140: Eating hot pot in Antarctica

This is the Ross Sea, the southernmost sea on Earth and the gateway to the Antarctic continent.

Huge tabular icebergs floated on the sea, some even larger than a city. They were like white aircraft carriers, moving slowly across the water, refracting a faint blue, cold light.

The black and gold hull of the "phantom" wove through the gaps between these massive icebergs, appearing exceptionally small yet infinitely sharp.

As the latitude increased, the floating ice on the sea became increasingly dense, eventually converging into a continuous white ice sheet—Fast Ice.

Further ahead, the ship could no longer sail.

"Stop right here."

Jiang Yuan stood in the cockpit, looking at the boundless white wilderness ahead, his eyes reflecting the pure snow light.

"Zero, activate ice-breaking mode."

"Command confirmed."

A layer of crimson light suddenly lit up on the surface of the black and gold armor at the front of the yacht—that was the [High-Frequency Thermal Oscillation Blade] warming up.

Sssss—!!!

Accompanied by a teeth-grinding hiss of steam, the hundred-meter-long black giant ship cut into the two-meter-thick sea ice like a red-hot iron into butter, forcefully squeezing into the depths of the ice layer and finally settling firmly at the edge of the massive ice shelf.

The engines cut out.

The world instantly returned to a deathly silence.

Only the wailing sound of the cold wind blowing through the ice ridges remained.

Jiang Yuan walked out of the cabin door.

The outside temperature had dropped to minus thirty-five degrees. This extreme cold was enough to turn splashed boiling water into ice mist instantly and make an ordinary person's lungs feel a stabbing pain.

But the invisible nano-film on his body had long since automatically adjusted its parameters, locking his surface body temperature at a comfortable twenty-six degrees.

He leapt gently, jumping down from the bow, his feet landing steadily on the solid Antarctic ice sheet.

The snow layer under his feet gave a crisp "crunch".

This was a forbidden zone that humans rarely set foot in.

"Welcome to the white hell."

Jiang Yuan muttered to himself, but a smile hung on the corners of his mouth.

He looked up towards the depths of the ice sheet in the distance. There, a large, dark mass of "shadows" was wriggling.

Those weren't rocks, nor were they shadows.

That was a massive army.

An army composed of tens of thousands of "fat guys" wearing "tuxedos".

...

[Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri)]

This is the largest penguin on Earth and the true native of the Antarctic continent.

When Jiang Yuan walked leisurely into this bustling breeding ground with his hands in his pockets, he was greeted by a deafening clamor.

"Ga! Ga—!"

"Chirp! Chirp!"

Thousands of emperor penguins were crowded together, and the air was filled with a unique scent mixed with the smell of fish and bird droppings (fortunately, Jiang Yuan's olfactory filter automatically blocked the stench, leaving only the freshness of the sea breeze).

Some were standing there, dazed, sticking out their big white bellies; some were lying on the ice, sliding on their bellies; and others were slapping each other with their wings to compete for mates.

And at their feet were groups of penguin chicks covered in grey down, looking like kiwifruits.

When Jiang Yuan, this "alien," walked into the penguin colony, the panic and flight he had imagined did not occur.

On the contrary.

This group of adorably silly creatures, which had never seen humans and had no natural land predators, showed great curiosity towards this upright-walking "two-legged creature."

Not only did they not run away, they took the initiative to surround him.

"Ga?"

An adult emperor penguin nearly 1.2 meters tall waddled up to Jiang Yuan. It tilted its black head and looked Jiang Yuan up and down with its small, round eyes.

It seemed to be puzzled: This guy is quite tall, why doesn't he have fur? And his belly isn't round—is he malnourished?

Jiang Yuan squatted down, bringing his line of sight level with it.

In the penguins' perception, the strange creature in front of them had no aggression; instead, it emitted a warm aura that made them want to get close.

"Hello there, fatty."

Jiang Yuan reached out and gently touched its smooth, thick belly.

The texture was excellent, like a highly elastic rubber pillow filled with water—warm and soft.

The emperor penguin squinted its eyes comfortably, even leaning forward voluntarily, using its sharp beak to gently peck at the zipper of Jiang Yuan's jacket, making a "tap-tap" sound.

With the demonstration from this "big brother," the surrounding penguins instantly went wild.

Whoosh.

Dozens of emperor penguins surrounded Jiang Yuan completely.

They treated him like a strange, large penguin; some patted his legs with their wings, some tried to untie his shoelaces, and a few grey "kiwifruit" chicks, relying on their cuteness, crawled directly between Jiang Yuan's legs to keep warm.

Jiang Yuan was squeezed by this group of enthusiastic fellows and almost sat on the ground.

"Alright, alright, stop rubbing against me."

Jiang Yuan laughed and pushed away a big guy trying to shove its head into his chest.

"Since you're so enthusiastic, I'll treat you to a show."

It was noon, and he was feeling a bit hungry.

On this icy, snowy Antarctic ice sheet, in temperatures below minus thirty degrees, what could be more satisfying than eating a steaming hot meal?

Jiang Yuan looked around and found a relatively flat, sheltered patch of ice.

He snapped his fingers.

Space Folding: Wild Luxury Mode.

A set of exquisite mahogany eight-immortal tables and grand master chairs appeared out of thin air, landing steadily on the ice.

Next came a vintage, pure copper charcoal hotpot engraved with dragon patterns.

Although they were in Antarctica and there was no charcoal, that didn't stump Jiang Yuan.

He placed a [Micro-Fusion Heating Core] under the copper pot, which could provide continuous and stable temperature without the worry of an open flame being blown out by the wind.

"Gurgle, gurgle."

Clear Nongfu Spring water was poured into the pot, along with Jiang Yuan's secret beef tallow red soup base.

As the heating core activated.

In just two minutes.

A rich, overpowering, spicy, and fragrant aroma instantly exploded across this pure white wilderness!

That was authentic Chongqing old hotpot base, mixed with top-tier Sichuan peppercorns, chili peppers, and dozens of spices. This highly aggressive aroma traveled extremely far in the low-temperature, high-pressure air.

The surrounding penguins were startled by this strange smell and retreated a few steps, but were soon driven by curiosity to surround him again, staring wide-eyed at the copper pot bubbling with red oil.

"This is good stuff."

Jiang Yuan sat down and took out plates of top-tier ingredients from the space.

Australian M12 Wagyu beef with clear snowflake marbling, tripe, aorta, duck intestines, and premium krill paste just scooped from the sea.

He activated a [Local Airflow Blocking Force Field] around him.

This way, even though the cold wind was biting outside, the place where he sat was calm, and even the steam rising from the pot went straight up.

He picked up a slice of Wagyu, thin as a cicada's wing, and swished it "seven up, eight down" in the boiling red oil for fifteen seconds.

The meat curled up, coated in red oil.

He dipped it into a dish of sesame oil and minced garlic.

He put it into his mouth.

"Ssss—hah—"

Boiling hot, numbing, spicy, and tender.

A triple stimulation erupted on his taste buds; that wave of heat slid down his esophagus into his stomach, instantly dispelling all the surrounding chill.

"Refreshing!"

Jiang Yuan let out a puff of hot air. Eating hotpot on this ice sheet at the end of the world—this contrast felt so satisfying it reached his very soul.

The surrounding penguins watched him eat so deliciously, each stretching their necks, making drooling sounds.

"You guys can't eat this; it'll make your butts burn."

Jiang Yuan smiled, casually took a few fresh salmon from the space, cut them into chunks, and tossed them to the surrounding crowd of foodies.

The penguin colony instantly boiled over, scrambling to snatch the fish chunks.

...

Meanwhile.

About three kilometers away from Jiang Yuan's location.

A six-person polar scientific expedition team was trekking with difficulty.

They wore polar cold-weather gear as heavy as spacesuits, goggles, and carried heavy instruments. Everyone was shivering, and their eyebrows and beards were covered in frost.

This was an inland ice sheet survey team from a certain country, executing an ice core sampling mission.

"Captain... I can't go on..."

A young team member said, panting, their voice coming through the radio with extreme exhaustion.

"Let's rest for a bit. Replenish some energy."

The captain glanced at the GPS and helplessly gave the order.

Several people, as if pardoned, plopped down onto the snow. They took out energy bars as hard as rocks from their coats, along with lukewarm water from thermos cups that had long since gone cold.

In this godforsaken place, getting a hot meal was nothing short of a luxury.

Just then.

A breeze blew by.

The young team member who was gnawing on an energy bar suddenly stopped.

His frozen red nose twitched violently twice.

"Cap... Captain..."

His voice trembled, as if he suspected he was hallucinating.

"What's wrong? Are you hallucinating from hypothermia?" the captain asked vigilantly.

"No..."

The young team member swallowed hard, looking towards the windward direction with a dazed look.

"Did you... smell that?"

"Smell what?"

"Beef tallow... it's the smell of beef tallow hotpot! And Sichuan peppercorn! It smells so good!!"

The team members were all stunned.

They took off their windproof masks one after another and sniffed hard.

It was real!

In that biting, bone-chilling cold wind, there really was a hotpot aroma so rich it made one's soul leave their body! That scent was too overpowering; it wasn't something any polar food could produce.

"What the hell..."

The captain picked up high-powered binoculars and looked in the direction of the wind.

Through the lens.

In that penguin colony three kilometers away.

He saw a scene that caused his worldview to collapse.

In the middle of a dense crowd of black and white penguins, there was a table.

A man wearing thin clothing was sitting there, feasting on a copper pot steaming with hot air.

He could even clearly see the man pick up a huge piece of tripe, swish it in the red oil, and then stuff it into his mouth with an expression of enjoyment.

He looked at the energy bar in his own hand that was like sawdust.

"Gulp."

The entire expedition team heard the sound of the captain swallowing his saliva.

"Captain, is that a mirage?"

"No..."

The captain put down the binoculars, his eyes hollow, as if he had lost his purpose in life.

"That's God on a f***ing vacation."

"Pack up! Move that way!"

"What for? To catch aliens?"

"To bum a meal!!!"

...

Jiang Yuan didn't know how much of a psychological blow his lunch had caused to the expedition team a few kilometers away.

Having eaten and drunk his fill, he leaned back in his chair comfortably and wiped his mouth with a tissue.

The surrounding penguins were also full, and were currently huddled around his feet, burping and dozing off.

"This is what life is about."

Jiang Yuan looked at the undulating glaciers in the distance and the sun that never set overhead.

He stood up, and the table, chairs, and hotpot vanished instantly.

Only the lingering aroma of hotpot remained in the air, proving what kind of absurd and wonderful feast had taken place here.

"Next stop, let's go to the South Pole to see the aurora."

Jiang Yuan stretched, turned around, and walked towards the deeper inland.

Behind him, a group of penguins waddled after him for several hundred meters before reluctantly stopping, watching as this "strange big penguin" disappeared into the white horizon.