Lu Mingfei, who had read Dragon Clan before slaying the dragon

"I thought of that, too." Lu Mingfei nodded to Nuonuo, then looked at Chu Tianjiao and said, "I remember the painting of 'Island of Death' that Vincent showed you just now. On the huge ice island in the center, around the human figure wrapped in bandages, weren't there many black coffins?"

"Yes." Chu Tianjiao nodded and said, "Vincent said that the coffin containing the rare earth did come from the 'Island of Death', but he only saw the shadow of the island from afar and did not actually land on the island."

"How did Vincent get the coffin if he never went to the island?" Nono frowned slightly.

"Vincent told me a story. When he first entered the Arctic Circle with his rare legacy, notes, and great ambitions, he hid the Führer's body in an iceberg to prevent it from rotting faster." Chu Tianjiao narrated calmly, "At that time, Sasha was just a sailor at the lowest level on the ship. One night, 'Yamal' was sailing normally on the sea, and suddenly an alarm sounded in the cockpit. Sasha and other sailors rushed over and found that all the compasses, compasses, and communication equipment had failed."

"Is the aurora appearing in the sky at this time?" Chu Zihang suddenly asked.

"How do you know?" Caesar looked at Chu Zihang.

"From the perspective of human science, the aurora is formed by the ionization of the atmosphere. Generally, grand auroras are accompanied by extremely dense and extremely chaotic high-energy particle flows. This is why compasses, needles and electromagnetic communication equipment often fail when sailing in the polar regions." Chu Zihang explained, "If we use the dragon worldview to explain it, the appearance of the aurora is due to the highly chaotic elemental turbulence in the area, which forms a specific magnetic field. All network signals will be interrupted because the violent ionization phenomenon will even affect satellite communications.

"Vincent said that the guests outside the ship cried out in surprise, and people rushed to the deck. There were hundreds of light blue and dark purple ribbons hanging under the dark sky, covering the entire sky. They fluttered slowly, like the skirts of fairies." Chu Tianjiao said, "Vincent said that the locals called that phenomenon 'God's Skirt', which means that the skirt of the goddess is flying in the air. Ordinary auroras are not worthy of this name. Only those that are large enough and last long enough are qualified to be called this. It is a rare natural spectacle that is rarely seen in several years."

Everyone was waiting for Chu Tianjiao's next words, because when he mentioned the legendary "Island of Death", he was definitely not describing the magnificent natural scenery. The "Skirt of God" was probably some kind of precursor to the appearance of the "Island of Death".

"People living in Russia and Greenland consider it a lifetime's good fortune to be able to see the 'Skirt of God', so the passengers on the 'Yamal' endured the severe cold and stayed outside the cabin. The scene was like some kind of mysterious miracle that fascinated everyone." Chu Tianjiao said, "The first person to discover something was wrong was the young Sasha. He noticed a huge black shadow looming over their heads. He looked up and saw a huge iceberg that was taller than the 'Yamal'. He loudly warned everyone on the ship, and those who were attracted by the aurora came to their senses. For a while, screams and cries resounded throughout the ship."

"This is not right." Chu Zihang frowned slightly and questioned, "Even if people are attracted by the aurora, it is impossible for everyone to notice such a large iceberg, right? That iceberg is even taller than the Yamal. Even if the passengers on the deck are enjoying the beautiful scenery, where are the sailors on the ship? There is no way that there is no one in the cockpit of such a large ship, right?"

“This is the most incredible point.” Chu Tianjiao whispered, “Vincent said that the iceberg… appeared out of thin air!”

"Appearing out of thin air?" Chu Zihang's brows furrowed even deeper and the others also showed strange expressions on their faces.

"Sasha also confirmed this statement. He said that he noticed the huge black shadow, as if it appeared suddenly. They had been sailing in the Arctic Circle for a while at that time. Large icebergs had long been recorded in the logbook. There were many experienced sailors on the ship. They had the habit of naming each iceberg. They were very sure that there shouldn't be such a huge obstacle on the route of the 'Yamal'." Chu Tianjiao said seriously, "But this iceberg appeared so abruptly, on that night with aurora in the sky. Before that, no one had seen that iceberg."

"Sounds like what happened to the Titanic," Finkel commented.

"But aren't Vincent and Sasha alive? The Yamal didn't sink." Caesar looked at Chu Tianjiao and asked, "Is that ship so strong?"

"No, in fact 'yamal' did not hit the iceberg." Chu Tianjiao shook his head.

"Did they go around it? No, that doesn't make sense." Chu Zihang analyzed rigorously, "According to Sasha's description, the Yamal was very close to the iceberg at the time, and even the shadow of the iceberg covered them. An icebreaker of the Yamal's displacement should not have such flexible steering capabilities. The best result would be to hit the iceberg sideways."

“No, they didn’t go around it either.” Chu Tianjiao looked at Chu Zihang and said word by word, “They went through the iceberg.”

"Through..." Chu Zihang's pupils shrank, and he had not yet reacted to the meaning of the word.

This word has no other meaning. Chu Tianjiao's words make people think of the first thing: could it be that there is a cavity at the bottom of the iceberg, and that cavity can just accommodate a giant like the "Yamal" to pass through it... But would such a coincidence really happen?

"It's not a physical penetration." Chu Tianjiao explained in a low voice, "Sasha said that when he saw the bow of the Yamal about to touch the iceberg, he lost all hope and was even ready to jump off the ship. The passengers on the ship kept screaming and crying, and the first mate in the cabin shouted "slow down" and "slow down" at the top of his voice, but after a long time, the expected violent vibration did not come. When people came to their senses, they found that the ship had already sailed into the iceberg."

"Is that iceberg hollow?" Caesar asked the question that everyone was wondering.

“No.” Chu Tianjiao shook his head. “To be precise, that iceberg is an illusion.”

"Unreal?" Everyone heard an incredible word again.

"It's like a mirage, but it's different from the commonly understood mirage. A mirage works because the temperature difference in the air is so great that light bends in the air, allowing us to see things below the horizon. A typical mirage appears far away in the horizon, but this iceberg is right before our eyes," Chu Tianjiao said. "And even though 'Yamal' has penetrated the interior of the iceberg, it hasn't disappeared. When people look up, they can see the outline of the iceberg and the aurora in the sky at the same time. Even the sailors on the ship, with thirty years of sailing experience, can't explain such a bizarre phenomenon."

Everyone was imagining the scene described by Chu Tianjiao in their minds, but no one could understand... Being inside an illusory iceberg and being able to see the outline of the huge iceberg and the sky at the same time, doesn't that mean that the iceberg is translucent?

"My expression was the same as yours. I couldn't understand it either. But Vincent and Sasha didn't look like they were lying. I thought that was incredible enough until I heard what they said next." At this point, Chu Tianjiao raised his head and looked at everyone. "The so-called 'Island of Death' is hidden in this iceberg."

Everyone's pupils widened at the same time, because surprise and disbelief filled everyone's face, because Chu Tianjiao's words were really hard to understand... An iceberg hides an island? How big is this iceberg? Not to mention whether this iceberg is real or illusory, what about the island? Did the island exist first, and then a mirage formed around the island to hide the existence of the island, or did the illusion of the iceberg appear first, and then the mysterious island came into being?

Whatever the situation, this is definitely some kind of supernatural phenomenon, and it is definitely beyond human power. It's like... a miracle.

"It's not that there is an island in the iceberg, but that you have to enter the iceberg to reach the island. The first person to discover this was a sailor on the ship. He looked at the aurora reflected in the sea and said that they seemed to be sailing in the sky. But soon he found something wrong. In the reflection of the aurora in the sea, he saw white shadows, just like clouds floating in the sky." Chu Tianjiao paused, "But he looked up at the real sky. Where are the clouds in the sky?"

"'Island of Death' appears as a mirage in the reflection of the sea?" Caesar asked Chu Tianjiao.

Lu Mingfei opened his mouth and wanted to say something. He turned his head to look at Nuo Nuo. Nuo Nuo was lowering his head, as if thinking about something. Lu Mingfei thought about it, but finally did not speak.

"As the Yamal sailed to the center of the iceberg, the people on board clearly saw that it was not a reflected cloud at all, but the shadow of an island." Chu Tianjiao said, "Some of the islands under the water have towering trees, and some have towering altars. The largest island is pure white, and a gray-white human figure can be vaguely seen in the center of the island, surrounded by black square-shaped things."

"It's exactly the same as Vincent's painting." Chu Zihang thought for a moment and said, "But these are all described by Vincent, right?"

"Yes, although it sounds incredible, Vincent had no reason to lie to me." Chu Tianjiao said, "Sasha said that when the passengers saw those islands, they were like possessed. They rushed to the edge of Class A and stretched their bodies to look into the water, as if it was more attractive than the aurora in the sky. Some of them even jumped into the water as if they had lost their souls."

"It sounds more like a curse," Finkel said.

"The sailors who were still conscious rushed to pull those crazy people. Unfortunately, one sailor fell into the water while rescuing his companion. Before he fell into the water, he grabbed a safety rope on the boat." Chu Tianjiao said, "The commotion ended only when the Yamal sailed out of the iceberg. At this time, everyone who came to their senses looked back, but there was no iceberg or island. Even the aurora in the sky was gone. Everything just now seemed like a dream."

"Collective hysteria?" Caesar frowned.

“But there are twelve fewer sailors and passengers on the ship.” Chu Tianjiao said, “They were still on the ship before entering the iceberg. They disappeared within ten minutes. This proves that what happened just now was true, but there is no trace of them on the sea.”

"I remember a sailor grabbed the safety rope when he fell into the water just now." Chu Zihang reminded.

"Yes, that safety rope is the only hope to solve the mystery. The safety rope on the Yamal uses a Russian military knot. When you grab it when you fall into the water, it will automatically form a solid knot on your wrist." Chu Tianjiao nodded and said, "The first mate ordered the sailors to pull up the rope, but even after five sailors were dispatched, the rope still hung straight underwater, motionless."

"Maybe he got stuck?" Caesar thought about it and denied this statement. "No, the center of the Arctic Ocean is unfathomable. Unless the rope is three thousand meters long, but in that case, the sailor is doomed. The water pressure in the deep sea is enough to kill him, and he will just be a pile of rotten meat if he is pulled up."

“The rope was only 50 meters long. Finally, the first mate ordered the use of a crane, but everyone was terrified by what was pulled up,” Chu Tianjiao said. “It was a black coffin.”

"Is it the one used to hold the corpse of Xilatera?" Chu Zihang asked.

"Yes." Chu Tianjiao nodded and said, "At that time, the first mate and all the sailors were terrified. The passengers on the ship also fled back to their rooms. The crew discussed whether to throw the coffin back into the sea. They suspected that it was a curse from the sea monster."

"But Vincent suddenly pounced on the coffin. The old guy had a crazy face and looked at everyone with a cowardly look. He said something about sea monsters and curses. This was clearly a miracle. This was the guidance of the Führer and the way to 'eternal life'! If anyone dared to throw away the coffin, he would throw them on the ice to feed the polar bears. The crew had never seen the old guy with such a hideous expression." Chu Tianjiao said, "Oh, by the way, Sasha said that when the 'Isle of Death' appeared, Vincent was the craziest of all. He was the first to want to jump into the water, as if he had lost his mind. It was Sasha who tried his best to stop him. There are still a few scars on his arm, which were bitten by Vincent. He didn't expect that the old guy with few teeth left would have such a strong bite force. But since then, Sasha has also been valued by Vincent and has been promoted from chief engineer to acting captain."

"So that's why Vincent kicked everyone out and kept only Sasha." Chu Zihang nodded. He finally understood the whole story.

Chapter 1074 Vincent's Begging

"The sky is the earth, and the earth is the sky. So that's what it means." Caesar nodded and said, "From the perspective of the crew on the Yamal, the mirage is another world. The sky is the dark sea reflecting the aurora in the real sky, and the earth is those white islands. Because it is a projected illusion, there is no concept of time at all. The scene described by Vincent is exactly the same as that depicted in the 'Isle of Death'. He really got a coffin by chance, so he naturally believed that the painting and the scene he saw were all real."

But the appearance of the coffin was still puzzling. The life rope was clearly put on a sailor, but when it was pulled up, it turned into a black coffin of unknown material, exactly the same as the one recorded in the painting... If Vincent and Sasha did not lie, they might have really been close to that strange legendary island.

"Vincent believed that the appearance of the coffin was related to Xi Te Li's heroic spirit, so he used the coffin to hold Xi Te Li's body." Chu Tianjiao said, "An even more miraculous thing happened. After being placed in the coffin, Xi Te Li's body actually stopped decaying."

"After telling these stories, Vincent was very depressed. He said that was the closest moment he had ever been to the 'Land of Eternal Life'. Over the years, he has never seen the 'Skirt of God', the magical iceberg, or the island in the iceberg. He regretted that he had missed the opportunity. That might have been the only chance in his life to revive their leader, but he didn't seize it." Chu Tianjiao said, "He has been staying in the Arctic Circle for many years. Even though he has spent all his money, gone bankrupt, and is about to die of old age, he still prays to God to give him a second chance, and that the heroic spirit of the leader can guide him again, even if it costs him his life or anything else."

Sometimes faith can save a life, and sometimes faith can kill a person, as was the case with Vincent.

When the Neizu Empire was on its way to decline, he was still a young man, an insignificant little figure beside the great Fuhrer. A young man in his twenties had not even formed a complete worldview. He only knew that the Fuhrer was right, the Fuhrer was great, and the Fuhrer was omnipotent. He was no different from every brainwashed idiot... Later, the Neizu Empire was destroyed, and Xiteli escaped. His outlook on life suffered a huge blow.

So Vincent tried his best to find Xital's base in Antarctica, and was determined to resurrect his Führer. For most people in this world, Necromancer is a symbol of the devil, but for Vincent, Necromancer is his lifelong belief. His life is composed of countless densely packed swastikas. He is seriously ill, and anyone can say that he is a lunatic, but medically he will not be defined as a mental patient because he has his own logic. So even though he is too old to walk, he still insists on wearing a military uniform in his room, and he salutes and bows when he sees the Führer's body. He has lived his whole life in the echoes and glorious memories of the war. Even if he is old and dying, he does not need any medicine or treatment. His belief is his best medicine.

Such a person lives for his faith and can also die for his faith.

"You haven't finished your story yet, right?" Nuonuo suddenly looked at Chu Tianjiao and said, "You only told the part that Vincent and Sasha told you. Their part is very complete, but you haven't told your part yet."

"My part?" Chu Tianjiao looked at Nuonuo, a barely perceptible smile on his face, "How can you be so sure that something must have happened to me on the Yamal?"

"Because of your personality, you are not someone who will easily trust others just because you heard a story from them, no matter how sincere his emotions are, how logical he is, or even if he has some evidence." Nuo Nuo looked at Chu Tianjiao, shook his head slowly and said, "If you only heard these things from Vincent and Sasha, you would not tell us with such a firm tone, even if they have the rare corpse, the painting, and the black coffin. You are undoubtedly a smart person. I have seen many smart people, and all smart people are extremely self-centered. The only thing that can make them believe 100% is what they see with their own eyes."

"So you are also this kind of smart person, right?" Chu Tianjiao looked at Nuo Nuo and asked back with a smile.

"Yes." Nuonuo nodded without hesitation, looking calm and generous, not caring whether such an answer would make her appear narcissistic or even conceited.

"You are right. If it were before, I would completely agree with you, but now I want to correct one thing." Chu Tianjiao said, "Really smart people will not believe 100% even if they see it with their own eyes. Extremely smart people live in a cycle of self-justification. They are tired of thinking all their lives and never completely believe anything."

After Nuonuo thought about it, he nodded: "That makes sense."

"Well, Uncle Chu, I have a question too." Lu Mingfei suddenly interrupted when he saw that Nuo Nuo and Chu Tianjiao had finished their conversation.

Chu Tianjiao and the others looked at Lu Mingfei.

"I wonder if the 'Island of Death' that Vincent and the people on the 'Yamal' saw was not a mirage." Lu Mingfei paused and said slowly, "Could the so-called 'Island of Death' have originally been an island that existed underwater?"

An island existing underwater, this idea sounds so far-fetched, and everyone subconsciously thinks that this idea is too far-fetched... But after thinking about it carefully, it does not seem impossible. There are too many things in the dragon world that humans find incredible. There is a bronze city underwater, endless maze-like roads in the subway, and a dragon eating potato chips and watching TV. Take the Arctic Circle for example, there is an illusory iceberg there, and there is an underwater island hidden in the iceberg. What's so strange about that?

They are hybrids that are beyond human understanding, so it is not surprising that the world of dragons, let alone things related to the Dragon King, would be difficult for them to understand.

"Senior Sister, you must have thought of this a long time ago." Lu Mingfei looked at Nuo Nuo and asked.

When Lu Mingfei put forward this hypothesis just now, everyone's expression changed, except Nuo Nuo, who remained calm.

"Hmm... if that iceberg is a mirage, and the island beneath the sea is also a mirage, then that Arctic Dragon King is truly incompetent." Nono nodded. "An island originally hidden beneath the water would appear accompanied by a giant, illusory iceberg, causing a rare natural wonder like the 'God's Skirt'. That makes sense. The sky is the earth, the earth is the sky, and the sky and the earth are reversed. Isn't that what the underwater world is all about?"

What Nono said was incredible, but if you think about it carefully, it was completely logical. If the legendary "Island of Death" was really a Nibelung, then it should have such a level. Now even human technology can create certain natural wonders, let alone the power of the Dragon King?

And the world reflected under the sea... indeed, that is the truly upside-down world. It is not a mirage, but a real substance.

If there really is such a mysterious place in the world, it must be a Nibelung.

"So the crew of the Yamal really salvaged a coffin from the sea." Caesar showed an expression of sudden enlightenment, "That is the coffin from the Island of Death. The island originally existed under the sea, so the coffin appeared from underwater."

Everyone understood it. Although no one knew why the crew member who fell into the water inexplicably turned into a coffin, Caesar's analysis just supported the view that "the 'Island of the Dead' existed underwater."

"You are the most talented young people I have ever met." Chu Tianjiao looked at the juniors in the room without hiding the admiration in his eyes.

"So can you tell us what happened after that?" Nuonuo asked Chu Tianjiao.

"You are such an impatient girl." Chu Tianjiao looked at Nuonuo and said, "But to be honest, I actually admire girls with your personality."

So that's how it is. Chu Zihang glanced at Chu Tianjiao and thought silently, because mom is also impatient about many things.

"Hey, young man, help me go to the wine cabinet and hand me the bottle of wine at the bottom of the second row." Chu Tianjiao waved to Finkel.

"That bottle of antique rum produced in Iceland?" Finkel's eyes lit up. He had walked around Chu Tianjiao's tavern several times and had already memorized all the expensive liquors in it.

The bottle that Chu Tianjiao mentioned is called "Fuget Skool", the best among rums. It was found by a drinker in the aging room. It took a full two hundred years to be brewed and is a rare treasure worth six figures!

"I knew you were greedy for my wine." Chu Tianjiao scolded with a smile, "Bring a few more cups. No matter how expensive the wine is, it is for drinking. This is the first time I welcome guests to this room. What's more, you are all my son's friends and our saviors. I can buy you any expensive wine. There is nothing I can't tell you about those things back then."

Finkel took out a few cups from the cabinet in a very familiar manner, and drooled as he poured the wine. It seemed that he had been craving for this wine for a long time... The others pricked up their ears, waiting for Chu Tianjiao to tell them what happened to him next.

"After that, Vincent invited me to drink. Before I could refuse, Sasha came over carrying boxes of rum, full of treasures. Before I could say anything, Sasha stuffed two opened bottles of wine into Vincent's and my hands, and clinked glasses with us without saying anything." Chu Tianjiao said, "The old guy seemed to have changed into a different person when he picked up the bottle. His face was ruddy and his words were fluent. Can you believe that an old man who is about to die would drink high-proof rum from the bottle?"

Everyone imagined the scene, it was indeed quite scary. An old man with a haggard face and as thin as a skeleton suddenly burst into energy and blew rum into the bottle. The incongruous feeling of the picture was no different from a dragon standing on two legs and dancing in front of you.

"The old guy and Sasha took turns clinking glasses with me. Every time they clinked glasses, the old guy called me 'the child of destiny'. This title made me inexplicably irritated. I told the old guy impatiently that I was not the 'child of destiny', but just a mortal. The old guy said that he had just witnessed my 'divine power' with his own eyes. How could someone with 'divine power' be a mortal?" Chu Tianjiao took a sip of wine and said, "I said that it was not 'divine power', you can understand it as some kind of 'special ability'. There are a lot of people with 'special abilities' in the world, and I am not a special character. But the old guy was unbearably stubborn. He said that since there are so many such people in the world, why only I appeared on the 'Yamal', only I appeared in front of him, and he would see me today. This is the guidance of the Führer's heroic spirit."

"This old guy is really clingy." Finkel took a big gulp of wine, "like a sticky candy."

"I was also annoyed at the time. What 'child of destiny', what 'head of state'? This old guy was simply brainwashed by Xi Te La, and now he's trying to brainwash me again. I looked at him coldly and said I was only here for something I cared about. Now that things were clear, I had no reason to stay on this ship. I knew the old guy couldn't pay out a billion dollars, but I got information from him and killed his people. Seeing that he was sincere, I wrote off the money he owed me." Chu Tianjiao said, "The old guy was so anxious that he knelt in front of me and refused to let me go no matter what. He said he had missed an opportunity and couldn't miss a second time. If I left like this, I didn't know when he would be able to revive the head of state. He didn't have many years left to live, and I might be his last chance."

"But you still rejected him, right?" Chu Zihang asked Chu Tianjiao. In this aspect of his personality, he and Chu Tianjiao had the same character. When it came to his own people, he was as caring as a gossip, but when it came to strangers, he was as cold as a piece of pig iron.

"Yes, I said that whether your leader is resurrected or not has nothing to do with me. It's a good thing if he doesn't resurrect, and the world will be peaceful. If he resurrects, the world will be in chaos again." Chu Tianjiao nodded and said, "In fact, what I was thinking in my heart was that Vincent had already told me the information about the Nibelungen. He just happened to encounter it once more than ten years ago. I won't gain anything if I continue to stay on the ship."

"Vincent and I are not the same kind of people. Since he has lost his usefulness, there is no need for me to waste time on him. I am quite interested in his coffin, but it is too big to take away. Besides, if I take the vessel containing the President, the old man will definitely kill me, so I finished my drink and prepared to leave." Chu Tianjiao said in a cold tone, "Vincent has been persuading me. He said that the President actually has a lot of treasures in the world, and he knows some clues. If I am willing to help him find a way to resurrect the President, he will definitely share those clues with me. It will only take me a year."

Chapter 1075 North Pole

"One year."

Hearing this time, Lu Mingfei couldn't help but be secretly shocked.

“See, no one would think that the old guy’s request is not outrageous, even the old guy himself thinks so.” Chu Tianjiao rolled his eyes, “So when the old guy saw that my expression was not right, he immediately changed his words and said that it would only take half a year. Half a year would be enough. Regardless of success or failure, he is willing to give me everything he has, whether it is the ‘Yamal’ and his wealth, or the beautiful girls under his command, or even his life…”

"This old guy is really sick." Even Finkel felt that this old guy's personality was really annoying.

“Of course I still didn’t agree. The old guy suddenly smashed the bottle on the table, holding the sharp tip of the bottle in an aggressive manner. I thought he was going to kill me, but he pointed the sharp tip at his own throat and said that he would die if I didn’t agree to him.” Chu Tianjiao sighed and said, “The old guy was in tears and told me in a mournful tone that he really had no choice. I only needed to stay on this ship for one month. If I couldn’t find a way to revive Xi Te Li within this month, he would personally send me off the ship. If I was lucky enough to find a way, I would be his benefactor regardless of success or failure. He would share with me everything he knew. He would tell me the coordinates of Xi Te Li’s base in Antarctica, clues to Xi Te Li’s treasures hidden all over the world, and give me the most precious Xi Te Li notes…”

Everyone couldn't help but sigh upon hearing this. Even Lu Mingfei couldn't help but feel sorry for the old guy. To be honest, when he heard about Vincent's experience when he was young, he felt inexplicably familiar with it. It seemed that he also knew someone in his memory who had a similar experience to Vincent... Later Lu Mingfei remembered that the person was Herzog.

The young Herzog is the youngest chief scientist in the German Institute of Biology. He has great ambitions and aspirations. Later, he met Major Bondarev, killed Bondarev and got the latter's notes. According to Bondarev's plan, he stole the power of "God". Vincent was also an ambitious and aspiring young man in the German Internal Soldiers Army when he was young. He wanted to assist the Führer in building a great and powerful empire. After the collapse of the Internal Soldiers, he got Xiteri's notes. According to Xiteri's notes, he tried to find the "land of eternal life" and rely on the power of "God" to resurrect the Führer.

They were born in the same country, are of similar age, have lived in the cold Arctic Circle, have the same stubborn and extreme personalities, and have inherited the ambition of a great man...but the difference between the two is that Herzog himself is an ambitious man. He doesn't trust anyone and is a perfect egoist. He is willing to sacrifice anyone to achieve his goals, and in the end he is bitten back by his own ambition, while Vincent has almost no selfishness. Everything he does is for his head of state and his empire. He is absolutely loyal to Xite and is willing to sacrifice his life to resurrect Xite. His ambition is also his belief.

These are two similar yet opposite people. Lu Mingfei has completely different feelings towards them. Herzog is like a disgusting mouse, he is cunning, tyrannical and evil... Vincent's character suddenly also has elements of cunning, tyranny and even evil. He is not a good person, but the old guy is not bad either. He is like a child who has not grown up yet. Even though he is old and about to die, he has been immersed in the fantasy of his childhood, stubborn and childish and unwilling to wake up, foolish and pitiful, yet clumsy and cute.

"So did you finally agree to him?" Chu Zihang asked Chu Tianjiao.

“Of course… no.” Chu Tianjiao shook his head. “Although Vincent’s offer to me was sincere enough, and I could see that he really had nothing to hide from me, it was precisely because of this that I had no need to agree to it.”

"Vincent and I have no friendship. If you think from the perspective of a businessman, he has already put all his chips in front of you, which means he has run out of tricks and has nowhere else to go. It is very dangerous to cooperate with a desperate guy. If you think from the perspective of an experienced agent, Vincent is not mysterious enough. There is nothing about him that is worth my exploration and digging deeper." Chu Tianjiao explained, "Of course, his sincerity touched me. I can drink a couple of glasses of wine with him, pat him on the shoulder and comfort him by saying that it has been a hard time for you. Keep up the good work and the great new empire in your mind will be just around the corner... But that's all, because that's all his value is."

Chu Zihang nodded. He was actually expecting Chu Tianjiao's answer. There were too many things in this world that were beyond one's control and one's control. For many things, you would not get the corresponding rewards just because you worked hard enough, showed enough sincerity, and paid enough price... The adult world was so realistic and cruel.

"When I left, Vincent was just sitting in his chair, his face dull, as if his soul had been drained. The body of the dealer I killed was still hanging behind him, and the blood must have been drained." Chu Tianjiao said, "I don't know why before I left, I turned my head to look at the black coffin. The Xi Te La in the coffin... or to be more precise, the Xi Te La mummy was still lying there quietly. Strangely, I had the illusion that 'maybe he really could open his eyes again'. I quickly shook my head, wondering if I had been brainwashed by that old guy Vincent without realizing it."

"Sasha and I left together. We went from the captain's cabin to the tenth floor. The polar climate made it hard to tell whether it was day or night outside, but the air was very cold. I leaned against the fence and smoked, and Sasha stood beside me smoking." Chu Tianjiao said calmly, "He told me that the captain wasn't really that bad, but just too stubborn, like a child who hadn't grown up. Because he was brought up in a culture of burning, killing, and looting, he thought cheating and killing were normal. If he had been taught to study hard and improve himself every day, maybe he would be a compassionate philanthropist now."

"I told Sasha I knew. I didn't blame Vincent. Everyone has something they're obsessed with. His dream of becoming the leader and his empire was a lifelong obsession for him, and it was also his driving force for living," Chu Tianjiao said. "I remember the deck was very lively at that time. All the passengers were still enthusiastically discussing the huge bet involving 2 billion US dollars. Some of them said that the gambler must be an oil mine owner from the United Arab Emirates, who had a say in the global oil trade. Others said that the gambler was a politician from the United States. Because the United States had a fiscal deficit this year, they used this covert method and took risks to make up for the fiscal deficit... Every one of them said it was very sincere, as if they knew everything about the major events happening in the world. Sasha and I just listened quietly, watching icebergs pass by."

"Except for this brightly lit ship, there is no life around. Maybe there are many creatures hidden in the sea water below our feet, but when I look down, there is only dark and silent sea water with no end in sight. Even the sound of whales cannot be heard. I feel like we have entered the depths of the Arctic Circle. The surrounding sea water is as black as ink..." Chu Tianjiao took a sip of wine, raised his head to look at the ceiling, and said softly as he recalled, "Maybe this is the loneliness and romance of the polar world, I think."

"Sasha suddenly told me about his situation. I don't know if it was because he drank too much or he felt too lonely after living in the Arctic Circle for too long. He couldn't find anyone to open up to. In fact, people like them shouldn't easily tell others their true life experience, but Sasha said that he didn't know why, he was inexplicably close to me and felt that I was a trustworthy person." Chu Tianjiao talked about the soldier's past, "Sasha said that his family didn't have much money when he was a child, and he didn't go to school for many years. His father was brainwashed by a pyramid scheme organization, and his mother was addicted to gambling and was a hidden gentleman. Sasha also has a younger sister, but they have an average relationship. Of course, Sasha said that he was not a good person either. In his early years, he had been hanging around the streets, barely making a living by acting as a thug and collecting protection fees."

Lu Mingfei inexplicably recalled a joke that was circulating on the Internet: an alcoholic father, a weak mother, a young brother and a broken self... But Sasha should have no reason to lie to Chu Tianjiao. And if even the retired special forces soldiers on the Arctic Circle cruise ship knew this joke, the local Internet culture was spreading too fast.

"Later, during the war, Sasha was forcibly conscripted into the army. He performed very well in the army and was selected into a special forces training program in less than half a year. Later, the KGB was disbanded and the Russian Federal Bureau of Investigation was reorganized. Sasha was tired of the boring life in the army and retired. He was still quite young at that time." Chu Tianjiao said, "After returning home, he found that his former family was also broken up. His father had a cerebral hemorrhage due to excessive drinking one day, and his mother left home and disappeared without a trace. Sasha tried every means to find his sister, but when he found the girl, he was in a dance hall. The young girl became a dancer who accompanied drinking and even got involved in bad things."

Everyone's expression was somewhat complicated. Such a life... was a little too broken.

Ye Sheng held Shude Aki's hand. He was the most moved one, because the veteran named Sasha had a very similar life experience to him... But in comparison, he seemed to be luckier than the other. At least he knew friends whom he could trust with his life and people who truly loved him.

"When Sasha found his sister, she was being held in the arms of several men. Those men stuffed something into the girl's mouth with tobacco. Sasha was furious and beat up those boys. It was a rainy night. Sasha was unreserved, as if he had finally found an outlet to vent his dissatisfaction with life over the years." Chu Tianjiao sighed and said, "The result was that three people were seriously injured and one died. His sister was terrified. Sasha's hands were covered in blood. He stood in the rain with a blank expression. He did not run away or hide, but waited for the police car with sirens to take him away."