Antarctica, a place that has intrigued humans since the development of industrial civilization, where the exploration has never ceased. The most mysterious aspect of Antarctica is that it's not just about icebergs and floes; there are islands and a continent with mountain ranges stretching beyond anyone's imagination.
However, in the 1930s, many of these islands were yet to be explored. One scientific expedition after another attempted to conquer this place, only to end in failure and gain nothing. The repeated failures led many people to question: Is polar exploration truly beneficial? Does this place really harbor valuable treasures not found elsewhere?
Regardless, scientists have never stopped exploring. Not the extreme cold temperatures, the ever-threatening storms, nor the terrifying glacial oceans could stop them. And today, a special expedition team has arrived here. They come from Miskatonic University, led by William Dale, one of the most authoritative geologists. Every member of this team is a top scientist of the human race, launching another charge at Antarctica.
Compared to other large fleets with dozens of ships, the fleet led by Professor Dale could be considered a lightweight operation. They only have three large ships and just over a hundred people, including sailors. Although he mentioned that supplies will be sent in batches, it is nonetheless a risky move. This time, they intend to explore the largest mountain range in Antarctica, the Ayers Mountains located at the center of the continent.
The fleet navigated through the Weddell Sea, advancing along the edge of the Filchner Ice Shelf. Although they encountered two blizzards at sea, they managed to persevere, which didn't deter the scientists' resolve to explore. The fleet stopped at the edge of the Lonnie Ice Shelf, where they would land and push towards the mountain range.
In the lower cargo hold, Shiller was sleeping soundly when he felt the ship tremble, waking him abruptly. He jumped down from the cupboard as the rocking of the ship began to diminish, realizing they had docked.
But Shiller didn't relax. He dashed towards the cabin door as quickly as he could, just in time to meet Frank, who was hurrying down. The big man shouted to the empty cargo hold:
"The ship has docked, hurry, we're preparing to land!"
The cats and dogs bolted out. The cats stayed atop the shelves, while Big Dog Tibbers slept in the dog house at the deepest part of the cargo hold. Since entering Antarctica, they hadn't left this room, as humans were battling the harsh natural environment and couldn't spare attention for them. Professor Dale's students regularly fed them, but their staple was the mice in the cargo hold.
There was nothing to complain about, for the mice living in harmony with humans were plump, much tastier than wild animals from the primeval forest. The ship hadn't been vacant for long, and the mice reproduced from one litter to another. Sometimes the cats couldn't finish them, so Big Dog Tibbers took care of the rest.
Constantine and Shiller were seasick at first when they boarded the ship, but after some time, they adapted quite a bit. They could still go on deck for some fresh air, but as their destination drew near, the temperature dropped to freezing and then to twenty degrees below zero. The deck was no longer suitable for living; humans and animals huddled inside the cabins, enduring the onslaught of blizzards.
Docking was undoubtedly a dawn of hope, but what awaited them was an even harsher survival environment. In the central region of the Lonnie Ice Shelf, temperatures could drop to forty degrees below zero, and the fierce Antarctic winds blew day and night, with blizzards lurking at any moment. It was a biological dead end, yet they had to move forward.
"Don't move," Bat Cat shouted, "put on all the warm gear you can, hide the mechanical equipment inside your clothes, and place the shield on the outermost layer. Shiller and Peter, help suit up the dog."
The cats moved in an orderly fashion. They had, in fact, rehearsed this countless times. First, they donned the inner layers sewn by humans, some of which were cashmere clothes, others made of pure cotton fabric, with down jackets on the outside, and thick hats and tail wraps, finally paw covers.
It was inconvenient for cats to wear clothes due to their body structure, but fortunately, they had tentacles and could help each other. Several cats quickly wrapped themselves up, while Shiller and Peter went to help dress the dog.
Over time, they had developed a good relationship with Tibbers. Dogs are inherently smart; it seemed he also understood that these cats were not ordinary creatures but were as intelligent as his human guardian, so he accepted the cats' help with ease.
Dressing the dog was similar to the cats. Tibbers was a short-haired guard dog, heat-resistant but not cold-resistant, so he had to wear a woolen layer first, and then a down jacket. His head and tail also needed to be armored.
While on the ship, Bat Cat didn't idle; he assembled some fragmented parts to manufacture a set of light armor for the dog, particularly armoring the dog's most vulnerable waist area. It even included a jet device that allowed the dog to jump higher, increased the dog's weight, and thus granted Big Dog a stronger impact force.
After the Cat Dog Squad was armed, before they even had a chance to go out, David, the student responsible for feeding them, opened the door with a swoosh. Tibbers immediately rushed over and nuzzled him, while David angrily rubbed the dog's head and waved to the cats:
"Follow me!"
The cats dashed out quickly, and in the next second, were engulfed by endless cold. It wasn't just cold here—it was oppressive, trembling, desolate, with all surroundings white like the primal chaos at the dawn of the cosmos, with nothing between heaven and earth. Every wisp of atmosphere from the ice shelf told newcomers that this place was unfit for human survival.
Even Shiller felt the shock. He had never set foot in the Arctic before, and seeing the world from a cat's perspective made it seem even vaster, and the shock greater. This was a spectacle that the human race could never see in civilized society, standing in front of gigantic icebergs and feeling only one's insignificance.
The expedition team chose a very dangerous route, moving along the edges of Antarctica's two major ice shelves, and now they had reached the heart of Antarctica, where there weren't even research stations or campsites. Previously, the furthest point reached by visiting expeditions was about a hundred kilometers behind them. As Antarctica's climate worsens the closer it gets to the center, this stretch was undoubtedly deadly.
Shiller jumped onto the railing beside the ship, seeing the crowd hurrying down, one after another stepping onto the land of Antarctica. The winds here carried a snow-like hue, and slightly further away, human figures became very blurry. Professor Dale was right, they should have brought more people.
Walking along the railing, Shiller heard a familiar voice, Frank's loud voice shouting, urging the students to hurry: the ship couldn't stay here too long, it had to move to more sheltered places ahead, but they needed to quickly approach the mountains and set up camp, which was destined to be a very hard night.
Almost everyone got off the ship, wrapped in layers, advancing through the snow. Vehicles were almost impossible to start here, but Frank still drove a construction vehicle to pave the way ahead. Everyone followed behind the vehicle, the crowd resembling a school of fish, becoming minuscule points on the vast snow field and then being completely swallowed by wind and snow.
The cats were all held in the students' arms, not only because cats walked too slowly, but also for warmth. A cat's body temperature is higher than that of humans, and holding them feels like holding a small furnace, which greatly reduces the students' psychological pressure, especially important for young people facing such harsh environments for the first time.
Tibbers was led by Professor Dale. The Big Dog constantly exhaled white mist, its drool quickly freezing into ice, with small icicles forming between its mouth and nose. Its paws were well wrapped to prevent freezing damage, but it was still somewhat difficult to move in the snow. This place was not very suitable for quadrupeds, while on the contrary, humans, due to their bipedalism, found it easier to advance on the snowy plain.
They walked silently for three hours until the massive mountain range appeared in the hazy snow storm. When seeing the mountain silhouette, everyone froze, they even forgot what kind of harsh environment they were in, just standing there, staring dumbfounded at the enormous entity.
Interestingly, Antarctic mountains are not like snow mountains; they are black instead. That deep, night-like black outline, when appearing in the eyes of people numbed by whiteness, is as attractive as flames and light. To the scientists, it was like a beacon in the night; they faced a brand new peak, possibly the highest in Antarctica.
Shiller calculated the time, 1930, when Antarctica's highest peak, Vinson Peak, had not yet been discovered, and if this immense black mountain they saw was indeed Antarctica's highest peak, it would undoubtedly be an exciting new discovery.
Professors and students realized this, and the atmosphere within the team finally heated up. Everyone discussed how they should name this summit, when someone would conquer Antarctica's highest peak, and what secrets lay in this mountain that had never been touched. Would there be ancient biological specimens? Undiscovered microorganisms? Evidence of how Antarctica's mainland evolved into what it is today?
The scientists' steps became more forceful; this was their sole purpose for coming here. They wanted to know, wanted to understand Earth's history, the biological lineage, wanted to know everything about the cosmos. Human civilization began with curiosity, and they believed they were adding a few precious grains of sand to the dune of civilization, perhaps small but undeniable.
Shiller's heart sank slowly knowing everything. Curiosity is the reins that pull the ship of civilization, but it's also the noose that strangles the human race, especially in such a universe. The scientists didn't realize they were about to face not the continuation of modern science, but another world that was stranger, crueler, and more twisted.
Watching people excitedly rush to death is not something to be joyful about, especially when it's the most exploratory and intelligent group within a civilization, with great courage overcoming harsh natural environments, charging toward the unknown, what responds to them should not be silent mountains and god-like entities so massive they annihilate everything—that's not a comforting story, but it's exactly the story penned by Lovecraft in "Mountains of Madness."