King of the Wilderness

"As for the fishing line... we’ll see if we come across more suitable materials on the way."

Lin Yu’an picked up the delicate bone fishhook, carefully wrapped it in a leaf, and stored it in the willow branch basket to prevent it from getting lost.

Then, he added enough hardwood to the three campfires to keep them burning until midnight and hung the half-treated snake skin on the rock face next to one of the auxiliary fire pits.

The temperature there wasn’t high, but the continuous smoke and heat were performing an ancient form of processing on it.

After doing all this, he could finally lie down on the simple but dry bedding. The Stone Spear was placed beside him, its cold touch keeping him on the last edge of alertness.

A peaceful night passed without incident.

The unknown apex predator seemed to only pass by, or perhaps it was disturbed by the continuous firelight and human scent on this cliff, choosing not to risk an investigation.

When the sky just began to lighten and the first strands of gray-white morning light pierced the darkness, Lin Yu’an opened his eyes. His sleep was light, and any rustle could wake him.

The cold mountain breeze made him shiver. He immediately got up and walked to the cave entrance, cautiously observing the jungle below.

A thin mist spread among the woods, enveloping everything in the calm before dawn.

After confirming there was no direct danger, he efficiently began preparing for today’s rapid march.

He hadn’t forgotten to set up a water collection device last night; several banana leaf bowls outside the cave had already accumulated plenty of crystal-clear dew.

Carefully, he sent every drop of dew into his mouth, replenishing the water lost overnight.

Then he took down the snake skin, which had been smoked by the fire all night.

After a night of smoking, the snake skin had undergone a qualitative change.

It was no longer the slippery, fishy raw hide, but had turned into a deeper-colored, somber lead-gray, supple leather. Its texture was dry and firm, full of toughness.

"This is my new gear, a purely natural water bag." He showed the snake skin to the camera.

"When processing it last night, I did two things," he explained while showing the details of the snake skin.

"The first was thoroughly scraping the meat. I used a flint shard to scrape off all the remaining fat and connective tissue on the inner side of the snake skin, revealing the white hide underneath."

"This is the key step to remove odor and prevent rot; any bit of organic residue would contaminate the water source."

"The second is smoking, hanging it by the fire pit to have the smoke roast it all night. The phenolic compounds in the smoke are natural preservatives and tanning agents."

"They make the leather sturdy and durable, imparting a strong smoky flavor. Not only does it completely mask any residual fishy smell, but it also serves as a warning signal to wild animals."

Lin Yu’an turned the snake skin inside out, revealing the smooth scaly inside.

"A crucial technique for making a water bag is always using the scaly side as the water-storing lining."

"The scales are smooth and dense, almost waterproof, making them the most natural waterproof layer and easiest to clean. If you use the scraped hide side to store water, bacteria will easily breed."

The natural opening at the snake skin’s neck became the water bag’s mouth, completing a perfect tubular water bag.

Lin Yu’an carefully poured the dew collected from the banana leaf bowls, drop by drop, into the snake skin water bag.

The water bag swelled at a speed visible to the naked eye, eventually turning into a heavy leather pouch.

He tied the opening tightly with a small piece of vine and weighed it with satisfaction. With it, Lin Yu’an had the confidence to undertake long treks away from water sources.

The sun began to rise, dissipating the mist among the woods.

Lin Yu’an extinguished the campfires and carefully covered all the ashes with sand, erasing most traces of his stay there.

He repacked all his gear, carefully securing the life-saving water bag in the most handy spot in his backpack.

He took one last look at the cliff fortress that granted him a night of safety, then turned around without any reluctance, setting off on a new journey.

He moved roughly in the direction of Shimen Gorge, narrating today’s plan to the Action 3 camera on his chest.

"On the third day of the challenge, our shelter last night was very successful, but it also cost us precious time."

"With eight days left of the ten-day challenge, we’ve only advanced two kilometers. So today’s plan is straightforward: rapid march."

His steps were steady and swift, as he trod on the slippery rocks and decayed leaves.

"My goal today is to advance at least three kilometers before nightfall, completely crossing this ridge, and leaving the core hunting grounds of that unknown predator."

"This means I must maintain correct direction while ensuring speed."

"In the primitive jungle of Ailao Mountain, losing one’s way is a more fatal danger than encountering beasts."

He stopped walking and pointed to the fragmented sky above, sliced by overlapping tree canopies.

"You see, the canopy coverage here exceeds ninety percent, making it very difficult to rely on the sun’s position for navigation."

"Additionally, mountain fog is unpredictable; once it sets in, visibility might drop to less than five meters. A compass? In such a complex magnetic mountainous area, it’s equally unreliable."

"Therefore, we must learn to use more primitive and reliable natural references."

He continued onward like a moving classroom, "The simplest point is to always remember that water flows downhill. As long as we keep following the stream valley upstream, the general direction won’t be wrong."