American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 206: The Killing Field of the Ecosystem (Multiple images, highly recommended reading.)
The Arctic red-spotted salmon, weighing over a pound, was cleanly and efficiently sent to the fishing spot by Lin Yu'an, and tossed onto the snow in the corner of the ice fishing shed.

The fishy smell of blood mingled with the smoky aroma of burning firewood in the tin stove, creating a unique scent that only polar survivors could detect.

His heart was still beating strongly, not because of the brief struggle just now, but because of the meaning that fish represented.

That was a signal, a decisive signal that validated all the conjectures and efforts.

Without stopping, he pinched out a small piece of blood-red bait from the bait box, skillfully hooked it onto the empty hook, and then sank the fishing rig back into the bottomless ice cave.

"The appearance of the first fish proved that my scent bomb theory was correct! It successfully attracted the predatory fish scattered downstream to my fishing range."

"Now, I want to verify another hypothesis: whether this scent field attracts a passing fish or a whole school of fish."

He had barely finished speaking, and before he could even properly set up the ice fishing rod, the tip suddenly dipped again!
This time the signal was more aggressive and unreasonable than the last. It wasn't a tentative bite; it was a pure robbery!
The rod tip dropped so sharply that it looked as if something underwater was trying to drag the fishing rod directly into the ice hole.

"here we go again!"

Lin Yu'an gave a low shout, his body reacting faster than his brain could process. He jerked his wrist upward, the fish-stabbing motion precise and swift.

Instantly, a pull several times stronger than before came forcefully from the other end of the fishing line, and the taut fishing line emitted a low "humming" sound, like a taut bowstring.

The fishing reel in his hand hissed sharply again as the fishing line was pulled outwards at breakneck speed.

Lin Yu'an immediately adjusted his posture, leaning back slightly on the stool, using the strength of his waist and abdomen to resist the enormous force underwater.

"This one...is much bigger than the last one!"

Lin Yu'an could clearly feel that the thing underwater was not fleeing in a panic, but was making a steady and powerful impact, one after another, each time trying to challenge the limits of his arm strength.

Inside the small ice fishing shed, the atmosphere was frozen. The only sounds were the crackling of the stove, the screeching of the homemade fishing reel, and Lin Yu'an's heavy, steady breathing. He showed no panic; this amount of power meant nothing to him.

But he knew that fishing in an ice hole that was only the size of a bowl in diameter was completely different from fishing in open water.

The fish should not be allowed to swim too far underwater, otherwise, once the fish swims sideways, the fishing line will form a large angle with the edge of the ice hole, and the sharp edge of the ice will easily cut the fishing line like a knife.

He must exhaust the opponent's strength as quickly as possible within the limited space.

One pulls in, one releases out; one comes, one goes.

When the other person exerts force, he releases the force accordingly, letting the fishing line be pulled out, but always keeping it taut, so that the hook is firmly hooked in the fish's mouth.

When the opponent's force eased slightly, he did not hesitate to quickly turn the crank and regain the lost ground inch by inch.

The struggle lasted for nearly three minutes. He felt the brute force underwater begin to weaken, the frequency of the impacts slowed down, and the force diminished.

"I see it! Now!"

Lin Yu'an's eyes narrowed, and without giving the other party any chance to breathe, he began to reel in the fishing line at a steady pace.

The "clattering" sound of the wooden fishing reel echoed like the drumbeats of victory in the confined space as he slowly dragged the underwater figure toward the entrance of the ice cave.

When the dark figure appeared below the ice cave, he suddenly pulled the fishing rod upwards!
"Splash—" a sound.

Amidst the splashing icy water, a colossal creature, a full size larger than the previous fish, was forcefully pulled from the water and slammed heavily onto the snow.

"It's a lake trout! A huge one!" Lin Yu'an exclaimed in surprise.

This is a more robust fish, nearly fifty centimeters long, with a dark olive green back covered with pale yellow worm-like markings. It is a typical apex predator in cold-water lakes and rivers.

It rolled and twisted on the ground, its tail fin slapping against the snow with a dull thud, full of power.

"This guy weighs at least three pounds!" Lin Yu'an looked at the unexpected lake trout, unable to suppress his smile any longer.

"Arctic red-spotted salmon are one of the favorite foods of lake trout, which perfectly confirms my speculation! The scent bombs attract small fish, the small fish attract red-spotted salmon, and the gathering of red-spotted salmon attracts an even more apex predator—lake trout!"

He quickly sent the fish flying to the surface with a single blow, not even having time to wipe the icy water off his face, before baiting the hook again and casting it once more.

This time, he waited for less than thirty seconds.

The rod tip dipped again, and he caught another red-spotted salmon weighing about a pound.

Then came the fourth, the fifth...

In a corner of the ice fishing shed, the catch piled up higher and higher, the dazzling silvery-white color seeming so unreal in the dim shed.

The frequency of bites has reached an exaggerated level; almost as soon as the hook touches the bottom, a fish will immediately attack.

Lin Yu'an stopped fishing and took a deep breath. The cold air calmed his head, which was a little feverish from excitement.

He walked in front of the camera, his expression serious, and said, "The test is over, and the results are very clear. My scent bomb didn't just attract; it detonated this area! There's definitely a high-density fish nest below the spot now!"

"A makeshift restaurant for a school of predatory fish, including Arctic char and lake trout, where any single act of fishing would be far too inefficient for the size of the fish in the water at this moment."

"The bet is definitely won. Now, it's time to collect all my rewards and close the net!"

After saying that, he walked out of the ice fishing shed without any further hesitation.

The sky outside was no longer a pale, fish-belly white; it was nearing afternoon, and the sky had taken on a bright yet pale hue characteristic of winter in high-latitude regions.

The sun hung low on the southern horizon, its rays slanting down and making the snow-covered ground dazzling, but the midday temperature had already been lost.

The snowstorm had lessened somewhat compared to the morning, but it was still quite biting.

Instead of untying the rope directly, he walked to the end of the fishing net, which was the area he had previously reserved for hauling in the net.

The wind and snow of the night had covered the rectangular opening he had cut out for netting again, with only a few slight dents where the original outline could still be vaguely discerned.

He put down his backpack and struck the ice with the back of his axe, producing a dull "bang bang" sound.

"Judging from this sound, the ice layer has thickened considerably."

He didn't use the ice drill, because at this point he didn't care if he scared the fish away. He raised the axe and swung it down hard!
"clang!"

The heavy, sharp blade of the axe struck the previously cut seam precisely, sending ice shards flying and a clear crack spreading across the ice surface.

Without pausing, he continued to chop along the edge of the rectangle, again and again.

Each swing was steady and precise, the power flowing from the waist and abdomen to the arm, and then into the axe blade. The frozen ice blocks were quickly shattered and separated.

Finally, with a crisp "crack," the last rectangular block of ice was completely separated from the ice surface.

He hooked the tip of his axe onto a corner of the ice block, pulled hard, and then pushed it sharply. The ice block slowly sank into the water beneath the ice, revealing the cold, dark green river water below the ice hole.

After doing all this, he went to the other end and untied the main rope fixed to the wooden stake.

"Alright, the net-closing point has been cleared. The final mystery of this high-stakes gamble is about to be revealed!" he said, putting on thick gloves and gripping the cold main rope tightly with both hands.

He spread his legs, leaned back, and put all his weight on the rope, beginning to exert force.

However, his expression changed the next second.

At the other end of the rope came a relentless, mountain-like resistance that remained completely still.

"Huh?" He paused for a moment, then exerted force again, but the fishing net seemed to be held tightly by countless hands underwater, remaining completely still.

"Hanging?"

This was the first thought that flashed through his mind. When setting up fishing nets underwater, the biggest fear is encountering obstacles such as driftwood or rock crevices. Once they get caught, the entire net could be ruined.

His heart sank. If his most precious fishing net were destroyed, all the joy he had just felt would vanish. "No...no." He quickly calmed down and carefully felt the feedback coming from the rope.

It wasn't a rigid, unyielding resistance. Rather, it was a heavy feeling with a subtle "liveliness."

It was as if they weren't pulling a single rock, but a whole slab of fish, laden with heavy loads and still trembling slightly!

"It's not that it's snagged on the bottom... it's that there are too many fish in the net!"

A crazy idea exploded in his mind, making his blood boil!

"Guys, we might have won an unprecedented jackpot!" he shouted into the camera, his face filled with unbelievable elation.

Instead of trying to pull the net up with brute force, he changed his strategy. He wrapped the rope around his waist and, using his core and leg strength, began to back away step by step.

"Ho...ho..."

His heavy breathing echoed in the wind and snow, his boots leaving deep footprints in the snow, and every inch he moved backward required tremendous effort.

As he retreated, the fishing net underwater began to be slowly dragged. He could feel the resistance underwater changing, with bursts of violent struggle!

As he pulled, he moved toward the net's outlet, his eyes fixed on the dark water.

Finally, the surface of the water began to move. First, a few bubbles rose to the surface, and then a huge, twisting black shadow appeared beneath the surface.

"Here it comes!" he growled, pulling backward with all his might!
"Crack-!"

With a loud splash, the first fish was pulled out of the net and placed on the ice!

Then, for a moment, Lin Yu'an's breath caught in his throat.

After catching the first fish, what appeared before him was a sight that would drive any fisherman crazy!

The first part of the fishing net to emerge from the water was already densely covered with silvery-white fish!
He dared not stop and continued to drag the net backward, like a giant python laden with silver treasures, being pulled inch by inch from the icy river water.

One, two, ten, twenty... As more and more of the fishing net was pulled out of the water, the breathtaking scene became more and more complete.

Countless Arctic salmon, some weighing half a pound and others over a pound, struggled and bounced frantically between the grids, their silver scales reflecting thousands of dazzling points of light under the grayish-white skylight.

Their writhing bodies slapped against the ice, making a dense "pat-pat-pat" sound that mingled with the sound of wind and snow, creating a symphony of harvest.

And interspersed within this "galaxy" are several even larger, darker-colored figures—three enormous lake trout!

They were firmly trapped in the larger mesh of the net, their bodies twisting violently, each struggle causing a large section of the fishing net to tremble, displaying their astonishing strength.

As Lin Yu'an pulled the fishing net backward with all his might, his brain raced, trying to comprehend the incredible scene before him.

His gaze swept over the fish hanging in the net, and a crucial detail made him suddenly realize the truth.

He discovered that most of the fish did not come straight into the fishing net from the upstream, but were caught at various chaotic angles. Some were caught while swimming upstream from the downstream direction, and some were even entangled sideways!

Between heavy breaths, he explained haltingly to the camera, "Guys... the trap I set may have turned into a chaotic killing field!"

When the last section of the fishing net was completely pulled onto the ice, Lin Yu'an finally loosened his grip on the rope.

On the fifteen-meter-long gillnet, almost every effective mesh held a fish. The entire ice surface was instantly covered with a layer of still-pulsating silver.

He didn't cheer immediately; instead, he blinked, his gaze fixed intently on the catch before him. He walked step by step along the edge of the net, his eyes scanning every detail within it.

He needed to confirm, he needed to verify with his own eyes, the crazy theory that had flashed through his mind as he closed the net.

“Look here.” He crouched down, extended his fingers, which were white from exertion, and parted a still-jumping red-spotted salmon to reveal a white fish that was more tightly entangled underneath.

"And this white fish, its scales have been cut into its flesh by the net line, and its gill cover is stuck tightly. It was obviously one of the first to hit the net. Its struggle marks are completely different from the red-spotted salmon around it."

Lin Yu'an stood up, took a few steps forward, squatted down again, and pointed to another scene that made his pupils shrink.

“And this one.” He pointed to a red-spotted salmon hanging in the net, with half a white fish’s tail fin stuck in its twisted mouth!
"It was attacking the white fish that was already caught in the net when it crashed in headfirst. It was so fast that it didn't even have time to swallow its prey."

“These are all evidence of chain predation. It all started with my scent bomb. It attracted the first victims, those whitefish with a keen sense of smell and some other small bottom-dwelling fish. They were the first to run into the net and get caught on it.”

"Their dying struggles and the pheromones they released were like countless baits sounding an alarm in the water! Combined with my scent bombs, then the second act began."

He pointed to several white fish, noticeably smaller in size, that were tightly entangled, and continued to explain: "Then, the schools of Arctic salmon were completely triggered by this double stimulus, unleashing their predatory instincts! They fell into a competitive frenzy of predation!"

"In this state, the fish's intelligence drops drastically, and aggression and competitiveness become overwhelming. Their target is the white fish that are already caught in the net and within easy reach!"

"As they rushed forward to snatch the food, in the chaos and pushing, they themselves plunged headfirst into the almost invisible barbed net!"

"When a red-spotted salmon gets caught, its struggles will further exacerbate the chaos in the water, sending out more tension signals and attracting more of its kind into this crazy cycle!"

His gaze finally settled on the several huge lake trout, and a hint of excitement appeared on his face.

"And when the number of red-spotted salmon on this wall reaches its peak, the final 'harvesters' appear! These big guys—lake trout—are attracted by the unprecedented density of red-spotted salmon in this area."

"For them, this is a grand buffet! When they open their mouths and rush towards those red-spotted salmon hanging in the nets, unable to move, their fate is sealed!"

"So, this wasn't just a coincidence that forty-odd fish ran into the net; it was a perfect predator-prey trap that developed from a big fish eating a small fish!"

Lin Yu-an continued his inspection, and the scene before him kept confirming his deduction. He saw fresh tooth marks and scratches left by other fish on the bodies of many red-spotted salmon, which were marks left when fish in high-density schools competed for food.

Some fish didn't even hit the net headfirst; instead, they were pushed and shoved by their chaotic companions to the side, forcing themselves into the mesh and getting stuck, unable to move.

Then, he stopped in front of the enormous lake trout. The visual impact of these huge creatures was unparalleled.

The largest of them, with its massive mouth covered in fine barbs, was viciously biting the belly of a red-spotted salmon.

The red-spotted salmon's body had been bitten through, and dark red internal organs and fish blood seeped from the wound, staining the surrounding ice surface a small patch of murky red.

Although the lake trout's head passed through several meshes of the net that it had stretched, its broad gill covers and thick pectoral fins were tightly bound by tough nylon lines. Every time it struggled, the nylon lines could be seen digging into its flesh.

“Predator-prey chain trap…” Lin Yu’an murmured to himself, his voice so low that only he could hear it.

He reached out and touched the lake trout's cold body; the sensation through his gloved fingertips was so real.

This made him incredibly excited! It was as if he could see the championship throne beckoning to him again!

After a long while, he slowly straightened up, not looking at the camera immediately, but closing his eyes and taking a deep breath of the air mixed with the smell of blood and snow.

A few seconds later, he opened his eyes again, facing the camera with a look of disbelief rather than ecstatic joy.

He seemed to want to say something, but when he opened his mouth, he only let out a soft, ambiguous laugh, then shook his head, as if mocking his previous worry and tension.

"Guys, I did it! I really did it!" he repeated, this time with a much louder voice, filled with unwavering certainty!
The tension, anxiety, and uncertainty about the future that had been suppressed for so long were completely shattered by the scene before my eyes!
He started to laugh, at first just a slight upturn of the corners of his mouth, then the smile grew wider and wider, spreading uncontrollably across his entire face.

Laughing, laughing, then suddenly raising his head!

He opened his arms as if to embrace this frozen world, and then, the excitement that had been building up to its peak finally turned into a roar that resounded across the ice field!

"what--!!!"

That roar contained the exhaustion of physical strength, the tension of gambling everything, the ecstasy of a successful plan, and the satisfaction of conquering nature and taking control of one's destiny!

He won. These forty-odd fish, rich in high-quality protein and fat, were his strongest guarantee for survival in this frozen world for the next few dozen days.

He will never have to worry about food and fat again. With a perfect gamble, although he consumed all the capelin, he won back enough to keep him here for dozens of days!
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

(2:03, today's update is here, a little late.)
(There are 4 days left until the draw. Remember to vote with your monthly pass to enter the mobile phone giveaway! Also, voting with 15 monthly passes will get you a survival bracelet. The magnesium rod is pretty fun; I've already successfully started a fire with it.)
(End of this chapter)