Chapter 639

Ning Chen brought some food and gave it to the man, who had been in the forest for days and said there were no wild fruits to eat—he must have been starving, so he let him eat first.

The man glanced at it, took it from Ning Chen's hand, thanked him, said nothing more, and quickly ate it; finally, he wiped his lips and looked at Ning Chen with gratitude.

The days spent in the forest had left him too hungry; after wiping his lips, he intended to rest, but saw Ning Chen watching him, so he lifted his eyes in confusion and returned the gaze.

Ning Chen sat beside the man and asked as he watched him swallow the last bite: "You said there's a magical place in Antarctica—what is it?"

Upon hearing Ning Chen mention this, the man excitedly told him: "Someone told me there's a place in Antarctica just like Alice's Wonderland, where you can experience wondrous things."

"Back then, I could have taken you with me, as thanks for saving me."

Ning Chen smiled. "Alright, I'll go to Antarctica too."

The man nodded. He had thought he'd never escape the forest and would be trapped there forever; Ning Chen took him in and was going to Antarctica with him—he was filled with eager anticipation.

The surroundings were quiet. Ning Chen watched the clouds flashing past the window, thinking of his check-in task, then of his girlfriend Si Shiya, and felt a pang of worry. He didn't know how she was doing—only by completing his daily check-in tasks could he save her.

The helicopter traveled a long way and soon arrived at Antarctica. The man gazed out the window, his heart overflowing with joy, and said to Ning Chen: "I'll take you to that place—it's truly magical."

After the helicopter landed, Ning Chen saw the man leap out in a hurry; he watched the man's back with helpless resignation, but remembering his check-in task, said nothing. He still didn't know Si Shiya's condition—his top priority was saving her first.

Ning Chen followed the man off the helicopter. They hadn't walked far before arriving at Alice's Wonderland.

The man stepped onto the grass, the surrounding environment wonderfully beautiful; he turned and smiled at Ning Chen: "Isn't this a magical place? This is Alice's Wonderland."

Ning Chen nodded but said nothing, gazing at the place with utter calmness, his thoughts fixed on Si Shiya.

Alice's Wonderland was in Antarctica. Ning Chen turned his head to look at the garden-like place—green grass and flowers covered the ground, and a gentle breeze stirred them into slow swaying.

The sunlight was warm, spilling over the grass; the blue sky was covered with thick clouds, drifting slowly through the air.

Ning Chen gazed at these scenes and, for no clear reason, recalled his past with Si Shiya; a quiet sorrow settled in his heart. He stood motionless, lost in thought.

Ning Chen suddenly crouched down, stared at a flower nestled among the grass, and reached out to gently pluck it.

"Don't just stand there—I heard it's even more interesting inside; let's go in and take a look." The man had wandered around for a long while, turned back, and saw Ning Chen still standing in place; he called out.

Ning Chen snapped back to attention, murmured an acknowledgment, clenched the flower in his hand, stood up, and walked toward the man. His first glance revealed a massive wooden barrier blocking the path—but it was hollow, lying across the grass.

At a glance, nothing seemed amiss, but upon closer inspection, the mystery became clear.

488. Trigger system response

The path ahead seemed entirely blocked; at this moment, Ning Chen stared at the wide road before him, then followed the man.

He walked beside the man, who said to him: "This place isn't easy to pass through—you must follow me. By the way, my name is Ning Yi."

Ning Chen kept his eyes on the path as he tried to move closer to the man; when he heard the man's name, he froze.

"Ning Yi?" Ning Chen said.

Ning Yi turned around, his expression puzzled: "What's wrong?"

Ning Chen smiled. "Same surname as mine—quite a coincidence."

As an absolute powerhouse, Ning Chen didn't need to read facial expressions when facing Ning Yi; for him, using his probe skill alone was enough to learn every detail of Alice's Wonderland.

So he knew that at the very center of Alice's Wonderland grew something called the Strange Flower.

The Strange Flower was an extremely rare medicinal herb, said to bloom only in extreme cold, capable of stopping bleeding and reducing heat, and flowering once every hundred years.

This year happened to be the year the Strange Flower bloomed; it was rumored many healers would come to Alice's Wonderland to harvest it, but this year the cold was extreme—not only did Antarctica, already frigid, break temperature records, but certain regions worldwide also entered winter prematurely.

As a result, no one came to Alice's Wonderland this year; the vast place held only Ning Chen and Ning Yi.

Ning Chen didn't feel the cold—his physique naturally repelled it—but Ning Yi was different; he was bundled in thick cotton padding, fully armed, yet still shivering violently.

Ning Chen glanced at him: "You came for that flower?"

Ning Yi nodded.

Ning Chen had no interest in that flower—his sole purpose this time was to circle Alice's Wonderland until he completed his task.

When the livestream audience saw the legendary Alice's Wonderland with their own eyes, a flood of comments erupted.

"Finally got to feast my eyes—I've loved Alice's Wonderland since childhood—is this the check-in streamer?"

"My god! I've been everywhere, but never to Antarctica—if I'd known it was this beautiful, I'd have gone last year!"

"So touching—the streamer traveled thousands of miles to Antarctica just for a past promise to his girlfriend. Tears on the screen."

"Wait—is it just me curious about the Strange Flower in Alice's Wonderland? That thing's incredibly valuable, sells for a fortune—if the streamer gets it, he'll get rich."

"The streamer already has his own private jet—do you think he needs this little money?"

The audience chattered endlessly; most began to grow curious about Ning Chen's family background.

After all, Ning Chen looked exactly like a young rich heir with boundless wealth.

Alice's Wonderland was blanketed in thick ice and snow; everywhere visible were transparent ice blocks and falling snowflakes—a world of pure white.

And precisely because the landscape was so desolate, Ning Chen felt a pang of sorrow as he gazed at Alice's Wonderland.

He rarely showed such emotion, but it vanished quickly; as soon as he lifted his head, Ning Chen resumed his usual calm, detached expression.

Ning Yi walked several stretches with Ning Chen and realized Ning Chen hadn't come to Antarctica for the Strange Flower; this relieved Ning Yi, yet also sparked his curiosity.

"You didn't come for the Strange Flower?" Ning Yi said. "Then why?"

Ning Chen looked up. "Nothing else—I just came to take a walk."

Ning Yi's face showed confusion.

They shared the same nationality; meeting here was already rare, yet Ning Chen told him he'd simply come to wander Antarctica at random.

The effort and money required for such a trip were immense; Ning Yi had spent over a year's savings to come to Antarctica, all to harvest the Strange Flower and make a fortune.

But…

Ning Yi studied Ning Chen from head to toe, and suddenly realized this man was extraordinary.

Whether in attire or demeanor, Ning Chen was vastly different from ordinary people—he seemed like a wealthy heir who had control over everything: not just rich, but also energetic, with time, and wisdom.

Ning Yi could only be grateful this man wasn't here to compete for the Strange Flower—if he were, Ning Yi stood no chance.

Besides, Ning Yi's trip to Antarctica was a gamble with his life—the temperature here was already dozens of degrees below zero; if he could harvest the Strange Flower and sell it, it would be a chance to become rich overnight.

Ning Chen had little desire to enter the center of Alice's Wonderland—he only wanted to complete his task—but Ning Yi was different; he intended to enter the coldest part of Antarctica, for only there could he obtain the Strange Flower he sought.

So Ning Yi glanced at Ning Chen beside him and resolutely pleaded, "How about you go in with me? If there are extra Strange Flowers inside, I wouldn't mind sharing a few with you. We can make money together."

Impatience flashed in Ning Chen's eyes. Frowning, he said, "No need. I came here to fulfill a dying wish of my girlfriend, and besides, I don't lack herbs."

"But!" Ning Yi grew somewhat anxious. "Do you know how precious medicinal herbs are this week? Even if you don't want to sell them, you can keep them for yourself. Anyway, this stuff has high medicinal efficacy; keeping it for yourself is no loss."

Calculations were evident between Ning Yi's words. Ning Chen glanced at him and said, "No need."

"Whoa, who is this guy? He actually dares to scheme against the streamer? Doesn't he know this person is very shrewd?"

The viewers in the live broadcast room watched with great interest. They were curious about this passerby who had appeared for so long, but mostly they found Ning Yi bold.

Seeing this, Ning Yi had to give up, yet he felt somewhat unwilling. He secretly calculated in his heart how great the possibility would be for both of them to return alive if Ning Chen went with him to pick the Strange Flowers.

Before he could calculate a result, Ning Chen suddenly changed direction, no longer traveling the same path as Ning Yi, but turning to the right instead.

Ning Yi was stunned and quickly followed: "Leaving already? Really not going with me?"

Ning Chen pretended not to hear and walked on his own, moving very fast.

Ning Yi bit his back molars, his eyes turning somewhat fierce. After watching Ning Chen stride away from his sight, he clenched his fists unwillingly.

Ning Chen simply had no patience to deal with Ning Yi; after all, they were just strangers, and moreover, Ning Yi was of no use to him.

Ning Chen wandered aimlessly around Alice's Wonderland while trying to trigger the system's appearance.

After walking around the edge of Alice's Wonderland three or four times, he finally heard the system's electronic voice sound in his ear.

"Detected that the host has arrived at the mission location."

489. New Mission

At this moment, the place where Ning Chen stood was offset from the exact center of the South Pole, stopping just on the line connecting the edge and the center.

This way, the system was triggered exactly.

The system's cold electronic voice sounded: "Host new mission: Obtain the Strange Flower. Mission reward: Density Control. Completion time: Limited to three hours."

Ning Chen was stunned.

This system really gave him no face; just now he had made Ning Yi leave, and now the system was making him turn back to find the other person.

In this way, it made Ning Chen look like a clown.

Ning Chen clenched his fist and almost laughed in anger: "Fine, what do you mean?"

The system remained silent. Ning Chen stood in place and sneered in his mind.

Whether the system felt guilty or for some other reason, after Ning Chen's questioning, it made no sound for a long time.

However, Ning Chen was very interested in this mission's reward.

Almost every time, after he clocked in, he would possess a special ability. Most of these abilities were powerful and could be applied in most places. If he could obtain the reward named "Density Control"...

The hesitation on Ning Chen's face vanished. He adjusted his steps, without the slightest hesitation, and went again toward where the Strange Flowers grew.