When the train stopped, Alex first saw the boundless expanse of azure water outside the window. Full of surprise, he asked, "Is this the Norwegian Sea?"
Neil chuckled and explained, "This is Lake Inari. The Norwegian Sea is still a long way off!"
Alex was not embarrassed. He was not a geography student, so it was perfectly normal for him not to know. He laughed it off, though his heart remained full of doubts.
Neil seemed to see Alex's confusion and explained, "Northern Finland does not connect to the sea. It is hemmed in by Norway and the Soviet Union. If we want to reach the sea, we can only depart from Inari, cross Lake Inari, enter the Barents Sea through the Patsjoki River, then circle around to the Norwegian Sea and return to the United Kingdom."
After a brief pause, Neil's brows drew tightly together. Somewhat worried, he said, "The Patsjoki River passes through Norway. I'm afraid the Norwegians might come out and obstruct us."
Alex's brows furrowed as well. Norway was now German occupied territory, and its geographical position was extremely important. Little Mustache valued this territory greatly and had even supported a puppet government there. Getting out through his territory seemed somewhat difficult!
"Actually, there's no need to worry too much. Finnmark is part of northern Norway, and Quisling's control over this area is relatively weak. There shouldn't be any problems." Seeing Alex's deeply worried expression, Neil tried to reassure him again. Yet Neil's change in attitude before and after only made Alex even more worried.
To save transport capacity and avoid making too large a target, seventy thousand people were assigned to ten ships, making things somewhat crowded. Fortunately, no one complained. After enduring Auschwitz's cruel torture, they were already immensely grateful just to have escaped alive.
Seven ships formed a long line as they sailed out of Inari Harbor, heading for the Patsjoki River downstream from Lake Inari. Neil continued accompanying them along the way, bringing two thousand finnish soldiers aboard as guards. Those two thousand men would also serve as Finland's forces stationed with the Allies, in exchange for Britain and America's continued military aid to Finland.
Completely different from history, the Winter War was still ongoing at this point. With aid from Britain and America, Finland was still far from running out of ammunition and supplies. Finland had also completely boarded the Allied war machine and would no longer stand alongside Little Mustache.
Once the ships left the Inari River and entered the Norwegian section of the Patsjoki River, Neil became tense. Toby grew tense as well. Two thousand Finnish troops and twenty thousand Prisoner of war army troops were spread across the ten ships, remaining vigilant at all times.
Alex also became cautious. His sixth sense warned him once again that danger was approaching. But the feeling came and went, leaving Alex unable to make a judgment.
After more than half a day of uneventful travel, with the boundless sea already in sight, an accident occurred.
A thick iron chain stretched across the mouth of the Patsjoki River, blocking their route to the sea. Alex's heart skipped a beat when he saw it. He knew trouble had found them.
"I'll deal with these chains!" Alex left behind those words, Teleportation carrying him atop the chains. Under Metal Control, the arm-thick chains quickly fell into the Patsjoki River, and the waterway became clear again.
Just as Alex was about to return, he suddenly discovered countless bullets and shells flying out from the dense forests on both banks.
Alex's expression changed drastically. The ten ships carrying seventy thousand people were not warships, merely ordinary merchant vessels. If they were hit, they could forget about ever reaching the sea!
Without a second thought, Alex rapidly spread out his Psionic Power and immediately unleashed Metal Control, doing everything he could to block every bullet and shell. At the same time, he launched a counterattack, controlling some shells and firing them back in the opposite direction.
After a succession of explosions, the attacks from both banks immediately slowed. Alex continued exerting force. Under his control, the bullets seemed to have grown eyes, weaving constantly through the forest and killing one German soldier after another.
In just a few moments, the gunfire and artillery on both banks vanished completely. Alex instantly lost all strength and plunged headfirst into the rushing Patsjoki River below, disappearing in an instant.
Metal Control was not Alex's own ability, after all. He had copied it from Marx. It was like a password-protected file: before cracking it, Alex could only use it by controlling it with Psionic Power. The expenditure of just a few minutes quickly drained Alex's Psionic Power. Once it was exhausted, Alex naturally passed out.
Seeing Alex fall into the river, Toby's expression changed drastically. Just as he was about to send people into the river to search, Neil shouted repeatedly from beside him, "Go, hurry! Take advantage of their ceasefire. If we're too late, all seventy thousand of us will die!"
Toby's face twisted fiercely as he roared, "You take them and go! I'm going to find Alex!" Without waiting for Neil's reply, he leaped into the rushing water.
Astonishingly, nearly a hundred people jumped into the icy, turbulent river after him, without the slightest hesitation.
Watching Toby plunge into the deep river water, Neil clenched his fists and roared from the depths of his chest, "Go!"
By the bank of the Patsjoki River, beside an armored vehicle, a tall, slender German officer wearing a black leather trench coat and bearing a noble countenance held a pair of binoculars. An excited smile hung on his face. "Was that the Teleporter just now? I never expected him to possess other abilities as well. What a surprise!"
"Search for him. No matter what, find him for me. Dead or alive, I want to see him!" The German officer lowered his binoculars, the smile on his face growing deeper. Yet strangely, both sides of his cheeks seemed somewhat sunken, faintly revealing the red skin beneath.
This man was none other than Red Skull, once again wearing a human-skin mask!
"But, sir, the Führer's orders are..." Red Skull's confidential secretary stepped forward, worry on his face.
"Forget those ships. Carry out my orders immediately!" Red Skull's expression abruptly changed. A majestic pressure burst from him, making the confidential secretary beside him tremble.
After a while, someone came to report, "Report, sir, the river is simply too swift..."
Before the man could finish, Red Skull grabbed him by the throat with one hand and slowly lifted him up. He said sharply, "I don't need excuses. I only want the man. Find him immediately!" As soon as he finished speaking, Red Skull gave a light twist of his hand, snapping the man's neck.
This move terrified all the German soldiers. No longer caring about the river's freezing cold, they charged into the water like madmen and began a dragnet search. Finally, as the sky began to darken, they found Alex's "corpse." At the same time, they captured Toby and the roughly one hundred others who had entered the river to search for him. Red Skull's subordinates were all exceptionally skilled agents; dealing with soldiers like Toby was naturally effortless.
"Report, sir, there's news." As Red Skull watched a group of agents carry Alex's body toward him and prepared to inspect it, the confidential secretary hurried over again, his voice still trembling. "In Vestfold County, Tønsberg."
Red Skull abruptly turned around at those words, no longer caring to study the Teleporter. He tightly gripped the confidential secretary with both hands, his twisted face filled with excitement. "After all these years, there's finally news!"
At that moment, a group of agents carried Alex's body closer, with another group of soldiers being escorted behind them. They were Toby and the others, all hanging their heads in dejection.
Red Skull glanced at the unconscious Alex, then at Toby and the others. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Send them all back to the base and lock them up!" He pointed at Alex again and warned sharply, "Watch out for his Teleportation. If you let him escape, you'd better watch your heads!"
With that, Red Skull climbed into the armored vehicle and hurried toward Tønsberg. There lay the treasure he had pursued his entire life. Compared with that treasure, Alex was utterly insignificant.
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