The bottom layer requires highly porous volcanic rock for biochemical filtration.
The middle layer requires weathered reefs to form the geological framework of the tidal pool, while the surface layer requires natural sea sand of specific particles.
Money can buy industrial equipment, but it can't buy these things.
Amazon doesn't sell century-old peat moss or wild reef rocks with their own erosion patterns.
These things only exist deep in the wilderness of Kodiak Island, waiting for him to dig them out with his own hands.
Su Wei stuffed the last bite of bread into his mouth and brushed the crumbs off his hands.
He opened his black laptop and typed the Google Earth URL directly into the browser.
Once the high-resolution satellite map has loaded, the entire Kodiak Island will appear on the screen.
Dark green coniferous forests cover the mountain ridges in the center of the island, while the gray-white snow line begins to spread from an altitude of 600 meters.
The coastline has been cut into countless jagged bays and peninsulas.
Su Wei zoomed in on the area surrounding Pillar Mountain. His territory was in the very center of the screen, and the ice surface of Emerald Lake appeared as an irregular oval.
Su Wei dragged his finger across the touchpad, and the satellite image panned southward.
The coastline appeared.
His gaze swept across a long, narrow stretch of black sand.
It is located approximately twelve kilometers south of the mouth of the Pilan Creek.
On the star map, this beach appears as a dark gray hue, strikingly different from the surrounding light-colored sandstone.
Su Wei tapped the black area twice with his fingers.
He used a red marker to write down the coordinates on a piece of white paper next to him.
This is the first target: a large-scale volcanic rock extraction site.
He continued to drag the camera, this time shifting eastward to the area at the Pillar Mountain.
That was a place I had never been before.
The satellite image shows a large area of alternating dark brown and dark green.
There were no roads, no buildings, not even any obvious hunter's trails.
Su Wei stared at the dark brown area on the screen.
Centuries-old peat moss.
This stuff is crystallized from cold-water swamps; it takes more than ten years of sedimentation to form a one-centimeter layer of peat.
A thickness exceeding ten centimeters means that the internal microbial community has undergone several generations of natural selection, forming a stable symbiotic network.
Using this matrix to construct the ecological base of the exhibition hall is tantamount to directly transplanting a living heart of the wilderness.
No artificial formulation can achieve this effect.
Su Wei wrote down the second set of coordinates on a piece of white paper.
The straight-line distance between the two destinations exceeds 30 kilometers, with mountain ridges and dense forests in between, so the actual driving distance may double.
He closed his laptop, folded the white paper filled with coordinates, and stuffed it into his work pants pocket.
This data collection will take some time to complete.
Su Wei dragged a large, military-green, waterproof packing bag out of the storage room.
He threw in a change of clothes, a first-aid kit, three days' worth of compressed rations, and water purification tablets.
Just in case.
The Ka-Bar sidearm is tucked to the side of the leg. The Alaska Harpoon Survival Knife is hung on the back of the waist.
Ruger Super Redhawk out of the gun cabinet, filled the cylinders, and inserted it into the tactical holster on his chest.
In such wilderness expeditions with unknown terrain, pistols are more practical than rifles.
The rifle was too long and would get in the way in the dense forest and swamp.
Twenty rounds of spare .454 Casull ammunition were loaded and placed in the side pocket of the pannier.
Su Wei opened the drawer, took out Sony FX3 mirrorless camera, and tightened the 35mm prime lens.
He then pulled out a GoPro 11 and a chest brace from the desiccant box.
The footage from this expedition will be used as material for the second video episode on this account.
Audiences want to see Wilderness Creations.
He decided to show them the most primitive part, not the finished product's splendor, but the process of digging building materials out of the earth with their bare hands amidst wind, snow, and mud.
Su Wei mounted the Sony FX3 on the dashboard bracket in the Raptor pickup truck's cab, with the lens facing the outside of the windshield.
The GoPro was strapped to the body with a chest stand, and when powered on, the red indicator light illuminated.
Six low-temperature spare batteries were packed in. Three high-speed memory cards were also installed.
He returned to the living room, picked up his phone, and sent Matt a message.
"You'll be out collecting materials, which should take two days. During this time, spray the polyurea polymer waterproofing layer over all areas of the building. Three coats, with a thickness of at least five millimeters. I'll inspect it when I return."
send.
Thirty seconds later, Matt replied.
"Received. The waterproofing material arrived yesterday. Are you going to the wasteland to collect stones alone? Take someone with you."
Su Wei typed two words.
"Need not."
He put his phone in a waterproof bag and tucked it into his inner chest pocket.
Cotton Candy poked half its head out from the second-floor stairwell, its blue pupils staring intently at the bulging equipment on Su Wei's body.
Its ears were flattened.
Every time Su Wei goes out dressed like this, it means she's going to disappear for a long time.
Su Wei walked to the top of the stairs, squatted down, and reached out to rub Cotton Candy's head.
The little fox nuzzled its nose into his palm, letting out a soft whimper.
Su Wei stood up.
Cotton Candy didn't follow; she just lay on the third step of the stairs, chin resting on her front paws, watching his back.
He opened the solid wood door.
The cold air outside, carrying snowflakes, slammed into my face.
A sliver of grayish-white light had just appeared on the horizon.
Su Wei strode toward the black Ford Raptor next to the garage, its snow tires covered with a layer of fresh snow.
He opened the car door, threw his panniers into the back seat, and got into the driver's seat.
Insert the key into the ignition hole and turn it.
The 5.0-liter V8 engine coughed twice in the sub-zero temperatures before erupting into a deep roar.
Su Wei shifted into reverse, and the pickup truck pulled out of the parking space.
The car turned around and headed towards the gravel road leading to the southern coastline.
The red recording light on the Sony FX3 on the dashboard was on, and the lens was pointed directly at the windshield. The GoPro on his chest was also recording continuously.
Both machines are operating simultaneously.
He stepped on the gas.
The Raptor pickup truck rolled over the fresh snow, leaving two deep ruts in the frozen ground.
As the vehicle drove onto the forest path, the spruce branches on both sides swayed as snow was blown off the roof.
Su Wei gripped the steering wheel with one hand, and with the other, he reached for a bottle of mineral water on the center console, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip.
The icy water slid down my esophagus, dispelling the last vestiges of drowsiness.
His attention was completely focused on his work.
He began to mentally plan his itinerary for the next forty-eight hours.
On the first day, we headed south, our destination being the black sand beach south of the estuary.
He intends to collect large quantities of basaltic volcanic rock fragments there.
These highly porous natural substrates will fill the drainage bottom layer of marine and part of woodland ecosystems, with an estimated requirement of at least one thousand pounds.
The next day, we headed east, our destination the hidden swamp on the eastern slope of Pillar Mountain.
He was going to collect century-old peat moss and its associated polar moss communities.
These living substrates will serve as the microbial engine for the entire exhibition hall's ecosystem.
The total driving distance exceeded 160 kilometers, of which at least 40 kilometers were without any roads.
The Raptor bumped along the gravel road for twenty minutes.