American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 187 The Treasure in the Box
He took a deep breath, as if performing a sacred ritual. He extended his gloved, slightly trembling fingers and, extremely slowly and solemnly, turned the four rollers.

With the fourth roller, slowly, accompanied by a slight "click," it finally came into position—"4".

“1……9……8……4……”

When the last number was in place, the whole world seemed to fall silent; he could hear his own heartbeat. He placed his thumb on the cold metal switch and pressed it gently.

"Click!"

A very faint metallic spring sound rang out, but at this moment it sounded as clear as thunder!
The combination lock that he couldn't budge even with an axe, the sturdy switch that had withstood all his attempts, snapped open half a centimeter to the side!

"Success!"

A tremendous, indescribable joy instantly welled up in my heart.

This is not just about opening a box, but about overcoming a problem from an unknown civilization through pure wisdom and logical reasoning!

The sense of accomplishment from such an intellectual victory is far greater than that from finding food or tools.

He unlocked the remaining three equally sturdy latches one by one, each latch making a mesmerizing "click" sound as it popped open.

He placed his hand on the edge of the lid, took a deep breath, and then, with a touch of solemnity, slowly lifted the lid.

A strong smell of dried plastic and paper, which had been sealed for a long time, wafted out.

Inside the lid of the box is a thick, black O-ring sealing strip, perfectly intact. It is this strip that ensures complete isolation between the inside of the box and the harsh world outside.

Everything in the box was perfectly dry.

However, when he saw the contents of the box, the immense joy he felt from cracking the code quickly cooled down as if doused with ice water, replaced by a complex emotion mixed with disappointment, confusion, and ultimately, awe.

There was nothing there that he had imagined.

There were no high-energy compressed biscuits, no first-aid medicines, no signal gun, and certainly no lighter or multi-tool that he dreamed of.

Inside the box, thick black cushioning foam perfectly divided it into several areas.

In the largest area, stacks of documents were neatly arranged in thick, transparent waterproof bags with seals. Through the bags, he could see that inside were A4 papers printed with a large number of complex charts, function curves, and dense formulas.

In a separate recess next to the documents lay a laptop, its casing extremely sturdy and wrapped in special cushioning material. He instinctively pressed the power button, but the screen remained unresponsive; it was clearly out of power.

Next to the computer, in the smallest recess, lay a hardcover, A5-sized journal. The journal's cover was dark blue, with a logo printed in silver lettering consisting of abstract mountain and wave lines.

Below the logo, there is a line of clear English text.

(Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution - Polar Environment Research Division)
"It seems we've found the culmination of a scientist's wisdom." Lin Yu'an carefully took out the journal, which felt cold and solid to the touch.

He opened the first page of the journal. On the title page, in an extremely powerful yet somewhat unruly English handwriting, was written the journal's owner information.

(Assets belong to Dr. McCorz Lane)
(Project: Arctic Cryomicrobiology and Biosignal Research)
“McCoz Ryan…” Lin Yu’an murmured the name, and instantly, all the cold items in the box had a new owner.

He continued flipping through the pages. The contents confirmed his initial impression of "Dr. McCormick." Most of the pages were filled with meticulous observational data, ice core sample numbers, and environmental parameters, written in neat, almost printed handwriting.

But what truly captivated him were the notes written in a more casual handwriting in the margins. They were like windows, allowing him to glimpse the scientist's true character.

Next to a table recording temperatures as low as minus forty degrees Celsius, she drew an angry little figure exhaling white steam, and wrote the following text:

(Seriously? Does my face really have to feel like it's about to split open? A reminder to myself: invent a heated face mask.)
On another page, beneath a chart analyzing complex data, she wrote: (I've got it! The peak of respiration matches the meltwater plume event perfectly! I need a beer. Or ten. JC owes me that beer.)
Lin Yu'an's gaze was drawn to the phrase "I've discovered it!" He curiously flipped to the last few pages of the log, where she seemed to have recorded her most crucial discovery.

The contents of these pages are completely different from the previous daily records.

The handwriting became extremely messy and agitated, and in some places the paper was even torn due to excessive force.

The page was filled with arrows, dots, and impromptu simple diagrams to explain her ideas.

Next to a hand-drawn sketch simulating the flow of water beneath an ice shelf, she used capital letters, almost shouting them out.

(It's not just about temperature! The metabolic rate of psychrophilic microorganisms is not entirely dependent on changes in heat!)

Following this was an even more agitated passage, almost illegible, of text that Lin Yu'an could only barely decipher:
("The key is the influx of nutrients released from beneath the ice! The ancient carbon sources released from the bottom of melting glaciers are the real trigger! It's like a feast for them.")
("When freshwater plumes arrive, they don't just 'wake up,' they're throwing a damn party! This explains the massive and short-lived methane biosignal spikes we've been detecting!")

("This is a direct, measurable link between glacial melting and the production of greenhouse gases at the microbial level! My God! This could change the entire climate feedback model!")
Although Lin Yu'an couldn't fully understand the scientific principles behind the text, he could clearly feel the immense excitement and ecstasy bursting forth from between the lines.

It was the highest level of excitement a scientist could experience—the thrill of discovering a new continent and revealing the underlying laws of the world. He could almost see McCormick writing those words, his body trembling, his eyes gleaming with an aurora-like light, under the dim light.

What is revealed between the lines is not only a rigorous and focused scientific research spirit, but also a passion for science.

This created a very vivid image in his mind: a smart, resilient, interesting, and very cool young scientist.

He closed the journal and noticed a transparent compartment on the inside of the cover, specifically for inserting cards.

Inserted in the interlayer was her identification ID card from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Lin Yu'an carefully pulled the card out with her fingertips.

When he saw the photo on the ID card, he couldn't help but hold his breath. The more than twenty days of living without any income had made him feel restless.

He didn't bring Arya's photo to this challenge, which was his strategy to immerse himself completely in the challenge!
The work card photo was not a standard, professionally taken passport photo with a serious expression.

In the photo, she looks to be only twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with her long, slightly wavy, dark brown hair casually draped over her shoulders. The light coming from the side makes her features appear soft and three-dimensional.

Her head was tilted slightly, her eyes staring directly and honestly at the camera, with a hint of inquiry and challenge, her lips slightly parted as if she might say something witty at any moment.

The small metal nose ring on her nose reflected a faint light under the lamp, adding a touch of rebelliousness to her serious "doctor" identity.

The photo was cropped perfectly; she was wearing a dark V-neck top, and the blue "evil eye" necklace, which had appeared in her blog as a talisman, lay quietly between her collarbones.

His erotic focus was right below his collarbone, drawing his gaze in more than once.

Lin Yu'an finally managed to focus her gaze on the faint outline of a pattern on her left arm that appeared to be a scorpion or some other strange creature.

This photograph perfectly encapsulates a unique, free-spirited soul onto a small card.

He finally understood that the vivid image of the girl in the diary who complained about the weather and craved beer was the same person as the cool girl in front of him with frank eyes, tattoos, and a nose ring.

She is not a symbol defined by the title of "PhD"; she is a multifaceted and interesting person, a brave explorer who has devoted all her passion to this cold world.

Lin Yu'an took one last look, then carefully inserted the ID card back into its original position.

He could imagine that this unconventional yet unique ID photo might be her way of making a small, silent protest against the boring rules.

He sat there silently for a long time.

"These things are of no direct use to my current survival."

"A steel rod that can be used for forging, or even a piece of dried fish that can be eaten, is more useful than everything here."

His gaze returned to the contents of the box, finally settling on the closed journal.

"But for this young woman named McCorz Lane, this contains everything—her intelligence, her hard work, her sense of humor, and her future path."

He put the logbook and everything else back into the box exactly as they were.

“I can’t just leave it here and let it be swept away by the next storm or buried by ice and snow forever.”

"After this challenge is over, I will contact the production team and use this information to find her."

"Hopefully she and her partner JC are both safe and sound. She should get these things back and then go drink the ten beers that JC owes her."

He closed the lid of the box again and fastened the four latches one by one, making a dull "click" sound.

Although this "blind box" did not yield the survival gear he most desired, it did reveal a heavy responsibility and a vivid, impressive unknown face.

On this desolate Labrador coastline, Lin Yu'an couldn't help but feel curious about her.

He tied the dark green box with nylon rope, carried it on his back, took one last look at the coastline, then turned and began to head back towards the shelter.

Lin Yu'an understood that his survival strategy had to be changed once again.

The bounty from the coast has ended; he must find other sources of food.

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(End of this chapter)