King of the Wilderness

Chapter 42: Chapter 42: Only Five Remain

Episode four, the timeline has pushed forward to more than thirty days of contestants surviving alone in the wilderness.

The harsh environment and difficult food resources have reduced the initial ten top-notch survivors to only five who are still persisting.

Each of them has shown extraordinary perseverance and unique survival skills.

In this episode, Lin Yu’an undoubtedly has the most screen time and is one of the most captivating parts.

The show first fully captures his process of making underwater wire lasso traps and successfully hunting two plump beavers.

From accurately judging beaver habits, to the meticulous making of the wire lasso, to the concealed placement of the underwater entrance, and finally the decisive and calm retrieval of the prey, each step kept the viewers fascinated.

”Guys, look at this body! Got a big one right away!”

Lin Yu’an dragged the still-struggling beaver ashore, unable to hide his excitement before the camera, stirring excitement in countless viewers.

Next up was the ingenious segment where he used waterproof tarpaulin to build a simple smokehouse for smoking beaver meat.

Viewers watched as he cleverly utilized limited materials to set up a space capable of effectively gathering smoke.

And Lin Yu’an’s highlight of this episode was a complete display of tanning beaver skins by hand over several days with all-natural methods.

From scraping fat and meat, to making the brain tanning agent, to the arduous ”breaking skin” kneading, and finally the smoking coloration, Lin Yu’an meticulously handled every step.

When the two soft and elastic beaver skins unfolded before the camera, many viewers felt the thrill of success.

Meanwhile, Clay Jenkins, who successfully hunted a black-tailed deer in the last episode, maintained his strong momentum.

Having sufficient meat reserves, he focused more energy on fishing.

In the footage, Clay used his rich experience and brought materials to craft a sophisticated stinging net.

He cleverly set the stinging net at the entrance of a relatively calm river bay, with one end fixed to a tree stump on shore and the other connected to a long retrieval rope.

”The advantage of a stinging net is that it doesn’t need constant watching. As long as it’s set right, the fish will bump into it themselves.” Clay confidently explained to the camera.

Indeed, the next morning, when Clay pulled the retrieval rope to slowly drag the stinging net out of the water, several trout and whitefish of assorted sizes were hanging on it! This efficient fishing method made his food supply more stable.

In front of the camera, while processing the catch, Clay remarked with emotion, ”With the deer meat and now stable fish catches, I’m more confident about the coming days.”

His calm and collected demeanor further solidified his position as a championship contender in the minds of many viewers.

Apart from Lin Yu’an and Clay, the remaining three contestants continued to persist in their respective struggles. Although their screen time wasn’t as much as the former two, their segments also showed the harshness and difficulty of wilderness survival.

Veteran Ron, his shelter was properly built but obtaining food became increasingly difficult.

His traps were fruitless for days. He relied on sporadic fish catches and gathered small amounts of plant roots to subsist.

In the footage, he appeared somewhat thinner and weary, expressing his longing for food more than once to the camera, but his unwavering determination remained. He actively sought new hunting opportunities and tried crafting more intricate bird traps.

Inuit huntress Kira, using the survival wisdom passed down by her ancestors, always managed to find some unique food sources in areas others deemed barren.

In this episode, she demonstrated how to extract edible parts from specific mosses and how to track and dig into squirrels’ winter food caches.

But these foods provided limited calories, her weight continued to decline, facing immense physical and psychological pressure.

She started singing more and making small crafts to alleviate loneliness.

Lumberjack Bill, his physical strength remained an advantage, with ample firewood piled around his shelter.

However, he wasn’t skilled in precise hunting and fishing, making his food sources highly unstable.

He tried crafting a large crude log trap, hoping to catch deer or other bigger animals, but after days it yielded nothing, instead expending a large amount of energy.

Bill returned empty-handed. He sat wearily at the entrance of his shelter, gazing at his empty hands and the gradually darkening sky, felt a deep sense of helplessness and despair.

The footage captured moments of his irritability due to hunger and frustration. He started frequently checking his weight and questioned his ability to persist.

As for the somewhat flamboyant contestant Bob, no viewers expected him to last this long, but this episode marked his exit.

”I... I might not be able to carry on.”

He said to the camera, his voice low, eyes losing their usual sparkle, ”I’m too hungry. I haven’t had proper food for days.”

”I thought my cleverness would let me survive here, but I was wrong... There’s nothing here... nothing... I cannot showcase my intelligence!”

His emotions utterly collapsed, sobbing softly before the camera, expressing nostalgia for his partner, family, and civilized world food. More importantly, he admitted losing the confidence and motivation to continue the challenge.

Finally, after painful struggle and reflection, Bob pressed the yellow distress button.

After episode four aired, United States audiences were divided in their opinions about Lin Yu’an’s performance, but the mainstream view was that his luck played a large role; his skills were still not on par with Clay.

”Lin catching two beavers was impressive, but largely because those beavers were unsuspecting. Compared to Clay’s black-tailed deer, there’s still a gap in long-term survival value.”

”I agree, how much meat does a beaver have anyway? The real test is the sustainability of food afterward. Clay not only has deer meat, but the stinging net seems to continuously provide fish, which is much more stable than the beaver.”

”Lucky boy Lin! But I still think Clay is better, his hunting experience and mindset are more like a champion’s.”

”Hope Lin can continue working hard, proving his choices right. But for now, Clay’s advantage is too obvious.”

Meanwhile, on domestic Bilibili, Lin Yu’an’s performance reignited the fans’ enthusiasm, overflowing with praise in the bullet comments and review sections.

[OMG! Brother An made another big move! Two big beavers! No more worries about food now!]

[Trap master Lin Yu’an! Learned something (even if it won’t be used)!]

[The tanning process of beaver skins left me dumbfounded! Starting from scratch entirely by hand!]

[Bullet comments saying Americans think Brother An is lucky, aren’t they just jealous of our Brother An’s skills? Hitting with successive traps, could that be just pure luck?]

[Brother An even specifically reminded about processing beaver meat, emphasizing thorough cooking! Brother An must withstand the beaver curse!]

[Although Clay is strong too, our Brother An is steady and grounded, taking survival one step at a time, the outcome is still unknown! Looking forward to Brother An’s slow and steady burst!]

At the same time, the show’s producers were very satisfied with the response to episode four.

The situation with only five remaining increased the intensity of the competition to a new height.

Lin Yu’an’s ”lucky streak” and Clay’s ”hard strength” formed a stark contrast and ongoing discussions, while the struggles and persistence of the other three contestants added more genuine human brilliance to the show.

The program also left some suspense at the end.

With winter approaching, temperatures will continue to drop, and food resources will become even scarcer.

The remaining five top survivalists will face more severe tests.

Who will persist to the end?

All the answers will be revealed one by one in subsequent episodes!

This contest of ice and fire, this match of wisdom and courage, has just entered its most thrilling stage!