"My God, this is the flesh and blood of three colossal beasts! Two bear heads, one moose. One had its brain blown off at close range, and given the Old Devil's requirements, the other's heart must have been pierced!"
Listening to these discussions, and hearing the initial scorn turn into amazement and awe, Su Wei downed the rest of his whiskey in one gulp.
The strong liquor went down my throat, and a surge of heroic spirit arose.
"You did this?"
A hoarse, deep voice came from behind me.
Su Wei turned around.
The one-eyed bartender had somehow returned from outside.
He had clearly checked the condition of the giant beast up close.
That one cloudy eye, however, now gleamed with a sharp light, staring intently at Su Wei, as if trying to see right through him.
" Black is getting old."
The bartender pointed in the direction of the commotion outside the door, then pointed to Black's right hand, which was holding a wine glass and trembling very slightly.
"He needs to save his gun for other things; his hands are no longer suited for that kind of rapid lock-on at extreme distances."
The bartender's voice was low, but each word was clear and precise, carrying a professional scrutiny.
"That distance, that angle, that level of accuracy to calmly lock onto a brown bear while it's charging."
He leaned forward, his scarred face drawing near Su Wei, exuding a strange sense of pressure, or perhaps... excitement.
"That's a young man's marksmanship."
"It takes the courage of a madman, a steady hand, and a cold heart to put a bullet into the monstrous skull when a brown bear is charging at your face."
The bartender suddenly laughed.
It was an ugly smile, highlighting all the scars on his face.
He bent down and pulled a dusty bottle of wine from a hidden compartment at the bottom of the counter.
The bottle looked quite old; it was a treasured possession that I wouldn't normally take out.
"Kid."
The bartender uncorked the bottle, and a rich, mellow aroma with fruity and woody notes instantly overwhelmed the previous smell of inferior alcohol.
He refilled Su Wei's empty glass; the dark red liquid looked quite appealing under the light.
"I don't care how much money this bear can fetch; that's a businessman's business."
The bartender pushed the glass towards Su Wei, his single eye gleaming with awe—a hunter's tribute to the strong.
"But I know."
"Starting tonight."
"The entire Kodiak Island will know that a ruthless character named Su Wei has risen to power over the corpse of the King of the Island."
"This drink is on me."
"Tell me."
The bartender stared into Su Wei's eyes and asked, word by word.
"What did you see the moment you pulled the trigger, in that life-or-death moment?"
Su Wei picked up the glass of wine.
There was no rush to drink it.
He looked at his reflection in the wine. His face was young and tired, but it also held a fierce edge.
What did I see?
Su Wei repeated it softly, his voice very low.
He looked up.
My gaze passed through the open gate, past the mad crowd surrounding the giant beast's corpse, as if I had returned to that snow-covered Eagle's Eagle Beak Cliff once more.
In this moment that everyone is watching with bated breath.
Su Wei's lips curled into a confident smile.
"I saw... my new world."
Chapter 124 This cup of wine is a toast to Su Wei! (Bonus chapter!)
"Bang."
A loud bang interrupted his thoughts.
The tavern door was once again violently kicked open, and a gust of cold wind swept in, dispersing the heavy smell of tobacco and alcohol.
The group of hunters who had rushed out to watch the commotion have finally returned.
Their boots were covered in mud, leaving a trail of messy footprints on the floor.
Everyone's face still bore the flush of excitement, the thrill of having seen their top prey.
"My God, Black! That was amazing!"
The first to shout was the bearded man who had provoked them earlier.
At this moment, the faint mockery that had been on his fleshy face had vanished, replaced by an expression of ingratiation and fervor.
The speed at which the faces were swapped was astonishing.
He strode to the bar, and slammed his hand on the table across two people, making the peanut shells in the dish jump around.
"I knew it! I knew that once the Old Devil made his move, nothing on this snowfield would be able to stand and breathe!"
The bearded man's voice was like a broken gong, spittle flying everywhere, "That's the King of the Island! A monster over three meters tall when it stands up! Did you see the wound? Clean and neat!"
"Who just said Black was old?" Another tall, thin hunter squeezed in, carrying a half-empty bottle of beer, his face flushed. "That shot was brilliant. Right to the heart! Besides Black, who else on this island has such accurate aim?"
"That's right, I knew things hadn't been peaceful around Eagle Beak Cliff these past few days. Turns out you took care of that damned beast."
The sycophants kept praising him, creating a constant cacophony.
The atmosphere in the tavern instantly transformed from oppressive to celebratory.
Everyone was looking at Black with eyes full of admiration.
Here, these roughnecks believe in only one rule: whoever catches the fiercest prey is the king of the night.
As for Su Wei, who was sitting next to Black and looking down at his wine glass...
They were completely ignored by this group of men who were acting like they were on steroids.
In their eyes, this thin, fair-skinned Asian boy was at most just a backpacker.
They might even be too busy screaming and trembling when a bear charges at them.
Being able to come back alive is purely due to the good deeds of my ancestors and having a good teacher.
"That bear pelt is really nice. Except for the hole in its heart, it's completely unharmed." Old Joey, the most senior member of the pack, also came in. He brushed the snow off his shoulders, still savoring the scene from earlier. " Black, only you could pull this off. Anyone else would have panicked and torn the pelt apart at that distance. How much would that pelt cost?"
"At least fifteen thousand US dollars," someone replied.
"Fifteen thousand? Who do you think you are? That's the King of the Island! I bet even twenty thousand would be enough for a rich man to fight over him!"
The crowd buzzed with discussion, already calculating Black's earnings from the trip as if the money had already gone into their pockets.
Black sat motionless on the high stool.
He remained silent.
The large, calloused hand gripped the whiskey glass, the knuckles turning slightly white from the force.
He listened to the noise around him, his rigid and serious face expressionless, showing neither smugness at being flattered nor a hasty rebuttal.
He simply took a sip of his drink quietly, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.
"Snap."
The wine glass slammed heavily on the bar.
The sound was deep and powerful, like a signal that abruptly cut off the surrounding noise.
Black slowly turned around. His old dark gray windbreaker was still stained with dried, dark red blood, left from when he had dismembered his prey.
He ignored the people flattering him; his grey-blue eyes swept across the room, sharp and carrying a pressure that made people afraid to look him in the eye.
Then, he extended his right hand.
That hand was very steady, like an iron clamp.
He extended his index finger and pointed at Su Wei, who was playing with a wine glass beside him.
"It wasn't me."
Black's voice was hoarse and deep, but in the quiet tavern, every word was clearly audible.
"That shot was fired by this kid."
The air seemed to have been sucked out in that instant.
It was as if someone had pressed the mute button; the entire tavern fell into an eerie, deathly silence.