American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 231 The Champion of the Frozen Throne (5K views, please vote!)
Day 45.

Lin Yu-an's life entered an unprecedented, almost meditative state of tranquility.

Without the anxiety about fat, and without the furry little figure he needed to constantly worry about, the entire shelter became empty and quiet.

Every morning, he would still habitually open his eyes at his usual December wake-up time, and then, in a moment of despair, remember that she was gone.

He would quietly complete his routine tasks, everything was in good order, but he lacked that most important core.

In the morning, he put on his snowshoes, slung his birch spear over his shoulder, and began to inspect and dismantle all the traps he had previously set near the shelter that were still in effect. Whether it was a snare for rabbits or a slab trap for ptarmigans, he removed them one by one.

He spoke calmly and without wavering, facing the camera, "My food supply is more than enough to last until the fiftieth day."

“These traps have served their purpose, and I will no longer hunt unless absolutely necessary. I am grateful to this land and to the life that lives here for what it has given me.”

He even released the fish that had been caught in the fishing net under the ice back into the cold lake water.

Nowadays, ice fishing is no longer about catching fish, but simply about passing the long hours in that extreme silence.

In the afternoon, he would stay in the warm shelter, doing delicate handicrafts.

He painstakingly carved a piece of dry birch wood into the shapes of various small animals. His fingers were nimble and steady, and fine wood shavings accumulated on his knees.

He sculpted a crouching kitten, a puppy with its tongue sticking out, and finally, he spent the longest time sculpting a round, chubby bear lying on its back.

He even used a red-hot wire to carefully brand black paw pads onto the bear cub's paws. He neatly arranged these small wooden carvings on the stone table beside the fireplace, like a group of silent family members, keeping him company.

Time, in this almost frozen tranquility, mixed with longing and waiting, slowly passed by.

The night of the forty-fifth day quietly descended.

Lin Yu'an ate a simple dinner: a piece of smoked fish and some roasted porcupine. He sat in front of the fireplace, giving the little bear wood carving he had made one last check, polishing it repeatedly to make its surface smoother and warmer.

The shelter was quiet, save for the crackling of burning firewood. But this quiet felt hollow without the even, gentle snores of December.

He felt an indescribable sense of oppression, as if the excessive silence in this small space was suffocating him.

Lin Yu'an stood up and decided to go for a walk. He put on his thickest parka, put on his hat, and pushed open the heavy door. An extremely pure, crystal-like chill instantly enveloped him.

The moment he stepped out of the shelter and looked up, his breath caught in his throat. His eyes were completely captivated by the breathtaking, almost unreal, magnificent scene before him, a sight beyond words.

The night sky has been fully opened.

It was a perfect night sky, unobstructed by any clouds. The sky was a deep, almost solidified, inky blue, with countless stars like meticulously polished diamonds set in it, their light steady and dazzling.

And right here in this vast sea of ​​stars, a grand yet silent cosmic symphony is unfolding.

A massive, emerald-green light curtain, resembling the skirt of a deity, stretched from the distant northern horizon all the way to the zenith, almost occupying half the sky.

It was not still, but slowly, as if it were alive, dancing. Countless bright emerald green beams of light, like searchlights, shone vertically down from the light curtain, and the edges of the light curtain shimmered with a hint of pinkish-purple, like neon lights.

"Aurora..." Lin Yu'an murmured to himself in an almost inaudible voice.

He first saw the aurora borealis in the small town of Wiesman, a welcome gift from this land. This second time, however, was the grandest farewell gift the land could give him.

A strong, uncontrollable impulse surged within Lin Yu'an.

He didn't want to just use his own eyes and that little GoPro to record it; he wanted to preserve this scene in its most perfect form forever.

He immediately turned around and hurried back to the shelter. Instead of taking his GoPro, he opened the box and took out the Sony Alpha 7S III camera, known for its high sensitivity and video performance, along with an ultra-wide-angle lens.

He skillfully mounted the camera on his carbon fiber trekking pole, which could also double as a tripod, and began setting the video recording parameters.

"Shooting aurora videos is completely different from taking photos."

“We need a high enough frame rate to capture the fluidity of its movement, but we also need a slow enough shutter speed to ensure enough light. This requires finding an extremely delicate balance between ISO, shutter speed, and aperture.”

He ultimately set the parameters to: 4K resolution, 24fps movie mode, shutter speed 1/25 second, aperture wide open to F1.8, and ISO 12800, which the camera could easily handle, based on the real-time brightness of the aurora.

When he returned outdoors, the aurora borealis in the sky became even more spectacular.

He first firmly planted the tripod, which contained his camera and trekking poles, in the solid snow, and repeatedly adjusted the angle so that the lens could perfectly capture the snow hut not far away and the most magnificent aurora behind him.

Then, he took out a high-brightness LED headlamp from his backpack. He walked to the snow hut, went inside, turned the headlamp to its brightest setting in the darkness, and placed it in the center of the hut so that the light could evenly illuminate the entire dome.

He left the igloo and quickly walked back to his camera.

Snow is the best conductor and softbox for light. The blinding white light emitted by the high-intensity headlamp inside the snow hut was softened and evenly scattered by countless ice crystals after penetrating the snow wall, which was half a meter thick.

Finally, a golden light, like that of a fireplace, emanated from the interior of the entire igloo and from the arched entrance passage.

At this moment, the white snow house, like a giant jade lantern lit from the inside, stands quietly on the cold snowfield illuminated by starlight and aurora.

The interplay of cool and warm light, blue-green and golden yellow, creates a surreal and beautiful scene.

Looking at the scene before him, Lin Yu'an knew that this was what he wanted.

He pressed the record button on the camera, then quietly went around to the back of the igloo, completely hiding himself in the shadows to avoid ruining the perfect shot.

Standing quietly, together with the camera that was silently recording, we witnessed this miracle under the night sky.

A few minutes later, he returned to the camera and stopped recording. He eagerly pressed the playback button on the camera's screen.

When the video appeared on the small screen with extremely smooth dynamics and pure colors, the snow house he had built himself was steadily radiating a warm and bright golden light from its interior and entrance.

The surrounding snow was bathed in a warm hue, and the texture of the snow bricks was clearly visible under the internal glow, giving it a handcrafted feel.

In the distance from the snow house, there are the undulating snow-capped mountains, their outlines clearly defined by the aurora borealis, and the spruce forest line on the ridge that represents the boundary of life.

The entire scene combined movement and stillness, warmth and coolness. This fluid image was more real and more breathtaking than any static photograph he had ever seen before.

He stood there, watching the video for a long time.

After a long while, Lin Yu'an packed up his equipment, took one last look at the starry sky, and felt an unprecedented sense of peace and relief.

He knew he was ready.

Get ready for the final countdown, then go home.

December 21, 2021, the fiftieth day, dawned as scheduled.

The helicopter landed smoothly on the snow. Before the snowstorm stirred up by the rotor had completely subsided, Mark was the first to jump out of the cabin. He was followed by a paramedic carrying a huge first-aid kit and a photographer carrying a video camera.

"An!" He stepped forward quickly, but did not hug him immediately. Instead, he carefully looked Lin Yu'an over, as if trying to see from his face how he had been doing these past few days.

"Congratulations, brother." In the end, he stretched out his arms and gave Lin Yu'an a tight hug.

"You did it! Fifty days! You've completed this incredible challenge again!" "Not bad." Lin Yu'an smiled and patted his back, his voice a little hoarse.

Mark released him, pointed to the shelter and the snow house smokehouse behind Lin Yu'an, and exclaimed sincerely, "Honestly, An, you are the athlete I have ever seen who has made the camp feel the most like a home. That smokehouse is simply a work of art."

Lin Yu'an smiled and said, "You always have to find something to do, or you'll go crazy. The smoked fish inside tastes pretty good. Want to take some back and try it?"

"Haha, I couldn't be happier!" Mark laughed, then steered the conversation back on track, his tone becoming sincere and concerned: "Seriously, Lin... these past few days, without that little guy around, have you... been alright?"

Lin Yu'an's gaze unconsciously drifted towards the empty shelter. He remained silent for a moment, then a complex smile appeared on his face, a smile that held both longing and relief.

He frankly said, "It's not good. To be honest, I'm not used to it. The shelter is eerily quiet. Several times, I woke up in the middle of the night and subconsciously reached out to touch the little guy next to me, but... I touched nothing."

He took the red rubber ball out of his pocket and tossed it gently in his hand.

"But the thought that she is being well taken care of in a safer, more professional place, and that I will be able to see her soon, makes me feel much more at ease."

Mark looked at the small ball in his hand, his eyes filled with emotion: "Dr. McCormick sends us briefings every day. She said December is going well; although she was a little anxious at first, she's starting to adapt to the new environment. She also asked me to give you my regards."

"Then I'm relieved." Lin Yu'an put the ball away again.

At this moment, the medical staff on the side had already prepared the equipment and stepped forward to say, "Lin, according to regulations, we need to conduct a basic physical examination for you before you leave."

Lin Yu'an obediently sat on a wooden stump and stretched out his arms.

"Blood pressure 95/60, heart rate 55." The medical staff frowned as they looked at the readings. "Mr. Lin, your body is already in a state of energy depletion."

Mark added, "We've calculated that your weight loss rate this time is even higher than when you participated in the challenge last time. Taking care of December has taken a lot of your energy."

“It’s worth it.” Lin Yu’an answered simply with two words, but they carried great weight.

"Do you miss home?" Mark asked Lin Yu'an, who was undergoing a medical examination, and then asked a more direct question.

"Yes," Lin Yu'an answered without hesitation.

"I've never missed this before. After leaving in December, I've been counting down the days until I can go home every night."

Mark nodded, as if he had expected him to say that. "We didn't inform your family to share this moment of victory with you because... we weren't sure about the final outcome. You know what I mean."

He finally steered the conversation to the most crucial issue of the day.

"Where are the others?" Lin Yu'an asked calmly.

“Still holding on.” Mark’s expression became somewhat subtle.

"The other two contestants, Kelly and Vonia, also made it to day fifty."

He paused, as if organizing his thoughts: "Now, here's the situation. Kelly, that mountain lion-like woman from Montana, has agreed to split the prize money. She says she's learned everything she could from this land, and that making it to the end is the biggest victory of all."

“But, Vonya.” Mark frowned, a hint of helplessness on his face.

"That woman who made traditional leather goods, she was practically a witch. She was in amazing condition, she could always replenish her supplies when she was almost out of ammunition, and her willpower was as tough as the most durable cowhide."

"She made it clear that she did not agree to a tie, she demanded overtime, and she said that her only goal in coming here was to become the sole champion."

Mark looked into Lin Yu'an's eyes and said, word by word, "So, now, the decision is yours. According to the rules, the decision will take effect as long as more than half of the contestants agree."

"Now it's one vote in favor and one vote against. Your choice will determine the final outcome. Will it be a happy ending where the three of you split the $500,000 equally and each become the champion? Or will it be an endless 'battle of wills'?"

The camera silently zoomed in, focusing on Lin Yu'an's face, trying to capture any change in his emotions.

Lin Yu'an fell silent.

A few seconds later, he looked up with a relieved and incredibly relaxed smile on his face.

He said slowly, "Mark, if you had asked me this question twenty days ago, before I encountered December, I would probably have chosen overtime without hesitation."

“I will tell Vonia, let’s see whose willpower is truly at its limit. Because back then, my purpose in coming here was to challenge myself and prove my strength as the defending champion.”

“But now.” His eyes became incredibly gentle and resolute.

“I have something a million times more important to do than the meaningless title of ‘defending champion’. I need to go see December as soon as possible and go back to be with my family.”

He looked at the camera and said in an unquestionable tone, "So I choose to split the prize money equally. I accept the option of three championships. Let Kelly go home with the victory, and let Vonia get what she deserves. They are both the most respectable opponents."

"Now, I'm going home."

Upon hearing his final decision, Mark breathed a long sigh of relief, a relieved smile spreading across his face. He stepped forward and patted Lin Yu'an's shoulder firmly once more.

“I knew you would make this choice. To be honest, our production team doesn’t want to see you and Vonya go through that kind of brutal overtime again. All three of you deserve the title of ‘champion’.”

He took a sealed, waterproof document bag from his pocket and handed it to Lin Yu'an.

“Here are the last few documents you need to sign.” Mark’s voice became formulaic, yet carried a hint of ease.

"Based on the principle of splitting the bonus equally among the three of you, the pre-tax bonus is US$166,667. I have already asked the finance department to expedite the process, and the money is expected to be deposited into your designated bank account within a week."

He added with a touch of American humor, "Don't forget, dear champion, Uncle Sam is eyeing this money. Remember to include it in your taxes next year, otherwise the IRS guys are a lot harder to deal with than a polar bear."

Lin Yu'an took the file bag, smiled and nodded: "Don't worry, Mark, I've been dealing with the IRS for many years, I know how formidable they are."

“There’s one more thing, and it’s the most important thing.” Mark’s expression turned serious again as he pointed to the cameras still working around Lin Yu’an’s chest and around him.

"Confidentiality agreement. Lin, I must emphasize again that all details about this challenge, including the story in December, what you hunted, and the final result, are classified as top-level trade secrets until the show officially airs."

"The post-production for this 'Frozen Throne' series will be extremely complex, as we've added a lot of new material. According to Discovery Channel's schedule, it won't officially air until at least October next year. That means you'll have almost a ten-month 'quiet period'."

Lin Yu-an nodded solemnly, "I understand, and I will strictly abide by the confidentiality clause in the contract. Before the show airs, I will not reveal any content related to this challenge on any social media."

"My personal channel will only be updated with some previously unreleased videos that are unrelated to this challenge. Even if I share them with my friends, I will only share them with friends I trust."

"That's good." Mark was completely relieved.

He glanced at his watch one last time, then reached out and shook hands firmly with Lin Yu'an.

"Alright, Ann, it's time to go. The plane is ready, and we need to get you to Gusbe before dark. From there, you can catch your flight home."

"Go back and rest well, and gain some weight. Also, I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas. I believe you will make it back to them before Santa's sleigh arrives."

The route from Labrador to Alaska is like a giant ruler, measuring the vastness of the North American continent.

He took off from the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, leaving the Great Lakes, the central plains, and the majestic Rocky Mountains behind him.

Each dramatic change in the landscape marks the passing of another time zone, a full five-hour time difference condensed into this long journey home.

(End of this chapter)