HUN Chapter 105: Alaska's Thaw Season

Time flew to mid-April, and the grasslands of Montana were beginning to turn green.

But Ethan and Olivia were still too young to endure the long journey and Alaska's unpredictable climate.

After family consultation, Lin Yu'an decided to go to Alaska alone first, establishing a solid advance base for his family.

Aliya and the children would wait until summer, when everything was settled, before joining him.

After saying goodbye to his wife, children, and family, Lin Yu'an once again boarded the flight to Fairbanks.

This time, his mood was completely different from his previous scouting trip. It was no longer about exploration and selection, but conquest and challenge!

The "Life Below Zero" production team was ready and waiting.

When Lin Yu'an walked out of the airport, he was greeted not only by old friend Jack, but also by filming director David, who stepped forward and gave him a forceful hug.

"Hermann, welcome back! From this moment, your Alaska legend officially begins filming!"

In the online meeting room at the Aurora Hotel in Fairbanks, Lin Yu'an attended the conference.

A huge map covered the entire table, with smoke filling the air.

Director David, local coordinator Jack, and guide Stan participating via video conference all had grave expressions.

Stan spoke first, "Mid to late April, thaw season. The northern section of the Dalton Highway will become a sea of mud, and the small road to your plot of land will be a disaster. Muddy swamps and puddles everywhere, heavy equipment can't get through at all."

Director David pushed his glasses and added, "No effective construction work can be done this season. Do we have to postpone the plan until June?"

The meeting room fell silent.

Postponement meant more than a month of downtime, which was unacceptable for a high-cost reality show project.

Lin Yu'an hadn't spoken the entire time. He had long anticipated this thaw season problem, which was why he had made that big shopping trip back to China.

He had even brought some equipment back through his space in advance to combat the muddy thaw season.

He pointed to the simple road on the map leading from the Dalton Highway to Plot A, asking gravely, "How much longer can this road hold up?"

This question stunned all three people present.

Stan answered heavily, "At the current temperature and snow melt rate, it can hold for two weeks at most. After two weeks, it will completely become an impassable muddy swamp. No wheeled vehicle will be able to get through."

"Two weeks."

Lin Yu'an repeated these words, tapping his finger lightly on the map.

He looked up, surveyed everyone, then said something that plunged the entire meeting room into dead silence.

"Good, then let's try."

He looked at David and said calmly, "Now, I need you and Mike to take a full vacation and rest well."

"What?"

David almost thought he had heard wrong.

"Lin, what do you mean? Are we postponing the filming schedule?"

Lin Yu'an shook his head, "No, not postponing. This is my personal action, starting now."

"I need to use these two weeks alone to find a way to transport a batch of supplies I need. Your filming now would be meaningless."

"This is impossible!"

David stood up excitedly, "Lin, one person, two weeks, facing roads that will soon be blocked, this is simply impossible for human strength to accomplish!"

Lin Yu'an didn't argue with him, just said firmly.

"In two weeks, I'll contact you. Trust me, when I contact you again, you'll see a perfect opening worth filming."

"By then, you'll just need to fly in by helicopter."

Lin Yu'an's confident and powerful aura made all of David's doubts stick in his throat.

Finally, under Lin Yu'an's insistence, David left Fairbanks with his belly full of doubts.

Lin Yu'an hitched a ride in his car to Fairbanks.

His transport plan officially began!

His first target was the internet trading platform in the industrial area on the outskirts of Fairbanks.

This platform gathered all information about various heavy equipment companies and logistics warehouses serving the surrounding mining areas and oil fields.

Through a $1,500 cash transaction, he bought an old-looking 40-foot standard container.

This was an original color container bought from a construction company preparing to replace equipment, with no markings.

This container was slightly smaller than his space and could fit inside completely.

Then he headed straight to the heavy equipment and used car trading market.

He didn't choose those flashy chain car rental companies, but walked into a local company that specialized in providing long-term vehicle rental services to oil fields and construction sites.

Not a single car here was clean, but each one radiated an aura of "tough and durable."

He said directly to the boss, "I need a rear dual-wheel pickup that can tow heavy loads, with off-road modifications. Rental period... tentatively 15 days, but I might extend it."

The boss was a burly man with a full beard. He looked Lin Yu'an up and down, then pointed to a steel beast in the corner of the yard.

It was a Ford F-450, covered in dried mud spots, but clearly well-maintained.

Its front bumper had been replaced with a heavy steel crash bar, with a WARN 16,500-pound heavy-duty winch installed on top.

The suspension was obviously raised, fitted with six huge all-terrain tires. This was truly a vehicle born to conquer Alaska!

The boss patted the tire, "This guy just retired from a survey team on the North Slope. We gave it a complete service."

"The rent isn't cheap, $1,700 for half a month, plus high insurance and deposit."

"No problem."

Lin Yu'an didn't even negotiate. After checking the chassis, engine bay, and winch operation status and confirming the vehicle was in good condition, he said directly.

"This one. I also need a heavy-duty flatbed trailer that can carry more than three tons of cargo. Rent the trailer for two days."

Half an hour later, Lin Yu'an signed a one-month rental contract and paid nearly $10,000 in deposits and rent.

He got the car keys and jumped into the driver's seat of this steel beast, feeling the steady, powerful vibration of the diesel engine.

He drove the F-450, towing the flatbed trailer, personally picked up that huge empty container, and hauled it to a temporarily rented parking area in south Fairbanks.

He also found a gas station outside the city, filled the F-450's tank, and filled several spare diesel and gasoline barrels.

All around was silent. There were no cameras here, no extra eyes.

With a thought.

"Boom—"

Lin Yu'an placed that dead-heavy "Winter Warm S-200" cast iron heating stove, wrapped in a wooden frame, at the very back of the container.

Next, that red three-wheeler also appeared out of thin air in the container!

Lin Yu'an stepped forward and used industrial-grade nylon straps and ratchet tie-downs to firmly secure this "war horse" to the anchor points reserved on the container floor.

He used several thick chains to secure it to the container walls, ensuring it wouldn't shift even slightly during the violent bumps of land transport.

Then came those two iron pots with 80-centimeter diameters that could seemingly stew a whole bear. He cleverly nested them together and wedged them into the gap next to the heating stove.

Commercial vacuum packaging machine, small sun heater, boxes of various seed types, bundles of gleaming farm tools...

All the "artifacts" he had purchased in China were categorized and precisely arranged in every corner of the container.

Finally, he placed the XCMG XC760K loader and complete set of accessories at the outermost part of the container space, securing them firmly with professional restraint chains.

Hours later, the originally empty container was completely filled with various "artifacts" from China.

Lin Yu'an personally used high-strength bolts and lead seals purchased in China to lock the container doors securely.

After completing all this, he returned the flatbed trailer to the rental company.

He contacted a local heavy transport company called "Polaris Logistics," famous for handling any troublesome route.

Since it was local pickup, the entire process became more simple and direct.

He told the logistics dispatcher on the phone, "I have a 40-foot container in the old warehouse district south of the city."

"Inside are my personal equipment and supplies. I need you to send a truck to transport it to an open area near milestone 115 on the Dalton Highway."

The dispatcher was silent for a moment upon hearing this address.

"Sir, the road conditions on the Dalton Highway in April are... very bad, especially after crossing the Yukon River. Our charges will be high, and we can't guarantee exact arrival time."

"That place is virtually uninhabited. Our driver will have to leave immediately after unloading, and you'll need to pay a huge deposit."

"Money isn't a problem. I just need you to deliver it safely as soon as possible. After arrival, just unload it on the ground."

After the logistics company inspected the cargo clearance documents and filed them, Lin Yu'an paid a transportation fee of up to $15,000, including "harsh road condition risk premium."

This special transport mission was officially scheduled.

Having completed the most critical logistics deployment, Lin Yu'an still had important things to do.

He carefully reviewed everything in his mind. This container of items had been professionally cleared through customs, with taxes truthfully paid.

Now he wasn't afraid of inspection by relevant departments at all. All procedures were legal and compliant. Lin Yu'an only needed to accelerate this delivery process.

The biggest potential loophole had been transport time, but unexpectedly, another container had already arrived at Haines Deep Water Port in Alaska and was clearing customs, expected to take one to two weeks.

Arriving in Alaska in 17 days was unexpected for Lin Yu'an! If he had known it would be this fast, why use his golden finger to save time!

All the clever preparations and documents to save a month's time turned out to be wasted effort! The speed of Chinese express delivery was incredible!

Now the last high-risk loophole of inconsistent delivery times could also withstand scrutiny.

Only the step of displaying legal documents remained, to patch up the final loophole.

Before the express pickup, Lin Yu'an carefully reviewed everything once more. After confirming no errors, he turned on his action camera and began recording video material for this "first step of building home."

He introduced everything in selfie style, especially emphasizing his expectations for Chinese-made equipment!

He filmed the container's exterior, close-ups of the lead seals, held up the customs clearance documents faxed by the dark web company, introducing them as express delivery from China.

Then he showed the contract signed with the logistics company, indicating that the express company would soon transport this container to near his new home campsite.

Although the process was complicated and troublesome, all this would become material that could make everything legally sound when the show aired later.

He quickly finished filming. Everything was ready!

Now he only needed to drive the F-450 north, leaving Fairbanks city.

Along that muddy Dalton Highway, heading toward that unloading point waiting for him!

[NEXT CHAPTER]