American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 353 Raven's Aunt.
Lin Yu-an entered an address into the car navigation system. Raven glanced at the name displayed on the screen—"Island Water Sports"—and showed a surprised expression.

"A surf and diving equipment store? What are you going there for?" she asked, puzzled.

"Buy equipment." Lin Yu'an's answer was concise and to the point.

"You can dive?" Raven's voice was full of surprise.

Lin Yu'an looked at her and calmly explained, "No, but I noticed that more than half of the videos on your TikTok account are about surfing and freediving."

In addition, your sailing suit has the logo of the World Surf League (WSL) on the arm.

I guess your real passion, more than the sailboat, lies in that smaller plank and the deeper waters.

These words stunned Raven for a moment. She hadn't expected him to actually look at her TikTok and gain such a deep understanding of her through these seemingly insignificant details.

“Moreover,” Lin Yu’an continued, “our route will pass through Eleuthera and Exuma, which I’ve checked and found to have world-class surf spots and diving sites.”

“We will stop in those places, and I hope that my first mate will have the opportunity to enjoy her true pleasures amidst the stressful voyage.”

He paused, then changed the subject, his gaze becoming sincere and direct: "Of course, most importantly, I am personally very interested in 'dancing on the crest of a wave' and 'exploring the underwater world'."

"So, I need the best instructor to teach me surfing and diving. I don't think anyone is more suitable than you."

These words were perfectly worded. They expressed respect and consideration for her hobby, while also extending an invitation that was impossible to refuse, using "I want to learn" as an excuse.

Raven looked at him, and a complex and soft light flashed in her blue eyes, which were always full of confidence and a sense of challenge.

She was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly turned the steering wheel, and the car turned around.

"Hold on tight, Captain!" she laughed, slamming on the gas, her voice filled with barely suppressed excitement. "Then I'll show you what my true home turf is all about!"

Led by Raven, they arrived at a professional water sports shop filled with Hawaiian flair and the aroma of wax.

Upon entering the store, Raven was like a fish back in water, greeting the staff with practiced ease, and then immediately switched into coach mode, beginning to introduce the store to Lin Yu'an.

“For beginners, you need a longboard for surfing. It has a lot of buoyancy and is easy to get on,” Raven said, pointing to a huge surfboard that was nearly 9 feet long. “You also need a wetsuit and leashes that fit well.”

She then took Lin Yu'an to the diving area, where the dazzling array of buoyancy control devices, breathing regulators, and dive computers overwhelmed Lin Yu'an.

“For diving, let’s start with the simplest thing: snorkeling,” she said, picking up a professional low-volume mask and gesturing in front of Lin Yu’an.

"You'll need a good mask, snorkel, and fins to get used to breathing underwater."

She paused, glanced at the more professional scuba diving equipment next to her, and a hint of regret appeared on her face.

"As for scuba diving... that requires a systematic course, at least three or four days to learn the theory and pool skills."

"This voyage is too rushed, there's not enough time. I can teach you myself when we get back from this voyage."

She naturally began planning her next lesson, seemingly without ever considering that Lin Yu'an would refuse.

However, Lin Yu'an didn't look at the snorkeling masks; instead, his gaze fell on a set of scuba gear next to him.

"Why wait to come back?" he suddenly asked.

Raven was stunned for a moment: "What?"

"I said, why wait until after the voyage to learn scuba diving?" Lin Yu'an turned to look at her, a smile playing on his lips.

"Coach Raven, have you forgotten... my learning ability?"

This rhetorical question left Raven speechless. She remembered tying a human knot with one hand, and the man who could perfectly replicate the motionless docking after just one look.

Yes, how could she use the learning progress of an ordinary person to measure this monster in front of her?

“You mean…” Raven looked at him in disbelief.

“What I mean is,” Lin Yu’an walked toward the scuba equipment area and picked up a breathing regulator that looked very complicated.

"Tonight, you can send me the PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) Open Water Diver course theory textbook."

"After we set sail tomorrow, we can use the swimming platform at the stern of the boat to practice our skills in calm waters when the sea is calm."

Seeing Raven's shocked expression, he continued in a matter-of-fact tone.

“I believe that by the time we arrive in Exuma, I will be qualified to explore the famous Blue Hole with my instructor.”

“This…” Raven hesitated for a moment, but an uncontrollable bright smile appeared on her face.

"Alright! Mr. Monster! I accept your challenge! If you can really do it, I'll take you to explore the most beautiful shipwreck in Exuma!"

After saying that, she immediately perked up, grabbed Lin Yu'an, and began to choose diving equipment for him.

Raven picked up a Scubapro MK19/G260 regulator set. "This is great, a classic Scubapro model. Excellent antifreeze performance and good breathing resistance..."

Before she could finish speaking, a girl with a ponytail, tanned skin, and who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, walked over from the side carrying a surfboard and rudely interrupted her.

“Oh, Raven,” the girl’s tone was full of sarcasm, “finally decided to bring your secret boyfriend to see me? You kept it a secret for a while!”

As she spoke, she looked Lin Yu'an up and down with an unabashed gaze.

"Shut up, Kayla!" Raven's cheeks flushed a rare red, and she shoved the girl away impatiently. "Don't talk nonsense! This is my student. Lin, this is Kayla."

“A student?” Kayla raised an eyebrow, her face full of disbelief. “I’ve never seen you care about any student like this before. This is the first time you’ve brought a man here.”

Lin Yu'an nodded politely without saying anything.

Kayla gave a mischievous smile, then immediately switched back to professional mode, "What do you need? Let me introduce it to you."

“He needs a top-of-the-line Scubapro set, from head to toe,” Raven said, pointing at Lin Yu’an and handing the regulator in her hand to Kayla.

“Scubapro G260?” Kayla glanced at it, then immediately put it back in its place as if chasing away some trash.

“Raven, are you confused?” she said dramatically. “This is equipment for tourists, how can it be considered great? I’ll take you to see real diving equipment, come with me!”

Without saying a word, Kayla pulled Lin Yu'an to the deepest part of the store, a "Pro Zone" separated by a glass door.

Raven looked at Kayla's "I'm doing this for your boyfriend's good" expression and was both amused and exasperated, so she could only follow her.

Kayla's tone became incredibly professional and excited, "Since you're Raven's friend, we'll skip all the ordinary options and go straight to the best one."

She began to demonstrate each piece of equipment one by one, like an arms dealer introducing weapons.

“We start with the most important heart – the regulator. For professionals, there are two choices: the reliable king, or the elegant emperor.”

She first picked up a set of all-black regulators: "This is the British Apeks MTX-RC, military grade, the first choice for ice diving. If you're going to the Arctic, take it with you, it's absolutely reliable."

Then, as if holding a piece of jewelry, she took out another set of regulators that shimmered with a unique metallic luster.

“But this is Florida, and we’re looking for the ultimate experience.” She handed the regulator to Lin Yu’an.

"Atomic Aquatics T3, the flagship of Atomic. Except for a few stainless steel springs, almost all of its metal parts are made of aerospace-grade titanium alloy."

"It's almost half the weight of Apeks and will never corrode. Most importantly, its breathing is unparalleled among all regulators. When you breathe with it, you'll forget you're underwater."

She looked at Lin Yu'an and added the most crucial sentence: "Of course, its price is also top-tier. This set alone costs $3000."

Lin Yu'an fiddled with the incredibly light titanium alloy regulator in his hand and asked, "Are the internal components of the T3's secondary head, such as the levers and spring seats, also made of titanium alloy?"

This question caused Kayla, who was speaking fluently, to pause for a moment before answering: "...Yes, to prevent galvanic corrosion between different metals."

"What is its working of breathing (WOB) in joules per liter at a depth of 50 meters and a gas pressure of 3000 PSI?"

This issue had completely crossed the line from sales to the realm of equipment engineering. Kayla was utterly bewildered and could only awkwardly pull out her phone to consult the technical manual.

Raven watched from the side, both shocked and amused. She knew that Lin Yu'an had begun his monstrous analytical process again.

"Alright, this is the one." Lin Yu'an didn't make things difficult for her and made the decision directly. "A wise choice!" Kayla immediately regained her enthusiasm and continued to introduce the product.

"Since we chose the ultra-lightweight regulator, we'll also use the best BCD (buoyancy control vest). The Halcyon backplate system with carbon fiber backplate costs $2000 per set."

"Shearwater Teric computer, $1400, the god among diving computers!"

“And there are dryers,” she pointed to a mannequin. “The Blue Hole in the Bahamas has very low water temperatures. The Santi E.Lite+ from Poland is the Hermes of dryers, and it costs about $5000.”

Over the next half hour, Kayla, with an unquestionable authority, recommended the store's top-of-the-line and most expensive equipment to Lin Yu'an.

Raven tried several times to say that a beginner shouldn't use something so good, but Kayla shut her down with, "Do you want him to have problems underwater?"

Throughout the process, Lin Yu'an did not raise any objections to the price of any equipment, but occasionally asked one or two extremely technical questions, leaving Kayla scrambling to find the answers.

"Alright, that's all for now," Lin Yu'an said to Kayla, pointing to the pile of top-tier equipment on the ground, which was worth over 12,000 US dollars.

"Aren't you going to look at anything else?" Kayla seemed a little unsatisfied.

"We're already here, what's the rush?" Without waiting for a reply, she grabbed Lin Yu'an's arm and led him to another shelf filled with all sorts of novel trinkets.

"You're going for 15 days this time, right? Some things may seem dispensable, but at crucial moments, they can greatly enhance your sense of happiness."

Raven watched from the side, inwardly cursing her bad luck; Kayla was about to start recommending toys that weren't good value for money again.

“Like this,” Kayla picked up a device that looked like a flashlight, “an underwater propulsion device (DPV). The latest Yamaha model, only $2000 a unit.”

"Imagine that while you're exploring a huge coral reef, others are still struggling to kick their flippers."

"And all you have to do is press a switch, and you can race underwater like 007! How about getting two? One for you and one for your girlfriend."

“We don’t…” Raven was about to refuse.

“And this,” Kayla said, giving her no chance, and took out a yellow professional device from the glass case.

"Garrett Sea Hunter Mark II, $1400, a pulse-sensing detector used by professional treasure hunters."

As she spoke, she winked at Lin Yu'an, "The waters off the Bahamas have been a hotspot for pirate ships and Spanish treasure ships that have sunk for centuries!"

"Take this and scan it; maybe you'll find a Spanish gold coin from the 1715 Fleet? Then this trip will be worth it!"

Looking at these oversized toys that were extremely poor value for money and would only be used once or twice a year, Raven's face clearly showed an expression that said, "Stop her!"

She knew that Kayla wasn't actually selling anything, but rather using this method to continue testing Lin Yu'an's financial resources and the extent of his "doting" on Raven.

“Raven,” Kayla asked calmly, “wouldn’t you like to try searching for lost coins on a shipwreck route from hundreds of years ago, and effortlessly explore an underwater coral labyrinth?”

"Which cool and stylish girl who loves the ocean doesn't harbor a dream of treasure hunting full of adventure and romance?"

“I didn’t…”

Before Raven could finish speaking, she saw Kayla turn around, seemingly about to recommend an underwater photography set costing tens of thousands of dollars. Raven finally lost her temper.

She darted forward, grabbed Kayla's arm, and whispered, almost pleadingly, "..."

"That's enough, Aunt Kayla!"

"aunt?"

Lin Yu'an instantly caught the address and a rare look of surprise appeared on his face.

He looked at the girl in front of him in surprise, who looked several years younger than Raven... was she Raven's aunt?
Upon hearing this title, Kayla was taken aback at first, then a smug, triumphant smile spread across her face, as if she had won a battle.

She grabbed Raven's hand, preventing her from escaping.

"Wow?" she drawled. "The last time you called me aunt was the last time..."

"To save him some money, you're even willing to call me 'aunt'? It seems you really care about this exotic man, my dear niece~"

Raven's face flushed red instantly; she knew this would happen! This nickname was her ultimate weapon when she needed something from Kayla, but now it had become a handle for Kayla to tease her about.

She pulled away from Kayla's hand and helplessly rubbed her forehead. She moved closer to Lin Yu'an and quickly explained, "Don't listen to her nonsense... she's my father's youngest sister."

“My grandfather had a daughter late in life… so… according to seniority, she is indeed my aunt.”

“But she’s only a year older than me. We grew up together, like sisters. She just likes to take advantage of me.”

This explanation, full of the dramatic flair of an American family, made Lin Yu'an unable to hold back her laughter and finally burst out laughing.

He now understood why the girl looked at him with the scrutiny and disapproval of a mother-in-law looking at her son-in-law.

Lin Yu'an ignored the bickering between the aunt and niece, and walked straight up to Kayla, smiling as he said, "The equipment you recommended earlier, two underwater thrusters. Two metal detectors as well."

“And also,” he pointed to the pile of top-of-the-line diving equipment already selected on the ground, “pack it all up. Pay for it all at once.”

Kayla's smug smile froze instantly, her brain working like a high-speed cash register, rapidly calculating the total amount of the largest order of the month.

Diving kit: A full set of top-of-the-line Atomic, Halcyon, and Shearwater equipment... The total price easily exceeded ten thousand US dollars!
Surfing equipment: a longboard and accessories, approximately $1500 USD.

And that pile of big toys: two Yamaha underwater propulsion units, $4000 each. Two Garrett underwater metal detectors, $4000 each.

Kayla silently calculated in her mind that the total price of this pile of things had easily exceeded the $20,000 mark!
This is no small sum of money, but she works at this top-tier shop on Las Oras Avenue and has seen many Middle Eastern oil tycoons, Russian billionaires, or tech upstarts spend even more extravagant amounts on a whim.

What truly surprised her was not the number, but Lin Yu'an's attitude when he said those words.

It wasn't the kind of nouveau riche showing off that comes from someone who thinks they have money and can buy whatever they want, nor was it the kind of greasy pursuit that ignores the price in order to please a girl.

The attitude of the man in front of me was completely different.

As he listened to her describe the top-of-the-line equipment, his eyes revealed his appreciation for the technology and performance.

He decided to buy them because he judged that these tools would meet his future exploration needs, and he did not have any emotional fluctuations throughout the process.

Kayla had only ever seen this kind of temperament in truly top-tier professional explorers, and this young man, who looked only a few years older than her, already possessed it.

She knew that her niece might have really caught a big fish this time! A big fish that was completely different from any man she had ever met before.

"Okay, I'll go pack it up for you." Kayla quickly suppressed all her surprise and scrutiny, putting on the most professional smile she would give to a top customer, and turned to walk towards the cashier.

Lin Yu'an then took out the black bank card, preparing to go over and pay the bill.

Just then, Raven, who had been following him, suddenly stopped. Her gaze was fixed on the wall behind the cashier, as if she were drawn by a magnet.

“Kayla…” Her voice trembled slightly, “when did that thing… arrive?”

Lin Yu'an followed her gaze.

In the most conspicuous spot behind the cashier, there hung an old-fashioned short surfboard that looked very weathered.

There are no fancy graffiti on the board, only scratches left by time and a faint yellow color formed by sun exposure.

But right in the center of the sign is a clearly identifiable signature—Eddie Aikau.

Lin Yu-an might not have a clear idea of ​​what this name means, but for Raven, it's like a Christian finding the "Holy Grail" in a grocery store.

Eddie Ikau, a legendary Hawaiian surfer and lifeguard, is a pioneer and icon of big wave surfing.

His famous quote, "Eddie Would Go," remains the ultimate belief for surfers worldwide when pushing their limits.

He himself had already disappeared into the vast Pacific Ocean during a courageous sea rescue.

A surfboard he personally signed and used has a value and significance far exceeding that of an ordinary autographed board. For a surfer, it's a "holy relic."

(End of this chapter)