"You are a notary."
Black didn't give him a chance to refuse.
"Besides, you're quick with the bill, which saves us from being overcharged by the waiters."
Silas's stiff, scarred face seemed to soften a little.
He lowered his head, pretending to continue wiping the boning knife.
"Fine. If you insist on buying me one of those ridiculously expensive bourbons."
Half an hour later.
Su Wei drove the Raptor, carrying the three of them, away from the Hunters' Guild.
The truck bed was much emptier now; the hundreds of kilograms of meat were left in the cold storage, to become numbers in Silas's vault.
But the huge brown bear skin and skull still lay quietly in the truck bed, covered with a waterproof tarpaulin.
A faint smell of blood and tobacco filled the carriage.
Aruk sat in the back, clutching the two thousand dollars in cash tightly in his arms, still excited, muttering about the model of the new motor.
"... Yamaha four-stroke, it has to be a four-stroke, fuel-efficient and powerful. Then I can go to more distant bays to set cages..."
Old Kash was dozing in the passenger seat, his pipe gripped tightly in his hand.
Su Wei gripped the steering wheel, and the car window was cracked open.
A cold wind blew in, dispersing the fishy smell.
The light and shadow of the streetlamp slid alternately across his profile.
The car quickly entered the forest area, where everything became pitch black, with only the headlights cutting through the snow-covered road ahead.
Twenty minutes later.
The Raptor landed in front of Su Wei's cabin.
The car lights went out, and the world returned to silence.
"Give me a hand."
Su Wei jumped out of the truck and opened the rear cargo bed.
That bearskin was too heavy.
Including the enormous skull that hasn't been fully processed, it weighs at least over 100 kilograms.
Aruk and Old Kash also got off the vehicle.
Black stood to one side, shining a flashlight.
"One, two, go!"
The three men worked together to lift the enormous object.
The grease from the fur rubbed off on Su Wei's down jacket, but he didn't care at all.
They trudged through the snow, one step at a time, into the house.
Cotton Candy had already heard the commotion and was pacing anxiously in the entryway, making soft whimpering noises.
But when the scent of a top predator entered the room, the little fox instantly bristled and darted under the sofa, leaving only its wary eyes peeking out.
"Put it there."
Su Wei gestured with his chin towards the center of the living room.
"Bang."
The heavy bearskin hit the ground with a dull thud.
The enormous bear head was facing the fireplace. Even though it was dead, its ferocious fangs, illuminated by the firelight, still exuded a suffocating sense of oppression.
Aruk, panting heavily, stood with his hands on his hips, looking at the spoils on the ground.
"Wow, it's huge..."
He sighed, his tone devoid of jealousy, only pure admiration remaining.
"Once you turn it into a specimen, not even a mouse will dare to enter this house again."
Old Kash dusted off his hands and looked around at the Su Wei's simple little wooden hut.
"That's a good omen."
The old man said earnestly.
"With this big guy to ward off evil spirits, you'll finally have a stable life."
Black stood in the doorway but did not come in.
The cold wind outside ruffled his gray hair.
"Tomorrow."
He was concise and to the point.
"Take a day off. Training will resume at 6:00 AM the day after tomorrow."
Su Wei straightened up, looked at his stern mentor, and nodded.
"Clear."
The group did not linger.
Aruk and Old Kash had to go back to their nagging mothers to share the good news, and Black had to go back to feed his dog.
"They're gone, Su Wei."
Aruk climbed into the passenger seat of Old Kash's beat-up pickup truck, rolled down the window, flashed his big white teeth, and waved the roll of US dollars in his hand.
"Tomorrow night at five o'clock, at that Old Captain Seafood Restaurant. Don't forget to bring enough money. I want to chew those crab legs to pieces."
"Get lost."
Su Wei laughed and cursed.
Old Kash started the car.
The dilapidated engine roared, its exhaust puffing out a cloud of white smoke in the cold night.
The red taillights gradually disappeared into the darkness at the end of the road.
Su Wei stood under the porch, watching them leave.
The surroundings fell silent again.
The only sounds were the rustling of the wind through the fir forest and the occasional howl of wolves in the distance.
He turned and went back inside, closing the heavy wooden door behind him.
Click.
The sound of the lock clicking shut was clearly audible.
The room was warm and cozy, and the flames in the fireplace were still flickering.
Cotton Candy finally confirmed it was safe, cautiously poked its head out from under the sofa, and tentatively sniffed the huge bear skin.
Su Wei leaned against the door, not in a hurry to change her clothes or wash up.
He took his phone out of his pocket and turned the screen on again.
The number "$24,000.00" is still there, emitting a faint blue glow.
He looked up, his gaze passing over the phone and landing on the huge bear head in the center of the carpet.
Chapter 127 The Red Shell of the King Crab, A Farewell Ticket (5600 words! Please subscribe!)
The flames crackled and flickered in the fireplace, casting an orange-red glow.
A huge bear head lay on the tarpaulin.
Even in death, the aura of the King of Kodiak Island still permeated the small living room, making the air seem thicker.
Cotton Candy huddled in the corner of the sofa, its fluffy tail tip curled around its nose, revealing only a pair of black bean-like eyes, and a suppressed, uneasy whimpering sound coming from its throat.
Su Wei crouched down and touched the bear's nose with his fingers.
It was cold and rough, and the lingering smell of blood and wild animals filled the air.
This thing absolutely cannot be left lying around.
Bear skins, skulls, and antlers that haven't undergone secondary processing are completely unusable.
In fact, if stored for too long, it may even rot and smell bad.
That would be terrible.
But dealing with spoils of war of this caliber requires far more than just the hunting knife in Su Wei's hand and the bucket of coarse salt.
Ninety percent of the hunters on the island couldn't handle it.
You need to find a professional taxidermist.
It still requires a top-tier master who can capture the essence of a wild beast.