Brother Wolf was always reliable. In two and a half days, the helicopter pilot flew in from Crimea, the northernmost region of the northern hemisphere, to Australia, the southernmost region of the southern hemisphere.
When the pilot arrived at Lightning Ridge by bus, Li Du was leading Aubrey and Steve to work in the mines. When Brother Wolf informed Li Du of the arrival, he was surprised. “So quick?”
Brother Wolf said, “Big Ivan is a punctual b*stard. He never delays.”
Since he was coming, Li Du needed to welcome him at once. As he climbed into the pit, he peeped into the mine and said to Steve, “Hey, buddy, come up and take a break. Be careful of your health.”
Steve was more hardworking and had more endurance than he had expected. Li Du had originally thought Steve was fragile and unaccustomed to doing physical work, so he would not be able to bear the pain of mining. However, he was surprised by the fact that Steve went down into the mine with him and never complained about being tired. He had no idea what Steve was doing by not continuing his life of luxury as a rich man, and why he came to suffer in his mine instead.
Steve laughed and said, “I’ll be fine, Li, you go get your work done.”
Knowing his stubbornness, Li Du just shrugged at Elson, who was sunning himself on the ground and drinking black tea. Li Du said, “He is really stubborn.”
“He has been that way since childhood.” Elson laughed.
As Li Du and Brother Wolf drove away, they passed the gate of the number 121 mine. They saw several cars parked at his neighbor’s house, and Li Du thought he saw Blanchett. He just took a brief look, and the SUV roared away.
In town, Brother Wolf drove to the bus stop. At the bus stop’s gate, a Russian with a big mountain backpack looked left and right under the stop sign. As the car passed, Ivana leaned out the window and shouted, “Uncle Bomb!”
Hearing the young voice, the blonde Russian’s face stiffened and said, “Uncle Bomb? Where are the bombs? Where is an uncle? Didn’t I tell you to call me godfather?”
Ivana bent over the window and gave a broad smile. It was a huge change from the shy smile she used to have. She was more cheerful now.
When Brother Wolf got out of the car, the Russian man came up to him and gave him a big hug. There was no doubt that this was the man Brother Wolf called “Big Ivan.”
Because of the name “Big Ivan” and Li Du’s preconceived notions of Russian men, he thought Ivan would be a huge man like Godzilla. However, Ivan was not tall, and his figure was thin. He did not seem to have the temperament of someone who had been in the elite troops. But as the old saying goes, never judge a book by its cover.
Brother Wolf introduced them, and they shook hands. It was only when Li Du grasped his hands that he realized Ivan was indeed unusual. He was a little shorter than Li Du, but he had large hands that were very powerful and full of calluses.
“Hello, Mr. Ivan Vladimir Grushkov. Nice to meet you,” Li Du said with a smile.
The Russian man said, “It must be difficult to remember my name. You can call me by my nickname, Big Ivan. Haha, I like this name very much.”
“Ivan, the Tsar Bomba!” Ivana shouted while she popped her head out of the car.
The Tsar Bomba was an experimental hydrogen bomb made by the Soviet Union during the cold war. Its name meant that it was the “king of bombs” because it was the most powerful bomb in terms of size, weight, and power that man had ever made.
The bomb, code-named Big Ivan in the Soviet Union, had an explosive yield of 100,000,000 tons of TNT, but authorities reduced it to 50,000,000 tons because of concerns about environmental pollution and diplomatic disputes. Even so, the power of the bomb was at the pinnacle of all existing human weapons. As crazy and arrogant as the Soviets were, they did not dare to use it as a weapon. Instead, they only used it to deter adversaries and demonstrate military strength.
Hearing Ivana’s voice, Big Ivan ran to reach for her. Unfortunately, Ah Meow was in the car with Ivana and thought Big Ivan was about to attack her. His head came out through the front window, and with a meow, he pounced towards Big Ivan.
When he came out, Big Ivan immediately turned on his back to grab him. At the same time, he took steps to reduce the power of the collision. Then he took another step forward to stuff Ah Meow back into the car.
Li Du’s eyes lit up upon seeing this.
It was no wonder that Brother Wolf highly praised this thin man. He was at a different level. Ah Meow’s pounce was his most common attack method. It was almost impossible to avoid the attack, not to mention attacking back. However, Big Ivan had completed a set of defensive and counter-attacking moves that were remarkable.
“Hey, what a big cat. Who’s got that beast?” Big Ivan smiled.
Brother Wolf said, “It’s boss’s pet, a tiger cat. Do not provoke it. His temper is worse than mine.”
Big Ivan exclaimed, “Wow, its temper is too terrible, haha.” As he did so, he reached out his arms to hold Ivana, and pulled out her out of the window. At that moment, Ah Ow popped her head out of the same window, grinned at Big Ivan, and howled, “Arhwooo!”
Big Ivan was stunned. “Sh*t, a wolf! What’s in this car? Is it a zoo of beasts?”
Li Du laughed and said, “It’s just a few of my pets. They think you’re going to hurt Ivana. They don’t know you.”
Big Ivan booped Ivana’s nose through her veil and smiled. “Hey daughter, you keep good company, don’t you? Remember what godfather said? You will find your partner!”
Ivana said, “There’s another girl, Victoria. She’s fishing at sea. I’ll introduce her to you the next time we meet.”
After picking up Big Ivan, Li Du first took him to the hotel to rest and eat.
“I’m not tired. I slept all the way. I like to sleep on the plane. It is comfortable,” said Ivan.
Brother Wolf nodded. “This is Big Ivan’s strength. He was born on a plane. All planes are his home.”
Li Du got into the car and said, “Then let’s go back first.”
He had just gotten into his car when the telephone rang. It was Hans. “What’s the matter?”
Hans cried, “What’s the matter? You say what’s the matter? Since you went to Lightning Ridge, there hasn’t been a phone call from you. God, I thought you were buried in a mine!”
Li Du rolled his eyes and said, “Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve had a good time here.”
“Of course I know you’re doing well. D*mn it, I’ve known it since you didn’t give me a call. And yet I still think of you when I find something good,” said Hans angrily.
Li Du asked curiously, “Something good? What did you find?”
