Chapter 389: Chapter 228: Farewell on the Forty-Fourth Day

Day 44.

The horizon was just starting to show a hint of the unique polar light. Inside the shelter, the fireplace’s flames had burned through the night, leaving a thick layer of ash over the deep red embers, steadily emitting the last bit of warmth.

Lin Yu’an hadn’t slept, or rather, he had barely slept the entire night.

He simply lay quietly on his side in the sleeping bag, holding the little one who had long since fallen into a deep sleep.

December had grown quite a bit, weighing over fifteen kilograms now, like a fluffy large pillow that pressed against half of his body, causing it to go slightly numb. Yet, Lin Yu’an did not move at all for fear of disturbing it.

He just greedily, over and over again, traced December’s outlines with his eyes, guided by the faint red glow of the embers.

Watching its little belly rise and fall with each even breath, seeing its tightly closed eyelids covered with long lashes, and its little nose that would sometimes twitch unconsciously in its sleep.

Looking at its fluffy little paws curled up in front of its chest, growing hard black claws...

He wanted to engrave all of this into his mind because he knew this was the last night like this.

Last night, Mark’s satellite phone call came as scheduled, his voice carrying a solemnity like dust finally settling: "An, be ready. Dr. MacKeez’s team will arrive at your coordinates by helicopter at ten tomorrow morning. The time for the handover... has come."

After hanging up, Lin Yu’an remained silent for a long time.

These ten days had been the most luxurious, the least wilderness-like days of his entire challenge. Without the anxiety over fat, his life was filled with a simple yet immensely fulfilling rhythm.

Punctually preparing milk feeds, meticulously measuring and recording, patiently cleaning, and enjoying the idle, joy-filled afternoons on the Ice Lake.

He and December had formed a bond that transcended species. With just a look, December knew whether it was time to eat or go out to play.

And with just a single grunt from December, he could quickly discern if it was hungry, cold, or merely being playful.

This feeling of being completely relied upon, completely trusted, filled up the huge void in his heart caused by being far away from family.

But now, all of this was coming to an end.

Dawn had broken.

Lin Yu’an very slowly extracted his arm from underneath December’s head. He got out of the sleeping bag, and instead of recording data as usual, he revived the flames in the fireplace, filling the entire shelter with warmth and light.

Only then did he start to prepare December’s... last breakfast here.

The UVC sterilization box worked silently, and he used the non-contact infrared thermometer to precisely calibrate the water temperature, the numbers on the electronic scale meticulously controlled to one decimal place.

What he mixed was the most abundant milk meal calculated based on December’s current weight.

"Aww..."

December woke up sleepily, caught the familiar scent of milk, and immediately wobbled over, nuzzling his leg affectionately.

Lin Yu’an squatted down, not feeding it immediately, but instead slowly stroking every inch of December’s fur from head to tail.

He wanted to remember this touch, the unique texture of the dense soft undercoat mixed with slightly coarse guard hairs.

"Eat up, baby." He handed over the milk bottle.

December immediately, as usual, enthusiastically hugged the bottle, leaned on its "exclusive dining seat," and made satisfied "glug, glug" sounds. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Lin Yu’an didn’t eat his breakfast. He just sat quietly across from December, watching it.

Watching its comical upright posture while holding the bottle, watching it lick its lips greedily after finishing the milk, watching it pick up the red rubber ball inviting him to play, its eyes full of expectation.

His gaze had never been so focused and gentle.

9:50 in the morning.

A low, familiar "buzzing" sound came from the distant horizon, breaking the silence of the snowy plains.

Lin Yu’an’s heart sank heavily. What was to come had finally arrived.

He was already dressed neatly, and had organized all of December’s belongings in the shelter meticulously. He backed up all the precious data recorded about December’s growth over the past ten days from the electronic recorder.

December, who was holding onto Lin Yu’an’s leg trying to drag him outside to play ball, was also alarmed by this oppressive sound approaching from afar.

It immediately stopped playing, raised its ears alertly, and let out a low, threatening whimper from its throat, instinctively leaning towards Lin Yu’an’s back, seeking protection.

"Don’t be afraid, December, it’s okay." Lin Yu’an picked it up, soothing its slightly trembling back with his palm, his voice a bit hoarse.

He held December, taking one last look at this small shelter filled with memories, then pushed open the door and stepped into the familiar vast snowy plains.

The sound grew louder and louder.

Soon, two huge black dots painted in orange appeared on the horizon. Not one, but two!

One of them was the familiar Bell 412 helicopter, with the large "Alone in the Wilderness" logo on its body, the vehicle of Mark and the accompanying journalist.