Only the crackling of burning firewood remained in the room.
"...over the next three days, Kodiak Island is expected to see a brief spell of good weather, with lighter winds, rising temperatures, and excellent visibility..."
Three days.
Su Wei turned off the radio.
He walked to the window and wiped the mist from the glass with his fingers.
It was still pitch-dark outside, but the wind had indeed died down.
The good weather three days from now meant he would be able to see farther, prey would come out and move about, and his chances of survival in the wilderness would be much greater.
This was an opportunity.
And a signal.
Su Wei turned around, his gaze passing over the warm fireplace to the Browning hunting rifle hanging on the wall.
The debt of 160,000 weighed on him so heavily he could barely breathe.
And the only thing he could rely on right now was his golden finger.
So he had to head into the mountains.
It was also the only way he might be able to make money right now.
The Gathering Module had already been activated. He could rely on it to become a capable expert in mountain products.
Besides that.
Su Wei brought up the system panel and glanced at the dimmed [Hunting Module] icon.
All he had to do was hunt one beast to unlock it.
When that happened, he would have another avenue.
These resource-rich mountains would become the treasure trove that let him turn his fortunes around.
He walked over and took down the gun.
Cotton Candy seemed to sense that something was different. The little fox rolled over and sat up, head tilted and ears standing straight.
"You're fed and watered, Cotton Candy."
Su Wei found a piece of cotton cloth, dabbed it with gun oil, and began carefully wiping down the barrel.
His voice was soft, but in the quiet cabin, every word was clear.
"Three days from now, we're heading into the mountains."
Chapter 13: Preparations for the Mountains! Life Module Upgrade!
The cotton cloth, damp with gun oil, slid smoothly over the barrel of the Browning rifle.
The old Browning rifle gleamed anew.
Su Wei worked quietly, taking it apart, oiling it, and putting it back together.
Every step was precise and practiced.
The crisp clicks of the mechanism locking into place echoed through the cabin.
This was the first time he had treated a gun so seriously since coming to this world.
Because he knew that whether he survived three days from now depended entirely on this gun.
Cotton Candy sat on the rug nearby, furry head tilted.
The little fox's blue eyes were fixed intently on the lump of metal in Su Wei's hands.
Cotton Candy didn't understand what was so fun about the cold thing, but could tell that Su Wei was serious.
For the next three days, Su Wei didn't step outside.
The weather hadn't cleared, and wind and snow still raged outside the window.
On the first day, he serviced his gun and Swiss Army knife.
He neatly packed all the bullets into a waterproof ammunition box.
He also put together a first-aid kit, stuffing it with bandages, rubbing alcohol, antibiotics, and painkillers bought in town.
In the wilderness, even a small wound could be deadly.
On the second day, Su Wei began planning what to take into the mountains.
A large hiking backpack lay open on the floor, and he began packing it item by item.
High-calorie jerky and energy bars, two changes of thermal underwear, and thick wool socks.
A small bundle of sturdy nylon rope, along with a magnesium fire starter and waterproof matches.
He even packed a small mess pot and a water bottle.
Cotton Candy circled the backpack curiously.
The little fox nudged its contents with a nose from time to time, until Su Wei gave Cotton Candy a gentle pat on the head.
"Don't make trouble."
The little fox whimpered and backed away.
Cotton Candy played with a green rubber ball, batting it with a paw.
When Su Wei had stuffed everything into the bag and was about to zip it up, he stopped.
He stared at the bulging backpack.
A deadly problem had cropped up.
A tent.
His old tent had been damaged in that blizzard and reduced to rags.
He still remembered how much trouble he had had putting up a makeshift shelter in the wind and snow last time.
If he hadn't been lucky enough to find a cave, he might have frozen to death outside.
It was too dangerous to spend four or five days in the mountains relying only on a makeshift shelter.
If he ran into another blizzard, he wouldn't even have a place to hide.
Besides, building a makeshift shelter took an extraordinary amount of energy.
On this trip into the mountains, his first goal was to gather good things, and his second was to hunt.
Physical strength was very important to him in both cases.
He had to conserve it wherever he could.
"Damn it."
Su Wei cursed under his breath.
He had actually forgotten something so important.
It looked like he had to make another trip to Kodiak Town.
He looked out the window. The wind and snow seemed to have eased a little.
If he left now, he should be able to get back before dark.
Su Wei immediately grabbed his car keys and pulled on his outdoor jacket.
"Cotton Candy, let's go."
Hearing him, the little fox immediately dropped the toy.
Cotton Candy darted excitedly to the door, tail spinning like a windmill.
To the little fox, getting to ride in that vibrating, roaring tin giant was the happiest thing of all.
The Dodge pickup roared to life again and charged into the wind and snow.
This time, Su Wei didn't go to Dad's Supermarket.
He drove straight to the outdoor supply store at the other end of town.
The owner was a burly man with a full beard. When he saw Su Wei come in, he merely raised his eyelids.
"What do you need?"
"A tent. A four-season model with good wind and snow resistance," Su Wei asked directly.
The burly man pointed to a row of tents hanging on the wall.
"They're all here. Check the prices yourself. You get what you pay for."
Su Wei's gaze swept over the price tags.
There was something at every price, from entry-level models costing just over a hundred dollars to professional mountaineering tents costing over a thousand.
Money was tight for him right now, but he couldn't gamble with his life, either.
In the end, he picked out an orange two-person tent.
It cost 360 dollars.