Chapter 83: Chapter 83: Unexpected Situation

Analyzing everything he knew about the Yukon Wolf Pack, he came to two conclusions.

There was no definitive explanation for the call and response he’d just heard, but there were two most likely scenarios.

First, the pack had finally succeeded in a difficult hunt, and the prey was large enough to feed all of them.

Second, a great battle had occurred between two packs. The victorious alpha male was now displaying its status and power, with the other wolves showing their submission.

’Should I wait, or not?’

In either case, the pack would be exhausted right now, their fighting strength greatly diminished.

But getting down on the ground to approach the pack in the dark would be suicide.

’Screw it, I’ll wait!’

He wasn’t about to gamble with his life. He decided to wait one more hour, and if there was still no sign of them, he’d head back.

...

"Good heavens, this young man from Great Xia is so bold! To actually ambush a Yukon Wolf Pack in the wild!"

"Yukon Wolves are one of the largest species of wild wolf in the world. As a pack, they can even take down a Musk Ox weighing almost a ton. Individually, they’re only slightly weaker than a Black Bear. Where does he get the nerve?"

"Wolves are incredibly vengeful. I don’t think anyone in the previous seasons dared to provoke wild wolves. He really must not have any survival experience; he doesn’t know you don’t mess with a pack."

"That’s not necessarily true. Lin has a unique approach to survival, and he’s a very fast learner. If the wolves really show up, I actually think he has a chance of winning."

"Besides, wolves can’t climb trees. He ate a full meal before he left, so he’ll be fine in that tree for a day and a night. And he has arrows."

"Exactly, that’s what I was thinking! No matter how smart they are, wolves are still just animals. They can’t see through human tactics, especially an ambush from a tree."

Thanks to deliberate promotion from the officials, the news of Lin Chen hunting a Black Bear earlier in the day had already created a huge buzz online. When people heard he was also seeking revenge on the Yukon Wolf Pack, more and more viewers flooded his stream, eager to see if the confrontation they were hoping for would happen.

Some viewers in more remote areas were so spooked by the forest’s sinister atmosphere that they were trembling, periodically glancing out their windows as if afraid a pair of glowing green eyes would materialize on the glass at any moment.

"What’s your take?"

「Inside the wooden cabin.」

Robert tilted his head, staring at Daniel.

"This morning with the Black Bear, it was one-on-one. Once one of them was injured, the outcome was basically decided. But now, it’s one against a dozen or more." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"It’s one thing if the pack doesn’t show, but if they do, what do you think Lin’s chances of winning are?"

"Obviously, I’m betting a hundred percent!"

Daniel gave him a look like he was an idiot. "Don’t forget our bet. I *have* to bet on him to win."

"...I’m being serious! If he’s really in danger, should we go in?"

"We’ll have to play it by ear, of course. There’s a dedicated flare gun for quitting, isn’t there? Until he uses it, we can’t make a rash move."

"I think he’s completely insane!"

Ariana’s chest rose and fell as she paced furiously back and forth in the cabin.

"He was just injured yesterday! But today, instead of resting properly, he first fights a Black Bear up close, and now he’s actively picking a fight with the Yukon Wolf Pack at night. Does he have a death wish?!"

"I don’t think so," Robert said, shaking his head. "Quite the opposite. I think he has an excellent grasp of how to drive stream traffic. To put it simply, he knows exactly what the viewers want to see."

"The two main draws of *Wild Survival* are building shelters and hunting. But since Lin joined, he’s added a third: cooking."

"His stream traffic is higher than the others’ precisely because his shelter is so unique and because he can cook things the other contestants can’t."

"He’s chosen to start hunting now, partly to prepare for the coming winter, but he also definitely knows the viewers want to see a clash with the wolf pack. That’s why he’s deliberately being so aggressive, to create more buzz."

"I don’t care about any of that! My job is to guarantee the contestants’ safety and health. If any contestant has an accident on my watch, it’ll ruin my reputation!!"

"Relax," Daniel suddenly interjected. "It’s a shame, but our bet isn’t going to be settled tonight."

"Oh? And why is that?" Robert’s interest was piqued, an eyebrow raised.

"Bears are the kings of the forest, after all. Even a tiger would think twice before attacking one, let alone wolves, which are far weaker in size and strength."

"Wild wolves might attack a bear, but that’s almost always limited to cubs. They would only risk attacking a full-grown adult if the pack was on the verge of starving to death."

"It’s true that wolf packs hold grudges, but they have another trait: they fight with other packs."

"Under these circumstances, the alpha male will do everything it can to avoid any losses to the pack’s fighting strength, which means it naturally won’t choose to attack an adult bear."

"I see. So you’re saying Lin won’t run into the wolf pack tonight?"

"Correct," Daniel nodded gravely. "He’s covered in the scent of bear blood. To a wolf’s nose, they’ll likely assume he was attacked by a bear and that both were injured in the fight."

"An enemy capable of injuring a bear must be incredibly powerful. They won’t risk a direct confrontation. They’ll nurse that grudge for a long, long time, waiting for the right opportunity."

...

Just as Daniel predicted, Lin Chen waited in the biting wind for a very long time. It was only when he felt like his blood was about to freeze that he reluctantly climbed down from the tree.

’Strange. Did the pack really just finish a fight? Otherwise, why would they ignore readily available, injured prey?’

There was nothing in the animal encyclopedia knowledge he had redeemed that could explain this. He figured it was because the information only covered the basics and lacked any in-depth analysis.

In his current state, moving the bear’s carcass was clearly impossible. He gave up on the idea without hesitation and turned back toward his shelter.

On the way back, he pulled up the redemption page for a look, but no new knowledge options had appeared.

’Do I have to redeem some of the tier-two skills before the higher-tier options unlock?’

He couldn’t be a hundred percent certain, but it was a possibility. Another was that they would unlock after he completely cleared out the first two tiers.

Of course, there was one other possibility: the system only provided these basic skills and knowledge to guarantee a baseline for his survival. Anything else, he would have to learn through his own efforts.