On the night the shelter was finished, Lin Yu'an lit a bonfire for the first time inside the stone house he had built. Warm light reflected off the rough walls and immediately drove out the cold and darkness of the forest. The autumn wind howled outside, but inside the stone house it felt warm and secure. The only drawback was the smoke. Their planned exhaust method was ineffective and the bonfire produced thick smoke. They would have to solve that problem. Fortunately, Lin Yu'an already had some preliminary ideas.
He grilled trout he had caught during the day and the aroma filled the small stone house. With the permanent shelter essentially stable, Lin Yu'an had more energy and time to explore the surrounding area. He needed richer food sources, to learn the local dangers, and to prepare fully for the long winter ahead. Every day he spent several hours carrying bow and pack, pushing several kilometers into forest he had not yet seen.
On one westward trip he discovered a clear path trodden by large animals. The track was littered with large, plum shaped prints, gnawed bark, and broken branches.
"Guys, look at this," he said, squatting to examine the prints. "These prints are very large, and very fresh. Judging from shape and size, it does not look like a white tailed deer. More like an elk, maybe even a moose. Something big has been around here."
The find made him both excited and cautious. Elk and moose are excellent protein sources. If he could take one, it would sustain him through winter. At the same time, the presence of large herbivores often signals predators nearby.
A short distance away he found trees clawed by sharp claws and a pile of large droppings mixed with hair and undigested remains.
"Oh… damn," he muttered, looking at the marks. He lowered his voice for the camera. "This was definitely left by a bear. Judging by how fresh it is, it must have been here recently."
He thought he could smell the strong, slightly fishy scent associated with bears. A hard sense of danger settled over him. He looked around on high alert. He had no intention of provoking such a huge creature, but a bear might attack first.
He checked his bear spray and, in his mind, the large caliber pistol he kept in the container space. The existence of the space made him feel safer, but he knew he must be prepared to face a grizzly if necessary.
"Guys, I have to be more careful. Every time I go out I need to stay alert and try to avoid the core activity areas of these large animals," he said.
The bear sign cooled the slight relief he had felt after finishing the shelter. He did not continue to explore and instead returned carefully to camp along the same route.
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Lin Yu'an woke on the pine needle bed inside the shelter. It was the seventeenth day of his survival.
"Good morning, everyone. Last night felt peaceful. No alarm devices were triggered and no unusual sounds were heard," he said. "But since I found the grizzly tracks, I have felt a heavy weight on my chest. Today I must check the area around camp carefully and add more early warning systems."
After a quick wash with boiled stream water and a breakfast of smoked dried fish and a few nuts, he began his inspection. He thinned the brush around the camp to improve sight lines and reduce places for animals to hide. He set up several noisy twig alarms on key paths so approaching animals would trigger a sound. He also cleaned up food scraps, buried them away from the shelter, and compacted the soil to minimize scent.
He considered building a wooden gate with spikes at the entrance but abandoned the idea. He lacked tools and materials, and spikes could become hazards or attract curious animals.
While he was focused on defenses, the distant roar of rotors broke the forest quiet. He looked up. A small Bell helicopter came from a valley, circled the camp, and landed on the river beach where they had agreed to meet.
Lin Yu'an straightened his clothing and walked quickly to the riverbank. Two staff wearing jackets with the program logo stepped out. One was a technician with a professional camera bag. The other was Michelle King, the marketing representative he had met during the interview.
"Lin! You look like you're in good shape!" Michelle said, offering a professional smile and a hand.
Lin Yu'an shook her hand. "Ms. King, I did not expect you to come out here. It's good you can see the shelter I built," he said, nodding toward the stone house that blended into the slope.
The technician checked his equipment, replaced batteries and memory cards for the chest and handheld cameras, and tested everything carefully. He gave Lin a thumbs up. "Everything is fine. Your footage looks very good," he said.
Michelle pulled out a tablet and ran a short, routine check. "Lin, I need to check your condition. How are you feeling? Any injuries? Enough food and water?"
"Everything is fine, Ms. King. I'm healthy and uninjured. I'm getting food from hunting and fishing, and the stream provides good water," Lin answered.
Michelle smiled and added, "You might not know this, but you are a bit of an internet celebrity now."
"Internet celebrity?" Lin repeated, surprised.
"Yes," she said. "Your act at the supermarket and your background as a Chinese international student signing up for this show have attracted a lot of attention. Many people are looking forward to watching you. A national video platform has offered to buy broadcast rights. This could change things for you."
She encouraged him. "Perform well and show what you can do. This could be more than the prize money."
Lin listened without much emotion. He wanted the prize and a quiet life with Arya. "Thank you for the reminder, Ms. King. I will do my best," he said.
The crew finished their checks, climbed into the helicopter, and flew off. Lin watched the craft until it was a speck against the sky. The brief connection to civilization passed and he was alone in the wilderness again.
"Guys, the crew just left," he told the camera. "I need to find food, but first I must solve a big problem: improving heating and cooking efficiency."
He pointed to the simple stone fire pit in the corner of the shelter. "This open pit makes too much smoke and wastes heat. It uses too much firewood and is unsafe to burn for long periods in an enclosed space."
"So today I will devote all my energy to a major project I have planned: building a safe stove inside the stone house shelter."