American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 17 The Arrival of the Production Team

On the night the shelter was completed, Lin Yu-an lit a campfire in the stone house he had built himself for the first time.

The warm firelight shone on the rough stone wall, instantly dispelling the chill and darkness of the mountain forest.

The autumn wind howled outside, but inside the stone house it was warm as spring and filled with a sense of security.

The only drawback was that the planned smoke extraction method wasn't very good; the campfire produced quite a bit of smoke, and a solution had to be found. Fortunately, Lin Yu'an already had a preliminary idea in mind.

Lin Yu'an was grilling the trout he had caught during the day, and the aroma of the fish filled the small stone house.

After the permanent shelter was basically stable, Lin Yu-an had more energy and time to explore the surrounding area.

He needs to find more abundant food sources, understand potential dangers, and make full preparations for the long winter that is coming.

Every day, they would spend several hours carrying bows and arrows and backpacks, venturing deep into the forests, covering an area of ​​several kilometers in radius, which they had never set foot in before.

During a westward exploration, he discovered a clear path formed by the repeated trampling of large animals.

Scattered along the path were some huge, plum blossom-shaped footprints, as well as some gnawed bark and broken branches.

"Guys, look at this!"

Lin Yu'an squatted down and carefully examined the footprints: "These footprints... are very large and very fresh!"

"Judging from its shape and size, it doesn't look like a stump-tailed deer, but more like... a moose or a larger elk! There must be a big one around here!"

This discovery both excited and alarmed him. Both elk and moose are excellent sources of protein, and if he could hunt one, it would be enough for Lin Yu-an to get through the entire winter!
However, the presence of these large herbivores often means that there are more advanced predators nearby!
He also found some tree trunks torn by claws and some huge droppings mixed with animal hair and undigested food residue in another dense thicket near the lake.

"Oh... damn it!"

Lin Yu'an gasped as she looked at the marks, and lowered her voice as she spoke to the camera.

"This...it's definitely from a bear! And judging by how fresh the feces are, it probably didn't leave here long ago!"

Whether it was psychological or not, he seemed to be able to clearly smell the strong, slightly fishy odor unique to bears in the air!
A strong sense of crisis instantly enveloped him!
He immediately looked around warily. Although he had never intended to provoke such a behemoth, the bear might actually attack him first!

He subconsciously checked the bear spray and the large-caliber bear-hunting pistol in the space. The existence of the space made him feel very safe, but he also had to be prepared to fight the grizzly bear head-on!

“Guys, I have to be more careful. From now on, I need to stay alert every time I go out and try to avoid entering the core activity areas of these large predators.”

Experiencing the bear's presence up close this time was like a bucket of cold water poured on Lin Yu-an's slightly relaxed mood due to the completion of the shelter.

He did not explore any further, but carefully retraced his steps back to the camp.

-----------------

When Lin Yu'an woke up again on the makeshift bed made of pine needles in the shelter.

The time has come to the seventeenth day of his solitary survival.

"Good morning, guys. Last night seemed pretty peaceful. The warning devices weren't triggered, and we didn't hear anything unusual."

"However, ever since the grizzly bear was spotted, I've had this feeling of unease! Today I must thoroughly inspect the area around the camp again and set up more early warning systems."

After a quick wash with the hot stream water and a few pieces of smoked dried fish and some nuts, Lin Yu'an began his patrol for the day.

He deliberately thinned out the dense branches and bushes around the camp to improve visibility and prevent animals from hiding there.

They also set up several simple, noisy tree branch traps along some key paths in the hope of giving early warning of animals approaching.

They also carefully cleaned up the food scraps around the camp, buried them deep away from the shelter, and compacted them to minimize the odor.

He even considered making a barbed wooden gate at the entrance of the shelter. But then he thought better of it; lacking the necessary tools and materials, what he could make would just be barbed wood, which would only serve as a chew toy for the bears.

Just as he was concentrating on how to fortify the camp's defenses, a familiar roar of propellers, growing louder as it approached, shattered the tranquility of the forest. Lin Yu'an's spirits lifted, and he looked up at the sky.

A small Bell helicopter was flying in from the distant valley. After circling over his camp once, it slowly landed on the relatively open riverbank, which was their agreed meeting point.

Lin Yu'an straightened his clothes to make sure he didn't look too disheveled, then quickly walked towards the riverbank.

After the helicopter came to a stop, the cabin door opened, and two staff members wearing windbreakers with the "Living Alone in the Wilderness" logo stepped out.

One was a technician carrying a professional camera bag, and the other was Michelle King, the marketing representative of the program team, whom Lin Yu-an had met during the online interview.

"Lin! You look great!" Michelle King said with a professional smile, extending her hand.

Lin Yu'an gently shook hands with her: "Ms. Jin, I didn't expect you to come to the wilderness in person. You can take this opportunity to see the shelter I just built."

He pointed half-jokingly to the stone house not far away that almost blended into the hillside.

The technicians went straight to Lin Yu'an and began skillfully changing the batteries and memory cards for the cameras on his chest and in his hand, and carefully checked the equipment's operation.

After checking it, the technician nodded to him: "The equipment is fine, Lin, the footage you shot is of very high quality."

Michelle King then took out a tablet and began a brief, routine inquiry: "Lin, as per procedure, I need to check on your health. How have you been feeling lately? Have you been injured or sick? Do you have enough food and water?"

Lin Yu'an answered truthfully: "Everything is fine, Ms. Jin. She is in good health and has not been injured. As for food, we mainly rely on hunting and fishing, which is currently sufficient. Water is also plentiful, and the water quality of that stream is excellent."

Michelle nodded in satisfaction and began making notes on the tablet.

She looked up, a meaningful smile on her face, and said, "Lin, there's something you might not know yet: you're quite the little 'internet celebrity' now!"

Lin Yu'an was taken aback: "Internet celebrity?"

"Yes, your heroic act at the supermarket, coupled with your unique identity as a Chinese student studying abroad and your story of signing up for 'Living Alone in the Wilderness,' has aroused great public interest!"

"Many people are really looking forward to seeing your performance in the wilderness. You could say that you are one of the most talked-about contestants this season."

"Moreover, your country's internet video platform has also offered a reasonable price to purchase the broadcasting rights, and I believe your family and friends will soon be able to see your performance."

She paused, her tone carrying a hint of encouragement.

"So, Lin, do your best, seize the opportunity, and show your full potential! This is not only about the million-dollar bonus, but it can also bring unexpected changes to your future life."

Lin Yu'an listened to Michelle's words without much emotion. These things didn't hold much appeal for him. He just wanted to win the prize money and then live a peaceful life with Aria.

“Thank you for reminding me, Ms. Jin. I will do my best,” he replied calmly.

The staff quickly completed all the work, and the helicopter roared off again, disappearing into the distant horizon.

Lin Yu'an stood on the riverbank, watching the helicopter disappear into the distance, and the subtle feeling of a brief connection with the civilized world in his heart dissipated.

He returned once again to this primitive and lonely wilderness.

"Guys, the crew just left."

"I should go find food, but before that, I need to solve a big problem—the efficiency of heating and cooking."

He pointed to the simple stone hearth in the corner of the stone house and said, "Although this hearth is usable, it produces too much smoke and loses a lot of heat, which is a huge waste of firewood."

"More importantly, burning an open flame in a confined space for an extended period of time poses significant safety hazards."

"So today I plan to devote all my energy to a major project that I've been planning for a long time: to build a safe fireplace inside the Stone House Shelter!"

Please add it to your bookshelf!
Please continue reading!
Please provide feedback!


(End of this chapter)