King of the Wilderness

"Bamboo forests can conserve water sources. With such a vast expanse of bamboo sea, theoretically, there must be an accompanying stream. This relates to our subsequent issues of water replenishment, food acquisition, and fire prevention."

Lin Yu’an said as he stood up, explaining while starting to use his scientific method for finding water.

"In mountainous areas, looking for water, especially streams, can’t rely on luck, it must rely on deduction." As he moved slowly, he fully presented his train of thought to the camera.

"When searching for water, always look for the lowest point in the terrain. I am now on a gentle slope, so the water will inevitably collect at the lowest point of the slope. Therefore, the search direction is toward the slope ahead."

He started slowly walking downhill along the slope, his eyes closely watching the change in vegetation on the ground.

Beneath his feet were several clusters of ferns noticeably more lush and with wider leaves than elsewhere. "See these bladder fern and maidenhair fern? They are typical moisture-loving plants."

"When you find their density suddenly increasing and their growth becoming unusually lush in an area, it’s a strong signal."

"The groundwater level here is higher, or very close to a surface water source."

He continued moving downward in the direction where these moisture-loving plants were densely distributed, and the terrain dropped more noticeably.

After walking about forty to fifty meters, the soil beneath his feet became somewhat loose and moist. Suddenly, he squatted down, peeling away the thick bamboo leaves, pointing at a mark on the ground.

"Decisive evidence!" he declared with certainty.

The camera zoomed in; it was a shallow trench faintly eroded by water flows, with some dried fine sand and small black pebbles left on it.

"This is the trace of a seasonal waterway. During the rainy season, surface runoff here gathers to form a stream, flowing downward along this path."

"Even in the dry season now, it’s highly likely that there’s still a perennial small stream underneath this waterway, or we might dig up groundwater here."

Full of confidence, Lin Yu’an continued down along the dried-up waterway, and sure enough, after walking less than twenty meters, a very faint rush sound came from deep within the bamboo forest ahead.

Pushing aside the last clump of obstructing bamboo, the scene before him opened up brightly.

A clear, shallow stream just over a meter wide meandered like a jade ribbon through the bamboo forest.

The water was not deep, gently flowing over a riverbed covered with smooth pebbles. Sunlight streamed through the cracks in the bamboo leaves, reflecting shimmering waves on the water’s surface.

"I really found it." Lin Yu’an’s face displayed a deserved smile.

This wasn’t based on luck but was an inevitable result derived from a complete observation deduction based on botany, geology, and physics.

This clear stream flowed gently, and in the cracks of the stones at the bottom, he could even see some fleeting little black shadows—those were fish!

This confirmed his previous judgment, that the ecosystem of the stream valley extended all the way here.

At that moment, his gaze was attracted to a special plant by the stream bank. In an open area where sunlight barely penetrated the bamboo canopy and the soil was extraordinarily moist due to its proximity to the water source.

There grew a patch of plants more than half a person’s height, with serrated leaves, entirely covered with dense white stinging hairs.

Lin Yu’an’s eyes immediately brightened; it was a more intense excitement than discovering the water source.

"Fantastic! What a breakthrough in an unexpected place!"

He exclaimed excitedly to the camera, "Nettle! Pure natural nylon rope!"

"These kinds of semi-shaded, moisture-rich fertile soils by the bamboo creek are their perfect growth environment. The fish line I’ve been searching for is now within reach!"

Carefully avoiding the stinging hairs, he continued to observe along the creek bank.

Soon enough, on a massive fallen log lying across the creek, covered with moss, he made a new discovery.

Clusters of dark-colored, thick, and semi-translucent fungi were struggling to grow from the cracks of the decaying wood.

He stepped forward, carefully picked one, the fungus felt moist and elastic in hand. He brought it to his nose and sniffed; a faint, fresh mushroom scent came with no off-odor.

Tearing it open, its interior was uniformly slightly gelatinous in structure, with no complex gills or tubes.

"Perfect wild black wood ear!" he confirmed, unable to hide the joy on his face.

"The humidity in bamboo forests serves as an incubator for various saprophytic fungi. And this form of wood ear mushroom is one of the easiest to identify and safest edible fungi."

"It’s rich in protein and various trace elements, making it the best nutritional supplement besides meat."

The stream, clay, nettle, wood ear mushrooms, and the fish in the water... this small stream is like a river of survival resources.

He addressed the camera, making the final decision, "Confirmed the water source and found top-quality material for making fish lines."

"This place is worth spending an afternoon thoroughly resupplying. Plans changed; we won’t be moving today!"

Lin Yu’an stopped further exploration and immediately turned back, retracing his steps to the bamboo he had selected.

After confirming the location of the water source and additional resources, Lin Yu’an felt an unparalleled sense of ease.

Now he could begin his core task calmly—container production.

First, he cleared a firebreak nearly three meters in diameter around the chosen bamboo, completely exposing the moist soil layer below to ensure absolute safety.