He sat leaning against a cold rock, the nylon fabric of the tent behind him and a vast, deathly silent snowy forest before him.
He began to review what he had gained on this trip into the mountains.
More than thirty pounds of devil's claw, worth an estimated eight thousand dollars.
One adult black-tailed deer. Its venison, hide, and organs could sell for at least fifteen hundred dollars altogether.
He hadn't realized it until he added everything up, and the total startled him.
In just two days, his haul was worth nearly ten thousand dollars.
That was already enough to cover a third of the bank's minimum payment.
He breathed a sigh of relief.
He had originally planned to stay in the mountains for five to seven days and had even prepared himself to deal with brown bears.
But plans couldn't keep up with changes.
A huge haul also meant huge risks.
He was carrying nearly ten thousand dollars' worth of "goods." Every extra day he spent in these danger-ridden mountains brought another chance for something to go wrong.
Whether he ran into poachers or caught the attention of a large predator, a single mishap could cost him everything, even his life.
Greed was the greatest taboo in wilderness survival.
Su Wei extinguished the flame on the gas stove, and darkness fell around him.
He glanced at the "bear bag" hanging from a tree, faintly visible in the moonlight, then at Cotton Candy contentedly licking his paws beside him.
He made his decision.
This haul was already plentiful enough.
It was time to go home.
Su Wei unzipped the tent and crawled inside, shutting out the cold air.
Tomorrow morning, he would head down the mountain.
Chapter 21: A Craftsman in the Wilderness
It was just beginning to grow light when Su Wei crawled out of the tent.
He had slept through the night, thanks to yesterday's delicious food and the special buff from the Life Module.
He had slept soundly all night, and the strain and fatigue of the previous day had gradually faded.
He had also been lucky enough to sleep peacefully through the night.
Su Wei pulled the tent zipper open in one sweep. Cold air mixed with the scent of plants rushed fiercely inside, instantly clearing his head.
He had made just one decision last night.
Head down the mountain.
With nearly ten thousand dollars' worth of goods in hand, every extra moment he stayed in these mountains increased the risk.
Su Wei unscrewed his insulated flask and gulped down a mouthful of hot water.
Warmth rushed into his stomach, barely driving away the chill in his body.
He exhaled a puff of white breath and rubbed his face hard.
His mind began to turn, planning how to get back.
The campsite wasn't far in a straight line from the road where he could park, but he would have to cross two mountains and then pass through a spruce forest.
Even empty-handed, the walk would take four or five hours.
On top of that, he hadn't driven here, but had gone up the mountain directly along the route behind the cabin.
It was a narrow trail, impassable to vehicles.
As for why he hadn't driven to the road before heading up the mountain, the reason was simple.
The reason was simple.
Who could have imagined that, after only two short days in the mountains,
he would have gained such an immense, unimaginable haul?
Devil's claw worth at least eight thousand dollars, the successful activation of the Hunting Module, and a black-tailed deer hunt that hadn't quite been a success.
It had also been the first hunt of his life.
Not counting the original body's memories.
This trip had already exceeded his expectations.
Originally, he had expected this trip into the mountains to be just a trial run.
Preparation for the future.
For example, he might gather some decent-looking plants.
Then hunt a snowshoe hare or a ptarmigan?
Yet no one could have imagined
that nature would favor him so.
So Su Wei could only cut his trip short.
He began to think about how to carry his haul down the mountain safely.
If he went straight back the way he had come, even walking by himself would take about four hours.
But he wasn't empty-handed now.
More than thirty pounds of devil's claw, a salted deer hide, a large hiking pack stuffed full of things, and dozens of pounds of venison hanging in the tree.
Worse still, he had buried at least thirty pounds of meat where he had killed the deer yesterday.
That meat was also worth several hundred dollars.
If he could retrieve it, he had to.
If he couldn't, his priority was to protect the devil's claw and the rest of what he had on hand.
Su Wei quickly worked it out in his head.
First retrieve the meat, return to camp, pack everything up, and then carry the load down the mountain.
The whole process would take at least ten hours or more.
That meant even if he set out first thing in the morning, it would be long after dark by the time he returned.
Travel a long way on an Alaskan night, reeking of blood?
That wasn't survival. That was courting death.
It would be telling every large game animal that there was a moving buffet right here.
All they had to do was make an effort, and they could eat their fill.
"No."
Su Wei immediately rejected the plan. It was too risky.
Carry things down in batches?
First take the valuable devil's claw and venison down the mountain, then come back for his equipment.
The thought had barely surfaced before he pushed it down.
One round trip would take a day, and moving everything would take two.
It would take too long, and leaving the camp and equipment here unattended was like delivering takeout to passing wild beasts.
The risk was huge too!
He walked beneath the spruce tree where the bear bag hung and looked up at the heavy shape suspended in midair.
He had to take everything away in one trip.
The weight was already beyond the limit of what one person could carry.
Unless...
He could find a vehicle.
A word took shape clearly in his mind.
A sled.
What he had in mind was the most primitive, rudimentary kind of freight sled, called a travois by North American Indians and early pioneers.
It was an extremely primitive tool.
Su Wei looked around, his gaze falling on the woods at the edge of camp.
The one thing there was no shortage of here was wood.
Making a simple sled wasn't difficult, but it would put his tools and strength to the test.
He rummaged through his equipment.