He left the campsite, picking a random direction to start walking.
Although it had not yet snowed, many clear animal trails were visible among the grass and bushes due to frequent movement.
Soon, he came across a very fresh path.
"Look, everyone, here’s a trail that’s often used by small animals. The grass has been trampled to the sides and the frequent walking has left distinct marks in the middle, and I tentatively presume these could be rabbit traces. I will now use the nearby bushes’ branches to make a snare!"
Lin Yang casually pulled out his army knife, and started to trim the bushes, cutting off small branches, leaving only a segment about the thickness of a thumb.
He tested the branch by bending it, noting it was very resilient, springing back immediately when released.
Next, he took out a spool of PE line, made a rough measurement of the needed length, cut the line with his knife, and twisted two pieces together.
One end was tied to the bush branch, and the middle was tied to a short wooden stick, leaving a noose about the size of a bowl.
Two Y-shaped branches were placed on either side for support, and a notch was cut in the middle of the stick to counteract the direction of the trigger mechanism for balance. He then positioned the noose in the very middle of the animal path.
After setting up, Lin Yang just casually pulled the snare with a small stick. The balance of the trigger device was broken, and the bush branch sprung up, tightly ensnaring the stick that had triggered it.
A simple device, yet cleverly designed, highly sensitive, and also easy to set up.
"Oh my god, can this really work? Who did you learn this from, host?"
"This trap is far more sensitive than one merely made with a wire head loop."
"I’ve learned a lot, the PE line stays somewhat rigid after being folded, not too soft, and yet it’s strong enough. Paired with this mechanism, once triggered, there’s no escape."
Lin Yang smiled, resetting the trap to its trigger state: "It’s just a simple trigger trap, if set upright it can catch rabbits, if laid flat on the ground, it can catch wild chickens or pigeons—it’s a small craft, nothing much."
However, I’ll emphasize here, according to domestic laws, most wild animals are protected. It’s fine to look, but don’t randomly set these traps as it’s against the law and cops might penalize you."
"Watching the host set traps, I suddenly feel I had too narrow an image of the host before. Not only can the host fish, but he’s also a seasoned hunter."
"Let’s go, let’s cover this large area around the camp with traps, and stock up on plenty of food, eat whatever we want."
Praise from his viewers filled Lin Yang with a surge of heroic spirit: "Let’s go!"
Soon, with tools and a spool of line in tow, he began wandering around.
Whenever he found a suitable spot, he set a trap, surveying the surrounding environment and setting traps as he went, killing two birds with one stone.
He kept busy until after five o’clock. Lin Yang had set up more than ten traps and explored at least a 500-meter radius around the campsite.
On his way back, he wasn’t in a hurry to return to the campsite; after all, his belongings were packed in his bag, and his fishing gear was also with him. After setting the traps, he went to the water’s edge to catch a few fish and secure dinner.
He wasn’t hungry, but having worked hard and sweated quite a bit, he was starting to feel thirsty.
He changed direction, heading towards the lakeside.
When he was near the lake, Lin Yang was suddenly drawn to a dark red object by the bushes.
"Huh? What’s this?" Lin Yang called out as he walked over.
Upon arrival, he excitedly squatted down.
"Haha, I’ve found a treasure, look everyone, what’s this?"
Lin Yang took out his army knife and poked at the rust-red object, digging out an item that had been half buried in the dirt.
"A broken pot only half intact? Doesn’t quite look like it."
"Just an old metal piece, looks almost completely rusted through."
"The blade of a shovel, though it seems to be severely rusted."
Lin Yang dug the item out, excitedly wiping the mud off its surface and weighing it in his hand.
"Yes, this is a rusted shovel blade, the wooden handle has rotted away, but the blade still seems usable."
It seemed he wanted to verify his own thoughts, so he scraped at the severely rusted blade with his army knife.
After removing large flakes of rust, the underlying metal was revealed.
Ensuring it wasn’t completely corroded through, Lin Yang used the blade to tap on some stones, then, he rubbed it back and forth in the riverside’s sandy soil for a long time, smoothing off most of the surface rust.
"This area must have had a mining company or geological survey teams, as earlier I also found rusty cans and other such items along the way. This shovel must have been brought by them; it might not look great, but it looks like it could still be used with a new handle—what a great find!"
Lin Yang was now in high spirits, happier than if he had caught three more fish.
In fact, before coming here, while choosing his equipment, he had considered bringing a trench shovel, but with limited space, after much deliberation, he decided to give his slot to more difficult to obtain fishhooks and lures. Now, to come across a usable one, with a handle attached and a little smoothing, it would definitely be much faster than using his hands for digging.
Having packed the shovel head into his backpack, Lin Yang reached the water’s edge, took out his fishing rod, and continued fishing.
He had been busy all day; the fish he ate around ten in the morning were long digested, and dinner was still not settled.