Chapter 467 - 236: This Area is a Bit Large

Chapter 467: Chapter 236: This Area is a Bit Large

「The next morning.」

Yawning, Xiao Chen walked out of the villa to see Su Chen sitting on a wooden stool in the clearing, feeding the three cubs. Interestingly, the cubs were incredibly well-behaved, sitting in a neat row as they awaited their food from Su Chen without making the slightest fuss.

"These three cubs are just too well-behaved. It’s only been a day, and they’re already so attached," Xiao Chen muttered to himself. He remembered his agreement with Su Chen from the day before—that he would raise the largest cub. At that thought, Xiao Chen immediately headed over to Su Chen.

"Morning, Brother Cheen. Why didn’t you sleep in a little longer?" Last night, when Su Chen had casually suggested having a drink over dinner, Xiao Chen and the other two had been quick to agree.

Salman and Abdullah were especially enthusiastic, practically jumping at the chance, even though drinking is forbidden in their home countries for religious reasons.

But as they say, where there’s a will, there’s a way. These princes from the Middle East would simply fly to Europe to party whenever they wanted a drink.

That’s why there are so many reports of Middle Eastern princes throwing lavish parties in Europe.

Neither Su Chen nor Salman and the others had brought any alcohol with them to Irkutsk, so they had to settle for locally produced Russian liquor, which was naturally much stronger.

Unfortunately, Salman and Abdullah were the types whose enthusiasm for drinking far outstripped their tolerance. After just two or three bottles, Xiao Chen had drunk them right under the table.

The funny part was that as they were being carried back to their rooms, they were still drunkenly shouting that they would arrange for a shipment of fine liquor and challenge Xiao Chen to a proper rematch.

Hearing this, Xiao Chen and Su Chen just chuckled and paid them no mind. After all, who takes the drunken ramblings of a couple of lightweights seriously?

"It’s nothing. Last night’s drinks were barely enough to wet my whistle!" Xiao Chen said with a laugh, sitting down beside him and scooping up his White Tiger cub.

The little White Tiger, which had been quiet until now, started to cry out the moment it was in Xiao Chen’s arms, wriggling frantically in an attempt to escape his grasp.

"What’s with this?" Xiao Chen was completely baffled. ’It was perfectly fine a moment ago. Why is it acting up in my arms? Don’t tell me the little guy doesn’t like me?’

A smile touched Su Chen’s lips as he watched. He reached out and stroked the little creature in Xiao Chen’s arms. The struggling little White Tiger immediately fell silent, tilting its head back to let out a couple of soft yelps at Su Chen.

"Uh... what?" Xiao Chen truly didn’t understand what was happening. ’How did it quiet down the instant Su Chen reached out? Does his hand have some kind of magical power?’

Before he could wrap his head around it, he saw Su Chen lean in close to the little cub and whisper, "Hey, little guy. This person is going to be your master from now on. You have to listen to him, okay?"

Watching this display, Xiao Chen couldn’t help but laugh. "I’ve got to ask, Xiaochen, do you really think the little guy can understand you?"

The words were barely out of his mouth when he noticed the cub in his hands was no longer resisting. It even nuzzled his hand with its tiny head and gave his finger a lick with its little pink tongue.

"GULP." Xiao Chen’s eyes widened in shock. He stared at Su Chen in utter disbelief, opening his mouth but unable to form a single word.

Before he could snap out of it, Su Chen pressed a baby bottle into his free hand. "Go on, feed your new little pet!"

Xiao Chen took a long, deep look at Su Chen, who now had his head down, feeding one of the lynx cubs. ’He’s such an enigma,’ Xiao Chen thought. ’Just when I think I have him figured out, he constantly surprises me. It’s one thing after another.’

Shaking his head, Xiao Chen put the thoughts aside and began to feed his White Tiger cub with the bottle. Seeing the little creature clutching the bottle so adorably brought a smile to Xiao Chen’s face, revealing a rare, tender side to the passionate man.

The screech of car brakes suddenly shattered the heartwarming moment.

Su Chen looked up toward the ranch entrance, where several cars had pulled to a stop. He turned to Xiao Chen. "Aren’t those the cars we bought? Did you send Chen Fei out for something?"

Xiao Chen nodded. "Mhm. You asked me to find a team of professional mining prospectors from back home, remember? They arrived in Irkutsk City last night, so I had Chen Fei go pick them up first thing in the morning. The... other personnel came with them as well."

Su Chen’s eyes narrowed at his words. He knew exactly who Xiao Chen was referring to as "other personnel," and a flicker of anticipation ignited within him. He couldn’t help but wonder if they could actually find the legendary treasure of the Tsar.

About a dozen people emerged from the vehicles, each laden with bags and equipment. Just then, Ivan, having noticed the commotion, hurried out of a nearby building.

"Boss? What’s all this?" Ivan asked. Although he didn’t know who these people were, he was certain they were here for his boss.

Su Chen stroked the little lynx’s head before speaking softly. "They’re the mining prospectors I hired. Get them settled into their lodging first. I’ll take care of the rest."

Ivan’s eyes shifted. His gaze fell upon the crowd at the entrance, noting how Chen Fei was interacting familiarly with several burly-looking men. In that moment, he understood: these were the treasure hunters Su Chen had arranged for.

"Understood, Boss." Ivan didn’t press the issue. He knew full well that some things were best left unsaid, and that the smartest move was simply to follow his boss’s instructions. Besides, if there were any benefits to be had, he was sure he wouldn’t be left out.

Fortunately, the ranch had plenty of large log cabins. With some of the patrol team staying at the mountain camp, there was more than enough room to accommodate the dozen or so newcomers.