Read Chapter 7117 of the novel Charismatic Charlie Wade free online.
Chapter 7117
Ushuaia, the port closest to Antarctica, primarily handles the transshipment and resupply of ships bound for Antarctica.
However, the port is relatively small,
With one commercial pier and one oil resupply pier, totaling fewer than ten berths.
During peak season, berths are often insufficient,
Forcing many ships to anchor in nearshore waters and personnel to disembark via ferry.
At this time, the port berths were nearly full,
Mostly with research vessels flying different national flags,
Including those from Northern Europe, China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Australia.
Due to the rough seas in the Drake Passage these past few days,
These research vessels were waiting for their departure window in Ushuaia.
It is said that many cruise ships and research vessels from the Antarctic Peninsula,
The mainland and the archipelago are also waiting for their return window,
As they are rushing to disembark before the last departure window.
Once the last batch of Antarctic tourists and summer research team members has returned to Ushuaia,
This summer’s Antarctic tourism season will officially end.
After the recent peak of the evacuation season passes,
Ushuaia Port will see almost no more commercial cruise ships docking for the next six months,
With only cargo ships and research vessels from various countries remaining.
At that time, Ushuaia will enter its true off-season.
There’s a little trick about Ushuaia Port:
Because many trips to Antarctica require booking well in advance and are therefore very expensive,
Beyond the reach of most people,
If there are still tickets available before departure,
The price will be drastically reduced.
Therefore, many backpackers, in order to reach Antarctica in the most cost-effective way, don’t book cruises in advance,
But instead, fly directly to the city during the Antarctic tourist season and wait for available tickets on ships.
At that time, there were many ships to choose from, and it was relatively easy to find a bargain.
The minibus drove directly to the dock,
Stopping only in front of the Nordic research vessel.
Upon seeing the minibus return, several men immediately disembarked and warmly greeted Charlie and his group.
They were somewhat surprised that all four meteorological experts were Asian,
But their superiors had warned them that the four individuals’ identities involved state secrets,
And that they were not allowed to inquire further.
Therefore, although surprised, they all displayed excellent professionalism and did not ask any questions.
One of the men, around fifty years old, stepped forward and said to Charlie,
“Hello, Mr. Louis, I am John Torresson, captain of the Nordic research vessel Iliad.”
“You can call me John.”
“Welcome to the ship, you all!”
Charlie was somewhat surprised.
He hadn’t expected that the only research vessel in the Nordic countries would be named the Iliad?
So it was named after the royal family?
It seemed that the Nordic countries indeed showed more respect for royalty than other constitutional monarchies.
Immediately, he politely shook hands with him and said,
“Hello Captain Torresson, I’ll be troubling you for the next few days.”
John wasn’t quite sure which department Charlie and his “meteorological experts” belonged to in Northern Europe.
When their superiors shared information,
They were specifically instructed not to ask too many questions,
Not to interfere, and to provide them with as much convenience as possible.
Therefore, he even thought that Charlie and his group might be from the military,
But he also had a vague feeling that something was amiss.
Military immigrants were rare.
How could so many Asians arrive all at once?
Charlie noticed the doubt in his eyes and thought that after boarding the ship,
He would find an opportunity to give everyone on board a psychological suggestion to eliminate
Any future troubles, resolve the issue once and for all.
The Iliad was an icebreaking research vessel that had been launched less than five years ago.
It had a displacement of 12,000 tons, a Class III icebreaking capability,
And could navigate through ice layers up to 1.5 meters thick without hindrance.
It could operate in frozen waters year-round, whether in the Arctic or Antarctic.
After boarding, the captain led the four on a tour of the ship’s facilities and layout.
The ship was large, with over a dozen laboratories in addition to the engine room and cargo hold at the bottom.
As well as a restaurant, library, gym, and other public facilities.
The four then followed the captain to the crew cabins,
It had over forty rooms of three types: single, double, and quadruple.
Research staff were assigned double or single rooms,
While all crew members except the captain and first mate lived in quadruple rooms.
The main mission of this trip to Antarctica was to transport supplies and evacuate researchers from the research station.
So the entire ship had only about twenty people,
Less than thirty, including Charlie and his group of four.
Charlie and Maria each chose a single room,
While Jeremiah and Ria, who used to share, opted for a double room.
The rooms on the research ship were naturally not as luxurious as those on commercial polar cruise ships,
But they were certainly clean and tidy,
With all the necessary facilities, including a private bathroom,
24-hour hot water, and a shower—more than enough for the four of them.
After helping them settle in, the captain said,
“Please rest a bit, all four of you.”
“Dinner is in an hour. We’ll make an announcement when dinner starts.”
“Just head straight to the restaurant when you hear it.”
Charlie nodded slightly,
Then used a bit of his spiritual energy to give him a mental suggestion,
Instructing him, “Remember to have all the staff come to the restaurant for dinner.”
“I’d like to meet everyone.”
The captain readily agreed, smiling, and said,
“No problem, don’t worry, I’ll call everyone over.”
Charlie nodded and said, “Then you go ahead with your work.”
“See you in the restaurant later.”
“Okay, see you at the restaurant.”
After the captain left, Charlie said to the three ladies,
“After such a long flight, everyone must be a bit tired.”
“Let’s go back to our rooms to rest and pack our luggage.”
“After all, it will be another four or five days before the ship leaves port,”
“And then another three days of sailing,”
“So it will take at least seven days before we can disembark.”
Jeremiah said, “Mr. Wade, I noticed that the crew members on this ship seemed a bit surprised to see us.”
“Perhaps the fact that we are four Asian faces is a bit unusual to them.”
“Is there any risk involved?”
“Ria and I don’t mind, but we are mainly worried about Miss Lin’s whereabouts being exposed.”
“Since there are surveillance cameras everywhere on this ship.”