Chapter 8 end

In the early morning, the plane landed at New York Airport.Susie and Andrew returned to their apartments respectively.At lunch time they came to Frankie's.Susie was sitting at the table waiting for Andrew, with a travel bag at her feet. "I'm going back to Boston," she said. "So fast?" "It will be better this way." "Maybe," Andrew replied. "I want to thank you, it's been an amazing journey." "I should thank you." "no need thank me?" "I've decided not to drink anymore." "I don't believe it at all."

"You're right! Let's have a drink! You owe me that." "Okay, although I don't know what to celebrate, but Steelman, let's have a toast." Andrew asked the waiter to bring the best wine in the store. During the meal, they rarely spoke, and kept looking at each other silently.Then Susie stood up, lifted the bag, and told Andrew to sit still. "I'm not good at saying goodbye to people." "Then say goodbye." "Goodbye, Andrew." Susie pressed a kiss on his lips and walked out of the restaurant. Andrew kept watching her.After she left, Andrew opened the "New York Times" to see what news was there recently.

In the afternoon, Andrew came to the newspaper office, ready to face the editor-in-chief, and also ready to accept her to arrange work for him.Thinking of the terrifying scene he was going to face next, he decided to go to the coffee shop first. Someone tapped him on the shoulder, and the coffee spilled all over him. "Tell me, Steelman, what do you think of the fruits of my work this week? Are you satisfied?" "What did you find, Dorothy?" "I've found quite a few things. I'm really proud of myself. Rip off your coffee and come with me." Dorothy brought Andrew to her office.She ordered him to sit in front of the computer, typed the password on the keyboard, and read the information on the screen aloud.

"In 1945, the U.S. government conducted a large-scale military operation in the polar regions. This operation was code-named 'Musk Ox' and broke through about five kilometers of ice. The purpose was to demonstrate the feasibility of the Soviets attacking from the Arctic Ocean. .In 1950, combined US-Canadian forces explored several kilometers of ice near the pole. In 1954, the USS Nautilus submarine penetrated under the ice and reached the pole. This operation proved the military strike of the US military through the Arctic Ocean Twenty years later, the Soviets also began to conduct nuclear tests in the polar circle, resulting in the melting of about 24 million cubic meters of ice on Novaya Zemlya. The U.S. government also began to imitate the Soviets and began to provide light nuclear weapons Looking for commercial and civilian uses. The Soviets tested multiple nuclear bombs, and one of the excuses was to solve the problem of natural gas leakage in the Pechora River. Although this would cause nuclear radioactive pollution, they did not give up using nuclear weapons to compete for the Arctic Resources. During the Anchorage meeting, Kurchatov explained how to use nuclear weapons to extract natural gas. In 1969, the American tank "Manhattan" drove along the polar coastline to the US-Canada border, and the Canadian government was not to be outdone. Sworn their sovereignty over twelve miles off the coast, forcing the Americans to accept the established facts. Washington has fiercely opposed it on the grounds of national security. The Canadian government has also allocated a budget of hundreds of millions of dollars to map energy in the Arctic region The map. The Kremlin also recently announced that the energy development work in the polar regions is a guarantee for Russia to become an energy power. Even Greenland has demanded sovereignty from the Danish government on the condition of jointly developing resources in the area. Oil, natural gas, nickel mines and All the powerful countries want to get a share of the zinc mine. Even countries that have no territorial waters in the Arctic use the excuse that the Arctic belongs to the world and intervene in polar affairs. With the melting of glaciers, it is imminent to open up sea routes in the Arctic Ocean. Many countries, including France, China and India are all paying close attention to the developments in this region. In 2008, the Canadian government built a submarine base in the Arctic Ocean, which was put into use in 2015, with a total investment of three billion U.S. dollars. In 2001, although the Bush administration rejected climate change However, at the same time, the U.S. Navy found that the Arctic Ocean became navigable all year round. The Norwegian Ministry of Defense also provided a video confirming that some Russian oil companies exploited resources beyond the territorial waters, and claimed that the Arctic problem may cause East meets West again."

Andrew walked behind the office door and looked at the world map posted on it. "Is that all your reaction?" Dorothy was disappointed. "Would you believe me if I told you that the plan to exploit the resources of the Arctic was implemented fifty years ago?" "If you said it, then I believe it. Will you publish it?" "Unfortunately I have lost all the evidence, otherwise I would have won the Pulitzer Prize." "Where did the evidence go?" "There," Andrew pointed to the North Pole on the map, "in her snow-white coat."

"Who are you talking about?" "Snow Maiden." "Can the evidence be recovered?" "I don't know. Anyway, I'll try to compete for the Pulitzer in a few years." He said as he left Dorothy's office. He entered the elevator alone, took out his mobile phone, looked at the photos inside, and smiled on his face.Maybe it's because he's going to have a Fernet-Cola next, maybe not. As usual, Valerie left the office at 6pm.She walked to the subway station.There was a woman standing under a street lamp with a travel bag at her feet, staring at her.She recognized the man immediately.

"He's waiting for you in the bar of the Marriott Hotel," Susie said. "Please consider giving him another chance. Andrew is not without flaws, but overall he's a very good man. He loves you and loves you." To the bone. Don't think it's too late, he's going to be there, waiting to prove it to you." "He really said those things?" Valerie asked. "In a way, yes." "Did you sleep with him?" "If he wanted to, I would have done it. He really took the courage to come back to you." "When he left, I mustered up the courage to start a new life."

Susie looked Valerie straight in the eyes and laughed. "I hope you are happy." "It's really brave of you to come to me today," Valerie said. "Courage is just an emotion stronger than fear." Susie said, lifting the travel bag. She said goodbye to Valerie and walked away. An hour later, a taxi pulled up at the corner of Broadway and 48th Street.Valerie paid and walked into the Marriott Hotel. On January 24 of the following year, Susie climbed Mont Blanc accompanied by three guides.She gave Shamir's ashes to his parents. Susie never returned to France.Two years later, after long training, she successfully conquered the Himalayas.Standing on the summit, she inserted a climbing pick and tied a scarf on it.

Since then, every climber who has come to the Himalayas can see the red scarf fluttering in the wind after successfully reaching the summit. (full text)