Chapter Summaries

Su Wei survived a fall into a snow-filled gap between boulders and found a valuable shed Roosevelt elk antler. He left the other antler unfound but suspected it was nearby.

• Su Wei fell down a steep slope and landed in a deep snow hollow between two boulders.
• Su Wei carefully freed himself from the snow and checked that his Browning rifle was intact.
• Su Wei noticed something buried beneath his hand and uncovered a complete Roosevelt elk antler.
• The Life Module identified the antler as top-grade and estimated its value at $3,000-$4,500.
• Su Wei suspected the elk’s other antler was within fifty meters and searched the area as the wind changed.

Su Wei abandoned his search for a second antler when a blizzard threatened and struggled through the storm to return to his cabin with the valuable antler. Warmed by the fire and greeted by Cotton Candy, he examined his prize and valued it at three thousand dollars.

• Su Wei decided the worsening blizzard made searching for another antler too dangerous and strapped his antler to his backpack.
• Su Wei fought his way through the wind and snow, eating a compressed biscuit as he made the long walk home.
• Su Wei reached the cabin, brushed the snow from his clothes, and propped the antler beside the woodpile before going inside.
• Cotton Candy greeted Su Wei, who warmed himself by the fire and relaxed with his pet.
• Su Wei examined the antler on the coffee table and noted that it was worth three thousand dollars.

Su Wei realized that his broken snowmobile was keeping him from hauling elk out of the mountains, then discovered that practicing practical tasks could improve his Life Module skills. He decided to build mechanical repair experience on something less valuable before attempting to fix the snowmobile.

• Su Wei considered hunting the nearby elk herd but concluded he needed a working snowmobile to transport a whole carcass safely.
• Cotton Candy comforted Su Wei, who calmed himself by carving a wooden toy for the fox.
• The Life Module awarded Su Wei experience and slightly increased his Basic Woodworking proficiency after he finished the carving.
• Su Wei reasoned that he might be able to develop a Mechanical Repair skill by taking machines apart and studying them, giving him hope of fixing the snowmobile.
• Su Wei decided not to practice on the snowmobile and set out to find a less risky machine to work on first.

Su Wei tested whether repairing and maintaining old objects could earn Life Module experience, then dismantled a jammed hand-operated water pump to find its fault. He softened its dried leather seal and lubricated the parts, leaving the repair underway.

• Su Wei opened an old toolbox with WD-40 and cleaned several rusty tools, earning 15 Life Module experience points.
• Su Wei concluded that hands-on repairs and maintenance could train life skills and provide more experience than ordinary chores.
• Su Wei brought a jammed hand-operated water pump to a clear spot and loosened its rusted connection by tapping it with a hammer.
• Su Wei dismantled the pump and found that its dried, hardened leather cup seal was stuck inside the cylinder.
• Su Wei soaked the seal in motor oil and cleaned and lubricated the pump's internal parts while it softened.

Su Wei repaired a hand pump and gained experience toward Mechanical Repair, then entered his father’s workshop to study a salvaged car engine. He found a locked army-green box beneath the workbench and left it unopened.

• Su Wei repaired the damaged hand pump and gained 50 Life Module experience.
• Su Wei went into the garage workshop, where he found an old inline-four engine salvaged from his mother’s wrecked Ford.
• Su Wei recalled his father saying the engine could be given a new body, though it had remained unused since his father’s death.
• Su Wei pulled an army-green metal box from beneath the workbench and found its brass padlock sealed with sludge.
• Su Wei found no key and considered breaking the lock with a hammer, but put the hammer back.

Su Wei opened the locked tin box and discovered his late father’s repair notes and detailed blueprints for the old Ford engine. He realized the documents could guide him through restoring it and left with a clearer path forward.

• Su Wei fashioned a hook and tension wrench from steel wire, picked the rusted lock, and earned 30 Life Module experience points.
• Su Wei opened the tin box and found several notebooks and rolls of blueprints inside.
• Su Wei recognized the handwriting in the top notebook as his father’s and read his practical repair advice.
• Su Wei unrolled a hand-drawn cross-section of the Ford engine, complete with repair notes and warnings.
• Su Wei understood that his father had kept trying to revive the engine and that the notes could help him avoid costly mistakes.

Su Wei studied his father's mechanical notes, unlocked Mechanical Repair, and began disassembling and servicing the Ford engine during the blizzard. He cleaned its components and corrected the valve clearance, leaving the repair underway in the garage.

• Su Wei pinned his father's blueprint to the garage door and gained Life Module LV3, Nimble Hands, and Mechanical Repair LV1 from studying the notes.
• Su Wei began working on the engine with Cotton Candy nearby and removed the first cylinder-head screw without damaging it.
• Su Wei removed the engine cover, organized the screws in cans, and found thick grime coating the rocker shaft.
• Su Wei cleaned the engine components and gained Mechanical Repair experience.
• Su Wei measured the valve clearance, found it too wide, and adjusted it until the feeler gauge met slight resistance.

After hours of working on a snowmobile engine, Su Wei stopped for dinner and recovered by the fire with Cotton Candy. He decided to resume studying the engine in the morning and prepare the snowmobile for a future trip to the valley.

• Cotton Candy tugged at Su Wei’s pant leg after five hours of engine work, and Su Wei stopped to clean up his tools.
• Su Wei cooked lamb chops and fish soup, then ate beside the fireplace with Cotton Candy.
• The meal increased Su Wei’s Life Module experience and gave him temporary stamina recovery and sleep buffs.
• Su Wei checked his Mechanical Repair experience and resolved to study the engine further before beginning repairs the next day.

Su Wei cleared the fresh snow and continued rebuilding the engine in his garage, relying on his father's notebook and his improved mechanical feel. He fashioned a replacement cylinder head gasket from salvaged asbestos, leaving the engine work still underway.

• Su Wei woke, lit the fireplace, and made a hot breakfast while Cotton Candy stayed curled up in the corner.
• Su Wei shoveled a path to the garage and received five Life Module experience points for the work.
• Su Wei consulted his father's notebook, removed the oil pan, and cleaned the engine's sludge-covered parts.
• Su Wei carefully fitted the piston rings, using his fingertips to feel how far the brittle metal could flex.
• Su Wei cut a new cylinder head gasket from a sheet of salvaged asbestos because he had no replacement part.

Su Wei finished rebuilding the old engine and tested it until it roared back to life. The repair earned him experience and raised Mechanical Repair to LV2, leaving him ready to tackle the snowmobile.

• Su Wei carefully made a head gasket and tightened the cylinder head bolts in three passes.
• Su Wei connected an old battery and a makeshift fuel supply to test the engine.
• Su Wei used starting fluid and restarted the engine, then adjusted its idle until it ran smoothly.
• Su Wei shut off the engine and received a perfect-repair notification that increased his Life Module and Mechanical Repair experience.
• Su Wei realized his new Mechanical Repair level gave him confidence to fix the snowmobile next.

Su Wei salvaged a connecting rod from an old Ford engine and began adapting it to repair his snowmobile, using brass shims and hours of hand-filing. He had nearly finished reducing the rod’s thickness, but the chapter ended as he checked it with the caliper.

• Su Wei removed a connecting rod from the Ford engine and measured it against the broken snowmobile rod, finding that it was too wide and too thick.
• Su Wei cut and bent brass sheet into bearing shells to fill the gap between the Ford rod and the snowmobile crankshaft.
• Su Wei used the repair markings from [Mechanical Repair LV2] to guide him as he filed the rod down by hand.
• Cotton Candy fled the garage after the scraping noise upset it, while Su Wei continued filing and gained Life Module and Mechanical Repair experience.
• Su Wei switched to a fine-cut file for the last 0.1 mm and placed the caliper over the rod to check it.

Su Wei replaced the snowmobile’s damaged connecting rod with a modified Ford part and reassembled the engine. His first pull on the starter cord made the fuel ignite, but the engine did not start, so he immediately tried again.

• Su Wei ground down and cleaned the Ford connecting rod, then fitted it to the crankshaft with homemade brass bearing shells.
• Su Wei sealed and reassembled the snowmobile, finishing the repair after three hours of work.
• Su Wei sprayed carburetor cleaner into the air intake and prepared to test the engine in the freezing garage.
• Su Wei pulled the starter cord, and the engine briefly ignited but failed to start.
• Su Wei immediately pulled the starter cord a second time while the starting fluid was still fresh.

Su Wei repaired the snowmobile and got its engine running, giving him a way to leave the blizzard and reach the Roosevelt elk herd. He decided to go to Kodiak Town first to prove his ability and obtain the proper hunting permit.

• Su Wei started the repaired snowmobile and confirmed that its engine and power transmission worked.
• The system awarded Su Wei Life Module and Mechanical Repair experience, raising Mechanical Repair to level 3.
• Su Wei shut off the engine and steadied himself after the repair, relieved that the snowmobile was operational.
• Su Wei decided not to hunt the Roosevelt elk during their rut without a special permit.
• Su Wei planned to visit the Fish and Game Department office in Kodiak Town to qualify as a hunter and legally sell the venison and antlers.

Su Wei decided to go into town to obtain hunting permits and reassure Emily before pursuing elk, then finished cleaning the garage and returned to the cabin with Cotton Candy. He began preparing a celebratory meat feast.

• Su Wei remembered that hunters needed licenses and permits, and decided to visit town at first light to see Emily and obtain the required permits.
• Su Wei covered the disassembled Ford engine and cleaned and organized his tools, earning Life Module experience.
• Su Wei called Cotton Candy out of hiding, secured the garage, and carried the fox back to the cabin.
• Su Wei cleaned the grease from his hands and took beef, lamb chops, and a frozen char from his supplies.
• Su Wei told Cotton Candy that they would feast on meat that night.

Su Wei cooked a feast for himself and Cotton Candy in the cabin, then noticed the blizzard had stopped and studied the route to Kodiak Town. The next morning, he remained by the map, listening before setting out.

• Su Wei prepared lamb chops, beef, pan-fried Arctic char, and fish-head-and-tofu soup, while Cotton Candy eagerly ate its own portion.
• Su Wei and Cotton Candy enjoyed their meal, gaining temporary buffs from the food and a small amount of Life Module experience from cleaning up.
• Su Wei washed away the cooking and engine-oil grime, then noticed the snow and wind had stopped.
• Su Wei checked the snow-covered yard and traced the route from his circled U-shaped valley to Kodiak Town on the map.
• Su Wei moved his finger from Kodiak Town and listened quietly before getting up.

After the blizzard ended, Su Wei cleared snow from the cabin and prepared to travel to Kodiak Town by snowmobile. He set off with Cotton Candy tucked inside his jacket.

• Su Wei woke to clear skies and found the yard, lake, and forest buried under deep snow.
• Su Wei shoveled a path to the garage and cleared snow from the cabin roof, earning Life Module experience.
• Su Wei fed Cotton Candy and siphoned gasoline from his father's Dodge pickup to fuel and inspect the snowmobile.
• Su Wei packed his cash and documents, put on layered winter gear, and locked the cabin.
• Su Wei placed Cotton Candy inside his jacket, climbed onto the snowmobile, and prepared to ride to Kodiak Town.

Su Wei rode the repaired snowmobile through a severe snowstorm to Kodiak Town, carrying Cotton Candy with him. He reached Emily’s apartment and found her injured, exhausted, and waiting inside.

• Su Wei used carburetor cleaner to start the snowmobile and rode it across the snow-covered island with Cotton Candy tucked inside his jacket.
• Su Wei reached Kodiak Town, where deep snow had buried streets and cars and snowplows struggled to clear the main roads.
• Su Wei parked beside his apartment building and carried Cotton Candy through the snow to Emily’s apartment.
• Emily opened the door on crutches with her left foot in a cast, looking haggard after hearing Su Wei arrive.

Su Wei returned to town on Emily’s repaired snowmobile and reassured her that he had made a temporary fix. Emily checked that he was unharmed, revealed she had been about to call the police, and then tried to hide how little she had been eating while injured.

• Su Wei showed Emily her snowmobile and explained that he had repaired its engine well enough to get back to town.
• Emily marveled at the repair, then relaxed as Su Wei described how he had fixed it.
• Emily checked Su Wei for injuries and told him she had been ready to call the police and ask them to search for him by helicopter.
• Su Wei apologized for worrying Emily and explained that the blizzard and downed signal tower had delayed his return.
• Su Wei noticed Emily’s meager food, and her stomach loudly betrayed her attempt to claim she was not hungry.

Su Wei left Cotton Candy with Emily and headed to the Kodiak Island Fish and Game Department to take the professional hunter’s exam. He hoped certification would let him hunt legally and earn money toward his $160,000 debt.

• Su Wei let Cotton Candy out of his jacket, and the fox settled into Emily’s arms.
• Su Wei told Emily he was going to get certified so he could hunt legally, despite her warning that the exam and examiner Black were difficult.
• Su Wei left Cotton Candy with Emily and promised to bring her a hot meal that night.
• Emily joked to Cotton Candy about whether to trust Su Wei’s promise or cook him as emergency food.
• Su Wei studied his map, then rode his snowmobile toward the Fish and Game Department to take the exam.

Su Wei went to the Kodiak Island Fish and Game Department to register for the professional hunter qualification exam. While he waited for the theory test, his childhood friend Aruk Kash arrived and was surprised to find him there.

• Su Wei paid Sarah the registration fee and learned that the theory exam would begin at ten, with a practical test to follow if he passed.
• Su Wei waited in the lobby, relying on the original owner's memorized hunting laws, animal habits, and firearm safety rules.
• Aruk Kash came in and boasted to Sarah that he had killed a black-tailed deer with one shot during the blizzard.
• Aruk recognized Su Wei, confronted him for returning to Kodiak without getting in touch, and said he had worried a bear had carried him off.