Landlord in the Arctic

The car doors opened one after another. Yves was the first one out, his sharp gaze immediately scanning the surroundings.

Nash followed close behind, then Gunpowder, Bat, and the others. Each of them had a grim, intimidating expression.

The last ones out were Gordon’s group of four and the second batch of retired veterans to join the Crown Territory.

Although this was their first mission, the solidarity of the Crown Territory left them with no fear in their hearts.

More than a dozen figures in black overcoats stood in a fan formation on the snow. The white mist of their breaths quickly froze into ice crystals, forming glittering arcs in the frigid air.

Fortunately, the West Yellowstone Airport operated mainly in the summer and was almost completely shut down in the winter.

Otherwise, seeing so many menacing figures gathered here would have likely caused someone to panic and dial 911 long ago.

Feng Shan descended the gangway at a leisurely pace, his expression serene as his eyes swept over the men.

Yves was the first to speak, his voice steady and strong. He made an "all clear" gesture with his left hand. "Boss, everything’s ready. The perimeter is secure."

Feng Shan nodded slightly, a confident smile touching his lips. He clapped Nash firmly on the shoulder and declared loudly, "Let’s go. Get in the cars. I’d like to see just who dares to cause trouble for the Crown Territory!"

Before the words had even faded, he turned and strode toward the first Chevrolet SUV, pulled open the door, and slipped inside in a flash.

Seeing this, Yves let out a sharp whistle while quickly drawing a circle in the air with his arm.

The simple gesture was like a silent command, and the men immediately sprang into action.

For a moment, the sound of car doors slamming shut rose and fell, like a dense drumbeat heralding the start of the operation.

With a roar of engines, the convoy of vehicles shot across the snow like a pack of beasts ready to pounce.

The wheels spun rapidly, kicking up a huge cloud of snow that billowed behind them like a white tail.

Back on the plane, worried about Jenny and the others, Feng Shan had performed another divination.

However, the results of the Divination Technique consistently showed that Jenny and her group were not in any danger.

Now, Feng Shan sat in the front passenger seat. He turned to look at Yves, who was focused on driving, and asked, "Where are we headed now?"

"We plan to go to Jenny’s house first, see if we can find out any information."

Yves stared straight ahead, his hands gripping the Steering Wheel tightly. The vehicle tore across the snow like an untamed horse, kicking up flurries of powder.

Feng Shan nodded lightly, agreeing with Yves’s plan. "Alright. Let’s first see what exactly happened."

He then leaned back slightly in his seat, lost in thought.

Although the Divination Technique confirmed Jenny and the others were safe and in no danger, Feng Shan was more inclined to first understand the cause of the incident.

After all, this whole situation had come about too suddenly.

Jenny had divorced her husband due to domestic violence and had been wandering on her own for several years.

There was no reason for things to escalate to kidnapping the moment she returned home.

Moreover, Feng Shan recalled hearing Jenny talk about her family once. Besides her parents, she also seemed to have an older brother and a younger sister.

The convoy sped along the snow-covered road, its wheels churning up flurries of snow.

The road was flanked by a forest of thick, straight pine trees. Each one towered toward the clouds, its trunk heavy with snow. The dense branches interlaced overhead like a net, slicing the whole sky into a fragmented blue puzzle.

The scene couldn’t help but remind Feng Shan of the Crown Territory’s Far North Tundra.

There, aside from the Moonlight Forest and the River Beach Campsite Wilderness, everything else was just exposed Rock and moss.

The most common type of tree was the short Arctic Willow, which grew sparsely. It was nothing like the vast forest landscape before him now.

The convoy followed Highway FS291K toward downtown West Yellowstone City.

The blue arrow on the car’s navigation system jumped rapidly across the map, guiding them forward.

The so-called West Yellowstone City had a population of just over a thousand, making it about the size of a larger village back in his home country.

However, to be fair, the layout of most towns and cities in the United States was pretty much the same, resembling a grid pattern.

Each block had a few houses with a lawn out front. The homes were mostly wooden, giving them a rustic and cozy feel.

It was now afternoon. Sunlight filtered through the clouds but brought little warmth.

Perhaps because the weather had cleared up, residents were out in full force with their families, busy clearing the snow.

Men in earmuffs operated snowblowers, the machines humming as they quickly blew the snow from their driveways to the side.

Women stood chatting in their doorways, wrapped in blankets, their eyes occasionally drifting toward their busy family members with relaxed smiles on their faces.

The children were even more cheerful, excitedly building snowmen on the roadside. Their crisp laughter carried far in the cold air.

When the four black SUVs roared past, the deafening sound shattered the afternoon tranquility.

Everyone stopped what they were doing, their gazes uniformly following the convoy, their eyes filled with curiosity and confusion.

After all, it wasn’t tourist season, and Yellowstone National Park was also closed due to the cold snap.

Why would tourists be coming to West Yellowstone City now?

"Do you know where Jenny’s house is?" Feng Shan asked Yves, watching the snowy scenery fly past the window.

Yves held the Steering Wheel, his body leaning forward slightly as he stared at the road ahead. "I got the details in advance. Jenny’s parents run a family ranch on the outskirts. I think it’s called... what was it again?"

"Melon Ranch," Nash interjected coolly from the back seat.

"Right, Melon Ranch. They mainly grow cantaloupes and raise chickens and sheep. They usually supply cantaloupes and eggs to the local supermarkets," Yves picked up, frowning slightly as he seemed to be recalling more details about Melon Ranch.

He paused after speaking. A brief silence fell inside the car, filled only by the crunching sound of the wheels on the snow.

Then, Yves broke the silence. "Boss, Jenny’s ex-husband is also from West Yellowstone. It’s very likely he’s the one behind her kidnapping this time."

"I don’t care who did it." Feng Shan’s tone was icy, his cold expression clearly reflected in the window glass as if it were frosted over. "Anyone who provokes the Crown Territory must pay the price. We have to make them feel the pain. Once they know pain, they won’t dare to provoke the Crown Territory again."

That’s right. Feng Shan intended to use Jenny’s situation to make a statement for the Crown Territory.

’Why go through the tedious process of digging for clues and following leads when I have the Divination Technique?’

It was because Feng Shan wanted to use this incident to send a message, both to his own people and to outsiders.

The Crown Territory was not to be trifled with.

It didn’t matter if you were in Alaska or Montana.

Messing with people from the Crown Territory was not an option.

Soon, the convoy sped onward, passing through downtown West Yellowstone City.

As they left the city and reached the outskirts, a thick layer of snow had already piled up on the highway.

The wheels spun, kicking up snowflakes that scattered into the air like a goddess scattering flowers, like a dreamlike white mist.

Led by Yves, the convoy arrived in front of a ranch.

The first thing that came into view were two thick logs, each at least half a meter in diameter. They slanted upward to support the gate frame, silently speaking of the passage of time.

A thick wooden sign hung from the center of the gate frame.

The edges of the sign were mottled, riddled with irregular, insect-eaten holes.

And yet, the words "Melon Ranch" burned into the sign’s surface with a branding iron, though weathered by wind and rain, still conveyed the searing heat of their creation.

Below this wooden sign hung a string of copper bells.

Whenever a cold wind blew past, the copper bells would let out a crisp, slightly hoarse chime that echoed across the silent countryside.

On either side of the gate, a wooden fence made of bowl-thick posts and intersecting crossbeams snaked away into the distance, following the terrain. At the moment, however, most of the posts were buried under a thick layer of snow.

Only a small portion remained visible, standing stubbornly as if in defiance of the harsh winter.

"Boss, should we send someone in to ask first?" Yves glanced over at Feng Shan, who was sitting beside him. His expression was questioning; after all, just barging in seemed a bit improper.

Feng Shan’s face hardened, his tightly furrowed brow showing his displeasure.

"Ask what? Drive straight in. They can’t even look after their own daughter, and you want to give them face?"

’Fuck!’

Since the boss had spoken, what else could Yves do?

Without hesitation, he slammed his foot on the accelerator. The Chevrolet SUV instantly shot forward like an untamed horse, its tires spinning wildly in the snow, sending slush and mud flying as it charged straight toward the ranch.

Seeing this, the three cars behind them followed suit, hitting their accelerators and tailing him closely.

In an instant, the convoy raised a huge commotion on the snow as it roared into the ranch.

....