American Hunting: Starting with Solitary Life in the Wilderness

Chapter 326 Rich Ecology, Present-day Chinese Giant Salamander

The journey upstream was even more difficult than yesterday. Huge rocks, like the teeth of ancient beasts, jaggedly squeezed the riverbed, shaping the stream into rapid white waves.

Lin Yu'an needed to constantly climb and jump among these slippery boulders, with the icy, rushing stream flowing beneath his feet.

To cope with this complex terrain, he had already packed away the bulky Ronin 4D cinema camera into his newly made backpack, using only the Action 3 camera on his chest to record this thrilling first-person perspective.

"The surface of the rocks here is covered with an invisible biofilm of algae, making it even more slippery than ice," he explained, panting as he cautiously stepped out into the camera.

"The only rule is to keep three points fixed. Every step must be firmly planted, the center of gravity should be low, and both hands should be ready to grab anything that can provide support."

Several times, he relied on the sturdy stone spear in his hand as a third fulcrum, wedging it firmly into the cracks in the rock to steady himself.

Around noon, a strong feeling of hunger struck again.

The carbohydrates from the banana core he had eaten for breakfast had long been used up, and his body was now craving protein.

Finally, he came to a deep pool where the current slowed down. This was a buffer zone between two rapids, where the stream calmed down and the water was so clear that he could see many small fish swimming among the rocks.

“This is a good mobile food tray, but also a deadly trap.” Lin Yu’an unloaded the willow basket from his back, stood on the rocks by the pool, and scrutinized everything underwater with sharp eyes.

He lowered his voice and analyzed into the camera on his chest: "Any seemingly beautiful place in the wild may hide multiple dangers. Assessing the risks is always the first step in taking action."

He pointed to the clear water, “You see, the rocks underwater are also covered with a slippery biofilm, even more slippery than those on the shore. And the water can distort your judgment of distance and depth; one wrong step could have consequences far beyond just a fall.”

“In March, the water temperature in the Ailao Mountains may only be 4 to 5 degrees Celsius. If an ordinary person is exposed to this water temperature for more than 15 minutes, they may fall into the danger of hypothermia due to the rapid loss of core body temperature.”

"Moreover, this clear water is not only home to fish, but also to those silent vampires—leeches. In this environment, as soon as you enter the water, they will swarm from all directions, making it impossible to defend against them."

His gaze was fixed on the fleeting silver shadows in the water, pointing to the school of fish, "Those are mountain lip fish, they feed on algae scraped from the rocks. Locals call them stone slab fish, the original inhabitants of the Ailao Mountain streams."

As the camera zooms in, you can see fish about the length of a hand, with agile bodies and silver scales that reflect a dazzling light in the water.

"They are typical visual animals, extremely sensitive to any shadows or pressure waves in the water. Trying to spear them with this primitive stone spear in my hand has a success rate that is infinitely close to zero."

He shook his head, a helpless, bitter smile on his face. "In the end, at this water temperature, every failed attempt was like gambling with my precious body heat on an impossible outcome."

"In summary, risking fractures, parasite bites, and hypothermia to go into the water for a few small fish is the most foolish thing to do for survival."

He spoke, but his eyes never stopped searching.

He was looking for an opportunity that could break the deadlock, an opportunity where the risks and rewards were disproportionate.

Suddenly, his gaze was drawn to a larger, darker shadow on the bottom of the water.

The creature lurked in the shadow of a boulder, over half a meter long, with a robust outline, seemingly completely unaware of the people on the shore.

Lin Yu'an's pupils contracted slightly, and he even slowed his breathing. It wasn't a fish, nor a snake; it had a flat head and thick limbs.

"My God..." he murmured in a voice only he could hear, his tone filled with shock and awe, "Chinese giant salamander!"

He quickly raised his hand and made a stop gesture towards the camera, as if afraid of disturbing the giant salamander in the water.

"Remember, in the wild, except for emergency situations where you are starving to death, there are some bottom lines that you should never cross."

"The Chinese giant salamander is a national second-class protected animal and a living fossil. Its existence is a miracle in itself."

He stepped back, giving that precious creature enough space and respect.

This unexpected discovery seemed to have exhausted all his luck.

Just as he was about to give up and look for something else, he caught a glimpse of another target out of the corner of his eye.

It was at the edge of the deep pool, a black granite slab half-submerged in water. The water flowed away here, forming a small, relatively still backwater area.

Right there on that sunny rock, in a natural depression underwater, a creature that blends almost completely into the shadow of the rock lies dormant.

It was a snake! Coiled up, but not in a tense defensive posture, but rather like a relaxed hunter full of patience.

Its body was mostly submerged in cold, clear water, with only a small section of its back and head slightly above the surface, like a tree branch that had turned black from being soaked in water.

As the camera zooms in, the details become clearly visible.

Its scales are not rough, but very smooth, reflecting a lead-gray, moist sheen in the water, with some faint black spots or horizontal stripes visible on them, making it inconspicuous in the shadows underwater.

The head is a rounded oval shape, with no clear distinction from the neck, which is a typical characteristic of non-venomous water snakes.

A pair of small, bright black eyes quietly observed the surface of the water.

It is also waiting; for the leaden water snake, a careless slatefish or a passing frog is a delicious meal that it cannot afford to miss.

Nobuko did not breathe, her entire body remained motionless, as if she had become one with the rock, an unchanging part of this valley.

A hunter's smile slowly crept onto Lin Yu'an's lips.

"found it."

He spoke to the camera in a barely audible voice, "The plan has changed. Our target is no longer those flexible appetizers, but this main course that has been delivered to our door!"

“A lead-colored water snake,” he mouthed to the camera, “round head, smooth scales, non-venomous, not on the protected list, a typical non-venomous aquatic snake.”

"Its presence indicates that the ecosystem here is very healthy, with plenty of frogs and fish for it to prey on. Today, it is my source of protein."

Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Yu'an quickly untied the laces of his hiking boots.

“Guys, remember one rule,” he explained to the camera as he took off his shoes, “Never get your shoes and socks wet except in an emergency.”

"A pair of soaking wet boots is a disaster in the wild. Not only will they take away the warmth from your feet, but they can also cause blisters or even deadly trench foot. Shoes are an extension of the legs and must protect them from getting dry."

He placed his boots and socks on a dry rock, then stood up and rolled up his trousers high above his knees, revealing his muscular calves.

The entire preparation process takes no more than thirty seconds, and every movement is full of clear purpose.

He was barefoot, feeling the rough texture of the rocks. "My feet were unprotected, and every second, the icy stream would steal heat directly from my body. So this had to be a quick battle. Only success was allowed, failure was not an option."

After saying that, he picked up the stone spear, took a deep breath, and stepped barefoot into the icy, bone-chilling stream.

"hiss--!"

The chill felt like ten thousand ice needles, instantly piercing his feet and shooting straight to the top of his head! He couldn't help but gasp, but his body remained as steady as a rock.

Barefoot allowed him to more clearly perceive the outlines of underwater rocks and the slippery biofilm on them, making each step exceptionally steady, like a heron wading through the water.

He stood motionless in the knee-deep water, blending his figure into the environment, his eyes fixed on the target beside the rock.

Instead of acting rashly, he quickly simulated the best attack method in his mind.

"When dealing with such a smooth and agile water snake, brute force is the least efficient option." He explained the tactics in a barely audible whisper, pointing to the camera on his chest.

“A massive slash will only alert it prematurely; the water will act as a buffer. The only way is to strike as quickly as possible, pinning its spine firmly to the rock beneath it with a stone spear. A single blow will kill it, giving it no chance to escape or retaliate.” To this end, he adjusted his posture. Lowering his center of gravity, he gripped the spear shaft with both hands, one in front of the other, the spear tip pointing diagonally into the water, his entire body resembling a fully drawn bow.

There is only one chance. The snake's reaction speed is as fast as lightning. Any hesitation will lead to failure.

He slowly submerged the stone spear into the water, the sharp flint spear tip moving silently beneath the clear water, quietly aiming at the snake's spine, about a fist's distance behind it.

Bare feet gripped the sand and gravel at the bottom of the water tightly with their toes, providing the most stable support for this thunderous strike.

He took a deep breath, and all the muscles in his body tensed up instantly, then he suddenly exploded!

"Pfft!"

With a short, muffled splash, the stone spear in his hand did not slash, but rather shot forward and downward like an arrow released from a bow, leaving a blur!
The entire movement was crisp and clean, without any unnecessary movements. The power was transmitted from the waist and abdomen to the arms and then poured into the spear tip!

This time, the spear shaft no longer delivered the dull thud of striking a stone, but rather a powerful, visceral vibration that pierced through tough muscles and scales before finally crashing against the hard rock!

It worked!
The sharp spear tip pierced the snake's body precisely and pinned it firmly to the black granite at the bottom of the water, like a biological specimen!
"Hiss—!"

The excruciating pain caused the water snake to unleash an astonishing vitality! The underwater world instantly churned violently, with murky mud and streaks of blood bursting forth.

Its body twisted and rolled wildly, trying to wrap itself around the deadly spear shaft.

Lin Yu'an's legs seemed rooted to the ground, pressing down firmly on the spear shaft, letting the water snake struggle. He knew that as long as the spear tip remained embedded in the rock, the water snake, with its spine destroyed, would have no chance of escape.

A few minutes later, the struggle underwater gradually subsided, leaving only unconscious, slight twitching.

He breathed a sigh of relief and, without delay, quickly lifted the large meal, along with the stone spear, out of the water and hurried back to the rocks on the shore.

As soon as he left the icy stream, he threw the snake on the ground and immediately checked his feet and calves to make sure he wasn't bitten by leeches. Only then did he vigorously scrape the water droplets off his legs with his palms before quickly putting on dry socks and boots.

A warm feeling rose from the soles of his feet, and he breathed a long sigh of relief.

Only after doing all this did he raise the trophy high.

A look of surprise and ecstasy crossed Lin Yu'an's face. He weighed the heavy object in his hand and exclaimed sincerely, "Guys, I've hit the jackpot! I've never seen such a big, leaden water snake. It's definitely the ruler of this pool."

"Its thickness is almost as thick as my wrist, and its length is nearly a meter! To grow to this size in such cold water, it must have lived here for at least seven or eight years."

He showed the huge water snake to the camera, its black scales shimmering with a dark luster in the sunlight.

"With this, we've secured our protein needs for the next two days." Lin Yu'an's face showed a tired but satisfied smile. "See? This is a surprise attack after calculating the risks."

"In the wild, choice is more important than effort. This is the unexpected reward for a calm and rational decision! We're getting meat tonight!"

The tremendous success greatly boosted his morale! That nearly one-meter-long lead-colored water snake was the most valuable protein he had obtained since entering the Ailao Mountains.

Carefully tie it with vines and secure it to the outside of the willow basket, then continue upstream along the stream.

“Guys, did you notice?” he said excitedly as he trudged across the slippery rocks. “We’ve found the perfect hunting ground.”

"The clear stream has a large number of stonefish, which means that aquatic insects and algae are very abundant; the presence of fish attracts leaden water snakes that catch fish; and the presence of snakes means that there must be plenty of frogs here..."

"Fish, frogs, snakes... this is a complete and healthy food chain at the bottom. Logically speaking, if we trace this line upwards, there should be even more advanced predators here."

His tone was full of explorer's excitement, "Let's see what luck we have today, what else we might encounter."

In the afternoon, in order to cross the ridge ahead, he had to leave the stream and re-enter the denser, more disorienting jungle.

The vegetation here is completely different from that in the valley. Tall trees block out the sunlight, making the undergrowth dim, and countless vines and shrubs grow, making it extremely difficult to move around.

Just as he parted a patch of huge ferns, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

The excitement and composure that belonged to a victor on his face froze in an instant, replaced by a deep-seated vigilance and solemnity.

He slowly squatted down, took down the Action 3 camera that had been hanging on his chest, and held it hand-held to point the lens at a patch of wet mud in front of him.

On the muddy ground, there was a clear plum blossom-shaped footprint! The mud around the edge of the footprint was not yet dry, indicating that its owner had been away from here for no more than half an hour.

Around the footprints were several deep claw marks, several centimeters deep, as if declaring sovereignty over this territory.

“…I see.” Lin Yu’an’s voice was very low. “The top of the food chain…so that’s where we were waiting.”

He gestured with his fingers to indicate the size of the footprints, then looked at the camera with an extremely serious expression.

"Judging from its size, stride, and the depth of these claw marks, this is definitely not a small creature. It is very likely a golden cat... or even a clouded leopard."

He slowly stood up, held the stone spear horizontally in front of his chest, and entered a state of highest alert.

The gaze was no longer one of exploration, but rather one of vigilance, scanning every possible shadowy spot around them.

“Some people might think that I have a spear, and that an adult should be able to fight a feline weighing several tens of kilograms. This is a fatal misconception.”

He lowered his voice and explained quickly and clearly to the camera, as if reminding himself, "We can't just look at the weight. A 20-kilogram clouded leopard is 20 kilograms of muscles, claws, and fangs that are purely for killing."

"Its muscle density, explosive power, and flexibility are several times that of humans. You can think of it as a hydraulic press covered in blades and springs. And I am just flesh and blood."

He tossed the stone spear in his hand. “Secondly, there’s the difference in weaponry. I only have one point of attack, and I need space and time to unleash my power. But it has five points of attack: a mouth and four claws.”

"Its claws are not for scratching, but can tear through muscles and sever tendons like iron hooks. And the clouded leopard's canines are proportionally the longest of all living felines, capable of biting through my cervical vertebrae."

Lin Yu'an began to look around warily, as if the air itself was filled with the dangerous atmosphere of being watched.

“The most crucial point is that we will never have a chance to fight. They are masters of ambush, and their attacks will only come from my blind spots—the side, behind, or even from the trees above my head.”

"By the time I realized the danger, its claws may have already dug into my shoulder and its teeth were already biting into my throat."

“My previous judgment was correct; this is indeed a perfect hunting ecosystem. The only difference is that in the stream, I am the hunter; but here, I am the prey.”

He decisively said, "The plan has changed. I must abandon today's destination and immediately find a completely safe shelter."

"The first rule of survival in the wild is not to fight, but to avoid all risks that cannot be taken. Facing a top predator is the highest level of risk."

Given the threat of large predators, his site selection criteria became extremely stringent. He needed a location that was easy to defend and difficult to attack, and could confine the danger to a single direction.

He stopped moving at a steady pace and began almost running through the jungle, his eyes frantically scanning the surrounding terrain. Every rock, every steep slope was quickly assessed in his mind and then rejected.

"No, this place is too flat. We could be attacked from all sides!" He muttered to himself, panting heavily, as if forcing himself to think calmly.

"The trees here are so dense; it's a perfect ambush location, but not a good defensive one!"

The sun began to slant, its golden rays filtering through the layers of tree canopy and casting ever-growing, eerie shadows through the forest.

Each swaying leaf was like a peering eye. He could feel his adrenaline surging through his veins, and a layer of cold sweat had seeped down his back.

Time ticked by, and just when he was about to despair, the terrain in front of him suddenly rose!
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.

(I wonder if I can still get monthly votes ε=(ο｀*))) Sigh)
(End of this chapter)