Chapter Summaries

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.

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.