abnormal mutation

Chapter 58 Surrender
Tanya was indeed a good teacher, patient and meticulous, and willing to answer any questions Roland posed, as long as they were within the curriculum.

The book "Illustrated Guide to Extraordinary Materials in the Northern Snowfields" was very useful; at least it let Roland know which creatures were extraordinary, what their abilities were, and how to escape if he encountered them. The last point is quite important: the first lesson for a hunter is learning to survive.

"That's enough for today." Tanya closed her book, staring at Roland's face for a long time. "Your injury healed so quickly, it's completely undetectable. Your aunt even told me to apply the medicine for you."

"No need, I'm completely healed," Roland said with a smile.

This was no exaggeration; the few remaining scars on his chest and abdomen had all fallen off, revealing tender, red skin. Apart from a slight difference in color, there was virtually no trace of injury; his life was just a hair's breadth away from full recovery.

“Alright then.” Tanya stood up, a strange smile on her face. “I stewed a white-crested snow chicken. Would you like to try some?”

“Uh,” Roland immediately understood that this must be the chicken he had sent. He waved his hand, “I have important business to attend to, so I won’t be coming over for the next couple of days.”

He had just noticed someone secretly observing them from outside, and although the person was well-dressed, he immediately recognized him as Caius.

"Huh?" Tanya looked puzzled, then put on a stern face and admonished, "You're not young anymore, you have to catch up on your studies as soon as possible, you can't complain about the hardship and fatigue."

"I need to earn money to eat; I can't just sit around and do nothing," Roland said helplessly.

"I see." Tanya said in realization, then asked cautiously, "How about I lend you some first?"

"No need, no need." Roland waved his hands repeatedly, not expecting this girl to be so generous.

"Alright then, you'd better come back as soon as possible." Tanya pursed her lips. "My aunt will be checking things out when she gets back."

"Okay, I'm leaving now," Roland said, getting up and going downstairs.

As the curtain was lifted, Roland stepped onto the street, and a gaze fell upon him. He pretended not to notice and slowly walked into the nameless restaurant diagonally opposite.

"Boss, a large grilled fish, two pieces of bread, and a cup of black tea."

"Okay, sir, please wait a moment."

The shop was small, with only a dozen or so tables and not many people. He chose a table in the far corner and sat facing outwards.

He had just sat down when a tall, burly man pushed open the door and came in. He was wearing a hat and a mask, and had a hunched back. He went straight to Roland and sat down opposite him.

Roland looked up and stared into his eyes, saying coldly, "Caius, you sent people to follow him yesterday, and you're personally leading the charge today. You probably don't know what death means."

The man trembled, not expecting his disguise to be so clumsy and so easily seen through. He pulled down his mask and whispered, "Roland, I meant no harm. White Bear wants to use me as a scapegoat, but I wasn't the one who kidnapped you."

"So what? You're all cut from the same cloth, there's no difference to me." Roland's expression remained unchanged as he subtly released a trace of mental pressure.

Caius was suddenly overcome with fear. He lowered his head and cowered, unable to look at him. "If I get caught, your case will be closed, and the real murderer will go free. Isn't that a huge irony? Are you willing to accept that?"

"You're the one who's unwilling to accept this," Roland shook his head slightly. "Still at large, where is the law?"

Caius was speechless, choked by the conversation. How come this wasn't what he expected? Shouldn't the other person be indignant and the two of them hit it off immediately?

"Speak, what do you want?" Roland didn't give him time to think.

“Let’s work together to kill him.” Caius said, his head bowed, his voice barely audible, yet filled with hatred.

"Where is the polar bear? Who kidnapped me?" Roland pressed.

"The polar bear is at the hunting camp. I was previously in charge of supplies procurement and transportation, so I am very familiar with the route. He should be a low-sequence extraordinary being, accompanied only by a few trusted men. The timing is perfect."

"The man who kidnapped you is the third one, his real name is Leub, a Roma. He's the one who calls the shots in Glacier Town now, and he's sending people everywhere to look for me..." Caius spoke quickly, almost without holding back.

After saying that, he took out a small booklet from his pocket, which contained a list of the entire organization and personnel of the White Bear Labor Service Company, clearly indicating who were his trusted confidants and who were external hires.

Attached were a series of criminal records, including the time, place, and participants, but no direct evidence, just records. Besides the boss, White Bear, the White Bear Labor Company had six senior managers. Caius was fourth; he was initially ranked eighth, but those ranked ahead of him died young. Others rose through the ranks through promotion, he relied entirely on his luck.

Roland casually flipped through the booklet, feeling quite surprised. He had thought Caius would try to negotiate, but the other party had revealed all his cards as soon as the negotiations began.

"You trust me that much?" he asked curiously.

“Only you can help me. I don’t want to die,” Caius said with a wry smile. Apart from the “key,” he didn’t have many other bargaining chips.

"Do you have a sled?"

"Yes, but there are no reindeer and sled dogs, so I dare not go back."

"Prepare the sled; no reindeer or sled dogs needed. Meet me at Frost River outside the West Gate in an hour."

“They won’t let me leave town.” Caius looked troubled. He could barely hide in Ice River Town for a few days, but as soon as he left the town, he would be blocked.

They didn't dare search the town, but they could manage to keep an eye on people coming and going. Outside was an endless snowfield, making escape extremely difficult.

"That's perfect," Roland said with a double meaning. "Go out, don't disturb my meal."

Caius looked bewildered and had no choice but to put on his mask and leave the restaurant silently.

Roland finished his meal in large mouthfuls and began hurriedly purchasing supplies. He had only recently come up with this idea, but he hadn't expected the opportunity to come so suddenly. He didn't want to wait; every day he delayed added another layer of uncertainty.

He bought two hooded cloaks to wear over his clothes, to keep out the wind and keep warm, and to conceal his body and weapons. Then he spent 2 guilders on 70 rounds of ammunition. Food was also essential: bread, dried meat, and salt.

Back home, he pulled out his large, brown, shiny backpack and carefully sorted his belongings inside: blankets, spare clothes, water bags, matches, a lighter, a compass, a hunting knife, ropes, medicine... filling the entire backpack with all sorts of things.

He lifted it up and gave it a shake; it wasn't heavy, only about 30 kilograms. Given his current physical condition, it wouldn't be too much of a burden.

"Big brother, where are you going?" Evan and the others stood around, looking worried.

“Hunting.” Roland hung two pairs of fur snowboards on the back of his backpack, fastened his cloak, and slung his backpack over his shoulder. “You all stay at home and try to go out as little as possible. If you encounter any problems that you can’t solve, go to Grandma Mia.”

"Brother, how many days are you going? Are you going alone?" Evan asked.

"It's hard to say, but if all goes well, I'll be back tomorrow." Roland thought for a moment, then took out 50 German dollars from his wallet and stuffed it into Evan's hand. "Keep this safe, and don't touch my suitcase."

He had to consider the situation of the teenagers. If something unexpected happened, he would have to run away or hide somewhere to survive, leaving them some money to tide them over.

Even the most oblivious among them sensed something was amiss. They wanted to persuade him to stay, but lacked the confidence, feeling utterly useless and a burden wherever he went.

"Don't overthink it, I'm leaving."

Roland checked the guns one last time, took out his pocket watch, saw that it was almost time, pushed open the courtyard gate, and hurried westward.

It was just past noon, and the west gate tower was quiet during the day, with no one on duty. Upon stepping outside, the cold wind suddenly intensified, whipping up fine snowflakes that danced in the air.

Passing through the deserted fish market and frozen harbor, the Frost River, covered in snow, came into view, a vast expanse of white, making it impossible to distinguish between the river and the shore.

Roland narrowed his eyes. On the distant snowfield, a dozen people wearing fur-lined snowboards surrounded three people. There seemed to be two more lying on the ground. The group chased further and further away, and it looked like they had run several kilometers away.

"Even in Caius's condition, there are still people willing to follow him. That's really something."

He fastened his fur skis, and with a burst of speed from his ski poles and legs, his body shot forward like an arrow.

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(End of this chapter)