Dragon Clan: I am Lu Mingfei, the Intelligence Strategist, the God of Concepts!

Chapter 240 Plans for the Northernmost Point in the World
Oslo, Norway.

A man wearing a mask carried a suitcase and walked step by step up the gangway to board the ship.

This suitcase is huge, a full 34 inches, with a capacity of over 120 liters. It just meets the maximum standard for international shipping container loading. It is filled with clean clothes and daily necessities, enough for about half a month.

His luggage has already been checked at the dock.

But at this moment, a Russian crew member on the deck took his luggage with a smile on his face, carried it heavily into the adjacent cabin, and began to carefully examine each piece, using a spray gun-like detector.

The man waited quietly to the side.

According to the normal sea journey process, most of the luggage is inspected by the port security and automatically sorted, and affixed with a label with the flight number and room number. After the staff scans the barcode, it is sent into the cabin. The passengers themselves go through X-ray machine and facial recognition gate to complete a second check and then receive a 'boarding time card' and wait to board the ship in the port hall.

But the YAMAL in front of us is clearly different.

It is 150 meters long, 55 meters high, and 30 meters wide at its widest point. The ship has 12 decks, five of which are below deck and six above deck. It has 1280 cabins and is equipped with two heavy water nuclear reactors that can provide up to 75000 horsepower. Its armored bow can easily break through 6-meter-thick ice.

This 'Arctic-class' icebreaker, belonging to the former Soviet Union and built by the St. Petersburg Shipyard, cost a total of $30 billion and is a unique behemoth in the entire Oslo Port.

Next, it will embark on a 100-day polar journey.

Therefore, security checks will naturally be more stringent to ensure the safety of all passengers, as no one wants a tragedy like the Titanic to happen in the frigid polar ocean.

This behemoth forged from steel is not afraid of icebergs, but the sinking of giant ships often comes from internal factors.

The inspection is complete, and everything is normal.

"...Mr. Chou, have a pleasant journey!"

The Russian crew member repacked his luggage, stood up straight, and gave a standard military salute.

The YAMAL's welcoming sailors are all handpicked from regular naval units, with sharp eyes and a composed demeanor, in order to leave passengers with a first impression of 'strength and reliability'.

This sailor, codenamed 'White Dog,' was a veteran sailor in the Russian Northern Fleet, holding the rank of sergeant, and dared to pilot a speedboat to confront giant waves thirty meters high in the Arctic.

But no matter how you look at that forehead covered in fine sweat, it gives off a sense of fear.

It's impossible not to be afraid.

This Mr. 'Chou' looks rather... strange.

She's not particularly tall, just under 1.8 meters, and her waist isn't exaggerated either, around 80 centimeters.

But the focus is on his face.

Most of her face was covered by a mask, and her forehead was also covered by her curly long hair, but you could vaguely see the lines under her forehead that looked like severe burns that had healed and were covered with grayish-white powder.

It was a pale white color with irregular patterns covered in connective tissue.
The white dog seemed to see what was beneath the mask. The lines, like vines, coiled and grew wildly across the entire face, spiraling out of the mouth as if penetrating a cave entrance.

While checking the luggage inside the suitcase just now, I suddenly felt goosebumps all over my body for no reason. It was a kind of fear, a biologically instinctive fear, like a thorn in my back, like sitting on pins and needles.

All of this stemmed solely from Mr. Chou's deep gray eyes.

The other person glanced at him, with a ferocious, beast-like quality.

The white dog couldn't help but think of the Siberian tiger, the king of the jungles living in the Far East and Siberia, whose mere presence could render its prey immobile.

"What on earth is this guy...?"

The Russian sailor swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing. The distance to his waist, even with the decorative dagger at his hip, offered no confidence. Besides the oddity of his face, Mr. Chou's eyes, visible through his mask, were the second suspicious point; they held no liveliness, only a dark, silent stillness.

It reminded him of a previous search mission where he found a dead body that had been submerged in icy water for 30 hours.

“Mr. Chou? Your suitcase,” the white dog whispered.

"OK, thanks."

The man's voice sounded as if it were coming from his abdomen, with a muffled sound like it was coming from deep underwater.

I took the suitcase and left the temporary security checkpoint on the first floor.

Only after this imposing figure entered the corridor sideways and was taken away by the waiting waiter outside did the Russian sailor breathe a deep sigh of relief. It was terrifying; his vest was soaked through in just a few minutes.

Even though the other party's wording was quite polite, he did not immediately report Mr. 'Chou's' unusual behavior.

Proceed to the deck to greet the next passenger.

The boss had already warned them that the guests on this voyage... would all be somewhat special.

……

CAB-7156-A60, the cabin number.

"Mr. Zhou, this is your room."

The waiter in the white tuxedo clearly spoke more standardly than the sailor, which was to be expected, since one needed to communicate with the guests at all times, while the other's job was to stand guard at various posts and be responsible for security.

The man entered his cabin, closed the door, and carefully inspected all the facilities inside.

The Yamal was originally planned as a research vessel, fulfilling the Soviet Union's strategic goal of advancing towards the Arctic. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, this strategic goal was also abandoned. However, the ship, which had been built at great expense, could not be left idle, so it was leased to a European cruise company for a long period of time and converted into a luxury cruise ship, cruising in the Arctic Ocean year-round.

In late March of this year, a newly established Arctic research company chartered it to conduct a nine-month polar scientific expedition. However, not long after, the seemingly foolish rich second-generation boss gradually came to his senses and realized that this impulsive decision seemed to have a big problem.

With 1280 cabins, the YAMAL was underutilized for the company. Due to cost considerations, they decided to restart the luxury cruise ship business and lease out the six decks above the deck line on a long-term basis.

Embark on a romantic 100-day sea voyage, with a planned return after Christmas.

Spending Christmas at the northernmost point of the world is a great idea.

The tourists enjoyed the romantic polar scenery, the company recouped its investment, and the scientific research was not affected.

But to be honest, this was another decision made on a whim. The Arctic Ocean will enter the polar night period starting from the end of September, and the average temperature from November to April of the following year will be between -30°C and -40°C.

Even wealthy and leisurely people wouldn't consider this type of travel. A hundred days elsewhere would be enough time for them to do many other things.

But the result was unexpected.

After the news broke, all 55 luxury cabins and 144 first-class cabins on the deck were quickly sold out. It's astonishing how many people were willing to pay such a large sum of money and time for a mere gimmick.

A significant number of guests even booked rooms but planned to board the ship midway through the voyage using their own transportation in safe waters. Although it's a five-star luxury cruise ship, its prototype is ultimately a polar icebreaker. The YAMAL excels in hardware and safety, with its interior amenities upgraded to five-star standards, but its single-cabin luxury is far inferior to that of the Evrima.
The man's first-class cabin was only a dozen square meters, with all the furniture consisting of a large bed, a wardrobe, and a desk placed under the porthole. The air felt slightly stuffy. His hearing was excellent, and he could clearly hear the humming of the equipment running through several cabins.

He tried to stuff the suitcase under the bed, but it wouldn't fit, so he simply placed it horizontally against the wall and pulled out a diary from it. All sorts of information were gathered in this diary, but they were all encrypted symbols.

"I can feel a distinct 'water' scent..."

He added a new stroke and closed the pen cap.

There was also a large amount of text on it that only he could understand.

"The YAMAL has 11 decks and can accommodate 1200 passengers, plus 1000 crew and service personnel..."

"The official captain's name is Sasha Rybalko, but his real name is Alexander Rybalko. He is ostensibly an employee of the cruise company, but secretly reports to the Russian Federal Security Service..."

"The six decks above the deck line get sunlight and are designed with 56 luxury cabins, but only 55 can ever be booked. The ultra-luxury suites that occupy the entire top floor are the cruise line owner's permanent suites..."

"It is actually the territory of the owner and true captain, Vincent von Ludwig, who is said to have lived on the top deck of the YAMAL. He was last seen thirteen years ago..."

The name was circled, with the note: "[Note: Member of the Far North, suspected member of the Holy Palace Medical Association.]"

"The five decks below the deck line were occupied by members of the 'Hillary' research company, as well as crew and service personnel..."

"The leader of the far north, the Imperial Saintess 'Maria of the Stars,' is missing. She was last seen in 1943..."

He turned to another page, which also contained a wealth of information.

There is a list of plans.

"1. Gain Sasha Rebalko's trust."

"2. Investigate the true purpose of the 'Hillyer' research company."

"3. Investigate the true identity and purpose of Vincent von Ludwig."

"4. Investigate relevant intelligence about the far north."

"5. Investigate information about Odin's kingdom."

"6. Search for 'Maria the Star' (optional)."

Now he added a stroke at the end.

7. Investigate the source of the 'water'.

After a moment's thought, he added another note.

[The second King of the Ocean and Water, or the long-lost head of the Chen family.]

He put down his pen, put the encrypted diary back into his suitcase, and then took out a laptop.

They began sending messages to their fake "family members" to let them know they were safe, just like normal passengers.

The other side responded very quickly.

For the next three months, the other party will play the role of 'family' and send messages of care from time to time.

Benjamin Zhou, the name on his passport, is a Canadian of Chinese descent suffering from a terminal illness. He wanted to see the northernmost point of the world before he died, so he bought a $14 ticket for the Yamal.

With a long, mournful whistle, the YAMAL began its voyage.

A deep, cheerful male voice with a distinct Russian accent came from the radio.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the YAMAL has set sail. I am Captain Sasha Rebalco. Please proceed to the public areas on each deck in an orderly manner. Staff will guide you on how to get acquainted with the YAMAL. I wish you a wonderful icy sea voyage."

……

In the early morning, birds chirped on the branches, and sunlight refracted through the morning mist and dew into the windows, casting a faint golden hue over the magnificent attic.

Kassel College, library, rare books section.

The young boy sat engrossed in a bench filled with books.

The bookshelves here reach the ceiling and are made of Burmese hardwood. Under the lights, they have an iron-like luster and color. The shelves are filled with hardcover books that seem to stretch as far as the eye can see. Inside, there are transparent, airtight folders, among which are ancient bronze scrolls—"Fragments of the Ice Sea."

The day of freedom ended, and the new semester officially began. Outside the library, people came and went. There were construction teams and students hurrying to class along the red cobblestone path. Occasionally, groups of two or three wild ducks appeared on the lakeside, and the early autumn wind blew their feathers, creating ripples on the lake surface.

The scenery at Kassel College has always been beautiful.

But recently, there seems to be a new sight to behold.
It is well known that every school has its share of diligent students who study hard, even if they don't start early at 8 a.m. After a quick breakfast, they will head to the school library to study diligently with their materials or borrowed books related to their subject. In recent days, this group has increased significantly.

"It's a pity that Shadow Warrior No. 1 can't use Word of Power and the panel, otherwise this journey would be much easier."

Lu Mingfei slowly stretched in his seat. Although there were no surveillance cameras in the cabin of the YAMAL, signal detectors were openly displayed. The official base in Norway had provided him with professional counter-espionage equipment before he boarded the ship, making it easy to detect any anomalies.

This was likely to prevent anyone from leaking the secrets of the YAMAL during the voyage.

But it's not a big problem,

After processing, the connection between Shadow Warrior No. 1 and Lu Mingfei himself can be used as a location tracking tool...

At this moment, the newly added "hard-working" girls all looked up at the same time. Dressed in revealing clothes as if it were still summer, they unreservedly cast their fiery gazes at the young and "beautiful" school board member. Indeed, she was beautiful. Asian faces in Europe and America usually do not have the advantage of being disadvantaged or favored, but Kassel College is a school where everyone speaks Chinese, so there is a natural filter of goodwill towards Chinese faces.

After the day of freedom ended, Lu Mingfei's name had already become deeply ingrained in people's minds through the forum.

What about the ultimate winner, what about one person winning two golden flowers, what about someone who seems like a weakling but is actually a strong attacker, what about Caesar walking away pale and in pain, leaning against the wall in the middle of the night...

Strength, status, glory—all these achievements combine to create the image of a fierce tiger-like Chinese boy.

This already added a layer of 'mystery' to Lu Mingfei's noble status.

Soon, people noticed that this school board member was actually a hard worker, spending almost half of his 24 hours a day in the library.

The young women, who are always enthusiastic, proactive, and outgoing, immediately became competitive and decided to try to use their charm to "straighten" him out.

(End of this chapter)