Landlord in the Arctic-Chapter 68: Departure

The rabbit meat was delicate. The moment teeth gently broke through the crispy skin, juices eagerly burst out, filling the entire mouth.

The rich aroma was a blend of the rabbit’s natural savoriness and the unique flavor of the barbecue rub.

The moment his food bowl was set down, Prince immediately buried his head in it, getting grease all over his snout.

Coca-Cola was much more elegant. First, she gently prodded the rabbit meat with a paw, then took a small bite and chewed slowly, a satisfied PURR rumbling in her throat.

Only the Little Wolf Cub’s nose twitched, its eyes full of envy as it dejectedly ate its low-salt, low-oil Thunderbird Meat.

Feng Mountain cut off a piece of rabbit meat with his small knife, savoring it carefully. He then pulled a flask from his backpack and handed it to Nash.

"Try some."

Nash took the flask and, without a second thought, downed a large gulp.

The next moment, his tattooed face flushed beet red. His eyes bulged, and his throat felt like it was being scorched by fire.

He frantically grabbed a piece of roast rabbit and took a huge bite, trying to quell the liquor’s fiery burn. He never imagined the rabbit was also seasoned with chili powder.

The burn of the strong liquor and the heat of the chili powder ignited in his mouth simultaneously.

Nash yelled and bolted out of the tent.

Feng Mountain roared with laughter. He picked up the flask, took a slow, leisurely sip, and watched Nash dash out of the tent.

’That’s high-proof liquor, buddy.’

’You just downed a huge mouthful.’

’Did you think this was the 80-proof swill Tom’s always crowing about? The so-called "Liquor King" of the Polar Star District?’

When Nash returned to the tent, his mouth was full of snow, and he was looking a little better.

Feng Mountain offered the flask again. "Small sips. Savor it."

This time, though still shaken, a hint of curiosity led Nash to pick up the flask and carefully take another tiny sip.

The liquor instantly spread through his mouth, first hitting his tongue and throat with a powerful, spicy burn.

Gradually, that burn mellowed, as if a warm current was flowing through his mouth, followed by a rich, spreading aroma.

Nash’s eyes widened in amazement at the marvelous transformation on his palate.

Feng Mountain smiled, satisfied. He took back the flask and took a sip himself.

Having finished his rabbit leg, Prince caught the scent of the liquor. He trotted over mischievously, tail wagging wildly, and stared up at his master with pleading eyes.

Feng Mountain grinned, picked up the flask, and mischievously poured a single drop into the dog’s mouth.

The next moment.

Prince reacted as if he’d been electrocuted. His body shuddered violently, eyes bulging. His tongue shot out of his mouth as he whimpered, spinning in circles and pawing frantically at his face.

"Want some more?" Feng Mountain asked, raising the flask.

BARK BARK BARK BARK BARK!!

Prince let loose a volley of vocal complaints at Feng Mountain.

He backed away to his bowl. He was about to resentfully snatch the Little Wolf Cub’s Thunderbird Meat, but a glance from the corner of his eye caught Ms. Cola’s paw twitching, ready to strike. Defeated, he flopped onto the ground.

Prince’s little episode livened up the atmosphere in the tent.

Seeing Prince’s ridiculous antics, Feng Mountain and Nash were roaring with laughter.

After their laughter died down, the two of them passed the flask back and forth, alternating sips of liquor with bites of meat, feeling relaxed and content.

Outside, the sky grew dark. Snow filled the air and a fierce wind howled, rattling the tent.

...

A night passed, and the snow finally stopped.

The tent, however, was being crushed by the thick snow. Its support poles were bent halfway, but it was still stubbornly standing.

The faint flame in the wood stove provided what little warmth it could to the tent.

Nash had kept watch by the stove all night, feeding it firewood and clearing the vent pipe on the tent’s roof.

Feng Mountain, sore all over, crawled out of his sleeping bag, then turned and pulled Prince, Coca-Cola, and the Little Wolf Cub out of it too.

’The sleeping bag was already cramped, and with three little critters crammed in, I couldn’t even risk turning over. What a miserable night’s sleep.’

"Looks like the snow stopped!"

Nash nodded. "It rained for a bit around midnight."

Feng Mountain put last night’s leftover Thunderbird Soup back on the stove to heat up, planning to have a few quick bites and then get back on the road.

He unzipped the tent door, preparing to wash his face with some snow.

The moment the tent door opened.

He froze, staring at the wall of snow that stood before him, nearly as high as the tent’s entrance.

Feng Mountain instinctively rubbed his eyes, trying to make sure he wasn’t seeing things.

’How could there be a wall of snow right outside the door?’

He slowly reached out to touch the icy surface. A bone-chilling cold shot from his fingertips through his entire body, making him shudder.

"Khilla, use this to dig us out," Nash said, expertly handing him a folding shovel.

’This...!’

Feng Mountain had figured the snow would be heavy, but he hadn’t expected it to be deep enough to bury the entire tent.

He took the folding shovel and started hacking away at the wall of snow.

Luckily, the snowdrift wasn’t too deep. He broke through after digging a tunnel about ten meters long.

Feng Mountain crawled out through the snow tunnel.

A bout of freezing rain in the middle of the night had caused a layer of ice to form on the surface of the snow.

The upside was that they would no longer sink into the snow while walking. The downside was that it was even colder.

Standing on the snow, Feng Mountain greedily breathed in the fresh air. As far as the eye could see, the entire tundra was buried under a thick blanket of snow, a boundless white expanse.

Sunlight spilled across the snow, casting a glare so blinding it was almost impossible to look at directly.

Feng Mountain squinted and shielded his eyes with his hand. ’This kind of glare off the snow is incredibly damaging. It’s easy to get snow blindness.’

He looked back toward the tent. All he could see was the top half of the roof and the stovepipe puffing out white smoke above the thick snow. The rest of it was buried deep beneath.

’A wave of fear washed over me. Thank God I didn’t listen to Tom and buy a cheap tent. If I had, we would’ve been buried alive last night.’

A moment later, he turned and crawled back into the tent through the tunnel he had just dug.

He got back inside and briefly explained the situation to Nash. But for someone who had roamed Alaska for years, there was little Nash hadn’t seen. He merely continued packing his gear, his expression calm.

After breakfast, the two of them packed up the tent and led the animals out through the snow tunnel.

After putting on their sunglasses and snowshoes, Feng Mountain gazed out at the vast, snow-covered tundra before them and took a deep breath.

"Let’s go."

The group set off once more on their search for the Wolf Pack.

In such an extreme environment, the endless sea of snow offered no landmarks or points of reference. Everywhere looked identical, making it easy to lose one’s way.

Sometimes, they thought they were moving straight ahead, only to find they had unknowingly strayed from their course.

Fortunately, Feng Mountain’s prophetic sense was still locked onto the Wolf Pack’s direction. The feeling, however, was faint and intermittent, as if it could vanish at any moment.

’It means the Wolf Pack is already far away, almost beyond the range of my ability.’

The wind remained just as biting, feeling like a blade slicing across their faces.

Feng Mountain trudged forward with his head down. Prince and Coca-Cola couldn’t stand the cold and continued to hide in his backpack. The Little Wolf Cub, however, was full of energy, following behind Feng Mountain, unafraid of the bone-chilling wind.

’I used to see vast, snowy landscapes on TV and think they were so beautiful. But being in the middle of it is a completely different feeling.’

’The first thing you feel is the bone-chilling cold. A cold that the thickest clothes can’t block, an all-pervasive cold that seeps right into your marrow.’

’Every breath feels like inhaling shards of ice, making your lungs ache.’

’And if you stay in an environment like this for too long, loneliness and helplessness start to take over. Your mind starts to play tricks on you.’

’The world around you is a deathly, silent white, with no sign of life. It feels like you’re the only person left in the world, and that sense of isolation is terrifying.’

Suddenly.

The Little Wolf Cub caught a scent. It suddenly bolted from the group as if possessed, frantically digging at a patch of snow with its paws and letting out a piercing cry.

...