King of the Wilderness

The end of the hunting trip heralded the beginning of a grand celebration.

Old George decided to host a bonfire party to celebrate the realization of his dream and formally introduce Lin Yu’an, the new neighbor, to everyone.

”A party can’t be without liquor and plenty of meat!”

Old George waved his hand grandly, giving the procurement task to pilot Hank: ”Hank, when you fly to Fairbanks tomorrow, bring me back ten cases of Coors Light beer and two bottles of fine bourbon whiskey! Also, buy some sausages and beef patties; just lamb won’t be enough!”

”No problem, George!” Hank readily agreed.

Upon hearing the news, Lin Yu’an immediately said, ”Hank, can I hitch a ride on your plane tomorrow? I need to go into town to buy some things.”

”Of course, my friend! My ’aerial pickup’ is always at your service!”

Early the next morning, Lin Yu’an boarded Hank’s red and white Cessna 206.

As the plane lightly soared into the sky, Wiseman Town and the winding Koyukuk River turned into majestic miniatures below.

”How does it feel? From this angle, doesn’t the place we live look unbelievably beautiful?” Hank asked with a smile while skillfully piloting the plane.

”Yes, breathtakingly beautiful,” Lin Yu’an sincerely praised.

After a moment of silence, he finally voiced the curiosity in his mind: ”Hank, I’ve always been curious. With your flying skills, you could find a much higher-paying and more comfortable job anywhere in the contiguous 48 states. Why did you choose to stay in this nearly isolated place?”

Hank’s smile faded a bit, and he looked towards the endless snow-capped mountains outside the window, his gaze growing distant.

He softly said, ”For a promise, a promise to my grandfather.”

”I was raised by my grandfather, who was an old-school trapper and spent his whole life in Wiseman.”

”He taught me how to survive on this land, how to identify every plant, how to respect every inch of this land; this plane is also the most precious legacy he left me.”

”When he passed away, I was by his side. He held my hand and said, ’Hank, my little sweetheart, I know you yearn for the outside world, but promise me, no matter how high or far you fly, make sure to come back often and see this old corpse of mine. I don’t want... I don’t want to wait too long after I’m gone to see you again.’

Hank’s voice choked a little, and he took a deep breath, working to calm his emotions.

”He was buried on the slope behind the town where you can see the sunset. My choice to stay here is not just to keep a promise but because this is where I was born.”

”This choice even cost me my marriage with my ex-wife. She couldn’t stand this isolated lifestyle and took my children to Fairbanks and remarried. Now, they’re doing well.”

There was no resentment in his tone, only a subtle resignation after reconciling with life.

”The elders here, George, Stan, they are uncles who watched me grow up. My grandfather is gone, so I have to look after them for him.”

”Using this plane to bring them supplies, take them to the city for medical care, or like today, to go shopping for a party is, to me, not a responsibility but a meaningful duty of guardianship.”

Lin Yu’an quietly listened, filled with respect.

He finally understood that what supports this community is not just survival skills but also bonds as deep as family.

The plane landed at Fairbanks’ general aviation airport. ℯℯ𝘭.

The two split up, with Hank heading to Costco in the city center for a major shopping trip.

There, Alaska’s prices were on full display: a box of 24 cans of Coors Light beer cost $28.99, making ten boxes nearly three hundred US dollars.

A bottle of mid-range Buffalo Trace bourbon whiskey cost $42, and fresh beef patties and pork sausages, due to needing air and cold chain transport, were at least 30% more expensive than on the US mainland.

Meanwhile, Lin Yu’an headed directly to a large electronics store.

Lin Yu’an walked into Best Buy, greeted by a wave of air conditioning mixed with the smell of new plastic and electronic components. He went straight to the network equipment section and soon found the distinctive display with white square antennas.

A young store clerk enthusiastically approached: ”Good afternoon, sir, what are you looking for?”

”Hello, I need a Starlink set,” Lin Yu’an said directly.

”You’ve come to the right place!” The clerk instantly became more excited as if he’d found a kindred spirit.

”Are you living in the Fairbanks area or in the surrounding rural areas? This thing is practically tailor-made for Alaska!”

”North of Wiseman,” Lin Yu’an simply replied.

”Oh! Along the Dalton Highway!” the clerk’s eyes lit up.

”Then you’re the perfect user for it! We just set up a set at a research station there last month, and they said they can now watch Pornhub at the edge of the Arctic Circle!”

He began introducing the products on the display, one by one.

”The hardware costs $599 US dollars, which includes this second-generation phased array antenna. It has an automatic snow-melting function, so you don’t have to worry about it being buried in snow in the winter. There’s also a router base and cables; you can set it up as soon as you get it home.”

”And the monthly fee?”

”The standard residential package, best suited for you, is $120 US dollars a month, and its speed and data are more than sufficient.”

Lin Yu’an smiled, ”I’ll take the standard package. I need a set ready for pickup.”