The Radiance

"A rare storm is expected in the Greenland waters three days from now, as a cold front from the Arctic Circle moves south with wind speeds of up to 70 knots."

The Galileo satellite navigation system on the North Pole broadcasts simple weather forecasts, yet it is crucial.

At that moment, the sky above the Greenland Sea suddenly cleared up.

Even the sea surface was much calmer, and the ripples on the sea surface were like a blue wool carpet, flat yet textured.

This is the ocean that people imagine, not the dark sea ravaged by storms and waves.

Hearing the weather forecast in the captain's cabin, Qing Chen knew that everything he had been waiting for was finally about to happen; a wind speed of 70 knots could be called a hurricane.

A hurricane with winds reaching speeds of up to 130 kilometers per hour will create towering waves, and the knight will be transformed after being baptized by this storm.

According to Qing Chen's original plan, he would fish a bunch of criminals on the dark web, wait for them to send him a sum of money, and then throw them all into the sea to feed the fish.

He can then focus on waiting for the storm.

From the very beginning, the purpose of his posting messages on the smuggling channel was simply to recoup his losses...

However, things got interesting when he discovered that Chilton and the others were Time Walker.

Qing Chen was curious about how the Time Walker in North America would change things in the Outer World, and also wanted to know how the Time Walker in North America differed from them.

Both sides have mechanical limbs, which is a common feature.

However, gene therapy drugs seem to be more prevalent in North America, and there is a trend of misuse.

In the Federation, very few people possess the skills to develop gene-based drugs; they are mostly within various factions. The process is relatively mature and standardized, and those with severe side effects have been eliminated.

For example, the BBC-001 drug, which causes a pair of deformed fleshy wings to grow on the back after injection.

For example, the NCC-001 drug, which causes leg hair to grow back in the form of barbs after injection.

These are all defective genetic agents that appeared in the history of the Federation, and they have all disappeared now.

However, many gene drug sequences in North America seem to be developing in a disorderly manner. Just as gun control is extremely lax in the Outer World of North America, there are still people in the corresponding Inner World region of North America who are privately mixing gene drugs.

This is probably a result of the different cultural attributes on both sides.

However, what intrigued Qing Chen the most was that there were also Forbidden Item in North America, and he wondered if Chilton and the others had any...

To Qing Chen's surprise, Chilton, Yesenia, and the others, after installing eavesdropping devices and believing that Zhang Jian and the others had discovered their Time Walker identities, made no attempt to conceal their plans.

As they sat in the kitchen eating the sandwiches Qing Chen had made, Chilton said, "We must finish surveying locations A2, A4, and A7 before this storm hits. I'm very interested in what the captain mentioned in his letter."

Qing Chen found this strange. What on the ship would interest a Time Walker?

At this point, Yesenia asked curiously, "By the way, what are we going to do with the gold from the shipwreck?"

A young man thought for a moment and said, "When I traveled to the Inner World last time, I thought about it seriously. If no one in the Outer World's Europe becomes Time Walker, then the continent corresponding to the Inner World might still exist, and it might even retain fertile soil. When we return to the Inner World, we can slowly exchange gold for an airship, and maybe we can, like Columbus, explore a new continent. After all, we're not that far from here..."

Chilton smiled and said, "The Future Organization you can imagine. There's something wrong with them not exploring it."

Zhang Jian was stunned. "You're Time Walker?!"

Chilton glanced at Zhang Jian, seemingly finding it somewhat amusing. "No need to pretend anymore, you already know, don't you? But I think your acting is very good; you showed surprise while also conveying a lot of subtle details through your body language."

Zhang Jian was stunned; he really didn't know.

At this point, the captain of the North Pole was starting to question his existence. He had no idea what was going on; his ship was now filled with Time Walker.

Previously, people only mentioned Time Walker when chatting in the Walnut Tavern, but Europe itself did not produce Time Walker, so Time Walker were still very rare.

Zhang Jian silently observed these people, wondering if they were like Qing Chen and Yang Yang, able to pull up the crab trap with their bare hands? Or perhaps even more capable?

To some extent, Qing Chen and Yang Yang were the first and second Time Walker Zhang Jian had ever seen, so they gave him a strange impression that Time Walker seemed to be very powerful.

Even though Zhang Jian had seen news reports about how badly the Time Walker, the Time Walker he witnessed firsthand were indeed incredibly powerful.

Therefore, Chilton and others were also classified as Qing Chen and Yang Yang.

Qing Chen, who was standing to the side, almost burst out laughing when he saw Zhang Jian's expression. It seemed that only he on the ship knew what misunderstanding had occurred.

However, the topics these people were discussing did catch his attention.

Qing Chen had asked about the Qing family's shadow, and now that conglomerates have their own satellites, they can see what's happening in Europe.

In fact, the European continent corresponding to the Outer World has been mostly submerged in the sea in the Inner World, while the other half is covered by a vast forest. This forest, known as Forbidden Zone 001, has spread out and swallowed up the original landforms.

But they don't seem to know this information.

If this group of people really manages to save up enough money to buy an airship, and can actually cross the Forbidden Sea by air, then they will be very surprised when they arrive in Europe...

However, the shadow once said something similar.

In the vast forest of Forbidden Zone 001, there are still traces of human habitation; a satellite once inadvertently took a picture of it.

In the photo, a small portion of the Forbidden Zone forest has been cleared, and scattered wooden houses stand on the cleared ground.

It's like a small market town.

To this day, the Federation is still unable to determine who lives deep within Forbidden Zone 001, or who can survive in such a place.

Qing Chen thought for a moment, then asked directly, "Are you looking for a shipwreck? Is there something very important inside?"

Chilton glanced at Qing Chen, seemingly unconcerned about answering his question, "We found a letter from the captain to his wife. In it, he wrote that the Dawn, which he commands, carries a large amount of gold, as well as something that can make people stronger—a mysterious power from the East."

Qing Chen pondered to himself, "So there are such things on the sunken ship."

Is it a practice similar to the Zhunti Method?

Possibly.

After all, the Zhunti Method must have existed in the Outer World.

Is it a sacred artifact left by our ancestors, like Forbidden Item?

That's possible.

But whatever it is, it's enough to pique Qing Chen's interest.

Yang Yang, standing to the side, could tell what Qing Chen was planning just by looking at his expression.

Just then, Chilton's satellite phone rang. He answered, "What's up?"

The phone was so loud that everyone could hear it, and Chilton didn't try to hide it.

Qing Chen knew that these people had already treated the crew of the North Pole as lambs to the slaughter, which was why they were so fearless.

The person on the phone asked, "Is the plan going smoothly?"

"Smoothly," Chilton said after a moment's thought. "We've found a crab fishing boat and expect to survey the first line within three days, and then the second line after the storm passes."

"A crab fishing boat?" someone asked in surprise on the phone. "The whole world is looking for a crab fishing boat called the North Pole in the Barents Sea. What's the name of your boat?"

Chilton was also surprised. He glanced at Zhang Jian and the others and asked, "What's the name of your ship?"

Qing Chen said, "Tencent account."

Small crab fishing boats like these are registered with the Maritime Safety Administration using a number, and the number is painted on the hull; the words "North Pole" are not painted on them.

Then wouldn't that just mean you can just come up with any name you want?

Chilton thought for a moment, this isn't the Barents Sea, so it probably isn't the one everyone's looking for.

He said into the phone, "We're on the Penguin, wait, why is everyone looking for that crab fishing boat?"

The person on the other end of the phone didn't seem to know the reason either, and didn't know how many times the news had been passed around. "It seems there's a particularly beautiful person on the ship, and everyone wants to take her, just like the Trojan War and the Greek War over Helen! However, it's said that the Time Walker on the ship are in quite danger, and experts from Kamishiro, Kashima, and Jiuzhou have all been mobilized. The Future Organization has even deployed the destroyer Bath."

"That's outrageous! How good-looking must she be?!" Chilton and the others were shocked.

Qing Chen and Yang Yang exchanged a glance, wondering how this news had come about. The whole world was chasing Qing Chen, but it had turned into the whole world wanting to steal a beauty.

The person on the phone said, "In short, this person is very important. If you encounter the North Pole at sea, please let me know. The Future Organization has offered 1 million euros to buy it, and crab fishing boats from various countries are looking for them in the Barents Sea."

Chilton said, "We can't make that money. The Yamatin Islands are far from the Barents Sea, and if we find that shipwreck, the reward will be hundreds of times that of a million!"

The person on the phone said, "Okay, be careful and stay safe. I've already contacted potential buyers. As soon as you retrieve the first gold coin, I can immediately provide a quote based on the coin's designation."

Chilton said, "By the way, have Rondo come to Area A2 to meet us. If we find any trace of the shipwreck, we'll need more people."

"OK."

At this moment, Chilton and the others did not notice that Zhang Jian's expression had completely turned blank.

He wanted to see Qing Chen and Yang Yang, but he was also a little afraid to.

Qing Chen said they were the Penguin, but Zhang Jian knew very well that they were the North Pole.

Moreover, according to the original plan, they should indeed have appeared on the Barents Sea, and Qing Chen and Yang Yang are indeed very good-looking...

So here's the question: aren't these two the very people the whole world is looking for right now?

Wait, what did the person on the phone say? That the people on the ship were in great danger!?

Zhang Jian thought about it and it did seem quite dangerous...

He personally witnessed Qing Chen cut a rope from over a hundred meters away using a playing card.

The next moment, Old John walked out of the driver's seat and said to Chilton, "We've arrived at the coordinates you gave us."

Chilton and the others perked up and got up to go up on the deck, their expressions excited.

According to the information they verified, this was the first location where the Dawn was bombarded by naval forces.

After being attacked, the Dawn immediately continued to flee north, and may have eventually been defeated in the A4 area and sank to the bottom of the sea in the A7 area.

This is, after all, just Chilton's speculation.

But if they can find shipwreck wreckage here, it means they are on the right track.

Chilton stood on the deck and looked at Yesenia: "The rest is up to you. Search the area within a three-mile radius. If you find any shipwreck debris, salvage it for analysis."

Yesenia nodded and jumped into the water.

Half an hour later, she excitedly surfaced. "Keep going, I found a cannon from the Dawn about 1.2 miles ahead. I took the crab boat there, tied it with a rope, and salvaged it."

Chilton said with a smile, "If it were a handcrafted shipboard cannon from the mid-19th century, this one could sell for 250,000 euros. But that's not the most crucial point. If the cannon sank, it means that the Dawn's deck had been bombarded from the very beginning, which explains why it had to flee in such a panic. We may have been very close to sinking."

As they were talking, Yesenia even threw two long, slender fish out of the water and onto the deck.

She caught it from the sandy bottom of the continental shelf, proving that she had indeed dived to the seabed.

"What kind of fish are these? They look pretty fun. Can they be kept alive?" Yang Yang asked Qing Chen, squatting down next to the two fish.

Qing Chen calmly said, "Greenland Halibut generally inhabit the sandy layer of the continental shelf. These fish don't live long after coming ashore because the lack of pressure from the seabed causes all their organs to die."

"No pressure?" Yang Yang thought for a moment and whispered to the Greenland Halibut, "Have you bought a house? Do you have a girlfriend?"

Qing Chen: "... It's not that kind of pressure!"

"Oh," Yang Yang stood up, "Then let's cook it for dinner tonight."

One hour later, Yesenia was pulled back to the seabed by a rope from the ship.

As the crane started, the ropes were pulled up, lifting Yesenia and a black cannon covered in rust and shellfish.

Chilton's eyes lit up. "These must be the last batch of muzzle-loading smoothbore cannons from the mid-19th century, and they're British-made, which matches the characteristics of the Dawn! After that, it's the era of ironclad ships and rifled breech-loading cannons. We've come to the right place!"

As they spoke, Old John placed the cannon on the deck, and Chilton and another young man excitedly went up to untie the ropes, carried it to a place where it could be seen in the sunlight, and examined it closely.

Qing Chen felt a surge of relief; these people had gone to such lengths to help him find the sunken ship.

Seeing the two struggling to lift the cannon, Zhang Jian suddenly recalled how easily Qing Chen and Yang Yang carried the crab cage.

He looked at Yesenia's tired expression after she returned to the ship, and then recalled Qing Chen's energetic appearance after he had wreaked havoc in the sea.

Zhang Jian thought to himself, "So there are differences between Time Walker..."

I wonder if these people know that the "chef" who made them simple sandwiches at noon is Time Walker who is even more skilled than them?

Moreover, the girl next to Qing Chen seemed quite capable, remaining calm in the face of danger.

He turned his head and saw Qing Chen looking at him with a smile, as if he could see right through his thoughts.

Zhang Jian quickly lowered his head, almost too afraid to look any longer...

However, just as everyone was celebrating, two ships appeared on the distant sea.

One was a cargo ship equipped with a giant crane, and the other was a luxury yacht.

"Is that Rondo?" a young man said. "He's here to join us."

But Chilton took out his binoculars, glanced at it, and said, "No, the cargo ship belongs to Rondo, but that yacht is the 'Radiant'. Where would Rondo get the money to buy a yacht like that?!"

The Radiant is a very famous yacht, 109 meters long, almost three times the length of the North Pole.

The yacht also has a helipad and even water cannons to defend against pirates.

Yesenia's face was somewhat pale. "I heard that last month, the Radiant Brilliance was bought by Kabri of the Future Organization, and it even made the news. Rondo sold us out; he used us as bargaining chips to join the Future Organization!"

Chilton's expression turned serious upon hearing this. Kabri was a very high-profile Time Walker from the Future Organization, a C-Class expert.

Moreover, Kabri is a Time Walker with Forbidden Item, and holds an extraordinary position within the Future Organization.

He must not be alone here; it's hard to say how much Time Walker has been on the yacht.

Chilton said coldly, "We shouldn't have shared the predicted location with Rondo. It seems we can't trust anyone in this world but ourselves."

"Should we run?" Yesenia asked. "Although Rondo knows the location of A1-A7, they won't be able to find the shipwreck location in a short time without a water-element Awakened to survey it."

Qing Chen suddenly said from the side, "The Radiant Brilliance's top speed is 22 knots, while our crab fishing boat's top speed is 20 knots, and we can't even maintain that speed, so we'll be caught up sooner or later. Besides, the best underwater detectors now can dive to 11,000 meters. Anyone who can afford the Radiant Brilliance can afford an expensive underwater detector..."

Yesenia glared at Qing Chen, annoyed. "What do you know, you crab fisherman?"

Qing Chen looked at the sea and said nothing more.

Logically speaking, smaller boats are usually faster, but there's a comparison involved. The Radiant Glory cost $320 million to build, so it's normal for it to be faster than some smaller boats...

Chilton suddenly felt a wave of powerlessness. "Let's wait here. We're the prey now, and they're the hunters."

At that moment, Kabri's enthusiastic voice came through the North Pole's radio communication system: "Good afternoon, friends on the Penguin! I wonder if you would like to welcome the guests from the Future Organization?"

A 5,000-word chapter, with another chapter at 11 PM tonight.