HUN Chapter 17: The Production Team's Arrival

On the night the shelter was completed, Lin Yu'an lit a fire pit for the first time in the stone house he had built with his own hands.

The warm firelight reflected on the rough stone walls, immediately dispelling the cold and darkness of the mountain forest.

Outside, autumn winds howled, but inside the stone house it was warm as spring and filled with a sense of security.

The only flaw was that the anticipated smoke exhaust system wasn't working very well. The campfire produced quite a bit of smoke, and he had to find a way to solve this problem. Fortunately, Lin Yu'an already had preliminary ideas in his head.

Lin Yu'an roasted several trout he had caught during the day, and the aroma of fish meat permeated the small stone house.

With the permanent shelter now basically stable, Lin Yu'an had more energy and time to explore the broader surrounding area.

He needed to find richer food sources, understand potential dangers, and make adequate preparations for the long winter ahead.

Every day he would spend several hours shouldering his bow and backpack, venturing deep into forest areas within several kilometers that he had never set foot in before.

During one westward exploration, he discovered an obvious path formed by large animals repeatedly trampling the ground.

Along the path were scattered some huge, plum blossom-shaped footprints, along with some gnawed tree bark and broken branches.

"Guys, look at this!"

Lin Yu'an crouched down, carefully examining those footprints, "These footprints... very large, and very fresh!"

"From the shape and size, they don't look like white-tailed deer, but more like... elk or even larger moose! There must be big guys around here!"

This discovery made him both excited and alert. Elk and moose were excellent protein sources. If he could hunt one, it would be enough for Lin Yu'an to get through the entire winter!

But at the same time, the appearance of these large herbivores often meant there were higher-level predators nearby!

In another dense thicket near the lake, he discovered some tree trunks that had been clawed by sharp talons, along with some huge feces mixed with animal hair and undigested food remnants.

"Oh... damn!"

Lin Yu'an looked at those traces, sucked in a cold breath, and lowered his voice to the camera.

"This... was definitely left by a bear! And judging by the freshness of this scat, it hasn't been long since it left here!"

Whether it was psychological or not, he seemed to clearly smell that strong, slightly fishy odor characteristic of bears in the air!

A strong sense of crisis instantly enveloped him!

He immediately looked around alertly. Although he had never thought of actively provoking such a behemoth, the bear might instead come to attack him first!

He subconsciously checked the bear spray and that large-caliber bear hunting pistol in his space. The existence of the space gave him a full sense of security, but he also had to prepare for direct combat with a grizzly bear!

"Guys, I must be more careful now. Every time I go out, I need to stay alert at all times and try to avoid entering the core activity areas of these large predators."

This close encounter with bear presence was like a bucket of cold water poured on Lin Yu'an's mood, which had been somewhat relaxed due to the shelter's completion.

He didn't continue exploring deeper, but carefully returned to camp along the same route.

When Lin Yu'an woke again from the simple bed made of pine needles in his shelter.

It was now his seventeenth day of solo survival.

"Good morning, guys. Last night seemed peaceful. The warning devices weren't triggered, and I didn't hear any particular disturbances."

"However, since discovering grizzly bear tracks before, my heart feels like it has a stone hanging over it! Today I must carefully check around the camp again and set up more warning mechanisms."

After simply washing with heated stream water and eating some smoked fish jerky and nuts, Lin Yu'an began today's patrol.

He deliberately thinned out the complex branches and bushes around the camp for better visibility, avoiding places where animals could hide.

He set up several simple branch mechanisms that could make noise on key pathways, hoping to provide early warning of approaching animals.

He also carefully cleaned up food scraps around the camp, burying them deep in places far from the shelter, compacting them after burial to minimize odor dispersal.

He even considered whether to make a spiked wooden palisade gate at the shelter entrance. But thinking about it, he decided against it. Without necessary tools and materials, anything made would just be wooden spikes, basically serving as a chew toy for bears.

Just as he was concentrating on thinking about how to strengthen the camp's defenses, a familiar rotor roar from far to near broke the mountain forest's tranquility.

Lin Yu'an perked up and looked toward the sky.

A small Bell helicopter was flying from a distant valley, circled once over his camp, then slowly landed on the relatively open riverbank, which was their pre-agreed meeting point.

Lin Yu'an straightened his clothes, ensuring he didn't look too disheveled, then quickly walked toward the riverbank.

After the helicopter stabilized, the cabin door opened and two staff members wearing jackets with the "Alone" logo stepped out.

One was a technician carrying a professional camera bag, the other was Michelle King, the production team's marketing representative whom Lin Yu'an had met during his online interview.

"Lin! You look like you're in good shape!" Michelle King wore a professional smile and extended her hand proactively.

Lin Yu'an shook her hand lightly, "Ms. King, I didn't expect you to come to the wilderness personally. Perfect timing to see my newly completed shelter."

He half-jokingly pointed to the stone house not far away that almost blended with the hillside.

The technician walked directly to Lin Yu'an and began skillfully replacing batteries and memory cards for his chest and handheld cameras, carefully checking the equipment's operating condition.

After inspection, the technician nodded to him, "Equipment's fine, Lin. The footage quality you've shot is very high."

Michelle King took out a tablet and began a brief routine inquiry, "Lin, according to procedure, I need to confirm your physical condition. How have you been feeling lately? Any injuries or illness? Are food and water sources adequate?"

Lin Yu'an answered honestly, "Everything's fine, Ms. King. I'm very healthy, no injuries. For food, I mainly rely on hunting and fishing. I can maintain myself currently. Water sources are also abundant. That small stream has excellent water quality."

Michelle nodded with satisfaction, recording something on the tablet.

She looked up with a meaningful smile, "Lin, there's something you might not know yet. You're quite a little 'internet celebrity' out there now!"

Lin Yu'an was stunned, "Internet celebrity?"

"Yes, your heroic actions at the supermarket, combined with your unique identity as a Chinese international student and your story of signing up for 'Alone,' has generated tremendous public interest!"

"Many people are very eager to see your performance in the wilderness. You could say you're now one of this season's most talked-about contestants."

"Moreover, your country's internet video platforms have made reasonable offers to purchase broadcast rights. I believe your family and friends will soon be able to see your performance."

She paused, her tone carrying a hint of encouragement.

"So, Lin, perform well, seize the opportunity, show all your abilities! This isn't just about that million-dollar prize, but could bring unexpected changes to your future life."

Listening to Michelle's words, Lin Yu'an felt no particular stir in his heart. These things held little attraction for him. He only wanted to win the prize money and then live quietly with Aliya.

"Thank you for the reminder, Ms. King. I'll do my best," he replied calmly.

The staff quickly completed all their work. The helicopter roared to life again and disappeared into the distant horizon.

Lin Yu'an stood on the riverbank, watching the helicopter depart. That subtle feeling of brief connection with the civilized world also dissipated.

He returned once again to this primitive and lonely wilderness.

"Guys, the production team just left."

"I should also go look for food, but before that, I need to solve a big problem first: heating and cooking efficiency."

He pointed to the crude stone fire pit in the corner of the stone house, "This fire pit works, but there's too much smoke, and heat loss is severe, very wasteful of firewood."

"More importantly, burning open flames in enclosed spaces for long periods poses significant safety hazards."

"So today I plan to devote all my energy to a major project I've been contemplating for a long time: building a safe stove inside the stone house shelter!"

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