Aruk finally couldn't hold back any longer. He dashed off the boat and stuffed his wet gloves behind his back.
" Su Wei, that's 100,000! If you take it, count me in. I'll help you carry the equipment. My old hunting rifle isn't the best shot, but it's still good enough for close-range fire."
Old Kash slapped Aruk on the back of the head with such force that Aruk staggered.
"Shut up. You think this is a picnic? If you slow Su Wei down in the mountains this time of year, I'll hang you from a tree as bait."
Don't forget how silly you looked last time you hunted the bear! Practice some more!
Aruk shrank his neck and muttered something about feeling wronged.
"I just wanted to help."
Su Wei patted Aruk on the shoulder, gesturing for him to neatly arrange the fish tanks in the back compartment.
Old Kash pulled his cart up the slope to the parking lot.
The rusty old pickup truck was parked under a bare birch tree.
Su Wei and Aruk worked together to lift the heavy halibut onto the back compartment and covered it tightly with a waterproof tarpaulin.
Two small boxes of black cod and snow crab were crammed into a corner.
That was something Su Wei had specially set aside, intending to take it back to improve Cotton Candy's diet, and also to leave a portion for Black and Aruk's families.
Speaking of which, Black said he accompanied the hunting ground assessment committee members from Anchorage to investigate, and it's been several days now.
He might be back in a couple of days.
The pickup truck's engine coughed violently, spewing out a thick plume of smoke, before finally starting to rev laboriously.
Old Kash gripped the steering wheel as the pickup truck bounced along the somewhat bumpy port roads.
Su Wei sat in the passenger seat, his gaze fixed on the scenery outside the window.
The streets of Kodiak Town are not wide, and the buildings on both sides are mostly wooden structures with their exterior walls turned white by the sea breeze.
Some shops have already put up signs saying "Reduced business hours for winter".
The streetlights came on, and in their dim light, tiny ice crystals could be seen dancing in the air.
Su Wei's fingers unconsciously rubbed the fabric on her thigh.
He remembered the Browning rifle that had been kept in the cabin.
After deducting the more than one million dollars spent on building the exhibition hall, there was still about one million dollars left in the account. However, in a place like Alaska, if you want to build a large, self-sufficient estate, that amount of money won't last long.
Every penny of income is important to him.
The Hunters' Guild usually takes a cut of the orders, and they keep prices very tight.
Laurent's high-end, private commissions are where the real profits come from.
Of course, the request from Silas should not be underestimated either.
The problem is, Silas hasn't contacted him yet.
There were clearly no good commissions available.
Thinking about that bear?
Old Kash asked a question as he shifted gears.
"I'm thinking about the route. At this time of year, if I'm going to the north Pillar Mountain, a motorcycle might not be able to make it up; I'd have to walk. If I'm going to a more remote, uninhabited area, I'd need to rent a seaplane or get heavier gear."
Su Wei analyzed the situation calmly.
Aruk leaned out of the back seat, his face beaming with excitement.
" Su Wei, I heard that someone recently saw a brown monster on the upper reaches of the Karluk River. Its footprints are bigger than a dinner plate. That thing definitely weighs more than 400 kilograms; it might be last year's bear king. If we can take it down, Laurent will be getting a bargain of 100,000 US dollars."
"Footprints the size of a dinner plate usually mean the animal weighs over 600 pounds."
Su Wei corrected him.
"A brown bear of that size has such thick skin and fat that even a standard-caliber bullet wouldn't be lethal. I need to make sure the first shot breaks its spine or pierces its heart. Otherwise, in that kind of dense forest, a wounded brown bear becomes extremely dangerous."
The pickup truck turned a corner, and the iconic red-brick building of the Fish and Game Department came into view.
The windproof curtain in front of the door trembled violently in the cold wind, making a crackling sound.
Old Kash parked the car steadily on the side of the road and turned off the engine.
"Let's go. Get this veteran in first. We can deal with the others after we've filled our stomachs."
Su Wei jumped out of the car, a chill creeping up his trouser leg.
He helped Old Kash lift the cart, and the three of them pushed the huge halibut toward the gate.
The three of them worked together to push the creaking metal cart through the heavy windproof curtain.
The warmth from the lobby hit you, and the air was filled with the smell of old paper and specimen preservatives.
Aruk held onto the handrail in front, while Old Kash and Su Wei flanked the edges of the cart to prevent the enormous thing from slipping off.
The heavy wheels rolled over the smooth, cobblestone ground, producing a dull, solid thud.
Sarah, behind the counter, was looking down at a form, the ballpoint pen in her hand twirling rhythmically between her fingers.
Hearing the noise, she stopped what she was doing, shifted her weight forward, and braced her arms on the dark solid wood counter.
The cart stopped less than half a meter from the counter, just to the side and in front of the upright brown bear specimen.
This Pacific Ocean halibut lay horizontally on a metal plate, its tail fin dangling over the edge, its body covered with a thin layer of broken ice that hadn't completely melted.
Sarah moved out from behind the counter and walked around the cart.
She pushed up her frameless glasses with her fingers, and stopped in her tracks when she saw the conspicuous orange-red plastic label behind the fish gills.
"Did you raid some deep-sea dungeon?"
Sarah bent down and examined the label, which was frozen stiff, closely. The number on it was clearly visible: ADFG-2011-XK092.
Aruk patted his chest triumphantly, salt crystals from the sea still lingering under his fingernails.
"You'd have to ask Su Wei. That kid's practically the illegitimate son of the sea god; he pulled it out of the water from over two hundred meters deep on his very first cast."
Su Wei stuffed the blood-stained waterproof gloves into his pocket, grabbed a few tissues from the side, and wiped away the remaining bloody liquid from his hands.
He took out his notebook from his pocket and turned to the latest page.
"The capture time was 10:15 AM today, and the capture location was approximately 18 nautical miles southeast of the St. Paul Harbor, on the edge of the seabed cliff outside Shipwreck Bay."
Su Wei's voice was steady.
"The water depth is approximately 240 to 260 meters, and the bottom is a mixture of rocks and mud. A 400-gram glow-in-the-dark jig was used, with a whole fresh squid as bait."
Sarah stopped writing and looked up at Su Wei.
Are the specific latitude and longitude coordinates recorded?
Su Wei recited a string of numbers, accurate to two decimal places.
"The fishing tackle is a Lumis IMX-Pro heavy-duty boat rod, equipped with a Shimano Stellar 14,000 reel, and the line is 80-pound PE braided line."
He went on to add.
"The fish struggled for about 25 minutes after being hooked, during which it made three explosive attempts to escape. After pulling it onto the deck, we immediately cooled its body down."
Sarah adjusted her glasses, a slight softening appearing on her usually formal face.
"Few hunters keep such detailed records; most just talk about how much the fish weighs or what kind of wine to pair it with."
She turned back behind the counter, her fingers flying across the keyboard, producing a series of crisp tapping sounds.
Aruk muttered to himself, "This Su Wei guy is even more rigid than the instructors at the Fish and Game Department."
Su Wei ignored him, his gaze fixed on the back of the computer screen behind the counter.
He knew that this data was important for marine biological research, and that such expertise often brought him benefits.
This is something Black repeatedly emphasized when he took him into the mountains: details determine whether you are a skinner or a hunter.
The light from the computer screen illuminated Sarah's profile. She clicked the mouse a few times and let out a soft gasp.
"Found it."
She turned the screen slightly, pointing to the records in the system.
"Numbered XK092, this large halibut was released thirteen years ago, in 2011, by personnel from the Biological Research Institute in the waters near Unimak Island."
Old Kash, upon hearing this, also stepped forward. Due to years of exposure to the sea breeze, his skin appeared thicker than that of an average person.
" Unimak Island? That's hundreds of nautical miles away. This guy has gone quite a distance these past few years."
Sarah nodded, her tone lighter than before.
"This little guy weighed only 20 pounds at the time and was released to study the migration routes of juvenile fish. For thirteen years, it evaded countless trawls and bait hooks, growing to 250 pounds."
She looked at Su Wei again.
"According to the cooperation agreement between the Alaska Fish and Game Department and the Biological Institute, there is a reward for anyone who captures a scientifically researched individual with such a long-term tracking tag and can provide detailed capture data."
Sarah pulled a green receipt from the drawer and signed her name on it.
"The $500 research grant is well-deserved. In addition, I will apply for an official letter of appreciation for you on behalf of the Fish and Game Department."
Aruk excitedly put his arm around Su Wei's shoulder, slapping Su Wei's jacket so hard it made a loud thumping sound.