The Svalbard Global Seed Vault, officially known as the Doomsday Granary, is located deep underground on the Svalbard archipelago and serves as the last line of defense for global food security.
It stores seeds of all the world's crops, totaling hundreds of millions of grains.
It can withstand not only rising sea levels, earthquakes, and tsunamis, but also nuclear weapons.
Coupled with the unique climate that allows for the permanent preservation of seeds, it can be considered a plant version of Noah's Ark.
Should humanity ever face an insurmountable disaster, this vault would be crucial for restarting civilization.
As Yang Lin witnessed firsthand this place he had only read about in books, his emotions became complex.
Ten years ago, he might have considered such a project to be overly cautious.
But a decade later, he found it incredibly necessary.
After all, global warming was an unavoidable trend, and the Arctic becoming ice-free in the summer was imminent.
Once the Arctic glaciers completely melted, it wouldn't just be humans who were affected; the polar bears living in the Arctic would be the first to suffer.
"Since the plant version of the doomsday ark already exists, it seems the animal version falls upon me."
"Then let's start with you all."
As he spoke, Yang Lin turned his gaze to the four polar bears in front of him. After his reflections, Yang Lin urged the four polar bears to set off again.
Another half an hour passed, and the completely frozen coastline appeared before Yang Lin.
Beyond the coastline lay the vast Arctic Ocean, frozen solid in most areas before the arrival of summer.
This provided favorable conditions for Yang Lin's trek to the North Pole.
Upon reaching the shore, the first thing that caught Yang Lin's eye was the baby鲲 (kun) and a herd of narwhals playing in a giant ice hole.
The frigid weather seemed to have no effect on them.
Perhaps sensing Yang Lin's arrival, the baby 鲲 let out an excited cry.
"Park director, I feel like I've been here before."
Hearing the baby 鲲's words, Yang Lin was not surprised.
If he guessed correctly, its mother likely lived in this area before being taken to the Pacific by a Japanese distant-water fishing vessel.
With this thought, Yang Lin immediately said to the baby 鲲:
"Then you can play here for a while. I'll call you when I need you. Go on!"
With Yang Lin's permission, the highly excited baby 鲲 led a group of newly acquired followers into the Arctic waters.
Meanwhile, Yang Lin, using the power of the Ocean's Heart, fulfilled his promise to the polar bear family of four.
Beside an ice hole, fish, each over half a meter long, jumped out as if possessed.
The entire polar bear family was stunned.
It wasn't until Yang Lin reminded them that they realized these were the rewards Yang Lin had prepared for them.
An ice-bound buffet then commenced.
Watching the polar bears feast, Yang Lin's own appetite was whetted.
He had initially planned to settle for some dry rations but immediately tossed his compressed biscuits back into his backpack.
"Why eat compressed biscuits when there's food everywhere?"
As soon as he spoke, he took out the oil stove given to him by Station Chief Li Qing from his sled.
He lit it, placed the pot, added the solidified cooking oil, and soon, a sizzling sound emerged from the iron pot.
While the pot was heating up, Yang Lin casually picked up a cod to prepare it.
After preparation, large chunks of high-quality cod meat were placed into the iron pot.
Before long, the aroma of fish filled the air.
Due to the unique nature of the poles, he hadn't brought drinking water. However, this was not an issue, as fresh water was abundant in both the Arctic and Antarctic.
Once the fish was golden brown on both sides, he casually grabbed a large piece of crushed ice from the side and threw it into the pot.
Ten minutes later, a pot of milky white fish soup had formed.
Without the need for elaborate seasonings, adding only salt and pepper, the fish soup became incredibly delicious.
Taking a small sip, Yang Lin exhaled a long breath of white mist towards the sky.
"I finally understand why my unreliable parents were so keen on running around."
"This feeling of drinking fish soup on the Arctic ice field is truly wonderful."
"When I reach the North Pole, I must have another meal and take a photo to commemorate it. Only then will this trip be perfect."
As he spoke, he took out the bottle of vodka, unscrewed the cap, shouted "Ura!", and took a swig.
The first mouthful almost choked him.
"Pfft! This is truly awful!"
The burning sensation made him immediately stuff a handful of snow into his mouth.
It took him over a minute to recover.
After recovering, the first thing he did was take out his phone for a selfie.
In the photo, he was smiling happily, holding an opened bottle of vodka.
If he could post on Moments right now, he would have written: "At 90 degrees North, drinking 90-proof vodka, fighting polar bears, fishing on the ice field, the wildest man on Earth. I have nothing more to say, it's all in the drink. Ura!"
Meanwhile, at the Yellow River scientific research station, everyone was deep in thought while facing a sumptuous dinner.
"It's been five hours. I wonder where Director Yang is now."
"He should still be in the tundra region. The journey must be very tough."
"I wonder if he's encountered any polar bears."
"Compressed biscuits must be hard to swallow. I reckon he's eating them with mouthfuls of snow right now."
"Yes, and we're eating so well. It truly feels a bit unfair."
"The Japanese research station just sent a message saying they were attacked by 40 polar bears but successfully repelled them. However, they lost the station key during the fight. I hope Director Yang doesn't encounter those polar bears."
"Oh, just listen to them boast. 40 polar bears? At most 10."
"Even 10 is quite a lot."
"Oh, and I heard the Japanese ended up asking their neighboring Korean station for help."
"What, help find the key?"
"No, help with the lock. After all, Korean lock-picking skills are top-notch."
"Huh? Why?"
"Because they're good at stealing!"
...
In an instant, the somber atmosphere in the dining hall became relaxed.
While the people at the research station were too worried about Yang Lin to eat, Yang Lin out on the Arctic Ocean had already brought the pot to his face.
As the last sip of fish soup went down, a satisfied burp escaped his mouth.
"So full!"
He had just set down the iron pot when his sharp eyes noticed that one of the cod he had prepared earlier for future rations seemed to be missing.
He initially thought it was one of the two brothers, Gou Dan and Gou Sheng, or the polar bear family who had taken it.
However, at that moment, a tiny set of footprints on the ice attracted his attention.
"There's a thief!"