HUN Chapter 109: Officer Ketch's Visit

That night, they didn't return to the rented cabin but chose to stay in this warm tent.

Lin Yu'an needed to adapt to the circadian rhythms of this land as soon as possible, while David and Mike were driven by a strong creative impulse, wanting to record every moment here.

Accompanied by the gentle crackling of the fire and the howling wind outside the tent, the three men each crawled into warm sleeping bags, lying on camp beds.

Before falling asleep, David's mind was still repeatedly recalling the scenes he had witnessed during the day.

He had a premonition that this Alaska trip would be more exciting than any reality show he had ever directed!

Early the next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Lin Yu'an was the first to wake up.

He checked the nearly extinguished fire chamber and added fresh firewood, injecting warmth back into the tent.

Then he quietly walked out of the tent. The early morning air outside was still somewhat cold.

When David and Mike were awakened by the aroma of coffee brewing in the pot, Lin Yu'an had already surveyed a complete circle around the camp.

"Good morning."

Lin Yu'an handed each of them a steaming cup of instant coffee.

After eating a simple breakfast of bread, the three men came to the construction site Lin Yu'an had chosen for the cabin.

This was a relatively flat area at the highest elevation.

Lin Yu'an didn't rush to start any machinery. He found a long measuring tape and a spool of line from the supply pile.

Seeing these items, David asked curiously, "Lin, what are we doing?"

"Today, our first task is to determine the foundation."

"Before using any heavy equipment, I must know where I want to build the house, exactly how big it will be, and which direction it will face."

"Precise marking can avoid all unnecessary troubles later."

Lin Yu'an drove a wooden stake forcefully into the frozen ground as the first reference point.

He had David help hold one end of the measuring tape and began measuring the cabin's length and width according to the dimensions he had drawn in his notebook yesterday.

"We'll first mark out the main house outline."

"Front width, twelve meters. Side depth, eight meters."

"This is a relatively compact but very practical size, sufficient to accommodate all core functional areas."

While speaking, he used wooden stakes and rope lines to quickly outline a clear rectangle.

"Now we'll determine the house orientation and right angles."

"The main light-receiving side faces south to maximize precious winter sunlight. The main door position should avoid the north wind gap to reduce heat loss."

David looked at this rectangle, compared it to the design in his mind, and asked, "Lin, this rectangle looks simpler than what you drew. Where are the side room and fireplace position you designed?"

"That's the next step. I must first position the main structure, then plan additional auxiliary parts based on this foundation."

Saying this, he walked to one side of the main house rectangular outline and again picked up the measuring tape and wooden stakes.

"Now, the side wing section. It extends four meters from the main house wall with a width of five meters."

Using the same rigorous method, he quickly marked a smaller rectangle beside the main house. Combined, they formed a clear "L"-shaped foundation outline.

Lin Yu'an walked to the other side of the L-shaped outline and measured again.

At the predetermined wall position, he marked an independent area three meters square projecting outward.

"This is the base for the fireplace and chimney."

He tapped the center of that area with his foot, "I want to build a massive stone fireplace. Its foundation and chimney must be as solid as the main house foundation."

"From the beginning, it must be planned separately to ensure it can bear weight independently without affecting the main house structure."

Finally, a complex composite shape consisting of the main house, side wing, and chimney base with varied contours was clearly outlined by rope lines.

Lin Yu'an also marked the landing points of several main support columns for the front porch with wooden stakes.

The complete footprint outline of this home was imprinted on this land for the first time.

David sincerely exclaimed, "So professional, Lin! Worthy of a mechanical engineering bachelor. Every step you take is very thoroughly considered."

He had Mike record this complex outline containing all details completely, knowing these hardcore knowledge points were exactly what audiences wanted to see.

After the surveying work ended, clearing the foundation officially became the agenda.

David looked at this area covered with accumulated snow and shrubs and asked, "Alright, Lin, now we must face reality."

"This area is so large. Clearing it with manpower alone is impossible. Do you have any good plans?"

Lin Yu'an's face showed a slight smile. He walked toward the "supply mountain."

"My plan is this."

Under their puzzled gazes, he pulled away another larger waterproof plastic sheet covering the core area of the supply pile.

Beneath the waterproof sheet, a yellow "small giant beast" full of steel power suddenly appeared!

It was the XCMG XC760K skid steer loader!

"WTF, my God! You also got a small excavator!"

David's exclamation almost pierced the sky. He nearly rushed over, looking at this brand-new machine like viewing a work of art.

"I thought that three-wheeled motorcycle was crazy enough. You actually had an excavator hidden! Lin! How did you do it?"

A three-wheeler might still be understandable, but a genuine heavy construction machine appearing in this isolated place completely overturned his understanding.

Lin Yu'an jumped into the driver's cabin. Not disappointing his mechanical engineering bachelor credentials, he could skillfully perform pre-startup checks, then turned the key to ignite.

"Roar, buzz buzz buzz—"

Accompanied by a deep, powerful engine roar, this domestic giant beast awakened for the first time in a foreign land!

"In Alaska, time is the most precious resource. I didn't plan to clear by hand." Lin Yu'an's voice came from the driver's cabin.

He drove the loader and began formal site clearing work.

The compact body moved flexibly through the woods. Each rise and fall of the bucket was precise and efficient.

Thick snow, low shrubs, scattered stones were all cleaned up one by one.

David and Mike dutifully shouldered their cameras, recording these scenes full of power and industrial beauty from different angles.

Sunlight streaming through sparse woods illuminated the yellow machine and flying snow foam, creating a scene of humans and machinery conquering nature.

The mechanical roar carried far through the quiet river valley, inevitably attracting local residents' attention.

At noon, just as Lin Yu'an was working enthusiastically, the sound of a snowmobile engine approached from afar.

Lin Yu'an immediately stopped the loader and alertly looked toward the direction of the sound.

Soon, a police-painted snowmobile appeared in their view.

The driver wore a police uniform and helmet, but from his tall, sturdy build, Lin Yu'an immediately thought of the name Stan had mentioned.

The snowmobile stopped about ten meters away from them.

The driver removed his helmet, revealing a sharply defined, serious face. His eyes were sharp, sizing up Lin Yu'an from head to toe.

His gaze finally settled on the yellow XCMG loader.

"I'm Ketch, police officer of Wiseman town. Heard the noise, came to take a look." His voice was low and authoritative.

This opening was direct and practical, full of frontier law enforcement style, no pleasantries, only event confirmation.

"Hello, Officer Ketch."

Lin Yu'an jumped down from the loader, proactively stepped forward, showing no nervousness on his face.

"I'm Lin Yu'an, you can also call me Hermann. I'm the new owner of this land."

Lin Yu'an removed his gloves and extended his right hand.

Ketch studied him for a moment, also removed his gloves and shook hands firmly, "I heard Stan mention you. You're that Chinese person?"

"Yes."

"This is your land?" Ketch pointed to those foundation marker stakes.

"Correct, it's our family's land. The procedures have gone through the process. This is the deed intent agreement."

Lin Yu'an took out a folded document copy from his backpack and handed it over.

Ketch took it, quickly browsed through it, confirmed the plot number and Aliya's name, then nodded and returned the document to him.

His expression softened somewhat but remained serious.

"Looks like you're preparing for a big project."

Ketch glanced at the loader, "Nice machine. Rented from Fairbanks?"

"No, this is my own equipment," Lin Yu'an answered.

Ketch's eyebrows raised slightly, obviously somewhat surprised.

He again examined this unfamiliar machine and the pile of supplies from China nearby, gaining a new assessment of Lin Yu'an's capabilities.

Lin Yu'an didn't explain further but extended an invitation, "The weather is cold, Officer Ketch. Would you like to come to my camp for a cup of hot coffee? It's right over there."

Ketch hesitated but was full of curiosity about this young man who even Stan regarded highly.

"Alright." He nodded.

In the warm tent, when Ketch saw the massive cast iron stove burning, a flash of surprise also crossed his eyes.

He accepted the hot coffee Lin Yu'an handed him and warmed his hands.

"I heard Stan say you plan to live here permanently?" Ketch asked straightforwardly.

"Yes, with my wife and two newborn children," Lin Yu'an answered equally directly.

He handed Ketch the architectural design drawings.

Ketch looked at the renderings on the blueprints and the clear layout and planning, remaining silent for a long time.

He could see this wasn't a momentary whim for fun, but a well-considered, long-term home-building plan.

"Good plan."

Ketch put down the notebook and took a sip of coffee.

"But this land won't be polite to you just because your plan is thorough. When you're looking for stones to build such a large stone chimney, be careful, some river sections belong to protected areas."

"Thank you for the reminder, Officer Ketch."

Lin Yu'an answered seriously, "I've studied local regulations. I plan to quarry from the eastern foothills of my land."

"The rock there is gneiss, hard in texture, very suitable as building material. This is within my land's property rights and is legal."

Ketch was satisfied with Lin Yu'an's answer. This young man not only had capability but also legal awareness, which was especially valuable in frontier areas.

He asked a few more questions about waste disposal and hunting licenses. After receiving satisfactory answers, he stood up to leave.

"Welcome to Wiseman." Ketch extended his hand, shaking hands with Lin Yu'an again.

"If you need help, you can find me in town. Don't be polite. Here, neighbors must help each other."

After seeing off Ketch, the setting sun's light dyed the snow golden.

After a full day of effort, a huge flat area had clearly appeared on the land originally covered by ice and snow.

David stepped forward. Today's experience had moved him deeply, "Lin, I feel that in Wiseman, the way people communicate with each other is very special, direct, but full of some kind of meaning."

"Yes." Lin Yu'an nodded.

"Everyone here must survive on their own, so people respect capability and action, not empty words."

"But at the same time, everyone needs to depend on each other to live better, so rules and community identity are more important than anywhere else."

David looked at the scene before him and timely posed the next question.

"Lin, the foundation is cleared. The next step is logging, right? To build such a large house, how many logs of sufficient diameter do you need? This sounds like an even more massive project."

Lin Yu'an's gaze turned toward the endless spruce forest, his lips slightly curving upward.

"Correct, but fortunately, my land has sufficient century-old spruces."

"I also have some knowledge of logging, so this massive project should still be relatively easy."

The next morning, the air was somewhat warmer than yesterday.

Before engaging in any physical activity, Lin Yu'an didn't rush to pick up a chainsaw but returned to the warm tent, taking out his notebook and pencil.

"Before starting a massive project, a clear quantitative plan is necessary."

Lin Yu'an said to the camera and to the curious David, "This allows me to clarify daily goals and have an intuitive understanding of the work's difficulty."

"According to my precise calculations last night, to build the cabin we planned yesterday."

"Also considering actual construction waste, material selection redundancy, and interior partition wall materials, we'll need approximately one hundred twenty trees."

"Among these, wall logs are the largest component, requiring about seventy standard spruces with diameters around thirty centimeters."

"Next are the second-floor joists and roof rafters, requiring about forty straighter timbers with slightly smaller diameters."

"Finally, and most critically, are the core structural timbers, including eight giant columns supporting the porch and balcony, plus the ridge beam serving as the roof 'backbone.'"

"This part requires us to find at least ten century-old giant trees in the forest to satisfy requirements."

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