep into the permafrost.

The vehicles were firmly fixed in place.

The storm arrived as expected.

The world was reduced to a sheet of white,

Accompanied by a devilish howl.

The vehicle bodies vibrated slightly in the gale.

Communications were cut off.

The electronic compass began to spin wildly.

All signals were isolated by the storm.

They had become an isolated island.

Shen Yan looked at the output data from the energy core.

Stable.

The heating module of the exoskeleton life support system automatically increased its power.

Inside the vehicle, it was as warm as spring.

Some team members were resting with their eyes closed.

Others were checking their equipment.

There was not the slightest sign of panic.

A scene like this,

Was just part of the job for them.

The storm lasted for thirty-six hours.

When the wind stopped,

The world was silent.

Snow covered everything,

With an average depth exceeding two meters.

The convoy was buried beneath it.

The third day,

The hatch on the roof opened.

The team members climbed out of the snow leopard no. 6 vehicles.

They activated their exoskeleton systems.

Pale blue indicator lights lit up on their chests.

Beneath their masks, their breathing was steady.

They began to clear the snow.

Their movements were efficient and professional,

As if executing a procedure rehearsed countless times.

Four hours later,

The convoy reappeared.

“Wrench” began inspecting the vehicles.

“The left track of the lead vehicle has a drive bearing cracked during anchoring.”

“It needs replacement.”

“Estimated time, three hours.”

The team immediately divided the tasks.

Two members were assigned to guard duty.

“Wrench” and two assistants began the repair.

The others rested on the spot.

Shen Yan got out of the vehicle.

He did not interfere with the repair work.

He trusted professionals.

He took out his tablet computer,

Connecting the satellite antenna.

The shanhe system came back online.

The storm had caused their route to deviate by thirty kilometers.

Shen Yan immediately planned a new path,

Bypassing a newly formed glacial crevasse zone.

Three hours later,

The track was repaired.

The convoy started again,

Continuing toward the interior of the uninhabited zone.

The tenth day,

They reached the first marker point,

The predicted shallow mineral vein reaction zone from the shanhe system.

Dr. Li, along with two team members,

Began setting up the deep-ground exploration radar.

The equipment emitted a low hum.

Electromagnetic waves penetrated the ice and rock.

One hour later,

The data was transmitted back to the main control computer.

The screen was blank.

No abnormal signals.

Dr. Li frowned.

“The geological structure here differs greatly from the data I analyzed previously.”

“The magnetic interference is very strong.”

He adjusted the radar frequency,

And performed a second scan.

The result was the same.

A third time.

A fourth time.

They worked continuously for eight hours,

Scanning an area of five square kilometers nearby.

They found nothing.

For the first time, silence fell over the team.

The continuous travel and high-intensity operations

Were draining everyone's physical strength and willpower.