King of the Wilderness

Chapter 37: Chapter 37: Klay Hunts a Deer

Episode 3, the timeline moved forward to around the 16th to 25th day of the contestants surviving in the wilderness.

After the initial adaptation and preliminary construction of shelters, obtaining and storing food became the most critical issue faced by all contestants.

In the show, several experienced contestants began to showcase their true hunting prowess.

Some captured more snowshoe rabbits and dogfish through intricate traps, while others caught sizable dogfish in streams.

Meanwhile, Lin Yu’an’s footage during this period focused primarily on how he used homemade lures to fly-fish.

Successfully employing the ”feint east, strike west” strategy to shoot two plump spruce grouses.

And how to build a kiln, bake pottery bricks, and eventually construct a small pottery brick stove.

With his special sixth sense space, he averaged catching two fish per day, meeting the show’s requirements.

Through his performance in this episode, he further solidified his label as ”one of the champion contenders.”

However, the biggest highlight of Episode 3 came from another contestant—Clay Jenkins.

Clay, a tough guy in his early forties from Montana.

His resume listed him as a former reconnaissance Marine in the United States, later becoming a professional certified hunting guide and wilderness survival instructor.

He was burly, with sharp eyes, exuding the calm and fierceness of a seasoned warrior.

In the first two episodes, although his performance was stable, there were no particularly stunning highlights, mostly silently building shelters and setting up large hunting traps.

The turning point happened on Clay’s 22nd day in the wilderness.

In the footage, Clay lurked behind a dense bush, his Hunting Bow already drawn, the arrowhead pointing at a black-tailed deer leisurely chewing tender leaves nearby.

That was a black-tailed deer weighing about 60 kilograms, an enviable source of protein and fat for any contestant!

Clay showcased exceptional hunter traits, patiently waiting for the perfect moment, motionless, like a rock merged with the environment.

When the black-tailed deer slightly turned its body, exposing its deadly ribs—

”Whoosh!”

The wooden arrow soared with a fierce whistle, like a black lightning bolt, precisely striking the black-tailed deer’s body!

The deer let out a brief mournful cry, dashed into the bushes, but soon stumbled and fell due to excessive blood loss.

Clay followed the blood trail for hundreds of meters, found the prey dead, and his weather-beaten face showed a complex expression.

He spoke to the camera, his voice slightly trembling: ”Oh, God! I did it! A black-tailed deer! This is so crucial!”

”You know I’ve hunted many prey in my life; if it were a fish, I wouldn’t be feeling this way now.”

”The success of hunting this deer is mixed with many emotions. Now, at least I can harvest over 25 kilograms of pure meat! Food is no longer a source of stress for me!”

He was nearly crying with joy; the nerves strained by food pressure were completely released at this moment!

In the subsequent footage, it detailed how Clay expertly skinned and decomposed the deer meat.

And hung the large chunks of deer meat high, about four meters high, from tree branches to prevent them from being stolen by bears or other scavengers.

This scene undoubtedly brought a tremendous visual and psychological shock to all viewers.

Clay’s successful hunt of the black-tailed deer instantly ignited the enthusiasm of North American viewers for discussion.

”Clay is so strong! He’s a true hunter! Everything he gets is well-deserved!”

”A 60-kilogram black-tail deer! With this amount of meat, he could directly be announced as the champion!”

”Definitely living up to his Marine background, his psychological quality and professional skills are top-notch!”

”That Chinese kid is still playing with mud, shooting small chickens, while Clay has started feasting on venison—the gap is too obvious!”

”Although Lin is quite interesting, he seems to pale in comparison to such brute strength.”

On social media, Clay’s name and ”black-tailed deer” quickly became trending topics, with overwhelming praise and admiration.

Many believed that with this successful hunt, Clay had already taken a clear lead over all other contestants, securing the final victory.

When the third episode was updated on Bilibili, domestic viewers were cheering for Lin Yu’an for luckily hitting his first spruce grouse while also being shocked by the scene of Clay hunting a black-tailed deer.

The bullet comments and comment section were instantly filled with worries for Lin Yu’an.

[Whoa! This Clay is too fierce! He directly took down a deer?!]

[The amount of meat... Brother An is under pressure now! Two grouses compared to a deer is indeed lacking!]

[See, karma is here! What’s the use of good shelters; food is the real deal!]

[I feel for Brother An, just when he made some progress, such a strong competitor comes along.]

[I hope Brother An quickly masters the bow and arrow, and also gets something big!]

Although Lin Yu’an had food income daily and showcased his unique skills,

Compared to Clay’s achievement of hunting a black-tailed deer in one go, he seemed slightly inferior in visual impact and actual food reserves.

The viewers started worrying for Lin Yu’an, concerned if he could maintain his advantage in the upcoming competition.

The show’s editing cleverly contrasted Clay’s successful hunt with footage of Lin Yu’an practicing archery and handling small prey.

Creating a tense atmosphere with strong enemies looming, further stimulating audience discussions and anticipation for the subsequent plot.

At the end of the third episode, another contestant was eliminated.

A female contestant named Catherine chose to withdraw on day 24 after failing to obtain food effectively for several consecutive days.

In the footage, Catherine sat at the cold shelter entrance, a yellow satellite phone on her knees, her fingers hesitating on the rescue button.

Finally, she took a deep breath, eyes filled with reluctance and disappointment, and pressed the button.

As the show’s rescue helicopter rotor’s roar came closer from afar.

Catherine stood waiting, looking at the camera from the show in front of her.

Her cheeks were somewhat sunken due to hunger and fatigue, and her lips dry, yet her eyes remained clear.

”Hey... hello...”

Her voice carried infinite exhaustion, trying hard to smile, but her eyes uncontrollably reddened.

”I think my ’Alone in the Wilderness’ journey might end here.”

”I... I tried my best, really.”

She lifted her head, tears blurring her vision, her voice filled with grievance and helplessness.

”I’ve gone almost five days without catching anything decent. The traps yielded nothing; fishing was fruitless...”

”I tried every method I knew, but... this land, it seems unwilling to favor me.”

After a while, she gradually calmed down, wiped away tears, and showed a hint of a bitter smile.

”This wilderness... it’s too powerful; it taught me humility and reverence.”

After speaking, she silently walked towards the rescue personnel coming to meet her.

Her departing figure seemed somewhat desolate but also brought a sense of relief.

Catherine’s exit statement was filled with genuine emotions, also shedding light on the real dilemmas faced by many contestants under extreme conditions.

Her tears and unwillingness resonated with viewers, once again highlighting the harshness and allure of ’Alone in the Wilderness.’

This is also what the show aims to capture—human nature, what is human nature like under wilderness survival?

By now, with the broadcast of three episodes, four contestants have left the stage in defeat.

At this moment, Lin Yu’an did not know that far away, Clay had already made such a significant breakthrough.

Nor did he know he was being watched by many viewers as the ”Challenger” needing to catch up vigorously.

Bilibili viewers were more eager to see if this contestant from China, dubbed the ”Infrastructure Fanatic,” could also achieve an astonishing large prey hunt.

The broadcast of the third episode undoubtedly added more suspense and highlights to the future development of ’Wilderness Solo Living: Grizzly Mountain.’

An invisible contest between Lin Yu’an and Clay had quietly begun.

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(Finally, the opening was revised! Cut down by 12,000 characters.)

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(Clay’s deer hunting picture, manually censored.)