Landlord in the Arctic

Parker watched Little Tom’s expression as he spoke.

It was as if he was waiting to see how the boy would react to the truth.

Upon hearing this, Little Tom’s eyes widened instantly, his expression freezing on his face.

His initial stubbornness vanished without a trace, replaced by a look of shock and disbelief.

His mouth fell slightly open. He wanted to say something, but the words wouldn’t come, as if something was caught in his throat.

After a long moment, he finally stammered out.

"Th-that’s impossible. My uncle... he wouldn’t do that."

"Diego, you watch him like a hawk. Because of his stupid stunt, Jenny and the boss are now in extreme danger. If he tries anything funny, just shoot him. Be a man about it."

Parker gave the vicious order as he drew a pistol from his waist and, without another word, thrust it into the hands of the still-dazed Diego.

Compared to the foolish and idiotic Little Tom, who had just nearly ruined everything, Gordon and the other three trusted Diego more.

After all, the young Mexican man was not only from Melon Ranch but had also grown up with Miss Jenny and wanted to save her from the bottom of his heart.

"O-Okay, I understand!"

Diego hurriedly took the pistol, his hand trembling slightly as fine beads of sweat broke out on his forehead.

Then he nodded forcefully, his eyes filled with a mix of nervousness and determination, but above all, resolve.

Meanwhile, the rescue team had silently reached the mountaintop.

The veterans each found a concealed position and raised their binoculars to carefully observe the ski resort below.

The ski resort, covered in a vast blanket of white snow, appeared calm, but who knew how many dangers lay hidden within.

Feng Mountain lay quietly in the snow, his camouflage blending in perfectly with the snowy surroundings.

Suddenly, the phone in his pocket vibrated faintly.

Feng Mountain took out his phone with an extremely light touch. When he saw the message from Gordon, he couldn’t help but furrow his brow.

’Things seemed to be getting tricky. That idiot Little Tom actually sent the message. How could someone be stupid enough to do something like that?’

So, Feng Mountain slightly raised his hand and gently gestured to Yves, who was not far away.

Seeing Feng Mountain’s gesture, Yves immediately and silently moved to his side, his voice hushed. "Boss?"

Feng Mountain kept his voice low and turned his head slightly to look at Yves, his gaze conveying a sense of urgency that hinted at the gravity of the situation.

"Gordon sent a message. That Little Tom sent our location to the Sheriff."

Upon hearing this, Yves’s expression instantly turned grave. A flash of vigilance crossed his eyes as he quickly scanned the surrounding team members.

’This turn of events could disrupt the entire rescue plan.’

’The kidnappers in the ski resort might act at any moment because of this message.’

’Jenny and the others are in even more danger now.’

Yves thought for a moment, then said decisively, "We have to move now. If they notify the kidnappers, Jenny and the others will definitely be harmed."

"Mm!" Feng Mountain completely agreed with Yves’s assessment.

’At a critical moment like this, where lives were on the line, any minor mistake could lead to irreversible consequences.’

Yves nodded, a ruthless glint in his eyes. ’Time for Plan B: a direct assault.’ He crouched and quickly returned to the team, whispering the orders to change their plan of action.

「A few minutes later.」

The veterans slowly rose from the snow into a half-crouch. Following the routes they had just scouted and analyzed through their binoculars, they began to move out cautiously.

Using the pine trees for cover, the group advanced silently but swiftly down the mountain.

Clad in their snow camouflage, they blended perfectly with the surroundings and were nearly impossible to spot, causing no significant disturbance as they descended.

As for Feng Mountain and Nash, they dutifully stayed at the rear.

’In this kind of professional operation, the best thing to do was not get in the way. Leave the professional work to the professionals. All the two of them needed to do was follow quietly behind. That was the best help they could offer.’

Time passed quickly in the tense atmosphere.

「In less than five minutes.」

The entire team had successfully descended the several-hundred-meter-high snowy mountain and reached the perimeter of the ski resort.

The outer edge of the ski resort wasn’t fenced, but had a safety net erected. Icicles clung to the netting, which was clearly a protective measure to stop out-of-control skiers.

The rescue team lay prone in the snow in front of the safety net, the powder deep enough to cover their tactical vests. The surroundings were so silent they could only hear the sound of each other’s breathing beneath their masks.

Holding his breath, Gunpowder half-crouched and drew a dagger from his waist with extreme caution.

The blade had a matte finish, its dark green coating rendering it nearly invisible in the light. His fingertips felt the anti-slip texture on the hilt.

He glanced sideways at Yves. Seeing him nod, he pressed the blade gently against the safety net, and snow rustled down from between the mesh.

The blade slowly sliced through the netting, the friction of metal on nylon rope emitting a nearly inaudible SIZZLE as he gradually carved out a circular opening half a meter in diameter.

As he cut the last cord, Gunpowder held his breath. He hooked the edge of the mesh with his fingertip and gave a gentle pull. The frozen knots made only the faintest CLICK.

Yves scanned the surroundings through his tactical goggles, then lightly tapped the assaulter on the shoulder.

The assaulter understood immediately. Holding his AR-15, he lowered his body until his back was parallel with the snow and slipped through the opening with an agile movement.

The anti-slip treads of his combat boots plowed two faint lines in the snow’s surface, which were instantly covered by falling snowflakes.

Following him, the other team members passed through the opening one by one in an orderly fashion, silently entering the ski resort.

They moved like a group of well-trained shadows, weaving silently between the buildings.

...

𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

On the outskirts of West Yellowstone City, a vast blanket of white snow decorated the highway like a silver cloak.

Two police cars, their lights flashing, crept slowly along the snow-covered highway.

Their wheels struggled to turn in the thick snow. Because they weren’t using snow tires, their speed was as slow as a snail’s crawl.

Behind the police cars followed more than a dozen Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

The roar of their engines echoed across the silent, snowy landscape, but it did nothing to speed up the convoy’s advance.

Sheriff Sean and Bald Quinn were sitting in the back seat of the first police car.

Watching their turtle-like pace, Sheriff Sean finally lost his patience and grumbled irritably.

"Sam, you’re fucking driving slower than Madam Letty crossing the street with her one leg. Do we need to get you a prosthetic too, just to get you moving faster?"

"Boss, the road’s too slick with snow. I don’t dare speed up," the deputy driving the car explained helplessly, his hands gripping the Steering Wheel tightly as he struggled to maintain control.

"Easy there, pal," Bald Quinn said, patting Sheriff Sean’s thigh to calm him down. "Little Tom will be fine. Those guys probably won’t do anything to him."

"I’m not worried about something happening to Little Tom. I’m worried my sister will kill me." Sheriff Sean’s face was grim. The thought of his hot-tempered, T-rex of a sister made him shudder. "I’m afraid that when my sister finds out Little Tom was kidnapped, she’ll grind me into bone dust with a rolling pin. You’ve never seen her angry. It’s... it’s terrifying."

DING-DONG!

Just then, his phone chimed with a text message notification.

The sound was exceptionally clear in the quiet car.

Sheriff Sean irritably picked up his phone, his brow furrowed and his eyes full of annoyance, as if he’d just heard the most hated sound in the world.

But the moment he saw the content of the text, he froze completely. His eyes went wide, his expression locked in place as if he’d been hit with an Immobilization Spell.

Then, like a suddenly lit powder keg, Sheriff Sean roared, "Sam, stop the car! Now!"

The driver, who had been concentrating on the road, was startled by the sudden shout and instinctively slammed his foot on the Brake.

Unfortunately, the snow on the road was too thick. The tires couldn’t get enough traction on the surface, and the entire car shot toward the side of the road like a runaway horse.

The car’s body carved a long scar in the snow.

The rear of the car swung to one side with a piercing screech of friction.

The vehicles following behind hadn’t expected the car in front to Brake so suddenly.

Seeing the brake lights flare, they instinctively panicked and slammed on their own brakes.

For a moment, the sound of squealing brakes filled the air as vehicle after vehicle lost control on the snow.

But the Biker Gang at the very back had the worst luck of all.

With less time to react, and with motorcycles already being harder to control on snow, a series of panicked shouts erupted as riders and their bikes all went down, sliding across the snowy ground.

Motorcycles tumbled and collided on the snow, creating a cacophony of screeching metal and pained cries.

Some riders were thrown clear from their bikes and struggled to their feet, cursing nonstop. Others had their motorcycles end up sideways in the road, blocking the path for those behind them. The scene was pure chaos.

...