After the meal.

Feng Shan opened the bottle of the tavern’s best rum, brought over by the waitress.

He gently twisted off the cap, and a rich, mellow aroma wafted up, instantly filling the entire tavern.

"This rum smells amazing. Demi didn’t sell them the tavern’s aged stock, did she?"

"Ha! What if the three outsiders dine and dash?"

"That’s one of the last few bottles of salmon rum made by Old Roland."

"I wish I could get a glass of that."

Drawn by the aroma, the patrons all turned their gazes toward Feng Shan’s table and began to whisper among themselves.

Feng Shan pretended not to hear. He poured two glasses and passed them to Nash and Wawa, then raised his own glass to his lips and took a small sip.

The amber rum spread across his tongue, bringing with it a fiery, complex flavor.

First came a spicy kick, followed by a sweet aftertaste, with faint hints of fruit and oak.

’It’s completely different from any rum I’ve had before.’

Soon, the three of them had finished the bottle, glass after glass. Nash and Wawa’s eyes were hazy with drink. Feng Shan decided it was about time, raised his hand, and called the waitress over to settle the bill.

"Sir, your total is 345 US Dollars, and the tip comes to 34.5 US Dollars." The freckle-faced waitress handed him the bill with a beaming smile.

’Holy cow, one meal cost almost 400 US Dollars.’

Feng Shan’s eyebrow twitched. His first thought was that he’d walked into a tourist trap and was being ripped off. But after taking the bill and looking it over, he saw the price wasn’t without reason.

The bottle of rum alone was 300 US Dollars. With the three meal sets and the service charge, the price was actually fair.

He then pulled out his checkbook. "Can I pay with a cashier’s check?"

"Of course. You’re the Carnation Knight. You don’t even have to pay. It’s my honor to have you visit the Salmon Tavern."

The freckle-faced waitress gave a sweet smile. This kind of look is considered quite charming abroad, but back home, where the ideal is ’fair skin hides a hundred flaws,’ people do everything they can to cover up any sign of freckles.

While she was cooking in the kitchen earlier, the waitress had received a call from an airport staff member. They told her that three outsiders wearing animal-skin coats would be coming to the tavern, and that one of them was the recently famous Carnation Knight.

"Thank you." Feng Shan, realizing he’d been recognized, didn’t have the nerve to dine and dash.

He briskly signed the check, tore it out, and handed it to the waitress.

"I hear you also provide lodging."

"Of course. The Salmon Tavern is the only inn in Mangting Village." The waitress happily took the check. She had no reason to doubt its authenticity; the Carnation Knight wouldn’t tarnish his honor with a fake check over a measly 400 US Dollars.

"Please prepare three rooms. We have to set out again tomorrow morning," Feng Shan said.

The young waitress took out three keys and pointed toward the main door. "No problem. The rooms are cleaned daily. They’re just behind the tavern. Here are the keys."

Taking the keys, Feng Shan stood up, said his thanks, and led Nash and Wawa out.

Just as they were leaving, the scruffy man at the next table finished his beer and followed them, his eyes glinting menacingly.

He had watched Feng Shan pay the bill. People who used cashier’s checks were, without exception, wealthy. Nowadays, everyone used credit cards. Who would use a cashier’s check unless they had a ton of money?

The scruffy man secretly sent a text message from his phone, then sat to the side, staring at the three of them. However, he didn’t hear the subsequent conversation between Feng Shan and the waitress.

Feng Shan’s group had just stepped out of the tavern when they heard a shout from behind.

"Hey, fellas! You’re going the wrong way. The inn rooms are this way." The scruffy man pointed to a dark street on the other side of the tavern, a smile on his face that he believed to be sincere.

Oh?

Feng Shan narrowed his eyes, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.

’A guy I just had a run-in with suddenly runs out to kindly give me directions.’

’Even a fifth-rate director wouldn’t film a plot this bad.’

"Khilla," Nash said, taking advantage of the darkness to reach into his coat.

Feng Shan gave a subtle nod and looked at the scruffy man. "Just say what you want. I don’t have time to play games with you!"

’Play?’

The scruffy man fought the urge to laugh. He could already see several figures appearing in the dark street. If he wasn’t mistaken, the backup he’d called had arrived.

Sure enough.

The next moment, five menacing men in fishermen’s outfits walked over and surrounded Feng Shan’s group.

"Jim, are these three Inuit the rich guys you were talking about? You haven’t had too much to drink, have you? Those raw-meat-eating Inuit are either gamblers or broke." A blond man eyed Feng Shan’s group with suspicion.

Animal-skin coats, black hair, Asian features.

The stereotypical Inuit look.

"Don’t underestimate them, Chuanji. I saw this guy use a cashier’s check to pay a 400 US Dollar bill with my own eyes." The scruffy man who had tipped them off pointed at Feng Shan.

Cashier’s check!

The five fishermen’s eyes lit up.

A cashier’s check was perfect.

They were safe and risk-free. Once passed through the hands of an underground broker, there was no need to worry about being caught by state troopers. It was much easier than illegally catching prohibited fish.

"Fellas, the moon is nice tonight. How about a little boat ride on the Yukon River?" the blond man said with a grin, simultaneously pulling a pistol from his waistband. The other four also drew guns of various sizes.

Feng Shan rationally raised his hands. ’I could probably dodge the first volley, but I can’t guarantee Nash and Wawa’s safety.’

"That’s right, come with us!" The blond man smirked, gesturing for the others to move in. They took the pistols from Feng Shan’s and Nash’s coats, then shoved them toward the bank of the Yukon River.

Just after they left, the freckle-faced waitress from the Salmon Tavern pushed the door open, her expression panicked.

After the scruffy man left, she had felt that something was wrong. She had quietly peeked out the door and witnessed Feng Shan being taken hostage.

She had asked the tavern patrons for help, but no one responded.

As local residents, they all knew that Jim’s crew secretly caught prohibited fish on the Yukon River and even dabbled as poachers. They were extremely brazen.

A villager had once reported them to the police, but the crew was released due to insufficient evidence. That same villager later had an "unfortunate accident" and died while fishing in the river.

Since then, no one was willing to cross them.

’They’re just three outsiders. If we save them, they’ll just up and leave, but we still have to live in Mangting Village.’

Seeing that no one would step up, the waitress could only run to the village chief’s house for help.

’I hope it’s not too late.’

....

On the banks of the Yukon River, under the night sky.

Moonlight spilled onto the river, creating silver ripples and illuminating both banks.

The captive Feng Shan was brought to a crude dock where several fishing boats were tied up.

’Looks like they plan to take us onto a boat.’

Feng Shan silently observed his surroundings, nodding when his eyes met Nash’s.

"Behave!" A burly fisherman noticed the small exchange between the two and slammed his fist into Feng Shan’s shoulder.

This was the moment.

Feigning pain, Feng Shan staggered forward a few steps, lunging toward the fisherman who was untying a boat rope. The next instant, a pistol appeared in his hand. As he spun around, he pulled the trigger.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

After four gunshots rang out.

Four fishermen, including the blond man, were shot and fell to the ground, screaming.

Meanwhile, Nash backhanded the arm of the last burly fisherman next to him, spun around sharply, and snapped it. He then pulled the man to the ground and drove his knee forcefully into his neck.

With a sickening CRACK...

...the fisherman didn’t even have a chance to scream before his head lolled to the side and he passed out.

The only one left was the scruffy man, Jim, who was still standing on the fishing boat, daydreaming about getting rich.

The next moment, he found himself alone, facing three pistols.

’Run.’

’The boat rope isn’t even untied.’

’Jump into the Yukon River.’

’Jumping into the Yukon River at night without any protection... I’d rather just take a bullet.’

’The best option right now is to surrender.’

Jim quickly raised his hands. "Fellas, I surrender! I surrender! Don’t shoot!"

"Get yourself on shore, and I might just let you live." A smile played on Feng Shan’s lips as he tossed aside the pistol and took his own Gun of Kindness from Nash.

"Don’t shoot! I’ll confess to the state troopers! If you shoot me now, you’ll be in trouble!" Jim kept his hands up as he scrambled ashore, not forgetting to give Feng Shan a little legal lesson.

Just then.

Wawa, having checked the shot fishermen, walked over with a look of admiration. "Mr. Sheriff, those four aren’t dead, but if they don’t get treatment soon, they won’t be far from it."

Sheriff!

’You’re a sheriff?’

When Jim heard Wawa call Feng Shan "Sheriff," his mind went completely blank.

Kidnapping and robbing an ordinary person versus kidnapping and robbing a sheriff were two completely different things. The former might get you twenty years in prison at most; the latter started at twenty years.

"You... you’re a sheriff! Why didn’t you say so?"

"You never asked." Feng Shan grinned. "Surprised? Unexpected, isn’t it? Exciting, huh?"

"No, this is entrapment!"

"Tell it to the judge, buddy. Hope you enjoy your stay in prison." Feng Shan couldn’t be bothered to argue with him.

Just then.

Three beams of light appeared from the riverbank levee.

Feng Shan alerted Nash and Wawa, then waved toward the lights.

Soon.

The waitress, accompanied by two middle-aged men, walked from the levee down to the shore. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Feng Shan was unharmed. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Thank God. I thought Jim had hurt you."

"Thank you. We’re not hurt." Feng Shan expressed his gratitude to the waitress. After all, of all the people in the tavern, she was the only one who had stepped forward.

"Hello, Mr. Feng. Where is Jim?" A bald, middle-aged man addressed Feng Shan directly by name, looking around and seeing no one else. "Son, I’m Hale, the village chief of Mangting Village."

"They’re over here." Feng Shan pointed to a pile of fishing nets beside him.

The group shone their flashlights over and jumped in fright.

Six men were tangled in the fishing nets, all of them gagged and making muffled groans, like victims in a horror movie.

"This..." Village Chief Hale was at a loss, his expression more worried than anything else.

"Is there a hospital? I think they might need medical attention. If it’s too late, we can only thank God for taking in these lost children." Feng Shan didn’t care whether these men lived or died. They were just trash.

"Only a clinic. The nearest hospital is in Beisier City." Village Chief Hale hesitated for a moment, his gaze falling on Jim, who could still make noise. Their eyes met, and it seemed he wanted to say something but couldn’t.

"A clinic is good enough."

Feng Shan nodded and pulled his credentials from his pocket. "I’m the Sheriff of the Far North Region. These six men attempted to kidnap and rob me. Where are the nearest state troopers?"

Sheriff?

The expressions on the faces of the three from Mangting Village instantly became complicated.

They never would have guessed that the Carnation Knight standing before them was also a sheriff.

Village Chief Hale suddenly seemed to realize something, and a smile broke out on his face.

"Well, the nearest state troopers are in Anchorage. If we call them now, the soonest they could get here is tomorrow afternoon."

....