Su Wei looked at the new rank indicator.
"Twenty-four points..."
Aruk finally couldn't hold back any longer; he leaned over the counter, his cheeks squeezing out of shape.
" Sarah, check mine again. I remember being there too. When that bear charged, I was harassing it with a gun."
Sarah glanced at him, pulled a thin sheet from under the folder, and tossed it in front of Aruk.
"Checked. Assisting with transportation, two points. Assisting, three points. Plus the risk bonus for being the decoy, seven points."
"Twelve points in total."
Aruk grabbed the form as if he had been dealt a huge blow.
"My God! Su Wei's score is twice mine? Oh well, what can I do when the risks he faces are too great? I approve!"
Su Wei put the professional hunter's license back into his pocket, his fingers touching the hard edge of the card.
At LV2, he was no longer a complete novice.
Rather, he is a qualified professional hunter.
Unlocking mid-sized commercial commissions means you can legally take on private orders of Laurent's caliber, register with the guild, and enjoy insurance and legal assistance.
Thanks, Sarah.
Su Wei nodded and turned to walk towards the door.
"Don't forget, there's a lecture on polar survival next week; hunters level 2 and above can attend for free."
Sarah's voice sounded from behind, followed by the sound of a folder closing.
"Understood, I'll come when I have time."
Su Wei waved his hand, pushed open the heavy windproof curtain, and a biting cold wind immediately rushed in.
It was completely dark outside.
Under the dim yellow glow of the streetlights, snowflakes fluttered down.
The pickup truck parked on the side of the road was covered with a thin layer of snow.
Su Wei pulled up the collar of his windbreaker to block the cold wind from getting into his neck.
My stomach promptly let out a protest.
He has barely eaten or drunk anything since he set sail at four in the morning, except for a few bites of dry bread on the boat.
The intense fish fight and the low temperature had drained him of all his energy.
" Su Wei, come to my house."
Aruk caught up from behind and put his arm around Su Wei's shoulder, seemingly having already forgotten his earlier frustration.
"My mom knew we were coming back, so she must have made seal oil and meat soup. It's strong-smelling, but on such a cold day, a bowl of that will warm you right up to your heels."
Su Wei stopped and gripped the car door handle.
"Some other time. I need to go back and pack up this bunch of gear, and Cotton Candy is still at home."
His social energy has completely dried up; all he wants is to return to that quiet cabin, light the fireplace, and grill himself a thick steak.
"Stop talking nonsense."
Old Kash walked over, took a rusty key out of his pocket, and inserted it into the lock of the old pickup truck.
" Martha specifically instructed that if I didn't bring you back, I'd have to sleep in the garage. Besides, you're on the way, so it's not too late to go back to your territory after you finish eating."
The old man opened the car door and glanced back at Su Wei.
"Perfect timing. There are some things about Laurent's order that aren't convenient to discuss in the lobby. Let's go to my place and talk over a meal."
Mentioning the $100,000 order, Su Wei tightened his grip on the doorknob.
Old Kash clearly knew something inside about that area or the specific brown bears. This kind of experience from an old hunter is often more useful than maps and GPS.
"Alright. I'll take my leave then."
Su Wei stopped refusing and opened the car door to get into the driver's seat of the old pickup truck.
The engine roared to life, and the windshield wipers swept the snow off the windshield.
The old pickup truck spewed out a plume of black smoke, its taillights illuminating two red halos in the wind and snow, as it slowly drove onto the main road.
We drove through the somewhat deserted streets of Kodiak Town and headed towards the Alutiiq neighborhood to the west.
Passing by the dock, Su Wei got back into his Raptor and followed Old Kash's pickup truck toward the local community.
There are fewer streetlights here, and the roads are much narrower.
The streets are no longer lined with neat commercial shops, but with all sorts of detached wooden houses.
Most of these houses are quite old, with peeling paint on the exterior walls, and the yards are piled with buoys, old fishing nets, and marine engines covered with tarpaulins.
Each house had a heavy windproof lamp hanging at its door, its dim light illuminating the tall piles of firewood stacked outside.
After driving for about fifteen minutes, the pickup truck in front turned into a slightly larger yard and stopped in front of a two-story log building.
He noticed that the house's foundation was raised high, clearly to protect against the thawing of the permafrost and the intrusion of seawater in the spring.
Thick white smoke billowed from the chimney on the roof, and the air was filled with a unique aroma that blended the scents of grilled fish, burning pine wood, and fermenting dough.
Old Kash parked the pickup truck in the open space in front of the cabin, turned off the engine, and got out.
Su Wei then stopped beside them.
The wind here seems a bit calmer than at the harbor, and the dense houses and trees around form a natural barrier.
"We're here! We've finally arrived!"
Aruk jumped off the vehicle, stomped his feet hard, and shook the snow off his trousers.
He walked quickly to the door, but before he could knock, the thick wooden door was pulled open from the inside.
Warm yellow light poured out instantly, illuminating the steps in front of the door.
A plump middle-aged woman stood in the doorway.
She wore an apron with a reindeer pattern, her hair was a little gray but neatly combed, and her face had a rosy glow from years of sitting by the stove.
It was Martha, Old Kash's wife, and Aruk's mother.
Behind her, two small heads peeked out, one above the other. They were Aruk's younger brother and sister, a boy of about ten years old and a little girl who looked only six or seven.
The boy held a small knife made from whale bone, while the girl hugged a slightly worn teddy bear.
"I knew it was you guys. The noise from that beat-up pickup truck could be heard from two streets away."
Martha's voice is loud, clear, and crisp.
She first glared at Old Kash, seemingly blaming him for returning too late, then her gaze passed over Aruk's broad shoulders and landed directly on Su Wei behind him.
The scrutinizing gaze softened instantly, taking on the warmth of an elder looking at their own child.
" Su Wei! Come in quickly, don't just stand there like an idiot."
Martha strode down the steps, completely ignoring Aruk who had opened his arms for a hug, and went straight to Su Wei. She extended her somewhat rough but warm hand and patted the snowflakes off Su Wei's arm.
"You've lost weight. Have you not been eating properly lately?"
Su Wei was taken aback by this sudden enthusiasm, but he did not flinch.
"No, Aunt Martha. I've just been a bit busy lately."
Su Wei's voice was somewhat low.
"Looks like you've been just making do lately? I remember the last thing you made... um... what was it again? Hot pot! Yes, that hot pot was incredibly delicious."
With your Cooking, you won't have a bad meal.
Without saying a word, Martha grabbed Su Wei's arm and pulled her into the house.
"Today I'll show you what local food is like. You need to eat a lot to have the strength. I've heard you're a real hunter now. You even took down that brown bear king."
The two little ones popped out from behind Martha and looked up at Su Wei.
The boy's eyes gleamed with admiration as he boldly reached out and touched the scabbard of the hunting knife that Su Wei was hanging on his belt.
"Was that the knife used to skin the bear?"
The boy asked.
Su Wei lowered his head, looked at the boy, took out a piece of chocolate from his pocket to keep some energy on hand, and handed it to him.
"No. I didn't bring that knife with me. It's next to my fireplace now."
"Wow!"
The boy took the chocolate and exclaimed in surprise, as if Su Wei had revealed some incredible secret.
Aruk stood aside, watching his mother and younger siblings all fawning over Su Wei, and shrugged helplessly.
He unloaded two small boxes of leftover snow crabs and black cod from the truck bed and made a face at Old Kash.
"See? I knew it. In this family, Su Wei is the real child; I was sent out of the sea by the seal."
Old Kash locked the car door and, as he passed by Aruk, kicked him in the backside again.