"What’s going on?" Feng Shan asked Alvin in a low voice after meeting up with the River Beach crew and following the crowd into the church.

"A prayer service," Alvin whispered, explaining the proceedings. "We’re praying for the souls of the departed, asking that they find peace in the next world. A choir will sing holy hymns later, too."

The inside of the church wasn’t as solemn as Feng Shan had imagined.

There were no ornate decorations, brilliant lights, or various statues; the walls were simply painted white.

It was just a simple hall lined with long benches on either side. The benches themselves looked rather old, their wooden surfaces worn smooth by time, losing their luster.

A central aisle ran between the benches, and its floor was plain concrete, slightly uneven in some spots.

At the far end was a wooden platform, about half a meter high, with a lectern on it. A wooden cross hung on the back wall.

Led by Alvin, Feng Shan sat in a corner with the crew.

"Boss, for you!" a crewman said, handing him an Emperor Crab leg.

’What’s this?’

’Shouldn’t a memorial service use things like flowers? What’s the deal with bringing a crab leg?’

He had noticed many people outside the church carrying crab-related items, but he had been too embarrassed to ask.

Feng Shan took the crab leg and examined it. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

’Hmm, the crab meat’s been cleaned out. It’s just an empty shell.’

"A Crab Fisherman is born on the Evil Sea and dies on the Evil Sea. His life is for the crab," Alvin’s words resonated among the crew, filled with a deep, tragic sentiment.

The memorial service began.

The church fell silent as everyone was immersed in the solemn atmosphere.

The priest stood at the lectern and began to speak in a low, resonant voice.

He spoke of the lost crewmen’s courage and sacrifice, of their struggle against the Evil Sea, and of their dedication to and love for the crab. He prayed for their souls, asking that they find peace in the next world.

The families of the deceased, sitting in the front pews, could not contain their sorrow, and the sound of choked sobs faintly echoed in the quiet church.

After the priest finished, the friends and family of the lost crewmen came up to the platform to share stories and memories.

Finally, everyone rose to pray while the children stood by the platform and sang a holy hymn.

The melodious singing echoed through the hall, lending the simple church an air of solemnity.

The church memorial service concluded.

Everyone then went to a seaside fishing pier where over thirty sport fishing boats were docked. Each boat was adorned with black ribbons or white flowers, which fluttered gently in the sea breeze.

Among them was Alvin’s Petrovna. Ever since Alvin had become the captain of the River Beach, he had been renting this boat out to the island residents.

Everyone participating in the event boarded the sport fishing boats.

As the heroes who had saved the crew of the Hollywood, Feng Shan and Alvin were seated on the Petrovna, which was at the head of the procession.

The flotilla of more than thirty boats sailed out of the bay, a magnificent and solemn sight.

The fleet proceeded slowly across the sea, leaving white wakes behind as they circled Saint Paul Island, horns blaring.

Finally, they reached the mouth of the harbor by the Merchant Fishing Pier, where the flotilla bobbed up and down on the waves of the Bering Sea.

The waves lapped against the hulls, making a splashing sound, as if playing a final dirge for the departed.

As they moved, the mourners on each boat tossed the crab-related items they held into the sea one by one.

These items carried everyone’s thoughts and blessings for the deceased, symbolizing the return of their souls to the embrace of the sea.

When the last crab item fell into the water, the mourners on the boats stood in silence, gazing out at the vast and turbulent Evil Sea before them.

「...」

"Khilla, we’re about to land!" Nash’s voice sounded by his ear.

Feng Shan opened his eyes, waking from a dream. He pulled back the curtain covering the porthole and saw a vast expanse of white mountain peaks outside.

The camp was right below, a stretch of lush green Tundra that was a comfortable sight no matter how he looked at it.

A base station built on a snowy mountaintop caught Feng Shan’s attention. The bright red logo on its tall metal frame was particularly conspicuous.

Nash, sitting beside him, said, "Khilla, the AT&T Company applied for a plot of land at the camp to build a business office. They hired one of the girls as an employee."

"They can hire as many as they want, as long as their salary and benefits aren’t short-changed." Feng Shan stretched, not giving the matter a second thought.

He had told the girls when they first arrived that they were free to come and go from the camp as they pleased.

As long as it was a better opportunity for them, he would support them without reservation.

He continued to admire the camp from the air.

The Tundra’s expansion had never stopped. Aided by the constant supply of Soul Power from the Emperor Crabs these past few days, the mossy ground was now on the verge of surrounding the lake behind the log cabin.

As the plane came in over the runway, preparing to land...

Feng Shan suddenly noticed a new building not far from the runway. It was quite large.

"What’s that place for?"

Nash half-stood to get a look. "It’s a shooting range. The day after you left, Mr. He came to the Crown Territory. He said you’d agreed to a partnership to build a shooting range at the camp."

’He Jia!’

Feng Shan vaguely remembered something like that.

"So? Is it operational yet?"

Nash shook his head. "No guns. We were waiting for you to get back."

Feng Shan was speechless.

’Getting guns is simple enough.’

’I can just buy them. I have an FFL, which has probably been gathering dust in a drawer somewhere.’

’It’s time to stock my armory. I have so few guns right now.’

The P-750 landed smoothly on the runway.

He stepped off the plane.

Seeing only Wawa standing alone by a snowmobile to greet him, Feng Shan felt a strange pang of sadness.

’Sigh, the team has grown, but our hearts have drifted apart.’