Chapter Summaries

Su Wei gave Emily a painful but effective ankle rehabilitation massage, then prepared the warm master bedroom for her recovery. He refueled the generator during the snowstorm, ensuring the cabin's heat and power would keep running.

• Su Wei used the Medical Module's guidance to massage Emily's injured ankle, easing its stiffness and earning medical experience.
• Emily thanked Su Wei for the treatment, and he told her to let the ointment absorb before putting her foot down.
• Su Wei moved his bedding to the guest room and prepared the warm master bedroom for Emily to recuperate in.
• Su Wei went outside in the storm and poured diesel into the generator to restore its fuel supply.

Su Wei prepared for the night and gave Emily his master bedroom, then carried her upstairs when her injured ankle made the stairs too difficult. He left her tucked into bed, avoiding her eyes as she watched him with lingering attachment and expectation.

• Su Wei checked his Raptor pickup and returned to the cabin, where Emily had finished showering and was wearing his oversized T-shirt.
• Su Wei offered Emily warm water and told her to sleep in the master bedroom while he took the guest room.
• Emily told Su Wei that he had changed and made people feel safer, and he said he felt lighter after paying off his debts.
• Emily struggled to climb the stairs on her injured ankle, so Su Wei lifted her and carried her to the master bedroom.
• Su Wei laid Emily in bed, covered her with a quilt, and explained that the room was well soundproofed while she looked at him with attachment and expectation.

Su Wei resisted acting on his feelings for Emily and focused on preparing for the bear hunt and strengthening his wilderness homestead. The next morning, he carried Emily downstairs, warmed the living room, and began making breakfast.

• Su Wei said good night to Emily and left her room, deciding their relationship and his circumstances needed a firmer foundation before he acted on his feelings.
• Su Wei resolved to earn more money, improve his property, and hunt the brown bear to advance his plans and upgrade the [Hunting Module].
• Su Wei woke at seven, found Emily waiting in the hallway with her injured foot, and carried her downstairs to the sofa.
• Su Wei lit the fireplace and placed Cotton Candy in Emily's arms before going to make breakfast.
• Su Wei fried chopped scallions in vegetable oil until they turned deep brown.

Su Wei made scallion oil noodles for Emily, whose ankle had improved, then defended his decision to join Black’s bear hunt at Eagle Beak Cliff. He prepared to take Emily home, still determined to risk the hunt.

• Su Wei cooked scallion oil noodles, and Emily enjoyed the meal as the dish’s effects slightly improved her cold resistance and focus.
• Emily said her ankle felt better and praised the medicinal oil and Su Wei’s noodles.
• Emily worried that Su Wei’s planned bear hunt at Eagle Beak Cliff was too dangerous, but Su Wei insisted he had to become a hunter and trusted Black’s confidence.
• Su Wei dressed for the trip, fed Cotton Candy, and prepared to take Emily home.

Su Wei dropped Emily off and went to Old Charlie's Guns and Outdoors to prepare for hunting a huge brown bear on the north slope. Old Charlie recognized him as Black's apprentice and recommended powerful firearms and ammunition; Su Wei chose a Ruger Super Redhawk and ordered five boxes of .300 Winchester Magnum cartridges.

• Su Wei drove Emily to her apartment, then headed across town to Old Charlie's Guns and Outdoors.
• Su Wei told Old Charlie he planned to hunt a huge bear on the north slope and showed his professional hunter's license, which named Black as his mentor.
• Old Charlie recognized Su Wei as Black's apprentice and advised him to take a powerful weapon for the hunt.
• Su Wei tested the Ruger Super Redhawk .454 Casull and decided to buy it as a close-range backup.
• Old Charlie showed Su Wei .300 Winchester Magnum cartridges with Nosler Partition bullets, and Su Wei ordered five boxes.

Su Wei bought extensive hunting and survival equipment, then tested the customized Arctic Cat Thunder God 8000 delivered to his cabin. The new machine thrilled him, leaving him better equipped and eager for the hunt ahead.

• Su Wei ordered a Ruger with ammunition, bear spray, knives, and other hunting gear from Old Charlie for $35,073 after a discount.
• Su Wei loaded his purchases into the Raptor and drove home.
• Su Wei found Tony waiting with the customized Thunder God, fitted with wide tracks, a raised chassis, a winch, heated grips, and other upgrades.
• Su Wei test-drove the Thunder God across the snow, maneuvering it around the lake before returning to the cabin.
• Su Wei praised the machine, while Tony smiled with relief.

After buying hunting equipment, Su Wei practiced handling his new Ruger Super Redhawk and fed Cotton Candy before Black arrived at his home. Black brought a canvas roll and approved of Su Wei’s purchases, leaving its contents unrevealed.

• Su Wei parked his new snowmobile beside his Raptor pickup and decided his garage needed to be larger.
• Su Wei cooked venison for lunch and gave Cotton Candy a piece of unseasoned meat.
• Su Wei loaded and practiced aiming the Ruger Super Redhawk, while the system warned him about its extreme recoil.
• Su Wei inspected the Alaska Harpoon Survival Knife until Black arrived with a yellowed canvas roll.
• Black looked over Su Wei’s new equipment, praised him for avoiding frivolous purchases, and tossed the canvas roll onto the table.

Black showed Su Wei a map of the bear’s territory and trained him to draw and fire his handgun under pressure before their planned hunt. Su Wei barely passed the drill, and Black turned his attention to Su Wei’s Alaska Harpoon.

• Black told Su Wei that the bear was active near Eagle Beak Cliff and ordered him to leave before dawn for an ambush.
• Black unloaded Su Wei’s Ruger revolver and demonstrated how quickly a charging bear could attack.
• Black repeatedly struck Su Wei’s hand during practice, correcting his holster draw and urging him to fire by instinct.
• On his thirtieth attempt, Su Wei drew fast enough to make Black stop his mock attack, and the Hunting Module granted him experience and temporary muscle memory.
• Black warned Su Wei that he still needed to improve, then noticed the Alaska Harpoon and called it a good knife.

Su Wei prepared his gear and food for the early-morning bear hunt, coordinating the departure with Aruk. Before dawn, he began cooking venison for the group as the expedition approached.

• Su Wei called Aruk and told him the hunting party would leave from his place at five in the morning.
• Aruk agreed to arrive early and asked Su Wei to save him a large serving of meat.
• Su Wei packed ammunition, supplies, and his survival knife, then laid out his tactical belt for the morning.
• Su Wei woke at three thirty and started frying thick slices of venison for breakfast.

Su Wei prepared a warming venison breakfast for Black, Aruk, Old Kash, and their hunting dogs before they set out to hunt a wounded male bear on Pillar Mountain. The group drove into the snowy mountains, with Su Wei at the wheel of his modified Raptor.

• Su Wei cooked venison scallion oil noodles and sandwiches, gaining a temporary buff that increased heat, stamina recovery, and focus.
• Black arrived with four hunting dogs, and Caesar cautiously recognized Su Wei; Aruk and Old Kash soon joined them for breakfast.
• Black reviewed the plan: Aruk and Old Kash would block the bear's southern escape while Su Wei accompanied Black up the dangerous central approach.
• At five in the morning, the four men and dogs left Kodiak Island in Su Wei's Raptor, driving up a snow-covered forest trail.

Su Wei, Black, Aruk, and Old Kash followed their hunting dogs into the snowy forest and found a freshly killed black-tailed deer torn apart by a huge predator. Black concluded the beast was nearby and hungry, and the group spread out and prepared for an encounter.

• Su Wei and the others left the truck and released their four hunting dogs into the forest.
• Caesar stopped at a snow mound and alerted the group to something concealed beneath it.
• Black uncovered the remains of a black-tailed deer, which had been killed and partially eaten by a powerful predator.
• Black examined the carcass and judged that the beast had killed it recently and was still hungry.
• Black estimated the predator was within five hundred meters, and Aruk, Old Kash, and Su Wei spread out and readied their weapons.

Su Wei and the hunters followed signs of a massive Kodiak brown bear and discovered it was dangerously hungry after failing to hibernate. The bear’s trail led toward a hollow beneath Eagle Beak Cliff.

• Su Wei used the Hunting Module to identify the claw marks as belonging to a 600-to-630-kilogram Kodiak brown bear whose tracks were only 43 minutes old.
• Black asked Su Wei to assess the bear’s tracks, and Su Wei correctly judged that the animal was agitated.
• Caesar found the bear’s steaming droppings, which Black and Old Kash identified as evidence that it had been starving and eating roots and berries.
• Black explained that an early blizzard had blocked the roads and fish passage, leaving the bear without enough fat to hibernate and making it three times more dangerous.
• Su Wei’s system highlighted the bear’s trail toward a hollow below Eagle Beak Cliff.

Su Wei used the wind and terrain to lead Black, Old Kash, and Aruk toward the bear’s hiding place, then spotted the massive predator from a ridge. After Black taught them to mask their scent, Su Wei’s Hunting Module leveled up and unlocked Firearms Mastery.

• Su Wei deduced that the bear had gone to the black pine woods because the wind would carry their scent toward the rocks, and Black sent Caesar to check his route.
• Caesar found a hidden claw print, and Black led the group up to high ground to locate the bear before planning their attack.
• Su Wei spotted the bear sharpening its claws on a pine tree, while Old Kash noticed that its left hind leg was injured.
• Black gave the group a mixture of spruce needles, moss, and skunk urine to mask their human scent, and Su Wei applied it.
• Su Wei gained 35 hunting experience, raised his Hunting Module to LV2, and unlocked Firearms Mastery LV1.

Su Wei, Black, Old Kash, and Aruk prepared to ambush a giant brown bear, but an adult Alaska moose suddenly fled into the valley with the bear pursuing it. Black abandoned the ambush and ordered Old Kash and Aruk to block the valley’s only exit as the hunters moved to intercept the beasts.

• Su Wei felt his new Firearms Mastery skill give him heightened control over his Ruger Super Redhawk.
• Black planned to approach the bear with Su Wei while Old Kash and Aruk moved to cover the left slope.
• A frightened bull Alaska moose burst from the pine forest and charged into the valley, followed by the brown bear hunting it.
• Black recognized that the bear had deliberately pursued the moose into the narrow, snowy terrain and changed the plan from an ambush to a blockade.
• Black ordered Old Kash and Aruk to reach a snow mound and block the escape route, and they raced toward it.

Su Wei and Black closed in as a Kodiak brown bear brought down a moose, and Su Wei spotted a second enormous creature watching from the forest. After the moose blocked his clear shot, Su Wei fired at the bear as it reared up, leaving its condition uncertain.

• Black led Su Wei and the hounds toward the bear while Su Wei used the Hunting Module to track its movement.
• The bear caught the moose, broke its back, and clamped its jaws around the moose’s neck as Black waited for a safe shot.
• Su Wei noticed a huge shadow watching from the pine forest and hesitated, then the moose rolled and blocked his aim.
• The bear reared up to attack the moose, and Su Wei fired his .300 Winchester Magnum at it.
• The bear lurched to one side after Su Wei’s shot.

Su Wei, Black, and the hunters fought a charging moose and a wounded brown bear. Black stopped the moose at point-blank range, while Su Wei waited for a clear shot at the bear as it charged him.

• Su Wei shot the brown bear in the shoulder, but it kept charging toward him and Black.
• The wounded moose charged Black, and Aruk and Old Kash fired at it, slowing it without stopping it.
• Caesar and the other hounds attacked the moose as it reached Black.
• Black fired his shotgun into the moose's chest at point-blank range and killed it.
• Su Wei aimed at the still-charging bear and waited for a chance to kill it with one shot.

After Su Wei killed a massive Kodiak brown bear, a second bear ambushed him from a nearby slope. With his rifle empty and the hunters unable to shoot safely, Su Wei had to face the charging bear himself.

• Su Wei killed the 613-kilogram Kodiak brown bear with a shot to its heart and received hunting experience from the system.
• Black acknowledged Su Wei’s shot, but a foul smell and Aruk’s warning alerted the group to danger nearby.
• A second brown bear charged down from behind a rock and black pines, aiming for Su Wei as the hounds barked in alarm.
• Aruk and Old Kash could not fire without risking Su Wei, while Black swung his shotgun toward the charging bear.
• Su Wei dropped his empty Browning rifle as Black shouted for him to let it go.

Su Wei survived a close-range attack by a Kodiak brown bear, killing it with one shot from his Ruger Super Redhawk. Black praised his composure and warned him to remember why a revolver could be trusted in a crisis as the group recognized the valley’s danger.

• Su Wei stood his ground as a Kodiak brown bear charged and leaped at him.
• Su Wei drew his Ruger Super Redhawk and killed the bear with a close-range .454 Casull shot.
• The system recorded the bear’s death and awarded Su Wei 50 Hunting Module experience.
• Aruk and Old Kash reacted in shock, while Black checked Su Wei and returned his Browning rifle.
• Black praised Su Wei’s revolver shot and told him to remember that a revolver would not jam.
• Su Wei concluded that the valley’s moose made it an excellent hunting ground for brown bears preparing for hibernation.

After surviving the mother bear’s attack, Su Wei and the others processed their huge haul before nightfall. They loaded the valuable hides, antlers, and meat onto the Raptor and prepared to leave the snowfield.

• Black explained that he and Su Wei had failed to watch their surroundings, warned that bears were clever, and praised Su Wei for responding well.
• Aruk rushed to embrace Su Wei, relieved that he had survived the attack.
• Black urged everyone to process the nearly two tons of animals before dark, and the hunters began butchering the bears and moose.
• Su Wei carefully removed the King of the Island’s hide and paws while Old Kash processed the moose and Aruk found a valuable gold gallbladder.
• After the group finished processing the animals, Su Wei had Aruk bring up the Raptor, loaded the valuable parts and meat, and started the truck.

Su Wei returned to the cabin with the enormous brown bear and other game, but Aruk urged him to parade the catch through Kodiak before visiting the guild. Su Wei resisted until Black explained how a hunter’s reputation could lead to better work, leaving Su Wei to consider the value of making their kill known.

• Su Wei stopped the loaded Raptor at the cabin, and Caesar and the other hunting dogs climbed down exhausted.
• Su Wei planned to feed and water the dogs before going into town, but Aruk took the keys and insisted they show the giant bear to Kodiak.
• Su Wei argued that he wanted to finish the guild paperwork and get paid instead of attracting attention.
• Black agreed with Aruk and explained that a hunter’s reputation could bring valuable guiding work.