American Landowners: Starting with Hunting in Alaska

Suwei turned around and walked into the snow with the cotton candy in her hand.

The wooden house behind us was soon blocked by the coniferous forest, leaving only the white of the snow, the blue of the sky, and the dark green of the forest in our view.

It was very quiet all around.

After the blizzard, even the sound of the wind disappeared.

The air was cold, and it stung a little when I inhaled it.

Suwei did not take the main road.

He remembered an abandoned logging trail that offered a shortcut into the mountains.

Marshmallow is much more adapted to the snow than he is.

After all, it was a fox that lived in the wild.

The little fox ran on the thick snow, its four feet moving so lightly that it left almost no tracks.

It would stop every now and then, bury its nose in the snow to sniff something, then run ahead again, turning back to urge Suwei on with its blue eyes.

It scouts ahead and is a good helper.

Su Wei followed steadily behind, his huge backpack making each step feel solid.

He carefully observed the movements around him.

This was the first time he had made preparations and voluntarily ventured into the wilderness.

This time, it's about conquering this place, making money, and living a better life.

The data collection module is already activated; he only needs to keep an eye on it.

After all, he didn't come up the mountain for fun.

It would be even better if we could find some valuable plants.

After walking for about half an hour, Cotton Candy stopped at the foot of a sheltered snow slope and called out twice to a clump of withered branches bent by the weight of snow.

Su Wei walked over and used the butt of his rifle to clear away the snow.

Several dark red fruits, frozen solid, were revealed.

Wild rosehip.

Rich in vitamin C, it's a good way to prevent scurvy, especially in winter when fresh fruits and vegetables are scarce.

In the harvesting module's view, these plants emitted a faint green glow, indicating that they were edible.

Suwei put down his backpack, took out his Swiss Army knife, and deftly cut the fruit along with a small section of branch, putting it into a sealed bag.

Successfully harvested Wild Rosehips, Experience +3. Gathering Module lv1 (74/100)

It's not exactly a great thing, but it's better than nothing.

He picked up his bag again and continued on his way.

A bold black-headed tit landed on a branch not far in front of him, tilted its head to look at him, and did not fly away immediately.

Although the woods were quiet, Su Wei dared not let his guard down for a moment.

The inhabitants of this land are Kodiak brown bears.

The terrifying scene from last time was still vivid in his mind.

We dare not relax too easily and lose our vigilance.

The Browning rifle in his hand was already loaded with a .30-06 Hornady shotgun shell.

The bullet cost him six dollars.

But he would rather never have to use it.

Except for those who act voluntarily.

After walking for another hour or so, the terrain began to rise, and they had entered the outer edge of the mountainous area.

Su Wei stopped and took a sip of warm water from the kettle.

After several days of rest, coupled with the recovery effect brought by the life module, his mental and physical strength have recovered extremely well.

Just then, Cotton Candy, who was walking in front, suddenly stopped.

Its white fur stood on end, its back arched, and it emitted a low, warning growl from its throat.

It stared intently at a patch of bushes to its left front.

Su Wei's body reacted faster than his brain.

He immediately ducked down behind a large spruce tree and pointed the cold muzzle of his gun in that direction.

A tense atmosphere suddenly filled the forest.

The bushes remained motionless.

Su Wei held his breath, his finger on the trigger guard, his whole body tense.

What is it?

Grouse? Hare?

Or... something he didn't want to encounter?

A few seconds later, the bushes shook violently.

A white shadow suddenly darted out from inside; it was a snow rabbit.

Its white fur was almost invisible in the snow, with only the black tips of its two long ears standing out.

It must have been startled by the smell of the marshmallow.

Almost at the same time that the snow rabbit rushed out, the cotton candy also moved.

This little fox, who usually only knows how to act cute, suddenly revealed its hunting instincts.

It leaped forward with all four limbs and silently gave chase.

"Damn it! Come back!"

Su Wei muttered a curse under his breath.

Chasing prey randomly in unfamiliar mountains and forests is a major taboo in wilderness survival.

But the marshmallow had already run far away.

Snow hares have very tricky escape routes, often venturing into bushes and piles of fallen logs.

Cotton Candy followed closely behind, and the two white figures moved quickly through the woods, soon disappearing from Suwei's sight.

Su Wei had no choice but to pick up his gun and follow along, stumbling along the way.

He had to make sure his only partner didn't get lost or run into something big.

This chase lasted for more than ten minutes.

The cold air stung his trachea.

Finally, in front of a steep rocky slope, the snow hare, relying on its familiarity with the terrain, pushed off with its hind legs and disappeared into a crevice covered by withered vines.

The cotton candy was pacing anxiously in front of the crevice, frantically digging at the snow with its claws, letting out a low growl of resentment.

"Alright, they've run away, so be it."

Su Wei finally caught up, panting heavily with his hands on his knees, white mist constantly billowing from his mouth.

He was a little annoyed. This time, Cotton Candy was not following his instructions and was moving around randomly, which was a major taboo in hunting!

Fortunately, nothing went wrong this time. If something had gone wrong, it would have been too late to regret it!

Su Wei watched as Cotton Candy continued to growl unwillingly, thinking to himself, "I must train hard when I get back this time!"

At this moment, he was also feeling annoyed. He clearly had the beast taming module, but he forgot to properly train Cotton Candy.

These past few days, he completely treated the marshmallow as a baby that needed care, and was utterly deceived by its cute appearance.

Forgot, it was actually a red fox living in the wild.

Suwei made up her mind, but Cotton Candy had no idea that the days to come would be unbearable for it.

He looked up and around. The terrain here was more complicated, with withered vines and fallen trees everywhere.

He was about to catch the unwilling little fox when he noticed that Cotton Candy's actions were a bit strange.

It stopped digging in the crevice and instead ran a few meters away, sniffing incessantly at a section of plant root, about the thickness of an arm, that was sticking out of the snow, looking both curious and wary.

Su Wei frowned.

The root was grayish-brown and covered with one-centimeter-long sharp thorns, which made one's scalp crawl just looking at it.

His trouser leg had just been ripped open by this thing, but luckily he was wearing thick clothes and it didn't hurt his flesh.

Su Wei, holding his gun, carefully walked over and used his foot to push aside the snow beside him.

More thorny rhizomes were exposed.

He looked up along the roots and saw a plant about two meters tall, standing stubbornly in the snow, its main stem covered with frightening thorns.

Suwei paused for a moment.

He suddenly remembered a wilderness documentary he had watched for entertainment in the past, and a memory surfaced.

He seems to recognize this thing.

In Alaska, locals don't care what its scientific name is; they just give it a more catchy name.

Devil's Claw.

It is also known as Alaskan ginseng.

This is a highly adaptable plant with roots and bark that have high medicinal value. It is a natural pain reliever and anti-inflammatory medicine passed down from Native Americans and has remarkable effects on arthritis.

In the market, dried Devil's Claw root bark can fetch a price comparable to high-quality Chaga mushroom.

Or rather, even higher!

Because it has another benefit: it is found to be helpful in the treatment of cancer.

Although we don't know if it's true or not, this has undoubtedly boosted its value significantly!

Su Wei's heart skipped a beat.

He crouched down, staring intently at the roots of the plant, carefully avoiding the thorns.

Judging from the thickness of the rhizome, it must be quite old.

He never expected that an unexpected chase would lead him to this treasure.

Not many people come here. Since one plant has been found, there are likely many more around.

This was a pleasant surprise!

Su Wei looked at Cotton Candy with a strange expression, suddenly unsure whether this chase was a good thing or a bad thing.