King of the Wilderness

"Fifteen years ago, his eldest son, a mountaineer, encountered an avalanche while challenging K2. When they found him, his body was already frozen into an ice sculpture."

"Ten years... no, it should be eleven years now. His youngest son went missing while piloting a private plane over the Pacific Ocean, and to this day, not even a piece of wreckage has been found."

"Seventeen years ago... his second son and daughter-in-law, while returning home from Denver, were hit head-on by a drunk truck driver... that car crash was extremely tragic."

"At that time, all his hopes were pinned on his most beloved youngest daughter, Miss Evelyn."

"She was an outstanding marine biologist, a top-notch cave diver, sunny and brave. Everyone believed she would be the finest mistress of the Giant Stone River."

"Until three years ago, when she went on a cave exploration in China and never came back from underwater..."

"In less than twenty years, four outstanding heirs left him one after another through various accidents. Regrettably, none of these four heirs had children."

"Half a year ago, the doctors gave Mr. Hunter the final diagnosis, his pancreatic cancer could no longer be alleviated by medication, and he was about to return to the embrace of God."

"Mr. Hunter no longer had a bloodline heir to whom he could confidently entrust this ’Warrior Legacy.’

"He didn’t want to see the life’s work he guarded being sold off to unscrupulous developers by those collateral relatives far away in Europe."

Arthur took a deep breath and revealed the shocking truth, "So, he decided to personally select a new qualified guardian for this land through a sale."

"That two hundred and thirty million US Dollar price was not meant for profit. It was merely a threshold to sift out the vast majority of ordinary wealthy individuals and investment institutions."

"What he truly sought was someone akin, who could understand and continue his guardian philosophy."

Lin Yu’an, Aliya, and Emily were all thoroughly shaken by this sad yet heroic story.

This was not merely a commercial transaction; it was a mournful entrustment from an old king, glorious throughout his life, seeking a new master for his kingdom at the end of his days.

"Then... why me?" Lin Yu’an softly asked.

Arthur smiled slightly: "Because you are the only bidder from the East, and Mr. Hunter is very interested in you."

"He practically watched all your public footage, especially from the shows ’Alone in the Wilderness’ and ’Life Below Zero.’

"He saw the heartfelt love you showed for the natural lands in extreme environments."

"He saw the respect you showed for the prey after hunting, expressing gratitude; saw your survival philosophy of ’taking in moderation, using with restraint.’

"He said he saw in your eyes the same love and responsibility for the land that he had when he was young."

"What particularly moved him was your reason for buying; you wanted to find an eternal home for your family."

"Rather than like other bidders, presenting it as an asset that could be resold at any time. Hence, among many financially strong buyers, he ultimately chose you."

Lin Yu’an belatedly realized that these two reality shows had, as if by fate, won him such a weighty and suffocating legacy.

But deep down, the last trace of doubt in his heart had not completely dissipated.

Hunter’s story surely was moving, but in the world of capital, Lin Yu’an never believed in fairy tales.

His sharp instinct told him, the value of this land might be much more than it appeared.

He leaned back in his chair and looked at Arthur, asking with a seemingly casual tone: "Arthur, honestly, hasn’t any developer set their sights on this land?"

"For example, building a top-class ski resort or golf course here?"

Arthur shook his head with a bitter smile: "Sir, you underestimate Mr. Hunter’s influence."

"Over the past fifty years, countless developers tried, but were all kept out of the ranch by him using all sorts of legal and even forceful measures."

"Gradually, the whole of Wyoming came to know that ’Giant Stone River’ is a private territory inviolable by Hunter Rockefeller."

"And what about underground?" Lin Yu’an’s eyes grew sharper, "No discovery of oil? Natural gas? Or... gold mines? Silver mines? Or the now most valuable rare earths?"

This was what concerned him the most. Such a vast land, if it held astonishing mineral resources, its value would have to be reassessed.

Hearing this series of questions, Arthur laughed, spread his hands, and replied with a composed demeanor: "Sir, I swear to God, there really is none."

"In the past decades, out of curiosity, Mr. Hunter hired the top geological exploration teams in the world to conduct the most thorough surveys on this land multiple times."

"The results were always the same—aside from a large amount of granite and some quartz, there was nothing here. It’s purely a beautiful land, utterly worthless except for its scenery and ecology."

Lin Yu’an’s heart eased only halfway.

He believed Arthur wouldn’t lie, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t something deeper hidden in the Hunter clan’s history.

Perhaps, there was something more important than gold mines buried on this land? He nodded slightly without showing any outward emotion, but inside, he had made a decision.

He planned to later find someone to thoroughly investigate Hunter Rockefeller’s family history, and all the ownership changes of this land over the past hundred years.

He never fought unprepared battles. Since he took up this crown, he must clearly know what secrets it hid beneath it.

Arthur paused, his tone becoming more solemn, and he took out a separate document and letter from a folder.

"Sir, actually, after finalizing you as the buyer, Mr. Hunter left a letter meant only for you, containing a hidden clause."

"A final commission that you can choose to participate in or not. Mr. Hunter insisted to inform you of the commission only after your purchase is complete."

"This commission involves his youngest daughter Evelyn, possessing an unfulfilled obsession in his heart after the loss of all his children."

"His youngest daughter, Evelyn was that cave diver, collaborating with a Chinese cave exploration team three years ago."

"They journeyed to Guangxi, China to challenge a place called ’Nine-Dun Skylight’ by locals, a legendary site."

Arthur’s Adam’s apple moved with difficulty.

"It’s not a cave, but a vast, bottomless network of underground rivers. Evelyn and her Chinese diving partner planned an unprecedented underwater crossing."

"They dove down from Skylight No.4, attempting to find an underwater passage leading to Skylight No.5."

"As they dove to around 150 meters deep, an accident occurred... from then on, no information was heard, and they disappeared into the mystery."

——

(It’s the end of the month, asking for monthly votes~~~)