Charles, a true affluent man, has seen countless exquisite dishes and tasted countless delicacies over the decades.
They were willing to spend huge sums of money to travel to the harsh wilderness of Kodiak Island, certainly not to experience the squalor and leftovers of civilized society.
What they crave is primal stimulation, a possessive desire for power at the top of the wilderness.
Showing humility or ingratiation in front of such a person will significantly devalue this carefully prepared deal.
The only key to breaking into this circle that controls enormous wealth is to use your strength to treat others as equals.
He wanted to convey to the other person his confidence and humility.
Su Wei took a small step forward and nodded slightly, neither humble nor arrogant.
Good evening, Mr. Charles. I am Su Wei.
His voice was steady, and his words were measured.
"It is an honor to expose the most authentic and cruel side of this land to you tonight."
" The Kodiak brown bear is not a castrated, domesticated cattle. Every muscle in its body is brimming with violence and defiance."
Su Wei's lips curled into a slight smile.
"Hopefully, you won't find what's about to happen too wild."
Charles stared at Su Wei for a full five seconds.
Suddenly, the old man's deep wrinkles smoothed out, and interest gleamed in his eyes.
"Very good. I like your introduction, young man."
Charles raised his right hand and snapped his fingers crisply in mid-air.
"I've had enough of those tedious rules and meaningless menus of traditional French cuisine. Bring on the food, and let me see just how sharp your so-called 'true face' really is!"
Laurent perked up, immediately turned around, strode to the door of the private room, and made a downward gesture towards the quiet corridor outside.
The faint scraping sound of wheels rolling came from outside the door.
Two waiters, dressed in crisp black vests and wearing snow-white cotton gloves, carefully pushed in a multi-tiered, pure silver trolley.
At the center of the top level of the food cart sits a huge hemispherical pure silver insulated food lid, its surface covered with fine water droplets.
The waiter parked the food cart smoothly next to the long solid wood dining table and respectfully stepped back.
Laurent stepped forward and gripped the silver ring handle on top of the plate lid with his right hand.
"Mr. Charles, the Whole Bear Feast consists of eight main dishes. This is the first appetizer prepared for you."
As Laurent began his enthusiastic introduction, he suddenly exerted force with his arm and forcefully lifted the heavy lid!
A Song of Ice and Fire!
Boom!
The moment the lid was lifted, a surge of heat, like a beast breaking free of its cage, suddenly rose into the cool air of the private room.
The steam, mingling with the fresh scent of pine resin, the sweet and sour aroma of berries, and the smoky fragrance of charcoal, spread wildly!
In the center of the silver tray lay a thick, rough slab of black volcanic rock.
The bottom of the stone slab still radiated an astonishing residual heat.
On that rough, dark stone slab, a layer of bear tenderloin slices, less than a millimeter thick, was neatly laid out.
Each piece of meat had a translucent, blood-red color.
Under the intense heat of the stone slab, the edges of the meat slices slowly curled inward.
Sizzle...
A drop of golden fat was brutally squeezed out from the firm muscle texture by the high temperature.
It slid onto the scorching stone slab, making a faint, mesmerizing crack.
Pierre, the sous chef who was peeking through the crack in the door, covered his mouth tightly.
He so hoped that this dish would be a good start!
It would be best if it could win over Charles!
"This dish uses the most tender and explosive cut of tenderloin from that 450-kilogram behemoth."
Laurent's introduction was concise and to the point, without a single wasted word.
"Chef Su Wei used not a drop of olive oil, nor added any artificial spices. He used Arctic spruce needles and wild blueberries, naturally fermenting and marinating them at low temperatures."
"Then, using a 300-degree Celsius volcanic rock slab, it was rapidly seared for two seconds on each side. This extreme temperature difference locked in all the wild juices from the beast's body!"
Charles's previously casual eyes were now fixed intently on the food on the plate.
He leaned forward, his body uncontrollably jutting out towards the dining table.
He didn't even reach for a napkin as usual, but instead grabbed the heavy sterling silver fork on his right.
But he didn't immediately stab the meat with his fork.
Charles deftly twirled the silver fork half a circle between his fingers, then raised his gray eyes again, locking them directly onto Su Wei.
"Hunter. This meat looks ferocious enough; even the popping sound of the fat is like a bullet being chambered."
Charles tapped the plate with the tip of his fork.
"But simply eating is too monotonous for tonight."
He leaned back abruptly on the sofa and pointed to the bar stool next to him.
"I want to hear how you hunted it in the snow."
"Throughout the entire process of me swallowing this dish, I want to hear the most gruesome and authentic replay of this experience. That's the core of this dish being placed before me, right?"
Faced with the request from this billionaire, Su Wei's body did not stiffen at all.
He simply turned to the side with a calm demeanor and casually pulled out a tall wooden stool next to him with one hand.
"No problem, Mr. Charles. You will experience the Alaska snow and wind."
Su Wei took a long stride and sat down steadily.
Upon seeing this, Laurent immediately understood and walked to the hidden control panel in the corner of the private room.
He quickly swiped on the touchscreen and pressed the play button that he had already prepared.
A deep, soothing cello melody flowed out like water from the top-notch, concealed sound system all around.
The deep, resonant sound produced by the friction of the strings perfectly simulated the howling of a blizzard raging through the valley.
Su Wei placed his hands flat on his knees, his deep black eyes staring directly at Charles.
"That bear, nicknamed 'Missing Ear' by the local hunters, weighed over 450 kilograms and stood three meters tall. It was a true king ruling the summit of the North Slope."
Su Wei began to speak. He did not deliberately raise his voice, but the pauses between words were very steady, and his pronunciation was clear.
"On the northern slope of the Pillar Mountain in the early morning, the temperature plummeted to minus twenty-two degrees Celsius."
"Wind speed of eight miles per hour, from west to east. It's in the midst of a frenzied, pre-hibernation hunger spree, adrenaline surging, maintaining the highest level of vigilance against every subtle sound within a hundred meters..."
The last syllable of Su Wei" fell!
Charles thrust his silver fork down sharply, picking up a translucent slice of tenderloin with slightly curled edges and dripping golden fat.
The amazing residual heat of the slate traveled through the metal fork handle, sending a slight, tingling sensation to Charles's fingertips.
Without even glancing at the delicate sea salt served with the meal, he shoved the still-sizzling slice of meat into his mouth!
At the same time, two lines of pale gold text, visible only to Su Wei, quietly appeared above his line of sight:
[ Life Module passively triggered!]
[Dietary supplement effect activated: Courage.]
[Effect Assessment: Accelerates blood circulation throughout the body, briefly and powerfully dispels mental hesitation, alleviates cellular fatigue, and awakens the predatory instincts within ancient genes.]
Click
Charles clenched his teeth, and the thin, yet incredibly taut, muscle fibers of the beast snapped with a crisp sound between them.
It wasn't as hard as he had imagined, like the dry wood from wild animals, nor did it have any sour smell that might come from fermentation at room temperature!
That was the extreme heat, which compressed and sealed the crisp, cold wind of spruce needles and the wild, acidic flavor of polar blueberries deep within the cells of the meat slices.
The moment the teeth tore through the flesh, all the flavors exploded in Charles's mouth like a nuclear explosion!
A strong, sweet aroma, mixed with the raw, wild scent of burnt oil, washed over his dulled taste buds like a tsunami.
Su Wei's narration continued smoothly, accompanied by appropriate background music:
"Forty-five minutes of tracking through knee-deep snow—it was an extreme tug-of-war between hunter and prey. Every step could lead to a deadly snow trap."
"I could clearly smell the strong, pungent stench carried on the cold wind. It was the animal surveying its territory, a highly aggressive death warning to all living beings..."
"I lay prone for hours on the ice floes of a cliff 300 yards away, rifle in hand."
"Until it turned, rubbing its back against the tree trunk to expose its weak left side, I pulled the trigger. The .300 Winchester Magnum bullet tore through the air and completely pierced its side chest cavity."
Charles's chewing motion suddenly stopped abruptly.
He swallowed the piece of meat, brimming with wild essence, along with his frantically secreted saliva.