Old Hope's eyes lit up, and he immediately pulled an industrial-grade pneumatic nail gun from his apron pocket.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
A series of deafening explosions.
Rows of three-inch-long steel nails, driven precisely into the skeletal joints hidden in the fur by his skillful hands, avoiding the direction of hair flow.
The neck and shoulders, which are most prone to slipping due to gravity, are firmly fixed to the alloy tubes.
Having done all this, Old Hope, slightly out of breath, stopped and tossed the nail gun onto the table.
He grabbed a dirty rag and vigorously wiped the sticky preservative liquid off his hands.
He took two steps back, tilted his head back, squinted his gray eyes, and carefully examined the nascent behemoth.
"You really intend to put this in your dilapidated exhibition hall that's still under construction?"
He pulled a crumpled cigarette from his pocket, lit it skillfully, and took a deep drag.
"Take my advice, this thing is too menacing. It's not for those Wall Street idiots in their bespoke suits and silk ties."
Su Wei walked to the workbench, picked up a clean towel, and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"It represents the purest, most primal wildness of Kodiak Island."
He didn't look at Old Hope, but turned his head and stared directly at the giant bear specimen that was beginning to exude an imposing aura.
"It is the cornerstone of the entire club, the core of the throne."
Su Wei's tone was calm, but resolute.
Those powerful figures who wield influence in financial centers, what luxurious things haven't they seen?
Gold, diamonds, and famous paintings are just numbers to them.
Only such terrifying creations, which transcend the rules of human civilization and are filled with a savage, murderous aura, can deliver the most direct visual and dimensional-reducing blow to them.
He wanted to use this sense of oppression to firmly restrain those arrogant capitalists from the rules of the wilderness!
Upon hearing this, Old Hope's lips twitched, revealing yellowed teeth, and he gave a noncommittal laugh.
He didn't continue the topic, turned around and walked to the corner of the factory, carrying two heavy, large gray plastic buckets back over.
"Bang!"
The plastic bucket was slammed heavily in front of Su Wei.
Upon opening the lid, it was found to be filled with a grayish-brown, extremely viscous mud-like substance.
This is not ordinary mud, but a special muscle-filling mud made by Old Hope, a secret recipe that mixes plant fibers, bone glue, and preservatives and plasticizers.
"The work has only just begun."
Old Hope grabbed a thin-bladed steel pressure plate and shoved it into Su Wei's hand.
"Use this to carefully and evenly fill the gaps between the leather plates and the skeleton with this mud."
He stretched out his calloused fingers and poked the bear's chest.
"The filling must strictly follow the muscle texture of an adult brown bear when it exerts its strength! If it's not done well, this king of the forest will only deserve to be a playground toy filled with pustules!"
The old man pointed to the bear king's raised left forepaw.
"Start from there, where the deltoid muscle is!"
Su Wei's eyes narrowed, and he carried the pressure plate to the giant bear paw.
The hide of a 600-kilogram brown bear is so thick that it feels as hard as tire leather.
He used his left hand to pry open the pre-existing suture under his skin, and with his right hand, he used a spatula to scoop up a lump of sticky mud, then used his arm strength to force it in.
The mud felt cold and slippery to the touch and emitted a pungent chemical smell.
At first, the movements were a bit clumsy.
As the pressure plate moves through the narrow subcutaneous tissue, it constantly encounters resistance, making it difficult to push the mud to the designated muscle depression.
But he didn't get impatient.
Su Wei closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and activated the hidden passive effect of [ Bone Cleaning LV2]: [ Touch of X-Ray Vision ].
As his palm rested against the hard outer surface of the bear skin once more, a wondrous sensation coursed through his entire body.
As his fingers moved slowly, the three-dimensional outline of the subcutaneous skeleton and the direction of the muscle groups were clearly constructed in his mind!
He swept his palm across the forelimb. "This is the junction of the deltoid and triceps muscles. The fat layer is thin, and the muscle fibers are large. We need to thicken it with a lot of mud to create a bulging, explosive look."
His fingers slid across the wrist. "This is the wrist joint; use less mud here, and leave the outward-protruding angle of the wrist bones!"
With the system's assistance, Su Wei's actions changed instantly.
Flowing like clouds and running like water, swift as lightning!
Shovel mud, insert deeply, press externally, and shape locally.
The originally shriveled bear skin miraculously bulged up piece by piece after being filled with mud and massaged and squeezed by Su Wei!
That wasn't stiff, lifeless flesh, but rather muscular lines brimming with explosive power, as if they would burst through the skin at any moment!
Every friction between the pressure plate and the inside of the leather plate, every kneading and pressing motion of the fingers on the outside, awakens the soul of this behemoth.
As the operation progressed, the system panel in Su Wei's field of vision began to jump wildly, and light blue notification sounds rang out frequently:
[ Basic Taxidermy experience +2]
[Perception Extreme Focus, Basic Taxidermy Experience +3]
[Perfectly fits the muscle texture, Preservation Treatment experience +2]
Su Wei was completely immersed in this highly focused state of creation.
The noise from the surrounding blowers, the smell of preservatives, and the howling wind and snow outside the factory were all blocked out by the brain.
Time has lost its meaning.
One hour, two hours, four hours...
The four mud buckets next to the workbench were already empty.
The intense physical exertion left Su Wei's forehead covered in sweat.
Sweat streamed down his resolute face, splashing onto the dusty cement floor.
Maintaining the difficult posture for a long time caused waves of soreness in his upper and lower arm muscles.
But his hands didn't stop moving for a moment.
At this moment, his slightly rough fingers were firmly pinching the thickest trapezius and sternocleidomastoid muscles on the side of the bear king's neck, making final fine adjustments.
This muscle group is the soul that determines whether this brown bear can unleash a breathtakingly powerful force!
It must be full enough, and possess a taut, resilient strength that seems poised to tear the target apart!
Su Wei gritted his teeth, and through the thick bear skin, pushed the extremely dense mud upwards with his fingers, then pressed it down heavily with the heel of his palm!
A muscular curve, brimming with a wild and beautiful aesthetic, is forcibly squeezed out of the skin!
"Buzz"
At that very moment, a ring of dark golden light suddenly burst forth from the system panel, and a special notification popped up:
[Congratulations, host! High-intensity practical training has broken through the barrier. Basic Taxidermy LV1 experience is full, officially advancing to LV2 (0/300)!]
[Unlock new core effects: Texture Reshaping!]
[Effect Description: During animal specimen stuffing and restoration, the host's fingers can subtly sense the density and pressure distribution of the stuffing, reducing the probability of internal hollowing by 80%, perfectly restoring the peak muscle tension of the organism in life!]
[Chain Reaction: Preservation Treatment LV2 Experience Exceeds 200.]
[Branch Skill Overflow Feedback: Crafting Module LV2 total experience has reached the maximum, promoting to Crafting Module LV3 (0/800)!]
[Unlock new effects/ Hidden Attribute: Items you craft may trigger special Hidden Attribute.]
[Unlock Branch Skill: Hide Processing Master (Passive). When processing high-level pelts, the color and luster of the finished product are permanently increased by 10%.]
A series of upgrade notifications somewhat alleviated Su Wei's fatigue.
He stopped what he was doing, let out a long breath, slowly took three steps back, and looked up.
Just a few hours ago, that thing was a lifeless pelt, but now it has completely changed its appearance!
His massive 2.8-meter-tall body was bulging with muscles, each bulge containing explosive power.
The thick, dark brown fur, supported by the internal material, appeared to be standing on end with each hair sticking up!
Although the eye sockets were still dark, and the fangs and tongue had not yet been installed.
But just standing here, the savage aura of a top predator, transcending life and death, already overwhelmed them like a tidal wave!
Old Hope, who always sat in the worn-out wooden chair, had stopped smoking at some point.
He held a half-burnt cigarette butt between his fingers, oblivious to the ash falling onto his dirty leather apron.
The old man stared intently at the bear king, which seemed ready to come back to life at any moment, then turned his head and looked at Su Wei with the eyes of someone looking at a monster.
Old Hope pressed his hands against his knees, his bones cracking, and slowly straightened his hunched back.