American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 305, The Frozen Throne, premieres.
With the Arctic home construction plan arranged, the rest was left to the teams from both sides; all Lin Yu'an needed to do was wait.

When Lin Yu'an returned to the living room, Ailiya had already shared their new home address with her family on the phone.

She looked down at Lin Yu'an, who was coming downstairs, and announced impatiently, "It's done! Clay was so excited he almost jumped out of his chair! He said he wants to drive his Ford Raptor over tomorrow!"

“My mom and dad are so excited, they said they’ll make the arrangements as soon as possible. Oh my god, I can’t believe we’re going to have a huge family party here soon!”

Seeing her pure and happy appearance, Lin Yu'an and Emily were also deeply moved.

The feeling of home became more complete and real than ever before at this moment.

He glanced at the latest 120-inch super-large OLED TV from Sony on the wall, and a crucial thought instantly popped into his mind.

He smiled and said to his two wives, "I almost forgot, there seems to be an old movie about me going to be shown tonight."

Arya and Emily were both taken aback, but then they realized what was happening.

"Oh my god!" Arya covered her mouth. "It's 'Wilderness Solitary: The Frozen Throne'! It premieres tonight! I completely forgot about something so important!"

Emily's eyes were filled with anticipation and a hint of worry: "Is it finally going to air? I wonder how they'll edit you into..."

Lin Yu-an said calmly and confidently, "No matter how it's edited, I will still have a place in the championship. We just need to sit here and enjoy it as ordinary spectators."

He turned around, smiling, and extended his hand to them: "Come on, let Elena prepare some popcorn and hot cocoa for us."

"Tonight, I'll show you how your husbands build their frozen throne in a completely different kingdom!"

The night was deep, and the cold wind howled outside the window, but inside the home theater of Eagle's Nest, it was warm as spring.

The three of them, along with two babies who had just finished drinking milk and were curiously staring wide-eyed, nestled comfortably in the top-of-the-line genuine leather sofa that featured built-in heating and massage functions.

The huge curved IMAX screen is currently lit up with the Discovery Channel's iconic Earth logo.

This warm and peaceful scene stands in stark contrast to the global media storm that is about to erupt in the online world.

Tens of thousands of families in the United States, Canada, Europe, and even Asia tune in to the Discovery Channel.

On YouTube, the world's largest video website, the Discovery Channel's official live stream has already surpassed five million viewers, and is still skyrocketing at a rate of thousands per second.

On social media, the hashtag #AloneFrozenThrone has already topped the global trending list.

After eight seasons of development, the flagship IP "Living Alone in the Wilderness" has become more than just a survival show.

It has evolved into a cultural phenomenon, a carnival that brings together hardcore survival enthusiasts, outdoor sports fans, craft experts, and even military enthusiasts from all over the world.

This season of "The Frozen Throne" Legendary Season has brought that anticipation to an unprecedented peak.

[It's here! It's here! It's finally here!]

[Six legendary athletes return! The most brutal Labrador coastline in history! I've been waiting for this day for almost a year!]

Enough with the nonsense! I just want to see Lin Shen! After his legendary status in Season 8, I want to see who can challenge him this time!

[This year has been amazing! Not only is there Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne in February, but also Season 9 of Retreat in the Wild in October! Two seasons of delicious food in one year, double the happiness!]

As the stirring and epic opening theme played, a series of highlights from the contestants' past performances were quickly edited together, accompanied by their comeback declarations on camera.

When Lin Yu'an's calm and resolute Eastern face appeared, accompanied by the stunning footage of him hunting a black bear at Lake Chirko, the live stream chat exploded instantly!

The show officially began. From the moment the contestants arrived in Nern, the northernmost town in Newfoundland, to their first formal meeting in the conference room, the editing skills of the production team were showcased to the fullest.

Each contestant's personality, strengths, and motivation for returning were vividly portrayed within just a few minutes.

Vonnia's calmness and wisdom, Kelly's resilience and agility, Michelle's confidence, Colton's sharpness, Amos's composure...

Each and every one of them is a strong individual capable of standing on their own! After all the contestants had finished their introductions, it was Lin Yu'an's turn to speak.

His calm yet domineering declaration was like a splash of cold water thrown into a frying pan, causing the entire online public opinion to explode!
“I am Lin Yu’an. The champion of the eighth season. I lasted 93 days at Lake Chirko. During that time, I hunted a mule deer and an adult black bear.”

"My reason for returning this time is very simple. I've returned to accept your challenges."

"The throne is here; bring it on!"

The program team added extremely oppressive background music to this speech, and the moment it aired, the global online community immediately split into several distinct battlefields of public opinion.

Lin Yu-An's fans on YouTube comment sections and hunting forums felt an unparalleled sense of exhilaration at this moment!

[Fuck! This is what a champion's declaration looks like! Simple! Brutal! Let the results speak for themselves! Absolutely awesome!]

[93 days! Hunting a black bear! Who else can do that?! This is absolute dominance!]

[The throne is here, bring it on! So domineering! Lin is a born king!]

However, with great praise comes equally great skepticism, especially on some predominantly white, hardcore hunting forums that are rife with a sense of superiority.

"Oh, please, stop exaggerating! He just got lucky. We all know how abundant the resources are in Lake Chirko. Any experienced hunter could have done it."

Hunting a black bear? That was just a lucky ambush. I bet his luck would run out quickly in a place like Labrador, facing a hungry polar bear.

[An Asian guy, trying to teach us how to play survival games? Don't be ridiculous. Just wait and see, he definitely won't last thirty days this time. I bet Colton will win; that's the real American hunter!]

[That's right, I support Vonnia! She's the true master of traditional craftsmanship; Lin's use of modern tools is nothing but opportunism.]

Meanwhile, the Bilibili livestream room was filled with joy and proud messages.

[Hahaha! As expected of you, Lin Shen! You went all out right from the start!]

This translates to: Everyone here is trash. Who agrees? Who disagrees?

[There's a ridiculously popular comment online saying that Lin Shen used modern tools to cheat! The bow is a standard piece of equipment used by the production team in their top ten selections, so how does that make Lin Shen cheat?]

[Those rednecks are just jealous; they can't stand seeing us Chinese being so great.]

[Waiting for Lin Shen to slap them in the face again! Let's crush them!]

The show features three extremely strong female contestants, which naturally attracted a large number of female viewers who viewed the competition as a "battle of the sexes."

[Go, sisters! Vonia! Kelly! Michelle! You guys are the best! Let's show them who the real survival masters are!]

[I've had enough of those arrogant men! Why does the champion have to be a man? This time we have three goddesses, and I'm rooting for Vonya. I'll use her wisdom to crush that arrogant Lin!]

Lin Yu-an's remarks were too aggressive, full of paternalistic lecturing. I hope Kelly can teach him a lesson with her bow and arrow!

These remarks immediately drew backlash from a large number of viewers and conservatives.

[Are you crazy? This is just a survival competition, what does gender have to do with it? Whoever is stronger wins, it's that simple.]

Is it so hard to acknowledge a man's excellence? Lin Yu'an's achievements are undeniable; what does it have to do with whether he's male or female?

Here we go again, everyone's quick to judge everything. So, can I say that you support them only because they're women? Isn't that a form of sexism?

The fiercest attacks came from major animal protection organizations and vegetarian communities.

Lin Yu'an's casual remark about hunting an adult black bear was nothing short of a declaration of war to them.

Boycott "Living in the Wild"! Boycott this bloody program that revels in killing! What did that black bear do wrong?

It was simply living in its own home when it was brutally murdered by a butcher who wanted a reward!

The Discovery Channel must be held accountable! They are promoting a false set of values ​​to the world! This is not survival, this is murder!

[Poor bear! Look at Lin Yu'an's cold face. He didn't show the slightest bit of remorse when he uttered the word 'hunt'! He's a cold-blooded murderer!]

PETA's official Twitter account issued a strongly worded condemnation statement within five minutes of the program airing.

They called on all members to boycott Discovery Channel advertisers, and a global media storm was already taking shape within half an hour of the program's premiere.

Inside the eagle's nest, Lin Yu'an and his family were completely unaware of this.

When her "cringeworthy" speech was shown on the screen, Aria was the first to burst out laughing. She hugged Lin Yu'an's arm and laughed so hard she was shaking.

“Oh my god, honey! What were you thinking? ‘The throne is here, bring it on!’ Did you think you were filming Game of Thrones again? So cute!”

Emily couldn't help but chuckle. She looked at Lin Yu'an tenderly, her eyes full of smiles: "But he really is handsome. Very much your style."

Lin Yu'an touched his nose helplessly: "Mark insisted that I say it. He said it needed to be dramatic."

He looked at himself on TV, a cold-faced figure who seemed to be in control of everything, and then looked at his wife laughing and his babbling babies beside him. A strange sense of disconnect arose within him.

The king on television seemed like a distant figure. What they saw before them was his real, warm kingdom. The program continued. As Mark began to describe the harsh conditions in Labrador, Arya and Emily's laughter faded, replaced by solemnity and lingering fear.

Temperatures as low as -30 degrees Celsius, winds reaching speeds of 60 kilometers per hour, a fjord on the verge of freezing over, and the dual threat of black bears and polar bears...

Every word was like a needle, piercing their hearts.

Aria held Lin Yu'an's hand tightly, as if afraid he would disappear again into that icy wasteland.

Sensing Arya's change in mood, Lin Yu'an took her cold hand in his and gently comforted her, "It's all in the past. Look, I'm sitting here perfectly fine now."

The program has now entered the contestant selection phase.

Lin Yu'an watched on TV as he rode a speedboat, speeding through the icy bay, and finally, alone, set foot on that desolate coast.

As the speedboat sailed away, leaving only his lonely figure and the whistling wind in the frame, Emily gently rested her head on his shoulder.

She didn't say anything, but Lin Yu'an could clearly feel the slight trembling coming from her body.

He reached out and embraced both his wives tightly. He knew it was a thrilling adventure for the viewers at home.

But for his family, it was a wait that lasted more than fifty days, filled with torment and worry.

On television, Lin Yu'an began his first day of survival.

The joy of finding a freshwater lake, the wisdom of choosing a campsite, the efficiency of building a temporary shelter... every successful decision elicited a small gasp of amazement from Arya and Emily.

When they saw that he had built a sturdy A-shaped shelter and lit a warm campfire in just over two hours, their anxiety eased a little.

“That’s amazing…” Arya exclaimed sincerely, “In that kind of place, it’s like…like coming home.”

The first episode ends with a close-up of Lin Yu-an lying in her sleeping bag, looking at the flickering flames in front of her, her eyes calm and resolute.

The magnetic voice-over says, "Six legendary players have stepped onto their frozen battlefield. Will the ruthless Labrador bare its fangs at them, or offer them a gift?"

"Who will be able to persevere to the end in this ultimate battle between will and nature? Find out next week at the same time with 'Wilderness Solitude: The Frozen Throne'."

As the end credits rolled, the first episode officially came to an end. But the storm that was brewing for it had only just begun.

At the end of the program, Discovery Channel released a three-minute "extra-long trailer" about the next episode and the entire season.

The trailer is filled with high-energy scenes that will ignite audience anticipation:

Vonia sews leather clothes from animal sinews; Kelly struggles to draw her longbow in a blizzard; Lin Yu'an discovers the mysterious green combination lock box on the shore.
There's even a blurry silhouette of him later hunting that giant porcupine, holding a spear and confronting the beast...

What really went viral online was the last shot of the trailer.

It was during a massive blizzard when, outside Lin Yu'an's shelter, a small, white, furry figure staggered toward him.

The final shot freezes on a close-up of Lin Yu'an opening the door and making eye contact with the little polar bear.

The picture stopped abruptly.

"boom!"

If the previous content was merely like throwing a few boulders into a sea of ​​public opinion, then this ending is tantamount to detonating a deep-sea nuclear bomb!
[That's... a polar bear cub?! Am I seeing things?!]

[Oh my god! Lin found a polar bear cub! It looks...so pitiful! Where is its mother?]

This seemingly fairytale-like question instantly ignited the fear in all the viewers.

They knew better than anyone that the appearance of a cub within the Arctic Circle meant only one thing.

[A mother bear! A mother bear must be nearby! Lin is doomed!]

[Fuck! This is the worst-case scenario! A mother polar bear with cubs is the most dangerous, unpredictable, and aggressive creature on land! Bar none!]

[Has the production team gone mad?! How could they put a contestant in an area where a mother bear is present?! Go save him!]

Compared to this, the previous black bear was like a docile poodle! Lin is really in big trouble this time!

[Oh no, Lin Shen is really going to mess this up! His bow and arrows are practically useless against a fully grown female polar bear!]

The various camps that were previously arguing fiercely were now forcibly united by a greater and more primal sense of fear.

Everyone's focus instantly shifted from who would be the champion to whether Lin Yu-an could survive the next episode.

The comments on Bilibili instantly changed from the initial "awsl" to an overwhelming barrage of "danger" and "protect!".

【Danger! Danger! Danger! Danger! Lin Shen, run!!!】

Don't touch that little cutie! Its mom might tear you in two!

[The production team is inhuman! This isn't a survival challenge anymore, it's a battle royale!]

I'd rather Lin Shen withdraw from the fight than have him face a female bear! They're not even in the same weight class!

[Oh no, I'm starting to get nervous, my palms are sweating. Please, please don't let anything happen!]

[Don't worry, upstairs. The production team has bear spray; at most, Lin Shen will have to withdraw from the competition on the spot.]

Animal protection organizations that had previously condemned Lin Yu'an for hunting black bears have now fallen into an extremely awkward silence.

They discovered that they could no longer use their previous logic to condemn them.

Are we supposed to tweet that we hope that the angry mother bear will avenge her deadly black bear brethren? That would be tantamount to openly advocating violence.

Ultimately, all they could come up with was a politically correct statement: "We strongly urge Discovery Channel to intervene immediately to ensure the safety of both the athlete and the polar bear and to prevent any form of conflict!"

Within just one hour, an even more impactful hashtag, "#LinAndThePolarBear," spread like wildfire.

It quickly replaced all previous topics and topped the global trending search list!

This topic is no longer about arguments and confrontations, but rather about a pure tension about unknown dangers and concern for the safety of the athletes.

Countless viewers began spontaneously searching online for information and videos about the aggressive behavior of female polar bears.

Each search result only intensified their despair over their idol's situation.

Mark and the Discovery Channel executives couldn't stop smiling as they watched the ratings and online buzz skyrocket, and the new topic filled with suspense and fear.

They knew they had made the right bet.

They not only created suspense, but also the most powerful emotional resonance of all dramas—anxiety.

At this moment, audiences around the world felt their hearts intertwined with that man standing alone on the icy plain, about to face an unknown fate.

This is exactly the effect they wanted.

Lin Yu-an, and all the uncertainties he brings, have propelled the show to unprecedented new heights.

Meanwhile, in the eye of the storm, a warm and peaceful atmosphere prevailed in the home theater of Eagle's Nest.

“That’s… December?” Emily looked at the small, pitiful figure on the screen, her voice filled with maternal warmth.

Arya sat up straight excitedly: "So that's how you met! Oh my god, it looked so small and pitiful back then..."

Lin Yu'an smiled and hugged his two wives and the two babies sleeping in their arms even tighter.

“Yes,” he said, looking at the frozen image on the screen, his eyes softening. “That’s our December. Our story has only just begun.”

Just then, a rapid phone ring broke the silence in the cinema.

Lin Yu'an glanced at the caller ID; it was Mark, the program's producer.

He answered the phone, but before he could even speak, Mark's roar, like a volcanic eruption, came from the other end!

"Lin! My God! Did you see that?! Did you fucking see that?!"

Mark's volume was so loud that Lin Yu'an had to hold the phone further away. He could even hear the excited cheers and the "pop" of champagne being opened coming from the background.

“Calm down, Mark,” Lin Yu’an said with a smile, infected by his emotions. “I just finished watching it. The editing is good, and it’s very suspenseful.”

"Not bad? Suspense?!" Mark's voice rose another eight octaves. "Lin! This isn't just not bad! This is epic! This is a miracle! Do you know what we just created?!"

(End of this chapter)