King of the Wilderness

Day twenty-six.

Yesterday, Lin Yu’an just completed a tough piece of work—the ice drill that looks primitive and is covered with hammer marks, but its edge shone with a cold glint, quietly leaning in the corner of the shelter.

It is not just a tool; it’s the first spark of industrial civilization that he ignited on this wilderness using wisdom, sweat, and willpower!

He stood up and glanced at the stove; the charcoal inside had already burned out, leaving only a few red embers.

At that moment, a familiar mechanical roar, which was out of place in this primitive world, came from the distant horizon.

The sound came nearer and nearer, initially like the buzz of a mosquito, but soon becoming louder and clearer.

Lin Yu’an raised his head, squinting in the direction the sound was coming from.

Under the leaden, low-hanging clouds, a familiar black dot was rapidly enlarging.

It pierced through the sound of the wind and waves, carrying an undeniable sense of power, breaking into his world, which for over twenty days had been accustomed to only the sounds of nature.

It was a helicopter.

He knew it was a routine patrol by the program team. According to the competition rules, the team conducts a mandatory medical check on all contestants at regular intervals.

They collect their recorded media cards, provide new batteries, and offer necessary medical consultations to ensure contestants’ safety and the smooth running of this survival competition.

Originally, the agreed time was a few days ago, but a snowstorm prevented the program team from arriving as scheduled.

He did not show much excitement, just calmly watched the black Bell 212 helicopter hover like a giant dragonfly, circling above his shelter as if evaluating the landing site.

Finally, the helicopter chose to land steadily on the relatively open and flat pebble beach in front of the shelter, stirring up a snow spray everywhere.

As the engine roar gradually subsided to the ”whoosh whoosh” of the rotor, the side door of the cabin slid open.

Four figures jumped out of the cabin one after another.

Leading the way was a tall middle-aged man with slightly disheveled gray-gold hair blown by the cold wind, wearing sunglasses that could shield against polar glare.

Even through the sunglasses, Lin Yu’an could feel his sharp and scrutinizing gaze. Lin Yu’an immediately recognized him as Mark.

Following closely was a woman in an orange-red rescue suit. She was the accompanying doctor, Anna, her face showing professional warmth and concern, holding a large medical emergency kit.

The third person to jump out was a man in a dark green one-piece flight suit, also brawny, but unlike Mark’s weather-beaten look, he carried an air of extreme competence and calm belonging to an active-duty military officer.

On the arm badge of his flight suit was the emblem of the Royal Canadian Air Force Search and Rescue Team—a red maple leaf with a blue and white background representing sky and sea.

He was the safety officer of this challenge and also the pilot of the helicopter, the Royal Canadian Air Force Captain, codenamed ”Grizzly Bear,” David Hammond.

Under the safety agreement between the program group and the Canadian military, each mandatory medical check must be accompanied by the most experienced active-duty search and rescue pilot providing technical support.

His duties extended far beyond flying; he had to assess the safety of each camp’s location, the potential risks brought by weather changes, and perform the most challenging rescue evacuation tasks in any emergency.

For ”Grizzly Bear,” this vast and harsh Labrador Coastline was both his training ground and the battlefield where he had completed countless life-and-death rescues.

His eyes calmly surveyed Lin Yu’an’s camp, as if conducting a routine mission evaluation.

Lastly, there was a cameraman carrying a professional-grade camera. From the moment he jumped off the helicopter, his lens focused on Lin Yu’an, capturing the intersection of civilization and wilderness.

Mark removed his sunglasses but didn’t immediately approach, instead standing in place, his gaze slowly sweeping over Lin Yu’an’s entire camp.

His sight moved from the sturdy semi-subterranean shelter to the adjacent stone trough used as a forge.

Then from the oddly-shaped large bellows modified from a tan plastic box, to the not far-off ”snow well refrigerator” only exposing a lid under the snow cover.

Finally, his gaze settled on the neatly stacked birch and driftwood at the shelter’s entrance, and the newly born, primitively shaped ice drill resting against the wall.

A hint of surprise first crossed his face, then was replaced by an incomprehensibly complex emotion.

Mark originally thought that after experiencing that disaster-like ”bomb cyclone,” he would see a contestant struggling to survive.

But what he saw was an ”engineer” tech-treeing in this wilderness!

”My God…” Mark finally couldn’t help but mutter to himself.

Then, he took big strides toward Lin Yu’an, with a genuine, undisguised admiring smile on his face.

”Lin! It seems that storm was more of an opportunity than a disaster for you.”