King of the Wilderness

After completing all this, he finally raised the trophy high.

On Lin Yu’an’s face, there was a mixture of surprise and ecstasy that flickered as he weighed the hefty prize in his hand, sincerely admiring, "Guys, I’ve hit the jackpot. I’ve never seen such a large lead-colored water snake; it must be the ruler of this pool."

"Its thickness almost rivals my wrist, and its length is nearly a meter! To grow to this size in such a cold aquatic environment, it must have been living here for at least seven or eight years."

He showcased the enormous water snake to the camera, its black scales glistening with a dark sheen under the sunlight.

"With this, our protein is secured for the next two days." Lin Yu’an’s face showed a hint of fatigue but was filled with a satisfied smile, "Do you see? This is an ambush calculated after assessing the risks."

"In the wild, choices are more important than effort. This is an excessive return obtained from calm judgment! We’ll have meat tonight!"

The massive success greatly boosted his morale! The lead-colored water snake, nearly a meter long, was the most precious protein he’s acquired since entering Ailao Mountain.

Carefully binding it with vines, securing it to the exterior of the willow branches backpack, he continued upstream along the valley.

"Guys, did you notice?" He excitingly analyzed while traveling on the slippery rocks, "We’ve found a perfect hunting ground."

"The clear stream filled with stonefish indicates an abundance of aquatic insects and algae; where there are fish, the lead-colored water snakes follow; and where there are snakes, there’ must be ample frogs..."

"Fish, frogs, snakes... this is a complete and healthy food chain base. Logically, tracing this line upward, there should be higher-level predators here."

His tone was filled with the excitement of an explorer, "Let’s see what else we can encounter today based on our luck."

By the afternoon, in order to cross the ridgeline ahead, he had to leave the stream and re-enter the denser, more directionally challenging jungle.

The vegetation here was completely different from the valley, with towering trees blocking the daylight, casting a dim light under the forest floor, and countless vines and shrubs making travel extraordinarily difficult.

Just as he parted a patch of gigantic ferns, his steps abruptly stopped.

The excitement and composure that belonged to a victor on his face froze instantly, replaced by a bone-deep alertness and seriousness.

He slowly crouched down, taking the Action 3 camera hanging on his chest, aiming the handheld lens towards a section of moist mud ahead.

On the mud, a clear plum blossom-shaped footprint was shockingly visible! The edge of the footprint hadn’t dried, indicating its owner had left no more than half an hour ago.

Around the footprint, there were several centimeters-deep claw marks, as if declaring this territory’s sovereignty.

"...So that’s it." Lin Yu’an’s voice was extremely low, "The top of the food chain... was waiting for us here."

He compared the size of the footprint with his fingers and then, facing the camera, his expression turned gravely serious.

"Judging by the size, stride, and the depth of these claw marks, it’s definitely not a small creature; it could very likely be a golden cat... or even... a clouded leopard."

He slowly stood up, holding the stone spear across his chest, entering the highest alert state.

His gaze shifted from exploratory to filled with vigilance, sweeping 360 degrees around every shadow that might conceal a threat.

"Some might think with a spear in hand, an adult should be able to fight against a feline weighing dozens of pounds. This is a fatal misconception."

He lowered his voice, quickly and clearly explaining to the camera, as if reminding himself, "We can’t only consider weight; a 20-kilogram clouded leopard is 20 kilograms of pure muscle, claws, and fangs born for slaughter."

"Its muscle density, explosive power, and flexibility are several times that of humans. You can imagine it as a hydraulic press covered with blades and springs. And I am but flesh and blood."

He weighed the stone spear in his hand, "Secondly, there’s the weapon disparity; I only have one attack point, requiring space and time to exert force, whereas it has five attack points: one mouth, four claws."

"Its claws aren’t for scratching; they can tear through muscle and cut tendons like iron hooks. And the clouded leopard’s canine teeth, proportionally the longest among all existing felines, can directly snap my vertebrae."

Lin Yu’an began to vigilantly scan the surroundings, as if the air was permeated with the dangerous feel of being watched.

"The most critical part is, we won’t even have a chance to fight. They are ambush masters; the attack would come from my blind spot—sideways, from behind, or even from above in the trees."

"By the time I sense danger, its claws might already be digging into my shoulder, its teeth reaching for my throat."

"My previous judgment was correct. This indeed is a perfect hunting ecosystem. The only difference is, in the stream, I was the hunter; but here, I became the prey."

He decisively said, "Plans changed, I must abandon today’s travel objective and immediately search for an absolutely safe refuge."

"The first rule of wilderness survival is not to fight but to avoid all unbearable risks. Facing off against a top predator is the highest level of risk."

Considering the threat of large carnivores, his criteria for choosing a location became extremely strict. He needed a place easy to defend and hard to attack, where danger could be confined to a single direction.

He no longer advanced at a steady pace but nearly ran through the jungle, his gaze frantically scanning the surrounding terrain. Every rock, every slope was quickly assessed, only to be dismissed in his mind.

"No, this is too flat; attacks could come from all directions!" he panted, muttering to the camera as if forcing himself to think calmly.

"These trees are too dense—perfect for an ambush, but not good for defense!"

The sun began to tilt, its golden rays piercing through layer upon layer of canopies, casting longer and longer eerie shadows in the forest.

Every swaying leaf seemed like a prying eye. He could feel adrenaline rushing through his veins, a layer of cold sweat already forming on his back.

Time ticked by, and just as he almost despaired, the terrain ahead suddenly rose sharply in his view!

————

(I wonder if I can still ask for a monthly vote... ε=(´ο｀*))) Sigh)