He reached out and turned the windage compensation knob on top of the Zeiss Conquest V4 scope.
"Tap, tap, tap."
The adjustment of the three-marker meant that he pre-shifted the aiming point to the left by about one and a half microseconds, which was entirely based on his perception of the wind rather than data.
The Missing Ear moved.
It stopped in front of a dead Sitka spruce, turned around, and pressed its broad back against the trunk.
It started rubbing itself up and down forcefully.
The thick fur rubbed against the rough bark, producing a dull rustling sound.
That's a sign that it's letting its guard down.
It turned its body to the side, revealing a small patch of relatively sparse dark fur behind its forelimbs.
That's where its heart and aortic arch are located.
Su Wei slowly exhaled his last breath, his body merging with the earth.
He steadily positioned the crosshair about three finger-widths behind the brown bear's right scapula.
That was the spot he predicted would be the decisive blow.
He forcibly suppressed his heart rate at that moment.
With each pulse beat, the muzzle of the gun would inevitably undulate.
Su Wei synchronized the rhythm of pulling the trigger with the rise and fall of this pulse.
That was a muscle instinct he developed during his special training with Black, when his lungs were burning and his vision was blurred.
"Bang!"
The moment the .300 Winchester Magnum bullet left the barrel, the snow on the rocky platform was jolted into a white mist by the immense kinetic energy of the muzzle.
The rifle butt slammed hard into Su Wei's shoulder.
The enormous reaction force traveled through his bones and throughout his body, causing a tingling, numb tremor.
The GoPro clearly captured the orange-red flame that shot out of the flash suppressor.
Within the FX3's telephoto lens, the air appears to ripple with visible waves as if torn apart by a high-temperature bullet, all captured in slow motion.
The 220-grain Nosler Partition Bullet completed a precise arc correction in the wind at a speed of over 800 meters per second.
As the warhead flew over the redstone, it was met with the renewed, stronger crosswind.
The bullet was pushed to the right and pierced the side of the chest cavity Missing Ear with perfect accuracy.
That layer of fat, more than ten centimeters thick, was as fragile as paper in the face of the kinetic energy of a Magnum bullet.
The bullet began to expand the instant it entered the chest cavity, and the lead core shattered into several fragments in all directions, directly crushing the Missing Ear heart valve.
The body with the Missing Ear suddenly stiffened.
Its movement of rubbing against the tree abruptly stopped.
Its massive body, weighing over 450 kilograms, trembled slightly on the snow.
There were no screams, only a muffled, thunderous impact.
The massive, Missing Ear body lost its support and crashed heavily into the snowdrift.
The snow dust kicked up upon landing enveloped the area for several meters, obscuring its final struggle.
Su Wei did not get up.
He didn't even check the camera's recording status.
His right hand yanked the bolt back with lightning speed.
"Bite!"
A scorching hot, blue-smoking brass cartridge case was pulled from the chamber by a grappling hook, tumbling through the air before slamming into a rock with a crisp sound.
Then, Su Wei pushed the bolt back forcefully.
The second bullet was chambered, and the firing pin struck again.
He continued to stare intently through the scope at the dark brown object lying in the snow.
In Alaska, you can't underestimate a fallen brown bear.
Any mistake or carelessness could lead to the risk of death.
The Missing Ear hind leg twitched twice, digging through the black frozen soil below.
Those were the nervous spasms brought on by death.
But this doesn't mean it's really dead; it still needs to be verified.
Its head was tilted to one side, and its mutilated ear was soaking in the rapidly seeping warm blood, melting a dark red pit in the snow.
Its vital signs are rapidly deteriorating due to blood loss.
The wind continued to rage wildly at the mouth of the valley.
Apart from a few muffled aftershocks echoing through the distant mountains, the valley fell silent once more.
On the FX3 monitor, the image was unusually stable.
That one second of life and death was completely recorded in 4K 120fps slow motion.
Every wisp of bear fur fluttering in the wind, every drop of blood splattered on the snow, is clearly visible.
Su Wei remembered the last lesson Black taught him:
"When you think it's completely dead, wait another five minutes."
"That's to ensure your funeral doesn't start in five seconds."
Su Wei's fingertip on the trigger did not move.
Because of his focus, he deliberately kept his breathing rate very low, and the cold air circulated in his lungs, taking away some of his remaining body heat.
Three hundred yards away, the Missing Ear remained in that tilted position.
The dark brown fur appeared almost black against the backdrop of the white snow.
The wind was still blowing, dispersing the swirling snow and revealing the brown bear's broad back.
Su Wei remained prone, his entire body pressed against the hard rock.
A minute passed.
Two minutes.
Instead of getting up, he observed the Missing Ear on the abdomen through the Zeiss scope.
There were no undulations there, nor the subtle tremors caused by breathing.
At three minutes, the snow that had been piled up at the Missing Ear wound began to collapse, because the warm blood had soaked through the snow below, forming a continuously expanding dark red ice mass.
Even a mammoth couldn't withstand such a massive blood loss.
Su Wei gently applied pressure with his fingertips to ensure the safety catch was re-engaged.
It wasn't until the tenth minute that he slowly withdrew his body.
The snow on the rocks left a large icy stain on his chest, and as he stood up, the stiffness in his muscles made him let out a soft groan.
Su Wei reached out and grabbed the FX3 camera next to him, glancing at the battery level.
The indicator light remains stable.
He bent down and picked up the one that was scattered in the snow.
He picked up the 300 Winchester Magnum case and stuffed it into the side pocket of his tactical vest.
The cartridge case still carried a faint smell of gunpowder and was slightly warm.
Then, he slung the Browning rifle across his back and pulled the Ruger Super Redhawk revolver from its holster with a backhand motion.
Compared to rifles, this.454 caliber weapon is more reassuring for close-range follow-up shots and defense.
Su Wei, carrying the tripod and camera in one hand, began to move down the gentle slope on the side of the cliff.
The boots sank into the snow, making a dense, solid sound.
With each step down, the oppressive feeling of being a predator intensified.
When viewed through the scope at the time, the Missing Ear appeared to be just a moving shadow.
But as the distance closed to fifty meters, the body lying beside the pile of rocks became unusually large.
It lay there like an abandoned burlap sack covered in brown hair, every detail of it breathtaking.
The strong smell of mutton mixed with the stench of blood wafted into Su Wei's nostrils on the cold wind, stimulating his senses.
Su Wei stopped five meters away from the Missing Ear.
He raised the Ruger Super Redhawk and pointed the muzzle at the back of the brown bear's head.
He kicked away a piece of gravel blocking his path with his toe.
The stone rolled down and hit the brown bear's paw.