14:00
The lighthouse beam carves white lines on the sea, as if bidding us farewell.
We stand at the dock, gazing at the icebreaker in the distance—the only way to Antarctica.
Shen Yan holds the ticket, Qi Si carries a heavy backpack, and I clutch the thick journal.
"Ready?" Shen Yan asks.
"Let's go," Qi Si replies.
I nod, thinking:
"Antarctica, the end of the truth, or a new beginning?"
14:15
The icebreaker glides into the harbor, its massive hull rocking in the waves.
We board the ship and find our cabins.
Shen Yan hands the ticket to the captain, who glances at it and nods.
"Welcome aboard," he says in accented English, "Antarctica is a long way, but we'll get there."
Qi Si puts his backpack on the bed and starts unpacking.
I sit by the window, watching the waves crash against the ship.
"What is the truth, really?" I mutter to myself.
"Maybe only in Antarctica will we find the answer," Shen Yan says.
14:30
The ship sets sail, and the waves grow more turbulent.
I step out onto the deck, the salty sea wind tousling my hair.
Shen Yan and Qi Si join me, and we stand side by side, gazing at the horizon.
"No matter what the truth is, we have to face it," Qi Si says.
"Even if it disappoints us," Shen Yan adds.
I take a deep breath; the sea wind cuts like a knife across my face.
"The truth, whatever it is, is worth seeking," I say.
14:45
The ship's PA system crackles to life:
"Attention, passengers. We are now entering the Southern Ocean. Please remain calm and follow all safety instructions."
I look at the waves, thinking:
"Antarctica, here we come."
15:00
The ship continues to plow through the waves, which roar like angry beasts, trying to swallow us whole.
I return to my cabin, open the journal, and begin to read.
Each page records Lin Yi's research, about human nature, about the experiment, about the truth.
"The truth is not the end, but a new beginning."
This sentence appears repeatedly in the journal, like a riddle.
I close the journal, thinking:
"What is this new beginning?"
15:15
I knock on Qi Si's cabin door.
"Come in," he replies.
I push the door open and see him sorting through documents.
"What are you looking at?" I ask.
"Lin Yi's research," he answers, "the part about Antarctica."
"Any findings?"
"There's a secret base in Antarctica where Lin Yi conducted his final experiment."
I'm stunned, thinking:
"The final experiment…"
15:30
Back in my cabin, I turn on the computer and start searching for the secret base in Antarctica.
A satellite image appears on the screen, showing a massive structure hidden beneath the glacier.
"This is where Lin Yi conducted his final experiment," I mutter to myself.
"The truth might really be there."
Chapter 21, end.