American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 281 A Shocking Score for the Examiners! (10,000 words, two chapters combined, with illustrations.)
The road back to the town of Wiesman was unusually quiet.

The subtle wariness and scrutiny that I had felt before have completely disappeared.

Instead, a silence mixed with awe and a hint of alienation filled the air as the hunters followed silently behind Lin Yu'an.

They had seen people with good marksmanship, but they had never seen anyone maintain such machine-like calmness and deadly precision in such a chaotic and desperate situation.

When the convoy drove back into town and unloaded the enormous carcass of the alpha wolf from the snowmobiles, the whole of Wiesman was in an uproar.

The townspeople gathered around, their faces filled with shock and disbelief as they stared at the enormous, menacing-looking structure.

Buck didn't take credit; he simply patted Lin Yu'an on the shoulder and said in an equal tone, "Tonight, all the drinks in the tavern are on me. You need to relax."

Lin Yu'an declined the celebration, which was destined to be noisy, and returned to the warm wooden house, still smelling of gunpowder.

Arya prepared boiling water for him, allowing him to wash away his fatigue and the blood.

Over the next two days, Lin Yu'an completely relaxed.

He never touched a gun again, nor did he care about any outside disturbances. He devoted himself to his family, occasionally enjoying whiskey and honey, savoring the rare tranquility of Alaska.

This was both a period of rest and a deliberate wait. In faraway Los Angeles, the aftershocks of the Wall Street storm he had personally ignited were being handled by a highly efficient team.

He needs to give Matty Singh enough time to complete that intricate and complex "tax avoidance alchemy".

On the afternoon of the third day, as Lin Yu'an sat by the window, admiring the sunset painting the snow-capped mountains in a golden-red hue, the encrypted satellite phone finally rang.

The call was from Matti Singh.

For the past three days, the Los Angeles sun has been shining brightly, but for Marty Singer, it's practically like he's living in his penthouse office overlooking the city.

He and his team, like a swarm of highly efficient worker ants, are building an unprecedentedly complex legal fortress around the astronomical profits of the 'Alliance'.

The initial plan revolved around the classic tax tool of environmental easements, a perfect solution tailored for America's top billionaires.

The aim was to use the guise of charity to offset the heavy taxes on capital gains. Marty was adept at this, having prepared almost all the legal documents.

Two days ago, Lin Yu'an sent the most crucial encrypted file containing the Ultimate Beneficiary (UBO) information directly to Marty Singh.

He offered no further explanation, believing that with Marty's expertise, he would naturally understand the true meaning behind the document.

As Marty stared at the document on the screen, a long silence fell. After being deciphered layer by layer, the document ultimately pointed to clear and unambiguous legal identity information.

Ultimate beneficiary: Sheng Risheng

Nationality: Chinese

Permanent address: Guangzhou, China...

Before joining the MEG project, Lin Yu-an contacted his friend Sheng Ri-sheng, who was in Guangzhou, which was a crucial part of his plan.

Although he was not familiar with many tax avoidance methods, he did know one thing: foreigners do not need to pay taxes when investing in the US stock market.

The initial capital for this operation, the $1300 million, came from a record-breaking endorsement contract that Lin Yu-an signed with Arc'teryx.

With Marty's early involvement, the contract was designed flawlessly, with the signing and service locations strictly limited to Canada.

The signing fee was paid to a consulting firm that Lin Yu'an had specifically registered in Ireland for this purpose.

Through this series of operations, this "personal service income," which would otherwise have been subject to heavy taxes in the United States, was successfully classified as "foreign corporate revenue" unrelated to U.S. taxes.

After being legally tax-cleaned in Ireland's extremely low tax environment, the nature of the money was completely transformed into clean initial capital.

Subsequently, this capital was dispersed and injected into several anonymous investment entities located in the Cayman Islands, with Sunrise as the ultimate beneficiary, through more complex offshore transactions.

These accounts are the real protagonists behind this massive wave in the stock market.

Marty picked up the encrypted phone and dialed a number in Alaska.

“Lin.” Marty’s voice held a hint of surprise. “I need to confirm one thing: those offshore trusts and companies you used for trading on GME.”

"At the level of legal documents, are the ultimate beneficiaries of all of them, legally speaking, Mr. Sheng Risheng, a non-U.S. tax resident?"

"And he does not hold a U.S. green card or citizenship, and spends far less than 183 days a year in the United States?"

Lin Yu'an, on the other end of the phone, turned his gaze from the snow scene outside the window, his voice calm and even, as if everything was meant to be this way: "Yes. That's right."

Marty couldn't help but laugh: "Then all the 'environmental easements' proposals we prepared before can be thrown into the shredder! But Lin, I've discovered much more than that."

“When I helped you with that $1300 million Arc'teryx contract, my goal was to create an overseas fund pool for you that was completely isolated from the IRS.”

"The contract is signed in Canada, but the payment is received in Ireland... We've handled everything flawlessly."

"But I never expected you to use this method in the MEG campaign!"

“Sheng Risheng, a Chinese citizen who is not a U.S. tax resident,” Marty read out the name excitedly.

"So when the GME battle ended and the $300 million in profit was generated, legally speaking, the company that made that money was indeed Mr. Sheng's company in the Cayman Islands."

"So, as you might expect, according to US tax law, capital gains earned by foreign investors in the US financial markets are completely tax-exempt!"

"This means that your $2.9 million profit is invisible to the IRS in terms of personal income tax! It is not within the jurisdiction of US taxation at all!"

"This is a perfect ghost, Lin. The IRS can't tax a ghost. This completely breaks out of the usual tax avoidance games we're familiar with, the ones played within the rules!"

Marty's voice was filled with the excitement of discovering a new continent, but this excitement was quickly replaced by a risk-averse deliberation characteristic of top lawyers.

His tone turned incredibly serious in an instant. "But Lin... this raises a crucial question I must ask. Is your friend... reliable?"

On the other end of the phone, Lin Yu'an didn't answer immediately; the air seemed to freeze.

Marty continued, in a calm, almost ruthless tone, to dissect the deadly risks behind this seemingly perfect plan.

“We all know very well that the only cornerstone for this plan to work is Mr. Sheng’s absolute loyalty.”

“Because, according to the legal documents, that three hundred million dollars, and the wealth that may be generated in the future, belongs entirely to him personally. Not to you, Lin. Not a single penny.”

“I’ve seen too many stories like this: unbreakable allies at the beginning, but in the face of astronomical wealth, human nature becomes thinner than paper.”

“Most of the top billionaires, like Brian, would rather pay hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes to the IRS than play this game. The risks are just too great.”

Marty lowered his voice even further, as if stating a final verdict in court: "If he turns against you, he won't even need to do anything complicated."

"He only needs to walk into any U.S. federal court, file a lawsuit, present the judge with irrefutable legal documents, and claim that you have illegally seized his property..."

"He will then be able to legally get back his $300 million! At that point, you will not only lose all your money, but you will also be completely exposed to the scrutiny of the IRS and the FBI."

“Tax fraud, money laundering, illegal asset transfers... all our previous efforts will become irrefutable evidence to convict you. This is a hundred times more serious than simply being audited by the IRS.”

After Marty finished speaking, he waited quietly for Lin Yu'an's reply.

What he proposed is the most classic and fatal paradox of all the white glove models: in order to avoid one risk, you must introduce another risk that may be even more fatal.

On the other end of the phone, Lin Yu'an finally let out a soft chuckle. There was no trace of tension in that chuckle; instead, it carried a knowing calmness that seemed to understand everything.

“Marty, you’re absolutely right. From a purely legal and business perspective, it is indeed a high-stakes gamble.”

He paused, then said in a calm but absolutely confident tone, "However, there is no need for laws to bind us on the surface."

Lin Yu'an's tone became playful: "First of all, one of your premises is wrong. He wasn't completely unaware."

Marty was stunned.

"Before the GME campaign, I did have him personally sign a complete set of legal documents for setting up an exempt company and opening a bank account in the Cayman Islands."

"My reason to him was that we needed such a clean overseas platform to facilitate some unregulated international investments in the future."

"Most importantly, he also signed an irrevocable power of attorney, authorizing my designated agent to handle all matters concerning the company and its accounts."

"So, Marty, all our operations, from buying GME to later transferring funds to buy the ranch, were perfectly legal because I had his authorization."

Marty's breathing quickened; he immediately understood the intricacies of the situation. This wasn't fraud; it was a legitimate operation conducted with authorization!

Marty immediately pointed out the new risk: "But he can hire a lawyer at any time to apply for the revocation of this authorization in the local court in the Cayman Islands, or claim that he was misled into signing it! He can still regain control of the company!"

“That’s right, of course he can.” Lin Yu’an’s smile deepened. “But that leads to the second key point: he doesn’t dare to.”

"Because when he signed those documents, there was also an unlimited joint and several liability guarantee for an investment project between us. The debt for that project was also astronomical."

"So, Marty, as long as he stays quiet and remains a ghost, nothing will happen to him."

"But if he wants to come forward and claim those three hundred million dollars, he will first have to face another document detailing a massive debt that could bankrupt him. What do you think he will choose?"

On the other end of the phone, Marty fell completely silent. This was no longer a simple case of white gloves.

This is a capitalist cage that uses legal authorization to build a perfect legal shell, and then uses a fictitious debt trap as the sword of Damocles to firmly nail the white glove himself to the spot!

Lin Yu'an doesn't believe in human nature at all; he believes in meticulous system design and absolute alignment of interests.

Lin Yu'an's tone returned to calm, "So, do you understand now? He can't sue me. Because once we go to court, he will lose more than he gains."

"As for that money, I've used it to buy the Great Rock River Heritage Ranch, which has become a fixed property protected under U.S. law."

"The money's already spent, so what can he sue for? Can he get the property rights company to cancel the transaction? That's impossible."

Hearing the silence on the other end of the phone, Marty knew there was no need to ask any further. Lin Yu'an's words, without explaining any details, had already answered all the questions.

“I understand.” Marty breathed a long sigh of relief, finally putting aside the last trace of doubt in his heart.

His voice regained its absolute professionalism and efficiency, "So, Lin, given this, my final suggestion is that we can completely abandon the 'environmental easement' scheme."

"Because the legal ownership of the entire profit is in Mr. Sheng's name, and has nothing to do with you, a U.S. tax resident (green card holder)."

"Therefore, the plan I originally designed to help you deduct your personal income tax is no longer necessary."

"We don't need to sacrifice any future possibilities of that land for a tax issue that doesn't exist."

"What is the new plan?" Lin Yu'an asked.

“The new plan is simpler and more direct, and it’s also better in your future interests,” Marty said confidently.

“We will return to the original offshore lending model, but this time, we can do it even better.”

"The first step is the entry of funds. Mr. Sheng's Cayman company will inject $2.3 million into your LLC in Wyoming, which was specifically registered for this acquisition, in the form of a shareholder loan."

"Legally, this is a clear and unassailable foreign investment in the United States."

"The second step is to purchase and hold the property. Your LLC will purchase the Rock River Heritage Ranch in its own name with full payment. This is because we do not have any rights to donate."

This means that the full potential of this land is perfectly in your hands!

"Whether you want to pass it down as a private kingdom for generations, or carve out a part of it to build a top-notch resort, or even carry out legal commercial mining, there are no legal obstacles."

"What about tax issues? At the company level?" Lin Yu'an asked, always managing to grasp the most crucial points.

“That’s another advantage of the new plan,” Marty said, his tone becoming more excited. “Wyoming LLC, with its $2.3 million debt, is the best firewall!”

"The interest your U.S. company needs to pay to the Cayman Islands every year will be treated as a legitimate business expense, perfectly offsetting any future operating profits that the ranch may generate."

"This will ensure that your U.S. company will hardly have to pay any taxes for a long time to come."

Marty paused briefly at this point, as if giving it his final thought and deduction. Then, he added in a tone of sudden realization and immense admiration.

"Lin... I suddenly realized that your previous scheme of authorization plus debt trap, combined with this offshore loan plan, is simply a masterpiece of God!"

Lin Yu'an didn't speak, but listened quietly.

Marty's voice trembled slightly with excitement: "Listen to me, Lin. What will happen once this plan is implemented?"

"It will create a perfect legal loop, completely locking down any possible counterattack from Sheng Risheng!"

"Let's do a scenario: suppose Mr. Sheng discovers this secret one day, and he becomes greedy and wants to regain control of the Cayman company. What could he do?"

"He can hire a lawyer and try to revoke the authorization given to you. But even if he succeeds, what will he get?"

"He will get a company that is nominally his, but whose core asset is a $2.3 million receivable from your American company!"

“This money has been legally invested in American land as a loan, turning it into a ranch!”

"He wants your American company to pay back the money? Sure! But first he has to face the debt trap of your previous 'unlimited joint and several liability guarantee'! That's enough to bankrupt him personally, he won't dare touch it!"

"Even if he were to go all out and declare personal bankruptcy to pursue this loan, he would have to sue your LLC in Wyoming in a U.S. court in the name of the Cayman Islands company!"

Marty couldn't help but laugh as he said this.

"Lin, do you understand how ironic this is? He will have to spend exorbitant legal fees to fight a protracted transnational lawsuit in a judicial environment that is extremely unfavorable to him."

"And the defendant is a wholly-owned American company of yours! This means that every penny he spends to sue you is like using his own spear to attack a shield made of his own money!"

“Throughout the litigation process, the assets of his company (the debt) will be frozen. Meanwhile, you can stay safely on your ranch and enjoy your wonderful life.”

"The outcome of this lawsuit is predetermined; he will be dragged down while you will emerge unscathed."

"Lin, through this operation, you acquired a legendary 30,000-acre piece of American land with unlimited potential at almost zero tax cost!"

"Furthermore, you have used this land itself to build a financial cage that Sheng Risheng, the nominal 'creditor,' can never escape."

On the other end of the phone, Lin Yu'an was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "Let's proceed with the new plan."

Marty hung up the phone and walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window. Looking down at the bustling city below, he knew that the project he had just worked on might not be the most lucrative one of his careers.

But it was definitely his most exhilarating and audacious legal feat yet. He built a truly impregnable fortress of wealth for a client.

After the call with Marty ended, all the arrangements were now finalized.

The financial war is over, and the legal fortress has been built. All that remains is to wait.

He awaits that astronomical sum of wealth, which, through a complex network of offshore channels, will eventually converge into a torrent capable of shaping his future kingdom.

Marty estimates this process will take one to two weeks.

For Lin Yu'an, this period of time was a window of opportunity to conquer another world.

In the days that followed, Lin Yu'an completely transformed from that shrewd capital hunter back into a pure student filled with longing for the future.

He stopped touching any business-related documents and ignored all external disturbances. He devoted himself entirely to studying flight theory and spending time with his family.

Every morning, he would accompany Arya and Emily, holding the two toddlers who had just learned to walk, to greet the first precious ray of sunlight on the snow outside the cabin.

After finishing their yoga practice in the living room, Arya and Emily would look at the breathtaking photos of the Great Rock River Heritage Ranch on their tablet and plan how to decorate each room of their future main house.

Lin Yu'an sat in front of the fireplace, munching on the two thick, brick-like flight textbooks.

The light of dawn lingered on this frozen land for longer each day.

Lin Yu'an dialed Hank's number: "Hank, I'm ready."

Hank's hearty laughter rang out: "I'm just afraid your hands will shake when you go up to the sky."

When the weather finally stabilized and clear skies suitable for flying appeared for several days in a row, Hank arrived as promised in his red and white Cessna 185.

Hank jumped out of the plane: "Kid, how's your theoretical knowledge coming along?"

He tossed Lin Yu'an a canvas bag stuffed with aeronautical charts and a flight computer: "If you can't even tell the difference between a pitot tube and a static pressure tube, I might just kick you out of the sky."

"You can check it at any time." Lin Yu'an smiled confidently and took the heavy package.

"Quite the boast," Hank snorted, but a hint of approval flashed in his eyes.

He pointed at the airplane and said, "Then let's stop talking nonsense. Today, I'll give you your first lesson. It's free; consider it a perk between friends."

Lin Yu'an didn't stand on ceremony. He knew that the personal guidance of an experienced jungle pilot was more valuable than any flight school course.

He followed Hank and, for the first time as a trainee, conducted a walk-around inspection of an aircraft.

"Look carefully, Lin." Hank's voice became extremely serious, devoid of its usual playfulness.

"Before every flight, you must check carefully, like you would for your first date, to make sure you brought a condom." "You must understand that any problem that can be discovered on the ground is a million times luckier than one that can be discovered in the air."

"Check the leading edge of the wing for dents or bird strike marks. Check the ailerons for smooth movement and loose connections. Do the same for the flaps."

"Fuel, that's the most important thing." Hank unscrewed the wing fuel tank cap and used a transparent fuel pipe to draw a tube of light blue aviation gasoline from the drain valve at the bottom of the tank.

"Look here, check for any water or impurities. Aviation fuel is lighter than water, so if there is water, it will sink to the bottom."

"Even a single drop of water can freeze in the high altitudes of Alaska during winter, clogging your fuel line, and then... you can only pray."

"Tires, check tire pressure and wear. Landing gear, check for cracks. Fuselage, check for loose rivets..."

"Carefully inspect the propeller edges for any chips or nicks caused by falling debris. Even a small chip could cause it to break when rotating at high speed."

The whole process was tedious and meticulous, but Lin Yu'an listened with utmost attention.

His enhanced brain, like a high-definition camera, firmly imprinted Hank's every movement and every key point.

After the inspection was completed, the two boarded the plane.

"Alright, now, match the instruments you've seen in the book with these real ones in front of you." Hank pointed to the densely packed instrument panel in the cockpit.

Lin Yu'an pointed out the location and function of the "Six Great Warriors" almost without thinking, and even explained the more complex radio and navigation equipment next to them clearly.

For the first time, Hank's face showed genuine surprise. This kid wasn't joking; he had truly mastered that hundreds-of-pages-long book of incomprehensible knowledge.

"Okay, looks like you weren't bragging." Hank muttered, starting the engine.

The propellers began to spin, emitting a deafening roar.

As the plane taxied onto the makeshift snow runway, Hank slammed the throttle to the floor. The powerful thrust pressed the two men firmly against their seats.

As Hank conducted the final pre-flight checks, he explained each step to him in an almost shouting voice.

"Can you feel it? That's what it feels like for thrust to overcome drag! Now, when you reach 55 knots, gently pull back on the stick! Feel the moment when lift overcomes gravity!"

Lin Yu'an gently placed his hand on his control stick and closed his eyes.

He could clearly feel the fuselage accelerating and vibrating on the bumpy snow, and then, with Hank's control, a gentle yet powerful force lifted the entire aircraft up.

The feeling of weightlessness came, the turbulence disappeared, and in its place was a wonderful feeling of smooth and stable movement, as if moving freely in three-dimensional space.

The small town of Wiesman and the familiar wooden houses were rapidly shrinking. The boundless snowfields and the continuous Brooks Mountains unfolded before him in an unprecedentedly magnificent spectacle.

"Now, you try." Hank released the control stick in front of him and took his foot off the rudder pedal, signaling Lin Yu'an to take over.

Lin Yu'an gripped the identical control stick in front of him, feeling a cold yet solid touch in his palm.

He gently placed his feet on the rudder pedals, feeling the subtle resistance that was directly connected to the aircraft's rudder.

He pushed the control stick to the left, and he could clearly see that the control stick in front of Hank also turned to the left in perfect sync. The two control systems were mechanically completely linked.

Lin Yu'an gripped the control stick firmly. He felt no tension whatsoever, but rather a sense of familiarity, like coming home.

The extraordinary perception of space and physical laws, enhanced by the rebirth cheat, erupted completely at this moment.

He doesn't need to look at the attitude indicator; he can judge the pitch and roll of the aircraft by feeling it through his body.

Without needing to calculate, one can instinctively know how much steering force is needed to coordinate the gradient.

He then gently pushed the control stick, and the plane began to turn in an extremely smooth manner.

The ball in the turning coordination table remained perfectly still, as if it had been nailed to the very center from beginning to end.

"My God..." Hank stared in disbelief.

How could a complete novice, touching the steering wheel for the first time, make such a perfectly coordinated turn? It's simply unbelievable! It takes countless hours of practice to develop muscle memory!

“Try climbing and descending.” Hank’s voice trembled slightly.

Following Hank's instructions, Lin Yu'an gently adjusted the throttle and attitude, and the aircraft began to climb at a constant rate.

The pointer on the vertical speedometer steadily pointed to 500 feet per minute, and then descended in the same steady manner.

The whole process was as smooth as riding an elevator, rather than flying a plane.

"Slow flight." Hank almost subconsciously began to increase the difficulty.

Lin Yu'an reduced the throttle, pulled up the nose, and precisely controlled the aircraft's speed above the stall threshold.

The plane glided slowly through the air like a giant bird, the stall alarm whirring intermittently, as if dancing on a knife's edge.

But Lin Yu'an's expression remained calm and composed.

"Enough! Enough!" Hank finally shouted. "Give me the plane."

He took control of the plane again, looking at Lin Yu'an with a look as if he were a monster: "Kid, tell me honestly, you really never learned to fly a plane before?"

"No, this is the first time." Lin Yu'an was telling the truth.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Hank categorically denied.

“I have taught dozens of students, including geniuses who retired from the Air Force, and none of them could do what you did on their first flight!”

“Your connection with airplanes…it’s like an innate instinct!” He paused for a moment. “You were born to be in the sky! It would be a loss for your country if you didn’t join the Air Force.”

This flight experience completely ignited Lin Yu'an's passion and also elevated Hank's understanding of this young man to a whole new level.

That evening, in the warm cabin, Arya and Emily prepared a sumptuous venison dinner, while Lin Yu'an brought out a bottle of his treasured bourbon whiskey.

The firelight flickered in the fireplace as the four people sat together, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere.

"Hank," Lin Yu'an raised her glass, her eyes incredibly serious, "Do you remember our agreement?"

"Of course I remember," Hank said heartily, taking a big gulp of his drink. "Once you've finished those two lousy books, I'll start teaching you. How about we get serious?"

"You can check my theoretical knowledge anytime," Lin Yu'an smiled confidently. "What I mean is, let's officially begin tomorrow."

He looked at Hank and continued, "Hank, I'm not talking about simple experiential learning. I want to hire you as my private flight instructor."

"Right here in Wiesman, with your Cessna 185. I'll pay your teaching fees according to the highest hourly rate of Anchorage's top instructors."

"Me?" Hank waved his hand dismissively. "Hey, Lin, put your money away! I agreed to teach you because we're friends!"

"Besides, I'm just a rough guy who delivers goods in jungle planes. I can only help you with advance preparation. For real instruction, the top instructors in Anchorage are much more professional than me."

“No, they don’t understand the Alaskan sky any better than you do.” Lin Yu’an’s tone left no room for argument. “What I need is not an academic who can only recite from the book.”

"I need a real Alaskan pilot who can teach me how to fly through the turbulence of a valley, how to judge landing points on glaciers, and how to take off and land on a snow runway without a control tower."

“And you, Hank, are the best here.” These words struck a chord deep within Hank’s pride.

Instead of refusing immediately as Lin Yu'an had expected, Hank picked up his glass, took a big gulp, and looked at him with a mixture of mockery and seriousness.

"Lin, there are two things you're wrong about."

"Oh?" Lin Yu'an listened with great interest.

"I'm not much better than those ace instructors in Anchorage, because I have more of the survival experience I gained from flying in Alaska for decades, snatching it back from the jaws of death."

"We are friends. Between friends, we don't talk about employment, we talk about cooperation."

He slammed his glass down on the table and presented his proposal: "So, here's the situation, I, Hank, am a partner with CFI qualifications."

"We agree to provide you with the highest level of jungle flight training. During the training, you will bear all direct costs of the aircraft. This is fair."

"As for my coaching fee," he grinned, "I don't want your hourly rate. Calculating it like that is too much trouble and makes us seem distant."

"How about this, once you get your driver's license, you fly ten times for me for free, whether it's to go fishing, hunting, or to deliver a damn shipment of goods."

"These ten flights, fuel and time are all on you. How about it, is this a good deal?"

Looking at his seemingly rough but actually very shrewd old friend, Lin Yu'an finally couldn't help but burst into laughter.

This condition is just too Hank-esque.

It not only preserved the friendship between friends, but also yielded a real return far exceeding the average hourly wage in a more long-term and valuable way. This is bartering in the wilderness.

"Hank, you're a genius businessman," Lin Yu'an said with a smile, raising his glass.

"Likewise," Hank said smugly, clinking glasses with him and downing his drink in one gulp.

Then, he pulled a wallet from the inside pocket of his bulging flight jacket, took out a somewhat worn ID, and slammed it on the table.

That was a Registered Flight Instructor Certificate issued by the FAA.

Hank said with a hint of pride, "Look closely, I also graduated from flight school properly back then and have legal teaching qualifications."

“I will sign your flight logbook for every single one of your training flights. The FAA absolutely approves of it.”

“As for the plane,” he pointed to the Cessna 185 parked quietly in the moonlight outside the window, “it’s a bit old, but it’s better maintained than I am, and all the teaching equipment is complete.”

"It's more than enough to teach you. It'll teach you real skills even better than those weaklings in flight school (Cessna 172)!"

Thus, an unprecedented crash course in wilderness flight officially began in the remote town of Wiesman.

Before dawn, Lin Yu'an drove his powerful Ford F150, carrying Hank, speeding along the frozen Dalton Highway.

Their destination was Fairbanks, a city more than 200 miles away that has an FAA-authorized testing center.

"Lin, are you sure you don't want to read for a few more days?" Hank yawned and took a sip of hot coffee.

"That damn written test question bank has thousands of questions, and every word is like a hypnotic charm. The first time I took the test, I almost fell asleep in the exam room."

"That should be enough, no need to look at it anymore," Lin Yu'an replied calmly.

At 10:00 AM, at the FAA testing center next to Fairbanks International Airport.

Lin Yu'an walked into the examination room with only a few computers, while Hank paced back and forth outside like a nervous parent sending their child to the college entrance examination.

The exam lasted two and a half hours and consisted of sixty questions. Hank estimated that, given Lin Yu'an's intelligence, he would be able to finish in about an hour.

However, only fifteen minutes had passed.

The exam room door opened, and Lin Yu'an walked out calmly.

"What's wrong? So fast? Did your computer break down?" Hank immediately went to meet him, a sense of foreboding rising in his heart. "Was it too difficult? You just guessed a few and got it right?"

"No." Lin Yu'an shook her head and handed him the still-warm report card that had just come out of the printer.

Hank took it with a puzzled look, and when he saw the numbers on it, he froze, almost spilling his coffee.

"One hundred...points?" Hank's voice changed. "Time...fifteen minutes?"

He rubbed his eyes hard, thinking he was hallucinating from lack of sleep. But the glaring number 100 was still there, as if mocking his past embarrassment.

Just then, the invigilator in the examination room, an old man with white hair, also quickly walked out.

The way he looked at Lin Yu'an was no longer like looking at an ordinary examinee, but as if he were looking at a treasure that could cause the whole world to fight over!
He ignored Hank, who was still in shock, and walked straight up to Lin Yu'an, his tone carrying a hint of excitement and solemnity that he himself was unaware of.

“Young man, my name is John Miller.” He extended his hand.

"I have been an FAA-authorized examiner here for fifteen years. Among those who have taken my exams are future stars from major military academies and geniuses sent for training by major airlines."

“But you’re the first person who’s made me feel like my intelligence has been insulted.” He gripped Lin Yu’an’s hand tightly, his eyes burning. “Fifteen minutes, perfect score!”

"Do you know what this means? You didn't just memorize the question bank. You also understood the underlying logic of aviation as a discipline, and then completed this assessment in a way that completely outclassed others!"

Hank listened in stunned silence; he had never seen John, known for his strictness and coldness, say so much to a test taker.

John adjusted his reading glasses, took out a business card from his pocket, and handed it to Lin Yu'an.

The business card was made of extremely fine material. In addition to the name and phone number, it also had a badge that most people wouldn't understand: the badge of the United States Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC).

"Before becoming an FAA examiner, I served in the Air Force for thirty years, where I was responsible for recruiting and screening flight cadets."

John's voice was low, yet carried an undeniable force: "Young man, have you ever thought about serving this country? Are you interested in joining the army?"

He looked at Lin Yu'an, his eyes filled with a thirst for talent: "I don't need you to start from scratch."

"Given your demonstrated learning ability and mental capacity, I can directly utilize my special talent recommendation quota to recommend you directly to the Pentagon's high-potential pilot program."

"You will skip all the tedious procedures and go straight to the top flight academy to receive the best training."

"You will not be piloting a toy like a Cessna, but an F-22 Raptor or an F-35 Lightning!"

"Within a few years, you will become a true ace pilot, soaring through the skies at tens of thousands of meters, defending the honor of this nation. That is the sky that a genius like you deserves!"

These words were like a bolt from the blue, leaving Hank completely dumbfounded.

He just brought Lin Yu'an to take a private driver's license test, how did it turn into a top-level recruitment event for the Air Force?

He even directly promised F-22s and F-35s? Has this old man gone mad? Doesn't he know Lin is Chinese? How could the US military possibly accept a pilot with a Chinese background?
However, faced with this temptation that could drive any passionate young man crazy, Lin Yu'an's reaction was frighteningly calm.

He didn't immediately take the business card; he just looked at John, smiled, and shook his head.

“Thank you, Mr. John. I am honored to have your appreciation.” His voice was gentle yet firm. “But I am sorry, my sky is not within the borders of any country.”

"I just want to... fly freely."

After saying that, he politely accepted the business card, put it in his pocket, nodded to John and Hank who was still in shock, and turned to walk towards the door.

John Miller stood there, watching his departing figure, motionless for a long time. He wasn't angry at being rejected; instead, his eyes revealed a mixture of extreme admiration and deep regret.

On the way back, Hank remained silent. He would only occasionally glance at the unusually calm young man beside him out of the corner of his eye.

He looked at the report card in his hand and muttered, "I took the test three times and only got 72 points... It's unbelievable. It seems that my ten free flights came sooner than I thought."

Starting the next day, real flight training began.

The skies above Weissman became Lin Yu-an's private training ground.

Hank's Cessna 185, a decorated warhorse that served in Alaska for decades, became his first weapon for conquering the skies.

Hank's teaching style is wild yet practical. He's not just teaching a gifted student; he's investing in his own future.

The sooner Lin Yu'an completes his apprenticeship, the sooner his rewards will be realized.

"Forget all those gentle theories you read in books! You have to learn from experience once you're on the plane!" Hank yelled in the turbulent cabin on his first day of flying.

"This is Alaska! The sky is not your friend; it can kill you at any moment! You must be fiercer than it!"

Instead of making Lin Yu'an practice level flight and turns in a boring way, he took him directly into the valleys of the Brooks Mountains to feel the turbulent valley currents that were like the hand of a demon.

The plane was like a leaf in a storm, sometimes lifted up by an invisible force, and sometimes plummeting downwards. Weightlessness and G-forces assaulted the body in turn.

"Can you feel it? The plane is sinking!" Hank shouted, pointing at the rapidly approaching mountainside outside the window. "Don't fight it! Pulling hard on the stick will only cause you to stall!"

"Find updrafts! Like an eagle, harness the wind, don't be afraid of it! When you fly a better plane in the future, with several times the power of your current one, these basic skills will be what save your life!"

Lin Yu'an's talent was brought to its peak under these extreme conditions. His enhanced brain and body seemed to be able to directly read the flow of air.

He can determine the direction of airflow from the slightest vibration of the wing; he can sense changes in air density from the smallest changes in the engine sound.

With both hands firmly gripping the control stick and feet precisely coordinating with the rudder, he skillfully guided the aircraft from dangerous downdrafts into stable updrafts time and time again.

Throughout the entire process, he remained even calmer than Hank beside him.

By the third day, basic flying techniques were as easy as eating and drinking for him. Hank then began teaching him more advanced jungle flying skills.

“Look at that riverbank down there!” Hank pointed to a narrow, pebbly stretch of river below. “Let’s say our engine fails and we need to make an emergency landing there. Tell me your approach route and landing spot!”

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

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(End of this chapter)