Chapter 1 (Guardian of the Arctic!)
Cold!
Biting cold!
Huo Yu stood on the white expanse, greedily taking in the icy world before him.
Behind him stood a small research station, standing lonely amidst the snow.
"It's not too late to regret this," said the team leader, dressed in heavy protective gear.
"No regrets," Huo Yu replied with a carefree smile, "You all go ahead with your mission. I'll be fine."
The team leader sighed, "God knows why you volunteered to stay at Station 249. It's too close to the North Pole, practically the most dangerous outpost-level research station. No one has been stationed here for many years."
Huo Yu smiled and asked, "Team leader, did they approve my requests?"
"They did, but I must say, your requests were quite outrageous. You asked for weapons, autonomy, and even live-streaming rights? Aren't you already making enough money with your salary? Why do you need the tips?"
Huo Yu smiled but remained silent.
What could he say? He couldn't exactly tell them he had a live-streaming system, could he?
"This place might be lacking, but at least the outpost is well-stocked."
The team leader took out a map from his pocket and handed it to Huo Yu.
"There are dozens of abandoned research stations nearby, over thirty outpost-level, four station-level, and one half-abandoned base-level research station, all marked on this map."
Huo Yu quickly took the map from the team leader and carefully put it away.
"I can use the materials from these research stations, right?" Huo Yu asked.
The team leader waved his hand irritably, "They're all abandoned stations, so of course, you can use them."
Huo Yu nodded with satisfaction.
Seeing that Huo Yu seemed completely unaware of the gravity of the situation, the team leader sternly warned:
"Don't be careless. The temperature here is extremely low, and the nearest manned research station is 200 kilometers away. If something goes wrong, no one can save you."
Huo Yu nodded seriously. The team leader had repeated these warnings many times during the journey, but Huo Yu had his own plans and even had to comfort the team leader.
"I'm leaving now. Please be careful," the team leader solemnly saluted Huo Yu.
The other members of the research team followed suit.
"Thank you for your service, Guardian of the Ice!"
Huo Yu quickly returned the salute.
Despite his concern, the team leader led his team away.
They had a mission to collect samples near the pole.
Before leaving, the team leader left Huo Yu with a small handgun.
The handgun was not supposed to be issued to Huo Yu. Firstly, his rank wasn't high enough, and secondly, outpost-level research stations were not supposed to use firearms.
The team leader had to work hard to negotiate with the higher-ups, and considering that Huo Yu had volunteered to stay at Station 249, they finally approved a small handgun for him.
In the Arctic, a handgun's effectiveness for self-defense is limited, mostly providing psychological comfort.
Huo Yu put away the handgun, turned toward the slightly dilapidated outpost, and took a deep breath of the cold air.
This was a parallel world different from his previous life. Although the general direction of this world was similar to his previous life, there were still many subtle differences.
Under the influence of global warming, extreme weather events were frequent, and natural disasters were common. Scientists from various countries formed a joint organization to observe global climate changes as soon as possible.
The Guardians of the Ice!
When Huo Yu crossed into this parallel world, he simultaneously bound to a Guardian of the Ice system.
For this reason, Huo Yu, already an Arctic enthusiast, threw himself into the Guardian of the Ice cause without hesitation.
"Ding! Host detected in the Arctic, Guardian of the Ice system activated."
[Guardian of the Ice Recognition System at your service]
[Host: Huo Yu]
[Level: Apprentice Guardian of the Ice]
[Position: Station Master of Outpost-Level Research Station 249]
[Current Recognition Points: 126 points]
After a while, Huo Yu finally understood the rules of using this system.
He needed to gain recognition for the Guardians of the Ice through various means, earning recognition points based on the intensity of others' recognition emotions.
Recognition points could be used for lotteries or exchanged for various items in the shop.
In this desolate icy world, the only way to gain recognition points was through live streaming.
The pitiful 100 or so recognition points he currently had were probably contributed by the team leader and the others.
"Live streaming function is being activated."
"Scanning for signal sources..."
"Satellite signal acquired, strengthening..."
"Live streaming function activated, would you like to start streaming?"
A black spherical object appeared above Huo Yu's head, floating in mid-air.
"Start streaming!"
"Creating live streaming room for you."
"Live stream title: First Day of the Arctic Guardian Report! (Can be changed)"
"Current viewers: 31 people"
A virtual transparent screen appeared in front of Huo Yu, displaying the real-time live stream and comments.
"What the heck? Live streaming in the Arctic?"
"Is this real? Could it be special effects?"
"Guardian of the Ice? Never heard of that profession."
"The scenery is really beautiful, it really looks like the Arctic!"
"The Arctic, huh? Is there an aurora?"
The first batch of viewers entered the live stream, and comments started to trickle in.
Huo Yu quickly spoke:
"Hello everyone, I am a Guardian of the Ice, and this is the Arctic."
"In front of you is a Country A research station. Like you, it’s my first time here."
"For the next six months, I will be guarding this research station alone."
Huo Yu's magnetic voice immediately captured the attention of all viewers in the live stream.
"Wow, it's really the Arctic, that's hardcore."
"The streamer is so handsome, Guardian of the Ice? Is he a national research personnel?"
"Is this really a Country A research station? Why does it look a bit shabby?"
"The pixel quality is so high, you can even see the frost on the ground. Is this being filmed with a drone?"
"What exactly is the Guardian of the Ice? Streamer, aren't you going to explain?"
Seeing the comments, Huo Yu smiled and continued, "I know you have many questions, and I will answer them in due time."
"But right now, we have something more important to do."
"In this land of ice, we must raise the flag of Country A!"
With that, Huo Yu took out a flag from his backpack and solemnly held it close.
"The dangers facing the Guardians of the Ice are not only from nature but also from poachers."
"And this flag is my talisman. It can deter villains and also strengthen my resolve."
"Most importantly, it declares that this ice field is under the protection of Country A. Anyone who wants to poach here should think twice!"
Huo Yu climbed to the highest point of the outpost along the perimeter ladder and tied the bright flag to the flagpole.
The live stream camera automatically zoomed out, capturing the entire outpost in the live feed.
Amid the desolate and bleak ice and snow, a bright red silently blossomed.
[Congratulations to the host for gaining 12 recognition points!]
[Congratulations to the host for gaining 9 recognition points!]
...
