Cash or bank transfer?
"Whatever you like."
Laurent's answer was crisp and decisive, carrying a sense of confidence that he was in control of the situation.
"But I would recommend transferring the money, unless you enjoy wandering around the drunken Kodiak Town with a suitcase full of cash."
"Although I think with your skills, you should be worried about the robbers."
"A bank transfer will do."
"Very good."
Laurent seemed very satisfied with the call.
"Well then, see you tomorrow, Su Wei. I'm looking forward to... seeing your spoils in person."
The call ended.
Silence returned to the cabin, save for the firewood burning brighter in the fireplace, occasionally emitting a soft crackling sound.
Su Wei put down her phone and let out a long sigh.
The nerves that had been constantly on edge due to hunting, extreme cold, and commercial confrontation finally relaxed completely at this moment.
One hundred thousand dollars.
The money was practically already in his pocket.
He stood up and walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window.
The wind and snow outside showed no signs of stopping; the gale whipped snowflakes into a wild dance under the lamplight, turning the whole world a pale white.
But at this moment, Su Wei's heart was burning with passion.
Through the swirling snow, he could almost see his own manor rising from the ground on this snow-covered land.
That $100,000 was no longer just a number; it was transformed into tangible goods.
A spacious and bright exhibition hall filled with trophies of victory; a luxurious manor with underfloor heating and large floor-to-ceiling windows; even a small private shooting range...
All dreams have become more attainable thanks to this injection of funds.
One hundred thousand US dollars may seem insignificant, but it's a starting point.
He turned and walked toward the side door leading to the garage, deciding to check his precious loot one last time before resting.
He pushed open the door, and the cold air rushed in, instantly invigorating him.
In the garage, a huge bear skin was laid flat on a tarpaulin, and the coarse salt sprinkled on it gleamed white under the light.
The cut bear meat was tightly wrapped in a waterproof cloth and piled in a corner, resembling a small red mountain.
Its intense, wild, and bloody aura remains domineering even at low temperatures.
This is the capital he fought for with his life, the cornerstone upon which he stood in this cruel wilderness.
He crouched down and carefully inspected the edges of the bear skin, making sure that every inch of the hide was fully covered with salt.
Just then, my phone vibrated in my pocket.
This shockwave, unlike the previous frenzy of likes, was brief yet powerful.
Su Wei took out his phone, thinking it was a message from the foreman Matt or a text message from the bank.
However, a new notification popped up on the screen from the TikTok account he had just viewed.
It's neither a new comment nor a like.
It's a notification to pay attention.
[Brogash has followed you.]
Chapter 163 Focus on Rising Trends, Departure to the Small Town! (Please Subscribe!)
The user named Brogash didn't have a special profile picture; it was just a blurry landscape photo.
The background appears to be some kind of polar tundra, and the homepage is blank.
But at this moment, the name represents the beginning of a qualitative change.
The number in the watchlist finally jumped from 0 to 1.
Then, as if something had detonated it, it became 15, and in the blink of an eye, it jumped to 28.
Every time you swipe down to refresh, that number has the potential to climb upwards.
It was as if the screen wasn't connected to the internet, but rather to countless pairs of eyes lit up on this lonely night.
His video went viral!
It's just a teaser video, a cute close-up of Cotton Candy, plus the beautiful scenery of the territory.
In just 15 seconds, it went viral on TikTok.
The number of views has skyrocketed to 300,000, and the number of likes has exceeded 100,000!
The comments section exploded, perhaps because it was nighttime.
The initial comments discussing how cute Cotton Candy were have now been completely replaced by sentimental content.
They began to discuss the beauty of the wilderness and recount how those brief 15 seconds had healed their hearts.
This left Su Wei speechless; he had never imagined that his video would go viral so quickly.
Moreover, the reason is quite strange.
The sudden popularity of short videos always seems inexplicable, which reminded him of his past life when he was scrolling through Douyin) and saw a short video that was only seven or eight seconds long, accompanied by a sad background music and a sea view of East Timor.
It actually garnered over ten million likes.
He couldn't understand it at all, but now, seeing his own video, he thinks he understands something.
I was lucky, and secondly, the video was of good quality, touching the hearts of viewers feeling sad at night.
That's all.
But this is undoubtedly a good thing for him.
However, they weren't so lucky on YouTube, where it still garnered over 50,000 views.
Su Wei stared at the screen, watching the number of followers and likes steadily rise, her heart skipping a beat.
This is more than just cold, hard numbers.
In his eyes, behind these IDs are potential advertising revenues and sponsorship contracts with outdoor brands.
It could even provide a longer-lasting and more stable cash flow than selling that bear skin.
With 300,000 views, it converted into a few thousand followers, which isn't an amazing conversion rate.
But it's already very good.
In particular, the comments section, with its discussions about the cuteness of Cotton Candy and the poignant messages amidst the beautiful scenery, made Su Wei realize...
The Cotton Candy's unguarded, pure, and healing gaze precisely strikes at the most vulnerable nerve in the hearts of modern people.
Su Wei took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the urge to refresh, and with a swipe of his thumb, exited the background.
He didn't reply to any of the comments, not even liking the pinned comment requesting a live stream.
Maintaining a proper sense of distance and mystery is an essential quality for a high-end IP.
If he were to interact with fans at this time, even just by sending a few cute emojis, it would instantly shatter the aloof persona of a solitary wilderness hunter.
In this era of internet traffic, a persona is gold.
But seeing the high traffic of Cotton Candy, he was also thinking that perhaps he could create a new account specifically for Cotton Candy.
Of course, these are all things for the future.
"And the real feast is yet to come."
He picked up the card reader from the table, his fingertips trembling slightly from exhaustion.
The Sony FX3's memory card was inserted into the card slot and connected to the laptop.
A progress bar for the file transfer popped up on the screen.
The dozens of gigabytes of footage were the result of him lying on the north slope for a full five hours, exchanging his body heat, patience, and almost frozen fingers for the material.
The video file is named "North Slope_Brown Bear_Hunting_001. MXF".
Su Wei watched as the progress bar gradually filled with blue, but her eyelids began to droop uncontrollably.
His physical condition is very poor right now; the deep-seated fatigue cannot be completely eliminated by just one meal.
Lactic acid is still accumulating in the muscles, and every time I raise my arm, the ligaments in my shoulder protest with soreness.
This reminded him just how much energy he had overexerted that day.
Editing is impossible now; that kind of meticulous work requires being in peak mental condition.
"Drop."
A crisp notification sound rang out, indicating the transfer was complete.
Su Wei unplugged the hard drive and carefully stored it away.