Landlord in the Arctic

BANG!

The first police car plunged into the three-meter-deep ditch, broke through the layer of ice, and nosedived into the water.

The impact sent the rear of the car flying into the air. The vehicle shook violently in the ditch, throwing up a huge splash of icy water.

"Sam, you useless piece of shit! Quinn, get up!"

Sheriff Sean was pinned under Quinn’s two-hundred-plus-pound body, feeling like his ribs were about to break. Breathing was becoming incredibly difficult, and he had barely managed to force out those few words.

"Boss!"

Fortunately, the police car behind them had only skidded sideways and hadn’t suffered any major damage.

The deputy saw what had happened, quickly got out of his car, and ran toward the ditch, shouting for the others to help.

The members of the Biker Gang following behind also rushed over to help—after all, their leader was in that police car.

It took a great deal of effort to pull the three men out of the ditch.

A disheveled Quinn crawled out of the drainage ditch and plopped down onto the snow.

He looked at Sheriff Sean, whose face was beet-red from the lack of air, and questioned him with a mix of confusion and irritation.

"Buddy, what the hell is wrong with you? Why’d you tell Sam to stop?"

"Look!"

His heart still pounding with fear, Sheriff Sean pulled out his phone, his hand trembling slightly.

He forcefully tossed the phone to Quinn, his eyes filled with terror and unease.

Quinn fumbled to catch the phone. The moment his eyes fell on the contents of the text message...

He reacted just as Sheriff Sean had.

He froze instantly, as if rooted to the spot, his eyes wide with disbelief and shock.

The message contained only a single photo.

The angle it was taken from was poor, and the image was somewhat blurry.

Even so, the dozen or so heavily armed individuals in the photo were clearly identifiable.

They were all dressed in snow camouflage, wearing helmets and masks that covered their faces.

Only their wary eyes were visible, each pair revealing a chilling sharpness.

Some carried AR-15s on their backs, while others cradled them. The black firearms stood out starkly against the snow. Their tactical belts were loaded with pistols, knives, grenades, and other weapons.

Just from their stances, you could tell they were stone-cold professionals you didn’t want to mess with.

Even though his clothes were soaked, Quinn felt his throat go terribly dry, as if it were on fire. He swallowed hard and stammered,

"Are they... are they SWAT? LAPD? Or... Navy SEALs, Delta Force?"

"Shit, only God knows," Sheriff Sean snapped, his expression so dark it looked like it could drip water. His eyes showed his helplessness. "I’m done. If you want to get yourself killed, go ahead. I’m sure as hell not going."

Sheriff Sean waved his hands dismissively, clearly terrified.

Facing such a group of heavily armed, unidentified men, continuing the chase was undoubtedly a suicide mission.

"You’re not saving Little Tom?!" Quinn hadn’t processed it yet.

"Let him die, then. Better him than me. Worst case, I’ll pay for my sister to get IVF. She can have as many kids as she wants."

As he spoke, Sheriff Sean stood up from the snow, brushed himself off, and looked ready to leave.

In that moment, Sheriff Sean finally saw the situation for what it was.

With professional soldiers like the ones in that photo...

...this was a situation far beyond what a small-town sheriff like him could handle.

If he rashly got involved, one wrong move and he’d be dragged into it too.

He wouldn’t be able to save Little Tom, and he’d end up getting himself killed—he might even endanger his family.

A wave of fear washed over him at the thought.

He could no longer spare a thought for his nephew Little Tom’s life or death; he just wanted to get away from this mess as quickly as possible.

Just as Sheriff Sean was about to slip away...

𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

A lone figure appeared at the end of the road.

It was Gruus, his neck turtled down and his arms crossed tightly over his shoulders.

Huddled up like a frightened hedgehog, he trudged with difficulty through the deep snow, one heavy step after another.

Seeing the motorcycles and police cars parked haphazardly on the road from a distance, Gruus’s curiosity got the better of him. He slowed his pace and ambled over.

As he got closer, he was surprised to see a familiar face: his drinking buddy from the Blue Cloud House, Derek. Derek’s face was flushed as he struggled to lift a Harley weighing hundreds of pounds.

"Derek, what are you doing here?" Gruus couldn’t help but call out.

The Biker Gang member trying to lift the motorcycle heard someone call his name. He turned and was stunned to see Gruus, the very person who’d been taken. A look of shock washed over his face, and he instinctively let go of the bike, yelling,

"Guys! Fack! It’s that bastard Gruus!"

The next moment, however, the heavy motorcycle lost its support and came crashing down on his foot. A blood-curdling scream of agony instantly followed.

"AHHH!!!"

The shriek, sharp and piercing, tore through the cold air.

Hearing the scream, the other members of the Biker Gang spun around.

When they saw that the newcomer was Gruus—the very culprit who had caused all their trouble and forced them out into the snow—they were instantly filled with rage.

In an instant, the men were like ignited barrels of Gunpowder, their eyes blazing with fury.

They immediately abandoned the bike and, shaking their fists, charged viciously at Gruus.

In the blink of an eye, Gruus was surrounded by the bikers. A terrified expression appeared on his face as he expertly covered his head with his arms, but it was useless against the enraged Biker Gang.

....

In front of the police car.

Sheriff Sean stared grimly at the bruised and swollen Gruus crouching before him.

Beside him, the outlaw leader, Quinn, was also full of fury, like a volcano about to erupt.

The same thought rose in both of their minds simultaneously.

’You deserve to die!’

’You really deserve to die!’