Chapter 707 - 450: Welcome

「Three days later, in the early morning.」

Accompanied by a droning sound that grew from a distant buzz, four Cub planes landed smoothly on the runway, one after another.

The friction between the planes and the runway kicked up a spray of snow.

The cabin doors opened slowly, and Yves, along with the veterans returning from Lengwan, disembarked one by one.

Their eyes showed the fatigue of a long journey, but their faces revealed the smiles of coming home.

Feng Shan was already waiting by the side of the runway, a warm, enthusiastic smile on his face to welcome them back.

"Daddy!"

Fiona, dressed like a little bear, toddled forward and threw herself into Yves's arms.

Seeing his daughter's affectionate expression, Yves's exhaustion from the long trip vanished in an instant. He held his daughter and walked over to Feng Shan.

"Boss!"

"Welcome back, my friend. Hope the trip was smooth." Feng Shan smiled, patting Yves on the shoulder in a gesture of deep camaraderie.

"The cargo was delivered to Lengwan," Yves said quietly with a nod. "Miss Natasha said her ship was short on hands. She felt feeding them to the crabs would be a waste, so she kept them to work on board." Then, as if suddenly remembering something important, he turned and waved to the veterans who had just gotten off the plane. "Bring over the gift from Miss Natasha."

'If Natasha needs them, then so be it.'

'They were trash anyway, might as well put them to use.'

Feng Shan didn't give it much thought. He simply gave a slight nod, the smile never leaving his lips. His attention, instead, shifted to the gift from Natasha.

'What kind of gift would that woman send me?'

Just then, a veteran walked over, cradling a white, spotted cub in his arms.

The little cub was curled up in the veteran's arms, its eyes wide with curiosity as it gazed at its surroundings.

Its body was fluffy, with black spots dotting its white fur. It looked adorable.

However, the little creature's tail was thicker and stronger than a cat's, and its entire white coat was covered in black spots of various sizes.

The sound it made was a sort of 'awooo.'

It sounded like a cross between a cat and a tiger.

"Kitty!" Seeing the little animal, Fiona struggled in Yves's arms, reaching out to take it.

Yves held his daughter back and motioned for the veteran to give the gift to his boss.

"Miss Natasha picked this out especially for you, Boss. She said you would definitely like it."

"What breed of cat is this?" Feng Shan asked casually, his face full of curiosity as he took the spotted cub from the veteran and gently cradled it in his arms.

Yves leaned in slightly and lowered his voice.

"Boss, that's no cat. It's a Russian snow leopard. Even within Russia, there are fewer than a thousand of these rare animals."

Walt!

'A Russian snow leopard?'

Feng Shan's hand trembled, and he quickly looked down at the docile little snow leopard in his arms.

The little creature seemed to sense Feng Shan's nervousness and trembled slightly.

Or perhaps it was just a bit cold. Feeling the warmth from Feng Shan's body, it burrowed its way into his animal-hide coat, letting out soft, whimpering 'awoos.'

'Good heavens!'

'So this is what a snow leopard looks like. There are fewer than a thousand in all of Russia, and Natasha managed to get one.'

Seeing this, Feng Shan smiled and undid a button on his coat.

The little creature slipped right in and found a comfortable spot to nestle.

A moment later, its small head popped back out, its round, glistening eyes curiously observing the strange new environment.

"Oh, right. Did you pick up Teacher Lucy?" Feng Shan asked while gently stroking the little snow leopard's head.

"We did. She's on the second plane."

Yves pointed to a plane on the runway where people were disembarking.

The cabin door of that plane was open, and several veterans were helping the passengers get off.

Feng Shan quickly straightened his clothes and walked toward the plane, still cradling the little snow leopard.

From a distance, he saw a woman with black hair, dressed in winter clothing.

She was standing by the plane's cargo hold.

With the help of a veteran, she was unloading a rather old-looking suitcase from the hold.

"Hello, are you Teacher Lucy?" Feng Shan asked politely as he approached.

Hearing someone call her name, the black-haired woman quickly turned around.

When he got a clear look at Teacher Lucy's face, Feng Shan finally understood why a teacher with a white name would choose to become a teacher in the remote Bear Tribe.

It turned out she was also one of the Indigenous People. She had lustrous black hair, facial features with typical Asian characteristics, and deep eyes like tranquil pools, exuding a natural charm.

'But why are her eyes red?'

"You are…?"

Lucy, her eyes red-rimmed, looked at the unfamiliar Indigenous man walking toward her.

A hint of confusion and vigilance rose in her eyes.

'I know the people of the Bear Tribe well, but I've never seen this man before.'

A few days ago, a student from the Bear Tribe in the Suusitna River Region had called her.

The student invited her to become a teacher in the Crown Territory of the Far North Tundra, promising a very generous salary.

Lucy remembered the student who called her quite well.

She was a girl from the Athabasca Race, a very diligent student with excellent grades.

'It's a shame. If she weren't one of the Indigenous People, she would have had a high chance of getting into a top university.'

In Anchorage, she was just a substitute teacher at a community school, paid by the day. The salary wasn't much, barely enough to cover daily expenses.

Faced with the invitation and the generous salary, Lucy was very tempted.

As for the supposedly harsh environment of the Far North Tundra, in her opinion, there was no place in Alaska with a good environment.

She had been preparing to head to the Crown Territory, but a sudden cold snap interrupted her plans.

After that, she could only hide in her rented room, enduring the miserable days without heating.

She finally made it through the cold snap and blizzard, but her already meager savings were completely gone, and her credit card was maxed out.

Lucy had been planning to work the street corner to make some quick cash, just enough to save up for the fare to the Crown Territory.