Landlord in the Arctic

When the Fire Seed appeared in his mind, Feng Mountain’s heart sank.

The Fire Seed was in an even worse state than when he had last seen it.

Because the supply of Soul Power had been repeatedly reduced, the already weak red flame had quietly turned a dim red, as if shrouded by a haze.

Every flicker made Feng Mountain’s heart pound with fear; it seemed as though it would be completely extinguished in the next second.

Moreover, Feng Mountain could clearly sense the feeling of weakness coming from the Fire Seed growing more severe, and this weakness was intensifying dramatically with each passing second.

It was like a dying life, struggling desperately on the brink of death.

If it wasn’t replenished with Soul Power in time, he would have no choice but to resort to his final plan.

But that final plan meant paying a huge price. People might even die—a lot of people.

Thinking of their current predicament, Feng Mountain’s brows knitted into a tight knot. He turned to look at Yves, who was holding Fiona, and asked urgently,

"Can the plane make a forced takeoff? Can we get the snowmobiles moving?"

Yves was taken aback for a moment. A flash of helplessness crossed his face, and he silently shook his head.

His gaze went past the window to the world outside, where winds howled and a blizzard raged.

The bone-chilling wind was like a ferocious beast, its sharp howls slamming against the windows with a heart-pounding THUD.

"It’s too dangerous." Yves’s voice was low and grave. "The wind gusts are already over 30 meters per second. Add to that the cold air from this damn cold snap, and taking off or landing would be extremely difficult. On top of that, flying a plane through a cold snap’s low temperatures and a mix of clouds, rain, and snow makes it highly susceptible to in-flight icing. And that’s not even counting the potential for changes to the airframe structure due to the low temperatures, or the series of problems that could occur with the fuel system."

"The cold snap came too suddenly. The snowmobiles aren’t equipped with cold-weather kits. In this extreme cold, the engine oil could thicken or even freeze, preventing them from starting properly. Even if we managed to force a start, the transmission system, battery, and other components would have reduced performance due to the low temperature and could fail at any moment. There’s no way to guarantee we could leave here safely."

Yves sighed, his eyes filled with helplessness.

"Forget it, just forget it!" Feng Mountain waved his hand weakly, his face a mask of disappointment.

He already understood what Yves was saying. To put it simply, trying to operate a plane or snowmobiles in these extremely harsh conditions was tantamount to dancing with death—no different from suicide.

"By the way, what about Nash and the Bear Tribe? Any news?" Suddenly, an image of Nash flashed through Feng Mountain’s mind. He abruptly remembered that Natasha had sent Nash to warn the Bear Tribe about the impending cold snap, but until now, there hadn’t been a single word from him, as if he had vanished without a trace.

An ominous premonition washed over him like a tide, and his heart instantly clenched.

"No." Ma Wei shook his head gently, his brow deeply furrowed with worry. "Nash didn’t take a radio when he left. We have no idea what the situation is with the Bear Tribe."

There was a hint of helplessness in Ma Wei’s voice, making the atmosphere in the room even more oppressive.

Everyone knew that in this extreme weather, without communication equipment, finding out what was happening with Nash and the Bear Tribe was next to impossible.

At the thought that there were dozens of people in the Bear Tribe’s camp, now exposed to the cold snap and blizzard with their fates unknown, the entire cabin fell into a dead silence.

The only sound was the occasional CRACKLE of the blazing fire in the hearth.

Although no one said it aloud, Feng Mountain already understood.

’It’s been so long since Nash left for the Bear Tribe’s camp. For there to be no news at all, not a single word, something must have gone terribly wrong.’

’After all, to prioritize the survival of our own camp, the tribe’s Fire Seed had to give up its protection over the Tundra Wilderness.’

’And the Bear Tribe’s camp is located right in the heart of the Tundra Wilderness.’

’Without the Fire Seed’s protection, in this extremely harsh weather, the situation they’re facing must be even more dangerous than ours here in the cabin.’

’Besides, most of the people the Bear Tribe left in the Crown Territory are elderly, women, and children. The young, able-bodied men were all sent by the Wild Bull Tribe to work for the mining company.’

’With the snow outside blanketing everything, it would be impossible for the Bear Tribe to evacuate in these extremely harsh conditions.’

Thinking of all this, Feng Mountain could no longer sit still. He said loudly,

"Ma Wei, take the veterans and come with me to the Bear Tribe. Since the snowmobiles are useless, we’ll have to go on foot."

Hearing this, Yves quickly set Fiona down from his lap, walked up to Feng Mountain in a few strides, and said urgently, "Boss, I’m going too."

"You shouldn’t go. You’re more useful staying here at the cabin. More people will just be a hassle." Feng Mountain shook his head without hesitation, rejecting Yves’s request.

’The current composition of the camp’s personnel was already grim. There were more women than men.’

’The number of men who could actually be relied upon in a crisis was even smaller.’

’Ma Wei and the three veterans on guard were dependable, and Yves could also handle himself.’

’As for Frank, Sun Jia, Feng Jun, and Xiaohua—it would be great if those four could just take care of themselves and not give everyone else something to worry about.’

’Natasha’s team of bodyguards was high quality, to be fair.’

’But that guy Andrei was stubborn, single-mindedly focused on protecting the Queen.’

’Getting him to do anything else was a real pain. It would be easier to order Tyson around.’

Yves hesitated for a long while, weighing the pros and cons of going versus staying.