Ark, after I died, the operators started to love me.

As soon as the office door closed, Muirsey broke free from Mike's arm and grumbled, "She's a plant you hired, isn't she?"

“No, I didn’t ask her to do this, and I’m not lying. I do like you.” Mike’s attitude was very sincere.

"I do not care."

"I care."

Mike pulled Water Sprite's shoulders close, their faces almost touching, and whispered, "I care about your opinion, I care about whether we can be together, I care about everything about you."

Miu Miu asked in return, "Do you care about other girls?"

Mike said noncommittally, "I care about my operators. Although I am no longer the Doctor of Rhodes Island, there are some issues I cannot avoid."

"A womanizer."

Muirsey bumped her forehead against Mike, let out a long breath, then slammed her head against the man's chest, lowering her voice: "What if we had really separated just now?"

“Nothing,” Mike said firmly. “Do you think you can walk into this office today and leave?”

The water sprite's eyes widened. What a shameless statement!

Given Horhys's presence, Muirsay decided to let Mike go for the time being and instead asked, "I heard you're planning to lead a group deep into the Sami Icefield. Why are you doing this?"

Girl, your way of changing the subject was too abrupt.

Mike released his grip and gently flicked the girl's nose, causing her to flinch backward.

"Rhine Labs must have come into contact with quite a few matters related to demons lately, right?"

Muirsay remained silent.

Mike is right. In recent months, demons from the north of Terra have been infiltrating various countries. Many researchers have put forward different opinions, among which the views of the Letanian scholars have attracted the most attention.

The demons are infiltrating sporadically and in multiple locations, consciously testing the vigilance levels of various countries. All nations of Terra must unite, as unimaginable major events could occur in the north at any moment.

Although such a view lacks theoretical basis and is quite conspiracy theory, even the rather xenophobic Iberians believe it should be taken seriously.

"Since Seria took over Rhine Lab, my work has been limited to the Ecology Department."

Muirsey didn't say it explicitly, but Mike already understood: a certain Ms. Vayvan had very rudely excluded the Water Sprite from Rhine Life's decision-making body, preventing her from participating in important matters concerning Columbia.

“Saria is protecting you. After all, your identity is special. You can only save your life by fading out of people’s sight as much as possible.”

The Elf race is extremely rare in Terra. Apart from Muleseth, a lone little elf, the only remaining Wood Elves are hidden in the mountains of the Sami Icefield, and are generally not found by ordinary people.

Muirsey's tone clearly carried a hint of grievance: "Of course I know it's because she's good to me. The time we met, Rhine Life had just experienced a huge change, and the robot Sarkaz from the Melander Foundation said something similar to me."

This land is not lacking in powerful and influential nobles whose desire for life far outweighs law and ethics. They are highly likely to take desperate measures in a crisis, and I am their prime target.

As Muirsey spoke, despite still harboring some resentment towards Seria, she was also grateful to Vayvan for protecting her.

Rhine Lab was not taken over by the Columbian military. The conservative Seria gained control, and with the addition of the newly appointed Hermer, as long as Rhine Lab stands, its banner will continue to fly over Tremont. Nobles who covet the elves must be wary of Vayvan's power.

As everyone knows, there are not many people on this land who can break through the Wave System with their fists, nor are there many people who can break through the 6,000-meter atmosphere with their bare bodies.

Mike gently tapped Muirsey's smooth forehead. The water sprite's recovery ability was quite good; her swollen eyes had begun to subside. Now she could finally say that she was better than Li Ronghao.

Mike has his own explanation for the question Muirsay just raised.

"The demons are acting very frequently; I need to see what they're up to."

“Few people have been able to venture north of the Sami Icefield. As far as I know, a total of thirty-one explorers have ventured more than 100 kilometers into the region. After they returned to Sami and Columbia, the vast majority of them went insane. Do you know what you’re challenging?”

“I know, of course I know. Don’t worry, these things are not a problem for me, and I could not possibly be one of those thirty-one madmen.”

Mike paced back and forth in his office for a few moments, then turned his back to Muirsay and continued, “I told you, I have to go and take a look. If it’s just a sporadic demonic intrusion, it’s still within my control. But there’s something there that I’m very concerned about. I can only be at ease when I see it intact and undamaged.”

As for what this thing was, Mike didn't say, and even if Muirsey wanted to know, she wouldn't be able to get the answer from him.

"I hope your judgment is correct."

"And you? Are you planning to return to Colombia after delivering this letter?"

"So that's how it is. I originally had a 15-day vacation after returning to Trimont, but it seems that the vacation will have to be postponed."

A sense of foreboding washed over Mike: "What do you mean? You want to save your vacation days for three months straight?"

Mike knew of two people who did this: the first was Marna Nearl, a corporate slave in Casimir, and the other was Destreet, who was in his team.

"You're planning to go up north for a look, and I want to go with you."

"What? I didn't agree to that."

"No, I have to go. I have to find out if you have any connection with that Horhaya."

"I swear no, she is not my girlfriend."

Muirsey wouldn't give up. She rushed over, grabbed Mike's arm, and raised her little face: "You won't be able to get rid of me this time!"

"I can't possibly go back to Trimont with you."

"I don't care. Saria doesn't need me anyway, and the Ecology Department is the same whether I'm here or not, so I'm going with you. Could it be that you still want to abandon me now, and everything you said to me just now was a lie? You said you liked me, but it was just a lie?"

Mike argued, "How can you lump these together?"

"Why not? There's no harm in bringing me along. I'm a water sprite, and I'm somewhat related to wood sprites. The ice plains are covered in ice and snow, and there's water everywhere. Plus, you know I can communicate with plants. With me around, your team can save a lot of effort."

Muirsey stood with her hands on her hips, clearly having already decided that she had to join Mike's team no matter what.

Looking at the water sprite's beautiful face, Mike suddenly remembered four words: the one he loved.

"Okay, I agree, but once you join the team, you must follow my instructions."

"If it's just you giving instructions, then of course there's no problem, I trust you."

Mike sighed inwardly. This wasn't as simple as just believing; the pressure on him was immense.

With Muirsays around, even if Horhysya left the door open for him, he wouldn't dare go in.

……

It was no secret that Muirsey had joined the team, and the team members, who had been following the process closely and waiting for the results, unanimously welcomed the arrival of this water sprite.

Rhine Lab also provided a considerable amount of portable equipment for everyone. More importantly, Muirsey produced a special archive that supplemented the part that Astral Search lacked in its local folklore and various monster stories.

To date, sixteen expeditions still roam the Sami Icefield, eleven of which are inside the Wall and five are outside.

Since the Sami Heroes' expedition crossed the Great Wall, communication within the Sami Icefield has almost come to a standstill. No one knows where those expeditions are; perhaps they have found temporary shelter and are awaiting the outcome, or perhaps they are still searching for their targets on the icefield.

With Muirsey joining them, Mike and his crew expanded their snowmobile fleet from two to three. Although the number of people only increased by one, the amount of items they carried increased significantly.

Mike was very troubled by this.

“We’re just looking for targets on the ice field. We’ll take one look and then retreat immediately. No matter what happens, we won’t stay there any longer. Are you only going to use those vehicles you prepared once?”

“Each department at Rhine Life has its own consumption quota. If I don’t use up my quota this year, it won’t be carried over to the next year. If I don’t use it now, it will be a waste.”

Rhine Life is really rich and powerful; they just throw away a few vehicles and some supplies without a second thought.

"Doctor, just give up. There's a big family business compared to guarding a small plot of land."

Upon seeing the much more comprehensive list of supplies, Destle immediately switched sides and sided with Muirsey. After all, Muirsey wasn't just providing supplies; she was also there. However, this relationship needed to be maintained by Mike himself.

The top lawyer laughed and said, "A problem that can be solved simply by the doctor selling his body is not a problem in my opinion."

In the days since Muirsey joined the team, she has been discussing the upcoming itinerary with other Rhine Lab operators.

Everyone had a blind optimism about the Doctor, believing that he could solve all problems, just like back in Rhodes Island.

"It seems they all have a blind worship of you."

"How can you say it's blind? Don't you have any faith in my abilities?"

"Okay, okay, I believe you."

For several days, the situation at the base camp stabilized, and the surrounding transit stations were gradually returned to human hands.

It turns out that in addition to the support team led by Ragna, other surrounding tribes also received similar miracles from Anma and came to the rescue of the transit station from its crisis.

Mike discovered for the first time how effective the Sami spirits were, greatly relieving his stress.

As the departure date drew closer, team members began checking their belongings and ensuring they were in good physical condition.

"Are we just leaving base camp like this, and will we ever come back?"

"As long as we are alive, we will definitely return to this land. The Sami Icefield is not a den of dragons and tigers; many Sami people live here."

When Muirsey got to this point, almost everyone turned to look at her, and the water sprite could only give an awkward smile and stop her description.

So everyone chose a suitable day, and with the blessings of the locals, several snowmobiles drove out of the base camp and headed into the depths of the Sami Icefield for the first time.

The further north they went, the colder the weather became. They had been lingering at their base camp for so many days; this land should have entered a bitterly cold winter by now.

Destreet's lips were purple from the cold, and she took out a thermometer with trembling hands, only to find that the thermometer display was malfunctioning.

"How could it be -30 degrees Celsius here?"

"Minus 30 degrees Celsius is normal. A cold front has come from the north, which will not only bring more snow and ice, but will also sweep across other countries in this region. I believe it won't be long before it snows in Kazimierz."

Desty, a Casimirian, awkwardly put away the thermometer. She wasn't unfamiliar with snowfall, but the extreme cold still made her feel uncomfortable.

Just then, Andorn finished reading a short passage of scripture, looked up and asked, "Do you need me to give you some psychological counseling?"

Everyone knows Director Ann's abilities, and Dessie quickly shook her head: "There's no need to make things so serious."

"Gentlemen, it seems there's an abandoned settlement ahead, but we haven't found any other tribes that have migrated out along the way."

Frostnova was the one who discovered the problem. Yelena turned her gaze to Mike, who was looking down at his book and said without looking up, "Go around it and don't get close."

74. The Secret Hidden Beneath the Snow

The driver faithfully followed the doctor's advice, and the several off-road vehicles drove around the deserted village, their engines pressing down on the thick snow.

Mike thought the matter was over, but his good fortune didn't last long. The vanguard who had been clearing the way reported back: "We can't get around it. The deserted village seems quite large, and fog has rolled in..."

"Trouble is catching up first."

Mike thought to himself that since he had a bad start and couldn't avoid it, he might as well do what Zhang Zongchang did and bombard his mother with cannons.

"Drive the car in, and if anything goes wrong, go all out."

When in doubt, act rashly.

The vehicles stopped driving around the edge of the village and drove directly into it along the main road.

Mike put down the documents in his hand and looked out the car window. A gloomy fog surrounded the village, which was quiet except for the sound of snowflakes falling on the eaves. Not a single person could be seen.