Chapter 708: Welcome 2

An unexpected phone call had saved her.

A group of strange, stone-faced men appeared at her rental apartment, and she nearly called 911.

But these men, who looked like gangsters, claimed to be employees of the Crown Territory and said they would give her a ride there.

Lucy didn’t think twice and agreed without hesitation.

She had already resigned herself to working the streets, so what was there left to fear?

And so, after a long and winding journey, she arrived at the unfamiliar Crown Territory, her heart filled with anxiety.

As she looked down from the plane at the endless, desolate tundra, what little resolve she had gradually turned to fear.

After all, Alaska was one of the ten most dangerous states in the United States, with a crime rate that ranked in the top three.

And Anchorage, where Lucy lived, was the most dangerous metropolitan area in the United States.

Street shootouts, robberies, rapes, kidnappings, and domestic violence were frequent occurrences.

Lucy also volunteered for the Department of Social Services, and from her colleagues, she learned of many little-known statistics.

One of which was the number of missing persons.

In Alaska, an average of 42.16 people go missing for every 100,000 residents. It has the highest number of missing persons in the entire United States, even though the state’s population is only 1% of the country’s total.

Since 1988, over 60,700 people have been reported missing in Alaska. That’s 41.8 missing persons per 100,000 people, or 5 per 1,000 annually, and about 2.15% of them are never found.

Furthermore, Alaska ranks fourth for cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.

‘What if this is a scam?’

‘What if they used a high-paying job to lure me to the tundra, and what awaits me is Hell?’

On the plane, Lucy wanted to say she wasn’t going to the Crown Territory. But when she turned and saw the scarred man sitting beside her, and the pistol at his waist, she fearfully swallowed her words and could only cry in silence.

“Boss.”

Scar, having retrieved the cargo from the plane’s hold, greeted Feng Mountain. He glanced back at Teacher Lucy, shook his head, and walked away.

‘There might be something wrong with this woman.’

‘She’s been crying this whole time, but when I ask her what’s wrong, she won’t say a thing.’

‘She just stares at me and cries.’

‘She’s nuts!’

Feng Mountain didn’t know what was going on. He assumed Teacher Lucy was just disappointed by the desolate tundra, so he beamed and enthusiastically extended his hand.

“I’m sorry if this is all a bit overwhelming. I’m the Crown Lord. You can call me Feng. Welcome.”

Lucy’s body trembled with fear.

She watched as the unfamiliar Indigenous man before her extended his hand.

As an Indigenous person herself, she knew that neither Indians, Inuit, nor Aleut People had a custom of shaking hands as a greeting.

This form of greeting…

…it was more like an Asian custom.

The thought that Anchorage also had Asian gangs made her even more frightened.

“Hello!” Lucy hesitated before unaccustomedly extending her hand. “Sir,” she asked, her tone uncertain, “are you Asian?”

“Yes, I’m Chinese. But I look a lot like one of the Indigenous People, don’t I?” Feng Mountain smiled, a hint of self-deprecation in his voice. He was long used to his misleading appearance.

“Sir… you’re not with a gang?” Lucy asked cautiously.

‘A gang?’

Feng Mountain was stunned for a moment. He took a proper look at the panicked teacher and, seeming to guess what was wrong, quickly explained with a laugh.

“I’m not in any gang. You could call me a landowner, I suppose. It’s just as we said on the phone: Zicao invited you to the Crown Territory to be a teacher. Please don’t worry. The men who brought you are all employees here. They might look a little intimidating, but they’re actually retired veterans. They’re very kind-hearted.”

‘Kind!’

‘Well, I guess you could call them kind!’

As he said this, Feng Mountain glanced over and saw the veterans unloading weapon crates from the cargo hold. He hastily took a step forward to block Teacher Lucy’s view and prevent any further misunderstandings.

Realizing she had been scaring herself the entire time, Lucy let out a sigh of relief and couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, I’ll be. If you hadn’t said so, I would have sworn you were a true Athabasca.”

Just as the two were chatting pleasantly, Old Tom’s signature yell suddenly echoed from the runway.

“Hey, Feng! Look who I brought with me!”

“Excuse me, I’ll arrange for someone to take you to the camp,” Feng Mountain said to Lucy with an apologetic nod.

He then turned to see Old Tom pulling a dapperly dressed Little Barry toward him.

Feng Mountain then waved over Bat, who was standing nearby, and pointed at Teacher Lucy. “Take the snowmobile and get Teacher Lucy safely back to camp. Tell Erica to get a cabin ready for her.”

Bat ran off to start the snowmobile.

A moment later, he pulled up beside Teacher Lucy.

Lucy gave Feng Mountain a slight nod of thanks and climbed onto the snowmobile.

With a roar of the engine, she disappeared from view.

Feng Mountain ignored Old Tom’s outstretched arms and instead threw an arm around Little Barry’s shoulder. “Buddy, how did you two end up together?”

Little Barry was a bit taken aback by Feng Mountain’s enthusiastic greeting.

But at the same time, he found it strangely heartwarming.

He quickly explained, “I had just finished placing the procurement orders and was heading back to Fairbanks from out of town when I happened to run into Old Tom. He was also on his way to the Crown Territory, so I hitched a ride with him.”

After a brief pause, Little Barry added, “I’ve already settled things with the design company for the order. As soon as we sign the contract, the first batch of container homes can be delivered to the Crown Territory by the end of February.”

“No work talk today. We’ll deal with that tomorrow,” Feng Mountain interrupted Little Barry’s report with a wave of his hand.

“Buddy, don’t you see your best friend, Old Tom? You’re breaking my heart.”

Old Tom pouted, looking as dejected as a child who’d been denied candy.

Feng Mountain burst out laughing, his hearty chuckle echoing in the cold air.

He turned and gave Old Tom an enthusiastic hug, patting him firmly on the shoulder.

“So, do you have good news for me about the aviation company?” Feng Mountain said with a smile, hoping Old Tom had made his decision and was about to deliver some good news for the Crown Territory.

“Of course! It’s a grand plan.”

Old Tom lifted his head, puffed out his chest slightly, his face beaming with confidence.

It was as if he could already see the aviation company’s glorious future and couldn’t wait to share the plan with Feng Mountain.

Next, Feng Mountain went down the line, giving each of the veterans a welcoming hug that made them all feel the warmth of coming home.

Afterward, the group headed toward the camp in high spirits.

As they walked, Old Tom and Little Barry chatted animatedly with Feng Mountain, admiring the scenery along the way.

The guests who were visiting the Crown Territory for the first time soon found their attention drawn to the unique climate of the Mossy Tundra, their faces showing confusion.

“Why is the temperature so strange? It’s so different from outside,” one of the pilots couldn’t help but ask.

This time, there was no need for Feng Mountain to explain.

Someone else took over the role of commentator.

One of the veterans picked up the thread, beginning a detailed explanation like an experienced tour guide.

With the return of Yves and the other veterans, all of the Crown Territory’s employees were now present, except for Ma Wei and his small group.

The camp instantly became much more lively.

When Zicao brought Liu Lan to see Teacher Lucy, the joy of their reunion was so overwhelming that tears instantly welled up in their eyes.

Liu Lan was so excited she threw herself into Teacher Lucy’s arms, crying out, “Teacher, we missed you so much!”

Teacher Lucy, also moved to tears, hugged them back tightly. It was a heartwarming and touching scene.

As the Crown Territory’s first teacher, Lucy was respected by everyone.

People gathered around to offer her their greetings and pay their respects.

Each greeting was like a warm spring breeze, soothing her heart.

However, amidst the cheerful laughter and respectful atmosphere, one group’s smiles hid a trace of dismay: the children, led by Fiona.

Before this, they could play freely, exploring the mysteries of nature without a care in the world.

But now, the teacher’s arrival meant that their school life was about to begin.

Their days of running wild and playing to their hearts’ content were likely gone for good.

As the lively welcome party got underway, everyone gathered in the dining hall, where the tables were laden with delicious food and fine wine.

They tasted the delicious food, drank the mellow wine, and chatted happily, sharing stories and experiences.

In the center of the dining hall, some people began to dance to the cheerful music.

The atmosphere was exceptionally lively. Waves of laughter and cheerful chatter rose and fell, setting the entire camp alight with energy.