Recaps

Su Wei stalked a black-tailed deer, hoping to unlock the Hunting Module, but his shot wounded it and it escaped into the woods. He was left furious at his mistake.

• Cotton Candy detected a black-tailed deer, and Su Wei prepared to hunt it.
• Su Wei crept closer, steadied his rifle against a spruce tree, and aimed behind the deer's shoulder.
• Su Wei fired, but the deer staggered up and fled deeper into the woods with a wounded hind leg.
• Su Wei realized his shot had gone wide, cursed, and slammed his fist into the tree.

Su Wei wounded a black-tailed deer with a poorly aimed shot and followed its trail through the snowy woods to end its suffering. With Cotton Candy helping him find faint tracks, he continued the hunt as the blood trail dwindled.

• Su Wei realized his shot had hit the deer's abdomen, then checked the blood and tracks and concluded that its heavy .30-06 round had badly wounded it.
• Su Wei decided to track the deer and end its suffering, and Cotton Candy stayed alert and accompanied him.
• Su Wei followed the bloodstains and irregular tracks deeper into the woods, keeping his rifle ready in case the wounded animal attacked.
• After the blood trail grew sparse, Su Wei activated the Gathering Module's LV2 scanning ability and searched more carefully.
• Cotton Candy found hoofprints, drag marks, and a faint spot of blood beneath a fir tree, helping Su Wei resume the tracking.

Su Wei tracked the wounded black-tailed deer to a rocky hollow and ended its suffering, completing his first independent kill and activating the Hunting Module. He assessed the deer’s value and began processing it before predators could arrive.

• Su Wei rested briefly, then followed the deer’s increasingly deep and erratic tracks as Cotton Candy helped locate it.
• Su Wei found the exhausted, badly wounded black-tailed deer sheltered beneath a rock and killed it with his hunting knife.
• The Hunting Module activated, granting Su Wei Tracking Assistance and Ballistic Trajectory.
• Su Wei estimated the deer’s meat and hide were worth over a thousand dollars and decided to process it in the hollow.
• Su Wei began bleeding the deer by positioning it on a slope and making an incision behind its breastbone.

Su Wei butchered a black-tailed deer and carried as much venison as he could back to camp before dark. After securing the meat from predators, he salted the deer hide, leaving the remaining spoils for a return trip.

• Su Wei drained the deer’s blood, removed its organs, and butchered the carcass into cuts of venison.
• Su Wei packed the heart, liver, tenderloins, hindquarter meat, and hide, then buried the meat he could not carry.
• Su Wei carried the spoils through the snowy woods to camp with Cotton Candy following him.
• Su Wei checked the camp for danger and hoisted the meat high into a spruce tree in a bear bag.
• Su Wei scraped the deer hide and covered its flesh side with coarse salt to preserve it.

Su Wei cooked and ate a celebratory meal of black-tailed deer liver, tenderloin, and heart, earning a temporary recovery buff. He fed Cotton Candy pieces of raw tenderloin while training her to obey commands, increasing his Beast Taming experience.

• Su Wei fried deer liver with onions, seared tenderloin steaks, and cooked slices of deer heart over his camp stove.
• Su Wei ate the meal and gained Life Module experience and a faint Qi and Blood Recovery buff that lasted three hours.
• Su Wei gave Cotton Candy pieces of raw tenderloin after she obeyed his command to sit.
• Su Wei turned feeding Cotton Candy into an obedience lesson and gained Beast Taming experience.

Su Wei decided to leave the mountains early rather than risk losing his valuable haul, but the weight of his supplies made a one-trip return impossible without help. He planned to build a primitive travois sled from nearby wood.

• Su Wei calculated that his devil's claw and deer were worth nearly ten thousand dollars and decided to head home the next morning.
• Su Wei planned a route down the mountain and realized retrieving the buried meat and carrying everything back would keep him traveling after dark.
• Su Wei rejected retrieving the meat in a separate trip because it would expose him and his unattended camp to danger.
• Su Wei decided he needed a vehicle to carry everything in one trip and settled on building a travois sled.
• Su Wei searched his equipment for tools to make the sled from the plentiful wood around camp.

Su Wei built a sturdy cargo sled from birch poles and unlocked the Basic Woodworking skill, then loaded it with his supplies and harvested food. He left the sled at camp and set out with Cotton Candy to retrieve the rest of his belongings.

• Su Wei cut birch poles and fashioned them into a two-meter-long sled using notches and rope lashings.
• The Life Module rewarded Su Wei with experience and unlocked Basic Woodworking after he completed the sled.
• Su Wei tested the sled, then loaded it with a deerskin, his pack, Devil's Claw, and venison.
• Su Wei checked the sinking sun, left the sled at camp, and called Cotton Candy to accompany him on foot to retrieve the rest of his things.

Su Wei recovered the venison he had buried and hauled it back to camp, where he realized the heavy load made it impossible to descend the mountain safely before dark. He decided to stay at camp for another night.

• Su Wei and Cotton Candy returned to the burial site through deep snow, following Cotton Candy’s scenting and Su Wei’s sense of direction.
• Su Wei dug through the frozen ground and found the venison intact beneath the birch bark.
• Su Wei wrapped the meat in a tarp, tied it with rope, and struggled back to camp under its weight.
• Su Wei secured the venison to the sled and checked his phone, discovering it was already 1:03 p.m.
• Su Wei judged that the loaded sled would take too long to haul down the mountain and decided not to leave before dark.

After seeing a distress flare in the Alaskan wilderness, Su Wei decided to investigate while preparing carefully to avoid risking his own life. He set out with Cotton Candy, leaving his supplies hidden behind.

• Su Wei spotted a red distress flare bursting over the distant forest and realized someone needed help.
• Su Wei weighed the danger of intervening against his memories of being helpless in the wilderness.
• Su Wei decided to scout the flare’s location and turn back if the trouble was beyond his abilities.
• Su Wei hid his supplies, packed hot water, spare clothes, food, medical supplies, ammunition, and rope, then called Cotton Candy to join him.

Su Wei followed a flare through the forest and found Emily trapped in a deep pit beside a wrecked snowmobile. He recognized his childhood friend and began pulling her to safety.

• Su Wei left his camp and searched the forest with Cotton Candy for whoever had fired the flare.
• Su Wei spotted a wrecked snowmobile, scattered equipment, and a motionless figure inside a deep pit.
• Su Wei called down and discovered that the trapped woman was Emily, his childhood friend, who had sprained her left leg.
• Su Wei secured a rope around a boulder and lowered it to Emily, who grabbed hold.

Su Wei rescued Emily from a pit and treated her sprained ankle. As night fell, he explained his parents’ disappearance and his debt, then searched for a way to get Emily to his camp.

• Su Wei pulled Emily out of the pit while Cotton Candy stayed nearby.
• Su Wei examined Emily’s swollen ankle, sprayed it, and wrapped it with a bandage.
• Emily explained that she had been conducting thesis fieldwork when her snowmobile got caught and she fell into the pit.
• Su Wei told Emily that his parents had gone out to sea and never returned, leaving him a $160,000 loan to repay within a month.
• Emily was unable to walk, so Su Wei settled her beneath a sheltered rock and told Cotton Candy to watch her while he considered the snowmobile.

Su Wei freed Emily’s damaged snowmobile and got its engine running so he could take her back to camp despite her injured ankle. He recovered her observation journal, gave her Cotton Candy to hold, and drove off with her toward camp.

• Su Wei pried the snowmobile’s trapped track loose and bent its handlebars back into a steerable position.
• Su Wei reconnected loose wires and restarted the snowmobile’s engine.
• Su Wei helped Emily onto the snowmobile and found her backpack, though her DSLR camera was smashed.
• Su Wei gave Emily her undamaged observation journal and placed Cotton Candy in her arms for warmth.
• Su Wei drove the snowmobile toward camp with Emily and Cotton Candy aboard.

Su Wei brought the injured Emily back to his wilderness camp and hurried her into dry clothes to prevent hypothermia. Emily changed inside his tent while Su Wei prepared to make a fire outside.

• Su Wei told Emily that Cotton Candy was a wild fox that had come to his camp on her own.
• Su Wei and Emily reached his camp, where Emily saw his tent, firewood, sled, and a covered load of game.
• Su Wei carried Emily from the snowmobile to the tent and gave her dry thermal clothes and fleece pants.
• Su Wei warned Emily that her wet clothes could lead to fatal hypothermia and told her to change while he built a fire.
• Emily entered the tent, removed her wet clothes, and quickly changed into Su Wei's spare clothes.

Su Wei rescued Emily from a freezing night in the wilderness, dried her clothes, and fed her venison. After Emily warmed up and grew sleepy, Su Wei told her he had only one tent, leaving them to decide how to spend the night.

• Su Wei built a fire and dried Emily’s wet clothes without looking into the tent.
• Emily came out wearing Su Wei’s clothes and sat by the fire with Cotton Candy.
• Su Wei cooked black-tailed deer tenderloin, and Emily eagerly ate the meal.
• The system gave Su Wei temporary stamina-recovery and cold-resistance buffs for cooking the venison.
• Emily asked whether Su Wei had trained as a cook, and he said he had learned from playing games.
• As Emily grew sleepy and looked at the tent, Su Wei said he only had one tent.

Su Wei cared for Emily at their snowy camp and prepared to share his cramped tent with her for the night. As they planned the journey to his cabin, they spoke about Emily’s damaged research equipment, Su Wei’s debt, and memories from childhood.

• Su Wei gave Emily a warm blanket and cooked her a hot soup from wild berries.
• Su Wei and Emily settled into the only tent, where he reassured her that he would not do anything to her.
• Su Wei planned to take Emily to his cabin for first aid, then bring her to a clinic in town by snowmobile.
• Emily explained that her snowmobile accident had destroyed her camera and much of her equipment, forcing her research project to pause.
• Emily and Su Wei discussed his debt and reminisced about their childhood before he told her to sleep.

Su Wei and Emily woke at their wilderness camp and prepared to head back to the cabin before more snow arrived. Emily’s injured ankle still hurt, and she was troubled by how Su Wei had kept her warm at his own expense; the chapter ended as he checked the repaired snowmobile before their departure.

• Su Wei woke before dawn and found Cotton Candy curled on his chest while Emily slept nearby.
• Emily woke, retrieved Cotton Candy, and told Su Wei that her ankle still hurt but seemed less swollen.
• Su Wei rekindled the fire, heated water, cooked venison, and served Emily breakfast, urging her to eat before the forecasted noon snow.
• Emily thanked Su Wei for the previous night, but he brushed off her gratitude and focused on getting ready to leave.
• Su Wei packed the camp and carefully checked the snowmobile’s repaired handlebar, wires, and fuel connection.

Su Wei drove Emily and their hunting haul home by snowmobile, choosing a safer route through the mountains. After storing the game and valuable devil’s claw at his cabin, he offered to take Emily to town to have her injured leg examined.

• Su Wei carried Emily to the snowmobile, secured their gear and haul to the sled, and put Cotton Candy in her arms.
• Su Wei drove with Emily along a longer, safer ridgeline route while she held on tightly and Cotton Candy watched the scenery.
• After several hours, Su Wei and Emily reached his cabin in the valley.
• Su Wei unloaded the deer hide, venison, and devil’s claw, storing each securely in the garage.
• Su Wei returned to Emily and offered to take her to the clinic in town.

Su Wei carried Emily into Bay Clinic, where Dr. Hansen examined her injured ankle. The doctor found a severe ligament strain and suspected a minor fracture, so Emily needed an X-ray.

• Su Wei brought Emily to Bay Clinic in his pickup and carried her inside.
• Dr. Hansen examined Emily after she refused to let Su Wei leave her alone.
• Dr. Hansen asked whether Su Wei was Emily’s boyfriend, and Emily said they were friends.
• Dr. Hansen found that Emily had badly strained ligaments and might have a minor fracture, requiring an X-ray.

Su Wei paid for Emily’s treatment after she injured her ankle, then drove her to her new apartment and agreed to take her out once she recovered. With his debt and monthly bank payment still weighing on him, he headed for the docks to sell his hunting spoils.

• Dr. Hansen diagnosed Emily with severe ligament damage and a bone bruise, and prescribed a splint, crutches, and medication.
• Su Wei paid the $730 medical bill, and Emily agreed to pay him back later.
• Su Wei drove Emily to her apartment, learned her parents had moved to Anchorage, and agreed to take her somewhere after her foot healed.
• Su Wei exchanged contact information with Emily and watched her enter the apartment building.
• Su Wei drove toward the docks with his venison, deerskin, and devil’s claw, then called Old Jack, a local buyer.

Su Wei called Old Jack to reject his offer for Cotton Candy and propose a new deal involving an old, well-preserved Alaskan Devil's Claw and a freshly killed black-tailed deer. Old Jack became eager to see the finds, and Su Wei was heading back to his garage as evening approached.

• Old Jack offered Su Wei twelve thousand dollars for Cotton Candy, but Su Wei firmly told him he would never get the fox.
• Su Wei said he had another deal, and Old Jack mocked him until he named the Devil's Claw.
• Old Jack recognized the plant's value and demanded to know where Su Wei was.
• Su Wei said the Devil's Claw was in his garage and added that he had a freshly killed adult black-tailed deer with an intact hide and dressed meat.
• Old Jack realized Su Wei had proven himself as a hunter and anticipated making a fortune if the finds were genuine.

Su Wei prepared to sell wild devil's claw to Old Jack, hoping the deal would help pay down his $160,000 debt. Old Jack arrived at Su Wei's cabin, and Su Wei led him toward the garage to see the goods.

• Su Wei set six that evening as the time for Old Jack to come with his pickup and money.
• Su Wei returned to the cabin, where the Life Module eased his fatigue and Cotton Candy eagerly ate a meal of steak.
• Old Jack arrived in his Ford Raptor and demanded to see the devil's claw.
• Su Wei blocked Old Jack from entering the cabin, then put on his boots and led him to the garage.

Su Wei revealed a huge cache of high-quality Devil’s Claw to Old Jack and demanded $15,000 for it. Old Jack protested the price and warned Su Wei that selling the plants could bring trouble because he was not Tsetsaut, leaving them in a tense negotiation.

• Su Wei unlocked the garage cabinet and showed Old Jack a large pile of Devil’s Claw.
• Old Jack was stunned by the quantity and quality, then offered to buy the entire batch.
• Su Wei reminded Old Jack that he needed money and named a price of $15,000.
• Old Jack objected, warning that Su Wei could face scrutiny as an outsider, and claimed the market price was only $8,000.

Su Wei negotiated with Old Jack over the devil's club and deer, refusing to accept a low offer and securing $15,200 in cash. Old Jack paid and remarked on how much Su Wei had changed.

• Su Wei rejected Old Jack's $10,000 offer for the devil's club and insisted on $14,000.
• Old Jack reluctantly agreed, counted out $14,000, and handed it to Su Wei.
• Su Wei showed Old Jack the processed venison and deerskin, and Old Jack paid him $1,200.
• Old Jack remarked that Su Wei had become a tough nut compared with the timid man who used to hide in his cabin.

Su Wei learned that hunting Kodiak Island brown bears required a lottery permit and considered the cost of pursuing the hunt while weighing how to use his earnings. After returning to his cabin, he greeted Cotton Candy and tended the dying fire.

• Old Jack told Su Wei that outsiders needed to win a lottery to get a brown bear hunting permit, and warned him against taking risks.
• Old Jack drove away with Su Wei's venison, deerskins, and devil's claws, while Su Wei considered hunting bears.
• Su Wei counted his $15,200 and weighed paying his debt, upgrading his equipment, buying supplies, and entering the permit lottery.
• Su Wei returned to his cabin, where Cotton Candy greeted him, and he tossed the fox a ball.
• Su Wei stirred the fireplace ashes as the cabin grew cold.

Su Wei used the cabin’s Life Module to recover and cooked a hearty beef brisket stew after selling his venison. Cotton Candy came to the kitchen, drawn by the smell, while the stew simmered.

• Su Wei fed birch into the fire and felt the Life Module increase his stamina and mental fatigue recovery inside the cabin.
• Su Wei decided to eat well and prepared beef brisket, potatoes, onion, carrots, and seasonings.
• Su Wei browned the brisket in lard, added onion and tomato paste, then covered the pot and left the stew to simmer.
• Cotton Candy wandered to the kitchen doorway with its yellow ball and watched Su Wei as the stew smelled through the cabin.