Wandering America: My kill threshold is far ahead

Chapter 246 Choosing Ten Pieces of Equipment

"I have a problem."

"I have one too."

"OK, no rush, one at a time."

Grace answered all the questions raised by the contestants, all of which were related to the live broadcast.

For example, what should be done if the equipment is damaged unexpectedly? Is there a gift-giving function? If a viewer acts as a shill in two live streams and provides information to the opponent, is that considered a violation of the rules?

In Ma Jieke's opinion, these are all unnecessary questions. What you can think of, the production team can't.

As long as everyone is treated equally, no problem is a problem. Players should adapt to the version, not the other way around.

After the Q&A session, the most important part began. Head Instructor Lehman Stein stepped forward and said, "Congratulations to everyone. You have gone through the preliminary selection, interviews, and intensive training selection, standing out from tens of thousands of competitors. This has already proven that you are the most outstanding survival experts on this planet. In the field of wilderness survival, you are virtually unmatched."

"But! The purpose of 'Wilderness Solitary Living' is to make the strong stronger and the stronger glorious. Look to your left and right. Next, you will either eliminate him or be eliminated by him. I don't care if you were friends, partners or strangers before. From this moment on, they are your opponents, obstacles that block your way, and stumbling blocks that you can kick away."

"Remember, only one person can ascend to the final champion's throne, and all you have to do is one thing: survive, survive as long as possible!"

"Next, we will officially begin the survival gear selection process. Please remember the following rules."

"Rule 1: You can only select equipment that appears on the list, and you can select all equipment repeatedly."

"Rule number two: Each person may carry a maximum of ten pieces of equipment."

"Rule 3: Self-purchase is allowed, and the production team will reimburse the expenses, but the purchases must be subject to safety inspection."

"If there are no objections, please return to your respective rooms and make a decision based on the climate and environment of Reindeer Island and your own advantages."

"Complete the final statistics before 3 PM."

Each of the ten contestants received an equipment list and returned to their rooms to study it on their own.

Ma Jie first glanced at the regular equipment in addition to the ten pieces of gear: a set of professional hunting clothes, a large foraging bag, a raincoat and rain pants, two sets of thermal clothing, and two sets of outdoor gear, including shoes, socks, clothes, hats, pants, gloves, etc. Basically, everything you need is included. Based on each person's height and weight, it is sponsored by top outdoor brands, and the quality and comfort are all top-notch.

Then there are simple toiletries and razors to help the contestants maintain a good on-camera appearance; otherwise, they'd all look like Robinson Crusoe, which wouldn't look good on air.

The remaining equipment is of higher quality, starting with a multi-season temperature-rated sleeping bag.

A temperature scale typically consists of three data points.

Low temperature: This refers to the maximum temperature that the sleeping bag can guarantee. Users will not freeze to death inside, but it is uncertain whether they can sleep. If the temperature is lower than this, it will be dangerous.

Comfort temperature: refers to the ideal temperature that the sleeping bag is matched with, at which the user neither feels cold nor hot and can fall asleep very comfortably.

High temperature: refers to the upper limit of the sleeping bag's temperature. Above this temperature, the user will feel hot and sweat profusely.

When it comes to surviving in the Arctic Circle, the latter two data points don't need to be considered. I glanced at the low temperature scale, which says it can withstand temperatures as low as -15 degrees Celsius.

This size is more than enough. After all, it's not like we're sleeping in the wild. As long as we build the shelter and prepare more firewood, we won't freeze.

Just as important as sleeping bags is a large piece of waterproof tarpaulin. It can be used to quickly build temporary shelters, or serve as the roof or carpet of permanent shelters. Some skilled craftsmen have even used it to build boats, but as it turns out, none of those who built boats had a good ending; they all died before they could go to their deaths.

There's not much else to say: a double-sided whetstone, bear spray, a first-aid kit, a portable water bottle, a waterproof backpack, and a satellite phone for calling for help.

Finally, the event organizers also allowed participants to bring a photo, but this has been proven time and again to be of no use whatsoever except to cause them trouble.

It's called a "spiritual accessory," but it's really just a pure enemy buff. I was already about to give up, and then I took another look at the photos of my wife and kids, and I was pretty much done for.

After reviewing the basic equipment, Ma Jieke began selecting ten pieces of equipment from the list provided by the self-organizing group.

While it's said to be a free choice, there's actually not much room for maneuver.

First of all, the first piece of equipment is definitely a must-have. Whether you're building a shelter, gathering wood, or even using it as a melee weapon, you need to carry one.

As for size and weight, there's no way to standardize these. Everyone's situation is different, so it's best to choose what's comfortable. That's why the rule of "choose your own" is included among the three rules.

For his second piece of equipment, MaJack chose a handsaw. Actually, handsaws don't appear very often. Most players choose an axe and won't choose a saw, since both can be used for logging, so there's no need to take up an extra equipment slot.

But given his current situation—he's a self-proclaimed "Infrastructure Maniac MAX"—he definitely needs to put a lot of effort into building his shelter. A handy handsaw would not only save time and effort but also allow him to do many woodworking tasks that an axe can't, such as making beds.

Making doors, or even crafting furniture, is something we absolutely must do.

The third piece of equipment, and also a must-have, is a large magnesium rod for starting a fire. This is the most reliable fire-starting tool outdoors, and it is not affected by moisture.

Don't expect to be able to start a fire by rubbing sticks together in that kind of environment. Even if you could actually get a fire going, you would have run out of energy and patience long ago.

Wilderness survival is all about controlling resources. If you chase a squirrel for 3 kilometers, the calories from the squirrel meat won't even cover the calories you burned chasing it. That's the most foolish thing you can do.

There was a time when a competitor decided to withdraw from the competition on the spot because he lost his magnesium rod, which shows how important this thing is.

The fourth piece of equipment is also nothing special: a single-handled stainless steel pot with a lid, which can be used to boil water and cook food. As for tableware such as bowls, plates, and spoons, if you want to choose them, you must take up an extra equipment slot, so most players just eat with the pot or make wooden tableware by hand.

For his fifth piece of equipment, Majek chose a bag of square-shaped salt, weighing a full 3 pounds, or about 1.36 kilograms.

Salt is the most important of all flavors and an essential element for the body. Long-term lack of salt intake can lead to sodium deficiency, causing hyponatremia, electrolyte imbalance, muscle cramps, and even affecting heart and nerve function.

Leftover salt can be used to make salted fish, cured meat, and other products.

Of course, many contestants do not consider salt a necessity, believing that they can extract it from the wild, or even drink the blood of their prey to replenish electrolytes, relying mainly on their stubbornness.

To Majack's surprise, salt was included in the emergency food. In addition to 3 pounds of salt, the options were 2 pounds of beef jerky, 2 pounds of dried beans, 2 pounds of military-grade compressed biscuits, 2 pounds of chocolate, 2 pounds of Indian dried meat patties, 2 pounds of high-energy compressed nuts (similar to glutinous rice cakes), 2 pounds of flour, or 3 pounds of rice and 3 pounds of white sugar.

To be honest, among these emergency food items, the only one that looks like a person is table salt. Choosing anything else isn't wilderness survival, it's wilderness vacation.

Who knows if something unexpected will happen? I'll replace all ten pieces of equipment with emergency food, find a cave, lie down inside, activate low-consumption mode, and rely on auto-play to survive until the final round.

The sixth piece of equipment is a fishing tackle bag, which includes a bundle of fishing line, 25 different types of hooks, a hand reel, and a small amount of sinkers and artificial baits.

The data already indicates that there are more than 10 freshwater lakes near Reindeer Island. It would be a pity not to make use of such a good natural resource. Fish is also rich in nutrients such as protein, minerals and fat, making it an indispensable food source.

For his seventh piece of equipment, Ma Jieke chose a bundle of high-strength parachute rope. As a skydiver, he knew how strong this rope was; a single rope could lift a 250-kilogram weight and had an extremely wide range of uses.

It can be used to bind timber, build shelters, disassemble and take out the inner core wire, weave fishing nets, make bowstrings, serve as sewing thread, and has all sorts of unexpected uses. It looks like a rope, but it is actually a material combination kit. Only a fool would not choose it.

The eighth piece of equipment is a multi-functional survival knife forged from high-carbon steel, which is almost a must-have for everyone. Its uses include, but are not limited to, cutting, slicing, skinning, trimming nails, and shaving.

The ninth piece of equipment is, of course, the American hunting bow, which is also the core equipment. It has a draw weight of 60 pounds and comes with 10 feathered arrows. The hunting arrowheads can be customized.

Ma Jieke chose two blunt arrows because blunt arrows are not easy to lose, so there is no need to carry too many.

Six fixed-blade arrowheads provide the widest coverage, capable of killing all prey. However, they are prone to being lost when shooting small prey due to the risk of piercing through the blade.

Two extended blades are designed specifically for predators and large herbivores. Their purpose is not to kill instantly, but to inflict widespread and continuous bleeding damage, preparing for a subsequent close-range kill.

As for the last empty equipment slot, that's where MaJack can truly choose freely.

At first, he wanted to add a goose down sleeping bag, the kind with a maximum temperature rating of -30°C.

After all, the sleeping bags provided by the production team can only withstand temperatures as low as -15 degrees Celsius. They're fine for the early stages, but who knows how much the temperature will drop later on?

But then he thought again that the extra 15-degree temperature difference could be made up for with the shelter. By maximizing its insulation and stockpiling enough firewood in advance, it shouldn't be a big problem.

The key issue is that it's completely useless in the early and mid-game; even if you get it, it just sits in a corner collecting dust, wasting resources.

Looking at the remaining items on the list, Ma Jieke thought it was a joke.

A compass—does anyone actually choose this piece of equipment?

In the nine seasons of the race so far, he has never seen anyone get lost in the wild because they didn't bring a compass. They all rely on memory and landmarks to find their way. The radius of hiking activities is not large to begin with, and you can only develop around the camp. If you can't even figure out the direction, what's the point of competing? You might as well withdraw from the race as soon as possible.

The flashlight is even more useless. Who the hell goes out hunting at night instead of sleeping? If you turn on the flashlight, the prey will be scared away by the light. If you turn off the flashlight, you can't see anything. It's a perfect closed loop of logic.

The medical supply kit is quite practical, containing common medications not found in the basic first aid kit, such as painkillers, antidiarrheals, fever reducers, and anti-infectives.

For wilderness survivors, nature is full of dangers: polluted water, poisonous mushrooms, prey containing parasites—a slight misstep can lead to illness. In the past, when players contracted diseases, they usually chose to tough it out.

Of course, some couldn't withstand the pressure and had to withdraw from the competition; the choice was entirely in the individual's hands.

After a brief moment of thought, Ma Jieke decided to give up on the equipment. Firstly, he had a max-level appraisal skill, so he could tell whether plants or animals were poisonous just by tasting them... or if they weren't, just by looking.

In addition, there is a passive skill as a backup.

[Healthy Physique]: Permanently increases resistance to disease and infection by 15%.

With this double benefit, there is absolutely no need to carry medicine.

A sewing kit can be incredibly useful in a pinch. It can be used to mend clothes, sleeping bags, and waterproof fabrics that have been torn in an accident. If you run out of fishhooks, you can also process them into simple fishhooks by heating, shaping, and quenching them.

However, in Ma Jieke's view, fishing is not his main battlefield, and if he really encounters this situation, a fishhook can also be made into a needle, and paracord can replace sewing thread, so the choices are a bit too overlapping.

Moisture-proof mats can be replaced by natural resources; they have little strategic value, so move on to the next one.

Water purification tablets are not very useful. Just boil the water, and all bacteria, viruses, and parasites will be gone.

A pickaxe has a zero chance of being chosen; this is for a solitary wilderness dweller, not a gold miner.

Carabiner, too lazy to even comment.

Hammock? Don't be ridiculous...

Finally, a gillnet! This equipment is extremely popular. Just find a suitable body of water and set it up, and you don't have to do anything. The fish will automatically get caught in the net. I'd give it a solid rating here.

However, anglers who carry tackle bags rarely choose gillnets anymore; they can only use them as a backup option now.

A slingshot, which comes with 30 small steel balls and a spare elastic band, has never been chosen by anyone.

Tape, pull the chicken down.

The small shovel, in its old-fashioned version, was a multi-functional entrenching tool. One side of the head was an axe blade, and the other side was serrated. When folded, it could also become a hoe. The handle had a built-in ruler for easy measurement, and it also integrated a screwdriver, a flint and steel, and a window breaker.

As far as I remember, it only lasted for two seasons before being permanently deleted because it was too overpowered.

Ice spikes, used as walking aids when ice forms in winter, are embedded in the soles of skates. However, they are rarely used and can be replaced by homemade wooden skates.

There are still some odds and ends left, either overlapping with the functions already selected or just there to fill the quota. There are three types of light pots, which are purely polluting the gacha pool.

Finally, Ma Jie looked at the remaining emergency food list, and there was one item on it that he thought it wouldn't hurt to take.

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