Landlord in the Arctic-Chapter 96: Safety

"Feng!!"

Recognizing Feng Shan by his fur coat, Little Swan excitedly jumped off the snowmobile and staggered forward to greet him.

As he drew closer, he saw Feng Shan dragging someone. It had to be Morris.

"Is he dead?" Little Swan asked, his eyes wide.

Feng Shan glanced over. White vapor puffed from the corner of the unconscious Morris’s mouth. He spoke with annoyance.

"God didn’t take him. Maybe He wants him to go to Hell."

"That’s right. He should go to Hell." His expression furious, Little Swan walked over to the unconscious Morris, lifted his foot for a hard kick, and then spat in his face.

"Let’s go. We’ll take him back."

Feng Shan grabbed Morris by the collar and tied him to the snowmobile’s rear rack like a trussed-up animal. Whether he fell off along the way would be up to fate. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

They rushed back to Kivalina without stopping.

When the residents of Kivalina Town saw Morris hog-tied on the snowmobile, they erupted in cheers. Their admiration for Feng Shan was so immense they looked ready to drop to their knees.

"Feng, you should stay in Kivalina."

"How about being the Sheriff here?"

"Feng, you’re a good man. The Spirit of All Things will bless you."

The snowmobile struggled through the crowd and arrived in front of Maria’s cabin. Old Swan, Louis, and several other elders, having heard the news, were already standing by the roadside.

"I’ve got him. Where do we lock him up?" Feng Shan kicked Morris off the rack and into a mud puddle.

Shocked by the icy mud, Morris groggily opened his eyes. After a moment of confusion, he suddenly realized what was happening and shouted.

"Louise! What you’re doing is illegal! You can’t arrest me without due process! You even shot at me! Treat my injuries right now, immediately, or I’ll sue Kivalina into bankruptcy! I..."

THUD!

Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, Feng Shan pulled back his rifle and used Morris’s parka to wipe the bloodstain off the buttstock. Morris, having taken a heavy blow to the jaw, passed out again.

"Sorry, the rifle was iced over. It slipped." Feng Shan nonchalantly shouldered his Type 56 carbine and looked at Louise. "Lock him up for now. We’ll wait for the state troopers to get here!"

"Kivalina doesn’t have a jail." Louise shook her head, troubled. "And we can’t lock him up. Just as Morris said, we can’t arrest or detain him without due process. Otherwise, it would be considered assault and we could be sued."

’I...’

’What in the world are you people thinking?’

Feng Shan fought the urge to curse them out.

’What kind of fucking bullshit law is this?’

’The victim is lying injured in her house, yet the attacker somehow hasn’t broken any laws.’

At that moment, Feng Shan really wanted to just wash his hands of the whole affair. If he meddled any further, he’d eat his hat.

But then, Louise’s tone shifted.

"How about this: In my capacity as town mayor, I’ll have Morris sent to the inn for medical treatment first. Since his injuries are severe, he’ll require special observation."

’I have to hand it to her. A clever person really knows how to spin things.’

Feng Shan’s gloomy mood was greatly alleviated by Louise’s clever workaround.

"I’ll take Morris to the inn." Old Swan stepped forward, called out a few middle-aged men from the crowd, and together they carried Morris to the inn.

As for the ropes binding him, that was even easier to explain.

The patient was in so much pain that he was trying to self-harm. The ropes were to protect him.

"How’s Maria?" Feng Shan asked, looking up at the wooden cabin.

"She’s fallen asleep after your treatment. The poor child." Louise sighed softly and pointed to a bench on the porch, motioning for Feng Shan to sit and rest for a bit.

"Find it terrifying, don’t you? A town without a single police officer?" Louise said, handing him a cup of hot water.

Taking the cup and sipping it, Feng Shan nodded.

It was indeed terrifying, and hard to believe.

This was, after all, the so-called land of the free, the United States of America.

A small town with no law enforcement, allowing a criminal to commit violence and then just swagger away.

And the soonest the state troopers could arrive was the next day.

’Back in China, this would be utterly unbelievable.’

’Even in a rural village, there’d be a local police station nearby. And even if the police couldn’t get there right away, the village committee would step in to mediate, not to mention the public security committee and the militia.’

’But a proper town in Alaska had absolutely nothing.’

The state of public safety was simply mind-boggling. It was hard to imagine how the residents here could ever feel secure.

He remembered a criminal from his time in prison. After committing a crime, the guy ran and hid in the mountains, thinking he could get away with it. But later, villagers from several villages, armed with flashlights, formed a dragnet across the hills and fields and managed to pull him right out of a mud pit.

Kivalina Town had over 400 people, and every household had a gun, yet they let Morris escape into the Tundra. If it weren’t for his divination, by the time the troopers arrived tomorrow, catching the man would have been next to impossible.

Louise continued, her voice numb.

"Actually, it’s not just Kivalina. In the Alaska Region, at least a third of the villages have no police protection, even though the state government allows Indigenous village communities to hire their own safety officers."

"But Kivalina’s insurance doesn’t cover the cost of hiring a safety officer."

"Ever since Alaska became a state 58 years ago, a long line of governors and legislatures have failed to protect Indigenous communities. They established an improper, two-tiered criminal justice system."

"Compared to the mostly white population living in cities or suburbs, this system leaves the local Indigenous People without the protection they deserve."

"Haven’t you protested to the state government?" Feng Shan asked, cupping the warm mug.

A sneer appeared on Louise’s lips, a smile filled with helplessness and mockery.

"Protest? You think protesting does any good?"

"Once a month, in the governor’s conference room, those legislators in their Carhartts and snow pants meet for 90 minutes. They share powdered donuts with each other, then make plans to go to some private club to watch a strip show after the meeting."

"As for the public safety applications from Indigenous communities? They’re used as napkins for the donuts."

"No one cares if the Indigenous People live or die. They only care about our votes. They make promises during the campaign, and after they’re elected, those promises become toilet paper."

"Feng, I really wish you were Kivalina’s VPSO—our Village Public Safety Officer."

"Well, I should go figure out how to deal with Morris’s complaint tomorrow." Louise stood up, looking weary. As she walked down the steps, she turned, gave him a thumbs-up, and said, "Buddy, that ’slipping rifle’ move was brilliant."

The corner of Feng Shan’s mouth twitched slightly as he raised his cup.

Maria’s injuries were healing, and the criminal, Morris, had been caught.

The townspeople gathered in front of the cabin slowly began to disperse.

Feng Shan went inside the cabin to check on the resting Maria. Thanks to the Witchcraft treatment, the swelling and bruising on her face had faded considerably. In a few more days, she would be fully recovered.

Thankfully, Morris hadn’t succeeded in his ultimate goal. Witchcraft could heal wounds, but not the heart.

Coming out of the cabin, he saw Old Swan and his grandson approaching.

"Feng, Morris is locked up in a room at the inn."

"Mm," Feng Shan grunted, his expression indifferent. He wasn’t surprised by this outcome.

’Why are you telling me this?’

’I’m not Kivalina’s Sheriff.’

"While there’s still time, how about we go out on the Ice Sea and cast a net?" Old Swan’s eyes gleamed with a pleading look.

’Heh, this old guy.’

’You really know how to squeeze every last bit of use out of a person. Won’t even let me be lazy for a moment.’

Feng Shan shot a disdainful look at the embarrassed Old Swan.

"Let’s go. Is the fishing boat ready?"

...