Wandering America: My kill threshold is far ahead

Chapter 250 Trap Hunting and Berry Freedom

Wipe! Wipe! Wipe!

As night fell, Ma Jieke quickly scraped the magnesium rod with the back of his knife. When the large amount of fine metal shavings came into contact with oxygen, they burst into extremely bright sparks.

Don't underestimate this tiny spark; the temperature it generates instantly can reach over 2000 degrees Celsius. When it lands on dry leaves with a very low ignition point, it immediately produces white smoke.

He gently blew on the accelerant, and a small cluster of flames rose into the air. The branches left over from building the shelter during the day had become the best material for starting a fire.

The fire grew stronger and stronger, dispelling the darkness and bringing not only warmth but also a sense of security.

He smiled at the camera: "In this primeval forest, no matter how ferocious the animal, it won't back down when it sees fire. Fire is the best weapon and shield. The first step for mankind to move to the top of the food chain was to learn how to use fire. Now follow my camera and see what I'm going to eat for dinner."

He ignored the camera position at the campsite, fixed another device to his chest, and went to the stream to process the fresh fish, scaling, gills, and gutting them in one go.

This fish isn't very big, only a little over 3 pounds. However, cold-water fish are generally smaller because food and living space are limited; this is a result of natural selection.

After processing the Arctic fennel, Ma Jieke rinsed the fish scraps several times, then wrapped them in leaves and showed them to the camera, saying, "I'm in the pioneering stage now, and any resource is very precious to me. Don't throw these fish scraps away casually, as they can easily attract wild animals. Wrap them up to seal in the smell, and they can be used as trap bait."

Then, he filled a stainless steel pot halfway with water and placed it on a makeshift stove made of two stones.

While waiting for the water to boil, he used a survival knife to cut tree branches and said, "Boiling water is the simplest and most effective way to purify water. It can kill most bacteria and viruses. For wilderness survivors, never drink raw water unless absolutely necessary."

Soon, the pot began to bubble, but Ma Jieke did not throw the fish in to make soup. Instead, he placed the spruce branches, with their outer skin peeled off, into the pot one by one.

The longest branch was placed at the furthest point between the two points of the stainless steel pot, and the rest were laid out in order of different lengths, quickly setting up a steamer rack for steaming buns.

After placing the fish on the steamer rack and covering the pot with the lid, Ma Jie added more firewood and explained, "Arctic fennel lives in cold, pure waters and is known for its tender flesh and delicate flavor. It has a unique fennel aroma and is far more delicious than most fish. The best way to eat it is as sashimi, but given the current conditions, I can only settle for the second best and cook it by steaming."

Since I didn't know the exact time, I could only estimate it in my mind, about ten minutes. I took the pot off the fire and let it steam for another minute using the residual heat.

The moment the lid was lifted, the aroma of fish wafted out, and the white Arctic fennel, illuminated by the firelight, made one's mouth water.

Because this ingredient is so precious, I didn't even add salt. I just used my ruthless iron hand to tear off a piece of tender garlic clove meat from the fish's belly.

The texture upon entering the mouth is like a piece of warm, tender tofu. No chewing is required; the fish fibers melt away with a gentle touch of the tongue and palate, filling the mouth with the aroma of fennel and sweetness.

Ma Jie didn't say a word, just kept putting the food into his mouth, completely immersed in the ultimate taste experience. There were no messy seasonings, only the original freshness of the ingredients.

Before he knew it, he had devoured the entire fish, leaving only the skeleton. He licked his lips with lingering satisfaction, sipped some of the steaming liquid from the pot, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and exclaimed to the camera with a look of pure bliss: "Family, if I were a Michelin judge, I would give this steamed Arctic fennel 10 stars. Only in the wilderness, far from the hustle and bustle of city life, can one savor such a top-notch delicacy."

That's all for today. See you tomorrow.

After finishing the recording, Ma Jie breathed a sigh of relief. As he warmed himself by the fire, a sense of loneliness quietly enveloped him.

Normally, I'd either be at home playing console games with Jimmy and Pudding, or partying in a bar surrounded by beautiful, fair-skinned girls.

But now, there's not even anyone to talk to, not even a pet.

He looked up and saw the vast starry sky, something that could never be seen in a heavily polluted city.

One, two, three, four...

Ma Jieke did what he loved to do most as a child: counting stars tirelessly, and starting over if he made a mistake.

Soon, drowsiness washed over him like a tide, so he quickly took off his coat and pants and crawled into his warm sleeping bag.

The fire outside the shelter was still burning; the crackling sound of the wood burning fully was the most soothing white noise to accompany me to sleep.

The next day, Ma Jieke woke up from his sweet dream and stretched happily.

I first checked the camera's battery and found it was almost empty. I took out a spare battery from the equipment box, replaced it, and started recording footage for the new day.

Good morning, everyone. This is Ma Jie. I slept well last night and feel full of energy.

"Today's primary task is to create some permanent traps and, incidentally, conduct a small-scale exploration of the area around the camp."

As I stepped out of the shelter, dressed neatly, I was surprised to find a thin layer of white mist rising in the forest. The dew on the vegetation made the air moist and humid, while also containing a large number of negative oxygen ions. Taking a breath of it instantly cleared my mind.

The first thing to do is to rekindle the extinguished fire and use the only cooking utensil, a stainless steel pot, to boil water.

After washing my face and brushing my teeth by the stream, I poured boiling water into a portable thermos.

I'll skip breakfast since there's nothing else to eat anyway. It's no big deal to go hungry for a meal, but I must bring enough drinking water.

Next, Ma Jie used what was available to collect some evenly sized, resilient branches and long, soft vines.

He first took out four branches, stacked them into a "米" (rice) shaped base, and wrapped the vines around the intersections, pulling them tight with each loop to secure the branches together.

Since the branches that make up the base have gaps at the top and bottom, the remaining branches are then inserted one by one, like radiating sunlight, into each gap of the "米" (rice) shaped frame.

Now, what you see is a two-dimensional unfolded wooden basket. By carefully bending the branches upwards at a 90-degree angle, you can get a three-dimensional wooden basket.

When encountering branches that are not easily bent, Ma Jieke gently taps them with a stone to keep them bent but not broken.

The next steps are quite tedious. Using a weaving method similar to knitting a sweater, the upright branches are gathered together with vines to further form a basket.

Finally, trim off any excess branches and finish the edges with vines. A properly sized wooden basket is now complete.

After showing the results to the camera, Ma Jieke teased, "Those of you who think this is a container, don't leave after class."

Then he found two branches, one a Y-shaped branch with forks, and the other a long branch.

First, stick the Y-shaped branch into the ground, then use a long branch as a support to prop up the wooden basket. At this point, the wooden basket is tilted, with enough space underneath to ensure that the prey can crawl inside.

Does this look familiar? Kids who grew up in the countryside should have done this before.

However, Ma Jieke made an upgrade, placing the other end of the stick, which should have been supported on the ground, on the fork of the Y-shaped tree branch.

This landing point must be a delicate "critical point"—it must be able to withstand the weight of the wooden basket, yet be in a highly unstable state, so that it will fall off at the slightest touch.

Next, tie a thin paracord to the landing point of the stick, attach bait to the other end of the cord, and pull it to the center point inside the trap, keeping it straight and taut.

At this point, a complete wooden basket trap was finished. Ma Jie put his hand in and gently tugged the rope with his little finger.

The stick immediately lost its balance, and the wooden basket crashed down with a thud. The angle was precise, and the weight was heavy enough to prevent the prey from escaping.

After the experiment was successful, Ma Jie searched along the lake shore with the trap and quickly found a very conspicuous duck path. "Look, these trampled plants are the places that wild ducks must pass through. Animals are used to taking fixed routes and frequently travel back and forth between the water and land to forage and drink."

"If I set the trap here, I might be able to enjoy a delicious roast duck."

"Here's the key point: to increase your success rate, you must first learn to disguise yourself. Once they smell the scent left by humans, that area will be marked as a danger zone and they will never visit it again."

As Ma Jieke spoke, he reached his hands into the soil, rubbed them together, and then rubbed the trap components on the ground vigorously to completely cover the remaining smell with the earthy smell.

Then, I carefully set the trap on the duck trail, collected some tender stems of plants that wild ducks like to eat, and placed some at the entrance of the trap and directly in front of it as a path guide, in addition to the bait tied to the trigger line.

Since he didn't know how high the capture rate of this method was, Ma Jie wasn't in a hurry to make a second trap.

Instead, he took the wire fishing line and branches from his tackle bag and made several snare traps, which he then set up in the nearby woods.

The principle is simple: a metal wire is used to make a slipknot. When a small animal crawls through, its body pulls the lasso, causing the slipknot to tighten and trap it.

The biggest advantage of this type of trap is its simple structure and ease of quick production.

The downside is also obvious: you have to set up a lot of traps to have a chance of catching prey, which is very much dependent on luck and character.

In addition, Ma Jieke also made an enhanced version of the hanging trap, tying one end of the rope to a small tree branch. When an animal triggers the mechanism, the branch will spring up and lift the prey off the ground, mainly used to catch wild rabbits.

The biggest advantage of this design is that it prevents prey from being stolen by other carnivores.

Finally, using a few relatively flat slabs of stone and branches, several pressure traps were made. These traps are most easily triggered by small rodents, and once they fall, they can make "rat clippings" on the spot.

There was a bizarre contestant who survived by eating "rat chips" and was nicknamed the Rat King.

Even if Ma Jieke actually caught one, he might not dare to try it. For Chinese people, eating rats is a hellish challenge, even so-called field rats would be difficult.

He would never try it unless he was on the verge of starvation.

By the time these traps were set up, it was almost noon.

Although the Arctic fennel I ate last night was delicious, it couldn't keep me from getting hungry. A big guy weighing over 100 pounds, that little bit of energy was long gone.

Logically, the most important thing right now is to solve the problem of a stable food source, but after careful analysis, Ma Jieke felt that finding food might be a trap.

The reason is simple: in the first few days of living alone in the wilderness, everyone's physical fitness is at its peak, which is also the best time for heavy physical labor.

Once this window of opportunity passes, as you lose weight, your physical functions will gradually weaken, and you won't be able to do anything you want to do.

So Ma Jieke decided to take a risky step and build a permanent shelter to completely settle down where he could live.

There are two reasons.

First, he could conjure up food out of thin air and use the "drawing a picture of a cake to satisfy hunger" tactic to survive for a day.

Second, while building a permanent shelter, wait for the skill cooldown. Once the [Resource Exploration] skill is ready again, then explore new resource points.

Focusing entirely on one task at a time naturally leads to much faster progress than operating on two fronts simultaneously.

If the trap yields some results during this period, that would be the perfect scenario, maximizing efficiency to the extreme.

In his plan, if he wanted to win the championship, the stone shelter was the preferred building type, without exception.

No building can surpass a stone house in terms of sturdiness, insulation, and safety.

Of course, it also involves the largest amount of work, mainly because it requires collecting stone materials, unlike cutting down trees which is necessary for building a log cabin.

The first step is site selection, which is very important. First, it must be close to a water source, and second, there should be stone nearby. Ideally, even clay should be available.

In search of this ideal spot, Majac went upstream along the creek, but instead of finding the place, he collected a lot of berries, mainly wild blueberries and cranberries.

If I remember correctly, blueberries are considered a luxury fruit; even a small 120g box in the supermarket costs over ten yuan.

As for cranberries, I've only ever eaten dried fruit and cranberry-flavored cookies in my life, but this is the first time I've seen fresh ones.

It's berry season, and Ma Jie picked a blueberry and eagerly popped it into his mouth.

Once you bite into the thin peel, the juice bursts out, filling your mouth with a sweet and sour, rich flavor that leaves you wanting more.

As for cranberries, when you bite into them, you first hear a crisp sound, followed by a strong, tart flavor.

"Pah, pah..."

Ma Jieke instinctively vomited, and the pain mask was slapped directly onto his face.

Goodness, this is so sour! It's almost like drinking a mouthful of vinegar, with barely any sweetness.

He finally understood why he couldn't find fresh cranberries anymore; their texture meant they couldn't be eaten raw and could only be processed into dried fruit, jam, or other similar products.

"Family, it looks like today's lunch will be these delicious blueberries. Today, I'll help you achieve blueberry freedom!"

In the video, someone is seen eating and picking as they go, putting the extra food into a foraging bag as a portable snack, aiming to eat as much as possible and take as much as possible.