Wandering America: My kill threshold is far ahead

Chapter 251 Building a Stone Shelter

As you continue upstream along the stream, the terrain becomes steeper.

The midday sun shines through the great forest, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Climbing to a naturally formed viewing platform, Ma Jieke pointed his camera at the freshwater lake below. The lake, illuminated by the sun, looked like a shattered mirror.

"The scenery is beautiful, everyone. This place has abundant water and lush vegetation, including the most typical fir and birch trees..."

He paused here, because in the southern part of his field of vision, there was a large expanse of bright orange-red.

Below this orange-red area is a small, extremely rare clearing in the woods. It seems to have been disturbed by some factor, as it is completely bare and faces the lake.

"Wait, that looks like a maple forest!"

"Family members, follow in my footsteps to find out the truth."

Unexpectedly discovered from a tactical perspective, he rushed toward the target location without stopping.

Just as I had predicted, the orange-red color seen from afar was indeed a sea of ​​maple leaves.

Canada has many maple trees, and every autumn, their leaves turn red, creating a breathtakingly beautiful landscape. It is also known as the land of maple leaves, and even its national flag features a maple leaf.

With his camera in hand, Ma Jie greedily recorded footage in this sea of ​​red leaves. The falling red leaves created a dreamlike scene, as if he were in a fairy tale world. When the program airs, it will surely become a major highlight.

"Look at this family." He patted a thick tree trunk with his hand, his words filled with joy: "This is a mature sugar maple tree. Its wood is hard, durable, and wear-resistant, making it a top-quality material for flooring and furniture. Of course, its most valuable part is its sap. The maple syrup you often eat is made from maple tree sap. If I can find a way to collect some sap, I might be able to make syrup."

After making some grand promises to the camera, Ma Jie didn't linger there. He walked through the maple forest and arrived at the barren open space.

"Hiss!" He couldn't help but gasp at the sight before him, because above this open space was a steep stone wall, about 2 meters high.

On the platform in front of the stone wall, various sizes of pebbles are scattered, looking out of place with the surrounding lush forest.

Ma Jieke squatted down and picked up a small clump of soil. He found that the soil layer here was very shallow. He broke off a small twig and dug deeper. Soon he dug down to the hard bedrock.

Standing up, I looked around. All around me were woodlands, with an inexhaustible supply of timber and stone. There was a stream not far away, and a lake directly below.

Moreover, it is located in the forest highlands, facing south, with plenty of sunlight, and the cold winds blowing down from the mountains are blocked by the trees. It is almost like a perfect terrain forcibly edited with a cheat engine.

"Haha, we've won the lottery, everyone!"

He looked excitedly at the camera, pouring out all his knowledge to explain: "These places are in the forest, usually called forest windows. There are many reasons for their formation: poor original soil, unavoidable storms and lightning strikes, fires, mudslides, natural disasters, man-made calamities, historical relics—but none of that matters anymore. In the name of survivors, I declare this territory mine, and I will build a permanent shelter here!"

After announcing the decision, Ma Jie returned to the temporary camp to find tools. Chu fumbled around for a while, and only the lumberjack axe seemed somewhat useful.

Find a relatively flat spot and clear away the scattered dead branches and loose soil.

Next step, dig the foundation!

Since it's a permanent shelter, let's not cut corners and just do it once and for all.

He set up the fixed position, took four steps forward from the rock face, then a quarter step back, and stuck a tree branch in the ground as a marker.

It moved 5 steps laterally and left another mark.

Although this method of measuring by footsteps is not as precise as using a ruler, it is sufficient for this small project, and a slight error is not a big deal.

Ma Jieke is quite tall, so his legs are naturally long; his stride is about 80 centimeters.

那4步就是3.2米，经过微调将其固定为3米，而5步正好是4米。

Anyone who has studied advanced mathematics knows that length times width equals area; 3 meters x 4 meters equals 12 square meters.

It's important to know that shelters are also graded, and experienced users generally have three tiers to choose from.

First, there's the basic survival type, with a building area of ​​9 square meters.

This is the most economical, time-saving, and labor-saving size, large enough to accommodate a single bed, a small storage area, and a small hearth.

The advantages are fast construction speed and relatively low requirements for materials and foundation.

As for the drawbacks, the living area is too small, the storage space is limited, and long-term residence may lead to mental depression.

Secondly, there is the comfortable long-term type, with a building area of ​​12 square meters.

Don't underestimate those extra 3 square meters; they allow you to easily set up a sleeping area, a work area, as well as a kitchen and storage space, greatly improving practicality and psychological comfort.

The downside is, of course, the large amount of work involved, which will consume more time and energy.

As for the 16-square-meter deluxe version, that's absolutely amazing. In addition to all the features mentioned above, it can also accommodate furniture such as tables and chairs, allowing for complete freedom of movement.

However, the construction difficulty will increase significantly, mainly because it will be difficult to seal the roof and the insulation will also be worse.

Ma Jie initially envisioned a basic survival lifestyle, but now that there's stone everywhere, there's no need to live in a cramped place; he can live however he feels comfortable.

As for the luxury type, it's not that it can't be built, but it's unnecessary. Building a stone shelter is more laborious than a wooden shelter. If a lot of time is spent on infrastructure construction, and when it's time to move in, there's only an empty shell without sufficient winter supplies, it's like living in a crystal coffin. No matter how luxurious it is, it's still a dead end.

Therefore, after careful consideration, a comfortable 12-square-meter apartment is just right.

Next, Majek drew a baseline between the marked points and then painstakingly dug the soil with an axe.

Actually, among the ten equipment options, there is a small shovel specifically for digging, but that thing is used in too few scenarios and with too little frequency, so it's really not worth taking up an equipment slot.

In his plan, the shelter would be built directly against the rock face, using the rock face as a wall, which would increase stability and reduce the workload by more than 25%.

After an unknown amount of time, three straight foundation trenches were finally dug, 30 centimeters deep and a full 1 meter wide.

rice!

This doesn't mean building three one-meter-thick stone walls, but rather that constructing a stone shelter requires a core technology called "collecting points."

Simply put, it means making the wall gradually thinner from bottom to top, forming a stable trapezoidal cross-section, rather than the stereotypical vertical brick wall and reinforced concrete.

Because the stones used for building the wall are almost all irregular in shape, they rely entirely on the friction and gravity of the stones to interlock with each other.

Under the same conditions, imagine a pyramid and a cuboid, which is less likely to be knocked down?

It is clearly a pyramid. The structure, which is wider at the bottom and narrower at the top, greatly lowers the building's center of gravity, giving it a stronger ability to withstand overturning when faced with external forces. The walls are firmly "embedded" in the ground like wedges.

After completing the first step, Ma Jie didn't feel tired; this was due to the recharging effect caused by the absorption of energy.

It seems that Donya is also working hard today, otherwise she wouldn't have expended so much energy to keep him going.

However, once I regained my strength, my stomach started growling again, but the only food available right now was a few blueberries.

There was nothing I could do but eat a few bites and continue working on the project.

He scanned the oddly shaped stones on the ground, his brain working at lightning speed like a computer.

This is what makes "Infrastructure Maniac MAX" so amazing. To ordinary people, those are just random stones, but in his eyes, the stones become three-dimensional puzzle pieces.

As long as these puzzle pieces are placed in the correct positions, all the joints will fit together perfectly.

Soon, he selected four large stones of similar shape from the many stones, each weighing at least 100 kilograms.

These are the cornerstones he carefully selected, responsible for placing them at the four corners of the wall. The corners are the baseline for the entire wall and must be ensured to be on the same parallel line.

Next, Ma Jieke made a last-minute decision—to start broadcasting.

Each person only has two hours a day, so they can broadcast for as long as they can to gain more followers first. Plus, they have viewers to talk to, so it's a win-win situation.

As soon as the signal was connected, the live stream started to shake and people jumped around, it seems that yesterday's debut had an effect and attracted a lot of casual fans.

"Hello everyone, welcome to this live stream." Ma Jieke smiled warmly at the camera and introduced himself as usual: "This is Ma Jieke, the only Chinese player here. Without further ado, let me show you my latest progress."

He then flipped the camera around and performed a 360-degree rotating shot, announcing, "I discovered this place by chance, and I have decided to build a permanent shelter here. Now, follow my camera as I lay the first cornerstone for our new home, with you all as witnesses."

After fixing the shooting angle, Ma Jieke took off his jacket and walked to the first big rock, warming up by moving his wrists.

Upon seeing this, the viewers in the live stream instantly went wild.

"No, bro, I thought you were just joking, but you're serious?"

"@Roland, this guy is imitating you!"

"Buddy, can you solve the food problem first before thinking about building a house? I'm worried about you."

"Trust me, streamer, your body type isn't suited for the starvation trend."

Despite the chaotic barrage of comments, Ma Jie remained unaffected, gripping the heavy boulder with both hands and exerting force with his shoulders and arms.

He first tried to move it, but found it more difficult than he had expected, so he decided to try a more scientific method.

First, with great difficulty, lift the stone off the ground, using your leg muscles for support and to share the weight, then roll it further down to your abdomen.

"Ha!" With a short, powerful shout, the boulder was lifted onto his shoulder.

For ordinary people, this is an almost impossible task.

But Majesty's physique was already very strong, and with the added bonuses from skills like Mixed Martial Arts and Little Strongman, his power generation techniques, load-bearing capacity, and explosive power were further enhanced.

While this seemingly dangerous action of rolling a stone onto one's shoulder may appear risky, it is actually the best solution.

The most dangerous way to carry someone is actually to walk while holding them in front of your chest.

Stones can obstruct vision, compress the chest cavity, affect breathing, and put enormous pressure on the lumbar spine and core muscles. If you lose your balance and fall, you'll be shooting yourself in the foot.

The scene of Ma Jie carrying a huge rock towards the audience in the video immediately sparked a wave of online discussion.

"??????"

"Oh my God! What kind of Hercules has been reincarnated?!"

"Could it be a prop for a performance? Even the great Roland can only lift a 200-pound log."

"There are so many weirdos this season. I just came from that Russian girl's live stream, and she was also moving rocks."

"Go Jack, Mom loves you!"

Boom! The boulder fell with a thud, hitting the foundation trench precisely, as if triggering a small earthquake, even causing the camera to shake twice.

"A generous crab gift! I actually feel a sense of pressure, like the BOSS suddenly appeared in my face."

"Oh my god, I was so scared I cried."

"Can it still be moved? Or is it just a performance?"

Ma Jieke stopped looking at the screen and went back the way he came to pick up the second cornerstone.

The third piece, the fourth piece...

Once the four corners were filled, he used a knife to cut out two wooden sticks, wedged them into the ground, tied them with paracord, and stretched them taut to measure the level.

This is nothing compared to a modern level, but under such rudimentary conditions, this is all that can be done.

After the measurements were taken, the angles were carefully adjusted by filling the walls with soil and gravel to keep the four corners as parallel as possible.

"Family, the foundation for the new house is finished." Facing the camera, Ma Jie wiped the fine sweat from his forehead, munching on the remaining blueberries while interacting with the audience: "Many people are concerned about the source of my food, so let me explain here. I made a lot of traps this morning, and I'll check them before dark. If Lady Luck takes pity on me and sends me a wild rabbit or a wild duck, that'll be enough for me to eat for two days."

"It's okay if I don't have any. I can catch fish to eat. If I can't even catch fish, then I'll just consider it a way to lose weight. If I can't even overcome this little difficulty, then the threshold for 'Living Alone in the Wilderness' is far too low, don't you think?"

"That makes sense. I support you, host. Your plan is very reasonable. Don't listen to those laymen's nonsense. The work of building shelters should have been done in the early stages."

"Hey streamer, do you know that Russian girl? She keeps mentioning you during her streams, like she cares about you a lot."

Faced with this question, Ma Jieke smiled calmly and said, "I do know Donya, and we are good friends in private. But please tell her for me that I will not consider any personal feelings in this competition. Also, that Roland, stop spamming my live stream. He is him, and I am me. I will not imitate anyone and will only develop according to my own ideas."

"Well said. So what if you're a legend? Just because you won one championship doesn't mean you have to brag about it forever!"

"Host, could you tell us about your upcoming plans?"

"No plans yet, let's just get the house built first!"

As Ma Jieke spoke, he got up and walked towards the pile of scattered stones, intending to build the first stone wall before dark!