Your name is Alex, and since you were a little kid you always wanted to go on a real adventure. Now, with the radiation levels in Chernobyl finally allowing for almost an hour of uninterrupted exploration, your dream is coming true.

You’ve spent what feels like your whole life researching the Chernobyl accident. The history, the political intrigue, and most importantly, what went wrong during the incident itself. You wanted to make sure you were as prepared as possible for your big moment.

You’ve just spent your life’s savings to travel to Russia. Getting to Pripyat was easy, but they don’t let people into Chernobyl unless they’re on a guided tour. Luckily, since the radiation levels have steadily dropped, security has gotten laxer around the Chernobyl site, allowing you to sneak past the few guards they still station to frighten off curious tourists.

You’re no tourist, though. You’re on a mission: get to the Elephant’s Foot and be the first person in the world to see what’s inside of it.

Beyond the guards, a normal-looking landscape stretches before you. The beauty is slightly poisoned by the presence of several scary-looking signs signaling the presence of radiation. You take a deep breath, pause, and then start walking.

❮ ❯

After a half-hours walk, you’ve finally arrived at the remains of reactor 4. When it was first built, one of the plant’s iconic white-and-red-striped chimneys towered over the reactor.

Now, since the New Safe Confinement project was completed in 2017, a massive steel arch encloses the radioactive ruins.