From Robinson Crusoe

As Chen Zhou exerted force with his arm, the male hyena's feeling of suffocation gradually intensified.

It struggled to kick and bounce, trying to lift the human on its back and break free from its restraints, but this human was far heavier than the primitive humans it had ever known.

Chen Zhou's bone density is nearly three times that of a normal human, and the same is true for his muscle fiber density.

Looking at his physique alone, no one would guess that he weighs 175kg.

The lean male cave hyenas were able to gain an overwhelming advantage by attacking prehistoric humans, relying on their weight.

But when faced with Chen Zhou, it showed the same helplessness as its prey.

The well-developed neck muscles were no match for the steel-like arms; the tightly bound neck sank deeply downwards, stretching the fur on the male cave hyena's head.

Its ears were flattened back, and its eyeballs bulged outwards, as if they were about to pop out of their sockets.

Its short, enormous mouth was wide open, sucking in air like a thirsty fish.

But Chen Zhou's arm was still retracting inward.

He pressed down hard on the male cave hyena's spine, preventing it from getting up, and pressed himself tightly against the warm, smelly beast, giving it a death embrace.

Muscle exertion happens in an instant. When the neck muscles are compressed to their limit, the male cave hyena's cervical vertebrae and trachea bear all the pressure.

A dull cracking sound, accompanied by the sound of a broken throat, came from beneath him. The male cave hyena struggled futilely for a few moments before its enormous eyes lost their luster.

Only then did the female cave hyena overturn her barely breathing companion and rush over.

Chen Zhou had just strangled the male cave hyena, and with his back to the female cave hyena, this was a golden opportunity for the cave hyena, which was skilled at tearing open the female's anus.

Even though two of her companions had lost their lives in this hunt, the female cave hyena did not lose her fighting spirit.

The Queen has not yet issued another order, and they still hold an overwhelming advantage, at least in terms of numbers they are no less than humans.

Dust rose again from the low grass. As the female cave hyena pounced, Chen Zhou rolled over, turning the male cave hyena's carcass around with him.

He lay on his back on the ground, the chest and abdomen of the strangled male cave hyena facing the onrushing female cave hyena.

This "hyena shield" could not completely cover Chen Zhou's body; at least his arms, which he used to control the male cave hyena, were still exposed to the female cave hyena's attack range.

Female cave hyenas will not miss any part of the body that can be bitten.

It opened its mouth wide, stretched its neck and bit directly at Chen Zhou's forearm. However, just a hair's breadth away from the forearm, and it seemed that it was about to bite, a huge force suddenly came from its lower abdomen. Then, the prey that had fallen to the ground in front of it blurred, and it felt dizzy. Its whole body was sent flying backward.

The female cave hyena, having knocked down a patch of wild grass, was driven by her innate ferocity to stand up again, but the excruciating pain in her abdomen forced her firmly to the ground.

Ouch~ow~
It roared urgently, tormented by pain and no longer possessed its previous arrogance. No matter how hard it tried, it could not get up.

An animal's abdomen contains its internal organs and is the most vulnerable part of its body, as it is not protected by bones.

When hunting other wild animals, cave hyenas always adjust their position to avoid directly exposing their vital organs to the prey, so as to avoid being seriously injured.

The hunt lacked sufficient companions for coordination, resulting in the loss of two male cave hyenas in just a few dozen seconds. Seeing an opportunity, the female cave hyena inevitably became somewhat impulsive, exposing her lower abdomen to Chen Zhou during the attack, which gave Chen Zhou the chance to strike.

He delivered a powerful kick to the female hyena's abdomen, and before the hyena flew out, its intestines were churning, and all the organs in its abdominal cavity were affected.

The left and right kidneys, spleen, bladder, and urethra were all dislocated or even ruptured to varying degrees due to this kick.

Not to mention that cave hyenas have a normal level of pain receptors among mammals, even pit bulls, which are not afraid of pain, would probably be unable to launch an attack after suffering such a serious injury.

……

Chen Zhou faced three cave hyenas that came one after another. He used a wooden spear to kill the weakest male cave hyena in an instant, and then dealt with the remaining two cave hyenas without taking any damage.

Paul's situation became precarious.

Although this 2.25m tall behemoth is not bulky, its body structure makes it appear clumsy and sluggish compared to the cave hyena, which walks on all fours.

Relying on his spear, he was already nearing his limit in simultaneously fighting off two cave hyenas.

There were now ten cave hyenas surrounding the campfire. If it weren't for the wild animals' instinctive fear of fire and their intimidation by Paul's loud roars, Paul would probably have been dragged down and devoured by them.

But Paul was different from Chen Zhou. After all, he was just a normal human being who had undergone military training. Moreover, after starting the challenge, he suffered a severe transmigration reaction, vomiting up all the food in his stomach. He then guarded the campfire for most of the night. Both his physical strength and mental state were at a low point. Furthermore, due to the aftereffects of the transmigration, his strength had not recovered to its peak.

He swung the wooden stick in his hand, whose flames were gradually fading, and kept the tip of the bayonet pointed at the cave hyena.

Without the constant secretion of adrenaline during life-or-death situations, Paul would have long since succumbed to his injuries.

……

Gazing at the bright red flames, the cave hyenas huddled together hesitated and did not pounce.

They dared not attack first, and Paul could not emulate Chen Zhou's method of using a spear to take down one of them first—

It would be easy for him to stab a cave hyena, but once he launched his attack, the other cave hyenas would swarm him and knock him down, and the situation would plummet.

Chen Zhou, standing in the dark grassland, could only hear the screams of the cave hyenas coming from afar, but he had no idea what had happened.

Paul knew only that he had to persevere; he had to hold on until Chen Zhou returned.

The situation was urgent, leaving him no time for idle thoughts. He could only place all his hopes on Chen Zhou, on that veteran who had participated in the challenge twice.

He believed that Chen Zhou must have something to rely on to take the initiative. As long as they could hold him off until Chen Zhou dealt with the Six-Headed Cave Hyenas and returned to provide support, they could resolve the crisis.

However, perseverance is easier said than done.

Without fuel, the campfire's flames grew lower and its light dimmed.

The cave hyenas, their faces contorted in a menacing grimace, lingered between the flickering firelight and darkness, their saliva glistening at their mouths.

The burning stick in Paul's hand was blown out by the wind, and the reddish flame gradually turned into a dark charcoal color after cooling.

He could no longer use the stick to intimidate the cave hyenas, so he threw it away and brandished the gun in both hands straight ahead—

Fortunately, there was a campfire, so he didn't have to worry about the cave hyenas attacking from behind for the time being. He only needed to deal with the beasts in front of him, which greatly relieved his stress.

……

The howls of the cave hyenas rose and fell, and Chen Zhou had already pulled out the wooden spear that had pierced the male cave hyena.

Because he had used too much force when stabbing the male cave hyena, the originally sharp spearhead had broken off during the friction with the hyena's ribs, leaving only a few bloodstained wood fibers dangling from the spearhead. Looking back at Paul, who was guarding the campfire, Chen Zhou faced two choices—

They could either turn back to support Paul or continue forward to attack the Cave Hyena Queen.

The former is more stable and can avoid injuring its companions. At the same time, the campfire can help it deal with cave hyenas better. The downside is that it is very easy to get into a tug-of-war, which is the cave hyena's forte.

Although the latter may seem risky, it is the most effective method.

The cave hyena queen is of paramount importance as the mother of most members of the pack and the brain of the entire hyena pack. If she is injured or dies, the entire cave hyena pack will be in dire straits.

Chen Zhou has proven his ability to quickly kill a cave hyena, and in the eyes of the cave hyena queen, his threat level is skyrocketing.

If Chen Zhou chooses to continue attacking the Cave Hyena Queen, it will likely serve as a diversionary tactic, causing the Cave Hyena Queen to call upon the cave hyenas besieging Paul to return to their aid.

Of course, high returns are often accompanied by high risks.

The cave hyena queen is accompanied by two strong female cave hyena "bodyguards." If Paul cannot deal with the two female cave hyenas in a short time, and the cave hyena queen does not recall other members of the pack, he will be the one to suffer.

Even if Chen Zhou's plan succeeds and the Cave Hyena Queen recalls the Cave Hyenas, how he will extricate himself from the situation is still a problem.

If he doesn't seize the right moment and distance, he could find himself surrounded by more than ten cave hyenas on the grassland without a campfire. Even if he is very strong, he would probably have a hard time escaping unscathed.

Chen Zhou didn't have much time to make a decision, and after a moment's thought, he decisively chose to turn back and support Paul.

He felt that while he could certainly kill the Cave Hyena Queen, it wasn't a worthwhile bargaining chip compared to the cost of losing his companions at the very beginning of the challenge.

The cave hyena is just the first enemy you face after the challenge begins. It is neither strong nor cunning enough, and killing it will not yield much benefit except for its flesh and fur.

As a modern human, Paul can not only help him build a shelter, but also scout out the movements of other challengers. In the future, if he hunts even more powerful prehistoric beasts, Paul will become a great help to him.

He had no reason to put his companions in danger and become the "lone hero" to realize his personal heroism.

……

The injured female hyena on the grassland was still howling, and Chen Zhou had already returned with his wooden spear.

The cave hyena queen had been watching her prey closely. Seeing the terrifying human who had killed three members of her pack retreat, she was finally able to take a few more steps forward and then let out a howl of all-out attack.

Following the hyena queen's command, the Ten-Headed Cave hyenas' attack suddenly became more aggressive.

The three male cave hyenas, which had been testing the edge of the spear, began to dodge close to the blade. Their suddenly increased aggressive desire brought Paul more pressure and intensified his psychological stress.

When under a lot of pressure, people are more prone to making mistakes.

Paul was focused on defending himself against the cave hyena in front of him, but he didn't notice that a female cave hyena had closed in to within 1 meter of him.

For cave hyenas, this distance is almost the same as being right next to someone.

Its eyes flashed with ferocity, and it seized this rare opportunity to bite Paul's side.

By the time Paul realized what was happening, its sharp teeth had already pierced his clothes.

In a panic, Paul dodged and used his spear to scare away the three male cave hyenas in front of him. He felt a chill on his side and looked down to find that a large piece of his camouflage combat uniform had been torn off, and his outer garment and part of his underwear had been ripped into the gaping maw of the female cave hyena.

Thankfully, their combat uniforms were thick enough; otherwise, if he had been bitten, a large chunk of flesh would have been torn off his waist.

However, although the combat uniform absorbed most of the damage for Paul, the flesh on his waist was still scratched by the teeth of the cave hyenas, leaving two bloody marks.

……

Having barely escaped the attack, Paul's situation not only didn't improve, but became even more dangerous—

The first attack failed, but the female cave hyena had already closed in on Paul, and now it could launch a second or third attack at any time.

Meanwhile, the other cave hyenas seized the opportunity to break into the gun emplacement. If it weren't for the campfire, they would have surrounded Paul long ago, biting his hands or tearing his legs to pieces.

Breathing rapidly and with his heart pounding, Paul could no longer utilize the advantage of the spear and could only grip the middle of the staff, using it as a defensive weapon.

But this was tantamount to drinking poison to quench thirst. More and more cave hyenas were gathering, and two fists could not fight ten mouths. Even if he wielded his spear in the most skillful way, how many cave hyenas could he withstand?

……

Just as Paul was struggling to defend himself, Chen Zhou, who was more than ten meters away, took long strides and used the momentum of his run to throw the wooden spear in his hand.

With a "whoosh," the wooden spear traced a sharp arc in the night, accurately embedding itself in the back of the female cave hyena.

Although the wooden spear had lost its tip in the previous battle, Chen Zhou's strength was so great that even without the spearhead, the wooden spear still pierced deeply into the flesh of the female cave hyena.

This time, the spear tip pierced through the side of the spine, penetrating the ribs and inserting more than forty centimeters deep. It even pierced through the cave hyena's right lung and heart, killing it instantly.

With the death of the female cave hyena beside him, Paul's stress was greatly relieved.

The other cave hyenas continued their attack, but the cave hyena queen in the distance could not accept such a huge loss to her clan.

Two fierce and skilled female cave hyenas, and two male cave hyenas that can play a significant role in restraining their prey.

They were the backbone of their tribe. Normally, even hunting a cave bear would rarely result in so many casualties. Today, however, they lost four of their best members in the face of two humans. Moreover, the most terrifying human seemed to be completely unharmed, with not a trace of blood emanating from him.

If the hunting continues, even if we kill these two humans, the food we obtain will be far from enough to make up for the loss.

As the leader of the pack, it must stop the cave hyenas' reckless behavior in the most dangerous moments and save the pack from peril.

……

A short, sharp roar echoed across the open grassland.

The cave hyenas, still eager to try, glanced unwillingly at the injured Paul and Chen Zhou, who was almost at the campfire, but ultimately could not resist the hyena queen's command and turned to leave one by one.

The waning campfire smoldered over the carcass of the female cave hyena, its blood soaking the soil and the stench rising in the steam.

The cave hyenas, having failed to achieve their goal, dragged away the body of their kind that Chen Zhou had killed as they passed by, leaving three drag marks on the grass.

They are the most uninhibited scavengers in nature. Since they are all hungry, the deaths of their own kind are not necessarily a bad thing. At least after filling their stomachs, they can still muster the energy to hunt other animals tomorrow.

There are many principles for survival, but eliminating waste is the most crucial one, and the cave hyenas have always adhered to this principle. (End of Chapter)