On one side of the table, a huge hide lay quietly.
Its thick, dark brown fur was like a carpet, and even when it was just laid out, one could still feel the savage aura of an apex predator.
The Bear King.
That 613-kilogram Kodiak brown bear king.
Its skin had been partially processed, but its massive head was still attached, with empty eye sockets and bared fangs, still bearing the ferocity it had in life.
Old Hope had already done most of it; the subcutaneous fat, flesh, and fascia on the side closest to him had been thoroughly cleaned, revealing the milky-white skin.
The remaining small portion was covered with a thick, yellowish-white layer of fat, like solidified butter.
"Come over."
Old Hope's voice was completely flat.
He took a uniquely shaped double-handled meat scraper from the wall covered with tools and casually tossed it onto the worktable, making a clanging metallic sound.
"This is cutting the flesh, a fundamental yet most tiring step in specimen preparation."
Old Hope picked up the knife, gripped the wooden handle with both hands, blade down, and pressed it against the fat layer of the bear skin at an extremely tricky angle.
He exerted force from his waist and back, the lean muscles in his arms tensed instantly, and he seemed to become one with the control panel, pushing forward with force.
"Sizzle"
A large piece of yellowish-white fat was cleanly and neatly separated from the leather board and rolled into a ball.
He kept moving, slashing one after another, steadily and efficiently.
"Make sure the angle between the blade and the leather plate doesn't exceed thirty degrees, otherwise you'll damage the hair follicles. Apply even pressure, push it all the way through in one go, without stopping."
Old Hope spoke in that emotionless tone as he did so.
"Every hide you hold is unique. It's trophy earned by hunters with their lives, not trash for apprentices like you to squander. It's your trophy, so you should cherish it."
After he finished speaking, he threw the large chunk of grease he had scraped off into the metal bucket next to him.
Then, he pushed the double-handled meat scraper in front of Su Wei.
"The rest is yours."
Su Wei stepped forward, took a deep breath, and grasped the cold wooden handle.
The knife was heavy, much heavier than I had imagined.
He mimicked Old Hope, pressing the blade against the layer of fat, trying to find an angle no more than thirty degrees.
The passive ability " Touch of X-Ray Vision " of the [ Crafting Module ] is quietly activated at this moment.
In his perception, the thick bear skin was instantly broken down into several distinct layers.
The top layer is dark brown fur, below which is a tough, dense leather plate, and further down are the fat layer and pale red residual muscle tissue that need to be cleaned out.
He can even vaguely perceive the precise location of each hair follicle root under the skin, like a precise three-dimensional structural diagram.
This allows him to precisely find the angle to make the cut, avoiding all vulnerable areas.
Su Wei adjusted his breathing, tightened his core, and pushed forward forcefully with his arms.
"Tsk"
The blade cut into the layer of fat, feeling sticky and difficult to the touch, requiring far more effort than expected.
He felt like he was pushing a huge, incredibly resilient piece of rubber.
This feeling was completely different from the previous process of separating flesh from skin on those smaller prey.
Because of its weight, it actually requires more effort and precision.
"Idiot, you're too weak. Didn't you eat?"
Old Hope's roar exploded in my ears.
"Subcutaneous connective tissue is tougher than you think. Use your waist, not just your arms. Use your core strength."
Su Wei gritted his teeth, unaffected by the shouts, and instead became even more focused.
He lowered his body slightly, reducing his center of gravity, and felt the power coming from the soles of his feet, traveling down his spine to his arms.
"Sizzle."
This time, a large, intact strip of fat was successfully scraped off.
Although the edges are a bit rough and not as clean and neat as Old Hope's work, it's still a success.
[ Basic Taxidermy LV1 Experience +5.]
A message floated past his eyes.
There's hope.
Su Wei ignored Old Hope's reprimand and became completely absorbed in his own world.
He slashed again and again, adjusting the angle of each strike, feeling the subtle feedback as the fat separated from the skin beneath the blade, enjoying the thrill of conquering the challenge purely through strength and skill.
Old Hope stood to the side, arms crossed, his eyes fixed on Su Wei's every move, occasionally uttering a short instruction out of the blue.
"Your wrist is too stiff. Relax and let the knife follow the skin."
"If you're too slow, the grease will solidify back onto the leather, making it even harder to handle later."
"That area, the one with the bullet hole, bypass it and treat it separately last. Scrape it inwards from the edge."
Time slipped away slowly amidst the monotonous, repetitive actions.
The only sounds in the factory were the sizzling of scrapers against flesh and the monotonous hum of exhaust fans.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Su Wei's forehead, sliding down his cheeks, and his breathing became heavy.
The back of my clothes was already soaked with sweat and clung tightly to my body.
The subcutaneous fat layer that needs to be removed from a single bear pelt weighs over fifty kilograms.
When he finished the last area, he was almost completely exhausted. His arms were so sore and swollen, as if they were filled with lead, and he could barely lift them.
[Your Basic Taxidermy have been honed through extreme labor.]
[ Basic Taxidermy LV1 Experience +15.]
[Current progress: LV1 (99/100)]
It's just a little bit away from upgrading.
Su Wei straightened up and looked at the bear skin, which had been basically cleaned and revealed its smooth hide. A sense of accomplishment after his work welled up inside him.
Old Hope stepped forward, put on rubber gloves, and carefully ran his fingers over the leather panel, from beginning to end, to every corner.
He even used his fingernail to pick at some of the finer details of the fascia connections, checking them more thoroughly than customs officials.
After a long while, he raised his head, his cloudy eyes revealing no emotion.
"Barely watchable."
He uttered this comment, but as he turned to walk towards the huge water tank, a barely perceptible smile seemed to appear on his lips.
"Come here, prepare for tanning."
Inside the enormous ceramic tanning vat, a translucent, milky-white liquid had already been prepared.
That was the tanning solution that Su Wei personally prepared yesterday under the guidance of Old Hope.
With their combined efforts, the two of them managed to lift the huge and heavy bear skin and slowly immerse it in the tanning vat.
The hide, once submerged in water, slowly unfurled in the solution, resembling a sleeping behemoth.
"First soaking, seven days."
Old Hope screwed the cap on, his voice carrying a barely perceptible hint of weariness.
"During this period, I came over to stir it once in the morning and once in the evening to ensure the solution penetrated evenly."
[You participated in the preservation and tanning of top-hunted specimens, gaining a comprehensive understanding of the processing procedures for large biological specimens.]
[ Preservation Treatment LV2 Experience +10.]
By the time all this was done, it was completely dark outside.
The wind and snow seemed to be even heavier than yesterday, pounding against the corrugated iron roof of the factory building with a rattling sound.
That's all for today.
Old Hope took off his leather apron and threw it aside.
"Come over at six o'clock tomorrow morning to have the antlers processed."
Su Wei nodded and took off his heavy apron.
He felt that his whole body reeked of a strange mixture of grease and formaldehyde, and all he wanted to do was go home immediately and soak himself in boiling water to disinfect himself.
It was already past eight o'clock in the evening when we got back to the cabin.
The first thing Su Wei did was throw herself into the bathroom, use up almost half a bottle of shower gel, and scrub herself three times before she felt the stubborn smell on her body fade away a bit.
I simply boiled a pot of frozen dumplings, paired them with chili sauce I bought from town, and wolfed them down. Only after my depleted energy slowly returned did I feel like I had come back to life.