American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 243 Super Defense Matrix (5K words, requesting monthly votes at the beginning of the month!)
Lin Yu'an glanced at the watch Emily had given him; almost three hours had passed. The sky outside was beginning to transition from a pale, bright blue to a deep indigo.

He picked up the blade blank with tongs and placed it in the cooling sandbox beside him, his tone tinged with reluctance, "It's getting late, I have to go back. Arya and the others must be worried."

“Yes, it’s not safe in the woods after dark.” Old George nodded, praising his family-oriented attitude.

He looked at Lin Yu'an, his serious face full of undisguised satisfaction. "Kid, you did a great job today. A hundred times better than I expected."

Old George walked to the other end of the workshop and pulled out two strings of things that rattled and were covered in rust and dirt from a pile of junk.

Those were eight enormous wolf traps, made of thick steel with sharp serrations; just looking at them sent chills down your spine.

"Take these back with you." Old George's tone was as indifferent as if he were handing him a few potatoes.

"The two big ones are 'bear traps,' they're strong, but don't use them lightly, they can easily injure people. The other six are specifically for dealing with wolves and wolverines. Remember, when you set the traps, don't leave any human scent behind."

“Thank you, George.” Lin Yu’an solemnly accepted the heavy steel defensive works.

"As for the blade blank you made," Old George pointed to the sandbox, "just leave it here with me for now. Come over tomorrow, and I'll teach you the next step: annealing, polishing, and quenching. That's the key to determining whether a piece of iron will ultimately become scrap or a treasure."

"I understand."

Lin Yu'an carefully tied eight animal traps to the back rack of the snowmobile, then said goodbye to old George.

"See you tomorrow, kid." Old George stood at the workshop entrance, hands behind his back, looking at him.

See you tomorrow, Uncle George.

Lin Yu'an mounted his snowmobile and glanced back. He saw that old George was still standing there, his figure like a silent statue in the warm glow of the workshop's fireplace.

He twisted the accelerator, carrying the heavy harvest and an even heavier sense of responsibility, and sped towards home.

Lin Yu'an felt uneasy on the way. After Old George's wife passed away from illness, in this vast and desolate land, the old man seemed to have only this fiery workshop and those cold steel pieces for company.

He so unreservedly passed on all his skills to a young man from a foreign land whom he had just met. Behind that profound friendship, was there also a hidden desire for inheritance and a sense of helplessness in the face of loneliness?
The road back seemed darker than the way there. The headlights of the snowmobiles were turned up to their brightest, and the white beams pierced the darkness, illuminating the narrow snow track ahead.

He was highly vigilant, constantly watching for any suspicious movement in the woods. Those animal traps could become the first line of defense for his family tonight.

When Lin Yu'an returned home, it was already completely dark. The warm light in the wooden house, like the only lighthouse in the wind and snow, guided him home.

He parked the snowmobile and carefully unloaded the eight heavy animal traps.

Arya and Emily heard the noise and immediately opened the door.

"You're back! Why did you take so long? Did you get the things?"

"Hmm, six wolf traps and two large bear traps." Lin Yu'an placed the animal traps on the wooden floor of the porch, making a dull metallic clanging sound.

Arya pointed to the grotesque steel artifacts in his hands and said, "Let's eat first; the food is still warm."

Inside the cozy cabin, the family sat around the dining table. Dinner consisted of creamy mushroom soup and toast, made by Arya herself, and the aroma filled the air.

Lin Yu'an told the two women that he had returned a little late because he was learning forging from Old George. The two women showed expressions of understanding and expressed their support.

After dinner, once the children were settled to sleep, Lin Yu'an carried the eight animal traps to the fireplace in the living room.

“We need to make some plans.” He looked at his two wives with a serious expression.

He spread out a topographical map of the area around the cabin, clearly marking the cabin, chicken coop, warehouse, and surrounding treeline.

“A bear trap is a double-edged sword,” Lin Yu’an said in a deep and clear voice. “It can protect us, but it can also hurt us, or even whiskey and honey. So we must establish the strictest rules.”

“Only place them on the ‘must-pass routes’.” He pointed to several narrow passages on the map between the chicken coop and the treeline behind it. Wolves are clever; they will definitely use the trees and terrain for cover. These are their most likely infiltration routes.”

“We also need to make proper markings.” He looked at Arya and Emily and said, word by word, “Every place where a trap has been set, we need to make a mark nearby that only we ourselves understand.”

"For example, tie a red ribbon to the tree next to us. Each of us must remember these locations as well as we remember our own names."

Arya and Emily nodded solemnly.

"Alright, let's begin." Lin Yu'an stood up.

He took out a thick pair of deerskin gloves from the storeroom and then repeatedly smoked them with pine needles and birch bark to completely mask the human smell.

He put on gloves and began to inspect the animal traps one by one.

The six wolf traps were classic "double-spring long traps," simple in structure yet deadly. The two bear traps, on the other hand, were shockingly large; just looking at them sent chills down one's spine.

"Emily," Lin Yu'an called out, "bring me some hay and birch bark, and chop it up a bit."

"Ok."

"Arya, bring me that bucket of animal fat."

Soon, the preparations were complete.

"Remember, indoors, we only do preparatory work, never wind up the clips." Lin Yu'an's tone was extremely serious, as if he were announcing an ironclad rule.

He evenly applied animal fat to the springs and joints of each clip, both to prevent rust and to mask the cold smell of steel.

Next, bits of hay and birch bark are sprinkled onto the clips and chains for initial scent camouflage. All preparations are now complete.

At 10 p.m., Lin Yu'an put on his lightest stealth clothing, headlamp, and deerskin gloves that had been scented with pine needles, and said to his two wives, "I'm going out to make arrangements. You two lock the door at home."

He glanced at the whiskey, which was slumped over the fireplace, and added, "The whiskey is left here. The more animals there are, the more mixed the smells become, making it easier to detect."

The Bernese Mountain Dog seemed to understand something, but merely raised its eyelids slightly before lying back down.

With a backpack containing animal traps and tools on his back and a snow shovel in his hand, Lin Yu'an, like a ghost blending into the night, silently stepped into the cold night outside.

Outside, the temperature had dropped to minus thirty degrees Celsius. In the night sky, the stars shone brightly, like diamonds scattered on the black velvet.

Instead of heading directly into the woods behind the henhouse, he first went to the front of the henhouse, an open area that was also the most important part of the defense.

He chose two concealed spots in the blind spots of the chicken coop, about fifteen meters away. He carefully dug through the snow with a snow shovel, just deep enough to accommodate the entire animal trap.

Then, he took out a wolf trap from his backpack, placed it on the flat ground, and stomped hard on the springs on both sides with his feet, which were wearing heavy winter boots. He then used all his strength to press the springs down.

With a "click," he successfully pressed the spring into place, and then carefully used his gloved hands to pry open the clamps on both sides and secure them with a small "trigger piece."

Throughout the entire process, he held his breath, his movements slow and steady, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead. This thing was incredibly powerful; the slightest mistake could have ruined his fingers.

Then, he gently placed the cocked "steel mine" and the wolf trap, which was already cocked and scent-camouflaged, into the pit.

The chain connecting the trap is securely fastened at one end to a spiral stake buried deep in the snow, ensuring that no prey can escape while dragging the trap.

Finally, he covered the open arms with a thin piece of birch bark to prevent them from being compacted by the falling snow, and then carefully covered them evenly with the loose snow he had dug out.

Throughout the entire process, he was meticulous, his movements as gentle as an engineer conducting a precise mine-laying operation. When he finished, the snow-covered area looked no different from its surroundings, as if nothing had happened.

After doing all this, he walked towards the grove of trees behind the chicken coop.

He arrived at the first designated location, a narrow passage between two huge spruce trees, the only way for animals to approach the chicken coop from the forest.

He used the same professional and meticulous methods to set a third trap.

Then came the fourth, the fifth... He had laid deadly traps in the same way on all the infiltration routes that the wolf pack could potentially exploit, which he had planned in advance on the map.

Almost an hour had passed by the time he finished setting the last trap. Without lingering, he immediately retraced his steps back to the cabin. Arya and Emily were still awake, sitting by the fireplace, talking quietly as they waited for him.

"Is everything alright?" Arya asked with concern.

"Everything's ready." Lin Yu'an nodded, walked to the fireplace, and warmed his hands, which were stiff from the cold, by the fire. "Six wolf traps and two bear traps are all set up. Anyone who dares to come will have to pay the price."

After warming himself by the fire, he turned to his two wives, his tone becoming extremely serious: "You must remember the eight trap points marked on the map."

“These next few days, Whiskey and Honey absolutely cannot be allowed to run off and play on their own. They must be leashed when walked, and only in the open area in front of our house.”

“We understand.” Emily and Arya nodded solemnly.

Lin Yu'an looked out the window at the deep, tranquil darkness, his eyes becoming as calm as ice.

Traps are only the first line of defense; the real deterrent always comes from the weapons in the hunter's hands.

He didn't say anything more, but walked straight to the gun cabinet made of heavy steel plates in the corner of the living room and opened it with the key.

He took a rifle out of it.

That was a Winchester M70 rifle he had previously commissioned, but it differed from the ordinary M70. The walnut wood on the gun body was of the highest grade, "AAA," and had been meticulously hand-polished and oiled, giving it a deep, warm, amber-like luster.

Most importantly, its chamber and bolt were specially customized by professional gunsmiths to accommodate the more powerful .300 Winchester Magnum ammunition.

This is a modern beast disguised in classic attire.

He took the rifle to the carpet in front of the fireplace, spread out a special gun cleaning mat, and then took out a complete set of maintenance tools: carbon fiber cleaning rods, cleaning cloths, Hope 9 gun oil, nylon brushes...

The flickering flames in the fireplace illuminated his focused profile as he skillfully removed the bolt, threaded a small piece of gun-oil-soaked cleaning cloth onto the cleaning rod, and then slowly and steadily pushed it forward from the end of the barrel.

"hiss--"

The cleaning cloth, passing through the specially reinforced precision rifling for firing .300 Winchester Magnum rounds, produces a captivatingly subtle scraping sound.

He repeated this action over and over again, and then used a small brush to carefully clean every tiny corner of the bolt, not letting go of any dust or impurities that might affect firing.

The only sounds in the living room were the crackling of firewood in the fireplace and the crisp metallic clinking of his guns as he maintained them.

Arya and Emily watched him quietly, without disturbing him. From his focused and steady movements, they sensed a powerful and reassuring strength.

He even secretly hoped that the wolves would attack.

It wasn't just about eliminating the threat. It was also because he craved a battle! To test his right to survive on this land, and to establish greater prestige within the Weisman community!

As he steadily pressed the last .300 Winchester Magnum rifle cartridge, encased in a brass case, into the magazine, he pushed the gleaming bolt back into place, producing an even crisper "click."

He leaned the rifle against the fireplace in the most convenient spot, raised his head, and looked out the window again.

At this moment, there was no trace of tension in his eyes.

Instead, it is replaced by a patience unique to hunters waiting for their prey.

August 12, early morning.

Nothing happened that night. The wolf howls, scratching at the door, or the pitiful screams of an animal trap being triggered that the family had anticipated did not occur.

This extreme tranquility, however, felt like a huge boulder, weighing heavily on his heart.

As the sky began to lighten with a hue between deep blue and bright white, Lin Yu'an quietly got out of bed. Without disturbing anyone, he took his Winchester M70 and stepped into the chilly morning air.

He cautiously followed the footprints he had left the night before toward the first trap. A thin layer of fresh frost covered the snow, shimmering like diamonds in the morning light, beautiful yet cold.

Any fresh footprints would be impossible to miss in this terrain. He conducted a thorough search, examining all possible passes and tunnels.

However, nothing was found.

He arrived at the first trap point and crouched down.

The snow surface was as smooth as ever, and even the footprints he left last night were perfectly covered by a layer of fresh frost, leaving no trace.

There were no new footprints, no new smells, not even a single animal footprint. The entire forest was as quiet as a giant tomb.

After completing the reconnaissance of the surrounding area, he began to check the traps he had set up the night before.

The second, the third...

All the traps, from the open area in front of the chicken coop to the main path in the woods behind it, all eight animal traps, were silently lurking beneath the snow.

The wolf pack didn't come. They vanished without a trace, as if they had dissolved into the air.

Lin Yu'an didn't dwell on it any longer. He knew that dealing with such a cunning opponent was a test of patience. From today onward, daily patrols would become his unwavering routine.

He hurried back to the cabin.

When he returned home, Arya and Emily were already up. The aroma of muffins and coffee wafted from the kitchen, and the fire in the fireplace had been reignited, dispelling the morning chill.

"How is it?" Emily asked with concern, a hint of nervousness in her eyes.

“Nothing happened.” Lin Yu’an took off his cold coat and shook his head. “The trap wasn’t triggered, and there are no new traces around. They’re very patient.”

“Maybe we scared them away?” Arya came over with a plate of steaming muffins, trying to comfort them.

"Perhaps," Lin Yu'an smiled, not revealing his opinion. He knew that for the wolf pack, no harvest didn't mean giving up, but rather that they were waiting for a better opportunity. He didn't want them to worry too much.

He washed his face, changed into comfortable home clothes, and then took the leash from Arya.

"Whiskey, honey, the babies are off, on patrol." The two big dogs wagged their tails excitedly and followed him out of the cabin.

He led the whiskey, carefully circling the cabin and chicken coop once again, letting the whiskey refresh the scent of this territory in the most primal way.

When they returned from patrol, a hearty and comforting breakfast was already laid out on the table: golden muffins, fresh blueberries, and aromatic coffee and milk. Olivia and Ethan sat in their high chairs, waving their little hands curiously.

At the dinner table, the three of them stopped discussing the wolves. Since the threat already existed, they decided to deal with it calmly. Excessive anxiety would only ruin this precious family time.

After breakfast, Lin Yu'an kissed the two children on the forehead and then hugged Alia and Emily goodbye.

"I'm going to find Uncle George."

"be careful."

He hopped onto the more agile Polaris snowmobile, the engine roaring crisply as it carried him deeper into the snowfield to finish what he hadn't accomplished the day before.

“Here you are, kid.” Old George saw him, simply nodded, and pointed to the box full of cooling sand next to the anvil. “Your work is still lying there.”

“Uncle George, I’m here to continue yesterday’s lesson.” Lin Yu’an got straight to the point, his eyes filled with eagerness for the next lesson.

"Hmm." Old George seemed to have expected him to say that.

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.

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(End of this chapter)