Landlord in the Arctic-Chapter 42: Leaving

’From my homeland?’

Feng Shan nodded without hesitation.

The salesman turned and walked into the storeroom, returning with an old wooden box that he placed on the counter.

He opened the lid. Inside lay a rifle with a wooden stock. Its design was simple and elegant, with smooth lines and a long, slender barrel fitted with a folding sword bayonet.

"Sir, this is an export-model Type 56 semi-automatic rifle. It crossed thousands of miles of ocean to come to our country and has waited in this gun shop, lonely, for many years. I think it must be waiting for one of its own."

’This guy...’

’He’s even using personification to sell a gun!’

Feng Shan knew, of course, that the salesman was saying this deliberately to stir his feelings for his homeland. The corners of his mouth quirked up.

"Then how much will it cost for me to take my ’kin’ home?"

"For 2,000 US Dollars, you can take your kin home," the salesman said quickly.

"Hey, buddy, have prices in Alaska gone up this much recently?" Tom, who had been watching the scene unfold, couldn’t help but interject. "I remember this type of antique rifle never went for more than 1,000 US Dollars. You want Old Tom to take a look for you?"

Er...

The salesman looked embarrassed.

The other guns he had just sold all had official list prices, so the profit margin was slim.

Antique guns, however, were a different story. The price was subjective, all depending on one’s judgment. He had finally run into what looked like a nouveau riche customer and was hoping to make a killing on this old, unsellable rifle.

But being called out like this made things difficult. If the customer decided to make a scene, it would be bad for the shop’s reputation.

"I might have remembered it wrong. Let me check the ledger!" The salesman pulled out a notebook and made a show of flipping through it before exclaiming, "Ah!" He then looked at Feng Shan apologetically.

"My apologies, sir. One of our junior staff members made a mistake. The price for this antique rifle is 1,100 US Dollars. To make up for the error, our shop will include two boxes of ammunition for free."

’Just because I have money doesn’t mean I’m a sucker,’ Feng Shan thought. If Tom hadn’t stepped in, he would have been out an extra 900 bucks.

’Trying to fleece me.’

Feng Shan gave the salesman an annoyed look. "Wrap it up."

"Sir, this rifle has a few brothers and sisters. It would be cruel for any of them to be separated. A family is only happy when it’s together, don’t you think?" the salesman added, his tone unhurried.

Feng Shan froze for a second, then gave the salesman a big thumbs-up.

’Kid, you’re wasted selling guns.’

...

Three Walmart trucks were parked at the supermarket entrance.

As a beat-up old pickup truck pulled out of the parking lot, the delivery trucks slowly started up and followed it.

"Feng, you bought so many supplies. How are you going to get them all back?" Tom asked, sneaking a glance at Feng Shan in the passenger seat.

Feng Shan understood what Tom was getting at.

The Crown Territory was remote, surrounded by hundreds of kilometers of tundra in every direction. There were no roads leading to it, so the only way to transport goods was by air.

"I can give you the job, but you have to guarantee that not a single item goes missing."

"My generous boss, you can rest assured. If even a single chili flake goes missing, I’ll sign Old Tom’s Flying School over to you."

"You’re just looking for a rich backer to dump your bad assets on, aren’t you!"

His thoughts exposed, Tom gave a sheepish laugh but grumbled to himself inwardly.

’When Feng first arrived, he was like a complete blockhead. How has he changed into a completely different person?’

「Back at the flight school.」

The equipment from Titan Star Company had been delivered, and it took another hour to unload everything from the Walmart Supermarket trucks.

The Cubcrafters Sales Center called to report that the new plane’s custom paint job was complete. It was about to arrive in Fairbanks, and they wanted to know if Feng Shan had an airport for delivery. If not, they would send it to the designated Cubcrafters airfield.

Not wanting the extra hassle, Feng Shan told them to deliver the plane to Old Tom’s Flying School.

「Before long.」

The roar of propellers echoed from the sky.

Soon after, two planes appeared, one flying behind the other.

The lead aircraft was a white, single-wing backcountry plane. It had a faint black trim along the wing edges, which were also dotted with small, triangular black markings. From the ground, it looked like a gracefully fluttering white butterfly.

The "white butterfly" circled once above Old Tom’s Flying School before gently touching down on the runway.

"What a beautiful plane," Tom said, his eyes narrowing with envy.

The cabin door opened, and a pilot jumped out. He was dressed in a protective suit, complete with goggles, a face mask, and even gloves.

’Nice!’ 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

At that moment, Feng Shan was even more impressed with the Cubcrafters company’s service philosophy. They had the pilot fly in a clean suit to show respect and deliver a pristine aircraft, eliminating any potential customer dissatisfaction.

"Mr. Feng, I’m the delivery pilot. This is a gift for you from Cubcrafters."

The pilot held out a gift box.

Feng Shan opened the box. Inside was an exquisite white aviation headset, a perfect match for the new plane.

"Thank you!"

"Mr. Feng, please unveil the aircraft’s name," the pilot said, walking to the side of the plane and pointing to a white decal on the fuselage.

Feng Shan walked over, picked at a corner, and pulled gently. The white decal slowly peeled away from the fuselage, revealing the name underneath.

The name was rendered in a striking, artistic red script: **Carnation**. Below it, the name was printed again in standard English.

When the decal on the tail was removed, it revealed a spray-painted cluster of pink carnations.

The overall effect made the aircraft look like a white butterfly flitting among a patch of carnations.

Next, the Little Bear Company pilot needed to give Feng Shan a crash course on the new plane. In addition to the basic instrument panel, a full avionics suite had been installed.

Although the system was designed to be foolproof, Little Bear Company required mandatory training for all first-time users to ensure their safety.

The 10.3-inch flight display looked incredibly high-tech. As the Little Bear Company pilot carefully explained each function, Feng Shan listened and learned intently.

Tom stood to the side, listening in. When he saw the large screen on the new plane’s instrument panel, he was green with envy. And when he heard it also had cruise control and an autopilot system, that envy soured even further.

As an air freight pilot, Tom had spent years flying back and forth across the Far North Tundra Region. A single round trip could often take ten hours, putting immense strain on both his body and mind. As he got older, he was starting to feel that he could no longer keep up.

’If I had cruise control and autopilot, I could easily do this for another 20 years.’

But when he learned the avionics suite alone was worth 90,000 US Dollars, Tom fell silent. He stared at Feng Shan’s new plane and shouted, his voice a cocktail of envy, jealousy, and bitterness.

"Real men fly planes with their own two hands, not with some damn autopilot! That’s for sissies!"

Feng Shan heard him and completely understood Tom’s sour grapes attitude.

He eagerly invited the Little Bear Company pilot to fly with him to get a better handle on the new avionics system.

After the Carnation had been in the air for an hour, it touched down on the runway once more.

"Mr. Feng, you’re the quickest study I’ve ever had as a customer. Thank you for choosing a Top Cub, and have a great day." After offering his good wishes, the Little Bear Company pilot wasted no time in hopping into the other plane and taking off.

"Buddy, I’m so jealous you get to own a brand-new Cub," Tom said, his eyes fixed on the Carnation, its reflection filling his gaze.

Feng Shan gently placed a hand on the plane’s fuselage, lost in thought. After a moment, he turned around.

"Tom, I’m going to fly the Carnation back to the Crown Territory. You arrange to have the supplies sent over."

"So soon? Okay, I get it. I’d do the same thing if I were you." Tom nodded in understanding. "Aren’t you going to tell Frank?"

’Frank!’

’That guy is probably still lost in some woman’s tender embrace, unable to extricate himself.’

Feng Shan shook his head, then looked at the Indian. "Nash, I’m heading home. Are you coming with me?"

"Okay," Nash replied with just a single word, but his tone was resolute.

A smile spread across Feng Shan’s face. "Then let’s go. Let’s get the gun cases onto the plane. Prince, Coca-Cola, we’re going home!"

The three of them loaded the gun cases and ammunition onto the plane. He couldn’t have Tom’s men deliver these items. If a gun went missing in transit and was later used in an incident, it would cause no end of trouble for Feng Shan.

As the Carnation’s propeller began to spin rapidly, a roar shattered the tranquility of the airfield.

Feng Shan gripped the control stick, slid open the side window, and called out to Tom on the ground, "Carnation, requesting takeoff!"

"Request granted. Have a smooth flight!" Tom said, raising a hand to his brow in a mock salute.

Feng Shan gently pushed the throttle, and the plane began to taxi, gradually picking up speed. When he reached takeoff velocity, he decisively pulled back on the control stick.

Like a graceful white butterfly, the Carnation lifted lightly into the blue sky.

Tom watched the Carnation’s receding silhouette.

He muttered to himself, "What kind of woman made Feng so sentimental?"

Then his gaze fell upon the mountain of supplies piled beside the runway, and his energy returned. He pulled out his phone, a greedy smile spreading across his face as he muttered a curse.

"Fuck, what’s it to me? I’ll call those bastards. A big job’s come in. If they don’t treat me to a night at the club for this, I’m docking everyone’s pay."

...