Landlord in the Arctic

In the center of the main hall.

A giant screen took up the entire wall, displaying images transmitted back from a satellite.

Above the Arctic, a massive, counter-clockwise atmospheric vortex was slowly forming.

The atmospheric vortex was a colossal cloud mass, its outline gradually taking shape across the vast expanse of the sky, carrying with it a mysterious and awesome power.

This was the polar vortex, also known as the circumpolar gyre or the circumpolar vortex.

As a large-scale, persistent cyclonic circulation, it exists in the region between the middle-to-upper troposphere and the stratosphere.

The reason such a vortex forms is that the polar regions are the Earth’s cold poles.

Above the North and South Poles, thermal dynamics create an extremely powerful cold-core low-pressure system.

This cold-core low acts like a giant vacuum, drawing in the surrounding air to constantly spiral and converge.

And the polar vortex is at its most powerful during the polar night.

This is because during that long, dark period, the temperature gradient between the polar and mid-latitude regions reaches its maximum.

This vast difference in temperature injects the polar vortex with immense energy, making it more ferocious and unstoppable.

The position of the polar vortex is anything but trivial.

It acts like a climate regulator, determining the distribution of cold and warm air in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

Once the position of the polar vortex shifts or its intensity fluctuates, it can trigger a series of climatic changes.

These changes bring effects, large and small, to every corner of the globe.

At this moment, watching the polar vortex gradually taking shape on the screen.

Grave expressions appeared on the faces of the staff.

They knew a change that could alter the climate of many regions was silently unfolding...

In the Arctic, anticyclones sometimes appear in the mid-troposphere. Once a persistent anticyclone or a warm ridge takes control of the skies above the pole, warm air currents invade the nest of cold air, causing the Arctic to warm.

The original atmospheric circulation is disturbed, forcing the cold air to move. The polar vortex can then split and be squeezed southward, causing a large-scale cold wave.

And this time, the polar vortex was being forced to move because of a sudden stratospheric warming event. This event transported warm air up into the stratosphere, which in turn affected the tropospheric polar vortex, causing the cold-air cyclone to move south.

Furthermore, circulatory fluctuations in the westerlies had altered the pressure field configuration in the mid-to-high latitudes, creating conditions favorable for the southward movement of cold air. High-pressure systems formed in just the right places, allowing polar cold air to travel along specific paths toward the mid-to-low latitudes.

Under the interplay of multiple complex factors, a cold wave of unprecedented scale had descended without any warning.

The National Weather Service staff stared intently at the satellite monitoring data, their expressions tense.

Fortunately, the information coming back from the satellite contained one piece of news that allowed them to breathe a small sigh of relief.

The cold wave was moving directly toward the northern region of Alaska.

Northern Alaska. That vast, desolate land was a place forgotten by God at the corner of the world.

It was sparsely populated, with only a few scattered settlements.

Moreover, the region had almost no decent industry. The only thing that might qualify as large-scale industry was perhaps the sparsely distributed oil extraction sites.

For the National Weather Service, a cold wave moving toward such a region was undoubtedly a rare piece of good news.

"Has Alaska been notified?" a director asked, frowning but unhurried.

A staff member immediately replied, "They’ve been notified. We’ve already sent out a warning."

The director let out a small sigh of relief, a grateful look on his face. "Thank God. This cold snap isn’t hitting the mainland United States. Otherwise, the public would be tearing us a new one."

Just then, another staff member offered a suggestion. "Chief, should we notify the Federal Emergency Response Team to be on standby?"

"Idiot, is taxpayer money not money? That godforsaken place, Alaska, has nothing but savages and brown bears. It doesn’t matter."

"Besides, the cold wave will eventually move on to Siberia in Russia. What’s that got to do with us? The Russians are used to the cold anyway."

The director waved his hand impatiently, his tone full of disdain.

The rebuked staff member gave an awkward smile and quickly changed the subject. "Chief, I know a new strip club that just opened. How about a drink after work?"

"No problem. You’re buying."

The corner of the director’s mouth turned up in a relaxed smile.

It was as if the tense work atmosphere from moments before had never existed.

.....

The second warning message landed like a heavy stone on the hearts of the people, already taut with anxiety.

In an instant, a suffocating atmosphere filled the tavern.

Extreme cold wave, massive-scale blizzard.

These terrifying terms, usually only heard in news reports or disaster movies.

Were now right in front of them, real as could be.

Everyone’s faces were filled with panic and helplessness.

Northern airports closed, airspace restricted.

Those few words, like a death sentence, instantly shattered the glimmer of hope that had just begun to rise in everyone.

This meant the plan to evacuate this dangerous place by plane was ruined.

Staring at the glaring text on their phone screens.

A sense of despair welled up in their hearts, as if they were trapped and helpless on a deserted island about to be buried in ice and snow.

Feng Shan put down his phone. His brow furrowed so deeply that the lines on his forehead were as clear as if they’d been carved.

He looked up, his gaze turning toward the tavern window.

A ghastly white yet exceptionally bright light was pouring unreservedly onto the mossy ground outside the tavern.

During the long, cold polar night, such an unnatural light should not have appeared. Yet here it was, abruptly presenting itself before their eyes.

Feng Shan’s brow furrowed again. ’I know what this light means.’

Within the clouds, ice crystals and water droplets were interweaving and colliding, creating this intensely, almost blindingly, reflective light.

Moreover, the brightness of the light was directly linked to the thickness of the ice crystal clouds.

This ghastly bright light was an undeniable sign that ice crystal clouds were accumulating high in the sky to a terrifying thickness.

A deep worry rose in Feng Shan’s heart as he thought of the extreme weather about to surge toward them.

’I don’t know if the tribe’s Fire Seed can withstand such harsh conditions.’

Crown Territory was right next to the Brook Mountain Range.

According to the information everyone had reported over the radio.

An extremely dangerous cold wave vortex was about to form here.

Once the vortex took shape, swirling with bone-chilling cold and a furious blizzard, Crown Territory’s situation would only become more critical.

Crown Territory is close to the Brook Mountain Range, and according to what others said on the radio, a cold wave vortex will also form here, making the situation even more critical.

Right now, the most urgent task was to evacuate.

But how could that be easy?

Feng Shan’s gaze subconsciously drifted toward the distance.

The vast, white Far North Tundra stretched to the horizon, completely buried in thick ice and snow—it was a deathtrap.

It was almost impossible to find a truly safe shelter.

Even if they found a suitable place, evacuating so many people in such a short amount of time would be anything but easy.

At the same time, preparations for the cold were also imminent.

Looking at the people around him, the clothes they wore could handle the normal daily cold, but they were a drop in the bucket compared to the extreme cold wave about to hit them.

They had no sufficient warm supplies, no thick cold-proof gear.

It was very likely that many would suffer from frostbite in this disaster, or even have their lives taken by the cold wave.

A series of thorny problems.

Swirled and intertwined in Feng Shan’s mind like an invisible net, trapping him tightly, impossible to untangle.

However, Feng Shan also knew that he absolutely could not panic right now.

’Even if I’m panicking like hell inside, I have to appear calm and composed on the outside.’

’I have to come up with a solution as soon as possible.’

’If it really comes to it, I’ll have the Fire Seed shrink the range of its light as much as possible.’

’I’ll concentrate our Soul Power to at least ensure the camp isn’t affected by this extreme cold wave.’

But as soon as that thought popped into his head, his brow furrowed even tighter.

The consequences of taking that measure were obvious.

The patch of Mossy Tundra that the Fire Seed had created on the riverbank would inevitably be completely frozen to death.

All the effort they had put in before would go down the drain.

....