Chapter 31: A rare find worth holding onto, Alaska's Devil's Claw
Beep... beep...
The ringing tone sounded over and over inside the truck as the call waited to connect.
Cotton Candy raised her little head, her ice-blue eyes looking toward Su Wei.
After three rings, the call connected.
"Hello?"
A hoarse, gravelly man's voice came through the receiver, tinged with impatience.
It was Old Jack.
"It's me, Su Wei."
The other end of the line went quiet for two seconds.
Then Old Jack's tone changed at once.
His earlier impatience vanished like smoke, replaced by false warmth.
"Oh! Su Wei! Good boy! I knew you'd call me!"
Old Jack lowered his voice and said furtively, "Changed your mind? That's more like it! A man needs money to live, not some animal! Listen, I've given it some thought. That fox of yours really is rare, and it's wild, too! It does deserve a higher price."
Su Wei said nothing for the moment, simply listening in silence.
Old Jack thought he was tempted, and every word he spoke was full of confidence that the fox was as good as his.
"I'll give you a new price: twelve thousand dollars! Cash! Kid, that kind of money will give you plenty of breathing room! So? Bring the little thing over, and you can walk away with the money right now!"
"Old Jack."
Su Wei finally spoke, his tone calm.
"Hm? Go on!"
Eagerness crept into Old Jack's voice.
Clearly, he really wanted Cotton Candy badly.
Otherwise, a stingy, unscrupulous merchant like him would never have offered such a high price.
But things clearly weren't going to go his way.
He probably wouldn't get his hands on Cotton Candy in this lifetime.
"Don't even think about getting your hands on that fox for the rest of your life."
Su Wei's decisive words instantly snuffed out Old Jack's enthusiasm.
Dead silence fell over the other end of the line once more.
A few seconds later, Old Jack erupted in a roar.
"Are you fucking messing with me? Su Wei, you penniless bastard up to your ass in debt, don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!"
"Why the hell did you call me?! If you can't give me a reason, you'll lose Old Jack's friendship forever! You know what that means!"
"I called because I want to make another deal." Su Wei ignored his anger and continued.
"A deal? What kind of deal could you have?" Old Jack scoffed.
"What, did you stumble into a pile of dog shit again and find a moldy mushroom on some rotten stump? Kid, I don't have time to play house with you!"
He had finally found a blue-eyed albino red fox and thought he could make a fortune.
But that damn kid Su Wei refused to let it go, no matter what!
He still clung to idealism and was far too young.
He didn't understand the importance of money.
Nor was he a qualified hunter.
He still felt the same attachment one would have for a pet.
That wasn't a hunting dog, nor was it his loyal companion.
It was just a pet. Could it really compare to the allure of money?
He was up to his ears in debt, after all!
Not to mention, his parents' death insurance payout was still being held up!
That had practically become standard practice.
That was how those wicked insurance companies in America operated.
All they knew how to do was swallow their policyholders' money, caring nothing for whether they lived or died.
But he, Old Jack, was different. He had lived too long.
He had to carry a respect for money with him.
He didn't want his body to be unable to rest in peace after he died.
That was also why he wasn't too pleased with Su Wei.
Su Wei started the pickup without hurry.
The old engine roared, and the truck slowly turned around.
"You'll definitely be interested in what I've got this time."
"There are plenty of things I'm interested in!" Old Jack roared impatiently.
"Gold, diamonds, or some rich widow's inheritance! Got any of those? If not, get lost!"
Su Wei held the wheel with one hand as the truck merged into the sparse traffic in town.
He spoke four words into the phone.
"Devil's Claw."
Every sound on the other end of the line vanished instantly.
It was as though Old Jack's microphone had been switched off, or something must have tied up his throat, leaving him unable to make a sound.
A moment passed before Old Jack's heavy, rapid breathing came through.
"You... what did you just say?"
Old Jack's voice was trembling.
"Say that again! What the fuck did you find?!"
"Devil's Claw," Su Wei repeated calmly. "Alaskan devil's club. It's quite old and in excellent condition."
"Fuck!"
A roar exploded from the phone, and Su Wei instinctively held it a little farther away.
He could imagine that Old Jack had probably jumped up from his battered old couch by now.
"Where are you?! Are you at your cabin right now? Don't move! I'm coming over! If you're fucking with me, I swear I'll pull your bones out one by one!"
Old Jack spoke at lightning speed, the greed in his words almost spilling over.
Devil's Claw! Wild! And old enough!
It was harder to find than gold on Kodiak!
Rich people were willing to pay astronomical prices for it!
He could turn around and sell it for several times what he paid, or even more than ten times!
Compared to this, that white fox was practically pocket change!
"Don't rush," Su Wei interrupted him calmly.
"It's in my garage. It won't run away."
He glanced out the window. The sky was beginning to darken.
"Besides that, there's a freshly killed adult black-tailed deer. The hide is intact, and the meat's already been dressed."
On the other end of the line, Old Jack could be heard swallowing.
A whole black-tailed deer, plus a sufficiently old Devil's Claw...
If it was all true, he had to admit he'd underestimated the kid.
Hunting a black-tailed deer alone was enough to show that Su Wei had successfully proven himself to be a hunter.
A qualified Alaskan hunter.
He had entered the trade.
And if it was all true, especially the Devil's Claw...
Then he was going to make a fortune!