American Landowners: Starting with Hunting in Alaska

Suwei looked back at the ice cave, adjusted his posture, and stabilized his center of gravity on the ice.

He wiped away the frost that had formed on the edge of his goggles and pinched the five-gram golden lure again.

He skillfully loosened the spool.

Ding.

The lure sliced ​​through the water's surface and plunged into the dark depths.

As the fishing line sank into the ice cave, Su Wei closed his eyes and began to experience the fishing module he had just acquired.

A peculiar sensation traveled from the handle of the ice fishing rod back to my palm.

It is no longer a simple mechanical vibration, but a vague perception of the underwater contours.

I could roughly visualize the depth of the water within a ten-meter radius in my mind.

A few faint red dots are jumping around the edge of the cursor, indicating the active location of the fish.

It felt mysterious, as if his senses had been extended.

Three meters underwater, a sizable cursor is slowly swaying.

Su Wei slowed down the pace of reeling in the line.

He slightly twitched the rod tip, causing the lure to bounce irregularly about ten centimeters below the surface.

The metallic sequins shimmered in the darkness, mimicking the movements of a startled little fish.

For predators starving in such an environment, this temptation is simply irresistible.

ten seconds.

Twenty seconds.

A sudden, violent impact struck my palm.

This strike was even more powerful than that Arctic fennel fish from before.

Su Wei did not immediately lift the rod.

He steadied his arm, letting the fishing rod bend downwards in an exaggerated arc.

squeak--!

The unloading device of the spinning wheel made a screeching sound on the open ice surface.

The creature underwater was powerful, pulling sharply to the side. The fishing line rubbed against the edge of the ice cave, splashing up a ring of black water.

Su Wei lowered his waist and braced himself firmly against the ice.

He slowly turned the handle, using the rod's resilience to wear down his opponent's strength.

The prey underwater thrashed its tail desperately, the force of its struggle traveling along the weaving threads, causing Suwei's arm muscles to tremble.

He silently counted the rhythm in his mind.

Two laps.

Place it in half a circle.

The underwater shadow grew larger and larger, gradually revealing a streamlined outline.

Up!

Su Wei seized the opportunity, exerted force with both arms at the same time, and suddenly lifted diagonally upwards.

With a whoosh!

A burly figure broke through the water's surface, twisting wildly in the air.

That's a rainbow trout!

It has a pink horizontal stripe on its body, and its scales refract an iridescent metallic luster in the dim light.

This fish was fifty centimeters long, with solid muscles. When it landed on the snow, its tail slapped against the thick snow with a loud cracking sound.

It opened and closed its mouth wide, and due to the huge temperature difference, a wisp of white smoke quickly rose from its body.

Successfully caught an adult rainbow trout (5.8 lbs). Fishing module experience +15.

[Current progress: Fishing module LV1 (16/100)]

Su Wei exhaled a breath of stale air, and the beads of sweat on his forehead quickly frosted over under the brim of his hat.

He didn't bother wiping it; he squatted down and pressed down on the big guy.

This fish is high in fat, making it a good source of energy during the Alaskan winter.

If you cut it into thick slices and fry it in butter until the surface is golden brown and crispy, the meat inside will be tender and juicy.

Just thinking about it made Su Wei's mouth water.

He took out his folding knife and deftly removed the fish gills.

The bright red blood fell onto the snow and instantly froze into brown ice crystals.

"Eek!"

A head popped out of the pocket, and its two pointy ears twitched.

It saw the rainbow trout hopping on the snow and excitedly tried to climb out, its four paws scratching and hissing at Suwei's down jacket.

"Be honest, this fish is heavier than you."

Suwei patted its head and put it back in.

He repositioned his fishing rod at the entrance of the ice cave.

The effects of water-based sensory perception still exist.

He noticed a very dense cluster of cursors about two meters to his left.

The area was narrow, and it seemed like something was gathering in large quantities.

Suwei did not move.

He adjusted the weight of the lure and replaced it with a smaller, biomimetic hook with red feathers.

It enters the water and sinks.

This time, in less than five seconds, the rod tip began to tap frequently.

It feels very light.

Su Wei quickly cast his line and caught a small fish about the size of his palm.

It has three sharp spikes on its back, which make it appear somewhat transparent in the sunlight.

Three-spined stickleback.

Although these small fish have little meat, they are abundant.

In extremely cold conditions, this is considered quite good.

Su Wei casually tossed it aside.

System notification sounds rang out one after another.

[Caught a three-spined stickleback (0.3 lbs), Fishing Module Experience +2.]

[Caught a three-spined stickleback (0.4 lbs), Fishing Module Experience +2.]

For the next half hour, Suwei entered a mechanical, harvest-like rhythm.

He swung the rod again and again, and pulled the line again and again.

In the heart of this frozen lake, where only the wind could be heard, he was the only one left busy at work.

Water kept overflowing from the ice cave entrance and freezing again, forming an ice pile shaped like a volcano crater.

The third heavyweight arrived quickly.

That was a red-spotted salmon.

Its body is covered with light pink and milky white dots, and its abdomen is a light orange-red color that is unique during the breeding season.

This type of fish typically lives in very cold, deep waters.

Suwei knew that its appearance meant that the underwater temperature and oxygen content were undergoing some changes.

When Suwei picked up the red-spotted salmon, he felt a thick, elastic texture on his fingertips.

This fish weighs about four pounds.

Including his previous catch, he has now gained nearly fifteen pounds of meat.

The short-term is more than enough.

Suwei stood up and moved his stiff knees a little.

The cold air was already seeping in through the thick soles of his shoes, and he had to speed up.

At this moment, within his perception range, a huge dark red cursor slowly moved to the bottom of the ice cave.

That was the strongest signal of the day.

The cursor moved very steadily, completely undisturbed by the swarms of small fish fleeing around it.

This is a mature, giant Arctic grayling.

Su Wei steadied his breathing and gently placed his fingertips on the taut fishing line.

He could sense that the big fish was observing his lure.

It circled the metal plate twice, but hesitated to take a bite.

What a patient opponent.

Suwei slowly loosened the line, letting the lure drift down weakly.

One centimeter.

Two centimeters.

Just as the lure was about to touch the bottom, the fish moved.

There was no probing, no hesitation.

It swallowed the entire hook whole and then abruptly turned and swam towards the deeper water.

The ice fishing rod was pulled into a terrifying semicircle in an instant.

Click.

The carbon fiber grip made a crisp sound.

Su Wei's eyes widened, his body leaned forward, and his center of gravity lowered.

The force of the big fish flowed along the fishing line, causing his arm to tremble violently.

This weight far exceeds that of the rainbow trout from before.

He could feel the fishing line rubbing intensely against the edge of the ice cave.

If not handled properly, the fishing line will break within tens of seconds.

Su Wei suddenly pulled up the fishing rod, shifting it to the left and right, using the angle to avoid the sharp edges of the ice cave as much as possible.

The fish underwater were struggling desperately.

Its force was immense, pulling Suwei half a step across the ice.

Su Wei gritted his teeth, his palms turning red from being rubbed raw by the handle.

Laying out the line.

Reel in the line.

They went back and forth for a full five minutes.

Only when the opposing force gradually weakened did Suwei begin to quickly reel in the remaining fishing line.

One last hook pull!

Whoosh!

A huge Arctic grayling was thrown onto the ice, its towering dorsal fin particularly eye-catching.

It is much larger than a regular fennel, measuring nearly 65 centimeters in length.

The purple scales reflected a peculiar luster in the sunlight.

【Ding! 】

[Catch an elite Arctic grayling (8.4 lbs) and gain a significant experience boost!]

[Fishing module experience +50.]

[Current progress: Fishing module LV1 (72/100)]

Su Wei squatted down, breathing heavily.

The cold air, when inhaled, caused a stinging sensation in the lungs.

Looking at the fish scattered all over the ground, he felt much more at ease.

These were the food he sought, his hope for survival.

Suwei began packing his equipment.

He threaded the three larger fish through their gill covers with braided thread and tied them together.

The remaining small fish and three-spined fish were put into a folding bucket.

Cotton Candy crouched in the snowdrift, guarding the giant fennel fish, her eyes filled with longing.

Suwei picked it up and put it on his shoulder.

"Let's go home, I'll make you fish soup."

He lifted the heavy catch, the cold braided rope digging into his palm.

Although the weight is a burden, it is something that gives people a sense of security right now.

Su Wei was about to turn around and walk towards the wooden house in the distance.

Just then, the marshmallow suddenly perked up its ears.

Its body tensed instantly on Suwei's shoulder, and it let out a low, sharp cry.

This is a warning cry.

Su Wei immediately stopped in his tracks.

He subconsciously lowered his body and squinted at the opposite bank of the lake.

On the edge of the forest on the other side of the glacial lake, the light was dim.

It was a vast, dense coniferous forest, with snow clinging to the branches.

Amidst the pale whiteness, Su Wei saw a series of black shadows.

The shadows were slowly moving out from the depths of the forest.

They moved very lightly, trudging through the knee-deep snow.

The shadow was very large.

There were at least a dozen of them, forming a blurry line.

Fine snowflakes began to fall from the sky, obscuring most of the view.

Suwei could sense that those things were approaching the lake.

In this season, there aren't many living things that dare to move around extensively after a blizzard.

The first thing that came to his mind was the Kodiak brown bear.

But the shadows were at the wrong height, and they were in groups.

Could it be a moose?

Or perhaps a lost herd of reindeer?

However, these two herds of deer do not actually exist on Kodiak Island.

So, what could it be?

Su Wei held his breath and placed one hand on the hilt of the self-defense dagger in his pocket.

In the frigid wilderness, these suddenly appearing dark figures could be food, or they could be unknown dangers.

The dark figures stopped in the open area at the edge of the forest.

The leading black figure slowly turned its head and looked at the lonely figure in the center of the lake.

The snow is getting heavier.

The scene in Su Wei's vision gradually blurred.

He gripped the bucket full of fish tightly, his body tense and motionless.

The leading black figure let out a low roar in the wind and snow.

The sound traveled along the flat ice surface.

Su Wei's hair stood on end instantly.

That's the call of a deer.