Lu Mingfei Development Program

Chapter 580 Black Swan Harbor
A straight runway is embedded in the endless snowfield like a sharp sword. Usually, it is buried deep under one meter of snow, like a sleeping beast waiting to be awakened.

At this moment, the snow had been cleared, and the black asphalt of the runway shone with a cold luster in the sun, forming a sharp contrast with the pure white surroundings. The special plane named "Sleipnir" slowly landed, and the roar of the engine broke the silence of the snowfield.

The plane stopped steadily in the middle of the runway, the cabin door slowly opened, and cold wind mixed with snow particles rushed into the cabin.

The Arctic branch commissioners who had been waiting at the runway came forward immediately. Lu Mingfei walked down the gangway and the cold air hit his face. The cold wind that was the same all year round did not affect him who was wearing only a single layer of clothes.

Behind him were the principal and vice principal, who were wearing heavy winter clothes. Even the hybrids who were naturally awakened, which was rare in today's society, would be afraid of the severe cold. Moreover, they were already old.

It is spring in the Northern Hemisphere, but for the permafrost in the northernmost part of Siberia, spring is not much better than winter.

Lu Mingfei's attention was immediately drawn to the cold building a little further away from the runway. The Arctic branch of Kassel College was quite hidden, like a gray-white giant beast lying on the coast, blending in with the color of the frozen soil. Even if a spy satellite flew over, it would be impossible to observe this place.

The branch's base was built almost on the edge of the civilized world. It would not be an exaggeration to say that this was a fortress at the end of the world.

The nearest city is Verkhoyansk, more than 300 kilometers to the south. It was once the place where the Tsar imprisoned political prisoners. Many people committed suicide because they could not stand the cold winter.

Outsiders may find it difficult to imagine how anyone can survive in a place that is even further north and colder than Verkhoyansk.

There was no welcoming ceremony. Every second spent in this snowy field with the howling cold wind was a disregard for life. The snowmobile started, raising snowflakes, and drove into the giant-like branch base.

The provision of heating in the facility eased the expressions of the specialists who went to pick up the guests at the airport. They looked at Lu Mingfei with admiration as he wore a black windbreaker as a symbol of respect for nature.

"Time is running out, let's go take a look at that cave." Lu Mingfei said sideways.

On the plane, the principal explained to him the details of how Lu's father and mother lost contact. As expected, they also lost contact after entering the cave. As soon as they were confirmed to have lost contact, the Arctic branch immediately reported to the headquarters and closely monitored the cave entrance.

The specialists tried to enter the cave to explore, but just like the countless times they and Ange had entered there in the next hundred years, they found nothing.

"We are already heading that way," replied Ange.

The vehicle did not stop after entering the facility. The passage here was very wide and large. Angers established the Arctic branch with the cave as the center. The entire facility was like a cage that surrounded the cave that swallowed the life of his companion.

He had already anticipated that the situation that happened a hundred years ago would happen again, and had reserved a wide enough passage so that heavy vehicles could get there directly in the event of an emergency.

Although it was not his first time to step into this place, Ange's expression was more solemn than ever before. Things were different. The destroyed world might appear again. No one knew how many lives would be taken away by that world this time.

He glanced at Lu Mingfei who was thinking about something, and said comfortingly: "Their situation may not be as bad as we think. I have explained to them what I encountered in the cave. No matter what the world outside the cave is like, at least it is safe inside the cave."

"I know." Lu Mingfei said softly, "Just like they believe that I am not that fragile, I also believe that they are not that prone to accidents."

He was thinking about something else.

The situation of Menek and his friends being "forgotten" is somewhat different from that of Chen Motong. Although the former died, the world still remembers them, but some of their experiences are blurred or grafted onto other people. Chen Motong was completely forgotten. Lu Mingfei has not found his family yet, and no one remembers that there is a hidden family in the world of mixed-bloods, the Chen family.

Although the two situations are similar, there are still essential differences. As for why there is such a difference, Lu Mingfei feels that he should be close to the answer.

The heavy alloy door slowly opened. Even though the facility was heated, the cold air coming out from behind the door still made everyone shiver. Lu Mingfei was an exception. He silently watched the slowly opening door and saw the deep cave hidden behind it.

In a trance, he seemed to hear some voice, like someone calling him while laughing and crying.

The cave entrance looked ordinary, not like the hideous entrance to hell in Angers' story. The vice-president approached the cave in amazement, and operated the equipment outside skillfully.

As the only remaining alchemist in modern society, he also participated in the construction of the Arctic branch. But until Angers told his stories, he had no idea that there was such a story behind this cave.

Before this, Ange had only told him that this cave was a key research project, but he didn't care because there were so many similar projects.

Armed with guns and carrying heavy backpacks, the specialists stood outside the cave and turned their heads to look at Lu Mingfei after he entered. They were the search team organized by the Arctic Branch and would go into the cave with him soon.

“If everything is ready, let’s go.” Lu Mingfei glanced at them and then looked into the depths of the cave.

There was darkness behind it, as dark as the abyss in Angers' story. It made sounds of crying and laughing that no one else could hear, urging him to hurry in.

Without much delay, the team stepped into the cave. More than a hundred years of exploration made them familiar with this place, but the disappearance of Lu Lincheng and Qiao Weini made them feel that this place became so unfamiliar.

Angers caressed the rock wall in the cave that was no different from a hundred years ago. He was also a member of the team. He had been searching for the destroyed world for a hundred years, so how could he miss such an opportunity?

"There's no difference..." he said softly.

He memorized the position of every rock in the cave, and now they are still in their original positions, just as ordinary as they have been for the past hundred years.

"Principal!" The leader of the search and rescue team said in a panic, "The boy is gone!"

Ange turned around suddenly and found that Lu Mingfei, who was supposed to be in the center of the team, had disappeared at some point.

Lu Mingfei stepped out of the cave buried by the snow and looked back. There was no base of the Arctic branch of Kassel College, nor any destroyed world. Outside the cave was a vast expanse of white snow.

He walked forward a few steps and found a bronze statue sticking crookedly in the snow. The head of the statue was still exposed, allowing Lu Mingfei to easily recognize him - Lenin, one of the founders of the Soviet Union.

He stared at the bronze statue of the great man, then glanced at the huge facility behind the statue of Lenin... no, it should be the port, and murmured, "Black Swan Port..."

(End of this chapter)