Kodiak Island Fish and Game Department.
This unassuming red brick building is also the main branch of the Alaska Hunters' Guild on the island.
The fate of all the hunters on the island is determined by the rules and people in this building.
Su Wei turned off the engine and got out of the car.
The heavy winter boots sank into the ankle-deep snow with a dull "plop".
He pulled down his goggles, shutting out the cold air, and strode towards the heavy windproof door.
The moment I opened the door, a wave of warmth washed over me.
The lobby was quiet.
The only sounds were the ticking of the old-fashioned wall clock and the intermittent ringing of the telephone from the distant office.
A few men sat scattered on rows of plastic seats, most of them wearing thick, oil-stained work clothes. They looked tired and anxious, clearly having been trapped by the blizzard for many days.
A huge Kodiak brown bear specimen hangs on the wall, standing upright with its glassy eyes indifferently looking down at the visitors.
The other wall features huge photographs of various wild animals, from humpback whales leaping from the sea to brown bears confronting each other in the forest, each one brimming with primal, wild tension.
Su Wei took off his goggles and gloves and walked straight to the front desk.
Behind the reception desk sat a middle-aged woman, her head buried in organizing documents, her blonde hair neatly tied up in a bun at the back of her head.
Her name tag read: Sarah.
"Good morning," Su Wei said.
Sarah looked up, her gaze lingering for a second on Su Wei's professional outdoor gear before she quickly regained her professional demeanor.
Good morning, sir.
How can I help you?
"I'm here to take the professional hunter qualification exam," Su Wei said succinctly.
Sarah stopped writing and typed a few words on the computer.
"Has your amateur hunter license been registered for a full year?"
"This is a strict rule."
"It's full," Su Wei replied.
The original owner of this body obtained her license at the urging of her friends, and a little over a year had passed.
Sarah nodded and pulled out a form from the side.
The exam consists of theory and practical components.
"There's a theory test at 10:00 AM today. It's 9:35 now, you still have time."
She introduced herself at a rapid pace.
"Based on the theoretical knowledge, we will arrange a practical test for you, taking into account the weather and the examiner's availability."
The registration fee is $360 USD, cash or check only.
Without hesitation, Su Wei pulled out four crisp one-hundred-dollar bills from the waterproof bag in his pocket and handed them over.
Sarah took the money, expertly checked the bills, and then gave her forty dollars in change and a printed receipt.
"Alright, Mr. Su Wei."
"Please wait over there. Someone will guide you into the examination room at 9:50."
She pointed to a door in the corner of the hall.
"Good luck."
"Thanks."
Su Wei took the receipt and found an empty seat by the window.
Outside the window, everything was still a vast expanse of white.
He leaned back against the cold chair and relaxed completely.
Su Wei was not worried about theoretical knowledge.
Although the original owner had little interest in hunting itself, she did so in order to pass the exam.
They still memorized those thick volumes of regulations, animal behavior guidelines, and gun safety rules until they were second nature.
Those memories have now become his assets.
All he needs to do now is wait.
Waiting for the exam to begin, waiting to receive that crucial license, and then... heading into the mountains.
Just as Su Wei was looking down at his phone to check the recent weather, the door to the Fish and Game Department was suddenly pushed open again.
"Bang!"
" Sarah! I'm here!"
"Register me!"
"I'm going to get that damn certificate today!"
A loud, deafening male voice instantly shattered the silence of the hall.
Su Wei paused, then looked up.
A young man wrapped in a heavy parka strode in. He was tall and strong, with the healthy bronze skin typical of Aleutian Islands natives, and looked like an energetic young brown bear.
He took off his snow-soaked hat and excitedly shouted to the front desk.
"Hey Sarah! Guess what?"
"A few days ago, right when the blizzard was at its worst, my dad and I took down a huge monster!"
He gestured wildly, spitting as he spoke.
"A fully grown black-tailed deer!"
"It's right on the hillside in our backyard!"
"That guy is as strong as a calf!"
"I took it down with one shot!"
"My dad says my marksmanship is so good that even a professional hunter couldn't find fault with it!"
Sarah, who clearly knew him well, sighed and rubbed her forehead in exasperation.
"Alright, Aruk, keep your voice down."
"This is the Fish and Game Department, not your private bonfire party."
"Get your own registration form and have the money ready."
The young man named Aruk chuckled, seemingly unconcerned, and was about to pick up the form when he turned his head and saw Su Wei sitting by the window.
The smile on his face froze instantly.
Aruk stared blankly at Su Wei, as if he couldn't believe his eyes.
He rubbed his face and then blinked his bright black eyes hard.
A few seconds later, he rushed over in one stride.
" Su Wei?!"
He practically yelled it out.
"It really is you, kid?!"
Su Wei stood up, and fragments of memories belonging to the original owner of the body quickly surfaced and pieced together in his brain, finally settling on the face in front of him that was both familiar and somewhat unfamiliar.
Aruk Kash.
The original owner's childhood friend and best brother.
A pure-blooded Alutiiq people, a native Kodiak Island.
He was the one who dragged Su Wei along to register for the amateur hunter's license back then.
Aruk rushed up to Su Wei, looked him up and down, and then punched him lightly on the shoulder.
You bastard!
"You went back to Kodiak and didn't even contact me?!"
His words were filled with the joy of reunion, but even more so with annoyance at being ignored by his friends.
"I heard from the townspeople that you inherited your father's land and went to live alone in the mountains."
I've been trying to call you but can't get through!
"I thought you'd been carried off by a bear!"
Oops.
The thought flashed through Su Wei's mind.