From the outside, the villa was plain and unremarkable. It wasn’t until Feng Mountain stepped inside that he discovered it was a whole different world.
He passed through the entryway.
The first thing that t his eyes was a spacious, high-ceilinged hall. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, and a thick animal-hide rug covered the floor. Stepping on it felt as soft as cotton.
On one side of the hall was a massive stone fireplace with a roaring fire inside, its rolling heat waves filling the entire space.
Above the stone fireplace hung a huge oil painting depicting Indians with long spears hunting North Arican bison. The colors were vibrant and lifelike.
"Fellas, co on over." Vergil sat on a luxurious leather sofa, a drink in his hand, with the long-legged blonde snuggled up beside him.
The sight was hard to look at.
It wasn’t quite Beauty and the Beast. More like Beauty and a at bun.
They sat down on the sofa, and the three of them raised their glasses for a taste. Feng Mountain wasn’t interested in the sweet, llow rum; he preferred the intense flavor of hard liquor.
After so small talk, Tom got straight to the point.
They wanted to buy a batch of dynamite.
Vergil’s gaze fell on Feng Mountain, lingering for a mont before he patted the blonde’s long leg. "Have Posey bring the dynamite from the storage room. None of that junk."
The blonde gave a seductive smile, stood up, and left. Her graceful figure captivated Tom’s gaze.
"Tom, if you like her, I can have Dasha keep you company for a few days!" Vergil swirled his glass, the amber rum sloshing inside.
Tom refused flatly. "Not interested. I’m more of a Franklin man."
Vergil’s gaze shifted to Feng Mountain. "Buddy, I hear you ca all the way from distant China to inherit the Crown Territory in Alaska."
’Heard about it, huh.’
Feng Mountain sneered inwardly. ’It’s been almost a month since I ca to the Crown Territory. Anyone who should know, and even those who shouldn’t, already know everything.’
’So why ask now? Who’s he trying to fool?’
’That son-of-a-bitch Tom... he couldn’t have brought here on soone’s orders, could he?’
Despite the turmoil in his mind, Feng Mountain managed a faint smile.
"Yes, I just inherited it not long ago."
Vergil narrowed his eyes, which were nearly swallowed by his fleshy face, and chuckled. "Well, are you having any financial difficulties? Say, with loan repaynts? Everyone knows that I, Vergil, am always generous to my friends."
’Only Frank and Tom know about my loan. The forr would never spread it around, but the latter...’
’Did you tell him?’
Feng Mountain turned his head to glance at Tom.
Tom was about to explain when he saw a cold glint in Vergil’s narrowed eyes. Tiny beads of sweat instantly ford on his nose. His mouth twitched, and he quickly got up from the sofa.
"The fire in your fireplace is really hot. I’m going to go take a look."
Feng Mountain t Vergil’s gaze and smiled calmly. "Not at the mont. I’m not one for spending much money. You know, we Chinese are very frugal."
Vergil raised his glass, swirling it in mid-air. "True. But rember Vergil’s goodwill. My offer is only good for one month."
「The next mont.」
The bodyguard in sunglasses pushed a handcart into the hall.
On the cart were several green wooden crates marked with lines of Russian text and numbers.
He opened a crate, revealing blocks of square objects inside, each about the size of a palm and wrapped in paper.
Vergil motioned for the bodyguard to hand him one of the blocks, which he then passed to Feng Mountain.
"Ammonite explosive. Specifically for blasting hard rock. It’s especially good for mountain work. It cos from your neighbor."
"Sorry, industry rules prevent from telling you the source of the goods. I don’t know why, but I feel a special connection with you."
Looking at the explosive, Feng Mountain didn’t take it. Instead, he stood up. "I don’t know much about this stuff. Perhaps I’ll get back to you after consulting an expert. Sorry, I have an appointnt this evening."
After speaking, he gave a slight nod and walked toward the entryway.
The bodyguard blocked his path. Feng Mountain turned around, his gaze cold as he looked at Vergil. Tom hurried over, about to try and ease the tense atmosphere.
Vergil waved his hand. "Posey, be polite."
The bodyguard stepped aside.
...
They left Vergil Villa.
The pickup truck slowly pulled onto the highway. The atmosphere inside the vehicle was terrifyingly heavy.
Tom kept glancing uneasily at Feng Mountain, wanting to speak but stopping himself each ti. His heart was filled with regret and conflict. He gripped the steering wheel, his palms slick with sweat.
He wanted to explain to Feng that he hadn’t told anyone about the loan, and that today was genuinely just about buying cheap dynamite.
But back there, Vergil had warned him with a look not to say too much.
Vergil was not a good man. He had a vicious reputation in Fairbanks, and it was said he had deep connections with several major gangs in Anchorage.
Feng Mountain’s face was dark, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. He didn’t say a word.
The air was thick with tension and oppression, with only the roar of the pickup truck’s engine echoing in their ears.
The silence lasted until they entered the urban area of Arctic Town.
"Stop the car!" Feng Mountain said suddenly, his voice cold.
Startled by the sudden command, Tom instinctively slamd on the brake. The pickup truck let out a piercing screech as it swerved to a crooked halt on the side of the road.
Pedestrians on the street turned to stare.
Feng Mountain shoved the door open and jumped out. His expression was still terrifyingly grim as he pulled out his phone.
He quickly dialed a number.
After a few rings, the other end picked up.
"Buddy, it’s still a while before dinner. You in such a hurry to see ?"
"I’ve been threatened," Feng Mountain said into the receiver.
"What? Where are you now?"
Feng Mountain looked at his surroundings, spotted a billboard for Little Bear Air, and relayed the address.
"Five minutes. Don’t move, or find so cover."
Tom sat in the driver’s seat, staring blankly at Feng Mountain’s back as he made the call. His mind was a tangled ss, and he didn’t know what to do.
’Why did it turn out like this?’
’Why did Vergil threaten Feng? Didn’t he agree to just et and help us buy so cheap dynamite for clearing the mountain?’
’And the loan... I never told anyone.’
’How did he know about it, and why did he bring it up in front of Feng?’
「Five minutes later.」
Two black Lincoln Aviators, emblazoned with "AST" on their sides, roared up and boxed in Tom’s pickup truck.
The doors flew open and eight heavily ard officers charged out, aiming their automatic rifles at Tom and shouting.
"Hands behind your head! On the steering wheel!"
"Let see your hands!"
"Where’s Feng?"
Standing on the side, Feng Mountain was dumbfounded. He had just called Frank to pick him up, so how did he end up summoning the Alaska State Troopers’ Special Ergency Response Team?
After the incident in Kivalina, Feng Mountain had thought Louise was just playing pitiful to gain his sympathy, tricking him into becoming a security officer by deliberately painting a miserable picture of the Alaska State Troopers. Because of this, Feng Mountain had specifically done so in-depth research on the Alaskan police force.
The reality he found was not only true but even more extre than she had described.
The Alaska State Troopers could be called the most beleaguered police force in the United States. They fall under the Departnt of Public Safety (DPS), abbreviated as AST, and are a comprehensive law enforcent agency responsible for statewide law enforcent, cri prevention, and the pursuit and arrest of criminals.
The entire state of Alaska has only 1,300 sworn law enforcent officers. Excluding city police departnts like those in Anchorage, Juno, and Fairbanks, there are only 300 State Troopers to enforce the law across all of Alaska.
This force of 300 is further divided into five departnts.
The Alaska Highway Patrol, the Alaska Investigation Bureau, the AST Special Response Team, the Alaska Drug Enforcent Unit, and the Search and Rescue Division.
The AST Special Response Team, in particular, is the elite of the elite. Usually, only one to ten mbers are stationed in larger cities, and their deploynt requires an order from the state’s public safety headquarters.
And these eight AST officers right here were basically the most powerful ard force publicly available in Fairbanks.
’Frank has that much pull?’
But then he rembered Frank’s cozy relationship with the governor’s assistant, Lady Kelly, and it all made sense.
Seeing Tom in the pickup, about to piss his pants in fear, Feng Mountain quickly walked over.
"Do not approach! We are conducting a special operation," one of the AST officers said, aiming his rifle at Feng Mountain.
Feng Mountain sighed and held up his phone. "Sorry, I’m Feng. The one you’re looking for."
What?
The eight AST officers froze on the spot. From inside the pickup truck, Tom yelled frantically, "That’s right, he’s Feng! He’s Feng!"
An AST sergeant tossed his automatic rifle to a colleague, rushed over in a few strides, forcibly pushed down on Feng Mountain’s shoulders, shielded him with his own body, and shoved him into one of the black Lincoln Aviators. The other team mbers quickly piled into the vehicles.
Two officers remained behind. One dragged Tom out of the driver’s seat and shoved him into the back, while the other started the pickup and followed the two AST special vehicles as they drove away.
Leaving the pedestrians on the street with their mouths agape, replaying what had just happened.
...
「At the AST Special Response Team office.」
After being brought back, Feng Mountain was placed directly in an office. He was given food and drink, but he wasn’t allowed to leave, and no one ca to ask him what had happened.
As for Tom, that unlucky bastard...
He seed to have been locked up sowhere else, and his treatnt was certainly much worse than Feng Mountain’s.
「Not long after.」
Through the glass, Feng Mountain saw a red sedan pull into the office parking lot.
Frank got out of the car in a hurry and ca jogging over. In that mont, Feng Mountain was actually quite touched.
The door to the room opened.
"Buddy, you gave a scare! When I got your call, I was in a city council eting." As soon as Frank saw him, he anxiously pulled Feng Mountain close, carefully checking him for injuries while complaining nonstop.
That feeling...
It was like a mother whose child had just taken a fall, her eyes filled with nothing but worry and concern.
Feng Mountain scratched his head, embarrassed. "I’m really sorry. It was an ergency, and you were the only person I could think to call for help."
Frank frowned, took out a cigarette, and lit it. "What exactly happened? Tell everything from the beginning."
Feng Mountain took a deep breath and began to recount the whole story.
After listening, Frank’s face turned red with anger. He furiously threw his cigarette to the ground and ground it out with his foot.
"Dogshit! Shit! Fuck! That son-of-a-bitch Vergil dared to touch you?" Frank’s voice was hoarse with rage, the veins on his forehead bulging. "I absolutely will not let him get away with this! I’ll make him pay!"
Seeing the furious Frank, a warm feeling washed over Feng Mountain. "Frank, thank you. I can handle this myself."
"You handle it? Then what am I for? You stay out of this." Frank’s eyes widened as he pulled out his phone and dialed. The mont the other person answered, he unleashed a tirade.
"Bird! Fuck! You filthy descendant of Viking Pirates, why the hell was Feng’s life threatened in your jurisdiction?! This is dereliction of duty! Why is that fat maggot Vergil still alive?!"
"Kelly, darling, Feng is safe. Yes, he was threatened. Okay, let’s do it that way."
"Stanford, are you guys at the FBI eating shit? Vergil is your informant, isn’t he? He practically kidnapped my grand... nephew! You have to give an explanation."
"Lady Lica, yes, Feng was just threatened. By a small-ti arms distributor. Okay, thank you."
"Brian, get your Investigation Bureau moving. I want Vergil to disappear."
...
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