Chapter 1171: Collision, Penguin Colony
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
During the second half of the journey, the snowmobile on Sophie’s side had become a
lone wolf dance for Ah Ow.
For a while, the sled dogs accelerated and moved fast. Ah Ow refused to accept the loss and sped up the running. Ah Meng could not keep up, and only maintained a few steps before slamming onto the ground.
Ah Ow did not care that it was the only one pulling the snowmobile and continued to dash forth.
Steve was shocked at what he saw. “God, this wolf-dog of yours is really something!”
Elson said, “This is not a wolf dog. This is a pure-bred Mexican Wolf.”
“Who cares what it is? Isn’t its stamina outstanding?”
What could Li Du say to that? “It feeds on a lot of meat daily, hence the extraordinary strength.”
In fact, once the snowmobile was started, it relied greatly on how smooth the ground was. The ice was very slippery and hence, it did not require a lot of strength to pull the snowmobile.
Regardless, Ah Ow’s strength was awe striking. It was pulling the snowmobile alone, with a human, a tiger cat and a honey badger sitting on it.
The camping area was not far from the sea, about five to six kilometers away. They were able to spot the blue ocean line not long later. The snowmobile was sliding rapidly on the icy surface.
During the warm season, Antarctica was a lively place. There were birds flying by the sea, swooping down now and then to scoop their catch from the water below.
The penguins lived by the sea too. After using Penguin QQ chat tool for many years, Li Du finally saw real penguins with his own eyes that day.
There were numerous penguins along the shore.
To avoid disturbing the penguins, Steve told them to stop the snowmobile before reaching their destination.
It was no wonder that Brother Wolf had so much praise for the sled dogs. They were really outstanding and very well-trained. Once the snowmobile stopped, they stayed near it and did not run around.
Meanwhile, Sophie had to yell at Ah Ow, “Stop, Stop!”
Ah Ow understood the command and stopped abruptly, digging her four paws in. The snowmobile skidded forward on the slippery ice.
Steve was stunned. “Sh*t, is this ice skating?”
Elson grinned. “Watch your language, don’t use profanity.”
The snowmobile had a brake pedal and stepping on it would force the vehicle to reduce its speed.
However, Sophie did not press the pedal. The snowmobile kept sliding forward. She fumbled and thrust out one of her legs, trying to reduce the speed by dragging her foot across the ice.
Li Du was first surprised and then jovial. “Haha, female driver! Step on the brake! What can you achieve by dragging your foot? This is not a skateboard!”
“Quick, help me!” Sophie shrieked, “The brake is faulty!”
Upon hearing that, Li Du and Steve sprang into action, chasing the snowmobile like madmen. However, the snowmobile was sliding very quickly and they were unable to catch up. They watched helplessly while it looked as though the snowmobile was going to crash straight into the sea.
Then an accident happened. Ah Ow, the snowmobile and everything in it slid forward a few hundred of meters before knocking into the colony of penguins.
The startled penguins flapped their wings and paddled away. However, the plumper penguins suffered: We did not provoke anyone, we were only sitting around, this disaster just happened out of nowhere!
Penguins were clumsy on land due to their physique. They could not run fast. Once the snowmobile appeared, they had taken notice of the movement and turned their heads to look behind.
Realizing that the snowmobile had stopped, they settled down calmly and did not jump into the water to hide from the people.
It was illegal to capture penguins in Antarctica. Besides, there was no economic gain to make from them. Hence, hardly anyone ever provoked the penguins. Besides, these fat birds were lazy and did not have the habit of fearing humans.
Any other birds or animals would have fled upon seeing that the snowmobile was approaching them.
Not only did the penguins stay around, but some of them had also even squeezed together as though watching a show, just to look at Li Du and his group. Their small, black eyes sparkled with curiosity.
When Ah Ow and the snowmobile rushed towards them, they had finally realized that the situation was dangerous. However, it was too late to run, because they were too slow and their reaction time was too long!
Just like that, the snowmobile crashed into the colony, knocking down one penguin after another. The snowmobile finally stopped just before it hit the sea.
Li Du shook off his sleds and ran with all his might to reach Sophie first.
Sophie had yet to climb out of the snowmobile and Li Du quickly went forward to help her up. Worried, he asked, “How is it, are you okay?”
“I’m okay, the ice surface is strangely soft,” Sophie said, surprised.
Then, when she stood up, she saw a big penguin under her. The penguin had been knocked down and was lying on the ground helplessly, its eyes full of fear.
Sophie nodded her head towards the penguin, embarrassed. “Sorry, sorry, no wonder I felt that the surface was soft.”
The other three animals did not have such luck, especially Ah Meng. It was crying because it had knocked its head against something.
The agitated penguins were displeased and surrounded them. The penguins that had been knocked down were trying to get up. Some of them failed to get up and looked as though they were swimming on solid ice. They started to slide around on the surface.
Steve ran over, helping the penguins up on his way.
Some of the penguins were waving their wings around and screaming. Some even squeezed forward, towards Li Du and Sophie, evidently meaning to attack these two invaders.
Li Du pulled the snowmobile, bringing Ah Ow and the rest away quickly. Ah Meow stayed sprawled on the ground, looking lazy. I feel that I have become a handicapped Meow now.
The penguins they had crashed into had big heads and were over one meter tall. Some of them were even 1.2 or 1.3 meters. They had solid bodies and powerful beaks.
Just like that, the colony of penguins gathered around. Even though they looked comical before, they seemed fierce now that they moved with hostility.
Ah Ow could sense that the penguins meant to attack and was unhappy. Gritting her teeth, she turned back and howled, “Ahhh-wooo, Ahhh-wooo...”
Li Du slapped the back of her head and said, “Ahh-woo your head, come with me!”
Ah Meng also turned to look back and Li Du gave it a slap. “Are you a drama addict?
What does it have to do with you? Don’t add more fuel to the fire, hurry and go!”
Steve spoke up too. “Let’s go quickly. These are Emperor penguins, the largest penguin species in Antarctica. They are also the best at fighting. We have invaded their territory.
Let’s leave before they attack!”
Pulling the snowmobile and leading the animals away, the group left speedily. The Emperor penguins continued to glare at them with their small eyes. The entire penguin troop was standing close together and did not disperse.
After leaving the penguin area, Steve heaved a sigh of relief. “Sophie, you’re really lucky that those were Emperor penguins.”
“What could have happened if those were other penguins?”
“Other penguins have a smaller physique and would not have been able to stop the snowmobile. Also, Emperor penguins lay eggs in May when it’s the extreme cold season. Ordinary penguins, other than the Papua penguins, lay their eggs in the summer, that is, there would now be eggs under the feet of the male penguins. Think about it, what would happen if you smashed their eggs?” Steve queried.
Sophie crossed herself and said, “Thank God.”
She had been in luck. Although the snowmobile was faulty, the penguins were there to stop them from sliding further. Also, a penguin had cushioned her fall, and there were no penguin eggs in her way. That incident ended in the best possible way.
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