Recaps

Su Wei cooked beef brisket and potato stew, enjoyed its warming effect with Cotton Candy, and was interrupted by Emily calling to insist on repaying him $730. He agreed to send his account details, and Emily was relieved.

• Su Wei finished cooking excellent beef brisket and potato stew, gaining Life Module experience and a cold-resistance buff.
• Su Wei ate the stew beside the fireplace while Cotton Candy begged for a taste and called him stingy through the Beast Language effect.
• Su Wei relaxed in the warm cabin with Cotton Candy and began to doze off before his phone rang.
• Emily called Su Wei and insisted on repaying the $730 he had spent on her medical bills.
• Su Wei agreed, sent Emily his account details, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Su Wei and Emily talked by phone after he received her transfer, and he offered to cook for her when he visited Kodiak Town the next day. The call ended warmly, with Su Wei planning to handle his errands and Emily’s snowmobile.

• Su Wei confirmed Emily’s 730-dollar transfer and described his beef brisket and potato stew, making Emily long for a hot meal.
• Su Wei invited Emily to his cabin once her leg healed, then offered to visit her the next day and cook in her kitchen.
• Emily arranged for Jamie to collect her snowmobile and thanked Su Wei for bringing back her father’s birthday present.
• Su Wei and Emily talked about town, the destroyed research equipment, and his debts before ending their call near eleven.

After the power went out, Su Wei realized his generator had likely run out of fuel and discovered that a severe blizzard had swept in. He sent Cotton Candy back inside and prepared to deal with the outage amid the worsening storm.

• Su Wei found the house dark and silent after the electricity failed, while Cotton Candy woke up and rubbed against his leg.
• Su Wei concluded that the diesel generator had run out of fuel because he had forgotten to refuel it.
• Su Wei bundled up and opened the door, only to be hit by powerful winds and heavy snow from a sudden blizzard.
• Cotton Candy dashed into the snow and played in it, while Su Wei called after him to stay close and watch for danger.

Su Wei braved the blizzard to restart the garage’s diesel generator, restoring power to the house. After returning inside with Cotton Candy, he watched the unusually heavy snowfall and considered the series of blizzards.

• Su Wei found that the generator had run out of fuel and that most of the spare cans were empty.
• Su Wei poured the last half-can of diesel into the generator and pulled its starter cord until it ran.
• Su Wei saw the house lights return, then called Cotton Candy and headed back inside with him.
• Su Wei warmed up indoors while Cotton Candy curled up on the sofa.
• Su Wei wiped the window clear and observed the heavy snowfall, noting the unusual series of blizzards.

Su Wei woke to find Kodiak Island buried beneath a blizzard, with the road to his cabin blocked and his supplies running low. He forced open the snow-packed door and stepped outside to begin clearing it.

• Su Wei feared the overnight snowfall would trap him at home and leave him unable to buy diesel or supplies.
• Su Wei woke at seven to a dead fireplace, a weak phone signal, and snow covering the yard and dirt track.
• Su Wei realized that clearing his driveway would not make the roads beyond passable.
• Su Wei put on his cold-weather gear and forced open the door, letting packed snow spill into the entryway.
• Su Wei squeezed outside into the blinding snow and wind.

Su Wei cleared snow from his cabin roof during a blizzard on Kodiak Island, then returned indoors to warm up and prepare food. He remained isolated with Cotton Candy, relying on his stocked supplies as the storm buried the wilderness.

• Su Wei shoveled snow from the cabin entrance while Cotton Candy dug through the snow and brought him a branch.
• Su Wei climbed onto the icy roof and spent an hour clearing snow to protect the cabin and anyone below.
• Su Wei surveyed the snowbound island and felt exhilarated by his solitude with Cotton Candy and a house full of food.
• Su Wei sealed gaps around the door, lit a birch fire, and activated the Life Module, which increased his stamina recovery speed.
• Su Wei went to the kitchen, turned on the gas stove, and took a frying pan to cook from his stocked refrigerator.

Su Wei ate breakfast by the fireplace while worrying that his dwindling diesel supply would soon stop the generator and water pump. Emily called to warn him that the blizzard had cut off the town and blocked the road to his cabin, leaving him isolated as the storm continued.

• Su Wei realized the generator had only about two days of fuel left and considered modifying a scrapped hand pump.
• Emily called Su Wei and told him an unusually powerful extratropical cyclone had caused the freak blizzard and a town-wide power outage.
• Emily said the power had returned to her apartment after her landlady started a diesel generator.
• Emily told Su Wei that more than three feet of snow had blocked the road, leaving Jamie's pickup and the snowmobile unable to get through.
• Su Wei said he planned to stay inside, while Emily worried that he lacked enough food, heat, and diesel to survive if the storm continued.

Su Wei reassured Emily during the blizzard, then learned the roads might remain blocked for at least a week. After their call, he admitted to himself that his food supply was inadequate and began worrying about the limits of his generator.

• Su Wei teased Emily with a description of his hearty breakfast and claimed he had plenty of food, easing her fears about him freezing or starving.
• Emily told Su Wei that snowplows were clearing the roads, but continued snowfall could keep them blocked for at least a week, possibly longer.
• Su Wei accepted that he might be isolated for a week or more and told Emily he would stay inside and avoid the unstable lake ice.
• After Emily ended the call, Su Wei dropped his cheerful act and realized he had bought only a few days' worth of food.
• Su Wei looked toward the garage and considered that his diesel generator's fuel and power would not last forever.

Su Wei assessed his dwindling food supplies as a blizzard threatened to cut him off from the outside world. He decided that ice fishing in the frozen lake near the cabin was a safer way to find food than hunting in the storm.

• Su Wei put away his phone, found a notebook, and began taking stock of his supplies.
• He unplugged the refrigerator and counted the meat and vegetables, realizing they would not last long with the extra calories needed to endure the cold and heavy work.
• Su Wei ruled out hunting because deep snow, obscured tracks, and hungry wildlife made going into the mountains too dangerous.
• He considered fishing through the ice on the nearby lake, which connected to Pilan Creek, and hoped to catch Arctic grayling or rainbow trout.
• Su Wei recalled that the original owner's father had enjoyed ice fishing at Chena Lake, though Su Wei lacked specialized fishing equipment.

Su Wei found his father’s old ice-fishing equipment and prepared it for use, but worsening weather kept him inside. After sharpening the auger and hooks and replacing the brittle line, he finished maintaining the tackle and waited for safer conditions.

• Su Wei found a toolbox containing ice-fishing rods, hooks, line, and an auger in the storage room.
• Su Wei realized the worsening blizzard made going onto the ice too dangerous and returned to the living room.
• Su Wei sharpened the rusty auger blade with a whetstone and cooking oil.
• Su Wei cleaned and checked the hooks, discarding those that were badly rusted.
• Su Wei replaced the brittle nylon line on both rods with braided Dyneema line and finished assembling the tackle.

With the cabin’s diesel running low and deep snow blocking the way out, Su Wei tried to start the damaged snowmobile Emily had left behind. The engine sputtered but failed to start, leaving him still without a way to reach town or escape.

• Su Wei realized the generator had only two days of diesel left and that the blizzard would soon cut off the cabin’s power and water.
• Su Wei decided the snowmobile Emily had left behind might let him travel through deep snow to get fuel or escape.
• Su Wei geared up, went to the garage, and found the snowmobile’s battery dead.
• Su Wei used the choke and primer, then pull-started the engine; it sputtered and stopped without starting.

Su Wei discovered that the Polaris snowmobile would not start because its fuel tank was empty, then decided to siphon gasoline from his Dodge pickup. He found a suitable hose and bucket and prepared to transfer fuel, but had not yet begun siphoning.

• Su Wei checked the Polaris’s fuel tank and found it completely empty after repeatedly trying to start the engine.
• Su Wei realized the snowmobile needed gasoline and that he had used up his spare fuel before the blizzard trapped him.
• Su Wei checked his Dodge pickup and saw that its hundred-liter tank was still nearly full.
• Su Wei searched the garage and found a bucket and a flexible PVC hose for siphoning fuel.
• Su Wei opened the pickup’s fuel cap and smelled gasoline as he prepared to transfer it.

Su Wei siphoned gasoline from his pickup into the snowmobile and managed to start its engine, giving him hope that he could travel to town and reach Emily. The engine faltered and began sputtering just after he revved it.

• Su Wei siphoned gasoline from his pickup, accidentally getting some in his mouth, then rinsed with snow.
• Su Wei poured the collected gasoline into the snowmobile using a cardboard funnel.
• Su Wei primed the carburetor and pulled the starter until the snowmobile engine roared to life.
• Su Wei gently revved the engine, but it began sputtering and losing power.

Su Wei failed to get the old Polaris snowmobile running and returned to the cabin, where he prepared to eat after working in the freezing garage. The chapter leaves him in the kitchen, hungry and ready to make a substantial meal.

• Su Wei dismantled parts of the snowmobile, cleaned its soaked spark plug, and tried repeatedly to restart it, but the engine kept dying.
• Su Wei concluded that the carburetor or another part likely needed repairs beyond his skills, so he stopped working and stored the remaining gasoline.
• Su Wei locked the garage and trudged through the snow back to the cabin.
• Su Wei warmed himself by the fireplace while Cotton Candy rested on the sofa.
• Su Wei, hungry after his exertion, went to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.

Su Wei cooked red-braised pork and eggs during the blizzard, and his meal earned a fitness buff that increased workout efficiency. He enjoyed the food by the window and fed Cotton Candy some lean pork.

• Su Wei prepared pork shoulder, carefully blanched it to remove its strong smell, and browned it with caramel and spices.
• Cotton Candy followed the cooking smells to Su Wei and eagerly watched him cook.
• Su Wei simmered the pork with soy sauce and added boiled eggs, then served the dish over rice.
• The system awarded Su Wei a three-hour fitness buff that increased workout efficiency by 10%.
• Su Wei ate by the window and gave Cotton Candy the lean meat he had set aside.

Su Wei decided to wait for the storm to ease before fishing in the frozen lake for food. He worked out under the Fitness buff while Cotton Candy turned his exercises into a playful game, and he noticed his improved endurance and strength.

• After eating, Su Wei planned to fish in the frozen lake once the wind and snow stopped, since his vehicle could not move and his food supplies were running low.
• Su Wei warmed up and began doing push-ups, noticing that the Fitness buff helped his body loosen up faster.
• Cotton Candy joined Su Wei, climbed onto his back during the push-ups, and made them into weighted exercises.
• Cotton Candy perched on Su Wei's chest during crunches and nudged his face whenever he sat up.
• Su Wei continued his workout while playing with Cotton Candy and noticed his muscular endurance and explosive strength had improved.

Su Wei realized his firewood was running low and went out into the snow to chop and split dead trees. He returned with a large stack of wood, securing several more days of heat for the cabin.

• After his workout, Su Wei noticed the fireplace’s wood basket was empty and decided to gather more firewood.
• Su Wei dressed for the cold, told Cotton Candy to stay inside, and went into the nearby woods with an axe.
• Su Wei felled three dead trees and gained life experience for each one.
• Su Wei dragged the trunks back to the cabin, sawed them into logs, and split the wood.
• After finishing the work, Su Wei piled the firewood beneath the porch and gained more life experience.

Su Wei prepared a hot bath in his unheated cabin during a blizzard, conserving diesel by heating water over the fireplace. After washing off the grime and soaking in the tub, he felt the cold leave his body, while the blizzard, power outage, and his $160,000 debt remained.

• Su Wei added birch logs to the fireplace and heated water in a large iron pot.
• Cotton Candy woke up, sniffed the steaming pot, sneezed, and followed Su Wei to the bathroom.
• Su Wei poured the boiling water into an iron tub, added cold water, and tested the temperature.
• Su Wei stripped, washed away the wood chips and grime, and stepped into the tub.
• Su Wei relaxed in the hot water as the chapter left the blizzard, power outage, and $160,000 debt unresolved.

After surviving the night, Su Wei warmed up in a bath and made a bed beside the fireplace, where Cotton Candy curled up with him. As he drifted off, he planned to fish in the frozen lake for food during the continuing blizzard.

• Su Wei bathed in a galvanized iron tub and gained Life Module experience as he rested.
• Su Wei decided to sleep in the living room beside the fireplace rather than risk the cold upstairs.
• Cotton Candy joined Su Wei under the quilt and curled against his chest for warmth.
• Su Wei planned to fish for rainbow trout and Arctic char in the frozen lake because his food supply was dwindling.

After a blizzard buried his cabin, Su Wei cleared snow from the entrance and roof, then warmed up and prepared his father’s ice-fishing gear. He left the cabin ready to go out ice fishing, with the search for an underwater concentration zone still ahead.

• Su Wei woke to find the blizzard had stopped and snow piled halfway up the cabin door.
• He rekindled the fire and shoveled a path through the deep snow outside.
• Su Wei tied himself to the chimney with a safety rope and cleared most of the snow from the roof.
• He returned inside, cooked bacon and eggs, and shared some bacon with Cotton Candy.
• Su Wei checked his ice-fishing rods, tackle, and hand-cranked auger.

Su Wei used the Gathering Module to find a patch of aquatic vegetation beneath the frozen lake and drilled an ice-fishing hole there. After breaking through more than thirty centimeters of ice, he cleared the hole and prepared to fish.

• Su Wei checked the lake ice by the shore and confirmed it was thick enough to be safe.
• Su Wei activated the Gathering Module and detected stonewort and other algae beneath the lake about twenty meters away.
• Su Wei carried his fishing equipment to the glowing spot and used a hand-cranked auger to drill through the ice.
• Su Wei broke through into the lake water and quickly cleared the ice chips from the hole before they could freeze over.

Su Wei caught a large Arctic grayling through the ice, unlocking the Fishing Module and gaining a reliable new source of food. He left with the fish and Cotton Candy, encouraged that he could survive the winter.

• Su Wei lowered a golden lure through the ice and patiently jigged it near the bottom while Cotton Candy watched.
• A powerful fish took the lure, and Su Wei fought it until he hauled an Arctic grayling over forty centimeters long onto the snow.
• The Fishing Module unlocked, granting Su Wei the ability to sense the approximate density and activity of fish within ten meters while rod fishing.
• Cotton Candy pounced on the fish, but Su Wei lifted them away, killed the grayling with his folding knife, and tucked Cotton Candy into his pocket.

Su Wei used his new Fishing Module to catch a rainbow trout, many three-spined sticklebacks, and a brook trout while ice fishing. With nearly fifteen pounds of fish and enough food for the short term, he prepared to move on as the cold set in.

• Su Wei used Water Condition Perception to locate fish and hauled up a 5.8-pound rainbow trout.
• Su Wei removed the trout’s gills and stopped Cotton Candy from climbing out of his pocket to reach the fish.
• Su Wei switched to a smaller red-feathered hook and caught several three-spined sticklebacks from a dense cluster beneath the ice.
• Su Wei continued fishing for half an hour and caught a four-pound brook trout, bringing his total haul to nearly fifteen pounds.
• Su Wei stood up with stiff knees as the cold penetrated his boots and he decided he needed to pick up the pace.

Su Wei caught an elite Arctic grayling and prepared to return to his cabin, but Cotton Candy alerted him to a herd of large animals emerging from the forest. A deer’s call confirmed the shapes were deer, and the chapter left Su Wei tense on the frozen lake as the herd appeared.

• Su Wei fought and landed an 8.4-pound elite Arctic grayling, increasing his Fishing Module experience to 72/100.
• Su Wei gathered his fish and picked up Cotton Candy, planning to head home and make fish soup.
• Cotton Candy warned Su Wei of a group of large shadows approaching the lakeshore from the forest.
• Su Wei saw the herd stop at the forest’s edge and heard the lead animal call like a deer.
• Su Wei remained crouched and gripped his knife as the snow obscured the approaching herd.

Su Wei spotted a herd of Roosevelt elk during the blizzard and calculated that hunting the lead bull could earn him a fortune, but he had no rifle with him. He let the herd retreat into a sheltered valley and returned to the cabin, where he planned to warm up and eat his catch before attempting a hunt when the weather improved.

• Su Wei saw seven Roosevelt elk crossing the frozen lake and estimated that the lead bull’s meat, antlers, and hide could be worth about fifty thousand dollars.
• Su Wei realized he had only a Bowie knife and fishing gear, while his rifle was back in the cabin, so he could not safely hunt the bull in the storm.
• Su Wei memorized the elk herd’s route to a sheltered U-Shaped Valley, where the blizzard might keep them trapped for several days.
• Su Wei soothed the frightened Cotton Candy and carried his bucket of fish through the snow back to the cabin.
• Su Wei bolted the cabin door, warmed himself by the fireplace, and prepared to eat fish while considering a possible elk hunt after the storm eased.