King of the Wilderness

Lin Yu’an stood up as he spoke, beginning the most important security measures of the night.

"In a place like Ailao Mountain, a fire can dispel the cold, but it also attracts curious or hungry visitors from the dark. So before we rest, we must first establish a safe defensive system for ourselves."

First line of defense: Clearing the isolation zone.

He cleared away all the fallen leaves, dead branches, and humus within a two-meter radius of the shelter’s rock wall, exposing the solid soil beneath.

"Most night creatures, especially snakes and venomous insects, rely on the leaf layer as camouflage and cover. Clearing this area is like taking away their ’cloak of invisibility,’ leaving them with nowhere to hide as they approach."

Second line of defense: Constructing an elevated platform.

From the gathered dead wood, he found two pieces as thick as a wrist, placed them parallel on the stones inside the shelter about a meter apart. Then he found dozens of thinner branches, laying them tightly across the two main trunks to form a makeshift bed about ten centimeters off the ground.

"In the absence of a tent, sleeping elevated is essential. Don’t underestimate the ten-centimeter height; it insulates against the cold and moisture from the ground. More importantly, it effectively prevents unwanted visitors from climbing on you, such as..."

"...the Chinese Red-Headed Centipede."

He picked up a piece of charcoal and drew a multi-legged outline on the rock wall, "This creature is very common here, large in size and highly aggressive. Being stung by its forcipules feels like being seared by two red-hot iron rods pressed into your flesh simultaneously."

"Its venom is both hemolytic and cytotoxic, causing massive ulceration and tissue necrosis. In an environment without antibiotics, a small sting could ultimately lead to amputation or even death due to infection."

Third line of defense: Chemical and physical barriers.

He took out the resin he had scraped from a pine tree with a stone tool in the afternoon, melted it by the fire, and carefully smeared the sticky resin on both ends of the two main trunks forming the platform base.

"Pine resin is a natural adhesive and insect repellent. Its strong scent and sticky nature effectively prevent them from climbing up."

"By using the oldest chemical weapon—ashes of grass and wood, completely seal it. It is dry and alkaline, something most arthropods detest. Three lines of defense, advancing layer by layer, to ensure I can have a restful sleep tonight."

Lin Yu’an then spread the fine ashes from the fire pit around the entire platform in a complete loop on the ground.

Lin Yu’an paused, his gaze shifting to the shadowy corner of the shelter’s rock wall.

"Next is why I carefully inspected every crevice with a torch earlier. It’s because there might be a dire creature that locals speak of with fear—the Red-Backed Widow Spider, which I prefer to call the Hallucinogenic Widow."

"It doesn’t actually cause hallucinations, but its neurotoxin results in consequences more terrifying than illusions. Once bitten, the venom causes your muscles to convulse uncontrollably."

"Then you curl up like a shrimp, your abdominal muscles as hard as iron, writhing and twisting on the ground in agony, letting out screams that don’t sound human."

"To others, it seems like you’ve been possessed, taken over by something sinister. Without antidote serum in the wild, such painful struggle inevitably leads to respiratory failure and death."

He picked up the torch again, showing the camera how he conducted preventive measures.

"So, the key to dealing with it is to eliminate hiding places. Firstly, in choosing platform materials, I deliberately avoided all hollow bamboo and porous rotten wood, opting entirely for solid hardwood."

"Secondly, all materials brought into the shelter, like these banana leaves to be laid on top, must be repeatedly tapped and shaken outside to dislodge any hitchhiking spiders."

"Every seam of the shelter, every crack in the rock wall, must be thoroughly disinfected with a torch. It’s a tedious but absolutely necessary task."

Lin Yu’an’s gaze returned to the wet grass and shrubs outside the shelter.

"There are two more invisible killers, whose defense relies more on knowledge and habits."

"One is the flying Death God—the Black-tailed Wasp. Their nest might be in the hollow of a tree, or in an underground burrow."

"While gathering resources during the day, any unintentional disturbance could provoke a devastating swarm attack. Dozens to hundreds of wasps attacking can kill an adult within minutes from acute renal failure and anaphylactic shock."

"To prevent them, besides maintaining constant vigilance, listening and watching from all directions, managing scent is more crucial."

"Before entering a new area, I always stop at the edge to listen for any dense buzzing sounds, look for regular flight paths. These are signals of a hive’s presence that allow you to avoid it in advance."

"The most insidious, though, is the invisible killer—the mite." His tone grew even more serious, "You might not even feel them biting you until, a few days later, a black scab appears on your skin, followed by uncontrollable high fever, headaches, and rashes."

"The disease they transmit, scrub typhus, has a high mortality rate without specific medication. It lurks at the tip of those grasses and shrubs."

"It’s also worth mentioning that these four venomous creatures are not on China’s list of protected animals, so it’s legal to defend yourself if encountered."