American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 229 Parting on the Forty-Fourth Day (5K Long Chapter, Requesting Monthly Tickets)

Day 44.

The sky was just beginning to lighten with the pale, fish-belly white light characteristic of the Arctic. Inside the shelter, the flames in the fireplace, after burning all night, had turned into a patch of dark red embers beneath a thick layer of ash, steadily radiating their last warmth.

Lin Yu'an didn't sleep, or rather, he barely slept a wink last night.

He simply lay quietly on his side in the sleeping bag, holding the little one who was already in a deep sleep in his arms.

December has grown quite a bit, weighing over 15 kilograms. It's like a big, fluffy pillow, pressing down on half of his body until it feels numb. But Lin Yu'an doesn't move, afraid of disturbing it.

By the faint red glow of the charcoal fire, he greedily, again and again, traced the outline of December with his gaze.

Watching its little belly rise and fall with its even breathing, watching its tightly closed eyelids covered with long eyelashes, watching its little nose twitch unconsciously occasionally in its sleep.

Looking at its furry little paws curled up against its chest, with hard, black nails...

He wanted to etch all of this into his mind, because he knew this was the last night like this.

Last night, Mark's satellite phone call came as scheduled, his voice carrying a solemn tone as if everything had been settled: "Ann, get ready. Tomorrow morning at ten o'clock, Dr. McCormick's team will arrive at your coordinates by helicopter. The handover moment... has arrived."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Yu'an remained silent for a long time.

These ten days were the most luxurious and least wilderness-like of his entire challenge. Without the anxiety about fat, his life was filled with a simple yet incredibly fulfilling rhythm.

Prepare and feed the baby on time, measure and record meticulously, clean patiently, and enjoy those carefree afternoons filled with laughter on the frozen lake.

A tacit understanding had developed between him and December, transcending species. He only needed to give December a glance, and she would know whether it was time to eat or go out to play.

And with a whimper in December, he could more quickly tell whether it was hungry, cold, or simply being affectionate.

This feeling of being completely relied upon and trusted filled the huge void in his heart caused by being far away from his family.

But now, all of that is coming to an end.

Its daybreak.

Lin Yu'an very slowly pulled his arm out from under December's head. He stepped out of his sleeping bag and, instead of recording data as usual, rekindled the fire in the fireplace, filling the entire shelter with warmth and light.

Then he began preparing for December's...last breakfast here.

The UVC disinfection box works silently, and he uses a non-contact infrared thermometer to precisely calibrate the water temperature. He meticulously controls the numbers on the electronic scale to one decimal place.

The milk he prepared was the largest serving he could calculate based on his current weight in December.

"Ouch..."

December woke up sleepily, smelled the familiar milky scent, and immediately waddled over, nuzzling his leg affectionately with her head.

Lin Yu'an squatted down, not feeding it immediately, but instead reaching out to slowly stroke every inch of December's fur from head to tail.

He wanted to remember that feel, the unique texture of the fine, soft underfur mixed with the slightly coarse guard hairs.

"Eat up, baby." He handed her the bottle.

As usual, December immediately hugged her milk bottle excitedly, leaned against her "special dining seat," and made a satisfied "gurgling" sound.

Lin Yu'an didn't eat his breakfast. He just sat quietly opposite December, watching it.

Watching its comical, sprawling posture while holding the bottle, watching its lingering, greedy licking of its lips after finishing its milk, watching its expectant eyes as it picked up the red rubber ball after eating and drinking its fill, inviting him to play together.

His gaze had never been so focused and tender.

9:50 a.m.

A deep, familiar buzzing sound came from the distant horizon, breaking the silence of the snowfield.

Lin Yu'an's heart sank. What was bound to happen had finally happened.

He was already dressed neatly and had arranged all of December's belongings in the shelter in an orderly manner. He also backed up all the precious data about December's growth recorded in the electronic recorder over the past ten days.

December, who was clinging to Lin Yu'an's leg and trying to drag him outside to play ball, was also startled by the oppressive voice that came from afar.

It immediately stopped playing, pricked up its ears warily, and let out a low, threatening growl. Instinctively, it moved closer to Lin Yu'an's back, seeking protection.

"Don't be afraid, December, it's alright." Lin Yu'an picked it up and soothed its trembling back with his palm, his voice a little hoarse.

He held December in his arms, took one last look around the small shelter filled with memories, then pushed open the door and stepped into the familiar, vast snowfield.

The sound is getting louder and louder.

Soon, two huge, bright orange-red black dots appeared on the horizon. Not one, but two!
One of them was a Bell 412 helicopter that Lin Yu'an was familiar with, with a huge logo of "Living Alone in the Wilderness" printed on its fuselage. It was the vehicle that Mark and the accompanying reporter used.

The other was a larger, more rugged Sikorsky S-92 heavy helicopter. Its fuselage bore a blue circular emblem composed of a polar bear and the Earth, below which was clearly written the English words "Arctic Ecological Institute."

Two steel behemoths, representing the pinnacle of civilized technology, landed steadily one after the other on the cleared snowfield in front of his shelter, amidst swirling snowflakes.

The helicopter rotor slowly came to a stop due to its immense inertia. Silence returned, broken only by the ticking sound of the engine cooling down.

The helicopter door from "Living Alone in the Wilderness" slid open first. The first to jump out was Mark, wearing a heavy parka, his face filled with excitement and emotion.

Following closely behind was a photographer carrying a professional video camera and a female reporter holding a microphone and recording equipment.

The hatch of another heavy helicopter opened almost simultaneously.

A tall woman wearing a dark blue winter coat with the institute's logo was the first to jump down gracefully.

She wore snow goggles that covered most of her face, and had long, slightly disheveled flaxen hair. Her movements were swift and decisive, full of strength and power.

Lin Yu-an recognized her from the photo; she was Michaels Ryan.

McCorz took off his snow goggles, revealing a face that was younger than Lin Yu'an had imagined.

Her skin was rough from long-term exposure to the polar winds and snow, but her eyes were as clear and deep as the seawater beneath the polar glaciers.

Her brow bone was high, and her eyebrows were thick and spirited, which made her dark brown eyes, like deep pools in the forest, appear even brighter and deeper.

She pulled down her windproof mask, then casually tossed her head, revealing a thick, glossy head of hair that cascaded down like a golden waterfall.

It wasn't a single flaxen color, but rather a rich, warm hue under the polar sun, a blend of caramel and chestnut brown.

Lin Yu'an's breath hitched slightly the moment he saw that face.

That was a more vivid and lively face than he had seen in the photos; her skin was a healthy tan, bearing the subtle marks of long hours spent working outdoors.

But this did not diminish her beauty in the slightest; on the contrary, it added a wild charm that could not be replicated.

Although she is young, her eyes and posture exude the confidence and authority of a top scholar.

She was Michaels Lane, the woman who discussed Orwell with him in her letters and joked with him.

Immediately afterwards, two more male staff members, also dressed in professional uniforms, followed, carrying a very heavy-looking professional transport case filled with various instruments.

McCormick's gaze immediately locked onto Lin Yu'an and the little white furball in his arms, who was curiously and fearlessly observing everything. Her lips curled into a wide, radiant smile, instantly dispelling her scholarly authority and making her appear lively and cheerful.

McCormick strode over, his snow boots crunching energetically on the snow.

"Lin Yu'an! I've finally met you, you damn guy who could guess my password!" Her first words were full of the unique, unpretentious cheerfulness she had expressed in her letter.

She walked up to Lin Yu'an, and instead of immediately looking at the cub, she stretched out her arms and gave Lin Yu'an a solid, powerful hug.

"Thank you." Her voice was clearer and warmer than it had been on the phone.

"Thank you for everything you've done, for my data box and for this little guy."

The hug was brief, but full of meaning. It was both a thank you for finding his precious data box and the highest affirmation of his outstanding performance in guarding it over the past ten days.

“It’s what I should do, McCormick.” Lin Yu’an released her and returned the smile.

McCormick's gaze then turned to December in his arms. When McCormick saw that the little one was not afraid of the presence of so many strangers, but instead curiously stretched her neck, trying to smell the scent of strangers on her, he was quite surprised.

A hint of surprise and approval flickered in her eyes, which were accustomed to all kinds of stress responses.

"Oh my God……"

She said sincerely, "It looks... fantastic! I've never seen a wild cub so relaxed in unfamiliar surroundings. How did you do that?"

“His name is December, that’s the name I gave him.” Lin Yu’an didn’t answer her question directly, but instead told her the name December.

“December…” McCormick repeated the name, a hint of tenderness flashing in his azure eyes.

"A beautiful name. Okay, let's get to work and see how our December has gone, the past ten days."

Two assistants immediately stepped forward and opened the professional transport case, inside which was a complete set of more sophisticated, portable wildlife medical testing equipment.

They first took out a non-contact thermometer, which McCormick operated himself, measuring December's earlobe.

"38.6℃, a perfect normal body temperature."

Immediately afterwards, an assistant took out a specially made stethoscope for cubs with a soft probe and carefully placed it on December's chest.

December seemed to feel a little itchy and stretched out her paw to curiously poke at the stethoscope tube, which made everyone chuckle.

"Heartbeat strong and steady, about 120 beats per minute. Clear breath sounds in the lungs, no abnormalities. Perfect," the assistant reported to McCormick.

As McCormick observed, he asked, "Lin, have you been keeping records of its weight and length?"

Lin Yu'an immediately retrieved the data from his memory: "Last time last night, the weight was 15.2 kilograms, and the body length from the tip of the nose to the base of the tail was 85.5 centimeters."

Upon hearing the number, both McCormick and her assistant wore expressions of disbelief.

"An incredible growth rate."

The assistant murmured, "This is better than the growth data of any cub of the same age in our base. Its condition is simply textbook-level."

After reading the log, McCormick's admiration was almost undisguised: "Lin, your data recording is better than many of our professional interns. That electronic log will be an invaluable research resource."

Lin Yu'an suddenly remembered a question that had always been on her mind: "I've never known whether December will be a boy or a girl?"

McCormick smiled. She put on a clean pair of gloves and expertly took December from Lin Yu'an's arms, turned it over, and carefully examined its tail.

She looked up, a mischievous smile on her face. "Lin, for the past ten days, you've been taking care of a 'little princess' with all your heart. December is a very healthy little girl."

girl……

Lin Yu'an's heart was suddenly touched by this word. He looked at the little one in McCormick's arms, still innocently looking around, and his eyes softened even more. So, she was his little darling.

"Alright, all the indicators are perfect." McCormick handed December back to Lin Yu'an and made the final conclusion.

"Lin, you've created a miracle. Now, we should take her home."

Just then, the female reporter who had been quietly taking notes finally found an opportunity. She quickly stepped forward and handed the microphone to Lin Yu'an.

"Mr. Lin, hello. I'm Emily, a special correspondent for the National Geographic Channel. Hundreds of millions of viewers around the world have seen your story with December through a special edit of 'Living Alone in the Wilderness'."

"Now, what everyone is most curious about is, what is it like to suddenly become an animal keeper in this extreme survival challenge?"

Lin Yu'an held December in his arms, looking at the female reporter and the camera behind her pointed at him, feeling a mix of emotions.

He hesitated for a moment, then gave a frank smile: "Experience? Well... at first it was pure trouble and fear. Because of it, all my plans were disrupted, and I even faced the risk of food shortages at one point."

He glanced down at December, who was curiously nibbling at his collar zipper in his arms. "But soon, that feeling changed. It turned into a responsibility, a...sweet burden."

"You no longer think about how to survive every day, but about how to help another, more vulnerable life to survive as well."

"Your world suddenly becomes bigger. That feeling is wonderful and tiring, but when you see it grow bigger and stronger every day, you will feel that it was all worth it."

The photographer gave December a big close-up, and the little guy seemed to know he was being watched, even giving the camera a big yawn.

Emily continued, "We understand that you prepared milk replacer for it and even fed it your own meager food. Under the pressure of extreme survival, what made you make such a choice? You know, according to the rules, you could have completely ignored it."

Lin Yu'an was silent for a moment, his eyes becoming deep. "I am a father, and I have two children who also need my care."

"When you see a helpless, freezing baby lying in front of you, you won't think about rules or challenges. You'll only think about how to save it."

"It's an instinct, an instinct written in the genes of all parents. I just did what a father would do."

His words were simple, yet powerful, moving everyone present.

“One last question, Mr. Lin,” Emily’s voice became somewhat sentimental, “You are about to part ways with December. After going through all of this together, what would you most like to say to it now?”

Lin Yu'an lowered her head and gently rubbed her cheek against December's fluffy little head.

He looked into December's eyes and said softly, "In the future, you must become a true king of the ice plains. You must study hard, become strong, and run freely on this land that belongs to you."

"And then... if you can, don't forget that there was once a strange two-legged creature who loved you very, very much."

The interview ended quickly, and the handover moment finally arrived.

McCorz's two assistants carried over an airline crate designed for transporting large animal cubs, featuring well-ventilated and insulated linings. The crate was made of high-strength polymer material, making it sturdy yet lightweight.

They opened the heavy metal latch on the box door with a crisp "click." This sound, like a cold switch, instantly shattered the previously mild atmosphere.

The two assistants exchanged a glance. One of them rubbed his hands together and, in what he thought was a friendly gesture, reached out to take December from Lin Yu'an's arms, preparing to put it into the cold cage.

However, just as his hand was about to touch December's fluffy fur, December, who had always been docile and obedient, and even full of curiosity about everything around her, suddenly stiffened as if a defensive switch had been pressed!
From deep within December's throat came an extremely powerful, primal, and threatening growl!
"Aww-wow-!"

The sound was no longer the usual whimpering or sobbing, but sharp, loud, and full of warning and fear!

It suddenly turned its head, even opening its small mouth to reveal a row of sharp baby teeth that, though immature, were sharp enough to tear flesh, and with lightning speed, it bit down hard on the assistant's hand!

(End of this chapter)