American homeless people, surviving in the city

The hunting knife's blade pierced the coyote's chest and abdomen with pinpoint accuracy from its side. Lynch's all-out thrust resulted in almost half of the blade disappearing into the coyote's body.

Using the force of the coyote's lunge, the knife slashed a huge wound on the coyote's side, and a scarlet arc instantly bloomed in the dim forest.

The coyote suddenly let out a mournful howl, its whole body convulsing in mid-air. However, it was unable to change direction in the air and could only watch helplessly as its body was almost cleaved in two by the combined effects of gravitational potential energy and the blade!

The next second, it crashed heavily to the ground. The intense pain caused it to lose its balance completely, and it could only lie on the ground struggling, but it had completely lost the strength to get up again.

Lynch, of course, wouldn't give it a chance to struggle or fight back. Without hesitation, he raised his hunting knife and stabbed the coyote several times in the neck, quickly ending its life.

This fierce battle ultimately lasted for less than ten seconds.

A predator that roams the forests and streets year-round has simply become a piece of fresh meat.

After killing the coyote, Lynch didn't check the coyote's body immediately. He just stood there, panting heavily.

Although the battle lasted only a very short time, it had completely drained him of his last bit of strength.

He could only lean his hunting knife on the ground to barely support his body.

Fresh blood dripped from the hunting knife, and a pungent, sweet-smelling odor filled the air, but that smell vanished in an instant in the howling night wind, just as the coyote's life had also vanished swiftly under the knife.

After catching his breath, Lin Qi regained some strength. He crouched down, just about to examine the coyote's carcass, when he suddenly heard a faint noise from the side.

He turned his head and saw that Sylvia had actually woken up.

Perhaps the noise of the fight had woken her up, or perhaps the smell of blood in the air had stimulated her senses; in any case, the girl slowly opened her eyes, her face pale.

As soon as Sylvia opened her eyes, her vision blurred as she vaguely made out the scene before her, and her eyes widened instantly. Her voice trembled:

"W-what...what's going on?"

"What was it... a wild dog? Or a wolf? You... killed it?"

Lin Qi shrugged, casually plucked some leaves from the nearby bushes to wipe the blood off his knife, and replied:

"Maybe it's a coyote, or maybe a wild dog; they all look pretty much the same..."

"Anyway, it was trying to eat us both, so I killed it. That's all."

After the initial shock subsided, Sylvia gradually regained her senses and didn't have any objections. Looking at the coyote carcass on the ground, the corners of her mouth unconsciously curled up slightly:

"You...you really are a professional hunter. Even though you ended up in this forest by accident..."

"Most hunters I've seen only use firearms to hunt. Someone like you who can fight wild beasts with a knife... really, you're exaggerating."

Lynch laughed: "I'd rather call myself a survivor than a hunter. Everything I do is just to stay alive."

"So now I'm going to do some things that ordinary hunters wouldn't do."

As he spoke, Lin Qi plopped down on the small clearing in the woods, then pulled the coyote's carcass to his side and examined it briefly:

"There wasn't much drool in its mouth, no bloodshot eyes, and not many unhealed wounds on its body... It's alright. This should just be an old wolf that attacked us out of desperation due to extreme hunger. Judging from its appearance, there shouldn't be any risk of disease from contacting it."

After a rough inspection, Lin Qi swiftly and decisively chopped off a wolf's leg. He then gathered some leaves from nearby and placed them on the ground before skinning the wolf and using his hunting knife to cut off the meat from the leg, which he then skewered into small pieces with twigs.

Sylvia, watching Lynch do all this, underwent a dramatic change in her expression: from initial curiosity, to confusion, and finally, utter shock.

"You mean...you're planning to eat it??"

"Yeah, right." Lin Qi answered naturally, while gathering some dry branches and leaves, piling them up, and lighting a campfire with a torch. "Since it's run into my knife, I need some food and warmth too."

"Oh, right."

Suddenly remembering something, Lynch turned to Sylvia and added, "I killed it in self-defense. If any animal rights organizations come after me after we escape, you'll have to testify for me, okay?"

Sylvia blinked but didn't say anything.

The campfire burned gently, its light illuminating the two disheveled figures.

Lin Qi skewered a bunch of wolf meat, then found some stones and rough branches to make a makeshift grill—his past wilderness survival skills came in handy once again.

He placed the wolf meat on the grill, and soon the aroma of the meat began to waft through the air, mixed with a faint scent of pine, gradually spreading in the night breeze.

Before he transmigrated, he would have definitely looked down on this kind of meat that had no seasoning, had not been bled or processed, and was full of fishy smell.

But now, as soon as he smelled the aroma of cooked meat, Lin Qi felt his mouth watering uncontrollably.

The faint smell of blood lingering on the open ground, and the faint stench emanating from the exposed entrails of the corpses, all seemed to transform into enticing seasonings at this moment.

While waiting for the wolf meat skewer to be cooked, Lynch looked at Sylvia:

"How is it? Doesn't it smell alright? Why don't you try some?"

"You are weaker than me and need to replenish your energy more."

Sylvia glanced at the still-bleeding wolf carcass beside her, then at the skewer of meat on the fire, her lips twitching slightly, her face full of resistance:

"No, no... This is a wolf... I've never thought of eating something like this..."

Lynch had anticipated Sylvia's resistance. He didn't force her, but continued to persuade her:

"I know this doesn't suit your eating habits, but this isn't the time to be picky. Even if I can carry you out, you at least have to be able to survive until then, right?"

As he spoke, he took the skewer of wolf meat off the fire, brought it to his nose, and gently sniffed it—it was roasted just right.

If Lynch relied solely on his wilderness survival knowledge, he could only guarantee that the meat would be cooked through and wouldn't cause diarrhea, but he would have no control over the heat and tenderness of the meat.

But with the help of his newly acquired [Wilderness Chef] skill, Lynch was surprised to find that the meat, which he had thought would be fishy and dry, actually emitted a unique, primal, and captivating aroma!

...How can roasted wolf meat without any spices smell so enticing? Is the [Wilderness Chef] ability really that powerful?

Lin Qi was quite surprised. He gently blew on the roasted meat, then took a bite without hesitation!

The unique aroma of fresh meat burst in my mouth. Although the meat itself had a distinct canine odor, the perfectly charred surface completely masked that odor.

What surprised Lynch even more was that he also tasted a unique sweetness in the meat, which was definitely not the taste of wolf meat itself.

He chewed carefully for a few moments and quickly figured out where that unique sweet flavor came from—it was rosin!

Both the branches used to skewer the meat and the firewood were made from pine trees that are common in the valley. This was an unintentional act by Lynch, but it perfectly added a unique aroma to the roast meat.

...Is this also part of the skill set?!

Lynch himself was amazed by his own cooking skills.

He practically wolfed down the skewer of grilled meat, then eagerly put the freshly skewered meat on the fire.

Beside her, Sylvia stared in disbelief as Lynch devoured the skewer of grilled meat like a ravenous beast. His wild eating habits awakened her own appetite, and the hunger overcame her anxiety and physical pain, causing her stomach to rumble loudly.

Lin Qi tilted his head, glanced at her, and smiled:

"I'll bake some for you too."

This time, Silvia did not refuse.