King of the Wilderness

The air was filled with a complex yet comforting aroma, one unique to the bustling streets of China, full of the warmth of human presence.

At a nondescript little stall, Lin Yu’an paused. The stall owner, an elderly lady with graying hair, was tending to a charcoal brazier, on which white rice cakes were being grilled.

"These are grilled rice cakes." Lin Yu’an ordered two for his two wives, brushed with sweet chili sauce and sesame sauce.

Aliya received the warm rice cakes, releasing the scent of rice and sauce, and cautiously took a bite. The soft, glutinous texture combined with the salty, sweet, fragrant, and spicy sauce exploded instantly on her taste buds.

"Mmm... delicious!" she remarked indistinctly, her emerald-like eyes lighting up, like a little squirrel discovering a treasure, quickly finishing one.

Emily preferred the simplest version, brushed with a layer of fermented soybean condiment.

The pure combination of fermented bean aroma and rice fragrance offered her a simple yet enduring taste.

That evening, Sheng Risheng hosted them at a wild mushroom hotpot restaurant hidden deep within the alleys, without even a nameplate.

When the waiter presented the broth made from dozens of rare wild mushrooms, slow-cooked over hours, with an amber hue, an indescribably rich and overpowering aroma instantly captured everyone’s sense of smell.

"Don’t touch the chopsticks yet! Drink the soup! You must drink the soup first! Without doing so, the mushroom hotpot lacks soul!!"

He personally served each person a bowl of clear soup, with only a few slices of green onion floating on top.

Emily picked up the small porcelain bowl and took a gentle sip.

The next second, her serene, smiling blue eyes suddenly widened. She felt as if her entire soul had been struck by the exquisite umami originating from the depths of the mountains.

This was not a flavor any seasoning could reproduce; it was the essence of forests, dew, soil, and sunlight, distilled over time into its purest form.

"God..." she put down the bowl and gazed at the various mushrooms in the pot, marveling sincerely, "I used to think truffles were the peak of mushroom flavor. But this is an entirely different dimension."

This dinner, so exquisite it made one’s soul tremble, completely reshaped their understanding of Chinese cuisine.

After a brief rest, the real work began.

Lin Yu’an departed in a specialized vehicle arranged by the Provincial Tourism Department, accompanied by guides and safety advisors, officially setting out to his ultimate challenge destination—the Ailao Mountain.

The convoy traveled southwest along the winding highway, and the scenery outside the window began a grand visual symphony.

Initially, there were the endless pastoral landscapes of the Kunming Basin, rich and serene with lush crops.

But soon, as the altitude climbed, the plains vanished, replaced by undulating mountain ranges resembling the spine of a giant dragon.

Using his DJI Osmo Action 3, Lin Yu’an captured the journey, documenting this breathtaking transition from the civilized world to the primal secret realm.

After nearly five hours on the road, the convoy finally arrived at Jingdong County Town in the heart of the Ailao Mountain, where a well-equipped forward command post had already been set up by the Yunnan TV Station team.

Inside the command post, the atmosphere was tense yet professional.

A giant screen displayed high-resolution satellite maps and real-time meteorological data for the Ailao Mountain National Nature Reserve.

The head of the safety and medical team was delivering the final safety briefing to Lin Yu’an.

"Mr. Lin, according to the latest weather forecast," he pointed to the constantly changing wind speed and temperature curves on the screen, speaking gravely, "the weather in your drop-off area will be extremely unstable over the next week."

"Daytime temperatures can reach 18 degrees Celsius during sunny periods, but at night, the lowest temperatures are expected to drop to around 5 degrees Celsius; if rain occurs, the perceived temperature may approach freezing. The probability of afternoon thunderstorms and dense fog exceeds 70%. Hypothermia will be your greatest enemy."

Lin Yu’an listened intently, nodding occasionally, his mind swiftly converting these data into survival strategies.

In another corner of the room, a long table displayed all the gear he would take on this challenge.

Unlike the myriad of treasures in "Alone in the Wilderness," this time Lin Yu’an opted for the real extreme—Virtue-style "zero equipment" challenge.

Of course, this wasn’t entirely empty-handed.

To ensure filming quality and cope with extreme risks, some of the most basic items, which do not provide direct survival advantages, were necessary.

The table was clearly divided into several sections:

Filming and communication equipment: This was the most important part, a small showcase of China’s technological prowess to the world. The entire filming system was centered around DJI’s ecosystem products.

Main camera: A DJI Ronin 4D-6K cinema camera. This was the core of the filming system, integrating professional-grade cinematic cameras, four-axis stabilization system, and wireless transmission, capable of capturing stable, film-quality images.

Lin Yu’an would mount it on a tripod to film key narrative shots such as constructing shelters and making tools.

First-person recording: A DJI Osmo Action 3 sports camera, designed with magnetic quick-release, easily wearable on the head or chest, recording immersive first-person footage.

Multi-camera setup: Two backup DJI Pocket 2 gimbal cameras. They were compact and lightweight, with built-in three-axis gimbals, allowing Lin Yu’an to cleverly position them beside traps or streams to capture exciting moments he couldn’t shoot himself.

Auxiliary equipment: A lightweight yet extremely sturdy carbon fiber tripod, dozens of high-capacity backup batteries customized for all equipment, and several CineSSD solid-state drives and memory cards with a total capacity of several terabytes.

Communication assurance: A Garmin inReach Mini 2 satellite communicator connected to the Iridium network; it not only sends preset check-in messages but can also press the SOS button in the most urgent moments, sending precise rescue coordinates to the team behind.