Ch 356 – Taming the Polar Bear

Cassius and many of his believers accompanied Debbie and Alex to the border, shouting out their goodbyes.

"Don't forget us."

"If you need anything, just let us know."

Members of the Black Orchid cult came forward, one after another, to say goodbye to their new leader. In the past month, Debbie had been generous with her time, and they had grown fond of her, so now they didn't want her to leave.

Under the careful care of Cassius, Alex's injury had completely healed, so there was no longer any need for them to stay in Canada.

**

In the far north, there was little but snow and ice for as far as the eye could see.

A huge lake, which had completely frozen over, reflected the surrounding snow, and the unrelenting whiteness was blinding.

Tyson Slade sat by himself in the middle of the lake. Covered with flakes of snow, he was motionless, looking almost like an ice sculpture. In his hand, he held a fishing rod, which disappeared into a round hole that had been cut into the surface of the ice.

For a long time, there was no movement. A polar bear stood some distance away, watching the man. Then it began to advance on him, silently placing one giant paw in front of the other. It planned to attack.

Tyson gave no sign that he had seen the bear. He pulled out his fishing rod and saw a small fish on the end of the line. As he moved, little shards of ice were thrown from his body, dropping around him. He placed the fish into a basket, and in mere moments, the fish stopped moving.

Tyson had been here for a week, and it was astounding that he hadn't frozen to death during that time.

He put a fresh hook on his fishing rod and dangled it back into the hole in the lake.

Then he closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to sense the vibrations that told him a fish was nearby. When a small fish took the bait, he gently pulled it out of the hole.

The noise of a helicopter intruded on the silence as it circled over the lake and landed. A middle-aged man called Luther Duncan stepped out.

"Sir!" he called, moving closer.

"What?" Tyson asked. "Didn't I tell you not to disturb my seclusion?" His expression was grim, and his tone of voice was as icy as the surroundings.

"I risked my life to come here with important news," Luther said, indignant at his cold welcome.

"First, you must apologize for disturbing me," Tyson said. He recognized Luther and expected him to know better than to defy orders.

Luther hesitated, but then he kneeled on the ice in front of Tyson. "I'm sorry, sir," he said. "I shouldn't have bothered you." He kept his head down, hoping Tyson wouldn't kill him.

"Well, what's this important news?" Tyson asked, not even looking at Luther. Instead, he slowly lifted his fishing rod, removed a fish from the hook, and threw it into the basket.

Luther was not a high-ranking member of the Blood Brothers gang, but he had made himself useful over the years, and many of the leaders depended on his assistance. Tyson often used him to send out instructions to the gang.

"Sir, I have news from Baltimore," Luther said, scrambling to his feet.

"That Lee has crushed the martial arts community?" Tyson asked, sounding unconcerned. "I expected that."

"No," Luther said, his voice shaking. "Lee was killed."

"Oh?" Tyson asked, finally turning to look at Luther. His hands trembled a little, jiggling the fishing rod, but his voice remained steady. "Is the news confirmed? Who killed him?"

"Yes, it's confirmed," Luther said. "He was killed by a security guard called Alex."

"Is that right?" Tyson asked, frowning. "One of our top gang members couldn't beat a simple security guard? That's ridiculous."

"Sir, everyone is laughing at us," Luther said. "They're calling the Blood Brothers a joke. Yesterday, a gunfight broke out in Mexico, killing thirty-nine of our people, and we lost three-fifths of our territory. It happened after everyone had heard about Lee's death, and I suspect we'll be facing more of these incidents. We must take revenge and ensure everyone knows we are strong. Otherwise, others will rise up against us."

"I never expected to see our gang brought so low," Tyson said, sighing.

"We need your help," Luther said. "This is the second biggest crisis the Blood Brothers has ever faced. After Lee's death, several other gangs have started plotting against us. They all look down on us now."

Tyson laughed, not saying anything. Then he turned to stare at the advancing polar bear, which was so startled, that it miss that aced a paw and sank into the snow.

Tyson slowly stood up, not breaking eye contact with the polar bear. He took a few steps toward it, refusing to back down. Luther watched, wondering what Tyson planned to do. Tyson carried no weapons, and yet he fearlessly approached the large bear.

The bear freed its paw and began to inch backwards, sliding on the ice. Tyson and the bear continued to stare at each other, barely blinking. The polar bear froze, no longer retreating, but not advancing either.

"All animals respond to displays of dominance," Tyson said, standing perfectly still. "I learned that a long time ago."

Luther was shocked as he watched the polar bear lower its body to the ground, all signs of aggression gone. Tyson had managed to impose his will, subduing the animal.

It was incredible.

"Humans are just as easy to deal with," Tyson said, standing over the polar bear, which still hadn't moved.

Luther couldn't restrain his curiosity, and he inched closer to inspect the polar bear. It was enormous, with powerful muscles and sharp teeth. A supreme predator, it had backed down when Tyson had challenged it.

If Tyson was strong enough to impose his will on such a beast, then what else could he do?