LOGINOtherwise, none of their vehicles would cover the 1,800-mile distance.The harsh cold also meant more fuel consumption to keep the heaters and other equipment on—either way, they were burning through whatever fuel they had left.After some final checks as the fuel truck joined the convoy formation, Kohei finally approached Barlin. "We can depart now, my lord."Barlin nodded. "Then let's go!"With that, four snow tractors and a single oil tanker departed in a U formation along the Antarctic Coast, heading southwest before turning northwest.The two-way trip would take sixteen days, and since Charlie had the fuel tanker bugged, he could track their movements in real time.Four days after Barlin's departure, Charlie called Heiji again. "Repair the buoy now.""Yes, sir. Right away, sir," Heiji promptly replied, and hung up.Hearing straight to the ship's fuel reservoir, he rewrote the microcontroller program for the buoy sensor system, and then returned to his cabin.Five minutes
Charlie thought about asking Nanako to inform the Japanese government directly, but soon decided against it since it would leave a clear paper trail.He didn't want Nanko to be exposed in case their enemies decided to track down the information.After thinking long and hard, he told Vera, Ruby, and Penny, "Let's work on the Japanese research crew. Do something that would expose them to their government.""Any specific ideas?" Vera asked. Charlie nodded. "They have been mind-bent to hide what they are doing from their families and the government. If I mind-bend any of them to leak the news, the elder might be able to tell… So I believe we should let their equipment do the talking instead.""Equipment?" Vera repeated. "As in, their vehicles and such?""Yes—to be specific, their research ship," Charlie replied, nodding again as he proceeded to explain, "The comms system on the ship is the only communication system they didn't sabotage, while they had already removed the trackers an
Knowing what Barlin was about to pull, Merlin promptly sent the processed media to Charlie, who watched it with Vera, Ruby, and Penny.Charlie flashed a lopsided grin as he murmured, "Guess our geezer is really taking a gamble on this one. He just might succeed and keep his plans hidden from both the Japanese and Americans if he takes control of the two hundred Americans in McMurdo Base. However, their large-scale search will inevitably cause a huge fuel shortage and equipment wear and tear. When summer comes and the researchers and tourists arrive, he's not hiding anything then!" "At that time, the governments in both countries will both be in for a nasty shock. Where did all their fuel reserves go? What is with that stupidly high number on their vehicle odometers? Even if they reset the odometers, the wear and tear on vehicle tracks, tires, engines, gearboxes, drive shafts—basically every part of their vehicles can't be hidden. "Frequent vehicle use will also rapidly deplete the
Noticing Barlin's shock, Kohei admitted, "It's a long journey, but that's just it—the Antarctic isn't a completely flat icy wilderness. There are hills and other steep inclines, as well as ice formations that will slow us down. Even if we travel non-stop, it will take at least eight days.""Eight days…"Barlin trailed off, and demanded, "But you said it's 800 miles as the crow flies. Then why don't we fly?"Kohei replied, "There's still 600 miles to cover through the sea, and without any place to land and refuel, the helicopter can't get that far even with auxiliary tanks."So the only way is to drive? Are there really no other options?""None that are ideal."Barlin fumed, but soon exclaimed, "The ship! What about the ship? Have the helicopter land on it, and sail to the nearest point to that American base, and fly over!"Kohei shook his head. "My lord, you told us before that we can't let the Japanese government find out about us. They will know we're lying if we move the ship
Kohei replied, "Well, mainly by airdropping special forces and military hardware. If the situation calls for it, they could even drop lightly armored vehicles here, while their bomber aircraft and artillery can bombard specific locations from another continent with almost pinpoint precision, and keep bombing it around the clock.""Fuck," Barlin muttered in exasperation.And here he thought he just became the king of this continent, only to be told that foreign forces can come and go as they please.And since there's almost no chance of convincing the Japanese military to deliver aviation kerosene, that means the helicopter is grounded for all intents and purposes… unless?Having yet another bright idea, Barlin blurted, "Alright, if banditry is a no go, then we can do it quietly, yes? So tell me, which country has the biggest research crew team on the continent? Just tell me and I'll head over, control their minds and steal all their fuel and supplies… Perhaps even make them assist
Despite having plenty of questions in his head about the possibility of an Antarctic subterranean city, Charlie returned to the Norway research station.-Meanwhile, the Japanese fuel truck had already been filled with the required fuel load, and returned from the ship to the Japanese research base.Barlin, feeling interested in something else for once, stepped out of his Griffin Winter Manor. Standing in the central plaza, he looked around smugly and quietly mused to himself, "Having such a modern team is truly invaluable in this barren wasteland. It's just a pity we're still a bit short-handed, and we are certainly a modest force compared to the hundreds of thousands under the command of the Qing Eliminating Society."Kohei had been overseeing the fuel transfer. After checking the remaining fuel, he instructed the transport personnel in Japanese to pay close attention to the fuel safety warning line. Once the fuel level approached the warning line, they must set off for the res
Although Moroccan Authorities had cordoned off the entire Duca mining facility, their barricade may well be nonexistent to the Hubertians.They first examined the evidence, as the investigators had sorted out everything they recovered from the rubble for further examination. Penny's sword was bas
In his mind, Charlie did agree with Vera's theory, and he sighed, "The Four-Sided Treasure Tower must be trying to send me a message, but I'm not sure if it's meant for the entity's benefit or mine."Yes, it taught me the hand seals that generate Reiki, but the Reiki isn't just unusable—it devours
Charlie joked, "Well, if you were sent over while being unaware, would you fail to find any clues?""Yes, I would fail," Merlin nodded. "Most cold cases stay cold because there's no usable evidence anyway. Not even divine intervention helps unsolved cases that ultimately stem from a lack of evidenc
Then, with a flick of his wrist, all the cosmetic items Charlie had grabbed earlier appeared between his fingers.At the same time, the samurai were reaching them, with the handful leading the charge having their katanas raised in the air for a mean swing.Yoshitaka was trembling with rage, but st







