"Here, there are no niceties, no consolation, just the harshest tests and the most direct elimination! You have seven days to prove to us that you are worthy of stepping into the real wilderness to compete for that one million US Dollar prize!"
He glanced at everyone and continued, "Over these seven days, you will face a comprehensive assessment of physical fitness, skills, and psychological endurance, and there will be eliminations in every single test!"
"Remember, we are not looking for theorists or keyboard warriors talking on paper but for real tough guys and wise men who can survive in extreme environments! Now, put down your luggage, the first time-limited test of shelter building is starting immediately!"
All candidates were brought to a clearing in the woods, each was given only a multifunctional survival knife and a piece of parachute cord, requiring them to build a one-person shelter within three hours using surrounding natural materials, sufficient to resist night cold and potential rain.
For many well-prepared candidates, this was not difficult. They quickly dispersed, starting to chop branches, and finding suitable building sites.
Lin Yu'an did not rush into action. He first carefully observed the terrain, wind direction, and types of trees available, noting that there were many pine and birch trees and the ground was quite damp.
He chose a wind-sheltered, slightly high ground area with several moderately sized fallen trees nearby.
Most other candidates opted to build traditional A-shaped or sloped-roof shelters and worked fast, but Lin Yu'an took a different approach.
He recalled a type of "Earth Shelter" construction method passed down during the guerrilla warfare period in China. This type of shelter was half underground and half above ground, utilizing geothermal heat for insulation, offering excellent wind and moisture resistance, and extremely hidden. There is a similar type of shelter in the United States, but it is somewhat different.
Of course, digging an underground pit without tools is unrealistic, but Lin Yu'an cleverly used the natural depression formed by those fallen trees and a slightly sloped small hill.
He first used the survival knife to quickly sharpen a few thick branches as support poles, then built a semi-circular frame using the fallen trees and the slope.
Next, he laid a thick layer of dry pine needles and birch bark on the walls and floor of the shelter—both excellent insulation and moisture-proof materials.
His movements were not fast, but each was very precise and efficient, without wasting any strength or making unnecessary movements.
"Hey, Asian kid, are you building a rat hole?"
Nearby, a tall, bearded white man couldn't help but taunt when he saw Lin Yu'an's half-finished work.
He was a participant from the last season, forced to withdraw early due to a small mistake, and returned with a grudge this time.
Lin Yu'an ignored him, raised a middle finger at him, and then focused on his work.
The white man, seeing Lin Yu'an dare to raise his middle finger at him, had a dark look on his face, glanced at the camera, but did nothing further.
Lin Yu'an didn't care about what the white man thought, and he began weaving the walls with the flexible branches he had shaved down, not directly covering them with leaves.
Instead, he first wove a fence-like structure with branches, then filled it with lots of pine needles, dry grass, and moss, before finally covering it with large birch bark pieces, secured with parachute cord.
This method made the shelter's walls exceptionally thick and warm, also guaranteeing breathability. Most critically, the entrance to his shelter was very small.
He cleverly used the cover of trees, so the shelter blended almost completely with the surrounding environment from a distance.
Three hours later, Rick blew the whistle for assembly.
He checked each candidate's shelter one by one; most were just barely satisfactory. Some structures were unstable, some severely wind-leaky, and some even lacked basic rainproof capability.
When he came to Lin Yu'an's shelter, which seemed "short and inconspicuous," he frowned slightly.
But after he bent down and carefully examined the internal structure and construction method of the shelter, a subtle flash of surprise crossed his eyes.
Rick patted the thick "wall" with his hand and said, "Your shelter...is very dry, interesting, tell me your thoughts."
Lin Yu'an calmly explained, "I constructed an improved semi-underground shelter, utilizing the terrain and fallen trees, mainly considering insulation, windproofing, and concealment. The walls use a multi-layered filling structure that effectively isolates the external cold and moisture."
Rick, with interest, asked, "Is this a unique construction method from China? Or does it refer to the construction method of semi-underground shelters?"
Lin Yu'an nodded, "I adopted the traditional building wisdom passed down from our Chinese ancestors in wartime, which played a significant role in warming, concealment, in the guerilla warfare against Japan Nazis."
This made Rick pause in surprise, subconsciously glanced at the cameraman and director, and seeing they had no reaction, Rick didn't dwell on Lin Yu'an's statements about guerrilla warfare. He nodded thoughtfully, then continued to the next shelter.
The first assessment ended, with five candidates' shelters immediately eliminated for failing to meet standards.
Lin Yu'an successfully passed with his unique and practical design. The burly man who had taunted him earlier had a tall-built shelter but almost got eliminated due to wind leaks.
In the following days, the tests in the training camp became increasingly severe.
Especially the outdoor fire-starting test, where the program required proficiency in fire-starting methods like wood-friction or bow drill fire starting as basic skills before any alternative methods could be used.
Through outstanding patience and perseverance, Lin Yu'an successfully used the bow drill method to spark a flame! He then opted for the magnesium rod method and completed fire starting in just 3 minutes, with such high success and speed that everyone couldn't help but glance a few more times.
But most impatient people lost points on the basic fire-starting abilities.
In the assessment of acquiring water sources in the wild, while most people were still struggling to find streams or dig ponds for water, the program offered options for items found within the camp for water purification.
Some contestants chose to make simple filters using their sock filled with charcoal, while others opted to boil water in small stainless steel pots, showcasing various creative methodologies.
Lin Yu'an, however, used a plastic bag, filled it with water, hung it above a fire source, and directly heated the water inside the bag with open flame to purify it.
The main components of the plastic bag are polyethylene or polyvinyl chloride, with a melting point of around 120°C, so the plastic bag wouldn't burn before water evaporated.
Seeing Lin Yu'an's method, others quickly adopted a similar approach, using plastic bottles to purify water similarly.
But only Lin Yu'an, as the first contestant to use this method, received extra points, and others using this method only got a passing score.
In the final assessment, candidates were required to navigate a strange mountain forest, using only a simplified map and compass, to locate three hidden markers within a set time and collect specified "survival supplies" along the way.
After grabbing the map, most other candidates hurriedly started without checking if the compass was functioning properly, getting lost due to their rush and resulting in losing their way.
Lin Yu'an, before setting off, spent a few minutes on preparation work, ensuring the compass functioned properly, studying the map, memorizing key information like terrain, contour lines, and river directions, verifying the map and compass's accuracy.
Sure enough, the map wasn't entirely accurate either! There were slight discrepancies with the actual topography and landscape!
Upon discovering the inaccuracies in the map, Lin Yu'an immediately relied on analyzing the surrounding environment. Through marked exploration, he systematically found the first marker point!
No doubt, his assessment scores ranked among the top.