Culinary God in Wilderness

Chapter 387: Chapter 243: The Two Men Targeting the American Crocodile

The moment Lin Chen heard Andre’s voice, his heart skipped a beat. He instantly realized why Andre was here.

’This guy is after the American Crocodile, just like me!’

’It made sense, though. This was the only Mangrove Forest around, and it was inhabited by American Crocodiles. Plus, it was near my shelter. Where else would he go?’

"The announcement was just a few minutes ago. You didn’t fly here, did you?"

Andre hadn’t seen his old friend in a long time and had missed him. He walked over with a smile and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Looks like you’ve recovered well. Your color is back to normal, and you’ve lost that air of weakness. What’s the plan? Going after a big one?"

"Of course. I figured you’d be targeting these things too. If you’re making a move, I can’t just stand by, can I? You want me to just hand you the championship?"

"Hahaha, I knew it! Let’s see who bags one first, then!"

Like Lin Chen, Andre had a bamboo basket on his back and a bamboo knife in his hand. Otherwise, there didn’t seem to be anything different about him.

Lin Chen sized him up, then took the lead and started walking toward Andre’s shelter.

"I just whipped up something tasty but made too much. I was also coming to thank you for visiting me last time. You can be my human garbage disposal and help me with the leftovers. It’ll spoil quickly in this heat anyway."

"Oh, really? It’s been almost a month, and you’re bringing me food? This must be some really satisfying stuff. In that case, I won’t be shy. I was just about to head out and find a bite to eat anyway."

When they reached Andre’s shelter, Lin Chen gave him a surprised look.

’This guy actually built a bamboo house without any modern tools.’ The obviously uneven cuts revealed his lack of proper equipment, but it also proved he possessed some special technique for cutting bamboo or felling trees.

Otherwise, it would be no simple task to cut down this much bamboo using only a bamboo knife, a combat knife, and stones.

Before he had a saw, he had used those same tools in rotation. It would take half a day just to cut through a single stalk of bamboo, and the prolonged work would make his hands cramp up.

As he prepared the food he’d brought, he discreetly observed Andre’s hands. Surprisingly, he couldn’t see many lingering scars.

This observation further confirmed that the guy had a clever trick for cutting bamboo.

’As much as I want to know, I can’t ask him now. After all, I have a saw. I’ll just wait until after the competition is over.’

"Impressive, Lin. This food is delicious. I’ve never tasted anything like it. I can’t even imagine how good the complete version must be. When we get back, you’ll have to make it for me sometime, okay?"

Andre watched with great interest as Lin Chen went through the entire process of making the grilled sweet potato noodles. The soft, chewy, and stretchy texture, paired with the tart and savory seasonings, instantly awakened his palate.

Downing one portion of the grilled noodles didn’t make him feel full at all; instead, it made him even hungrier.

Lin Chen shamelessly took a tour of Andre’s shelter. The overall structure wasn’t particularly complex and was about eighty percent similar to his own bamboo house. However, Andre had adopted a style similar to the shelter Lin Chen had built back in Alaska: a room built as an extension to a cave.

What surprised him most was that he actually saw bamboo splints here!

’He just wasn’t sure if this old fox had known the technique all along, or if he’d figured it out after hearing that Lin Chen had made rope from bamboo.’

"So? Feeling the pressure?"

Andre finished showing him around the shelter, his face beaming with a confident smile.

"It’s alright."

Lin Chen gave a slight smile. "You’re definitely keeping up with the shelter, but unfortunately for you, I’m miles ahead in other areas. Keep trying, old man!"

"Oh? That sounds interesting. I’ll definitely come by and see it for myself a few days before the competition ends."

’I definitely can’t go now. If I do, my own ideas will be influenced by what Lin Chen has built. I’ll end up subconsciously following in his footsteps, and everything I make will start to resemble his work.’

’That’s not an outcome I want, so I have to fight my curiosity and stop myself from running over to see Lin Chen’s masterpiece. I have to stick to my own ideas.’

"Suit yourself. I’m not going to hold back, anyway."

Having gotten a clear picture of Andre’s current progress, a grand sense of confidence swelled within Lin Chen.

’I’m the one with a complete aqueduct system, a bathtub, *and* a bamboo raft. Based on infrastructure points alone, I can’t see how I could possibly lose.’

’Not to mention the extra spoils from my diving and that half a black-tailed sheep. Whether it’s construction or hunting, I don’t see myself losing to Andre.’

On the way back, he was already thinking about what he should work on next.

’I need to plant all the seeds I can. A large portion of the resources I’ve gathered was left by those before me, so I can’t just take without giving back. If someone ends up stranded here in the future, at least they won’t face a life-threatening crisis from lack of food.’

’Eighteen days isn’t nearly enough time for the seeds to mature. I’ll be lucky if they even sprout. The only thing I can do is leave the seeds to fend for themselves in the wild.’

’Given the climate and humidity here, if I rig up some kind of irrigation system, I can at least make sure the seeds don’t die of thirst.’

"So, how should I build an irrigation system..."

He frowned, momentarily stumped.