A fiery sensation spread through his body.

Like a burning flame, it instantly chased away the chill in his bones.

Chief Bird’s cheeks flushed slightly and his eyes grew brighter. He raised his glass and drained the rest of the Tundra Bonfire.

He let out a breath heavy with alcohol and gave the bartender a thumbs-up.

"Fantastic! This stuff really packs a punch!"

The bartender smiled and nodded, as if he were already used to such reactions.

Just then, Sun Jia strode into the bar and came up to Feng Shan, an excited expression on his face. "Brother Feng, do you need to keep any of the weapons for yourself?"

"No need, take them straight to the shooting range." Feng Shan waved his hand, then thought for a moment. "Actually, I’ll go with you to the range. Chief, are you staying here to drink, or coming with us?"

"Let’s go. Those assholes at the FBI are still waiting for my investigation report. I have to make an appearance." Chief Bird reluctantly put down his glass.

The purchased weapons were all packed in crates loaded onto sleds. Worried that crossing the camp would damage the mossy ground, Yves and the others drove their snowmobiles in a wide circle around the outside of the camp, towing the sleds to the newly built shooting range.

The range’s full name was the Brown Bear Shooting Range.

As the designer, Sun Jia personally gave Feng Shan and Chief Bird a tour.

The shooting range covered an area of 1,500 square meters and was divided by function into a fully enclosed indoor range, a semi-open outdoor range, and a fully open outdoor range.

The interior structure was simple, featuring a Tundra style with all-natural wood. There was no excessive decoration; the focus was on a rustic, natural feel.

The fully enclosed indoor range was for handguns, with pistol shooting and close-quarters shooting lanes set up according to international standards at distances of 7, 10, 15, and 25 meters.

The semi-open and fully open outdoor ranges were primarily for rifles, with designated lanes at 25, 50, 100, and 200 meters.

As Sun Jia explained, Chief Bird’s eyes grew brighter and brighter. Looking at the various ranges, he was itching with anticipation, like a monkey covered in fleas, scratching its ears and cheeks.

"Hey, buddy, how about I try a couple of shots?" Chief Bird reached for the holster inside his jacket several times.

But he was carrying his service weapon, and firing it without cause would be a huge hassle. He could only shoot when on duty or when he or someone else faced a life-threatening situation.

After firing, he would have to recover the casings, fill out a use-of-force report, and submit it to the internal affairs department for review.

After a moment of internal debate, he gave up on the idea and turned to Feng Shan.

"Forget it, just let me borrow your gun!"

"I’m not carrying a gun!" Feng Shan refused the request without hesitation.

In the United States, there are two things you never lend out: your car and your gun.

You don’t lend your car mainly because the owner is legally liable in case of an accident.

Lending a gun is even riskier. If someone gets killed with the borrowed firearm, the owner could face a lawsuit. And in the United States, compensation isn’t just tens or hundreds of thousands, but can easily run into millions of US dollars.

Chief Bird shrugged, not offended by Feng Shan’s refusal.

After all, Feng Shan wasn’t some undocumented worker with no connections. On the contrary, his background was quite extensive. The ones Bird himself knew of included Frank, the Independent Party, the Taiga Alliance, the Wild Bull Tribe, and some other unspecified major Indigenous tribes.

These connections were like a solid backing, giving Feng Shan a special status and influence in this land.

Sun Jia, who was accompanying them, smiled and said, "Chief, once the guns arrive, you can play with them as much as you like."

’Who’s this?’

Chief Bird turned to look at Sun Jia, who had spoken, and then back at Feng Shan, his gaze questioning.

’Who is he?’

’Your employee?’

Feng Shan smiled slightly and introduced him. "My partner. He’ll be in charge of this shooting range from now on."

’A partner.’

’And a Chinese man, at that.’

’He couldn’t be some rich backer you’ve tricked, could he?’

The thought couldn’t help but flash through Chief Bird’s mind.

How else could the infrastructure in the Crown Territory be developing so quickly? An airstrip, a restaurant, a bar, and even hydroelectric power—these things were common in Fairbanks, but this was the remote, roadless, middle-of-nowhere Crown Territory.

An item worth one US Dollar could sell for ten times that amount here.

Then, Chief Bird secretly shot Feng Shan a knowing look and began to greet Sun Jia warmly. As a member of the National Rifle Association of America, he had his own unique insights about shooting ranges.

Sun Jia was a little surprised by the sudden goodwill from this foreign police chief—and not just any chief, but the head of the Fairbanks Police Department, which managed Alaska’s second-largest city.

After all, in Sun Jia’s experience, foreigners of this stature usually kept a certain distance from Chinese people.

Besides, Sun Jia was no naive young man. When someone extended an olive branch, it was foolish not to accept it.

Sun Jia immediately began sharing his plans and hopes for the shooting range.

He spoke about upgrading the facilities, safety management, and future development directions, each point delivered with confidence.

Chief Bird listened intently to Sun Jia’s explanation, nodding in agreement from time to time.

During their conversation, he also shared his own experiences and suggestions, offering some valuable input.

Seeing the two of them chatting so enthusiastically, Feng Shan understood that the Chief of the Fairbanks Police Department was being so cordial with Sun Jia largely out of respect for him.

Feng Shan naturally understood such social nuances.

「Soon.」

The roar of snowmobiles was heard outside the shooting range.

The three of them stopped talking and walked out of the range building.

Behind six snowmobiles were sleds laden with crates.

Firearms made up only a small portion of the cargo; the bulk of it was ammunition.

For this procurement of firearms for the range, Feng Shan had spent 60,000 US dollars on ammunition alone. His reasoning was that ammo was cheap now, so it was best to buy as much as possible, as the price would likely go up in the future.