Landlord in the Arctic

Her body trembled slightly, her hands clenching into fists. She desperately wanted to rush over and slap the man across the face.

All her unbearable, painful memories stemmed from him.

’He didn’t touch me because Feng promised to pay the ransom. That’s the only reason he didn’t dare.’

’You snuck into my room several times. If the other girls hadn’t screamed for help, alerting the other kidnappers who stopped you, you would have had your way long ago.’

"Which one of you is Mr. Gaston?" Feng Mountain looked at the five men kneeling on the ground, intentionally asking a question he already knew the answer to in order to exert psychological pressure.

The handsome man quickly raised his head, his eyes filled with panic and a desperate desire to please. He said with a sycophantic tone, "Sir, I’m Gaston. They forced me into this. Please, just let me go."

"Bullshit, Gaston!" the long-haired man snarled, ignoring the pain from his injuries. He thrashed about, glaring fiercely at Gaston. "You’re the one who told us Jenny was rich! You’re the one who pushed us to organize this and kidnap these women! Don’t even think about pinning all the blame on us!"

The black man beside him nodded vigorously, chiming in, "That’s right, sir! It was this bastard Gaston who goaded us into kidnapping Jenny. He planned the whole ransom thing. He’s been the mastermind from the very beginning!"

"You... You all...!"

Gaston was struck speechless. A flicker of panic and humiliated rage crossed his face, but he quickly masked it with a look of profound remorse.

He then gazed at Jenny with deep affection, even managing to squeeze out a few tears. "My love," he choked out, "it’s all my fault. I deserve to die. But I truly had no other choice. Brenda... she has stomach cancer and needs a lot of money for surgery. I was desperate, that’s why I resorted to kidnapping you. I’m so, so sorry!"

Brenda!!

Jenny’s face fell the moment she heard Gaston mention Brenda’s name.

A sudden unease gripped her, and she shot to her feet. But just as quickly, as if remembering something, she shrank back and hurriedly sat down beside Feng Mountain.

Feng Mountain, perplexed by her reaction, leaned in and asked in a low voice, "Who’s Brenda?"

Jenny slowly looked up, her eyes a mix of complex emotions—the pain of past memories and gratitude for the help Brenda had once given her.

She took a deep breath, fighting to keep her voice steady as she spoke.

"She’s Gaston’s mother. During the darkest time in my life, Brenda was the one who stayed by my side, who helped me. I was only able to escape Gaston’s abuse and get a divorce thanks to her. She was brave enough to stand up in court and testify for me, proving that I had been a long-time victim of Gaston’s brutal domestic violence..."

As she spoke, the rims of Jenny’s eyes grew red, the unbearable memories of her past resurfacing.

Feng Mountain listened intently to Jenny’s account, his expression growing colder and harder.

He gave Jenny a slight nod, signaling for her to remain calm, then silently pulled out his phone, his gaze slowly shifting to Gaston.

For a split second, an unseemly flicker of joy appeared in Gaston’s eyes. But under Feng Mountain’s stare, it vanished as instantly as snow under a scorching sun.

"What hospital is Brenda in? Give me the phone number."

Ah!

Hearing Feng Mountain’s question, Gaston froze on the spot, as if hit by an Immobilization Spell.

His mouth opened and closed a few times like a machine, unable to form a single complete sentence. The muscles in his face twitched uncontrollably as a fine sheen of sweat broke out on his forehead.

Just then, the sturdy, white-haired man who had been kneeling on the ground slowly looked up. "Brenda never got treatment after she fell ill. She died a year ago. I found someone to forge the documents and had her sent to be cremated. Gaston did it so he could fraudulently collect her pension. Her ashes were scattered in a river."

"No! I didn’t! Jenny, he’s lying, I never did that!" Gaston’s face went pale as he scrambled to defend himself.

Upon hearing that Brenda had passed away, Jenny’s eyes instantly turned red. Tears streamed down her face like pearls from a broken string.

Her body trembling uncontrollably, she collapsed onto Feng Mountain’s shoulder and began to sob silently, her shoulders heaving as long-suppressed grief poured out of her.

"You truly deserve to die," Feng Mountain said, staring directly at Gaston, his heart filling with rage and disgust.

’In all my life, I’ve met all kinds of villains and witnessed countless despicable acts.’

’But this is the first time I’ve ever seen someone like Gaston—someone who not only refuses to treat his own sick mother but then scams her pension after she dies.’

’How can someone so depraved even be considered human?’

𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

At that moment, Feng Mountain felt that any further conversation with this vile, shameless person was pointless.

It would only waste his time and make him feel sick.

He turned to the stone-faced Yves behind him. "I’ll leave the rest to you."

Hearing those words, the light instantly drained from the five kidnappers’ eyes, leaving only a dull, lifeless gray.

Their bodies began to tremble uncontrollably.

"No, wait! We committed a crime! You should take us to the police," the long-haired man cried out, his voice trembling with fear.

"Only a judge can sentence us! You don’t have the right! Please, just send me to prison!" another man, with curly hair and a freckled face, shrieked. Cold sweat poured down his forehead, and his body shook like a leaf.

"I was wrong, Jenny, my love! I didn’t hurt any of you, you know that!" Gaston pleaded, banging his head against the floor in desperation.

The black man was the loudest of them all. He even shuffled forward on his knees toward Feng Mountain. "Sir, you swore to God you wouldn’t kill me! I don’t want the money or the car anymore! Please, just let me go!"

Oh?

Hearing the black man’s plea, laced with a desperate sliver of hope, Feng Mountain paused his stride.

He slowly turned his head, his gaze landing on the black man.

A knowing smile slowly spread across his lips. He spoke deliberately, enunciating each word.

"My apologies. I’m Chinese. I don’t believe in God."

Then, Feng Mountain tilted his head slightly toward Erica, who was standing nearby, and asked casually, "Erica, didn’t you promise to send them to the Bering Sea to see the crabs?"

He spoke as if discussing the most trivial of matters.

"That’s right! The crabs in the Bering Sea are super cute!" Erica replied brightly, nodding emphatically. But to the black man, she looked like a messenger from Hell.

Hearing Erica’s response, Feng Mountain chuckled, though the smile never reached his eyes.

He then turned to Yves and gave his orders calmly. "Yves, a promise is a promise. Since Erica made one, find a way to get them to Lengwan to see the crabs. Natasha should have a tour boat."

"Yes, Boss," Yves replied respectfully. His eyes quickly swept over the five ashen-faced men, a relaxed expression on his own face.

The five kidnappers, however, were filled with nothing but boundless fear and despair.

Feng Mountain, carrying Tammy, led the way out of the wooden cabin where they had all been imprisoned. Jenny and the others followed close behind.

Although they hadn’t been physically harmed during their captivity, the constant mental torment and lack of food had left the women looking gaunt and listless. They had all grown terribly thin and appeared incredibly weak.

As the sunlight bathed them completely, the newly freed women couldn’t help but squint, and joyful smiles slowly spread across their faces.

Despite their exhaustion, they radiated the joy and relief of survivors.

Erica took a deep breath of the crisp air, letting the fresh scent fill her lungs and chase away the gloom that had shrouded them for days.

She tilted her head back to look at the sapphire-blue sky, her heart swelling with emotion.

Then, as if making a momentous decision, she said firmly, "I’ve made up my mind. I’m never leaving the Crown Territory again. I’m not going anywhere."

In that moment, Erica felt that while the outside world might be wonderful, only the Crown Territory could offer true safety and warmth.

Tammy, nestled in Feng Mountain’s arms, poked her head out when she heard Erica’s words.

In a small, weak, yet incredibly firm voice, she added,

"Me too. I’m not going anywhere."

...