"I've got something here," Danielle said softly.
Alexander immediately came closer, looking where she pointed.
The mark was faint, like a drag mark left by some object, and it extended toward a nearby snowy slope.
"It looks like the chip was probably taken from here," Alexander said, his expression turning grave. "There's a glacial crevasse at the bottom of that slope. If someone fell in, the consequences would be unthinkable."
"Either way, we have to check it out." Danielle stood up, brushing the snow off herself. "Even if there's only a slim chance, we can't give up."
"Alright," he replied quietly. "But you have to stay close to me. Don't go off on your own. Crevasses are dangerous; one wrong step and you could fall."
Danielle didn't say anything, just nodded in acknowledgment.
She knew Alexander meant well, and this time, she didn't argue.
They followed the faint track, carefully making their way toward the slope.
The slope was steep and covered in thick, slippery snow, so every step required extreme caution.
Alexander walked in front, occasionally looking back to remind Danielle to be careful. He reached out to steady her, but she subtly sidestepped his hand.
Alexander's hand froze in mid-air, but he didn't insist, simply continuing to forge a path ahead with even greater care.
The blizzard showed no signs of letting up, and their figures looked incredibly small against the vast, white landscape.
At the bottom of the slope, the drag mark disappeared at the edge of a crevasse.
The crevasse was about two meters wide and impossibly deep.
Danielle and Alexander stood at the edge, their expressions grave as they peered down.
Did the chip fall in?
Or did the person who took it simply use this spot as a decoy to throw them off?
The frigid air, thick with the damp smell of rock, hit them with a bone-chilling cold.
Danielle couldn't help but shiver, instinctively pulling her thermal suit tighter around herself.
"Search carefully, and watch your step," Alexander's voice echoed in the cavernous space.
He switched on his high-powered flashlight, its beam cutting through the darkness to illuminate the uneven ice walls and scattered debris.
They split up, moving slowly along the bottom of the crevasse.
The beam of the flashlight swept back and forth across the ground, searching for any sign of the chip or human activity.
But the bottom of the crevasse was empty—nothing but thick ice and sharp rocks. There was no sign of the chip, no drag marks, not even the slightest hint that anyone had been there.
"Could it be buried under the snow?"
Danielle crouched down, using her hands to brush away the thin layer of ice and debris. The cold was so intense that her fingertips quickly went numb.

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