Barlin's convoy never noticed anything, even when the Americans were just a couple of miles away and closing in, but Barlin himself was sharp enough to sense them.Hearing the rumble and feeling the vibration of diesel engines, he paled and cried out, "Incoming! At least… eight cars!""Really?" Kohei was baffled. "Looks quiet to me, my lord."Barlin gritted his teeth grimly. "Oh, you will see them too soon enough. I have a bad feeling about this… It's like a viper has its eyes on me.""What?!" Kohei blurted in shock. "Wait, they could have locked on to us already?!""Locked on…?" Barline repeated, frowning. "As in, they know where we are?!"Kohei nodded. "Yes! This is basically a civilian vehicle so radar lock is easy. Once locked, we're not getting away." Barlin promptly bellowed, "Then move! Turn south and go as fast as you can! Shake them off!"The driver did as told, spinning the wheel to turn the tractor around as the rest of the convoy followed at top speed.However, th

Barlin was naturally delighted. If they went with Kohei's plan, he at least wouldn't be hunted down or killed… Even if it meant losing the Griffin Winter Manor.He would then find somewhere to lie low and think of a way to leave the South Pole once this nonsense blew over.And if he couldn't leave before winter ended, he could just find someplace quiet, dig a hole deeper than what they had managed before.Barlin initially considered infiltrating an unoccupied research station to take temporary shelter, but soon remembered that even those were littered with cameras and such.He didn't understand modern technology, so what if he unknowingly walked right into a trap?Therefore, digging a hole in the ice became the best solution he could think of.The Antarctic ice sheet was thousands of feet thick, but despite the freezing climate, he would feel much better avoiding the blizzard and gales.Moreover, igloos had always been an excellent choice for protection in polar regions. Althoug

With the Japanese snow tractors providing cover, the radars and other recon equipment never caught Barlin.As they collapsed on the rogue convoy, armed forces promptly moved to encircle the vehicles, and yelled for the rogue researchers to get off and surrender.At first, they weren't going to do it since Barlin had bent their minds with the intention to keep them eternally loyal to him, but Barlin didn't know Japanese and had to relay orders through Kohei and Heiji's translations.In other words, they were ultimately loyal to Kohei.So, when Kohei told them on the radio to surrender unconditionally and got off his snow tractor, his hands raised, the others followed suit. The armed forces promptly moved in to restrain each of them, with Goro running over, clearly looking pained as he demanded, "Why did you all do this?! After all that we did to make sure you all had the finest equipment and conditions for your explorations?!"Kohei retorted fearlessly, "No one did any harm. They

Even if those drills could punch through rocks, it was simply not suitable for mining. The drill bit diameter was 122mm—no wider than a kid's bowl. Even if they find gold, the tiny drill wouldn't be precise enough to recoup the equipment costs, let alone the fuel consumption.That was why the Americans quickly agreed that he was lying and was up to something else, and worked on every other crew member.However, no matter what they did, the other crew member wasn't talking at all—literally. Hell, they were even less competent than Kohei because Kohei at least came up with a lie that insulted their intelligence.After all, with the mind-bending technique still active in their minds, they were not bothered by anything the Americans did. Either way, they were not ratting out their lord.That was how powerful that technique was, denying a person even their sense of self-preservation.Meanwhile, the Navy Seals were returning and gathering around McMurdo Base. After the modified transpor

However, Charlie wasn't about to let the Americans get away with it. He would show evidence to the whole world that they had sent their military to Antarctica.-The Americans moved quickly. In just a couple of hours, they gathered everyone and all the equipment they brought, doing prechecks on their aircraft and transport. The efficiency to do that in such a sub-zero climate was certainly impressive in itself.After just a couple of hours, their aircraft landed near the Showa Base. In an instant, the Navy SEALS and multiple infantry transports surrounded the base.The research crew at Showa Base was still doing Barlin's bidding and exploring the Antarctic. As most of the members weren't around, the Americans quickly seized control and demanded that they radio the others and call them back to base.However, the crew in the base was still fiercely loyal to Barlin and would rather die than betray him. Since their colleagues were out doing Barlin's bidding, no one caved to the colone