His movements were not fast, but they had a rhythmic quality.
The tip of the knife lifts the edge of the skin, and the thumb pushes it outwards in coordination. The connective tissue between the skin and flesh breaks under the blade, making a faint sound.
Now we come to the most difficult part, the ear, which is a true blind spot.
Old Hope squinted, his body involuntarily leaning forward slightly.
The snow hare's ear cartilage is extremely brittle, and its skin and flesh are tightly attached.
Completely removing the cartilage from the ear while ensuring that the distinctive tuft of black down at the ear tip doesn't fall out relies entirely on experience and feel.
Su Wei closed his eyes briefly.
When it opened its eyes again, its wrist rotated flexibly, with a very small range of motion.
He held the blade upside down, pressing the back of the blade against the base of the cartilage, his fingertips precisely sensing the edge of the cartilage through the skin.
He was performing the actions of peeling and pushing.
Old Hope's fingers, which had been casually tapping the table, suddenly stopped in mid-air.
The factory was eerily quiet, but he could clearly hear the sound.
"Pop."
It was a soft, cracking sound as the cartilage separated from the skin.
There was no cutting or rubbing sound.
This kid... he's doing it blindfolded? And he succeeded on the first try?
Ten minutes later, a complete snow rabbit skin was laid flat on the tray, with the paws and ear cartilage preserved.
Without pausing, Su Wei shook his slightly aching wrist and reached for the muddy otter.
This is yet another situation.
Snow rabbits have thin skin, while otters have extremely thick subcutaneous fat, with the skin and flesh tightly adhered together. Every cut requires force, but the skin itself must not be damaged.
Sweat trickled down Su Wei's forehead, sliding along the edge of his goggles, causing a slight itch, but he didn't have time to wipe it away.
The blade moved through the fat layer, bringing up patches of yellowish-white grease.
He seemed to need no thought; with each cut, he precisely avoided the skin, removing only the fat and muscle.
This is a combination of the Nimble Hands in the Life Module and the Basic Taxidermy in the Crafting Module.
His control over objects allowed him to enter a state of flow.
The stench from the outside world disappeared, and so did Old Hope's gaze.
The world is now reduced to the area under the blade.
All that remained were the animal carcasses before him, and he focused intently on them.
The third one was a red fox involved in a car accident.
This is the real challenge, and also Old Hope's trump card.
The impact to the abdomen caused extensive bruising and adhesions, and the left forelimb was fractured with bone fragments piercing the muscles and intertwining with the skin.
Processing these hides is very troublesome.
Su Wei switched to blunt-tipped scissors and a small scalpel, and her movements were very gentle.
First, carefully open the broken wound with blunt scissors, clean away the blackened blood clots, and then use a scalpel to remove the bone fragments hanging on the skin little by little.
Even a tiny bone fragment smaller than a grain of rice can scratch the entire hide during the tanning process, ruining all the work.
Time ticked by, and a tense atmosphere filled the air.
The clock on the wall pointed to twelve o'clock.
"When"
As the last hourly chime sounded, Su Wei exhaled a soft breath and put down the knife in his hand.
He took off his gloves, which were covered in blood and grease, and carefully tossed them into the trash can.
"Mr. Hope."
Su Wei turned around and pointed to three neatly arranged stainless steel trays on the table.
"It's finished."
Old Hope didn't say anything; he walked over with a somber face and a complicated expression.
He first picked up the snow rabbit skin and held it up to the bright shadowless lamp. There were no translucent spots, not even a pinhole-sized tear.
The ear cartilage was completely flipped, and the extremely fine inner lip along the eyelid margin was also preserved.
Old Hope's eyebrows twitched violently, and disbelief lingered in the wrinkles around his eyes.
Next up are the otters.
The finger bones were completely removed, the claw tips were perfectly preserved, and the skin was smooth.
Finally, there was the tattered fox pelt.
Old Hope examined the complicated car accident wound repeatedly.
Su Wei not only removed the skin, but also neatly trimmed the necrotic tissue at the edges of the wound, leaving perfect leeway for later suturing and repair.
This foresight, this level of proficiency, was truly astonishing to him.
Terrifying learning ability!
The factory was deathly silent.
The only sound was the whooshing of the exhaust fan, which seemed particularly jarring.
Old Hope put down the leather bag, snorted heavily through his nose, and tried to cover up his embarrassment.
"Barely watchable."
The old man turned around, his back to Su Wei, his voice harsh.
"Aside from being a bit more steady, there's nothing special about it. The otter had a gram of fat left at the base of its tail, and the fox's lower lip was crooked by half a millimeter."
"With this level of skill, you're a hundred years too early to even touch that bear skin."
Although it was all nitpicking, even a bit like finding fault with an egg, they didn't kick people out.
Su Wei breathed a sigh of relief, a slight smile playing on her lips.
That counts as passing the test.
This old man has a mouth that's harder than a scalpel.
[Successfully completed the skinning and flesh removal of snow hares, otters, and red foxes. Completion rate: 96%.]
[ Crafting Module Experience +47, Basic Taxidermy Experience +47.]
Real-world practice is indeed the shortcut to leveling up.
"Gulu€€€€"
An untimely noise echoed through the empty factory.
The sound was so loud that it was impossible to pretend I didn't hear it.
Su Wei subconsciously touched her stomach, but quickly realized it wasn't hers.
Old Hope's wrinkled face visibly flushed red.
He glared at Su Wei in a fit of rage, his imposing manner instantly crumbling, and turned to storm toward the greasy microwave oven in the corner of the rest area.
There were several convenience store sandwiches next to it, the lettuce leaves all wilted and yellowed.
This is the lunch of this top Alaska taxidermist.
"Mr. Hope."
Su Wei called out to the old man who was about to tear open the packaging bag.
"What are you doing? Trying to take credit? No way."
Old Hope didn't turn his head, his tone fierce.
"To ensure I have enough energy to continue working this afternoon, and because your hands tremble due to low blood sugar, it will affect the quality of your teaching."
Su Wei took off her apron and walked to the sink next to her, her tone calm and sincere.
"I can cook. Can I use your kitchen?"
Old Hope paused, turned his head, and looked Su Wei up and down suspiciously, as if he were looking at an alien.
"You?"
"A hunter who can skin animals and cook?"
The old man chuckled and tossed the sandwich he was holding back onto the table.
"There's a small cubicle in the back; there should be some food inside. Don't blow up the kitchen, or you'll lose your pay."
Since someone was willing to do the hard labor, he was naturally happy to have some free time.
Anyway, he'd had enough of that kind of pig feed that was edible as long as it didn't kill anyone.