American Landowners: Starting with Hunting in Alaska

"What on earth triggered you, buddy?"

Aruk's voice was extremely low, filled with confusion.

Suwei did not answer.

Just then, the tightly closed door to the examination room was pulled open from the inside.

A chubby man in a fish and game bureau uniform poked his head out.

"Those who are going to take the exam, come in."

The sound was muffled, like that of a buzzing bronze bell.

"Here it comes!"

Aruk immediately swallowed back all his questions.

He put his arm around Su Wei's shoulder and, half-pushed and half-forced, led Su Wei into the examination room.

"Let's go, let's show them the might of us Kodiak hunters!"

The examination room was small and simply furnished.

A dozen or so old desktop computers were separated by simple partitions to form individual examination seats.

The air was filled with a peculiar smell of dust and old plastic.

The overweight examiner stood at the front of the room, hands on his hips, his belly bulging his uniform.

"Everyone, find a seat."

He glanced around at the few scattered candidates.

"The exam lasts one hour, with one hundred questions and a total score of one hundred points."

"A score of 90 or above is considered passing."

He succinctly announced the rules, then pointed to the clock on the wall.

"Let's begin."

Aruk plopped down and, upon hearing the standard of ninety points, couldn't help but mutter a complaint under his breath.

"Damn it, why are your expectations so high?"

Suwei silently sat down in the seat next to Aruk.

The computer screen is now lit up, and I've entered the exam interface.

Su Wei put on headphones to block out external noise.

As Su Wei clicked "Start Exam," questions appeared one by one before his eyes.

"Under Alaska hunting regulations, under what circumstances is it permissible to kill animals during their mating season?"

"Distinguish the main differences between the wolf paw prints and Eskimo dog paw prints in the image below."

When processing an adult male black-tailed deer, where should the first cut be made to ensure the integrity of the hide?

These questions are perhaps common sense for a true wilderness hunter.

But for an urban youth who memorizes things by rote just to pass an exam, it is incredibly tedious and complicated.

However, the original owner had already crammed this knowledge into his brain using a cramming method.

At this moment, Su Wei precisely retrieved this knowledge from his mind.

The fingers clicked rhythmically on the mouse without any pause or hesitation.

Time passed second by second.

After finishing the last question, Su Wei glanced at the time in the upper right corner and saw that less than forty minutes had passed.

He didn't check it and clicked submit directly.

After a brief loading time on the screen, a bright red number popped up.

91.

A number that barely passes the minimum requirement.

Not too much, not too little, just right.

This was exactly the result Soviet Union wanted.

Su Wei took off his headphones, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes to rest.

Aluk beside him was clearly still struggling, scratching his head and making irritating "tsk" sounds from time to time.

About ten minutes later, Aruk finally breathed a sigh of relief and handed in his exam paper.

Aruk turned his head and saw that Suwei had finished, so he immediately leaned over and asked in a low voice.

"How did it go? Did you pass?"

"Passed."

Su Wei responded indifferently.

"How many points?"

Ninety-one.

"That's amazing, my brother!"

Aruk slapped his thigh.

"I'm only ninety!"

"Perfect!"

"I almost got screwed by this pile of rubbish theory!"

"I knew it! Hunters should be in the forest, why bother with these writings!"

Just as he was about to continue his insightful remarks, the fat examiner walked over impatiently.

"Those who have finished the exam, please leave. Don't disturb others."

The two walked out of the examination room and returned to the quiet hall.

Sarah at the front desk saw them come out and looked up to ask a question.

"Did they all pass?"

"certainly!"

Aruk patted his chest triumphantly.

Sarah nodded, not surprised by the result.

She tapped a few keys on the keyboard, and the printer spat out two slips of paper.

"Good luck, you two."

She handed them the note.

"Examiner Blake happens to be free tomorrow."

"At nine o'clock in the morning, gather here on time for the practical assessment."

"Blake?"

Aruk's smile froze instantly.

He picked up the note and saw the name "Examiner: Blake Anderson" on it. He felt as if his bones had been removed, and he collapsed instantly.

"Sarah...madam, could you...choose another one?"

Aruk's voice trembled slightly.

"cannot."

Sarah's answer was crisp and efficient.

"But……"

"If you want to get your license quickly, this is the fastest opportunity."

Sarah interrupted him.

"Otherwise, we'll have to wait until this blizzard passes; the next assessment won't be for at least two weeks."

Aruk was completely speechless.

He held the thin piece of paper in his hand.

This note weighs a thousand pounds.

Suvi carefully put away his note and walked out with a worried-looking Aruk.

"We're done for, bro, we're finished!"

"It's that old devil, Blake!"

Su Wei stopped and finally asked the question that had been on his mind.

"What's wrong with this Blake?"

"What's the problem?"

Aruk almost jumped up.

"His problems are huge!"

He looked around to make sure no one was nearby before lowering his voice.

"The practical assessment consists of three parts, right?"

Suwei nodded.

"First item, target practice."

"The other examiners will give you three animal-shaped targets to shoot at."

"As long as you hit a vital area within three shots, you'll pass."

"But that old freak Blake, he'll only give you two chances!"

"Two shots!"

"And you can't miss even a little bit!"

"Hitting the stomach, a location that damages internal organs, will deduct half your points!"

He said that was disrespectful to the prey and would contaminate the meat!

Aruk waved his arms excitedly.

"The second item is to trace the trail."

"Others give you clear footprints so you can identify what kind of animal it is and how much it weighs."

"Where's Blake?"

"He'll dig up a frozen, hard dung from the snow, or a few hairs he's gotten from who-knows-where, and make you tell him everything about your prey!"

"Gender, age, health condition, even what it ate last night!"

"This guy has a nose sharper than a dog's; if you dare say anything wrong, he'll spray you until you question your very existence!"

"And the most terrifying third thing is processing the prey."

"He will give you a complete animal model and let you simulate skinning, gutting, and butchering it."

"He only has one requirement: perfection!"

"No excess fat should be left on the skin, and the division must be precise."

He said every piece of meat has its best purpose, and wasting it is a crime!

Su Wei listened quietly, her brain working at lightning speed, breaking down and summarizing the information one by one.

Two shots to kill, precise identification, perfect handling.

These requirements may sound demanding, but they are not impossible to meet.

This is a horror story for other people.

But to Su Wei, this was not a requirement for assessment at all.

This is just an instruction manual.

Because he has the hunting mod.

For him, the most difficult part was actually dissection.

Why are his demands so high?

Su Wei asked.

"Because he's a madman!"

Aruk practically roared it out.

"He's the highest-ranking hunter on Kodiak Island, level seven!"

"Level 7, bro!"

Do you know what that means?

"When he was young, he hunted lions in Africa and wolves in Siberia."

"Right here on our island, he's killed so many Kodiak brown bears he can't even count them on two hands!"

"The people on the island say that he is not hunting, but communicating with the gods in the mountains."

"Therefore, he believed that every hunter must have absolute awe and gratitude for his prey."

"The slightest mistake or negligence is a desecration of the sacred art of hunting!"

"Being tested by him isn't an exam, it's a pilgrimage!"

"It's asceticism!"

After saying all that in one breath, Aruk was completely deflated, leaning against the wall, dejected.

"He taught me a lesson last year and gave me a thorough dressing-down."

He said I wasn't even qualified to hold a gun.

Su Wei finally understood the situation.

This is more than just a strict examiner.

He is also a hunting fundamentalist with firm beliefs, even to the point of being fanatical.

To pass his assessment, technical skills alone are not enough; you also need to have the "attitude" that he approves of.

"I'm leaving now."

Suwei patted Aruk on the shoulder.

"Go to the supermarket."

Suwei also needs to buy ingredients for Emily to make braised pork.

"well……"

Aruk waved his hand weakly.

See you tomorrow.

"Hopefully we can get out of that old devil's clutches alive."

Suwei nodded, turned around and walked down the steps, finding his own snowmobile.

With a roar, he quickly blended into the crowd.

The blizzard had just stopped, and the streets of the small town were covered with a thick layer of snow.

Everywhere you look, there are residents busy shoveling snow and construction vehicles moving slowly.

Suwei didn't rush to the supermarket; instead, she went to the bank first.