King of the Wilderness

He folds two rabbit skins with thick fur, fur facing inside, skin outside, and sets them aside.

”These two skins, once tanned, can be made into a very warm pair of gloves or a hat, although I don’t need them right now.”

Next comes the gutting process.

With the tip of the knife, he carefully opens the rabbit’s abdominal cavity, extracting all the internal organs intact, then he meticulously divides the organs into three piles.

The first pile is the liver, heart, and kidneys, which he places on clean leaves.

”These are the most nutritious essence, and are meant for consumption, absolutely not to be wasted.”

The second pile is the intestines and stomach, which he slits open with a knife, squeezing out the grassy contents, then takes them to the stream to rinse clean repeatedly.

”These cleaned organs make excellent bait, especially for trout and Red Spot Salmon that favor a fishy odor.”

The third pile is the tiny, seemingly insignificant rabbit brain.

Lin Yu’an treats it like a rare treasure, carefully cracking the rabbit’s skull with the back of an axe, then using the tip of a knife to extract the soft, powder-white brain and place it on the cleanest leaf.

”Among all the harvests, this is the most precious gift.” He trains the camera on the tiny rabbit brain, his tone filled with solemnity.

”In a wilderness diet lacking fat, an animal’s brain is the purest, highest quality source of fat.”

”Its fat content exceeds even that of fatty meat, and it’s rich in lecithin and various trace elements.”

He gently pinches a bit with his fingers, the delicate texture making him exclaim: ”This is the wilderness’s butter! Before the forthcoming high-intensity physical exertion, it’s the best energy supplement.”

Having processed all parts, he carries away the rabbit’s body and edible organs, while discarding the inedible parts and bloodwater into the flowing river.

With the processed game in hand, he returns to the warm shelter by the campfire.

His stomach long rumbling with hunger, he decides to enjoy this hard-earned delicacy right away to prepare energy for the heavy toil ahead in the afternoon.

In this environment, unlike the fall at Chilco Lake where slate can be used for grilling, open flames and slate heat are uneven and can’t fully utilize the burning charcoal.

He decides to make a more refined tool, a simple charcoal grill.

He retrieves from his backpack a roll of professional Annealed Steel Wire Tripwire, and finds two sturdy Y-shaped branches at the edge of the woods, firmly inserting them into the soil on both sides of the hearth.

Then he cuts segments of steel wire, patiently weaving them between the Y-shaped forks of the two branches to create a grid-like metal surface with even gaps.

A perfect, height-adjustable simple grill is completed in just over ten minutes.

”Alright, now we can proceed with the real charcoal grilling.” He claps his hands in satisfaction.

He sweeps aside the blazing wood in the fire, revealing the stable-temperature hot charcoal beneath, emitting a dim red glow.

He first handles the two most precious rabbit brains, taking out a pinch of grayish-white crystals from a bark pouch, carefully sprinkling them on the rabbit brains.

This is not the result of intentionally boiling seawater but an unexpected joy left over from boiling kelp mussel soup a few days ago.

At the time, the pot’s concentrated, savory broth, after cooling, formed a thin layer of mineral-rich natural sea salt on the pot wall.

He scraped and collected them like treasures; these salts are now his most luxurious seasoning.

To prevent the delicate rabbit brain from disintegrating and falling into the charcoal during grilling, he needs a suitable container.

He scans the surroundings, his gaze falling on a pile of cleaned mussel shells beside the fire.

He selects the largest and most complete shell, its sunken curve serving perfectly as a natural small bowl.

Lin Yu’an carefully places the salted rabbit brain into the black mussel shell, then places the entire shell stably at the center of the steel grill.

The shell slowly absorbs the radiant heat from the charcoal below, evenly transmitting the heat to the rabbit brain inside.

Gradually, tiny steam emerges from the surface of the rabbit brain, accompanied by a ”sizzling” sound, indicating the evaporation of water within the tissues.

As the temperature further rises, the powder-white brain tissue starts changing from a translucent pink to an opaque creamy white from the shell contact base.

Soon after, clear oil begins to seep slowly from the tissues, forming a thin layer at the bottom of the black shell.

Soon, the entire rabbit brain is immersed in the hot oil it has secreted, starting to bubble gently.

It’s more like a low-temperature slow cook in its own fat than a fast grill with fierce fire.

A rich scent of oil slowly wafts through the camp along with the heat.

Lin Yu’an waits patiently, watching the brain tissue fully set and solidify in the oil, its surface showing a faint yellow hue.

In just a few minutes, this top-notch ”char-grilled sea salt rabbit brain” is completed.

He eagerly picks up a small piece with wooden chopsticks and puts it in his mouth.

The instant it’s in the mouth, there’s a sensation of extreme softness, a unique texture akin to savory custard, almost melting on the tongue with no need for chewing.

Then a bold, rich fatty aroma hits, instantly filling the entire mouth.

Yet beneath this rich aroma lies a subtle fishy hint that cannot be ignored.

The taste isn’t nauseating but clearly reminds him that this isn’t a refined product from a modern kitchen, but the most primal, most wild energy source. ℯℯ𝑙.

At this moment, the salt’s savory flavor plays a crucial role in striving to balance the fishiness, its effort making the fatty aroma more pronounced.

Lin Yu’an chews impassively, savoring meticulously, the taste, not considered delicious, might seem odd to those accustomed to modern seasonings.

But his body sends the most honest signal, every cell craving this high-purity energy!

It’s a satisfaction stemming from the deepest physiological need, far more direct and intense than any taste pleasure!

Having finished this nutrition-heavy appetizer, he then sprinkles the precious sea salt on the main parts of one rabbit and neatly places them on the steel grill.

The other rabbit he stores in a wooden stick basket, planning to stew it upon returning at night.

The rabbit on the grill has no flames licking it, just the stable and powerful heat radiation from the charcoal.

The moisture on the rabbit meat’s surface quickly evaporates, forming a thin crust that perfectly locks the juices inside.

Occasionally, the juices drip onto the hot charcoal, creating a meat-scented smoke, which in turn enhances the rabbit meat’s flavor.

The rabbit meat itself has nearly no fat and easily becomes dry and stringy when grilled.

Lin Yu’an understands this well; he’s not expecting any top-tier deliciousness, the core goal of this meal is efficiently ingesting protein.

Half an hour later, when the rabbit meat achieves a crispy golden-brown crust and a knife slice reveals the cooked, distinctly threaded white meat inside, this long-awaited terrestrial feast is finally ready.

He tears off a hind leg, chewing vigorously.

As expected, the meat is firm, somewhat tough, requiring considerable effort to chew.

Beyond the salty taste from the salt and the smoky flavor from the charcoal, the rabbit meat’s taste is slightly bland.

Yet for someone who has consumed seafood and plant roots for days, this pure meat flavor still brings immense satisfaction.

Eating slowly, he scrupulously gnaws every bit of meat off the bones.

This meal isn’t exactly enjoyable, yet every bite replenishes his body with the most solid energy.

He knows, the upcoming task will be a true hard battle!