Culinary God in Wilderness

Right where he had missed his step, a deep, round pit almost the size of his foot was hidden by withered yellow leaves.

After brushing aside the nearby layer of leaves, he could clearly see a line of tracks heading off toward the Yukon River.

’Footprints this big... could it be a moose?’

"First, I can rule out Tundra Wolves or Yukon Wolves. A wolf’s paw print isn’t much different from a dog’s; it should be shaped like a cloverleaf, with sharp claw marks."

"A round track like this, and so deep," he crouched to examine it carefully. "It’s deep on two sides and shallow in the middle. From far away it looks round, but up close it actually looks like two overlapping, football-shaped petals."

Perhaps the color of the soil made the shape of the track less distinct.

"One thing’s for sure—this track was definitely made by a hoof, not a paw."

"A large herbivore! A moose or a Musk Ox. In Alaska, those have to be the only two possibilities, right?"

Lin Chen tried jumping forcefully on the spot. The print he left wasn’t even a third as deep as the tracks.

’Ignoring the shape of the print for a moment, this animal has to weigh at least two hundred kilograms.’

Invigorated by the discovery, Lin Chen drew a fletched arrow, nocked it, and followed the tracks.

Several straight days of rain had caused the Yukon River to swell, completely submerging the banks where a person could once stand.

Through the murky water, he could vaguely make out the sparse red forms of the fish below.

He deliberately filmed the river’s surface for a bit longer.

"Compared to my first day here, the number of Red Salmon has clearly dropped by more than half. The schools of dead fish that were previously beached or floating on the surface have also been washed away by the surging river."

"The salmon at this stage are almost inedible. All their body’s nutrients have been devoted to their eggs, and some of the fish have even started to rot."

Migrating salmon die quickly after spawning. Right now, they were in their last few days of life.

A fresh fish versus one on the brink of death—even at a fish market, the prices would be worlds apart. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

"Forget it. I’ll spare these poor fish, and spare myself the trouble."

He was a chef, after all. His standards for ingredients and flavor were higher than the average person’s.

He could certainly force himself to eat it to survive, but as long as he had other options, he wouldn’t stoop to using inferior ingredients.

However, after following the tracks for a while longer, he found they led straight into the river and disappeared beneath the surface.

Lin Chen stood there dumbfounded. Then, as if a thought struck him, his head snapped up.

"The other side!"

"The moose swam across!"

No wonder he hadn’t found any similar tracks after more than two weeks here. The moose’s habitat was on the other side of the river.

Given the Yukon River’s current volume and speed, swimming across was clearly out of the question.

’Looks like I’ll have to get up earlier from now on, or just wait a few days for the Yukon River’s water level to drop back to normal before I can explore the other bank.’

This discovery gave him something to look forward to, and his spirits lifted considerably. He was no longer as dejected as he had been the past few days, cooped up in his shelter twisting grass rope.

Just as he was about to head back, his eyes swept over the rushing river, and an idea struck him.

’Right, since the current washes the dead salmon away, what if I head downstream? Maybe I’ll find a pile of carcasses where the river bends?’

Dead fish held no appeal for him, but for starving carnivores, they were a genuine all-you-can-eat buffet.

He walked along the river, following its current. His hand never left his bowstring, his hawk-like gaze sharply scanning the surroundings. He paid special attention to areas like dense thickets.

He lost track of how long he’d been walking. Just as his eyes began to feel strained and he sat on a large boulder to rest, his attention was suddenly drawn to the forest across the river.

Amidst the dense thicket of weeds, an unusual black shape seemed to be squirming.

’What is that?’

Thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him, he rubbed them and stared intently at the opposite bank again.

In the three or four seconds that had passed, the black shape was gone!

"Holy shit?!"

Lin Chen’s jaw dropped. He pointed in that direction in disbelief. "Did anyone see that? There was definitely something black there just now, right? I’m not just seeing things, am I?"

Just as he was reeling in shock, a black shadow shot out from the bushes to the right of where he was pointing, racing toward the riverbank at incredible speed.

Almost on instinct, Lin Chen immediately dropped into a crouch, darting behind the massive boulder before slowly inching his way into the nearby tall grass.

When he looked across the river again, he saw that the black shape had already reached the middle of the Yukon River and was swimming toward his side of the bank at a relatively slow pace.

’What is that?’

From about a hundred meters away, with his view obstructed by grass and the river’s surface, Lin Chen couldn’t identify what the black shape was.

’Its body looks about the size of a young golden retriever. It can swim and it’s alone, so I can rule out it being a wolf. But its head is kind of pointy, a bit like a weasel’s...’

He had never seen such a strange creature, but that didn’t stop him from putting his hand back on his bowstring.

While the creature hadn’t spotted him, Lin Chen crept through the bushes, moving step by step toward the spot where the mysterious animal was heading.

As the black shape drew closer, it seemed to be tiring. It paused in the middle of the river to rest, occasionally twisting its head to look back at the other bank.

After ten or so seconds, the dark shape began swimming toward the bank again.

As it got closer and closer, it finally climbed onto the bank and began to vigorously shake the water from its fur. Only then did Lin Chen finally get a clear look at the mysterious creature.

Its limbs were as stout as a Black Bear’s, with sharp claws tucked between its toes. Its body was covered in thick fur interspersed with white markings.

If not for its pointed head, it really would have looked like a small Black Bear.

’This is...’

Lin Chen narrowed his eyes, racking his brain, until a strange name suddenly surfaced.

A North American Wolverine!

’That’s it! That’s what it is!’

"I’ve seen one on a show before, but I never expected to see one in person. It looks a lot different than it did in the video."

Even from twenty or thirty meters away, the creature’s size was impressive. He roughly estimated it was at least a meter long.

But after identifying the animal, Lin Chen could only give a wry smile and relax his grip on the bowstring.

The North American Wolverine is a protected species. Before the show officially began, the production team had given every contestant a list of animals they were forbidden to hunt, and this creature’s name was right near the top.

If he had shot that arrow and hit it, his time on the show would be over. He’d be on a private plane straight to a "chat" with Hei.