King of the Wilderness

He first strapped the heavy equipment on his back and then dragged the willow branch ice fishing shelter, walking towards the frozen river surface.

This time, his target was no longer nearby but the ”Number One Fishing Spot” with massive submerged wood, which he had scouted yesterday as the perfect spot.

About half an hour later, he reached the destination, located the bright nylon rope marker he had left on a branch by the shore, and then, from memory, walked to the area where the huge submerged wood lurked beneath the ice.

He set down all the equipment from his shoulder and began the first task: clearing the snow on the ice surface.

After more than an hour, Lin Yu’an finally cleared a patch of ice, just big enough to set up the ice fishing wooden shelter.

Then he unfolded the willow branch shelter, fitted the cross birch support pole, and a sturdy A-frame hut stood firmly on the ice.

Next, he took out the four hard birch ”Ice Nails.”

Again, he picked up the Ice Drill that had just performed outstandingly.

He didn’t need to drill a complete, penetrating ice hole. Holding the T-shaped handle with both hands, he began to rotate gently and controllably.

The sharp blade cut into the ice layer, emitting a light and continuous ”sasa” sound. When he felt the drill had reached about ten centimeters deep, he immediately stopped.

A sufficiently deep, but not ice-breaking, perfectly cylindrical shallow pit appeared on the ice.

With this method of superficial drilling, he made four anchor holes for fixing the ground nails, at the four corners of the hut.

Then, he placed the tip of the wooden nails into the holes,

Next, he lit a fire, heated some snow water in a tin bucket, and poured it into the gaps between the wooden nails and the ice holes.

In temperatures tens of degrees below zero, this water quickly froze within minutes, emitting a light ”kaka” sound, seamlessly fusing the wooden nails and the entire ice surface together.

He used a nylon rope to firmly tie the base frame of the A-frame hut to these four rock-solid ground nails.

Now, even a strong wind couldn’t shake it in the slightest.

With the shelter secured, he began to handle the open ends. He faced one opening directly against the weak but constant upstream cold wind.

Then he started cutting compacted snow bricks from the surrounding snow with his hands and an ax, building a thick, crescent-shaped snow wall at the opening, completely blocking the wind.

A perfect, three-sided enclosed ice fishing hut finally took shape.

He crawled into the small space, placed his equipment neatly, and took out the tin bucket, lighting a small pile of charcoal inside.

There was no dense smoke, only pure fiery energy, and the warm red light instantly illuminated the cramped space inside the hut, driving away the piercing cold air.

The heat from the stove was reflected by the willow branch mats on either side and the snow wall behind, creating a warm and comfortable microclimate around him.

Now, he possessed the most crucial capital for long-term operations on this ice field—warmth.

Everything was ready, just waiting for the east wind!

He picked up the Ice Drill, into which he had poured countless efforts, and started drilling today’s first and only ice hole in the center of the hut, right above that massive submerged wood.

”Ka—cha—ka—cha—”

The crisp and rhythmic cutting sound was exceptionally clear in the quiet hut, and a few minutes later, with a ”poof,” the ice hole was penetrated.

He cleared away the ice debris at the edge, then took out his homemade ice fishing rod, attached the fishing line to the resilient carbon fiber rod, fastened a lead sinker, and finally hooked a small piece of rabbit entrails, exuding a strong fishy odor, onto the hook.

He lowered the fishing line slowly into the bottomless dark ice hole, feeling the lead sinker carry the bait down into the underwater forest full of potential life.

Then, he took out a simple stool he had made during his leisure time from short sticks and nylon rope and sat securely by the ice hole.

Beyond the shelter was another world.

The fierce cold wind blew unimpeded from upstream, carrying up swirls of surface snow and forming ribbons of white, sliding rapidly along the vast ice surface.

Although the sunlight was bright, it was pale and powerless, like a giant refrigerator light hanging at the sky’s edge, only providing illumination without the slightest warmth.

The entire world was a grand yet monotonous wasteland composed of white and pale gray, where any creature exposed to this environment had to constantly struggle against the severe cold.

But inside this small fortress of willow branches and accumulated snow, it was a different scene. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

The wind was completely isolated outside by the thick willow mats and the snow wall behind.

Lin Yu’an could even hear the dull ”woo-woo” sound of the wind scraping over the roof, a sound that seemed distant and feeble, like a helpless beast roaring, stuck outside the door.

In front of him, a few pieces of charcoal were burning silently and steadily inside the tin can, releasing pure heat energy.

The warm red light coated him and the small surrounding space with a soothing orange-red hue.

He took off the heavy outer windproof coat and bulky gloves, wearing only a down jacket.

He focused all his attention on the tense fishing line that extended into the dark abyss.