King of the Wilderness

But he wasn’t satisfied with just that. He carefully picked out a few pieces of burning charcoal from the main fire with a long branch and placed them on both sides of the cave, deeper and close to the cave walls. Soon, two small piles of fire were also ignited.

"Three fires, arranged in a triangular layout," he explained to the camera, "The central main fire is the primary source of light, warmth, and deterrence. The side fires create more dimensional light and heat radiation, completely eliminating the dark corners deep in the cave."

"More importantly, the smoke they generate can effectively drive away unseen guests hiding in the rock crevices, such as scorpions, centipedes, or some poisonous spiders."

The flickering flames illuminated the entire rock shelter, leaving no shadows to hide in.

The fire itself is a psychological and physical barrier.

Lin Yu’an sat behind the fire, leaning against the warm and solid cave wall, feeling an unprecedented sense of security.

His defense system did not rely on brute force but on wisdom. It doesn’t kill the enemy but prevents unknown threats lurking in the darkness.

The next issue to solve is the comfort and safety of sleep. Sleeping directly on the cold sandy ground would quickly take away body heat.

He walked to a corner of the cave, a relatively flat area he had previously cleared.

First, he selected four sturdy straight logs from the firewood, placing them parallel on the ground to form a simple bed frame to prevent the bedding from spreading out.

Then he laid the large amount of collected wood on the straight log bed frame, filled it with broad leaves, and stomped on it repeatedly until it formed an insulating mattress.

After finishing, he lay down to test it out. Although extremely simple, the thick layer of vegetation effectively isolated his body from the cold ground.

It couldn’t compare to a bed at home, but it was enough to give a weary traveler a night’s restful sleep.

The crackling of the fire became the only sound in this fortress, and Lin Yu’an’s muscles, tense all afternoon, finally relaxed a little.

He took the Ronin 4D camera out of his backpack, carefully set it on a flat rock, adjusted the angle so the lens precisely focused on him and the cutting board in front of him, a piece of slate he had washed with clean water.

"Despite the threat of unwelcome guests, dinner is still necessary. Energy is the basis for dealing with all dangers. Tonight, I need plenty of calories and protein."

Today’s trophy, the giant lead-colored water snake, lay flat on the slate. Its lead-gray scales reflected a dim sheen in the firelight.

"Without modern knives, dealing with such a large reptile requires patience and skill." He picked out a piece of black flint with a knife-sharp edge from his toolkit.

Then he used the flint to cut a circular incision below the snake’s neck. This process wasn’t easy. The snake’s skin was tougher than expected, and he had to use significant force in a sawing motion to cut through the dense scales.

The slight creaking sound was the flint’s edge rubbing against the scales.

After finishing the incision, he stepped on the snake’s head, grabbed the edges of the skin at the incision, and pulled it off forcefully.

"Rip—"

With a sound, the entire snakeskin was peeled off like a tight long sock.

Exposed was the white, delicate snake meat, with clear muscle textures. It was a visually striking scene, full of primitive and wild beauty.

He rolled up the snake skin and set it aside, "The snakeskin is a very valuable material that can be made into ropes, water containers, or even bowstrings, so I’m keeping it."

The next step was to remove the entrails. Using the tip of the flint, he carefully made a straight incision starting from the snake’s cloaca.

Once the abdominal cavity was opened, a faint mixed smell of water and blood wafted out.

"Look here," he showed the snake’s insides to the camera, "This is its heart, and this is the liver, rich in vitamins. And these are white fat deposits, the most precious energy source, especially in such cold environments."

He meticulously separated the snake’s organs, keeping the useful ones and discarding the rest to one side.

The entire process was meticulous. He used dry moss to soak up the blood, and he cut the snake meat into evenly sized segments with sharpened branches.

With the preparations complete, he selected a few damp, hard wooden branches that were difficult to ignite, sharpened one end, and skewered the white, tender snake meat mixed with fat into them, like making exquisite skewers.

Lin Yu’an placed the meat skewers above the fire, maintaining a delicate distance. The flames couldn’t directly touch the meat; instead, the hot charcoal and rising heat waves slowly roasted it.

While waiting for the meat to roast, he began preparing the main course for the evening.

He took a package wrapped in banana leaves from the willow branch basket, revealing the white, moist segments of the banana pith inside.

"Yesterday’s roasted banana pith relied mainly on stewing, retaining its internal moisture and sweetness. Tonight, I’m planning to handle it differently."

This time, instead of wrapping them in leaves, he placed a few thick segments of banana pith directly on the charcoal ashes at the edge of the main fire.

"Roasting directly on charcoal ashes will evaporate the excess moisture from the banana pith, but it will also cause the starch inside to caramelize, resulting in a more fragrant, potato-like texture, somewhat akin to a cross between roasted potatoes and roasted sweet potatoes."