Landlord in the Arctic

Lisa led the two to the coupling between the truck’s cab and the flatbed trailer. She lifted a waterproof tarp, revealing thumb-thick snow chains bundled neatly with rope.

"For safety’s sake, I’m going to use chains on the duals. Do you two know how to install snow chains?" Lisa asked, turning to look at Feng Shan and Nash.

Feng Shan and Nash glanced at each other and shook their heads helplessly. The expressions on their faces couldn’t have been more awkward.

’I’ve really never used these things before.’

’I have no idea how!’

Seeing their reaction, Lisa looked resigned. "My God, do you guys live in a desert? Come on, I’ll teach you. It’s very simple."

As she spoke, Lisa grabbed a set of chains and started dragging them down. Judging by her struggle, they were clearly not light.

Feng Shan quickly stepped forward to help. He reached out and lifted the snow chains with ease.

He estimated that one set of chains weighed around one to two hundred pounds.

He then glanced in surprise at Lisa’s slender frame. It was hard to imagine that a girl who looked so delicate could normally handle such heavy equipment on her own.

"What are you looking at?" Lisa sensed Feng Shan’s gaze and tensed up, subconsciously covering her chest with her hands.

’This is the desolate wilderness of the Far North. If these two men had any ill intentions, I probably wouldn’t even have a chance to fight back.’

But Feng Shan just curled his lip in disdain and said irritably, "Please. I was just curious how a female driver can handle such heavy work. Put your hands down. Are you trying to insult me? Your chest is as broad as this flatbed trailer. I’m not interested in the slightest."

Hearing that,

Lisa immediately flew into a rage.

’What does he mean, my chest is as broad as a flatbed trailer?’

’Who does he think he’s looking down on?!’

’Can’t he see I’m wearing a bulky winter suit?’

’If I took this off, what’s underneath would scare you to death.’

"Stop standing there in a daze. How do we install these?" Feng Shan asked, holding the snow chains and noticing Lisa was just staring blankly.

’He couldn’t help but feel annoyed; he was the paying customer, after all.’

’Making a customer help out was bad enough, but now she wasn’t even giving instructions.’

"I know, I know!" Lisa stomped over to the truck’s tire, fuming. She pointed irritably at the ground. "Spread the chains out in front of the tire. I’ll drive onto them, then you two wrap them around the tire. See this clasp? It’s used to secure it. Got it?"

"Alright, just get in the truck and wait!" Feng Shan waved his hand impatiently, his face a mask of annoyance.

He then carried the chains to the front right tire, while Nash, without a word, picked up the other set and went to the left tire.

The two men quickly laid out the chains, then signaled to Lisa in the cab that she could move the truck.

Lisa started the truck. The vehicle moved forward slowly, stopping with the wheels steady on the center of the chains.

Seeing this, Feng Shan quickly waved for her to stop. He then swiftly wrapped the chains around the tire and tightened the clasp, making sure they were fastened securely.

The two of them repeated this process, methodically fitting chains onto all the tires of the flatbed trailer.

In the extreme cold, with temperatures dipping below minus forty degrees, steam still billowed from their bodies despite their thick animal-hide coats. The warmth passed right through the fabric and instantly condensed on the surface into a layer of glittering ice crystals, as if they were clad in armor of ice.

By the time they finally finished installing all the chains, their hands and feet were numb with cold, and they could barely walk properly.

The two scrambled back into the cab, eager for the warmth. A blast of hot air from the truck’s heater hit them, creating a stark contrast with the biting cold they’d just left. Instantly, wisps of white steam rose from their bodies.

"It feels so great to have help!" Lisa said with a beaming smile, handing them two cups of coffee. Her eyes were full of delight.

Normally, she had to install all the chains by herself, a job that took nearly half an hour.

But today, with Feng Shan and Nash helping, the whole thing took less than ten minutes. She’d barely lifted a finger. It couldn’t have been easier.

Feng Shan wasn’t much of a coffee drinker, but after being chilled to the bone outside, the first sip sent a wave of warmth spreading through his body. He decided to joke around a bit.

"So, should we get a discount on the fee? We’ve been doing all the work."

"Sorry, no haggling on the Death Highway!" Lisa rejected the idea without a second thought. As she started the truck, she said, "Grab the handholds. I’m about to speed up. If we don’t have enough speed, we might not make it up this roller-coaster incline. Stopping halfway would be a big problem!"

The words had barely left her mouth when she slammed her foot on the accelerator.

In an instant, the truck let out a beast-like roar. The cab jolted violently as it shot off down the road.

As the truck’s speed climbed, Feng Shan’s heart began to race along with it.

He quickly put down his coffee cup and gripped the handhold tightly with both hands. His eyes instinctively darted to the dashboard, which clearly displayed their speed: 50 kilometers per hour.

That speed might not seem fast on a normal day, but on the treacherous Dalton Highway, his heart started pounding in his chest. He was incredibly tense.

The truck was like an enraged behemoth, roaring as it charged forward, shattering the falling snow and brutally parting the frigid air.

Soon, a steep incline loomed at the end of the straight stretch of road.

The ground was covered in a thick layer of ice that reflected a blinding glare in the headlights, as if issuing a challenge.

"Alright guys, I’m making a run for the slope!" Lisa’s eyes glinted with a strange excitement, like a warrior heading into battle.

With that warning, she flicked on the music.

Instantly, deafening heavy metal music blasted through the cab, the intense rhythm assaulting their eardrums.

Amid the rhythmic drum beats and soaring electronic melody,

Lisa’s expression was one of pure focus. Her hands expertly shifted gears, and then she slammed her foot on the accelerator once more.

The truck hesitated for a moment, as if gathering its strength. Then, as if spurred on by the music, it surged forward with a new burst of speed.

Now, it was like a high-speed tank, charging up the steep slope with unstoppable momentum.

Fack!

Shit!

Feng Shan’s pupils dilated. ’The incline ahead is unbelievable! You can’t even call this a slope; it’s practically a vertical wall of ice.’

’He’d never seen such a steep grade in his entire life. A wave of terror washed over him.’

In that moment, he finally understood why Lisa had needed to build up so much speed.

CRUNCH! GRIND!

A sharp, crunching sound emanated from beneath the truck, clearly audible inside the cab.

It was the sound of the snow chains grinding violently against the icy road, as if to announce just how thick the layer of ice was.

The truck strained its way halfway up the incline. Feng Shan could feel their speed steadily dropping, like an exhausted athlete for whom every forward step is a monumental effort.

He instinctively glanced out the window. In the dim yellow glow of the lights, mixed with the reflection from the snow, he saw they were right beside a cliff with a drop of at least a hundred meters.

’If we flip and go over the edge, we’re dead for sure!’

Feng Shan felt his heart seize, as if it had been squeezed by a giant, invisible hand.

He didn’t dare to breathe. He forced himself to look away from the drop and back at Lisa, who was completely focused on driving, terrified that the slightest sound might distract her.

Lisa, too, had noticed the truck was losing power.

The situation was critical. She made a split-second decision and tried to force a downshift to gain more power.

However, forcing a downshift at this speed was no easy feat. The transmission let out a nerve-wracking GRIND-GRIND-GRIND of protesting gears, a sound so sharp and piercing it felt like it could snap a person’s nerves.

Listening to the sound, Feng Shan’s eyebrows began to twitch uncontrollably, his anxiety mounting.

Finally, after a terrifying series of noises, there was a loud CLUNK. The gearshift had successfully slammed into a lower gear.

Lisa’s tense expression finally eased slightly, and she immediately stomped on the accelerator again.

The truck hesitated once more, as if mustering its last bit of strength.

Then, the engine let out a low, powerful roar like a waking beast. The truck’s speed began to increase, slowly but surely.

"Okay, guys. We made it to the top."

Lisa let out a long sigh of relief, a relaxed smile finally breaking across her face.

...