200,000 US Dollars for five days.

When the worker who got the news returned to the crowd and announced the amount, the pier instantly erupted in an uproar.

Everyone present was a veteran fisherman who had been around fishing boats and piers practically since childhood. With just a scrap of information, they could estimate the size of a catch.

The *River Beach* had a crew of 30. Hope was just one of the deckhands, and if he could get 200,000 US Dollars, then the other crew members would be getting roughly the same.

Thirty people times 200,000 is 6,000,000. According to the 50/50 rule for crabbing boats, after deducting other expenses, the *River Beach*’s owners must have earned at least 5 million.

Good God.

Converting that to the quantity of snow crabs, the purchase price for snow crab on the day the *River Beach* set sail was 14 US Dollars a pound. That meant they must have caught at least 500 tons of snow crabs on this trip.

Damn it!

Five hundred tons of snow crab.

As the crowd on the pier calculated the results, they were stunned, but also secretly filled with regret.

Some cursed themselves for not accepting Alvin’s invitation to join the *River Beach* back then. Others cursed the *River Beach* for catching so many crabs and not telling anyone.

Immediately, a buyer squeezed his way to the *River Beach*’s gangplank and said shamelessly,

"Hope, it’s me, Jais! We’ve had drinks together. Do me a favor and tell Alvin I misquoted the price just now. It should be 17.40 US Dollars."

With the first buyer breaking the ice, the other buyers could no longer remain calm.

Thanksgiving, one of the most important public holidays in the United States, was just a month away. It was also the peak season for snow crab sales. If they could get their hands on this batch, they would definitely make a huge profit.

"I misquoted too! I can do 17.50!"

"17.60! I’ll take as many as you have!"

"17.70 a pound!"

The crew of the *River Beach* leaned on the gunwale, laughing and watching the buyers continuously raise their prices as if they were watching a bunch of clowns.

’You bunch of dishonest scumbags.’

’You thought the *River Beach* was like those other crabbing boats you exploit.’

’Now you’re paying the price!’

...

「In the wheelhouse of the *River Beach*.」

Feng Shan leisurely sipped the hot cocoa with milk that the cook had brought him. The rich aroma and silky texture made him fall in love with the taste instantly.

Guo Hongying cautiously followed the limping captain who was leading the way.

He couldn’t help but wonder who he was being taken to see. ’Could it be that this boat has another boss?’

His bid today had been on a whim. He thought snow crab was a good business to get into and decided to test the waters, not expecting to actually gain a firm foothold.

"Boss, this is the buyer with the highest bid today."

Hearing himself being introduced, Guo Hongying stepped out from behind the captain. He saw what looked like one of the Indigenous People wearing a fur coat and quickly greeted him in a native language he had learned.

"Tansi, tansi!!"

"!!!" Feng Shan looked completely lost.

Seeing no reaction, Guo Hongying switched to another Indigenous language.

"Kii-te-daas a! Kii-te-daas a!"

"!!!" Feng Shan looked at Alvin and scratched his head, signaling that he didn’t understand.

Guo Hongying grew anxious and switched again. "Gway gway!! Gway gway!!"

"Stop, stop, stop! Don’t say any more. English or Mandarin is fine!" Feng Shan quickly cut him off. ’Any more of this and the guy’s tongue is going to get twisted into a knot.’

"Mandarin works, Mandarin works!" Guo Hongying breathed a sigh of relief. Hearing the familiar language, he suddenly realized that the fur-clad man in front of him was speaking fluent Mandarin, even more fluently than he did.

"You’re Chinese!"

"Yeah, what did you think?" Feng Shan put down his cup. Noticing Alvin’s confused expression, he switched languages. "Let’s stick to English. My partner here doesn’t understand Mandarin."

"English works too. May I have your surname, sir? Is this ship yours?" Hearing the familiar accent, Guo Hongying’s stiffness vanished. He chuckled and walked over to Feng Shan’s side, looking around the wheelhouse with the curiosity of a child.

Feng Shan nodded and smiled. "Feng Shan. I just arrived in Alaska not long ago. Your accent doesn’t sound like it’s from mainland China. Second-generation immigrant?"

"My name is Guo Hongying. I’m from Singapore, but my grandfather was from the mainland, with our ancestral home in Fujian Fuzhou. I’ll just call you Brother Feng, if that’s okay." Guo Hongying gave a simple introduction.

"Gentlemen, why don’t we finish the deal first, then you can keep chatting." Alvin, seeing the two becoming more and more familiar, was afraid they’d talk the snow crab deal away. The entire crew was waiting for their Franklins.

"Alright." Guo Hongying smiled sheepishly. "17.20 US Dollars a pound. I’ll take as much as you have?"

"Are you sure? I have a lot of snow crab. Can you handle it all?" Feng Shan heard the price. It was 3.20 US Dollars higher per pound than Alvin’s asking price of 14. That extra 3.20 would add up to several million.

Guo Hongying lifted his chin proudly, full of confidence. "Brother Feng, don’t look down on me. I’ll take as much as you’ve got."

’Oho, full of confidence.’

’I like friends with confidence.’

Feng Shan turned to Alvin, signaling him to state the quantity.

Alvin straightened his back. "Mr. Guo, on the *River Beach*, we have 500 tons of flash-frozen Gray-eyed Snow Crab, as well as 120 tons of large, live Gray-eyed Snow Crab with carapace widths of 18 centimeters."

"How... How much?"

Guo Hongying’s eyes flew wide open. His brain seemed to short-circuit.

He quickly pulled out his phone and started frantically tapping on the calculator.

Five hundred tons is 1,102,311 pounds. At his price, that’s $18,959,749.20... almost 19 million US Dollars.

And then there were the 120 tons of premium live crabs, whose price was even harder to estimate. They wouldn’t go for less than 20 US Dollars a pound.

This was a deal worth tens of millions of US Dollars.

After calculating the value, Guo Hongying was completely stunned. He had thought it was a deal for a few million worth of snow crab; who would have guessed it was ten times that amount?

"So? Any problems? If you really can’t, just buy as much as you can handle," Feng Shan asked kindly. After all, this was indeed a massive quantity of crab.

’Can’t handle it?’

’Who says I can’t handle it?’

Guo Hongying’s face flushed slightly. "I need to make a phone call first. I’ll take this entire batch of snow crab."

With that, he dashed out of the wheelhouse in a few quick steps, as if afraid Feng Shan would change his mind.

Feng Shan and Alvin exchanged a knowing smile and waited for the good news.

The buyers gathered on the pier were jumping with anxiety. They saw the young disrupter appear at the ship’s rail, talking on the phone, and they could tell from his expression that he was thrilled.

’Did the deal go through?’

The regret!

The buyers were in physical pain from regret. If they could turn back time, they would have unhesitatingly offered a higher price to secure this batch of snow crab.

Now, all they could do was watch Guo Hongying with eyes full of jealousy and helplessness.

They could only hope that he might spare them a small share of the crabs.

While waiting for Guo Hongying to finish his call, Feng Shan briefed Alvin on subsequent matters. He had been away for nearly half a month.

He was homesick.

"You’ll be in charge of the delivery. As soon as the money is in the account, distribute the crew’s bonuses immediately. Don’t delay. I’m getting off the boat in a bit and leaving. From now on, the *River Beach* is in your hands. When you have downtime, bring the crew over to Crown Territory for some fun. Food and lodging are on me."

Alvin nodded. "Once the crab delivery is complete, I’ll set aside 10% of the funds for the *River Beach*’s operating costs. The rest will be transferred to your card."

"I have faith in you!" Feng Shan patted Alvin’s shoulder.

Just then, Guo Hongying walked back into the wheelhouse, overjoyed. "Brother Feng, Captain Alvin, how should we handle the handover?"

Joyful smiles appeared on Feng Shan and Alvin’s faces.

While the crowd on the pier was still gathered around the *River Beach*, a figure leaped from the stern, slipped into the crowd, and disappeared.

Alvin stood on the deck, watching Feng Shan leave.

He then turned, returned to the wheelhouse, and started up the *River Beach*, heading for the Bering Sea. A freighter from Singapore was waiting there to receive the snow crabs.

Feng Shan returned to his wooden cabin, packed his bags, grabbed the gifts he had bought for everyone in Crown Territory, locked the door, and strode toward the airport.

「Saint Paul Island Airport.」

The *Carnation* was parked in its spot, its fuselage exceptionally clean.

When Feng Shan appeared, the energetic young man in charge of the airport ran over. "Sheriff, are you leaving?"

"Is there a problem?" Feng Shan raised an eyebrow.

"Of course not. Here’s the bill. It includes parking, cleaning, and fuel fees. I cleaned the fuselage every day. See? Not a speck of dust." The young man shook his head and handed over an itemized list.

In the United States, premium service means a premium price.

He took the list and glanced at it. The total cost came to over 600 US Dollars.

Feng Shan smiled. Seeing how well he had taken care of the *Carnation*, he decided not to question the unauthorized add-on services.

He wrote out a cash check and handed it to him.

He opened the cockpit door and climbed inside.

He checked the electrical systems, and once he confirmed everything was fine, he started the engine. The propeller began to spin rapidly.

The *Carnation* taxied out of its parking spot and onto the runway.

Feng Shan pushed the throttle, and the plane slowly ascended into the sky.

After reaching standard cruising altitude, the *Carnation* carved an arc through the sky, flying over the Merchant Fishing Pier and catching up with the *River Beach* on the water’s surface. It then circled low over the ship.

Hearing the roar of the engine, Alvin walked out of the wheelhouse.

He looked up and saw the markings of the bush plane in mid-air.

The *Carnation*.

He immediately broke into a wide grin and waved.

The crewmen had just received the news from the captain that they would each be getting a salary of no less than 300,000 US Dollars. They were still buzzing with excitement.

When they saw a plane appear alongside the *River Beach* and watched the captain wave at it, they instantly knew their boss was on that plane.

They all rushed to the gunwale, waving whatever they had in their hands.

Seeing this, Feng Shan responded by waggling the plane’s wings from side to side.

He then pulled up the nose, and the entire plane climbed steeply, shooting straight into the sky and disappearing into the clouds.

...

The flight from Saint Paul Island to Crown Territory was 1,542 kilometers long.

He flew the entire way without a break, only landing to refuel, constantly heading for Crown Territory.

Even curled up in the cramped cockpit, Feng Shan felt not the slightest bit of fatigue. His heart was filled only with a powerful longing for home.

From day to night, from green forests to remote wastelands.

Time passed and the scenery changed, but Feng Shan’s gaze remained fixed firmly ahead.

On the long journey, loneliness and solitude were his constant companions, but the fire in his heart only burned brighter.

When he finally saw the snow-covered Brooks Range under the night sky, Feng Shan was filled with an indescribable excitement.

The continuous mountain range shimmered with a silver light under the moon, like a great dragon lying across the land.

He was getting closer and closer to home, and its warmth felt almost within reach.

In the silent night sky, Feng Shan could almost hear his own heartbeat, a melody played by his yearning for home.

He took a deep breath and continued to pilot the *Carnation*, accelerating toward Crown Territory.

...