Ark, after I died, the operators started to love me.

The people inside the vehicle gasped in amazement as the shadowy giant rose from the ground and reached out its massive hand, dripping with black liquid, toward them.

"Drive faster! Drive even faster!"

"I'm already going very fast. The road conditions here are terrible, and you don't want to crash into a tree, do you?!"

After several days of observation, Chongyue had a basic understanding of the types of Originium Arts possessed by the people present. He saw a giant-like black shadow behind him through the rearview mirror and shouted into his headset, "Horhaiya, how large a scale of Originium Arts can you unleash?!"

"It could definitely stir up a storm, but I don't think the blizzard that forms from the storm can stop this big guy."

"It doesn't matter, I just need a storm."

Chongyue said to Adele beside him, "You drive. Can you drive?"

The geologist nodded repeatedly: "Yes, I've learned to drive."

Dolly chimed in, "I can help."

Chongyue decisively handed the steering wheel to the sheep girl, then pushed open the car door and climbed onto the roof.

In his eyes, the giant's outstretched hand almost touched the third car behind. Frostnova, sitting in the car, occasionally used Frost Originium Arts to try to block it with ice walls, but with little effect.

Meanwhile, Mike had already jumped onto the roof of the third car, his body glowing with golden light like a blazing torch.

For no apparent reason, a thought popped into Chongyue's mind: this guy hasn't gone all out yet; he's testing him.

Faced with such a monster, what is there left to test?

“Chongyue, don’t worry. This thing may not be able to leave that place. Although the giant is large, it moves very slowly. If I stand here, the people here will not be harmed.”

Have you figured out what this is?

"Not yet, but it's almost there."

Mike crossed his arms, the black hand so close to him that it seemed he could grasp it with a single, gentle squeeze.

But he remained standing there motionless, his expression unchanged.

This confidence and composure are extremely rare, even within the military.

"That's enough. Hit it once, and it shouldn't follow you anymore."

With Mike's reminder, Horhyah activated Originium Arts in the carriage, and an endless storm enveloped their vehicle, uprooting dead trees one by one.

34. Sami Icefield Rules

There is almost no doubt that the Feathered Serpent is the embodiment of the storm at this moment, and the Originium Arts she wields are so terrifying that they are breathtaking.

The storm swept up everything that could be blown up, and then swept up the snow, turning it into a blizzard that engulfed everything.

Mike's lips twitched as he recalled a phrase.

There's a tornado-themed single-player game on my phone.

Because the storms blown by Horhaiya can only uproot one tree at a time.

Chongyue was prepared. When Horhaiya unleashed the storm, his powerful energy swirled around his body, and an ancient creature appeared behind him. Even though it was just a phantom, it made the members of various races in the car feel endless pressure.

The Grandmaster truly lived up to his name, his skill reaching its pinnacle.

Mike sighed inwardly. Although he stood in front of Chongyue, he neither dodged nor flinched.

A creature's low murmur could be heard coming from the raging wind, growing louder and clearer as it approached, eventually turning into a high-pitched cry, with the storm of Horhaiya serving as the perfect vehicle for it.

As Chongyue thrust his palms forward, a wave-like current of air mixed with a blizzard collided head-on with the shadowy giant, forcefully pushing the giant hand backward a distance.

The dark figure watched the three cars drive further and further away, disappearing into the woods, accompanied by a resentful roar carried on the wind.

Having missed this opportunity, there was no way to leave the three cars deep in the woods again.

The abandoned village has become a location that cannot be found on the map.

More than ten minutes later, the people who had escaped looked at each other, feeling a sense of relief at having survived a disaster.

"That's terrifying. Do you have to face monsters of this magnitude every time you go north?"

Destreet's words made Mike laugh as he returned to the carriage: "What, are you scared?"

"How could we be afraid? Don't underestimate us."

Mike shook his head: "I don't mean to belittle you. The dangers we face on our journey to the North are far greater than this, and the situation is more complicated. If you choose to withdraw, I can completely understand."

The man's sincere answer made Destreet a little embarrassed.

She was indeed frightened.

The man's calm and composed demeanor left a deep impression on her.

"You don't seem worried at all?"

"Why should I worry? Everyone is so strong, and we also have Grandmaster Chongyue here."

Chongyue's performance just now was much more impressive than his, a PhD student's.

"No, I just drove it away. You're the one who really made a difference."

Chongyue did not accept Mike's praise. If this man hadn't noticed something was wrong and taken many preventative measures in advance, they probably would have suffered casualties here.

Frostnova stepped forward and poured cold water on the situation: "Before we start praising each other here, we should also consider why there's been no movement from Kazimierz in such a big mess?"

"do not know."

Destreet shook her head: "I never heard of such an incident when I was in the Grand Knights Territory. The news was probably kept very secret and was not known to the outside world."

After using Originium Arts, Horhyah, slightly exhausted, leaned back in her chair and chuckled softly, "Mike, I'd like to hear your thoughts."

“I have no opinion,” Mike said, his face expressionless. “Whatever happened to the village deep in the woods, it was probably just a deserted village, and without a doubt, it no longer exists.”

At this point, the man paused and explained further: "For this monster to exist, it must rely on tangible things, so the way to completely solve it is not to eliminate it, as that only addresses the symptoms, not the root cause. We must find the source and nip it in the bud to protect more people."

"Are you saying that the source has already appeared north of the Sami Icefield?"

"Not necessarily, I don't know. It's precisely because I don't know that I need to go and take a look. Everyone already knows the risks of this trip and the dangers we will face next. I still stand by what I said earlier: it's not too late to back out now."

……

Seven days later.

Far from the last transit point in Kasimir, the three vehicles headed towards the Ukrainian-Kazakh border.

Because relations between Qazimir and Ursus are not harmonious, checkpoints have been set up along the border between the two countries to check people passing through.

Mike produced the United Exploration Association's pass and was able to pass the check smoothly. In addition, he also slipped a red envelope to several officers on duty.

"It passed so easily."

"After all, we don't look like the kind of people who can cause trouble for Ursus. There are no large mobile cities on the Uka border, and even the stationed troops are quite far apart. Our real purpose is to go to Sami. The Joint Exploration Association has been established for some time now. No matter how slow the Ursus people are, they should know what kind of organization it is."

As Mike explained to his teammates, he sighed inwardly. Although he had said that they could leave the team, in the end no one took the initiative to leave. They were all determined to go with him for a trip up north.

"This is my first time in Ursus."

"Me too."

Adele's statement was agreed upon by several other members of her entourage, but Yelena did not share that view.

“I am from Ursus. This country did not make me feel any better. On the contrary, we only realized what it means to be a citizen of a country when we left it.”

Mike knew that everyone's opinions were filtered through their own perceptions, so he never participated when they discussed customs, styles, and cultural identities between different countries.

"We won't stay in Ursus for long. The rest of the journey will probably be completed in a few days. Before entering the Sami Icefield, we will need to undergo another round of cognitive enhancement."

Everyone stopped talking and doing their work, and looked up at him.

Mike took out a piece of paper that he had prepared long ago from his pocket.

"Pay attention to each of our identities, names, and physical characteristics. I mean the most basic kind. A person only has two eyes, one nose, and one mouth."

“Don’t make it sound so terrible.” Descartes couldn’t help but hug her arms. Mike’s description sent a chill down her spine, a chill that was even more terrifying than the freezing cold of the ice field.

“I’m serious. Those shadowy figures we encountered in the deserted village didn’t even have faces, yet they managed to blend in with us.”

Mike pointed to the second sentence: "If any of our personnel cannot be identified, they must stay away from the target, maintain a safe distance, and remain with someone whose name they can identify, while awaiting rescue."

After nearly a month of living and working together, the team members were already familiar with each other's names and code names. It was during this process that Destreet, the last person who didn't know Mike's true identity, also learned that the guy in front of her was the doctor from Rhodes Island.

35. Caught between blizzards

"That's all I have to say for now. The closer we get to Sami, the greater the dangers we encounter. Fortunately, after arriving at the United Exploration Association, we purchased a new batch of equipment, which will improve the situation."

Mike glanced at everyone; they were all staring at him. Clearly, his words had had no effect.

Quetzal said calmly, "I know some things. When expeditions that venture deep into the Sami Icefield return to base camp, they often encounter some inexplicable accidents. Some can be resolved, while others remain unsolved mysteries."

Her meaning was clear: even with Colombia's advanced equipment, there was a high probability that the problem could not be solved directly.

"Something is better than nothing."

Mike continued, following the instructions on the paper: "Once you get the equipment, be sure to pay attention to the reference values ​​on it. They may not always be accurate, but when they change, you're basically facing the unknown accidents that Holheimer mentioned."

Adele took careful notes, believing that she would be able to write another travelogue after returning from Sami.

Unfortunately, Mike stopped the sheep girl's idea.

"Adele, I regret to inform you that it is best if no written records related to the Sami Icefield appear on the market. If possible, I would even prefer that no one ever discovers what happened in that region."

"why is it like this?"

Mike's words were harsh, and Adele lowered her ears. She couldn't disobey her senior's orders, and her hopes of writing a travelogue were dashed.

Xingji said thoughtfully, "I heard from my colleagues at Rhine Lab that any employee who comes into contact with products from the Sami Icefield must go through layers of screening, sign a confidentiality agreement, and be prohibited from leaving the designated area for a long period of time."

This is a very correct way of dealing with it. Even if some employees are contaminated, the situation can be basically controlled within a certain range. I wonder who told Rhine Lab this method, Kelsey, or that Führer?

Mike silently pondered to himself, his gaze falling on Chong Yue: "Grandmaster, is there anything you would like to add?"

"No, Sammy's situation is different from the ones I've encountered before, but it's roughly the same. Mike, your plan will be applicable to most of them."

"That's good. Please take good care of the team members, Grandmaster."

"It's natural."

Chongyue is a man of his word, straightforward and never goes back on his promises. With his assurance, Mike felt that his safety on this trip was greatly enhanced.

He had no choice but to bring Destle along, who was practically useless in combat. Rather than her combat capabilities, Kuranta, as a civilian employee, could help him reduce the expenses of this operation.