King of the Wilderness

Then began his most urgent task since arriving here—starting a fire.

The sky was already gradually retreating westward; he had to resolve the critical issue of a fire source before sunset.

He set up the small Pocket 2 camera in a position that perfectly captured all his actions, then walked onto the cleaned open space in front of the shelter.

Starting a fire with a hand drill began.

"Alright, folks, the ultimate challenge has arrived." He spoke solemnly but with a determined gaze into the Action 3 camera on his chest, "Starting a fire with a hand drill in Ailao Mountain’s environment, where the humidity exceeds 80%, is definitely not an easy task."

(Note: Folks are back in action~)

He didn’t start immediately but first conducted a material search.

"The key to success is finding the right wood." As he searched the forest, he explained, "I need two types of wood: one softer with a lower ignition point for the fireboard, and the other hard and straight for the spindle."

His gaze finally settled on a withered paulownia tree. Without tools for felling, he could only shake the trunk strongly, breaking off a piece of already semi-decayed but relatively dry trunk.

"Paulownia wood or similar softwood is ideal. It’s soft enough and rich in oils, making it excellent material for a fireboard."

Next, he found a completely dried and hardened branch on a fallen hardwood tree, broken off by the wind. He gripped it with both hands and with a sharp snap, obtained a suitable spindle material.

But the most crucial was the bow, which could significantly improve efficiency. His gaze turned to his hiking boots.

"In extreme survival situations, every item on you can become a lifesaving tool." He spoke to the camera while untying the shoelace from one shoe.

"The shoelace is woven from high-strength nylon, extremely durable and wear-resistant, making it perfect for a bowstring."

He found a slightly naturally curved, flexible branch, tied the shoelace tightly to both ends, and with a strong pull, an improvised wooden bow was complete.

"A bow drill allows the spindle’s speed and pressure to exceed several times that of a hand drill, our greatest assurance for success."

Lastly, he needed a handle to press on the top of the spindle. He found a pebble by the stream with a natural groove on top and dripped some plant leaf juice into the groove for lubrication.

With everything ready, he knelt on the ground and pressed the paulownia fireboard firmly with his foot.

Without tools, he used a sharp stone, spending many times the effort and time compared to having tools, to rub and drill a shallow depression on the fireboard and created a V-shaped channel at the edge.

He wrapped the bowstring tightly around the spindle, aligned the bottom of the spindle with the fireboard’s groove, then gripped the stone handle tightly with his left hand, pressing hard on the spindle’s top.

Taking a deep breath, he grasped the wooden bow with his right hand and began steady, forceful back-and-forth pulling!

"Squeak... Squeak... Squeak..."

The spindle spun rapidly in the fireboard’s groove, making a teeth-grating friction sound.

A minute... Two minutes...

His forehead began to bead with sweat. The muscles in his right arm tightened from the continuous effort, with veins protruding.

Smoke started to rise from the groove, carrying a unique scent of wood charring at high temperatures.

Five minutes... Ten minutes...

Lin Yu’an’s breathing grew heavy, each pull felt like struggling against immense resistance.

But he didn’t stop; his gaze was terrifyingly focused.

Finally, as his arm muscles approached a burning ache, nearly reaching their limit, he gritted his teeth and increased his speed for one last push!

"Squeak squeak squeak!!"

The friction sound became intensely sharp and rapid! The smoke from the groove turned from blue to a denser grayish-white!

He abruptly halted his motion.

Down below, in the pile of black powder resembling a small hill, a more concentrated smoke spiraled upwards, and at the center, an extremely faint, candle-like red ember flickered stubbornly!

Success!

Lin Yu’an’s eyes burst with brilliant light!

But he knew it wasn’t time to celebrate yet; this was just the beginning of the battle. Carefully, as if cradling the world’s most precious treasure, he scooped up the dry leaf bearing the ember and the carbon powder.

He could see clearly the tiny ember greedily devouring the surrounding carbon powder, like a newborn, fragile yet brimming with life energy.

He gently shaped the tinder he had prepared into a nest-like shape, covering the ember to provide ample oxygen and fuel.

Then, he bent down and put his mouth close, starting to blow gently with an extremely soft rhythm into the center of the tinder.

"Hoo..."

The red ember, under his breath, brightened significantly, with smoke becoming thicker.

"Hoo..."

A faint, orange-yellow flame weakly poked through from the tinder’s center!

"Hoo—!"

Lin Yu’an seized the fleeting opportunity and increased the airflow!

"Hoo!"

The flame suddenly leapt! Like infused with a spirit, it instantly ignited the entire tinder! A warm, bright fire, a triumph of human civilization, burned vigorously in his hands!

In that instant, endless fatigue seemed dispelled by this flame!

He carefully placed the burning tinder into the pre-arranged small fire structure made of dry twigs.

The flames spread swiftly, greedily licking the dry wood, making a pleasant crackling sound.

He collapsed by the fire, experienced the comforting warmth, and took a long breath.

Yet his tense nerves didn’t fully relax. He peered into the forest, being consumed by endless darkness, as if seeing countless compound eyes lurking in the shadows.

Lin Yu’an’s voice, transmitted clearly to the camera through the microphone on his chest, "For a challenger spending the night in Ailao Mountain, building a shelter is merely completing the physical defense."

"But the real battle is biological warfare! I must confront those opponents more fearsome than beasts."