Chapter 218: Chapter 207: Returning to Port (Part 2)

As soon as the call connected, a pinched, high-pitched voice came through.

"Pal, we’ve planted a bomb on your fishing boat. Pay 100,000 US Dollars now, or we’ll detonate it."

The sudden threat made Feng Shan freeze for a moment, but his lips soon curled into a slight smile.

"Go ahead, blow it up. After you sink my boat, I’ll toss you and Demi into the Bering Sea to feed the Emperor Crabs."

"Ugh, you’re no fun!" The pinched voice changed back to Erica’s, her tone laced with a playful coyness. "Khilla, guess where we are. There’s a mysterious grand prize if you guess right."

"Did the camp’s AT&T base station go live?" Feng Shan asked, his voice rising slightly.

"Hmph, did you leave your sense of humor in the Bering Sea?" Erica retorted, a hint of dissatisfaction in her voice. She seemed disappointed that he’d guessed the answer so quickly. "I’ll let David talk to you. David, Khilla’s on the phone for you!"

The change of subject seemed like a deliberate attempt to avoid mentioning that mysterious grand prize.

David took the phone and briefly summarized the camp’s construction progress. Then, Jenny got on to talk about camp logistics. She mentioned that Tom had introduced a leatherworker who wanted to open a fur shop at the camp, but without Feng Shan’s approval, the artisan was just staying at the camp and waiting for him to return.

A leatherworker.

’He must be talking about Daisen from Polaris Town.’

Feng Shan had a strong impression of Daisen. His own prized Wolf Fur Coat had been made by the man, whose leatherworking skills were exceptional.

’His daughter has depression, I think.’

Over the phone, Feng Shan approved Daisen’s request to open a fur shop at the camp and told David to mark out a plot of land for him.

After hanging up, Feng Shan’s thoughts turned to Black Hide and the others back home.

His fingers clumsily swiped across the phone screen to the WeChat icon. Xiaohua was the one who had installed the app for him, explaining that it could be used for video calls, not just voice calls.

Staring at the strange and magical app, Feng Shan was filled with a sense of wonder.

’My idea of a phone is still stuck on just making and receiving calls.’

’While the world was going through a technological explosion, I was stuck in prison working a sewing machine.’

Having missed that era of rapid development, Feng Shan now felt both curious and a little overwhelmed when faced with such advanced software. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

It was 6:00 PM now, which meant it should be 9:00 AM back home.

After fumbling around for a good while, he finally found the video call function.

The next moment, the screen indicated the call had connected. It flickered, and Xiaohua’s face appeared.

Her face was lit with pleasant surprise, and her eyes were smiling.

"Brother, you know how to use WeChat now!"

"What do you mean, ’now’? I’ve always known how, I just didn’t feel like using it!" Feng Shan retorted shamelessly. Seeing a flower bed in Xiaohua’s background, he asked with a smile, "No prenatal check-up today?"

Xiaohua’s smile was as bright as a flower. She flipped the camera around. "I don’t have one today. I’m sunbathing outside the supermarket. Hu Zi and Black Hide are inside doing renovations. They won’t let me in, said the formaldehyde fumes are bad for the baby."

The camera showed a supermarket storefront. The sign was covered with newspaper, and the interior was still under renovation, with a noisy CLANGING and BANGING coming from inside.

"Hu Zi! Hu Zi!" Xiaohua’s voice called from off-camera.

A moment later, Hu Zi walked out of the supermarket with a hat made of newspaper on his head. His clothes were spattered with paint, and his expression was tense.

"What’s wrong? Is your stomach bothering you?"

"Brother Shan knows how to use WeChat video now, come quick!" Xiaohua mercilessly rubbed salt in Feng Shan’s wound.

Hu Zi paused for a second, then turned his head and shouted something into the store. In a few quick steps, he was in front of the camera, grinning from ear to ear.

"Brother, you finally figured out WeChat! Long-distance calls are so expensive, a few bucks a minute. WeChat is so much more convenient, we can talk for as long as we want."

"Brother, impressive! You can use WeChat now!" Black Hide, dressed similarly to Hu Zi, ran up to the camera with a cheeky grin.

’That’s enough, you three!’

’You don’t hit a guy where it hurts.’

’Did they really have to bring it up three times?’

Feng Shan glared irritably at the two on the screen. "Show me your supermarket."

"You got it!" Hu Zi took the phone and walked toward the store. As soon as he was inside, he began to ramble on about his design and layout, with Black Hide chiming in from time to time.

Feng Shan didn’t understand anything about supermarkets, but he loved the feeling of chatting with his brothers.

After the supermarket, they talked about houses, and after houses, they talked about crab fishing. In short, they had an endless supply of topics.

Eventually, the three of them took the phone to a cold-drink shop next door and ordered a glass of ice water to cool it down.

Passersby, however, witnessed a strange scene.

Three young people, a woman and two men, were talking and laughing at a single phone on a table, and on that phone’s screen was a man.

No matter how you looked at it, the whole picture felt awkward and uncomfortable.

It was Feng Shan who finally noticed the strange looks from passersby, realized something was off, and ended the video call with a muttered word.

By the time the call was over, the sky outside had grown completely dark.

The frigid wind blowing from the Arctic Ocean made the temperature drop, and the bone-chilling cold felt like a thousand blades of ice piercing Saint Paul Island.

Specks of snow began to drift down from the night sky, adding a unique beauty to the cold evening.

Feng Shan lit the firewood in the fireplace.

The firewood burned with a pleasant CRACKLE, and the warm flames instantly chased away the chill in the room.

He found a bag of smoked sausages in the kitchen fridge, fried them up for a simple meal, and then crawled into bed to rest.

His consciousness reached out across the miles, connecting with the tribe’s Fire Seed.

A complete view of the camp appeared in his mind.

On a field of vibrant mossy grass, the camp was brimming with life and energy.

The camp’s buildings were arranged in a scattered yet orderly fashion. Streetlights cast a soft glow that spilled onto the grass, bringing out a faint green luminescence.

Yves, Nash, and Wawa were patrolling the camp grounds.

Music drifted from the bar, sometimes rousing and passionate, sometimes mellow and soothing. The residents of Kivalina Town, camp employees, and also Erica and Demi were swaying to the rhythm, immersed in the joyous atmosphere.

Laughter rose and fell in the restaurant, and the aroma of delicious food filled the air.

Maria and Tammy sat around a dining table, savoring the delicious dishes and listening to others tell stories.

In a wooden cabin.

Jenny sat before the fireplace, staring blankly while holding a coffee mug. Lying beside her were Coca-Cola, Princess, Prince, and the two little Polar Bears.

Watching all of this, Feng Shan felt an inexplicable sense of gratification, feeling that everything he had done was worthwhile.

...

「The next morning.」

A series of knocks echoed, and Feng Shan pulled the door open.

Alvin was standing at the door with a brilliant smile, holding out a bag with a sandwich and a coffee.

"Good morning, Boss. This is a breakfast of loving-kindness, made especially for you by Lady Margaret!"

"What are you here for? Is the handover of the Emperor Crabs to Master Xu complete?"

Taking the breakfast, Feng Shan stepped aside, gesturing for him to come inside.

It had snowed all night, and the small island was now covered in a blanket of pure white.

As far as the eye could see, the entire island looked like a fairytale world, dressed in silver.

Alvin shrugged. "Today’s the memorial for the Hollywood. The guys all want to attend. We’ll head to Anchorage after the event is over. I just came to let you know."

’The memorial service!’

Feng Shan suddenly remembered he’d promised the islanders he would attend. He pulled out his phone to check the time—it was already 8:00! He hurriedly grabbed the fur coat draped over the back of a chair.

The two of them hurried to the gathering point.

It was the plaza in front of the island’s community church.

The early morning sun fell upon the snow, reflecting a dazzling light.

The plaza was silent, save for the occasional soft crunch of footsteps.

The island residents, dockworkers, and Crab Fishermen had all gathered. Everyone was dressed in plain, muted colors—whites, light grays, and pale blues intermingled, resembling a calm sea.

With solemn expressions, the people stood in silence, as if lost in thought.

Each person held an item made from a crab shell; some held exquisite crab claws, others held shells carved with intricate patterns.

Among them were the crewmen of the River Beach.

Feng Shan’s arrival didn’t cause much of a stir; instead, all eyes were fixed on the church.

Just then, the church doors slowly swung open with a faint CREAK.

A priest with a kind yet solemn face emerged. He wore a long black robe, and the white collar at his neck was particularly conspicuous.

Then, the priest turned and walked back into the church.

The townspeople in the plaza followed behind the priest, their steps light and orderly, like a slowly flowing river.

...