Chapter 506 - 340: No Misses Within 10 Meters

Chapter 506: Chapter 340: No Misses Within 10 Meters

By the time her shelter was finally finished, the sun was already directly overhead.

She did a quick mental calculation. ’Five or six hours have passed without me even noticing since we landed on the island this morning!’

She had spent almost the entire time walking, climbing, and working. Now, Jin Meiyan’s legs felt a little weak, and waves of sore numbness washed over the soles of her feet. She wished for nothing more than to lie down right then and there.

"Have some water. Take a break. Are you hungry?"

While she built her shelter, Lin Chen had been holding the GoPro the entire time, playing the part of a dedicated cameraman.

He wasn’t the protagonist of this "experience series" anyway, so of course, the focus had to be on her.

’He was well aware of his role. Viewers would much rather watch a beautiful woman figure out how to survive in the wild than see a seasoned expert like him at work.’

Jin Meiyan took the canteen and began to chug the water down in huge gulps. In one go, she downed more than half of the one-liter bottle of plain water.

If she weren’t worried Lin Chen would be left without water, she would have finished the entire thing to quench her thirst. After all, boiling water and waiting for it to cool took a lot of time. This was especially true for her; having grown up drinking ice water, any water that wasn’t cold felt uncomfortable to drink.

"I guess I am a little hungry, but it’s fine. I’m used to only eating one or two meals a day to maintain my figure. Sometimes I even do a light fast and don’t eat at all for a whole day."

"By the way, Lin Chen, are we going to catch seafood for dinner?"

"Seafood is the fallback plan. First, let’s see if we can hunt some prey in the forest. Here, what’s this?"

He pulled a gray-brown feather from his pocket with a secretive air.

"A bird’s feather?"

"In a way, yes, it’s a bird’s feather. Try guessing again."

Jin Meiyan tilted her head, pressing a slender index finger to her chin as her big, beautiful eyes blinked.

"It’s not from a bird, but it looks a lot like a feather... Could it be a pheasant?"

"That’s right. To be precise, it’s a grouse. The name comes from the fact that they like to eat pine nuts and often roost in pine trees. They’re one of the most common species in North America, with many different varieties. I won’t list them all, but they’re all types of grouse."

Casually tossing the grouse feather away, he held up three fingers.

"Our tasks for the rest of the day are simple. First, we’ll see if we can hunt a grouse, and we’ll gather some firewood while we’re at it. Second, we need to build a new fire, but without using a fire starter this time. Third, we’ll catch some seafood—shellfish, crabs, fish, you name it."

"What about the wolf pup if we both go down to the sea tonight?"

"We’ll leave it by the fire. I’ll dig a small pit in the corner of my shelter and cover it with pine branches for insulation. From what I’ve seen, there are no aggressive predators on this island. I’m still not sure how that she-wolf got here. Besides, wild animals are afraid of fire, so they won’t dare get close."

"In its current condition, it can’t even stand. There’s no way it could run off on its own. It spends most of the day sleeping anyway."

As he spoke, he lifted his nearby jacket, revealing the little wolf pup curled into a ball, fast asleep.

"Oh, I see... Okay, then. I’ll follow your lead."

Lin Chen took a slingshot from his backpack and cleared out some space inside. He then gently placed the wolf pup, still wrapped in the jacket, into the pack and set it in the farthest corner of the shelter, leaving the zipper cracked for air.

The backpack hadn’t left his side all day, so it was the item that smelled most strongly of him. There was no food inside either, so even if there were lemmings, rabbits, or any other critters around, they wouldn’t try to get near it.

"Do you know how to use a slingshot?"

Jin Meiyan shook her head.

"Oh, right. I forgot you were born in the States. Slingshots are more of a toy for kids in Asia. Westerners tend to get into them more as adults."

"It’s simple to use. Find a fairly round stone and place it in the center of this leather pouch. Pinch it between your thumb and index finger, and pull back."

"Hold it like this. Brace the fork in the web of your hand, between your thumb and index finger, and wrap your other fingers around the handle to keep it steady. You don’t need to grip it too tightly. Just raise it to eye level."

"Pull the hand holding the stone back to beside your eye. Try to make sure the bands, your eye, and the handle are all on the same plane. That’s how you shoot accurately."

He demonstrated the standard form a few times, then aimed at a small white flower about ten meters away and let go.

FWIP—

The moment Jin Meiyan turned her head, she caught sight of the white flower’s stem being snapped in two.

"Oh my gosh!!"

She gasped, covering her mouth, her eyes wide with shock.

’He’d never used a slingshot on the show before. She hadn’t seen many episodes, but she’d read a ton of comments, and not a single one ever mentioned him knowing how to use one.’

As if sensing her curiosity and surprise, Lin Chen just smiled and handed her the slingshot.

"The principle behind a slingshot is the same as archery, actually. If you can use a slingshot, you can shoot a bow well. The other way around is even easier."

"Archery... Hehe, I’ve only ever tried the kind you find at carnivals." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

She stuck her tongue out playfully, a little embarrassed. Taking the slingshot, she fiddled with it for a moment, even aiming it empty-handed to get the feel of it before searching the ground for a suitable stone.

THWACK!

Her first shot slammed right into a tree trunk with a dull thud, sending a puff of pulverized bark into the air.

Her second shot went high, rustling through the leaves before disappearing from sight.

He had no idea where the third shot went; he didn’t even see it fly.

"What are you aiming at?" Lin Chen asked, puzzled.

Her cheeks flushed slightly as she pointed at a few small, pinkish-purple, pinecone-like objects hanging from the branch of a spruce tree.

Those were spruce blossoms, which bloom around April and May.

’She was aiming at the branch, but managed to hit three completely different spots?’

The corner of his mouth twitched. He bent down, picked up a stone, and placed it in her palm. "Aim again and let me watch. Don’t shoot yet. I’ll help you adjust your form."

The girl nodded and copied his earlier posture, drawing the slingshot back. Lin Chen stood behind her, squatting slightly to check the trajectory, then moved around to her front to get a better look.

"That’s not right. You can’t keep both eyes open. You haven’t developed a feel for aiming yet, so you can’t find your sight picture and you’ll naturally shoot wide. Close one eye and use the other one to find your target. Line it up right in the middle of the slingshot’s fork."

"Don’t pinch the pouch so hard when you pull it back. Try to relax. Gripping too tightly will cause the shot to deviate when you release it. Yes, that’s it. Just like that."

With his patient guidance, Jin Meiyan slowly started to get the hang of it.

FWIP—

This time, the stone flew just over the top of the spruce blossom.

"Nicely done!"

Lin Chen gave her a thumbs-up. "Since you’ve found your point of aim, the next part is easy. That one went a little high, right? So, get back to that same position, but this time, lower the handle just a little bit."

Jin Meiyan nodded enthusiastically and repeated the motion.

CRACK!

The pinkish-purple spruce blossom exploded on the spot, its fragments scattering in the air.

"Ness!!"

The girl jumped up and down with excitement and gave Lin Chen a hard high-five.

"Now, try another target. If you can get your accuracy on a target this small to over eighty percent, your chances of a successful hunt will be almost one hundred percent. A grouse is a lot bigger than that flower."

Buoyed by her initial success, she felt full of confidence, ready to hunt down eight or ten grouse just to show what she could do.

After practicing for half an hour, by which time pinkish-purple fragments littered the ground beneath every nearby spruce tree, she shook out her sore right hand and looked at Lin Chen expectantly.

"See, Lin Chen? Would you say my accuracy is at eighty percent now?"

"Close enough," Lin Chen agreed with a nod. "A lot of your shots were a bit off-center, but as long as you can hit the target—no matter where—and break it, it counts as an effective hit."

"Come on, let’s go find some grouse. You can relax your right hand on the way, so your muscles don’t get too tense and tired for later."

"Okay~~"

A sweet smile spread across Jin Meiyan’s face. Her voice was soft and sweet, and the two dimples at the corners of her mouth reappeared. In the midday sun, her fair skin seemed almost translucent, causing Lin Chen to stare for a moment, momentarily stunned.

Fortunately, he snapped out of it quickly and turned to walk in the direction where he’d found the grouse feather earlier.

The girl had since tied her loose hair back, letting the ponytail hang naturally to one side of her neck. It gave her a completely different, yet still striking, look.

Lin Chen walked ahead, his head down, constantly scanning the ground for any useful signs. Every so often, he would look up to observe the surrounding spruce trees.

’It wasn’t that he was trying to be so focused. It was just that the effect of Jin Meiyan’s dimples was devastating. She had classic Asian features, a great sense of style, and her every move radiated an effortless feminine charm.’

’Her style was a stark contrast to the straightforward and bold Erica. He could even tell that for Jin Meiyan, these mannerisms were muscle memory—completely subconscious.’

’After all, they were both East Asian, so their aesthetic sensibilities were quite similar. The deadliest part was that this Korean girl wasn’t just beautiful; she was a natural at being alluringly cute. Any straight Asian man would probably find it impossible to resist the charm she constantly radiated.’

’He was finally starting to understand why she might have faced obstacles in her professional life. There was no helping it; sometimes, being that beautiful was its own "original sin."’

’The worst part was, a ridiculously shameless thought started to form in his mind.’

’What if this girl, just like Erica, started showing interest in him? What would he do?’

The moment the thought popped into his head, he couldn’t help but laugh at himself.

’How could any guy be so shameless?’

To cover up his stray thoughts, he forced himself to stay busy, hoping to redirect his excess energy.

Trailing behind him, Jin Meiyan didn’t notice anything unusual. She was completely lost in fantasies of a successful hunt, constantly raising her slingshot to take aim at branches along the path and making little ’PEW!’’PEW!’ sounds.