It was drawn in one stroke.
The pen tip paused on a marker in the very center of the drawing.
It reads: Cliffside Cantilever Area.
Chapter 195 An Unexpected Star Rating
9:00 AM the following morning.
The steel structure for the second floor of the exhibition hall has been installed by Matt's construction team, and the load-bearing test has passed on the first attempt.
" Matt, after the second floor hoisting is finished, remove all the scraps."
Su Wei slung the cylinder over his shoulder and headed towards the exit.
I'll come back this afternoon to check it out.
"No problem, boss."
Matt, wearing a yellow hard hat, is directing the crane to secure the last load-bearing steel plate.
Su Wei pushed open the door of the exhibition hall.
A cold wind whipped up snowflakes and lashed at our faces; the sky over Kodiak Island was a somber, leaden gray.
Cotton Candy was struggling against a frozen pine branch on the snow in front of the cabin.
The little fox rolled around in the snow, its snow-white fur catching a few dry, yellow flakes.
Su Wei walked down the steps, grabbed the little fox by the scruff of its neck and lifted it up, then brushed off the debris from its body.
"Get on the bus."
He opened the passenger door of the Ford Raptor and tossed the Cotton Candy onto the leather seat.
The little guy curled up into a white ball, resting his chin on his two front paws.
Su Wei walked around the front of the car and got into the driver's seat.
He turned the key.
The engine roared, and a thick cloud of white steam shot out of the exhaust pipe.
The pickup truck backed out of the garage.
Several days of blizzards have made the frozen ground as hard as pig iron.
The Raptor's snow tires crunched across the ice with a sickening crack as it headed toward the Kodiak Town.
10:30 AM.
The snow on the coastal highway had been cleared once, and the Raptor stopped in front of a red-brick cafe.
Pushing open the heavy double-glazed door, a strong aroma of coffee wafted out.
Su Wei walked straight to the order counter made of logs.
"A hot Americano, a latte, with double caramel."
The shop assistant, wearing a green apron, skillfully tapped on the cash register screen.
"Twelve US dollars."
Su Wei took out two banknotes and placed them on the counter.
While waiting for his coffee, he glanced at the old-fashioned LCD TV hanging on the wall.
The screen displayed a few static-like streaks, showing a brief news report from the Anchorage local news channel.
The female anchor was wearing a business suit, with the logo of the Alaska Hunters' Guild headquarters behind her.
"... The Guild Hunting Area Assessment Committee's annual review meeting concluded yesterday."
The list of adjusted star ratings for the 37 official hunting areas across the prefecture is about to enter the public announcement phase.
Analysts point out that due to the expansion of private hunting clubs, more than five traditional official hunting areas may face mandatory downgrading this year...
"Your coffee, be careful it's hot."
The shop assistant pushed two paper cups covered with corrugated cardboard sleeves across the counter.
Su Wei withdrew her gaze, picked up the paper cup, turned around, and pushed open the door to leave.
Kodiak Airport is not far from the town center.
This is a rudimentary regional airport, consisting of only a two-story flat-roofed building painted white and an asphalt runway that needs to be cleared by snowplows.
11:45 am.
Su Wei parked the pickup truck in the open-air parking lot.
He unzipped his winter coat and stuffed the Cotton Candy into the large inner pocket.
The little fox only showed its head, its fluffy ears twitching restlessly.
Upon entering the arrival hall, there were only a scattered dozen or so people inside.
Most of the people were locals picking up relatives and friends, along with some tourists pushing suitcases and looking around.
It was exactly noon.
A loud roar came from outside.
A twin-engine propeller plane broke through the clouds, its belly almost scraping against the distant windbreak forest before crashing heavily onto the runway.
The tires screeched violently against the ground, emitting two plumes of white smoke.
The passenger plane taxied to its parking position, and the propeller speed gradually decreased.
Ten minutes later, the automatic sensor doors slid open to both sides.
A gust of cold air accompanied several passengers as they disembarked.
Emily walked at the very back.
She was wearing a long, silver-white down jacket, skinny jeans, and dark brown Doc Martens boots.
Her dazzling blonde hair was casually pinned up with a hair clip, with a few stray strands of hair sticking to her cheeks in the wind.
She was pushing a huge black hard-shell suitcase with one hand, while the other hand was fumbling for her phone in her pocket.
The moment she looked up, she saw Su Wei outside the railing.
And a white fur ball that had crawled out of Su Wei's clothes, frantically wagging its tail.
Emily immediately released the handle of her suitcase.
The black box slid forward half a meter due to inertia and crashed into the metal base of the warning sign.
She walked briskly across the hall, wearing Doc Martens boots.
" Cotton Candy!"
She reached out with both hands to Su Wei's chest, cupped the little fox's cheeks, and rubbed them vigorously.
The Cotton Candy let out an excited whimper.
A pink tongue licked the tips of Emily's gloves, her whole body writhing violently inside Su Wei's pocket.
Su Wei glanced at the suitcase that had been left a few meters away, walked over, grabbed the handle, and dragged it to her side.
"Your latte, double caramel."
He handed over the paper cup in his right hand.
Emily stopped torturing the fox and took the paper cup with both hands.
She brought the lid close and took a sniff; the steam rose around her nose.
"You're smart enough not to buy me that horribly bitter black coffee."
"Instant coffee on airplanes is a disaster."
Holding the warm paper cup, she followed Su Wei out of the terminal building side by side.
The Raptor pickup truck had its heater on in its spacious cabin.
Su Wei threw the suitcase into the back of the cargo bed, covered it with a tarpaulin, and tightened the straps.
Emily had already taken off her down jacket when he got into the driver's seat.
She wore a gray turtleneck cashmere sweater underneath, which accentuated her slender figure.
She held the Cotton Candy on her lap and leaned comfortably against the back of the leather chair.
Su Wei stepped on the brake and shifted into drive.
"Tell me, what brings you to Kodiak?"
He steered the Raptor with one hand, Raptor out of the parking lot and smoothly merging onto the coastal highway.
Emily bit the spout and took a big sip of her latte.
The sweetness of caramel and the rich aroma of coffee filled the enclosed carriage.
"Hasn't my thesis already been approved?"
She put down the paper cup and ran her fingers along the base of the Cotton Candy's spine.