Chapter 6249

At that moment, on the dark and tranquil sea, a Japanese-flagged scientific research vessel moved steadily forward.

Before entering the treacherous Devil’s Westerly Belt, the waters were deceptively calm. Radar detection was clear in this region—regardless of size, ships could easily detect one another. Within several kilometers, only two vessels appeared on the radar: one large and one small.

The Japanese research ship was Balin’s target.

Even with his immense strength, he couldn’t cross the Devil’s Westerly Belt on his own. He needed to hitch a ride on a scientific research vessel, preferably one headed toward Antarctica. Among the ships departing Ushuaia around that time, only one came from East Asia—a Japanese vessel.

Balin’s last encounter with a Japanese person had been during the Sino-Japanese War, but he understood that Chinese and Japanese people shared similar physical traits. Boarding a Japanese research ship was his best option.

As the distance between the two vessels narrowed, Balin planned to wait until they were close enough to board directly. However, once the Japanese ship detected the smaller vessel on radar, it altered course, clearly intending to keep a safe distance.

In response, Balin ordered Simon to send a distress signal via the intercom.