novelraw Chapter 1 : Chapter 1
Chapter 1 : Chapter 1
Chapter 1: Dragon Pole
August, the warmest month in the Arctic.
The sun, almost in an eternal posture, lay crouched at the edge of the horizon.
The Arctic research vessel Dragon Pole No. 999 advanced slowly across the boundless glacier, the piercing sound of ice breaking at the bow echoing incessantly.
At noon, the temperature rose to minus seven degrees Celsius, not as fiercely cold as usual, so First Mate Zhao Meng notified all research team members to come to the deck for some fresh air.
Zhao Meng was Li Weiyi's senior brother, having trained for six years in martial arts under their master before joining the navy, rising step by step to the rank of officer with rich sailing experience. This time, he accompanied the research vessel, responsible for personnel management, ship maintenance, and other tasks.
Having been cooped up in the cabins for days, everyone was thrilled to come out onto the deck.
Some spread their arms to breathe freely, some shouted loudly, and others picked up uncleaned snow from the deck and threw it into the distance.
The accompanying journalist was recording broadcast material.
Meteorological researchers released weather balloons.
…
“Snow startles a thousand miles, clouds darken the nine heavens.”
“The land seems like a moonlit night, the mountains like a dawn of white clouds.”
Among the seven or eight students who emerged from the cabin with Professor Xu, a short one, inspired by the scenery, loudly recited poetry, white mist puffing from his mouth. No one mocked or felt awkward; everyone shared the same excitement and high spirits.
Being selected for polar research while still in university added a bold, colorful stroke to their life’s resume.
Li Weiyi sat alone on the steps at the stern, out of place with the laughter, playfulness, and bold enthusiasm over there.
His face was refined, with a high nose bridge and slightly cracked lips from the cold. Having just finished his freshman year, he was much younger than the master’s students led by Professor Xu.
From the collar of his thick orange cold-weather suit, he pulled out an ancient ornament hanging around his neck, tracing its patterns. A wave of longing surged, and his face showed bitterness and sorrow.
This ancient ornament, called the “Tao Ancestor Tai Chi Fish,” was the token of the master of the Chan Sect, said to have been passed down from the time of King Wen of Zhou.
It was formed by joining the heads and tails of two bronze fish, creating a Tai Chi symbol.
The fish scales were intricately carved, but one fish eye was missing.
The eyes of the two fish represented the Lesser Yin and Lesser Yang of Tai Chi. The remaining one, faintly greenish, the size of a bean, was made of an unusual material—resembling jade, stone, or bone, with a strong ancient charm.
The old sect master said it was the brow bone of the Tao Ancestor.
Two months ago, as the old sect master lay dying, he passed the Tao Ancestor Tai Chi Fish to Li Weiyi, who then naturally became the new sect master of the Chan Sect.
Having lost his parents young, Li Weiyi grew up with the old sect master, as close as grandfather and grandson.
The old sect master’s death hit him hard.
At that time, Zhao Meng, who had returned to the mountain to visit their master, was entrusted with Li Weiyi’s care as the old sect master passed. Seeing Li Weiyi trapped in grief for days, unable to move on, Zhao Meng suggested taking him out to clear his mind.
Only when Li Weiyi boarded the research vessel did he learn that the place his senior brother meant for “clearing his mind” was the distant Arctic.
“Weiyi, thinking of the old sect master again?”
Zhao Meng walked over from the deck.
His towering 1.86-meter frame, broad face, big ears, and thick beard, combined with the bulky cold-weather suit, made his arms as thick as pillars, exuding a rugged, masculine aura like a mountain.
Li Weiyi quickly composed himself, looked up, and revealed a pair of clear, bright eyes: “Senior Brother, you don’t need to worry. I’m fine. It’s been two months; everything fades and becomes bearable with time.”
His heart was strong, capable of facing life’s storms alone, not one to pass negative emotions to those close to him.
“Good to hear.”
Zhao Meng plopped down beside Li Weiyi, took out a cigarette pack, lit one, and said, “Talk more with everyone, don’t keep to yourself. Want a puff?”
Li Weiyi gently shook his head and asked, “Senior Brother, what happened on the ship last night?”
Li Weiyi had been assigned to the security team by Zhao Meng, responsible for basic safety and order on the fifth deck. Last night, something big seemed to have happened in the lower decks—there were sounds of running and shouting, and even the ship shook a few times.
He had wanted to check, but was stopped, leaving him curious.
Zhao Meng said, “No big deal! They say Lab 705 caught fire, but it was quickly put out.”
Lab 705, located at the bottom of the ship, conducted some secret experiments with high security clearance, not under Zhao Meng’s jurisdiction.
Li Weiyi had heard people mention that armed guards stood outside the lab.
“That bunch is all secretive. They won’t even let us inspect for hazardous or explosive materials. Let’s hope they don’t cause trouble,” Zhao Meng said with a worried expression, unable to hold back a complaint.
They said it was a fire, but the ship had clearly shaken—obviously, something was being covered up.
The Dragon Pole was over a hundred meters long and nearly fifteen thousand tons.
What kind of force would it take to make it shake?
Thinking of the real reason he came to find Li Weiyi, Zhao Meng’s expression turned serious: “Did Xie Jin and his group give you a hard time?”
“No.”
Li Weiyi gently shook his head.
Zhao Meng’s large, thick hand patted his shoulder: “With me, your senior brother, speak up if something’s wrong. The kinder and more forgiving you are, the more they’ll take advantage.”
Li Weiyi thought for a moment: “Those in the security team are elites, carefully selected. But me, a freshman with connections, got into the security team, assigned to the best deck with my own room. If I were them, I’d be upset too. So, I don’t blame them.”
Zhao Meng took a deep drag, the ember nearing the cigarette’s end, and exhaled thick smoke from his nostrils: “Connections? Don’t I know your strength? When you were little… I remember you were only this tall, right? While I practiced under the old locust tree, you’d be beside me, swinging your little fists and mimicking me. Master said my talent only reached your knees.”
Li Weiyi smiled: “You know how exaggerated Master’s words could be.”
“No way! Two years ago, when I sparred with you back at the mountain, I was no match for you. At seventeen, eighteen, when your physique and vigor were surging, you think I’d dare challenge you now?” Zhao Meng said.
In martial arts, Li Weiyi was supremely confident, but recalling Master’s words—“Martial arts, martial arts, now only the martial remains, no path. In this era, even the martial is fading”—his confidence wavered.
Yet, the pursuit of martial arts and the dream of transcendence lingered in his mind, growing ever stronger.
He was determined to make a name for himself in this era that had abandoned martial arts.
After thinking for a long time, Li Weiyi said: “My entry into the security team wasn’t by the rules. Senior Brother, don’t make trouble for them. I can handle it myself.”
“You…”
Zhao Meng knew his junior brother, raised in the mountains and a good student at school, was too kind and unaware of how treacherous people could be. He patiently explained: “I specially recruited you. Even if you weren’t my junior brother, your strength is fully qualified. That’s the rule!”
“Next time Xie Jin and his group trouble you, don’t hold back—just teach them a lesson.”
Zhao Meng added: “Speaking of which, this is partly my fault. When competing for first mate, I had a big clash with Xie Tianshu, and he’s likely behind this.”
Xie Tianshu was the second mate of the research vessel, responsible for security and medical matters.
A research team member hurriedly ran over: “Brother Meng, the captain has an urgent matter and needs you to head over immediately.”
“I mentioned your situation to the captain. You don’t even need to think of yourself as part of the security team—just treat this as a trip to clear your mind.”
Zhao Meng gave Li Weiyi a few more words of advice before following the team member to the bridge.
…
…
“Did you know? The Arctic Ocean is the North Sea of myths and legends. In ancient times, when the land was a wild expanse, gods, demons, and various tribes fought endlessly. After the Chiyou tribe was defeated, the remnants of the Nine Li fled to the North Sea.”
“The North Sea, also called the North Underworld, is said to be the entrance from the human world to the underworld. Some say only through the North Sea can you reach the true human realm.”
The group of master’s students led by Professor Xu walked along the deck’s passageway toward the stern where Li Weiyi was.
The short student who had recited poetry earlier was a social butterfly, talking nonstop, sharing myths about the North Sea with two pretty female students.
Having sailed for over a month since departure, everyone was bored out of their minds. Hearing such bizarre and fantastical stories, coupled with the endless glaciers sparking boundless imagination, laughter and discussion filled the air.
A fair-skinned female student with round, bright eyes said: “The North Underworld, I know! In the North Underworld, there is a fish called Kun. The Kun is so vast, no one knows how many thousands of miles it spans. It’s in Zhuangzi’s Free and Easy Wandering!”
Another female student teased: “A fish thousands of miles long? Even in the Arctic Ocean, it wouldn’t have room to move, right?”
Professor Xu and his students were tasked with marine biology research, collecting Arctic bacteria and marine genetic samples—a complex and demanding job.
“The silver expanse of a thousand miles, the eternal endless polar day. Such grand scenery can only be seen at the poles. Shall we take a group photo?”
“Great idea, so memorable.”
“Hey, little brother, could you help us take a picture?”
Li Weiyi looked at the camera handed over by the female student, then met her moon-like eyes. He nodded gently, tucked the Tao Ancestor Tai Chi Fish back into his cold-weather suit, stood up, and walked down the steps to take their group photo.
“Please take a few shots.”
The group of male and female students clustered around Professor Xu by the deck’s railing, striking various poses for the photo.
Click!
He kept pressing the shutter…
Suddenly, Li Weiyi sensed something was off and noticed something unusual.
He reviewed the photos he’d just taken, zoomed in, and examined them closely. His pupils contracted sharply.
“What’s wrong, little brother?” the female student asked curiously.
Li Weiyi handed the camera over for them to see.
He then looked toward the distant snow ridge.
The vast snowy wilderness, a flat expanse like it was forged from silver, devoid of any vegetation, was both stunning and desolate. On a snow ridge several kilometers away, a massive purplish-black figure was moving rapidly.
“A bear? Such a strange bear-like creature…”
The female student was astonished, looking at the photo on the camera.
“Let me see. Why is it purplish-black? Aren’t polar bears white? Could it be a new species in the Arctic?”
“Don’t you think this bear is odd? It looks scrawny, but its size is abnormally huge.”
…
As they huddled around studying the photo, the strange bear-like creature in the distance was charging down the snow ridge toward the research vessel at an extraordinary speed.
So fast!
It ran across the ice like a car, each paw striking the ground kicking up shards of ice, and even from far away, the faint sound of thunderous steps could be heard.
“Something’s not right. How can it be so fast?” Li Weiyi’s eyes narrowed, sensing danger.
This strange purplish-black bear-like creature was shockingly large, four or five times the size of an adult polar bear.
It was definitely a new species unknown to Earth.
In just one minute, it had covered nearly two kilometers.
Its target was clear: the research vessel.
“It’s coming for us.”
Li Weiyi muttered, then turned toward the deck and shouted: “Everyone, get back to the cabins! It’s dangerous!”
“Such terrifying speed! Even a cheetah at full sprint might not be this fast, right?”
Professor Xu and the seven or eight young students nearby were either worried or panicked.
The ship’s broadcast system blared with the captain’s voice: “Attention all research team members, please return to the cabins immediately. Security team members, please lock the cabin doors.”
“Attention all research team members, please return to the cabins immediately…”
…
The piercing sound of the ship’s alarm echoed throughout the research vessel.