King of the Wilderness

This section of the journey upriver is even more difficult than yesterday. Huge rocks, like the teeth of ancient beasts, interlock and squeeze the riverbed, shaping the stream into sections of turbulent white waves.

Lin Yu’an needs to constantly climb and leap among these slippery boulders, with the cold, roaring stream at his feet.

To deal with this complex terrain, he had already stored the bulky Ronin 4D movie camera in his newly made backpack, leaving the Action 3 on his chest to capture the thrilling first-person view.

"The surface of these rocks is covered with an invisible layer of algae biofilm, even slipperier than ice." He cautiously took a step while explaining to the camera, panting heavily.

"The three-point support is the only law, every step must be secure, the center of gravity low, and the hands ready to grasp anything that can provide support at any moment."

Several times, he relied entirely on the sturdy stone spear in his hand as the third support point, wedging it firmly into the cracks of the rocks to steady himself.

By noon, a strong sense of hunger struck again.

The carbohydrates provided by the banana heart at breakfast were long depleted, and his body was issuing a strong craving for protein.

Finally, he arrived at a slower-moving deep pool, a buffer zone between two rapids, where the water calmed down, so clear that he could see many small fish swimming in and out of the rock crevices.

"This is a nice moving buffet, but it’s also a deadly trap." Lin Yu’an took off the willow branch backpack from his back, stood on the rock at the edge of the pool, and scrutinized everything underwater with sharp eyes.

In a lowered voice, he analyzed to the camera on his chest: "In the wild, any place that seems wonderful may hide multiple dangers. Risk assessment is always the first step in action."

He pointed at the clear water bottom, "Look, the stones underwater are also covered with slippery biofilm, even slicker than those on shore. Moreover, water distorts your judgment of distance and depth, and one wrong step can lead to consequences far beyond a simple misstep."

"In March, the temperature of the streams in Ailao Mountain might just be 4 to 5 degrees. In this water temperature, exposure beyond 15 minutes can rapidly lose core body temperature, risking hypothermia."

"And in this clear water, there aren’t just fish, but also those silent vampires—leeches. In this environment, as soon as you enter the water, they will attach from all directions, impossible to guard against."

His gaze locked onto the silver shadows darting through the water, pointing at the school of fish, "Those are Mountain Lightlip Fish, who feed by scraping algae from the stones. Local people call them Stonefish, indigenous to the streams of Ailao Mountain."

The camera zoomed in, and one could see those fish about the length of a palm, agile in form, with silver scales reflecting dazzling in the water waves.

"They are typical visual animals, extremely sensitive to any shadows and pressure waves in the water. Using this primitive stone spear in my hand to catch them has a success rate approaching zero."

He shook his head, a hint of helpless bitterness on his face, "Ultimately, in such water temperatures, each failed attempt is gambling my precious body heat on an impossible outcome."

"Considering all the above points, for a few small fish, risking fractures, being bitten by parasites, and hypothermia to enter the water is the most foolish act in survival."

He spoke as he did, but his gaze never stopped searching.

He was looking for an opportunity to break this stalemate, where risk and reward are disproportionate.

Suddenly, his gaze was attracted by a larger shadow underwater.

The entity lay beneath the shadow of a huge rock, over half a meter long, with a stout outline, apparently unaware of the presence on the shore.

Lin Yu’an’s pupils slightly shrank, and even his breathing became lighter. It was neither a fish nor a snake; it had a flat head and stout limbs.

"My god..." he murmured to himself, a mix of shock and awe in his tone, "Chinese Giant Salamander!"

He quickly raised his hand, making a stop gesture to the camera, as if afraid to disturb the salamander in the water.

"Remember, except for an emergency life-saving situation when you’re about to starve, some bottom lines should never be touched in the wild."

"The Chinese Giant Salamander is a nationally protected second-class animal, a living fossil, and its appearance is a miracle in itself."

He stepped back, giving that precious creature ample space and respect.

This unexpected discovery seemed to have exhausted all his luck.

Just as he was about to give up and look elsewhere, he caught another target from the corner of his eye.

By the deep pool’s edge was a piece of black granite half-submerged in the water. The current split here, forming a small relatively still backwater area.

There, in a natural depression on the sunlit rock, a creature nearly blending completely with the rock’s shadow lay lurking.

It was a snake! Coiled into a ball, but not in a tense defensive posture; it was a relaxed predator filled with patience.

Most of its body was submerged in the icy, clear water, with only a small section of its back and head slightly above the surface, like a blackened branch soaked in water.

The camera zoomed in, detail clearly visible.

Its scales were not of a rough texture, but very smooth, reflecting a lead gray sheen in the water waves, with faintly visible small black spots or cross patterns, making it unnoticeable in the water’s shadow.