It was half-past seven in the morning and the sun was shining brightly.
After breakfast, Li Du put on his sunglasses and clothes and then set off, leaving the camp.
"It's a fine day today," Steve looked up at the sky and nodded approvingly.
"It's nice to have such good weather, isn't it?" said Li Du.
Steve smiled and nodded. "There was storm a few days ago. We could only stay indoors, but now we can finally come out and take a sunbath."
Several sleds were parked in the camp, ranging from electric motors to sleds pulled by dogs.
Li Du did bring Ah Meow, Ah Ow and Ah Meng along, but he left Ali and Crispy Noodles on the island. Ali's short hair could not keep him warm, and the temperature in the Antarctic would be too cold for him.
In the Antarctic, dog sleds were generally used on fine days, to minimize the use of electricity and petrol, to reduce pollution, and to protect the environment.
Steve had forty to fifty sled dogs, all big, loyal Alaskan Malamutes, thick-haired, tall, birch-trunked, and very spirited.
These dogs were professional work dogs, and they loved pulling sleds. If they were not allowed this type of exercise, they would feel dissatisfied.
When Steve came to tidy up the sled, the dogs, that were huddling together to keep warm, sprang to their feet.
"These guys are showing me how strong they are and all hope that I choose them to pull the sled," laughed Steve.
A sled could be pulled by eleven dogs, with the lead dog leading and ten other dogs following.
Li Du was learning how to work a sled, and a few Alaskans ran up to him, butting their big heads against his arm showing their eagerness.
This made Ah Meow and Ah Ow angry, and they rushed up to drive the Alaskans away. Ah Ow let out a howl, declaring the sovereignty of Li Du and Sophie.
There was a clear hierarchy among the animals, and when Ah Meow and Ah Ow came, the Alaskans left meekly.
Ah Meow, Ah Ow and Ah Meng seemed to have a unique smell. Li Du has seen them come into contact with many wild animals who would be afraid of them, especially some dogs, who would never bark at them or show their teeth.
However, the Alaskans were the stars of the show. He pushed away Ah Meow and his gang, frowned and said, "What are you doing? Who will do the work if you drive them away?"
Sophie laughed. "Let them work. Put the reins on them."
The three were good at fighting, but when it came to pulling the sled, they were nowhere near as good as sled dogs.
However, they were very brave, and when Steve put the reins on the dogs, they knew what to do, and they ran to the front of the sled and waited.
Sophie laughed and pulled them away. "No, dears, you can't pull this sled."
Steve helped the dogs clean the ice off their fur and said, "Hey, I have a small sled here, do you want it? Let them try pulling."
Elson took the sled out at once. It was sort of a combination between a chair and a plow, with the chair looking like a medieval throne.
"It's light. It is made out of polyethylene, super-strong and light plastic. This was made for my niece to play in Antarctica, a sled just for her."
Li Du put on the reins on the three little ones, shook his head and said, "This won't work, Ah Meng can't run."
The honey badger moved a bit like a turtle, and it was funny to see it swing its arms and legs, but it would be hard for it to run like a dog.
The three little ones were interested, so he had to put it on for them and let Sophie sit on the sled. After all, Sophie's weight was the least of the gang. If he or Brother Wolf went up, the three little ones would definitely not be able to pull the sled!
Steve, Elson and a bodyguard rode on one sleigh. Li Du and Brother Wolf got on the other. Both sleds were pulled by dogs. They used fifteen sled dogs each so they could maximize the use of the sled dogs.
There were twenty or so other dogs who had not been selected, and some of them, as sad as they were, had squatted there and whined in despair, poking their heads straight into the ice.
A few bodyguards came over, pulled out a sled again, tied the dogs up, and let them pull the sled on the ice to play, just to make them happy.
Brother Wolf quietly said to Li Du, "Boss, these are good dogs. Each work dog like this can cost over ten thousand bucks."
Li Du was not surprised. Steve was exceedingly rich, after all.
According to his information, Steve now had two families behind him, the Tussenbergs, whose last name he shared, and the Vanderbilts.
The Vanderbilts were in the same league as the Morgan family, the Soros family, and the Carnegie family, and the only higher league clans in the United States were the Lincoln family, the Bush family, and the Roosevelt family.
The Tussenberg family was a formidable one. At its peak, they owned 20 percent of the ocean shipping industry in the United States. Although the family was now not at its most prosperous era, they were still wealthy.
Swinging the reins, the sled dogs roared with excitement and raced ahead, led by the lead dog.
Brother Wolf knew how to drive a sled, so Li Du could just sit back and enjoy the pleasant wind.
Sophie could not drive well, but three little ones did not make the sled ride bumpy. Ah Ow was in middle and served as the main force, Ah Meow ran elegantly on the left, Ah Meng ran with all its might on the right and the sled did slide fast.
They drove all the way north, aiming for the coastline they had seen yesterday, to catch sea fish and krill for the next meal.
Ah Ow's physical strength was outstanding. Mexican wolves were well known for their endurance, and she had accepted the transformation from the little bug, so her force was almost boundless.
However, the strength and stamina of Ah Meow were not outstanding. After running for a while, it was beginning to tire and stopped impatiently.
Ah Meng had good stamina, but could not keep up with Ah Ow's pace and speed.
When Ah Meow stopped, Ah Ow's load increased and her running speed slowed down a bit, which made Ah Meng feel more relaxed.
Ah Meow thought that if he stopped, the other two will stop as well.
However, it did not work out that way, and when he stopped, the other two kept running with their heads down.
Therefore, Ah Meow could not stand still and was dragged upon the ground.
Ah Ow and Ah Meng ran on and on, pulling him and the sled so that he could not get up as he was dragged across the ice.
Sophie wanted to stop the sled, but the ice was smooth and Ah Meow was wearing warm clothes so that she knew he would not be hurt.
It actually seemed like Ah Meow was enjoying being dragged on the ground, lying on his side and not resisting, so she just let them keep running.