Culinary God in Wilderness

A single potato, with no oil or seasoning. He couldn’t even stir-fry it.

Besides, he didn’t think plain stir-fried potatoes would bring him much joy anyway. It would have to be something on the level of french fries, potato chips, or mashed potatoes with meat sauce to do that.

If cooking it directly was out of the question, his only other option was to extract the starch to make something like pancakes. It would have to do, but the texture would be a bit strange.

After racking his brain for a while without any good ideas, he decided to head out and gather the dandelions he had seen yesterday.

The thought of dandelions inevitably brought to mind the disdainful gaze of that brown bear.

His fingers clenched into a fist as a defiant flame suddenly ignited in his heart.

’So what if it’s a brown bear? Damn it, one day I’ll be the one to pierce your throat with my own hands!’

After calming down, he immediately began setting his goals.

’First, I need to secure a source of protein for the next few days. Rabbits, rats—I’ll eat whatever I can find. That way, I can maintain my muscle mass and my strength won’t decline.’

’I also need to check the traps Andre set. More importantly, I need targets to practice on to improve my archery.’

He’d only managed to hit the grouse last time because the bird was an idiot, thinking it wouldn’t be found hiding in a berry bush. It was a complete stationary target.

What he needed to practice was his accuracy on moving targets. Once the first arrow hit, whether it was a wolf, a bear, or a deer, it would definitely turn tail and run.

If he couldn’t quickly follow up with a second or third arrow, he would likely face a long pursuit, and might even risk losing an arrow only to return empty-handed.

Furthermore, the smell of blood would attract other predators, greatly increasing the danger...

’Oh, right. I also need to build a space for smoking meat. The nights are cold enough to serve as a natural refrigerator, but the daytime temperature can still get into the teens.’

’The ice and snow out here aren’t clean either, so it’s better to smoke the meat just to be safe.’

After spending a few minutes clearly laying out his goals for the near future, he quickly got dressed, grabbed his Multi-Functional Engineer Shovel and hunting bow, and set off toward the dandelion field.

The forest was full of boletes and many other miscellaneous types of mushrooms. He even found a large amount of wood ear fungus on some rotting logs.

It was true that these wild mushrooms were edible, but Lin Chen wasn’t sure what health problems might arise from eating them every single day.

He decided to pick them and take them back for now, planning to dry them in the sun and store them away.

"SKREEE~"

A piercing cry echoed from overhead.

Lin Chen looked up and immediately spotted a black-and-white figure circling in the sky.

Its broad, brownish-black wings were so clear he could see the individual feathers. Its yellow talons hung down like hooks, and its snow-white tail and head gleamed in the sunlight.

The moment he saw it, Lin Chen recognized the bird.

’A Bald Eagle. Ha, if it isn’t a good ol’ American. What’s he doing vacationing in Alaska?’

The creature’s features were unmistakable, especially its white head and sharp, yellow beak. It had been a symbol of the United States for centuries.

He shook his head, having no intention of provoking the creature.

Never mind the fact that with his current skill, he had no chance of hitting it while it was in the air. Its status as the national bird of the United States was basically a get-out-of-death-free card.

Lin Chen continued walking for a while, but the "American" overhead was still circling relentlessly.

Its strange behavior immediately caught his attention.

’What does it mean when an eagle circles, again...?’

He didn’t really know much about the subject. He racked his brain for a moment and seemed to recall seeing something in documentaries and TV shows about herders on the plains who used trained eagles for hunting.

’So, does a circling eagle mean it’s spotted prey?’

At this possibility, Lin Chen’s eyes lit up. His interest piqued, he stared at the Bald Eagle for a long time and realized the center of its circling pattern was somewhere to his west.

As he headed into the forest to the west, Lin Chen would stop from time to time to check the "American’s" position and correct his own course.

Just as he looked up for the third time.

Suddenly.

The Bald Eagle dove down at an incredible speed, vanishing into the dense foliage in the blink of an eye.

’It’s just up ahead!’

Lin Chen broke into a run, eager to see what prey the bird had been targeting that was worth circling for so long.

From a branch three or four meters up a tree not far ahead, there was a frantic flapping of wings. The Bald Eagle shot out awkwardly, stumbled in mid-air, and crashed directly onto the grass.

It struggled to its feet, violently shook its white head a few times, and tucked its broad wings against its sides. With its head hung low, it ran off in an incredibly comical posture, like some kind of street hoodlum.

"Pfft..."

Seeing the way it ran, Lin Chen couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

No wonder people call them such goofballs. That running posture confirmed it; the bird was a total moron.

"Huh?"

’Wait a minute. If it didn’t catch its prey, does that mean the prey is still in the tree?’

Lin Chen looked up, staring at the spot the Bald Eagle had just fallen from. He observed it for several minutes, moving back and forth to view it from different angles.

"There!"

When he moved to a certain spot, he suddenly noticed an unknown creature, about the size of a house cat, lying in a place obscured by branches and the tree trunk.

A long, thick, hairless tail dangled down, completely motionless, as if the creature were dead.

’A rat?’

’Holy crap, a rat that big??’

Seeing the tail, he immediately confirmed the creature’s identity, but he couldn’t tell what specific species it was with his current knowledge.

But the thought that even the rats in Alaska could grow to the size of a cat left him thoroughly speechless. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

’The world’s largest brown bears, largest wolves, largest moose, largest ducks... and now quite possibly the world’s largest rat. Is this place the land of giants or something?’

Since that idiot eagle came up empty-handed, he would gladly claim its prize for himself!

He swiftly drew a feathered arrow, nocked it on the string, and drew the bow. He aimed, backing away step by step.

In his line of sight, the form of the giant rat slowly came into view.

He couldn’t tell if it was injured or already dead, but it was lying there, completely still.

Having not handled his bow for several days, Lin Chen was a little unsure of his aim.

Plus, more than half of the large rat’s body was blocked by branches. If the arrow hit a sturdy branch or just missed entirely, finding it again would be difficult.

At that thought, he immediately lowered his bow and trotted a few steps to get under the tree.

His idea was a good one. From almost directly beneath the branch, he could indeed see half of the big rat’s plump backside exposed.

He drew the bow, bending it like a full moon.

"WHOOSH—"