Watching the little fox burying its head in its food, its tail tip still trembling slightly, Su Wei sat on the sofa, took a deep breath, and opened his laptop.
Now that we've decided to explore other ways to make money, we can't just sit here daydreaming.
We must look at the data.
Su Wei's fingers hovered over the keyboard, a series of keywords listing in his mind:
What was Alaska's total birch syrup production last year?
What is the price fluctuation curve per ounce in the global high-end market?
What are the specific parameters and suppliers of industrial-grade thickeners?
Has the Fish and Game Department changed its policies this year regarding commercial fishing in the Pilan Creek?
What is the price of a high-end hunting and fishing guide?
Tourist guide for private property?
A series of questions urgently need answers.
Press Enter.
A white circle appeared in the center of the screen.
It keeps spinning.
Su Wei picked up his water glass, took a sip, and frowned slightly.
It's still spinning.
That loading circle, going round and round, wears down one's patience.
A minute passed, and the circle seemed to freeze up.
Finally, a line of cold, impersonal text appeared at the top of the browser: Unable to connect to the server.
"Tsk."
Su Wei slammed the water glass down on the coffee table with a thud.
He took out his phone.
The signal strength indicator in the upper left corner of the screen shows 1 bar.
Immediately afterwards, as if in response to the computer's mockery, the only signal bar flickered and turned into an even more desperate "E".
2G network.
In this land only two hours' drive from the town, he felt as if he had returned to the primitive era of dial-up internet.
Let alone consulting those industry reports that often run for dozens of pages, even opening a plain text Wikipedia page takes as long as the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
Su Wei stood up, took her phone, and walked to the window.
He held it high, like a primitive man searching for a signal.
No response.
He walked to the door, pushed it open, and stood in the biting cold wind.
The signal strength jumped back to 1 bar for 4G, but before he could refresh, it instantly dropped back to no service.
Damn it.
Su Wei cursed under his breath, slammed the door shut, and the fire in the fireplace shook.
This feeling of isolation from the world made him extremely irritable.
When facing a brown bear, you have a gun, a knife, and modules.
You know that pulling the trigger or swinging a hunting knife will solve the problem.
But on this hundred-acre plot of land, where his future magnificent estate will be built, if there isn't even internet access, it will be an exquisite prison.
Su Wei sat back on the sofa, looking at the dinosaur game on the computer screen that had lost internet access. Every jump of the little black and white dinosaur seemed to mock his helplessness.
He must get the birch syrup production line up and running by next spring.
Before the sockeye salmon migrate, he needs to obtain a fishing permit.
All of this requires information; information is money, information is efficiency.
Checking equipment parameters, comparing supplier quotes, and downloading the hundreds of pages of application forms from the Fish and Game Department all require internet access.
Relying on weekly trips to the Starbucks in town to use their Wi-Fi?
That's not the kind of efficiency someone aspiring to be a large landowner should have.
Su Wei scratched his head in frustration, his eyes gloomy.
The Cotton Candy, which was eating, seemed to sense the low pressure emanating from its owner. It stopped eating, raised its head, and looked at Su Wei with its big, dark, wet eyes, a little bit of meat paste still stuck to its mouth.
It trotted over with tiny steps and nuzzled Su Wei's hand, which was hanging by the sofa, with its head.
The furry touch on the back of his hand calmed Su Wei's anger slightly.
"Eat your food, I'm thinking about how to spend the money."
Su Wei gave its wet nose a light tap, sounding rather annoyed.
This problem must be solved.
Fiber optic cable installation?
Don't be ridiculous. Telecom companies charge by the meter for running a dedicated line from town to this desolate area; even with his millions in assets, he couldn't afford that kind of construction.
Moreover, by the time their construction team scheduled their work, the birch sap had all dried up.
Microwave communication?
It is greatly affected by terrain and weather.
Kodiak is such a lousy place, with snow and wind for 200 days a year, the microwave tower is probably just for show.
Su Wei's gaze wandered around the room, finally settling on the pile of messy old newspapers beside the fireplace.
Those were left over from the newspaper delivery service that hadn't stopped after Su Wei's parents died; most of them were recent and were mostly used as kindling.
Because it's so far away, the mailboxes are all located near the dirt road on the main road, and we have to pay an extra, expensive delivery fee.
Therefore, Su Wei later discontinued this service.
He casually pulled out a card, intending to crumple it up and throw it into the fireplace to vent his anger.
But just as the newspaper was turned over, a black-and-white advertisement in the corner caught his eye.
It was an extremely rudimentary advertisement, even slightly crooked in its layout, featuring a white, disc-shaped object printed on it, next to a line of bold, black text:
[Say goodbye to buffers. Starlink connects the wilderness and the world. The Kodiak service point is now open for reservations.]
Starlink.
Su Wei abruptly stopped crumpling the paper.
As a time traveler, he certainly knew about this thing.
Low Earth orbit satellite communications.
No base station or fiber optic cable is needed; all you need is a satellite dish and a view of the sky to access the internet.
This is practically a godsend for a godforsaken place like Alaska.
I've been so busy hunting, paying off debts, and disposing of corpses that I completely forgot about this most important piece of infrastructure.
Su Wei immediately picked up her phone.
Even if the signal is only a weak E, it should be enough to send a text message or make a phone call.
He dialed the number listed in the newspaper.
"Beep... beep... beep..."
The long wait continued.
"Hello? This is Kodiak High-Speed Communications. For inquiries, please..."
A languid female voice came from the other end of the phone, with the background noise of a football match television.
"I want to install Starlink."
Su Wei interrupted the other party's opening remarks abruptly, speaking at an extremely fast pace.
When can it be installed at the earliest?
"Well..."
The other party was clearly surprised by the client's directness, and had never seen someone call so aggressively late at night.
"Sir, Starlink hardware is currently in short supply. We need to place an order first, and then it will be shipped from Seattle, which will take about two weeks..."
Two weeks? That's too long.
Su Wei frowned, his tone leaving no room for argument.
I need it urgently. Don't you have it in stock?
"A few sets are available for VIP business clients, but the price will be higher than on the official website..."