American Landowners: Starting with Hunting in Alaska

The wind and snow outside the window showed no signs of abating; on the contrary, they gradually intensified over time.

The wind whipped up snowflakes that slammed against the glass, making a rustling sound.

Everything outside was a white blur; you couldn't see anything beyond five meters.

Visibility was extremely low.

Going to drill holes in the ice in this weather is practically suicide.

Suwei withdrew his gaze and turned back to the sofa area by the fireplace.

He casually placed the dark green toolbox on the coffee table with a dull thud.

"Eek?"

Marshmallow poked its head out from the cushion, twitched its nose, and seemed quite interested in the box that smelled of machine oil and rust.

It tentatively stretched out its claws, trying to scratch the latch on the side of the box.

"Don't move."

Suwei reached out and pressed down on the restless white paw, tucking it back under the fox.

Since we can't get out, let's prepare the tools first.

This set of equipment has been in the warehouse for too long, and a thick layer of dust has accumulated on it.

If you use it without checking it first, and you catch a big fish but it gets away because the line breaks or the hook is pulled straight, that would be a huge loss.

He sat cross-legged on the carpet and opened the box.

A pungent smell of dust hit me.

Su Wei first picked up the hand-cranked ice drill.

This thing is quite heavy, and it's all steel.

The spiral blade has some rust spots, and it feels rough and not sharp to the touch.

If the blade isn't sharp enough, drilling a hole in ice at sub-zero temperatures can be exhausting and kill a person.

He got up and went to the kitchen to find a fine whetstone and a bottle of cooking oil.

Back in the living room, he put a few drops of oil on the whetstone and attached the ice drill blade to it.

"Shh, shh, shh."

The sound of friction echoed repeatedly in the quiet wooden house.

Su Wei's hands were very steady; he maintained a fixed angle with each push and pull.

The rust mixed with oil turned into a black slurry, which slid down the blade.

Ten minutes later, he wiped the blade clean with a rag.

The originally dull metal edges revealed a silvery-white sharpness.

Su Wei casually tore off a piece of sticky note and slashed it across the blade.

The paper snapped in two instantly, the cut smooth.

enough.

Next are the fish hooks and fishing lines.

Most of the fishhooks on the foam board were rusted.

Suwei picked out several wide-mouthed crank hooks, carefully sanded them to remove rust, and checked the sharpness of the hook tips.

He threw away the hooks that were too rusty because they were easy to break.

As for fishing line.

Su Wei pulled out a piece of transparent nylon thread, wrapped it around his hands, and pulled hard.

"Smack."

The wire broke.

Sure enough, the nylon thread was severely aged and brittle, like dried noodles.

He frowned, rummaged through the bottom of the box, and finally found a roll of Dyneema braided yarn that was still unopened.

This type of thread is wear-resistant and has high tensile strength, but its disadvantage is that it is prone to freezing and hardening in very cold weather.

But when it comes to survival, feel is secondary.

He skillfully replaced the lines on the two ice fishing rods, tied on the sinkers and the polished hooks.

The knot was tied tightly, and the excess thread was trimmed with nail clippers.

With everything in order, Suwei put the toolbox back on.

It was just past noon.

The temperature inside the room was stable at 20 degrees Celsius, and the birchwood in the fireplace was burning brightly, casting an orange-red glow on the wall.

Marshmallow was already asleep beside his legs, emitting soft snores.

Su Wei was not sleepy at all.

He leaned back on the sofa, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the coffee table.

The food problem might be solved by ice fishing.

But there is still an even more critical problem that has not been solved—fuel.

The generator was still running in the garage, but the diesel in the tank would only last for two days.

It is still under the lowest maintenance condition for the wooden house's electricity supply.

Two days later, once the power is cut off, the water pump stops running, and the electric heater also stops working.

The temperature inside the cabin would inevitably drop if the fireplace were used alone.

At that time, it is estimated that only the living room on the first floor will still maintain a suitable temperature.

Moreover, without power, he was completely cut off from the outside world, and his phone became unusable.

Fuel is a big problem.

Or, find a way out of here.

Su Wei stood up and walked to the window.

The snow had piled up to the bottom of the windowsill.

At this rate, the snow at the door will definitely be more than a meter deep by tomorrow morning.

His Dodge pickup truck, though four-wheel drive, couldn't move in the soft snow.

The tires would slip, and the chassis would be lifted up by the snow, making it impossible to move.

Unless a snowplow clears the way.

But can we rely on the town's municipal snowplows?

He knew Kodiak's efficiency all too well. With such a heavy snowfall, it would take a week to clear the main roads, and it would probably take another two weeks to clear the way to his remote mountainside.

If you wait half a month, he and the cotton candy will have long been frozen into ice sculptures.

Suwei's gaze cut through the wind and snow, landing on the garage not far away.

There's a big guy parked there.

That was the snowmobile Emily was riding when the accident happened.

The motorcycle managed to hold on a little longer when they pulled Emily down the mountain that day.

When Emily was taken to the hospital, the snowmobile was left behind.

Now, a sudden blizzard has struck.

The motorcycle that was supposed to be towed away was also stopped.

However, this became an opportunity for the Soviet Union.

Su Wei recalled that during the inspection that day, the motorcycle's steering handlebars were bent and the front shell was cracked; these were the visible damages.

As for the engine...

The situation was urgent, and he was only focused on saving people, so he didn't check the engine carefully.

At that time, he remembered that the engine did have some problems.

But after some attempts, it was successfully started.

As for now, he couldn't guarantee it.

After all, it was out of necessity at the time.

This vehicle, specially designed for snow, has a large track contact area and a lightweight body, making it a powerful tool for tackling deep snow.

If it could move, even at a speed of only 30 kilometers per hour, it would be enough for him to drive to town and bring back a few barrels of life-saving diesel.

In fact, if he really couldn't hold on any longer, this would be his only means of escape.

Thinking of this, Su Wei couldn't sit still any longer.

"Stay put and don't move."

He tossed a sentence to the cotton candy that had just looked up, then turned and walked toward the entrance.

Put on a heavy down jacket, goggles, and bulky snow boots.

Fully armed, he pushed open the side door leading to the garage.

"call--"

A chill crept in through the crack in the door, and the temperature dropped instantly.

The garage has no heating; the temperature inside is only slightly higher than outside.

The old diesel generator sat in the corner, making a "putt-putt-putt" noise, with black smoke billowing from its exhaust pipe.

Suwei turned on the flashlight.

The flashlight beam swept across the Dodge pickup truck parked in the middle, finally settling on the innermost corner.

A snowmobile lay there quietly.

This is an older model Polaris snowmobile, with a black and red color scheme.

The left side of the casing had a large crack, exposing the pipes inside.

The handlebars are slightly crooked, but it doesn't affect their use.

None of that matters. The key is the engine.

Su Wei straddled it.

The leather seat cushions become as hard as rocks in low temperatures, making them both cold and hard to sit on.

He took a key out of his pocket.

This is what Emily gave him that day; it's been sitting on the plate in the entryway ever since.

Insert it into the keyhole.

Twist it.

"Sizzle..."

The light on the dial flickered faintly and then went out.

The power is out.

Expected.

In this kind of weather, a battery will run out of power overnight, let alone a car that's been sitting here for several days.

There is no electric starter; it can only be started by hand.

Su Wei took a deep breath, adjusted his posture, held the handlebars with his left hand, and gripped the starter lever on the lower right side with his right hand.

This is hard work.

Especially when starting the engine cold, the engine oil freezes like glue, making it extremely difficult to pull.

"rise!"

Su Wei tensed his arm muscles and pulled back sharply.

"Ku—"

The pull rope was pulled out a meter long, the engine made a muffled hissing sound, turned twice, and then stopped.

The high resistance indicates that the cylinder pressure is not the problem.

There is a play.

Suwei did not rush to pull a second time.

He found the choke lever, pulled it to its highest position, and pressed the fuel pump a few times to force the fuel into the fuel injector.

After doing all this, he stood up, steadied himself, and calmed down.

He gripped the handle tightly with his right hand again.

This time, he used all his strength.

"drink!"

Su Wei let out a low shout and, with all his might, pulled the rope all the way to the bottom.

"Pfft pfft pfft... Pfft."

The engine jolted, a puff of white smoke came out of the exhaust pipe, and made a few noises, as if it was about to start, but it quickly lost power and stopped.

He's not completely dead yet.

A thin layer of sweat appeared on Suwei's forehead.

He didn't bother wiping it, loosened the rope to let it spring back, and adjusted his breathing.

Continuously operating such a large-displacement engine is extremely physically demanding.

the third time.

the fourth time.

The garage echoed with the whooshing sound of the pull cord snapping back and the muffled hum of the engine idling.

Until the tenth time.

Su Wei felt a soreness in his right arm, and the cold air he inhaled made his throat hurt.

But this lump of metal was like a dead pig, only occasionally emitting a couple of puffs of white smoke that were choking, and showed no signs of starting.

Could it be that the spark plugs are flooded? Or is there water frozen in the fuel lines?

Su Wei leaned weakly against the handlebars.

He took off his gloves, intending to touch the engine to check its temperature.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of the red emergency stop switch below the instrument panel. It was in the operating position, so there was no problem.

He then checked the fuel tank cap. He unscrewed it.

He shone his flashlight into the fuel tank.

That one glance made Su Wei's otherwise steady heartbeat skip a beat.

The bottom of the tank was clean, with only the filter screen of the oil suction pipe stuck there, not a drop of oil.

Su Wei froze instantly.