King of the Wilderness

Chapter 377: Chapter 224: The Oppressive Atmosphere of the Dark Forest

Lin Yu’an lifted his head, his gaze passing over the snow-bent branches of the interlocked pine forest, looking toward the horizon.

The sun had completely sunk beneath the undulating ridge line in the distance. The canvas of the sky, once brushed with a pale gold, was being rapidly invaded by indigo blue at a visible speed.

This was the unmistakable signal that daylight had completely ended, foretelling the long and cold night was about to reclaim this land.

The temperature was dropping sharply, each breath he exhaled instantly crystallizing into white vapor, like the heat of life silently resisting the harsh cold of the outside world.

Lin Yu’an’s skin could clearly sense the bone-chilling cold winds in the air, attempting to penetrate every layer of clothing shielding him.

”Alright, now comes the part of the entire process that requires the most patience and skill, and tests decision-making the most.”

In the snowy ground before Lin Yu’an lay his trophy for the day, a North American Porcupine that was completely devoid of life.

Its body still held some warmth, and under the diffused light reflected from the snow, its black and white quills remained distinctly outlined, an osseous sheen, as if an exquisite work of art.

”I don’t have the time to perform a complete butchering here; following a standard slaughtering process—skinning it, deboning, cutting it into small pieces—would take at least over an hour.”

”That would be too slow, and too dangerous. Within an hour, the scent of blood would be enough to attract any carnivorous animals, like wolves, cougars, or even bears emerging from hibernation.”

”Therefore, I must, before natural light completely disappears, swiftly and simply process and extract the most valuable parts, then leave this perilous place immediately.”

Lin Yu’an calmly assessed the prey before him, his mind functioning like the most efficient processor, instantly completing the analysis of pros and cons, and planning the course of action.

He avoided touching those intimidating quills; any idea of dealing with the porcupine from the back was labeled as ”stupid” in his mind.

He knew well that in the wilderness, without antibiotics and surgical tools, even an inconspicuous wound leading to infection could escalate into fatal septicemia.

This is one of the survival laws that cannot be ignored, so he would start with the safest and most valuable area—the abdomen.

On one knee, he used it as a pivot, the spear shaft as a lever; the muscles in his arms slowly exerted force, gently and steadily flipping the porcupine’s body over.

This process was performed with extreme caution, his attention highly focused, always avoiding the dangerous zones on its back and tail, and only contacting the sparsely quilled, soft-furred inner sides of its limbs.

Finally, the porcupine’s body was completely overturned, and its soft, entirely quill-free, gray-white short-haired abdomen was fully exposed to Lin Yu’an’s view.

”In handling prey in the wilderness, always follow one principle—value first.”

He softly explained to the camera while drawing out the Damascus Hunting Knife from the sheath at his waist.

On the knife blade, the layered forging patterns flickered in the twilight, like flowing clouds, glittering with a metallic sheen.

”What’s the most valuable thing for me right now? It’s not the meat, although meat is important. But at this moment, the most valuable thing is fat.”

He gently tapped the porcupine’s soft abdomen with the knife tip. ”And the porcupine, as a rodent feeding on plant roots and tree bark.”

”To survive the long winter, it stores a large amount of fat in its body. Its highest quality fat reserves are wrapped around its internal organs.”

”This kidney and mesenteric fat from the porcupine represents the highest quality fat in its body, its golden reserve of high-energy animal oil.”

”Therefore, my primary goal is to open it up, extract this precious fat, along with the liver, which is equally rich in trace elements and vitamins.”

Lin Yu’an adjusted his posture, half-kneeling in the snow that reached above his ankles, the cold seeping through his pants to his knees, but he remained unfazed.

With his left hand, he pressed down on one of the porcupine’s forelimbs, firmly fixing the carcass in the snow, while his other hand held the Damascus Hunting Knife in reverse, the tip pointing vertically downwards.

He took a deep breath, the cold air rushing into his lungs, clearing his mind even more.

Then he held his breath, the knife’s position was precise, right at the end of the porcupine’s sternum, at the cartilage area known as the ”Sword.”

His arm muscles tightened, applying a precise and steady force, carefully piercing the sharp knife tip in, then resolutely and smoothly cutting downward along the middle of the abdomen.

The sharp blade sliced through the tough fur and skin with almost no resistance, emitting only a faint sound of the blade slicing through tissue, a ”sizzle” sound.

The knife only cut through the outer tough skin and the thick muscle layer beneath, avoiding going deeper.

Through the feel in his hand, he could clearly judge the depth of the knife tip, ensuring it remained outside the peritoneum, never piercing the stomach and intestines that enclosed the internal organs.

Just as the incision was about to be completed, visibility in the forest drastically decreased. Lin Yu’an did not pause for a second, his free left hand naturally lifted up, pressing the switch on his head.

Continuously pressing twice, he switched to an 800-lumen bright mode that balanced brightness and battery life.