Chapter 1178: Subdue

“Hold the rope ring!” Li Du said in a deep voice.

He didn’t need to tell Big Beard what to do. The poor fellow struggled in the cold water,

trying to hold on to the loop Li Du had tied at the front of the rope.

Li Du tugged at his arms and pulled Big Beard quickly up the ice layer.

The ice over there was very fragile, and with the additional weight of Big Beard the

whole ice surface around them broke with a mighty crunch!

Now it was getting interesting. The people around, who were originally ready to rescue

Big Beard, all wobbled unsteadily and fell into the icy water like dumplings!

Big Beard was fine. He lay prone so his pressure on the ice was small, and the ice on

his side remained intact while Li Du successfully pulled him up.

Taking the rope out of his hand, Li Du threw it down to another man and fished out the

five men one by one.

It was his plan to make Big Beard fall into the water; the other five were just out of luck.

They were involved because the time energy that the little bug absorbed was a little too

wide in range.

However, to Li Du, this was a happy accident. He had only wanted to make Big Beard

feel like he owed him, but did not expect to save everyone else’s life too.

Things got even more dramatic when he pulled the men up. The heads of several sea

lions were exposed against the cracked ice.

Sea lions in the Antarctic were not as cute as they looked, and had a strong tendency to

attack in the water, especially during the warm season, when they frantically stored fat

and sought prey to eat in order to survive the winter.

The hunters, seeing the sea lions emerging from the water, crossed themselves as they

emitted sighs of relief at the narrow escape.

Li Du rolled up the rope and put it on his shoulder again. The young man who scoffed at

him was not far, so he smiled and said, “Now do you know what I am holding the rope

for? There are no mines or underground pits, but there are ice holes.”

“How did you know this would happen?” asked a stunned hunter.

Li Du pointed to his own eyes and said, “Because I have this. I observe, you see. I find

meteorites relying on observation. Of course, I don’t have X-ray vision. I’m no

superman. If the sea had washed you under the ice, I would not have been able to save

you.”

The hunters were so frightened that they stepped back a few paces. If they did fall into

the water and break through the ice, they would be dead.

Big Beard hung his head in shame. He said to Li Du, “I’m sorry, sir. I'm sorry for what

I’ve said to you earlier.”

The other hunters were embarrassed, too.

They said nothing and bowed their heads.

Li Du tapped Big Beard on the shoulder and smiled. “It doesn’t matter. We are

companions. Is your name Hankway? Take your men, Hank, and change your clothes.”

In the Antarctic, one had to wear clothes that were not only warm but also waterproof,

because even without falling into the water, one could easily be covered with snow and

ice drifts picked up by the wind.

The hunters took their changing clothes with them. They were very resistant to cold, so

they took off their clothes and dried themselves in the icy wind. Then they changed into

dry clothes.

Once Li Du saved them, the hunters changed their attitude toward him so much that

they made eye contact with him and smiled. Apparently, he has won their friendship.

Li Du’s had expected this., At the outset in Lightning Ridge, he used similar means to

win Aubrey and his men’s hearts, but that accident was a natural disaster, while this

time he had to resort to tricks.

The hunters in the back were afraid to get too close to the sea again. Steve warned

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them, “The ice will melt in the warm season. Keep some distance from the sea. The ice

here is washed by the waves and it will melt faster, so be careful not to fall again.”

Two dozen men spread out and walked slowly across the ice, searching for meteorites

underground.

They got nothing that morning.

They kept searching, always staring at the white, snowy ice sheet. Even with protective

glasses, their eyes were a little uncomfortable, but no matter how hard they looked, they

still did not found a meteorite.

This was normal. Finding meteorites was harder than finding gems, especially on the

ground.

After all, most meteorites had hit planet Earth millions of years ago, so as time passed,

meteorites could dissolve into powder experience crustal movement and move

somewhere else.

Seeing that everyone was tired, Steve waved his hand and said, “Well, we will stop for a

while. Let’s rest and get ready for lunch.”

Someone drove a sled and followed them, and when they stopped, they took out the

windbreak tent and started working together to set it up.

After the tent was ready, Li Du went to find a place to sit down and have a rest.

He was quite tired. He has been using the little bug the whole morning to search below,

but found no trace of a meteorite.

The day before, he found a meteorite. It was pure luck. He didn’t even find it himself, Ah

Meng was the one who did that.

Soon after he sat down, someone handed him a kettle and said, “Take a hot drink.

When your body is warm you will gain energy back quicker.”

Li Du looked and saw Big Beard with his hat off, sitting beside him.

Big Beard had a somewhat Asian look, and his complexion was similar to Li Du’s, but

his hair was yellowish, and his eyes had a greenish tinge.

Li Du accepted the hot liquor in a friendly manner and nodded, “Thanks a lot.”

Big Beard laughed and said, “I should be the one thanking you. My name is Hanks. I’m

from Nenets. What about you?”

“Li, call me Li. I’m Chinese.” Li Du took a sip of the drink.

The liquor had only been heated to a comfortable temperature, but the alcohol content

was so high that his taste buds hurt when he drank it, and the drink went down his

throat like a knife.

However, strong alcohol has high energy content, and Li Du could draw energy from the

alcohol to regain the energy he spent on the use of the little bug.

So although the liquor was very strong and not exactly tasty, Li Du still drank several

mouthfuls, then instinctively exclaimed, “This feels good!”

Seeing him take a few mouthfuls of hard liquor in quick gulps, Big Beard brightened up

and gave a thumbs-up sign. “Chinese man, you are good in drinking.”

Li Du said with a smile, “Not bad. You should take a sip and drink a mouthful of it,

otherwise, you won’t be able to drink anymore.”

These hunters seemed to form their opinions of men by the amount of alcohol they

drank. Li Du could not miss the chance of showing off.

After taking two mouthfuls of the liquor, Big Beard handed the pot back to Li Du, who,

without hesitation, lifted his head and chugged on.

Hunters who got into the tent for warmth were stunned to see this and then erupted into

raucous clapping.

Newman got into the tent and asked, “Hey, is there a show?”

“True man’s performance. Mr. Li drank a pot of spirits!” cried a hunter admiringly.

Newman was shocked. “My god, that’s seventy-eight degrees of alcohol. This is almost

medical alcohol, did you drink it all?”

Li Du threw the liquor pot to him and said with a smile, “It is so cold today. How can I lift

up my spirits if I don’t drink a bit?”