The ancients said a freeze three chi deep does not come from one day’s cold. Three chi is merely one metre.
Yet here, the average ice thickness exceeded two thousand metres.
If the legendary gate of ascension was not on the ice sheet but on the land beneath it, would he not need to penetrate two thousand metres of ice to find it?
At this thought, Wu Bolin felt some despair.
Having studied the Antarctic map, he knew how vast the continent was. He had originally thought he might search for clues across several million square kilometres of ice surface. Now it seemed he would need to search within an ice volume of several million square kilometres surface area and two kilometres depth. The difficulty was hell-level.
Yet even at hell-level difficulty, Wu Bolin had no intention of giving up.
He knew clearly that under Wu Feiyan, he had no chance to escape her control. Without finding the path to longevity, he might not even outlive her. Thus, Antarctica was likely his best opportunity.
So he vowed inwardly: as long as the legendary gate of ascension truly existed, no matter where it was, he would find it.
After twenty-four hours of nonstop travel, the three snowmobiles finally reached the location Wu Bolin had designated.
The site was a northward mountain pass, with biting cold winds.
After alighting, Wu Bolin walked on the glacier for a few steps, then stopped and pressed his palm to the ice surface, releasing spiritual energy to probe and sense the situation and structure beneath the ice sheet.
With Wu Bolin’s strength, his spiritual energy spreading through air could detect movements within a ten-kilometre radius. But facing over two thousand metres of ice thickness, its penetration was markedly weaker.
Let alone detecting beneath a ten-kilometre radius of ice, after his spiritual energy penetrated the ice and reached the bedrock, its dispersal covered only three or four li around.
The ever-loyal Kikuchi Kohei, seeing him frown with hand on the ice, could not help asking concernedly, “Zhenren, what are you doing?”
Wu Bolin said impatiently, “This is not something for you to worry about.”
Then he stood up and said to Kikuchi Kohei, “Get in the vehicle. Proceed south two kilometres straight.”
Kikuchi Kohei nodded immediately and said respectfully, “This subordinate obeys!”
He then quickly summoned the others to prepare to board.
Wu Bolin returned to the vehicle, sighing and clicking his tongue inwardly, unable to help lamenting, “Each probe covers only a radius of two kilometres. How many years would it take to explore the entire Antarctic continent? Moreover, each probe to over two thousand metres deep consumes considerable spiritual energy. Over time, spiritual energy would deplete with no replenishment. Would I not then have to abandon the search?”
Kikuchi Kohei drove while unable to resist asking again, “Zhenren, do you have some worry? Feel free to share it with this subordinate. Perhaps I can offer what little help I can.”
Wu Bolin sneered coldly. “Drive your vehicle properly. How could you help with this? Speak more nonsense and beware I cut out your tongue.”
Seeing him somewhat angry, Kikuchi Kohei dared not say another word.
Wu Bolin did not know that modern Antarctic research long ago had a device called ice radar. It could penetrate two to five thousand metres, detecting structures beneath the ice. Many subglacial basins, bedrock, lakes, and even crevices had been discovered using it. There were ground and aerial versions. Ground radar operated on the surface, aerial mounted on aircraft or drones. Both types existed at the Japanese station, now Wu Han Palace.
Only in winter, aerial use was impossible, but ground ice radar faced no obstacles.
If Wu Bolin had told Kikuchi Kohei his needs, Kikuchi would immediately have recommended ground ice radar. They could return, mount it on a vehicle, and probe continuously while driving, vastly more efficient than Wu Bolin’s gradual searching.
Unfortunately, having secluded himself for a century, read little, and never deeply studied modern technology, Wu Bolin knew nothing of this. He even held a superior detachment, believing that apart from spiritual energy, no one could detect what lay beneath two thousand metres of ice.
