Chapter Summaries

After the blizzard ended, Su Wei made seafood congee for Emily and prepared to help pursue the poacher. He met Black at the Hunters' Guild, where Black promised to settle what he owed before the operation began.

• Su Wei cooked seafood congee for Emily, whose injury and the cold had left her exhausted.
• Su Wei fed Cotton Candy pieces of sockeye salmon, gaining Beast Taming Module experience.
• Emily warned Su Wei not to risk his life for the poacher, but he left to work so they could enjoy meals together safely.
• Su Wei arrived early at the Hunters' Guild and met Black beside the modified tracked vehicle.
• Black told Su Wei he would deliver on his promise before the day's operation, saying he disliked owing debts.

Black offered Su Wei his sole master-apprentice slot, giving him a reduced guild commission and other valuable benefits. After Sarah explained what the offer entailed, Su Wei accepted the opportunity that could help him repay his debt and keep his land.

• Black told Sarah to give Su Wei internal benefits and cut the guild's commission on his game sales from ten percent to five.
• Sarah explained that Black's offer used his only apprentice slot, which he had previously refused to sell for two hundred thousand dollars.
• Sarah listed Su Wei's benefits, including discounted gear, free advanced courses, and access to low-priced meat purchasing rights.
• Su Wei realized the benefits could help him earn money faster and considered why Black had chosen him.
• Su Wei decided to accept Black's offer and the master-apprentice relationship.

Su Wei became Black’s official apprentice and received specialized hunting equipment before joining him on a search for an experienced poacher. As they headed into the birch forest, Black learned how calmly Su Wei considered shooting the suspect if he resisted.

• Su Wei thanked Black for accepting him as an apprentice, and Black approved the mentorship.
• Sarah updated Su Wei’s hunter’s license to list Black Anderson as his linked mentor and handed over the requested gear.
• Black told Su Wei he could keep the five-thousand-dollar reward if they caught the poacher.
• Black drove Su Wei toward the birch forest where the poacher had last been seen.
• Su Wei discussed how he might respond if the poacher resisted or aimed a gun at them, and Black studied his unsettling composure.

Su Wei learned that a poacher had butchered deer for valuable parts and abandoned their carcasses, including a pregnant doe. Black armed Su Wei with a .300 Winchester Magnum and explained that they were going after the poacher.

• Black gave Su Wei a Winchester Model 70 rifle chambered in .300 Winchester Magnum, ammunition, and a fixed-power scope.
• Black told Su Wei that seven or eight black-tailed deer had been found headless, with their hearts, livers, and the bucks’ penises removed while their meat was left to rot.
• Black said the enforcement team had staked out the area but found no poachers until another deer carcass appeared before the blizzard.
• Black revealed that the latest victim was a pregnant doe, and Su Wei tightened his grip on the rifle in anger.
• Black told Su Wei that the poacher had not left.

Su Wei and Black set out into the mountains to find a hunter who had been slaughtering wildlife during the blizzard. Near the birch forest, they found a freshly wounded deer, and Su Wei realized the shooter was likely watching from the woods.

• Black explained that the hunter had killed wildlife indiscriminately during the blizzard and said the two of them would search the mountains.
• Su Wei loaded his rifle and promised the hunter would not escape if he found him.
• Black drove the tracked vehicle toward the birch forest while Su Wei prepared the thermal imager.
• Su Wei spotted a wounded black-tailed deer stumble out of the woods and called for Black to stop.
• Su Wei saw the deer’s fresh injuries and sensed that the shooter was nearby, possibly watching from the woods.

Su Wei used Tracking Assistance and Black’s thermal imager to locate a suspected poacher hiding in the birch forest, but hesitated to shoot. When the figure fled, Black urgently ordered Su Wei back into the vehicle, leaving the reason for his alarm unclear.

• Su Wei activated Tracking Assistance on the dying black-tailed deer and followed the bullet trail toward a thicket by a fallen spruce.
• Black located a motionless figure with the thermal imager and warned Su Wei that the person was aiming at him.
• Su Wei spotted the figure’s camouflage cap through his scope but hesitated to shoot, unsure whether the person was the poacher.
• The figure rolled down a slope and fled when Su Wei seemed to reveal his position.
• Su Wei lowered his rifle to pursue, but Black shouted for him to get back into the vehicle immediately.

After Black rescued Su Wei from a poacher’s line of fire, he reprimanded him for exposing himself in the open. Su Wei acknowledged his recklessness and promised to remember Black’s lesson about surviving human threats in the wilderness.

• Black reversed the tracked vehicle into a snow pit after Su Wei climbed inside, shielding them from the fleeing poacher.
• Black angrily warned Su Wei that the armed poacher could have killed him while he stood exposed.
• Su Wei realized he had treated the encounter like a game and apologized without making excuses.
• Black explained that people were more dangerous than animals and taught Su Wei never to expose himself to a stranger’s gun.
• Su Wei sincerely called Black his teacher and promised to remember the lesson.

Su Wei and Black examined the poached black-tailed deer and discovered it had been killed with a .338 Lapua round, confirming that the well-equipped poacher was the same dangerous man they had encountered before. Black warned Su Wei to keep his gun close as they prepared to leave, and Su Wei loaded the deer into the tracked vehicle.

• Su Wei carefully checked the surroundings with Black before approaching the dead deer.
• Su Wei examined the fatal wound and recovered a deformed bullet fragment from the carcass.
• Su Wei identified the fragment as a .338-caliber round, and Black recognized it as a .338 Lapua like the one used in the previous attack.
• Black warned Su Wei that the poacher killed for pleasure and told him to keep his gun with him at all times.
• Su Wei lifted the deer into the tracked vehicle’s cargo bed.

Black stopped Su Wei from pursuing an armed poacher and called Kodiak Dispatch to coordinate the Fish and Game Department’s response. As Black drove them away, he explained how the authorities would trap the fleeing suspect.

• Su Wei urged Black to pursue the poacher, but Black ordered him into the vehicle.
• Black reported the armed suspect’s location and weapon to Kodiak Dispatch and advised authorities to block the northern road and guard the eastern logging yard.
• Black refused to pursue the suspect, saying Su Wei was still a rookie and the enforcement team could handle the capture.
• Black drove down the mountain and taught Su Wei to use communication and terrain rather than recklessly chase an armed suspect.

Su Wei returned to Kodiak Town with Black after encountering a poacher and killing a deer. At Black’s home, he received a call informing him that the insurance company had reversed its denial of his parents’ death claim and begun processing it.

• Su Wei rode back with Black, troubled by the poacher who had shot the black-tailed deer.
• Black drove past the Hunters' Guild and brought Su Wei and the frozen deer to his fortified log cabin.
• Su Wei answered a call from Jennifer, an insurance broker retained by the Kodiak Island Fisheries Union.
• Jennifer told Su Wei that the company had reversed its denial of the claim over his parents’ maritime deaths and officially begun processing it.
• Su Wei steadied himself and asked Jennifer to continue with the final settlement details.

Su Wei learned that his parents’ deaths had secured him a $3.25 million settlement after evidence proved the fishing company had ordered their boat to sea despite the danger. He accepted the amount and prepared to sign the agreement in Kodiak Town, leaving him free to invest in the land and life he had dreamed of.

• Jennifer outlined the crew insurance, life insurance, and punitive damages awarded after the black box recording proved the fishing company had forced the boat to sea.
• Jennifer told Su Wei that the final settlement, after allowances and deductions, totaled $3.25 million.
• Su Wei, overwhelmed by the amount and its contrast with his $160,000 debt, told Jennifer he had no objections.
• Jennifer asked Su Wei to bring his identification and bank details to the Fisheries Union office in Kodiak Town the next morning to sign the settlement agreement.
• Jennifer confirmed that the money would be deposited as a lump sum within three business days after signing, and Su Wei imagined using it to improve his land and build a better life.

After learning that the insurance company would pay him $3.25 million for the Kodiak Town shipwreck, Su Wei told Black that his debt was cleared and his land was safe. Black urged him to celebrate the good news, ending with an invitation to laugh wildly in the wilderness.

• Black noticed Su Wei looking shaken after a phone call and reminded him that there was always hope as long as he was alive.
• Su Wei told Black that the insurance company had agreed to pay compensation for the Kodiak Town shipwreck.
• Su Wei said he was no longer in debt, while keeping the compensation amount to himself.
• Black congratulated Su Wei and said that the money was in his hands, the debt was paid, and the land was safe.
• Black urged Su Wei to laugh out loud in the wilderness, then grinned at him.

After learning that the compensation had cleared his debts, Su Wei and Black laughed with relief in the snow. Su Wei butchered the deer and reaffirmed that he would pursue the poacher, while the damage to the carcass sharpened his anger at the waste.

• Black laughed at Su Wei’s good fortune, and Su Wei joined him in an unrestrained release of pent-up emotion.
• Black told Su Wei to butcher the deer and asked whether he would still track down the poacher.
• Su Wei said he would pursue the poacher, and Black showed his approval as he split a piece of wood with his axe.
• Su Wei examined the deer’s bullet wound and condemned the severe damage as wasteful and stupid.

Su Wei faced Black’s pack of Alaskan mixed-breed hunting dogs and used his Animal Affinity to earn their acceptance. The dogs welcomed him as a new member of the pack, while Black watched the test unfold.

• Black showed Su Wei the hunting dogs in the fenced backyard and left him to earn their respect.
• The black-backed male dog confronted Su Wei, while the other three watched.
• Su Wei stayed calm, and the Beast Taming Module’s Animal Affinity reduced the dogs’ hostility.
• Su Wei removed his glove and crouched within the lead dog’s reach, offering his bare hand.
• The lead dog sniffed and licked Su Wei’s palm, then nuzzled his hand as the other dogs gathered around and accepted him.

Su Wei earned Black’s respect and was offered a puppy from Bella’s upcoming litter, then butchered a deer while Black maintained his rifle. The chapter ended with Su Wei asking why a poacher had destroyed a deer with expensive bullets while seemingly caring nothing for its meat or antlers.

• Black praised Su Wei’s ability to approach the dogs and offered him a pup from Bella’s litter once it was weaned.
• Su Wei accepted Black’s offer and said the puppy would become a hunter on Kodiak Island and protect Cotton Candy.
• Su Wei butchered the deer, salvaged about forty pounds of meat, and set aside its heart for Black.
• Black cleaned his M70 rifle as he watched Su Wei work.
• Su Wei asked Black why the poacher had used expensive bullets to destroy the deer without taking its meat or antlers.

Su Wei learned from Black that the Hunters' Guild existed to stop people who hunted for the power to take lives. After Charlie reported repeated gunshots near Su Wei’s Roosevelt elk herd, Black and Su Wei set out for the valley to confront the hunters.

• Black explained that some hunters enjoyed deciding whether another life survived, and that the Hunters' Guild hunted or expelled such people.
• Su Wei agreed that the men should be dealt with like mad dogs.
• Charlie told Black that a gunman had entered a U-shaped valley on Pilan Creek, where Roosevelt elk were wintering and breeding, and that repeated shots had been heard.
• Su Wei realized the endangered herd was the same one he had discovered and hoped would help pay off his debts.
• Black armed himself and told Su Wei to bring his gun and knife.
• Su Wei said his gun was at home and asked to stop at his cabin for his Browning on the way to the valley.

Su Wei and Black raced back to U-Shaped Valley to confront a gunman carrying a .338 rifle. Black ordered Su Wei to observe rather than shoot unless the gunman targeted him or Black went down, and Su Wei armed himself with his Browning rifle before they approached the valley.

• Black drove the tracked vehicle toward Su Wei's cabin and warned him about the gunman's range and firepower.
• Black told Su Wei to watch and only shoot if the gunman targeted him or Black was incapacitated.
• Su Wei entered his dark cabin, retrieved his Browning rifle, ammunition, and a Zeiss scope, then prepared the rifle.
• Su Wei returned to the vehicle, and Black drove toward the entrance to U-Shaped Valley.

Su Wei and Black entered the valley to hunt the poacher slaughtering elk, but a burst of radio static abruptly stopped them. The chapter left Charlie calling Black as both hunters took cover.

• Charlie told Black that the poacher had fired a .338 rifle at the helicopter and killed a young bull elk.
• Black and Su Wei left the tracked vehicle, put on camouflage and thermal gear, and prepared to approach the poacher quietly.
• Black led Su Wei through the snowy woods, warning him to step in his footprints and reminding him they were in Kodiak.
• A radio crackled, and Black and Su Wei immediately took cover among a boulder and fir-tree roots.
• Charlie called Black over the radio.

Su Wei used the Hunting Module to track the shooter who had killed a young Roosevelt elk, then advanced with Black toward the shooter's position. As Charlie redirected the teams to help them, Su Wei spotted a figure that the thermal imager could not detect.

• Su Wei and Black found a young Roosevelt elk that had been cruelly shot and killed, and Black determined the shooter was nearby.
• Su Wei activated the Hunting Module and followed its golden trail to a defensible high point in the U-Shaped Valley.
• Black followed Su Wei as they approached the high ground from the side and rear instead of waiting for Charlie's teams.
• Charlie saw their movements on the thermal imager, abandoned the original flanking plan, and ordered the teams toward the high ground as the helicopter followed.
• Su Wei saw a blurry person at the end of the trail, though the thermal imager showed no heat signature there.

Su Wei and Black confronted the outlaw hiding beneath a paralyzed bull elk, then captured him after Su Wei shot him as he charged with a knife. The outlaw was restrained, and Su Wei realized he had fired at a person for the first time.

• Su Wei and Black found the outlaw concealed beneath a wounded bull elk and recognized that he was using it as cover.
• Black threw a flashbang at the rock pile, startling the elk and forcing the outlaw out of hiding.
• The outlaw charged Su Wei and Black with a serrated hunting knife while his gun remained trapped beneath the elk.
• Su Wei shot the outlaw in the thigh, stopping his charge and knocking him into the snow.
• Black restrained the outlaw, and Su Wei kept his rifle trained on him until Black called the scene clear.