From Robinson Crusoe

60 square kilometers, roughly equivalent to the entire land area of ​​Ukraine, which is the second largest country in Europe.

If it were shaped into a rectangle, it could be 1000 kilometers long and 600 kilometers wide.

This vast land is dotted with grasslands, lakes, mountains, rivers, swamps, and even frozen wastelands, hills, and mountains.

Different environments nurture different biological communities. Lush vegetation spreads from high latitudes to low latitudes, and temperatures gradually rise accordingly.

……

Chen Zhou led Paul southward.

The rising sun casts its rays upon the primeval forest, and the light penetrates the morning mist, creating visible pathways of light.

This magnificent Tyndall effect can be seen everywhere in the forest.

In the cool morning air, you can often see small deer moving through the bushes, and wolves occasionally appear.

However, these wolves did not gather in large packs; most of them traveled in twos and threes, some as a male and female pair, and others with their cubs learning to hunt.

They were clearly too preoccupied to pay attention to Chen Zhou and his companion, as they were focused on tracking their prey.

Autumn in the North is short, and the harsh winter will soon arrive. Herbivores devour all kinds of vegetation like lawnmowers, while carnivores are also eagerly storing up fat.

If they don't migrate further south and don't have enough fat reserves, the harsh winter alone can kill them.

……

Last night, they barely managed to fill their stomachs with roasted hyena legs, but they hadn't replenished their fluids all night.

Chen Zhou was alright, but Paul's lips were already a bit dry.

Although the injured Slavic man didn't speak, Chen Zhou knew what he needed—

They should find a water source and get some water to drink.

Relying on their keen hearing, they capture the sound of flowing water in the forest, while observing the fur and footprints left by herbivores in the woodland.

Adjusting our direction based on animal tracks, we traveled about 5 kilometers before the trees suddenly dropped in height, turning into patches of low shrubs.

At the edge of the bushes, slender willows leaned precariously on the mudflats, and a wide river traversed the grassland, meandering and stretching into the distance.

Paul had been thirsty for a while when he saw the reflection of the river in the distance and heard the sound of water. He became excited and took bigger steps.

……

"Be careful, there are many herbivores drinking water by the river at this time of day, which will attract predators. Don't fall into an ambush."

Chen Zhou reminded Paul and pulled out a wooden spear from behind his back.

This great river was clearly an excellent supply station. They could not only obtain water and food from the riverbank, but also pick up hard pebbles to make sharp spearheads, and use river willows as ropes to fix stones to wooden sticks to make stone hammers or stone axes.

Moreover, Chen Zhou could also weave simple rattan armor from river willows to protect his body and defend against attacks from wild animals.

With these weapons and equipment, they can profit from both hunting wild animals and engaging in conflicts with other challengers.

Most importantly, judging from last night's hyena attack, Chen Zhou realized that Paul's fighting ability was clearly not comparable to his own.

In this world fraught with danger and overrun by giant beasts, he might be able to thrive with effort, but for Paul, survival is far from easy.

If Paul's equipment is not strengthened, and if they encounter large beasts such as cave lions, cave bears, hyenas, or saber-toothed tigers, and he is not able to protect them in time, it is very likely that Paul, his companion, will be lost.

Humanity's ability to survive the Ice Age, emerge from the long river of history, and become the ruler of the Earth is inseparable from the mutual assistance among humans.

Chen Zhou knew that he was far superior to Paul in terms of physical fitness, but even if Paul did not have such strong fighting ability, the benefits that Paul could bring him in the challenge would far outweigh the benefits of him fighting alone.

Therefore, in order to protect this comrade, he was willing to spend more effort to arm Paul as much as possible.

Even the strongest person needs to rest, and no one can guarantee they will never get sick or injured. Having a companion means having an extra pair of eyes and an extra brain, and this extra margin for error is something that no tool can provide.

……

Remaining cautious, the two left the forest and walked across a grassy slope toward the river.

The riverbanks are lined with mudflats and sandy areas where sand has accumulated. The sandy areas are barren and offer a wide view, making them a favorite drinking ground for herbivores.

In the open sand, predators cannot ambush from the grass, and even if they spread their front legs to drink water, they will not be attacked.

However, while sandy areas may lack nasty predators, they do require competition with other herbivores—

Not every animal deserves this uniquely blessed drinking ground.

Chen Zhou first noticed a group of small deer occupying the sandy area.

They arrived very early, and the entire group consisted of about twenty individuals. They were estimated to be no more than 1 meter tall at the shoulder and weigh about 40 to 50 kilograms. Their fur was the same color as the dry grass, yellow with some light white spots. It shimmered in the sunlight, suggesting that their fur was quite dense.

Animals like these generally have tender meat and thin, soft fur, making them suitable for skinning and making clothes. They also have little fighting ability, only being fast runners, which makes them the prey that Chen Zhou prefers.

However, before he could even make a move, the small deer were driven away by several enormous creatures.

The newly arrived animals in the sandy area are also deer, but their size is far more impressive—

These deer stand over 2 meters tall at the shoulder, have a pair of huge antlers on their heads, and are robust in build. Among them are particularly tall male deer as well as slightly smaller female deer.

Even though the female deer is smaller than the male deer, she still looks to be over 400 kilograms, while the male deer weighs around 600 kilograms. With each step, they leave shallow craters the size of bowls in the sand, which is quite frightening to look at from a distance.

"It's a giant deer."

Chen Zhou pointed to the four giant beasts on the sand.

He and Paul were on high ground, and the wind blew through the forest toward the riverbank. The great deer quickly caught their scent, especially the bloody smell on Chen Zhou.

A male deer stands in shallow water, dipping its mouth into the water to drink and search for aquatic plants growing there.

To obtain the protein and minerals needed for antler growth, it must consume more special vegetation, which is not common and can only be found near lakes, marshes, or large rivers.

The other three deer consisted of two females and one calf. One of the females was on guard, watching Chen Zhou's direction warily.

Another doe is nursing her fawn. The youngest member of the family looks to weigh 100 kilograms, and it is bending down to suckle milk from the doe's belly.

Chen Zhou had keen hearing; he could even hear the sound of a fawn suckling, which made him somewhat envious.

Compared to cool, bacteria-laden river water, deer milk is not only more nutritious but also warmer and safer, with a superior taste, and is a high-quality source of protein and fat.

"If only we could catch this doe."

As he spoke, Chen Zhou's gaze drifted to the fawn.

If he could capture the mother and calf of the great elk, he would not only be able to drink their milk, but also have the opportunity to tame the fawn and use it as a pack animal or means of transportation.

Of course, with his weight of 175kg, it's probably unrealistic to expect a stag to carry him while he runs; however, it's more feasible for him to be Paul's mount.

"Deer need to eat salt. I see that this kind of deer has very large antlers. We could try digging a pit or setting a trap along their route to eat salt."

To catch a male deer, drive it into the woods; it will get stuck in a dense area of ​​trees.

Paul offered his suggestions.

“That will take a lot of time. Let’s stick to the original plan, find a high place where we can observe easily, build a shelter, and then we can figure out these things later.”

Hearing Paul's words, Chen Zhou was slightly tempted, but he ultimately did not take his advice.

With the weather getting colder, building shelters is more important than taming vehicles for transportation right now.

Otherwise, they would face the threat of wild beasts every night, and they couldn't take turns on guard duty every night; otherwise, they would both suffer from mental exhaustion in no time.

Moreover, sleeping outdoors in remote areas increases calorie expenditure, raises the risk of illness, and has many disadvantages in maintaining physical condition.

The food problem, on the other hand, is the easiest to solve.

The challenge area was already home to many animals from the Pleistocene epoch, and the Time and Space Administration added a number of iconic animals from other continents and different time periods, resulting in an unprecedented density of both herbivores and carnivores. You could encounter several medium to large animals every two or three kilometers.

While these animals certainly increase the danger of the challenge, they also provide an abundant food source; as long as the hunting skills are up to par, there is simply more food than can be eaten.

……

After observing from a high vantage point for a while and not seeing any super-sized beasts weighing over a ton approaching the riverbank, Chen Zhou led Paul down the slope to the river.

He was able to contend with the giant deer, a behemoth weighing nearly 1500 pounds, using a wooden spear, and was quite confident of killing it, since it didn't have any powerful means of attack, its fur wasn't thick enough, and its defensive capabilities were relatively weak.

But Chen Zhou was genuinely afraid of mammoths and woolly rhinoceroses.

Mammoths were enormous, like moving hills. They not only had tusks and trunks to aid their attacks, but they also lived in herds. Even prehistoric humans in tribal stages would have had to expend a lot of effort to hunt a mammoth, let alone a mammoth.

The woolly rhinoceros had a temperament similar to that of the modern African rhinoceros. It was thick-skinned and extremely irritable, charging like a heavy truck. Once provoked, it would fight to the death, and if you angered it, you would be in big trouble.

Fetching water is simple, but he must make sure there are no highly threatening animals nearby before he can go down to fetch water.

Otherwise, if they plunged into the muddy riverbank and stared at the woolly rhinoceros, not only would Paul not be able to escape, but even he might not be able to get away.

……

Chen Zhou didn't know if these prehistoric creatures had ever interacted with primitive humans, but judging from their behavior, they were wary of humans, who walked upright and had a somewhat unfamiliar scent, whether they were small mammals or giant beasts like deer.

As he and Paul walked down the slope, the deer and a horse-like animal that smelled their scent all gave way.

Even the male elk on the sand stopped eating and began to raise their heads to watch the two, as if to see what tricks they were going to play.

Ignoring the curious wild animals, Chen Zhou and Paul went to the water's edge and first observed whether the water flow upstream and downstream was clear enough, whether there were fish and animal droppings, and whether there was any strange smell or animal carcasses.

Unlike the rocky river on the island, this river, located on the northern continent, is very wide. The water surface near the sandy area is more than 20 meters wide, the current is gentle, and the banks are covered with aquatic plants.

In the shallower areas near the shore, the bottom is clearly visible, and fish can be seen frequently.

As for animal droppings, there are some, mostly distributed in the grasslands near the riverbank. Perhaps some animals defecate in the water, but they are all washed away by the current.

Sniffing the air, Chen Zhou didn't smell any stench of rotting corpses, nor did he see any animal carcasses nearby. He initially concluded that the river water here was relatively safe and reliable.

Nevertheless, he still did not want to drink raw water directly.

Tell Paul to find a drier place to start a fire. Chen Zhou breaks off willow branches and wild grass around the area while searching for dry stones.

He wanted to divert the river water into a sand pit to form a pool, then light a fire to heat the stones until they were red-hot, and put them into the pool to heat the water until it boiled.

This is a relatively simple way to boil water without a container.

However, it is important to note that when selecting stones, damp stones or stones with cracks on the surface should not be used, otherwise they may explode during the heating process, and the flying stone chips can injure people.

These survival skills were taught to Chen Zhou by his friends who also participated in extreme sports.

Especially in Europe and America, wilderness survival enthusiasts and extreme sports enthusiasts have formed large clubs and systematic training institutions. Chen Zhou learned a lot of useful knowledge from them.

Knowledge about prehistoric creatures, including information about animals, was gleaned from a friend who loves excavating animal fossils and reconstructing ancient organisms, who would chatter on social media all day long.

Modern society's advanced internet means that people are constantly bombarded with massive amounts of information, and Chen Zhou's outstanding memory allows him to capture most of the useful knowledge. Since he started the challenge, this intangible asset has provided him with considerable help.

……

With a fire starter, Paul's fire-making speed was not affected despite the dampness of the riverbank.

He quickly started a small fire using dry grass stalks, then carefully protected the flame from being blown out by the wind, allowing it to grow little by little.

While providing fuel for Paul, Chen Zhou piled the selected rocks around the campfire, waiting for the flames to burn brightly.

He then found a long, flat stone to use as a digging tool, dug a large pit in the sand, and poured river water into it.

During this process, two small fish, each about the thickness of a thumb, swam along the irrigation ditch into the large pit, reminding Chen Zhou of his fishing career.

He estimated that he would have to walk at least another ten kilometers today, so he planned to catch a few fish while boiling water by the river to replenish his water supply and store some food. He also planned to make simple rattan armor, stone axes, and stone hammers during the process, thus solving many problems at the same time.

After drawing water, the sand in the sandpit settled, the water became clearer, and the campfire burned brightly.

He tossed the two tiny stones out of the pit, blocked the irrigation ditch to prevent the river water from polluting the water in the pit that was about to be heated, and then Chen Zhou began placing stones into the campfire, waiting for them to become hot enough. (End of Chapter)