An hour later, the three of them arrived at an open, snowy slope on the tundra.

In the distance, they saw a dozen or so black dots moving slowly across the white snow.

This was their prey for the day.

Feng Mountain stopped his snowmobile, took the Type 56 carbine off his back, and pulled the bolt to check the action. Then, he linked the two snowmobiles together with a tow hook.

He then looked at Feng Jun. "Nash and I will sneak over on foot. When you hear gunshots, ride the snowmobile over to pick us up. Any questions?"

"N-No problem," Feng Jun replied hastily.

"Stay hidden!"

After another reminder, Feng Mountain and Nash grabbed their rifles and crept forward, hunched over, toward the herd of musk oxen.

It was a small herd of about fourteen musk oxen, all adults. There wasn’t a single calf among them. It was possible the herd had been attacked by wolves or a bear, killing all the young.

When a herd of musk oxen spots a predator, they don’t panic and scatter like wild oxen. Instead, they quickly form a special defensive circle.

The strong bulls stand shoulder-to-shoulder on the perimeter, heads lowered and horns facing outward toward the enemy, protecting the cows and calves in the inner circle. The one directing the defense is often an older female.

The bulls will charge predators with their sharp horns, relying on their long, thick coats to protect them from bites. After an attack, a bull will quickly return to its position, ready for the next one.

However, if this defensive circle is broken by predators...

The herd will scatter in all directions, and the calves will be abandoned by the panicking adults.

This is why musk ox calves rarely die from environmental factors; most are abandoned by the adults and become food for predators.

As for the herd before them, Feng Mountain only planned to hunt two bulls. This wouldn’t destabilize the group and would also reduce conflicts between the males.

"You take the bull on the left, the one with the slightly grayish coat." Feng Mountain narrowed his eyes, carefully observing the herd two hundred meters away. After choosing his target, he spoke to Nash in a low voice.

Nash peeked out for a look and nodded. He rested his Type 56 on the snow and took aim.

Feng Mountain raised his own rifle, lining up the sights on his target.

"I’ll count to three. We fire together."

"One, two, three!"

BANG! BANG!

After the two crisp gunshots, the faint smell of gunpowder lingered in the air.

The once-quiet herd was instantly consumed by terror. Like a disturbed tide, they fled chaotically in one direction, kicking up flurries of snow.

However, two figures within the herd staggered a few steps before collapsing onto the snow.

Feng Mountain and Nash grabbed their guns and ran toward the fallen musk oxen. A moment later, the roar of a snowmobile sounded from behind them.

Feng Jun drove up beside them.

"Get over there, fast." Feng Mountain didn’t waste words, hopping onto the back seat and patting Feng Jun’s shoulder.

Normally, they wouldn’t be in such a hurry after a successful hunt.

But it was winter on the Tundra. In the -40 degree temperatures, the musk ox’s blood would freeze quickly. Meat with congealed blood in it didn’t taste good, so they had to bleed the animal as fast as possible.

Soon, the snowmobile reached the dead musk ox.

Feng Mountain jumped off and took a few steps to the musk ox, then crouched down.

He pushed aside the mane on its neck to find a blood vessel, then took out his knife and quickly plunged it in, making a crosswise cut.

Warm musk ox blood gushed from the incision, sending clouds of steam into the frigid air.

He then used the knife to cut a circle around the hoof joints, severing all four. The blood pooled in the limbs began to drain out.

The dark red blood spread across the snow like a blooming flower, a thing of cruel beauty.

Nash was bleeding the other musk ox using the same technique.

However, after bleeding for only a short while, the wound quickly froze over in the low temperature. The musk ox’s corpse was frozen solid, hard as an icy sculpture, having lost all the softness and warmth of life.

In the Far North, the cold was the power that ruled over all.

It assaulted every living thing without mercy, making even death more absolute.

The skinning would have to wait until they got back to camp.

The two musk oxen weighed over 700 kilograms, enough to feed the camp for a while.

Feng Mountain and Nash moved quickly, tightly wrapping the two musk oxen in a waterproof tarp and heaving them onto the sled.

Standing to one side, Feng Jun was filled with envy as he watched Feng Mountain and Nash work, a myriad of emotions swirling in his heart.

’Such a large wild animal... if this were back home...’

’You’d get three years in prison at a minimum.’

...

Just as they finished up, the weather turned.

In the darkness, a fierce wind began to howl, roaring like an angry beast.

Snow was whipped up by the gale, flying wildly and blurring their vision.

The once-silent Tundra seemed to awaken in an instant, filled with unease and agitation.

"Back to camp, follow me!" Feng Mountain instructed, then got on his snowmobile and plunged into the blizzard, pulling the sled behind him.

The fierce wind battered them, trying to blow them off course.

The roar of the snowmobile engines sounded strangely muffled in the wind.

The headlights illuminated a small area ahead, where snowflakes danced frantically in the beams.

Feng Mountain gripped the handlebars tightly, his eyes glued to the path ahead, struggling to discern the direction.

「Crown Camp」

Inside the cabin, Jenny was tidying up Feng Mountain’s bedroom when she suddenly heard a faint buzzing sound. Following it downstairs, she was shocked to see the weather receiver flashing a red light.

Instantly, Jenny’s expression grew grim.

The weather receiver was connected to a meteorological satellite and only issued a red alert when extreme weather was imminent.

Thinking of this, Jenny rushed to the receiver to check the information on its screen.

Gale-force winds, a heavy blizzard, extreme low temperatures—every word made her uneasy.

Feng Mountain and Nash were still out hunting on the Tundra.

Jenny’s body trembled slightly with fear. She took out her phone and dialed Feng Mountain’s number to check on him.

The call went through, but no one answered.

The ringing tone sounded especially piercing in the quiet cabin, each beep like a hammer blow to her heart.

A bad feeling began to spread through Jenny.

An image of Feng Mountain trapped in the blizzard flashed through her mind, and she was instantly filled with anxiety.

Outside the cabin, snowflakes began to drift from the sky.

Jenny paced back and forth anxiously, praying that Feng Mountain and the others would answer the phone soon. But the constant ringing only made her heart sink lower.

She then grabbed the walkie-talkie and announced the situation on the public channel.

Hearing the news, everyone in the camp stopped what they were doing.

A short while later, everyone gathered in the open space outside the cabin, their faces tense.

"Why didn’t they check the weather forecast before leaving? What do we do now?" Sun Jia said anxiously. She had just started her partnership with Feng Mountain; she’d bet her entire fortune on this.

"What are we waiting for? We have to go to the Tundra and find them!"

"Should we contact the rescue center and ask them to send a helicopter?"

"Are you crazy? It’ll be too late by the time a helicopter gets here."

"We should just organize our own rescue party!"

...

Everyone started talking at once, offering suggestions, but the more they talked, the more chaotic things became.

The mix of voices was grating, making everyone more agitated.

Everyone was trying to offer their own ideas, but in the tense atmosphere, none of them seemed reassuring.

Jenny and the other women, in particular, looked sick with worry, their faces pale and their eyes filled with anxiety.

"Everyone, quiet down!" Yves stepped forward, raising his hands to silence the crowd. "Let’s not panic. Khilla is an experienced outdoorsman, and Nash is with him. Don’t forget, not long ago, Khilla and Nash walked all the way to Kaktovik. They won’t be in danger."

"Did Khilla take the satellite phone with him?"

Jenny shook her head. While cleaning the cabin earlier, she had seen the satellite phone sitting on the coffee table in the living room.

Yves nodded and looked out at the crowd.

His gaze was firm, as if he had become everyone’s backbone in that moment.

"Give me the satellite phone. Gunpowder, Bat, Scar, Wawa, and I will take the snowmobiles to the Tundra. The rest of you stay at camp. We’ll use the sat phone to stay in touch if anything happens."

With someone in command, the group sprang into action. Jenny went back into the cabin, got the satellite phone, and handed it to Yves.

Gunpowder, Bat, Scar, and Wawa also prepared quickly. They mounted their snowmobiles, and the roar of the engines shattered the tense silence of the camp.

Yves looked at the people seeing them off, his eyes full of confidence.

"We will definitely find Khilla and Nash. Don’t worry."

With that, he twisted the throttle and led the other four into the dark, snowy tempest.

The wind howled across the sky, and snowflakes fluttered down.

The biting wind swept through the camp like an angry roar, while the white snowflakes, like dancing elves, fell lightly to the ground.

The people at the camp didn’t leave. They stood at the head of the bridge, staring in the direction Yves had gone.

Worry and anticipation were written on every face.

They were worried for the safety of Feng Mountain and Nash, and they were hoping Yves and his team would bring back good news.

Snowflakes fell continuously on them, gradually accumulating in a thin white layer.

...