King of the Wilderness

The ocean giant seemed completely unfazed by the iron bird circling overhead. It leisurely exposed its mountain-like, barnacle-covered back on the surface of the sea.

Then, it performed an action that everyone on the plane would remember forever.

Its body slowly sank downward, and immediately, that iconic black-and-white artistic tail fin emerged from the water in an incredibly elegant and powerful manner.

The sunlight outlined the silhouette of the tail fin in a golden hue. Countless crystal-clear water droplets fell from the edge of the tail fin like diamonds, scattering over the azure sea.

It seemed to be offering a silent and solemn salute to the sky and this magnificent world!

Then, it silently submerged back into the deep blue, leaving behind a gradually dispersing giant ripple on the sea’s surface.

The whole process lasted only a few dozen seconds.

Yet the cabin was enveloped in a profound, lasting silence of awe.

Aliya and Emily stared blankly at the now-peaceful ocean below, feeling as if their souls had been thoroughly cleansed by the spectacle.

That was the essence of life itself—pure, primal, and breathtakingly beautiful.

Lin Yu’an said nothing. He merely circled the plane once more above the ocean, paying his respects to the chance encounter with the ocean giant.

Then, he ascended again, continuing on the southern route.

"Dear..." It took Aliya a while to find her voice, looking at Lin Yu’an’s profile with eyes full of love and admiration, "Thank you."

"Thank me for what?"

"Thank you for bringing us to see all this. Without you, I might have only seen such scenes on TV all my life."

Emily nodded in sincere agreement, "This, is true luxury living."

Lin Yu’an smiled and continued to focus on flying the plane.

At dusk, as the sun began to set, painting the sky and sea in vivid orange hues, they reached the day’s final destination, the beautiful southernmost town of Alaska, Ketchikan.

This is the salmon capital of the world.

Lin Yu’an didn’t choose to land at the land airport but piloted the plane to a smooth water landing on the mirror-like calm bay.

The plane’s amphibious floats sliced through the water dyed golden by the sunset, creating two elegant white trails.

The power of the turbine engine was reduced to a minimum. Like a swan returning home, the plane glided silently to a group of colorful waterbound buildings steeped in history.

That place was the most well-known landmark of Ketchikan—Creek Street.

The whole street, or rather, the entire community, had no inch of land. It was entirely built on creaky wooden boardwalks that meandered along Ketchikan Creek.

The houses on either side were supported directly by sturdy wooden piles, built as stilted houses above the rushing creek.

At the deepest, quietest end of the street was the largest and most imposing three-story building, the legendary Riverbend Inn they had booked in advance.

The inn boasted the only private dock on Creek Street that could accommodate a Turbo Beaver-class heavy seaplane.

When Lin Yu’an securely docked the plane beside the dock, no attendant came to greet them.

He skillfully shut down the engine, opened the cabin door, picked up a ready-prepared mooring rope, leapt onto the floats, and then onto the dock.

He anchored the heavy plane to the dock’s mooring post, as if tethering a horse, with skilled knotting techniques.

This was the daily routine of a bush pilot, always tending to their own aircraft personally.

He returned to the cabin, carefully unbuckling the two babies, still asleep in their car seats, then passed them to Emily, who was waiting at the door.

Then, together with Aliya, they carried their luggage ashore one by one.

The family walked along the creaky wooden boardwalk. Aliya and Emily looked around curiously at this legendary place.

Aliya, feeling the flow of the creek beneath her feet, said, "This place... It’s unique, with mostly red, green, and blue wooden houses, like a fairytale town."

Lin Yu’an laughed and explained, "Of course it’s unique, especially that green wooden house. A hundred years ago, it was the most famous brothel in all of Alaska."

"Each house here holds countless legendary stories about goldminers, fishermen, and smugglers."

"It’s said that during Prohibition, there were even hidden doors here to secretly transport whiskey from boats into bars through the floors."

Pointing to the biggest building ahead, he said, "Our Riverbend Inn, it was said to be the most luxurious and mysterious club here in the past."

This story piqued their curiosity about the inn, eager to discover its secrets.

Their accommodation in the King’s Suite was the inn’s top-tier room. It occupied the entire western corner of the third floor, featuring a spacious wrap-around terrace extending out over the creek.

The interior wasn’t adorned with ostentatious decor but instead exuded luxury imbued with natural and historical character.

Thick, handwoven Navajo-style carpets covered the floors, and the walls displayed artwork depicting indigenous myths alongside massive moose antler decorations.

The most striking feature was the huge granite hearth, where a crackling fire burned, casting a warm, bright glow across the room.

The massive cedar bed, able to sleep four, faced a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows.

Lying in bed, you could see the creek flowing into the ocean and fishing boats returning in the distance.

That night, they chose not to dine in the restaurant but enjoyed dinner on their room’s terrace instead.

The inn’s chef prepared them a "full salmon feast."

Five types of top-grade wild salmon, each with distinct flavors from different waters—King, Sockeye, Coho, Pink, and Chum—were prepared in ways that best highlighted their natural taste, resulting in over a dozen exquisite dishes.

From melt-in-your-mouth smoked King salmon slices rich in fatty aroma to firm pan-seared Sockeye salmon with tangy-sweet lingonberry sauce.

From cedar-planked Coho salmon fillets exuding a unique woody scent to the ultimate fresh taste of Pink salmon head soup simmered in simple broth.

Every dish was a refined indulgence for the taste buds.

As Aliya and Emily savored this unparalleled meal, they relished the slightly cool, salty sea breeze of early evening.

They watched fishing boats in the distance draw long golden wake trails across the sea, and in the sky, flocks of seagulls and bald eagles wheeled in the glow of the sunset.

This was a tranquility and relaxation far removed from all worldly clamor.

The two little ones were in high spirits, seemingly falling in love with this refreshing place as well.

They crawled tirelessly across the soft large bed with top-quality Egyptian cotton sheets in the hotel, filling the room with happy laughter and injecting the family adventure with pure life energy.

Finally, when night fell and the sky filled with stars, the family listened to the calls of waterbirds returning home, laid their heads to the sound of the ocean waves, and drifted into a deep sleep.

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(All the elements in this Chapter exist in reality. If you have the chance, brothers, try the king crab at that place.)