HUN Chapter 49: Hunting Achievement Unlocked!

Although the waiting time was brief, it felt exceptionally long to Lin Yu'an.

He listened carefully to the sounds in the forest, hoping to catch the sound of his prey falling.

When he felt enough time had passed, he carefully emerged from behind his cover and walked toward the spot where the arrow had hit.

On the ground, a pool of bright red blood stood out strikingly against the withered yellow fallen leaves and dark green moss.

"The blood color is very bright," Lin Yu'an crouched down, observing carefully as he gently stirred the bloodstain with a small twig.

"Look here, it's also mixed with some fine foam. This is a sign that the lungs or major respiratory tract has been injured!"

This discovery made him even more excited, as it meant the arrow had caused very serious trauma. That deer definitely couldn't last much longer.

Lin Yu'an began following the clear blood trail in the direction the mule deer had fled.

This tracking no longer required the laborious search for subtle traces as before.

The dots of blood extending along the path and occasional larger blood pools served as the clearest landmarks.

However, the tracking path wasn't entirely smooth sailing.

That injured buck, driven by survival instinct, specifically chose areas thick with shrubs to flee through, trying to use the dense vegetation to scrape off the arrow from its body.

Lin Yu'an had to constantly push through dense branches and even use both hands and feet to climb some steep slopes with shrub thickets.

"Although hit in a vital area, large animals have very tenacious vitality. They can burst with amazing endurance after being wounded."

"I must have enough patience and can't give up any clue. At the same time, I must stay constantly alert, because even wounded herbivores are more aggressive."

He had been tracking for about ten more minutes when suddenly! A slight sound of branches being disturbed came from ahead, followed by heavy panting!

Lin Yu'an immediately stopped, alertly raising his bow and arrow. The second arrow was already nocked on the string.

He cautiously felt his way forward a few steps. Finally, under a patch of shrubs, he saw the prey that had captivated his thoughts!

This adult mule deer buck lay on its side under the shrubs, its body still trembling slightly, with foamy fresh blood continuously flowing from its mouth and nostrils.

That deadly arrow still stuck firmly in its left ribs, the fletching already stained red with blood.

Its eyes were still wide open, but had already lost their spiritual luster, leaving only pain and unwillingness.

Lin Yu'an didn't immediately approach, but maintained a safe distance.

He quietly observed for several minutes, preventing the dying animal from bursting with final strength that could injure him.

When he confirmed that the deer's trembling was growing weaker and its breathing was barely audible, he slowly lowered his bow and gradually walked over.

He walked to the deer's side and gently nudged its body with his foot. No reaction.

It had completely drawn its last breath!

Lin Yu'an let out a long sigh of relief, an indescribable exhaustion and immense joy surging through his heart simultaneously!

"Success... guys... I succeeded! This beautiful mule deer buck is mine!"

Lin Yu'an's voice trembled slightly with excitement as he reached out his hand to gently stroke the still-warm fur on the buck's body.

A complex and surging emotion, like a bursting dam's floodwater, instantly overwhelmed his nerves that had been taut for days.

He looked at this enormous prey before him, at that arrow deeply embedded in its body, at that patch of earth stained red with blood.

The food scarcity of recent days, the predicament brought by harsh weather, confusion and anxiety about the future, and the enormous pressure of being alone in the wilderness.

At this moment, it all seemed to find an outlet for release!

His eyes uncontrollably moistened, and his vision began to blur.

He lowered his head, forcefully wiping his eyes with his sleeve, trying to stop the tears that naturally flowed after emotional excitement!

"Huff... huff..."

He panted heavily, his chest heaving dramatically, as if trying to expel all the pent-up frustration in his heart.

These weren't tears of weakness, nor tears of sadness.

But rather a release after finally achieving success under extreme pressure! A catharsis after grasping hope again at the edge of despair!

He thought of his experiences and challenges these past days, thought of her gentle smile and those two little lives in her womb waiting for his return!

All these days, he had constantly worried, worried he would fail, worried he would have to use the food in his space!

Worried he would lose to himself! Now it was good! He didn't need to use the food in his space! He had hunted a big guy with his own abilities!

And recorded the entire process! This gave him a legitimate food source!

No more worrying about being labeled with cheating allegations!

After a while, when that surging excitement finally gradually calmed down.

He stood up, looking at this enormous prey before him, his heart filled with awe and gratitude toward nature, and looked at the camera again, saying, "Guys, sorry for the embarrassment. I'm really not usually someone who cries. The tears were really from being too excited."

"Sometimes, pressure really can push a person to their limits! But fortunately, I successfully made it through!"

"Now, the work is just beginning. I need to process it quickly and can't waste any bit of nature's blessing."

"Although this mule deer has already lost quite a bit of blood after being hit by the arrow, to ensure meat quality, I still need to let as much remaining blood drain from the body as possible."

"If blood remains in the muscle, it will accelerate meat spoilage, not only affecting taste but also greatly shortening storage time."

"Processing a large prey is very time-consuming work. I need to speed up and finish before dark!"

He found the position on the deer's neck near the major artery below the jaw, precisely piercing with the sharp knife tip, then slicing open a sufficiently deep cut.

Lin Yu'an had already taken out the waterproof storage bag for his sleeping bag from his large backpack.

"This sleeping bag storage bag is made of highly waterproof nylon material. Using it to hold liquids temporarily is completely fine."

He carefully positioned the bag's opening beneath the bleeding cut on the deer's neck, collecting as much of this precious liquid as possible.

The fresh deer blood carried a distinctive warm fishy smell, and in the cold air, wisps of steam could even be seen rising.

The storage bag's capacity was considerable. He estimated he could collect about a liter or more of deer blood.

When the storage bag was nearly full and the blood flowing from the deer's neck began to significantly decrease, Lin Yu'an moved the bag away.

He tightened the drawstring of the storage bag and tied a secure slip knot, ensuring the opening was completely sealed to prevent blood leakage.

"I'll set the deer blood aside for now. After processing this deer, I'll consider how to use it."

Next, he turned his attention to this mule deer's limbs.

"Now we need to handle a very important part, which is the glands on the deer's legs."

"Near the hock joints of mule deer's hind legs, there are some scent glands with strong odors that must be completely removed, otherwise they can easily contaminate the surrounding meat."

After locating with his fingers, he carefully cut open the skin with the knife tip, avoiding puncturing the glands.

He cut away the entire area around the glands, skin and hair together, and quickly discarded it.

Then Lin Yu'an adjusted the deer's carcass to a supine position.

With its belly facing up and limbs naturally spread, this was most convenient for the subsequent gutting operation.

"To ensure meat quality, the primary task is to gut it quickly and remove the internal organs, letting the carcass cool rapidly to prevent bacterial growth."

"When gutting, you must be very careful with the knife, especially at this abdominal position," he pointed to the deer's soft abdomen, explaining to the camera, "The skin and muscle layers here are very thin, and directly underneath are the intestines and stomach."

"If you accidentally puncture them, the digestive contents and bacteria inside will contaminate the entire abdominal cavity and surrounding meat. That smell would be... unimaginable."

He first used the knife tip on the deer's abdominal midline, approximately between the end of the sternum and the pelvis.

He made an exploratory small cut, just deep enough to penetrate the skin and thin abdominal muscle layer.

"See, like this, a small opening is enough!"

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