Chapter 182: Chapter 181: Generating Electricity

Next up was free time.

The girls, who hadn’t had their fill of taking pictures, snatched the camera from Feng Mountain and scattered around the camp, looking for good scenery.

Their laughter echoed through every corner of the camp, adding a splash of liveliness to the tranquil night.

The sound of the camera shutter clicked away, capturing their beautiful moments and happy smiles.

Meanwhile, Feng Mountain sat with a group of the men by the fire pit, casually chatting about the work ahead.

The flames from the Fire Seed danced, casting a warm glow on their faces in the relaxed and harmonious atmosphere.

When Yves received the 5,000 US Dollar check, he was completely stunned.

He stared at the check in his hand in disbelief, his heart filled with surprise and gratitude.

In his eyes, just being able to stay in the Crown Territory was a gift from God, and this unexpected windfall made him feel incredibly fortunate.

Seeing Yves’s moved expression, Feng Mountain said with a smile.

"Just like Jenny, since you’re taking on the extra job of being a Pilot, you get an extra 1,000 US Dollars. From now on, your salary will be based on this standard. You can also bring your daughter to the Crown Territory."

"Really?" Yves shot to his feet, his eyes shining with excitement.

It had been 1,125 days, 16 hours, and 44 minutes since he left his daughter, and not a moment went by that he didn’t miss her.

Time trickled by in his longing, each minute and second feeling like an eternity.

In Yves’s heart, his daughter’s smile and the sound of her voice were like a series of precious images, constantly replaying in his mind.

He clearly remembered her every little movement, every laugh. Those beautiful memories were like warm sunlight, soothing his soul.

He had left her, a painful decision, because of his "war syndrome," afraid he might hurt her.

That decision was like a sharp blade, constantly piercing his heart.

Only he could truly understand the helplessness and pain of it all.

But now, a new hope had appeared. Khilla had agreed to let his daughter come to the Crown Territory.

Yves could almost see the day of their reunion, see the blissful scene of them embracing once again.

This was a man who hadn’t cried in his eight years as a Ranger, not when facing a hail of bullets, not when his comrades died in battle. But now, his eyes turned red.

He bit his lip, trying hard to suppress the turmoil inside him, but the glint of tears in his eyes betrayed his vulnerability.

Yves took a deep breath, slowly looked up at Feng Mountain, and the tide of emotion surging in his heart condensed into two simple words.

"Thank you!"

"It’s all going to be okay, buddy." Feng Mountain stepped forward and hugged Yves.

The two men held each other tightly. In that instant, it felt as if all their pain and hardship had dwindled into insignificance.

CLICK!

The sound of a camera shutter went off.

Feng Mountain saw Erica hiding sneakily not far away, secretly taking a picture of them. A knowing smile spread across his face.

"You little rascal, get over here!" Feng Mountain quickly pushed Yves away and chased after the fleeing Erica.

"Waaah! Demi, help me! The bad guy’s after me!" Erica shouted cheerfully as she quickened her pace.

Her cries for help were as clear as silver bells, and her figure darted through the night like a lively reindeer.

Joyful laughter rang out over the silent camp, breaking the tranquility of the night and filling it with life and energy.

...

「The next morning.」

It was still dark outside, but Feng Mountain, as usual, got dressed and went out for his morning run.

One by one, others joined the running group.

However, two people were still missing from the group: Erica and Demi.

He’d learned from Jenny last night that the two girls were lesbians. They had hit it off right after meeting and immediately moved in together.

Oh, well!

Another pair of ’good friends’.

With the precedent set by Grandma Frank, it didn’t seem like a big deal at the camp.

Feng Mountain was already immune to this sort of thing. As long as they were happy, it was fine.

The sun didn’t rise until 10:30 in the morning, but work in the Crown Territory had already long since begun.

Full of energy, Yves flew the P750 to the Kivalina people’s village. David continued to bury his head in designing the new camp. Erica and Demi were huddled in a corner planning a bar. Maria and Tammy went to the vegetable garden. Jenny was getting the dining hall ready, and Wawa was in charge of lighting and extinguishing the kerosene lamps each day.

Even Hu Zi, Black Hide, and Xiaohua ran off to help in the vegetable patch.

Everyone in the entire camp had their own job. It seemed only Feng Mountain and Nash were idle, wandering around like a couple of slackers.

"Nash, what do you say we hike out to the Tundra and stay there for a few days?"

"Okay!" Nash was as deadpan as ever. As long as it was a decision made by Khilla, he would agree unconditionally.

"..." Feng Mountain was speechless.

Feng Mountain sighed to himself. ’Ah, forget it. I’ll think about it after Xiaohua and the others decide whether they’re staying or leaving. It seems that ever since the camp was established, my personal free time has actually decreased.’

Before long, the sound of a propeller echoed through the sky.

Immediately after, a P750 appeared over the snow-capped mountain peak.

Feng Mountain squinted, confirming it wasn’t their P750. This plane was painted orange.

’Has the generator salesman arrived?’

The two of them hopped on their snowmobiles and headed for the airfield.

By the time they reached the runway, the P750 had already landed. The cabin door opened, and three foreigners stepped out, dressed in thick winter clothing, hats, and sunglasses.

Upon seeing Feng Mountain, one of them walked forward.

"Excuse me, which of you is Mr. Feng? We had an appointment to meet today."

"That’s me!" Feng Mountain hopped off his snowmobile.

"Man, this is a great place! I saw it from the plane and fell in love with it already." The man quickly took off his hat and glasses, revealing a bearded face with deep-set eyes and an aquiline nose.

’Hmm, he doesn’t look white, nor does he look like one of the Indigenous People,’ Feng Mountain thought.

"I’m a Turk. You can call me Baima Wangmu. The two behind me are my technicians. Sorry, they don’t speak English." The man with the aquiline nose extended his hand.

Feng Mountain also extended his hand. "Feng Mountain, owner of the Crown Territory."

Just then, a white man emerged from the P750 and shouted to them, "Hey guys, can I get fuel here? I need to refuel."

Feng Mountain grinned. "Of course. Twelve US Dollars a gallon."

"Damn, fuel prices on the Tundra are still so expensive. The transport fee I earned isn’t even enough to cover it," the white man grumbled.

But the nearest fueling station was 300 kilometers away, so he had no choice but to grit his teeth and agree to the price.

’Sweet!’

’Finally making some money back on fuel!’

Feng Mountain had Nash go refuel the plane.

Then he looked at Baima Wangmu. "Can you ride a snowmobile?"

"Of course. I may have been born in the Karakum Desert, but I grew up in Alaska!" Baima Wangmu replied with a slight smile.

"That one’s yours for now." Feng Mountain pointed to the snowmobile Nash had just vacated, then mounted another one and gestured for the others to get on.

The two snowmobiles left the airfield and drove all the way back to the camp.

As they crossed the wooden bridge, a look of constant shock was fixed on Baima Wangmu’s bearded face.

It was mid-November, yet you could still see the Tundra in the Far North Region.

Even the temperature was much warmer than outside, and there were trees with flourishing branches and leaves.

"Man, am I dreaming? Is this place secretly in the Inland Region?" Baima Wangmu couldn’t help but ask.

"There’s shale gas burning under this land. See that bonfire over there? That’s a leak."

Feng Mountain pulled out his tried-and-true explanation.

Baima Wangmu shook his head in regret.

’Shale gas is a resource that can be extracted,’ he thought. ’But given the Crown Territory’s environment, the gas they’d get probably wouldn’t even cover the infrastructure costs. Plus, shale gas extraction can cause earthquakes. All in all, the costs outweigh the benefits.’

"Come on, I’ll take you to see the river!" Unaware of what the Turk was thinking, Feng Mountain beckoned the three of them toward the riverbank.

Once they entered their area of expertise, the two technicians immediately took various flow measurement tools out of their backpacks.

Meanwhile, Baima Wangmu stood to the side, chatting casually with Feng Mountain.

"My friend, you’re the first customer in Alaska to use a hydro-turbine generator. I have to say, you have excellent judgment. This technology was independently developed by us in Turkey, and we’re currently promoting it worldwide."

"Alaskans, however, prefer to use wind power. How can that low-end technology compare to hydro-turbines? Every spring, I have to spend a huge amount of effort repairing frozen blades and motors."

"New technology always needs time to be tested," Feng Mountain offered a small agreement. ’Independently developed, my ass. I bet China could replicate the same technology in a month.’

"You have great foresight." Baima Wangmu’s vanity was satisfied. He pointed at the Ice River before them. "I think the water flow should be fine. A single hydro-turbine generator will be enough to meet your camp’s needs."

"And what if I want to increase my power supply?" Of course, Feng Mountain wasn’t satisfied with a single generator. With a bar, dining hall, and other facilities being built in the future, his electricity needs were bound to grow.

"Then you just build another one. Hydro-turbine generators can be chained indefinitely until your requirements are met."

Baima Wangmu gave a smug smile. Seeing that the technicians had finished collecting data, he stopped chatting and walked over to ask about the results.

They spoke in Turkish, which Feng Mountain couldn’t understand at all.

However, that didn’t stop him from observing their reactions from their expressions.

From the looks of it, the results were quite good. They were all smiles.

"My friend, could you take us to the end of the river? I think the current will be stronger there!" Baima Wangmu said, turning around.

"Of course!"

Feng Mountain nodded and led the three of them to the end of the Ice River. After days of being scoured by the current, the confluence of the two ice rivers had widened considerably. A large volume of snowmelt from the mountain was surging out from beneath the ice.

The two technicians took another flow measurement.

The results were even better than at the previous spot on the river. They nodded repeatedly, recommending they install the hydro-turbine generator here.

"My friend, the technicians say this spot is perfect. We can definitely build a generator here," Baima Wangmu translated.

Feng Mountain nodded. "Does it require construction?"

"Yes!" Baima Wangmu took out a brochure. "The hydro-turbine generator needs a diversion channel to increase the water’s velocity, which in turn drives the turbine to generate power. The strength of the current affects the power output."

Taking the brochure, Feng Mountain saw a diagram of a snail-shell-shaped channel with a turbine unit installed at its center.

The scope of the work wasn’t large.

It only required construction on the side of the main river channel, with a length of no more than ten meters.

Conveniently, the camp already had an excavator and cement on hand. The work could be finished in two days.

"I see no problem. Let’s talk about the cost," Feng Mountain said, putting away the brochure with satisfaction and looking at Baima Wangmu.

...