American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 239 Bilibili's Capital Pressure (Seeking Monthly Tickets!)
Lin Yu'an poured himself a glass of whiskey, sat down at the huge oak desk, and opened the laptop connected to the Starlink satellite.

I glanced at the time—Wiesman, December 24th, 11 PM.

He calculated the time difference; at this time, on the other side of the world, it should be 4 PM in Guangzhou on December 25th.

For friends in China, Christmas afternoon should be a relatively leisurely time.

He initiated a voice call on WeChat, and the call was connected after a few system beeps.

"Hey, Ange? Oh my god, it really is you!" A cheerful voice came through the earpiece, filled with immense surprise. "Do you know how I've been these past fifty days! Is everything going well on your end?"

On the other end of the phone was Old Cat's voice, and the first few words were as warm as ever.

"It's me, Old Cat. I've just returned to the civilized world, and everything is fine." Lin Yu'an's voice was calm. He took a sip of whiskey and keenly caught the fleeting pause in the other person's words.

"That's good, that's good..." Old Cat's voice seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, but the previous enthusiasm quickly dissipated like the receding tide. A brief silence fell on the other end of the phone, and the atmosphere became somewhat subtle.

Lin Yu'an didn't speak, but waited quietly. He knew that someone always had to speak first.

Sure enough, when Lao Mao spoke again, his tone carried a professional weariness and helplessness: "Brother An... you should have seen the message I sent before. This matter... sigh, how should I put it, the situation at Bilibili this past year has been too complicated."

Lin Yu'an's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile. He knew that his friend, Old Cat, had already logged off; the person he was talking to now was Old Cat, the operations manager of Bilibili.

He broke the ice and got straight to the point: "Regarding the exclusive contract, I respect the platform's decision."

“Sigh, Brother An, I feel even worse now that you've said that…” Old Cat sighed deeply, as if the pressure he had been holding in for so long had finally found an outlet. “This matter… is really not directed at you. The platform has completely changed in the past year.”

He paused, his voice filled with exhaustion: "Do you remember when the company had its secondary listing in Hong Kong this March? Everything changed from that day on. Before, we were benchmarking against YouTube, talking about community culture and content ecosystem."

“Right now, analysts at the Hong Kong Stock Exchange are focused on our financial reports, user growth, and monetization capabilities every day! The pressure on our share price is immense!”

"To make the financial reports look better, the company brought in several VPs (vice presidents) from places like Alibaba and ByteDance. They are all ruthless people when it comes to monetizing traffic."

“My former direct supervisor, the one who supported us in making documentaries, has been transferred to manage some innovation project. To put it bluntly, he has been sidelined.”

“Those in charge of our area now only talk about data models and monetization funnels; they have no idea about our passion for content creation.”

He lowered his voice, a hint of self-deprecation in his tone: "To put it bluntly, it's just the live streams of pretty female anchors. The revenue of one mid-tier female anchor is more than the monthly incentives for our entire Wilderness section. These are the data; in the eyes of the new leadership, monetization is everything."

“In the next few years, live streaming will be one of Bilibili’s absolute focuses. Therefore, the exclusive signing slots for our content categories have been completely cut off and used to poach other streamers.”

"Not to mention the esports division, it's a bottomless pit of pay-to-win, so... from a strategic point of view, this year the entire Wilderness section, let alone exclusive slots, doesn't even have any extra support resources."

Old Cat's tone was full of resentment, but even more so a sense of powerlessness in the face of reality: "Damn it, even the support programs for several of my top 100 content creators have been stopped. I'm burdened with a mortgage, and my stock options are just hoping the stock price will look good."

"Your video 'Life Below Zero' actually has pretty good data on the platform, but its monetization channels are too limited. Besides attracting users to subscribe to premium memberships, the large number of 'slice accounts' dilutes your traffic, resulting in overall revenue that is far less than a simple 'thank you, Captain, little brother' in the live stream."

"The new leader has set KPIs. If we don't meet them, forget about the year-end bonus; the whole department might be laid off. Brother An, I... I really can't get you any better terms."

“I understand, it’s just the logic of capital.” There was no hint of disappointment in Lin Yu’an’s tone.

“Old Cat, don’t feel bad. You’re just carrying out the company’s decision,” Lin Yu’an said calmly. “I’ve had a very pleasant year working with you and editor Li Ang, but all good things must come to an end.”

“My contract expires in a few months, and I was planning to stop signing exclusive contracts with any platform or MCN. I would just upload videos to all platforms and earn a basic income. I also wanted to keep the content more focused.”

“Alright…” Old Cat seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, his tone becoming lighter. “Your pursuit of freedom shouldn’t be constrained by the petty issues of the platform. From a personal perspective, I absolutely support you.”

"Oh, right." Lin Yu'an seemed to remember something, "Arc'tery's brand ambassadorship is about to expire, isn't it? Bilibili's business partnership is with a third party. They probably won't renew it. This year, my commercial exposure has been too low."

"Yes, our Ministry of Commerce has tried to persuade them, but the chances are slim," Old Cat said frankly.

Lin Yu'an smiled and said, "That's good. It's a relief to have nothing to do. From now on, my videos won't just be limited to wilderness survival. I want to film other things too."

"For example, how my family spends the winter in Alaska, how we build chicken coops, how we take care of our children. It's like documenting our life."

"There will definitely be viewers!" Old Cat's professional instincts were immediately aroused, and he perked up. "Seriously, Brother An, your fans have been missing you terribly. You haven't updated in almost half a year. This content direction is great, it's relatable and will keep you engaged!"

"That's why I'm looking for you." Lin Yu'an glanced at the time in the lower right corner of the screen.

"Is 'Life Below Zero' halfway through its run? Have you finished editing all the footage I sent you before, the footage about building the log cabin?"

"It's been edited for ages! We're just waiting for your signal to release it!" Old Cat's voice rang out excitedly again, the kind of excitement a content creator feels when they see top-quality material.

"A super-long, condensed version that's over two hours long, from when you laid the first foundation to when the roof of the cabin was completed, and even the background music you specifically requested—all the essence is in there!"

"I dare say, this is absolutely the most hardcore construction video on Bilibili this year, bar none! The data is sure to explode!"

Lin Yu'an glanced at the world clock. "Okay, it's late at night on the 24th in Weissman, Berlin time. It's almost morning on the 25th. European users should be getting up soon."

"We will release this video on all platforms at 00:00 on December 25th, the day of Wiesman, as a Christmas gift to all my fans."

"Received!" Old Cat replied crisply on the other end.

"I'll go to the backend right now and set up a scheduled post! Bilibili, YouTube, Xigua, Douyin—I can't miss any of them!"

Berlin, Germany, December 25, 10:00 AM.

The city was quiet on Christmas afternoon.

Klaus, a woodworking enthusiast, was idly refreshing his YouTube subscription list while munching on Christmas cookies prepared by his wife.

Suddenly, an update notification popped up in a familiar channel with an avatar of someone lighting a campfire in the snow. Klaus almost choked on the cookie in his mouth; he couldn't believe his eyes!

The man who hadn't updated for half a year actually updated on Christmas Day!

Beijing, China, December 25, 5:00 PM.

As dusk settled outside the window, the festive atmosphere filled the air. Li Lei, a college student, had just finished catching up on sleep, feeling like he was suffering from the aftereffects of Christmas Eve, and collapsed exhausted onto his gaming chair in his dormitory.

He habitually opened Bilibili, ready to find a video to watch while eating.

Just then, a small red dot suddenly lit up in the lower right corner of the profile picture of the ID "Lin Yu'an in the Wilderness," which had been gathering dust for half a year in his following list! This was a notification that there was new content!

A video titled "My Complete Record of Building a Log Cabin in Alaska!" was uploaded simultaneously to major video platforms around the world as a special "Christmas gift".

After the video was released on Bilibili, it did not immediately go viral across the entire internet. At first, it only caused a few ripples in each of their respective circles. But soon, these ripples gathered into a huge wave!

Li Lei opened the video, and the reassuring length of the progress bar (2:15:37) made him let out a satisfied sigh! He skillfully adjusted the picture quality to the highest 4K and then turned the video into full screen.

The footage begins with a silent Alaskan taiga forest bathed in the midnight sun, and the aerial camera slowly zooms in, finally settling on the clearing that will soon become home.

Without uttering a single wasted word, Lin Yu'an appeared in front of the camera. He examined the Steel MS881 high-displacement chainsaw in his hand, a steel beast of orange and white.

"Om - hum -"

He pulled the start rope, and with a powerful, adrenaline-pumping engine roar, the long saw chain began to spin at high speed.

The comments section was still sparse, but you could already see the excitement of the longtime fans:
"Front row!"

"Sofa!" "Here it comes! Opening Ceremony Lightning Strike! The Doomsday Artifact MS 881!"

Lin Yu'an walked up to a spruce tree with a diameter of more than half a meter that had already been marked. Without the slightest hesitation, he used an extremely standard posture to cut the high-speed rotating saw chain into the trunk.

"hiss--"

Wood chips shot out like a fountain, making the thick tree trunks appear utterly vulnerable before this mechanical beast.

As Lin Yu'an retracted the chainsaw, the massive tree trunk emitted a teeth-grinding "creak" before crashing to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust and broken branches.

At that moment, as if by prior arrangement, a torrent of comments instantly covered the entire screen.

“Everyone stand up!!!”

“Everyone stand up!!!”

“Everyone stand up!!!”

Immediately following was a flood of comments, filled with both longing and teasing, that completely overwhelmed the screen:

"I can't believe it! Grandpa! The content creator you follow has finally updated!"

"The missing person has returned! I thought they'd been eaten by a bear..."

"Tears welling up, I've been waiting from summer to winter, and my electronic pickled vegetables have finally been restocked!"

"Quiet down, everyone! I heard An Shen has been updated, so I immediately stopped air combat in Zone 91 and withdrew!"

Li Lei smiled, turned off the bullet comments, and began to concentrate on enjoying this hardcore visual feast.

After watching the video for a while, Li Lei turned on the bullet comments again.

"Holy crap, a two-hour-plus pure enjoyment session right off the bat? Even the donkeys in the production team wouldn't dare to rest for half a year and then finish the work in one go like that!"

"Comfortable, extremely comfortable! This cut is even smoother than Dove chocolate!"

"I've reported this! This isn't wilderness survival, it's wilderness infrastructure mania!"

"Hey buddy up, don't go yet! Does anyone know the model of this band saw? I'm thinking of buying the same one. (doge)"

"Reply to the comment above: Wake up, what you lack is not a band saw, what you lack is a forest that can be cut down."

"High-energy warning! At 2:05:15, Brother An lifts a roof beam with one hand! This is not special effects! Repeat! This is not special effects!"

Li Lei couldn't stop smiling as he watched the silly and cute comments. This was not just a video update, but a grand carnival for all the fans.

In the comments section, countless familiar fans greeted each other, as if attending a grand online temple fair.

The pinned comments are heartfelt messages spontaneously posted by fans:

"Brother An, welcome home. We've missed you so much these past six months."

"No need for further words, just like, comment, and subscribe for a full charge! You deserve it!"

Scrolling down reveals a veritable feast for tech enthusiasts and those who love meticulous research; the comments section has practically turned into a hardcore online seminar.

"That band saw should be a Wood-Mizer LT15, ​​the king of portable band saws."

"The comment above is correct! But I'm more interested in his XCMG XC760K. Isn't that a form of cultural export from China's heavy industry?"

"Regarding the treatment of mortise and tenon joints at 35:18, although the 'notch joint' he used was fast, if he had used the more complex 'dovetail joint,' the structure would have had better torsional resistance."

Of course, where there is praise and discussion, there will inevitably be discordant voices. The trolls, though late, will surely arrive.

Li Lei quickly found a comment that seemed out of place in the comments section. The poster was a Level 2 alt account with the ID "Just Discuss Things".

"That's it? I thought it would be real hand-to-hand combat, but it turns out there are excavators and chainsaws. With this kind of modern equipment, you could build the White House, let alone a log cabin! Clickbait, unfollowing."

This comment, like a drop of water thrown into a pan of hot oil, instantly ignited the comment section.

Before Li Lei could even roll up his sleeves and get ready to go into battle, the comment section was already flooded with a barrage of criticism from his longtime fans.

"Get lost, take a taxi and get out of here. Do you think you can dig the ground with your bare hands using your fingernails? Hilarious, typical keyboard warrior. If you don't know anything, read more books and don't embarrass yourself in public."

"Unfollowed? Great! Hurry up! We're going to go our separate ways! Someone like you is more suited to the live stream section next door, where everyone's dancing 'bare-handed'."

"Building a White House? A brain is a good thing, but unfortunately you don't have one. You read novels without using your brain, you watch videos without using your brain. Why don't you just donate your brain if you're not going to use it anymore?"

"Ignore him. He's a complete idiot. All his other comments are just for the sake of criticizing. He's a moron."

However, the battle ignited by the trolls did not subside with his defeat; instead, it acted as a catalyst, giving rise to a more hardcore and professional wave of discussion.

Soon, a "divine comment" was liked by countless people and reached the top of the list. The poster was a Level 6 user with the ID "The Self-Cultivation of a Lumberjack" and a gear as his profile picture.

"@JustTalkAboutIt, let me give you some background information. The chainsaw used by the uploader is a STILE MS881, a well-known logging machine. The genuine product in China costs nearly 20,000 yuan."

"You think having equipment is the same as having hands? I'll give you the whole set of gear and send you to Alaska, and you still won't be able to bend the first tree. Do you know how to determine the direction a tree is falling? Do you know how to handle stress wood to prevent it from getting caught in the saw?"

"Do you know how to operate a band saw to cut flat boards? You might even injure yourself by starting the chainsaw. What the content creator is showing is not just owning the tools, but the knowledge and experience in using them."

"It's not your fault if you don't understand. It just means that your level of understanding is still at the stage of using a stone to crack a walnut."

This comment, with its clear logic, detailed data, and scathing, STEM-savvy mockery, instantly garnered tens of thousands of likes.

The area immediately transformed into a massive celebration for detail-oriented researchers and tech enthusiasts:

"The comment above is correct! But I'm more interested in his XCMG XC760K. Is this a kind of cultural export of domestic heavy industry? Are there any knowledgeable brothers who can analyze its performance?"

"Here it comes! I know how to do this one! The XC760K's highlights are its heavy-duty design and adaptability to extreme environments, making it especially suitable for forestry and mining operations. Judging from the uploader's skills, he's clearly an experienced driver; those log lifting maneuvers were incredibly smooth!"

The discussion was so heated that it even caught the attention of the official account. Not long after, Li Lei was pleasantly surprised to find an ID with a blue verified "V" mark appearing in the comments section.

@XCMG Group: [Thank you to the content creator for supporting and trusting XCMG equipment from faraway Alaska! Seeing our little loaders accomplishing great things in the icy and snowy conditions fills us with immense pride! Liked, comment, and share! Going to give the content creator a boost now! [cheering]]

"Holy crap! An unofficial official account has appeared!"

"XCMG, send the money!"

"Impressive! Impressive, Uncle An!"

XCMG's official response pushed the atmosphere in the comments section to its peak! From the initial fan frenzy to the confrontation with trolls, and then to technical discussions, the whole process was full of ups and downs and drama.

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.

(Brothers, it's the 29th, the monthly tickets have been updated, please give them all to me! I can only rely on the brothers who read this chapter!)

(End of this chapter)