Landlord in the Arctic

Feng Shan brought the crumbled fragments in his hand to his nose and took a deep sniff.

A peculiar smell instantly filled his nostrils. While not pleasant, for Feng Shan, this was a basic procedure for any competent Hunter.

In the wild, the state of reindeer droppings could provide a Hunter with valuable clues.

Fresh reindeer droppings are usually dark in color, mostly dark brown or black. They are relatively moist and soft, may have a slight sheen, and even give off a fairly distinct odor.

However, as time passed, the droppings would gradually lose moisture and become hard and dry, like memories weathered by the years.

Their color would also slowly fade from dark to a grayish-white. They’d become increasingly brittle, crumbling into dust with the slightest pinch.

Right now, Feng Shan was carefully examining the crumbled droppings in his hand. Based on his hunting experience and his precise judgment of their freshness, he had already reached a conclusion.

’The reindeer left this area within the last two days.’

The discovery lifted his spirits, as if he could already see his prey.

Next, Feng Shan looked up at the towering, snow-covered mountain before him.

He raised a hand, palm up, and quietly felt the direction of the wind.

After silently weighing his options, he made a decision, wanting to prevent the reindeer herd from hearing the noise of his snowmobile’s engine.

He chose to start his ascent from the leeward slope on the back of the mountain.

The terrain there was relatively concealed and the snow was deep. He could use the wind to cover his tracks and the landscape to stealthily approach his prey.

Feng Shan rode the snowmobile, struggling up the snowy slope. Along the way, the engine’s roar echoed through the empty mountains, and the tracks kicked up a great cloud of snow mist.

He finally made it halfway up the mountain. If he continued on the snowmobile, the noise would certainly startle the reindeer herd. So, Feng Shan decided to abandon the vehicle and proceed on foot, circling around toward the front of the mountain.

Looking around, he quickly found a flat, hidden corner to hide the snowmobile. He deliberately covered part of the vehicle securely with snow, making sure it was completely invisible from a distance.

Only after doing all this did he feel a little more at ease. He continued up the steep, snowy slope, using both his hands and feet, climbing one careful step at a time toward the summit.

The frigid wind cut like a knife, stinging his face. Every step forward was exceptionally difficult, but Feng Shan didn’t shrink back in the slightest.

Finally, he reached the summit.

At the peak, a gale howled, making it almost impossible to stand steady.

Feng Shan quickly hid behind a large snowdrift, then carefully poked his head out to look at the mountain’s front slope.

A herd of reindeer was scattered across the slope, their coats looking particularly glossy under the reflection of the snow.

Amidst the howling wind, the reindeer skillfully used their hooves to dig through the snow. They lowered their heads, contentedly gnawing on the moss hidden beneath.

They were completely unaware that, not far away, a pair of eyes was secretly watching them.

Crouching behind the snowdrift, Feng Shan quickly scanned the herd before him.

In the polar night, the reflection from the snow meant his vision wasn’t greatly affected.

He roughly estimated there were about forty-odd reindeer in the herd.

’The old rule: shoot the bucks, not the does. Shoot the large, not the small.’

This was both a show of respect for the reindeer population’s ability to reproduce and a code that Hunters had long followed.

After selecting a target, Feng Shan crouched down, his movements as light as a foraging wildcat, and quietly raised his AR-15 rifle.

His expression instantly became incredibly sharp. Through the iron sights, he quickly locked onto a sturdy-looking buck in the herd.

The cold wind howled, stinging his cheeks, but his hands were steady as a rock, without the slightest tremble.

He pulled the trigger.

A muffled BANG. The gunshot was instantly and perfectly masked by the howling wind, as if it had never happened.

In the herd, the targeted buck fell. Hit in the heart, its body trembled violently in the snow. Blood gushed from the wound like a spring, quickly staining the surrounding white snow and spreading a glaring patch of red across the pristine landscape.

However, the rest of the herd didn’t notice anything unusual.

In their simple minds, a companion falling over might just be for a short rest.

After all, food was extremely scarce at the moment. Every opportunity to eat was incredibly precious, and who knew how many days it would be before they could fill their stomachs again.

So, the herd kept their heads down, digging through the snow with their hooves, seizing the time to gnaw on the moss.

They were completely oblivious to the danger that had quietly descended.

After the gunshot briefly shattered the calm, the herd only experienced a slight commotion before quickly settling down again, continuing to bury their heads in the snow.

Hunger made them temporarily ignore the scent of danger.

How could Feng Shan let such a perfect opportunity pass? While the herd was completely off guard, he pulled the trigger again.

BANG. Another buck collapsed with a thud, kicking up a spray of snow mist.

However, with two bucks now dead, the thick, pungent smell of blood began to spread through the air.

The herd finally realized a deadly predator was lurking nearby.

In an instant, the once quiet and orderly herd devolved into chaos. Panicked, they began to scatter and flee, their thudding hooves making the snowy ground tremble.

But Feng Shan didn’t panic. Seizing the opportunity as the herd fled and their formation broke, he stood up again.

He raised his rifle and calmly and decisively fired two more shots.

BANG. BANG.

The third and fourth bucks fell one after another. Blood flowed freely over the snow, pooling into shocking rivulets of red.