From Robinson Crusoe

Chen Zhou left the dismembered sawtooth tiger carcass by the stream.

The strong smell of blood and the stench of organs attracted many flies, which soon covered the entire piece of flesh in dense swarms.

The smell of a dead beast deterred medium-sized predators; only scavenging birds dared to hover above the carcass, coveting its delicious aroma.

……

The saw-toothed tiger killed by Chen Zhou didn't have much fat on its body, and there was almost no oil on its ribs. Even if it was smeared with a mixture of blood and oil, it wouldn't have much of a flavor and could only be considered barely edible.

The three baby saw-toothed tigers initially smelled the fresh meat and even poked their heads out of the sanctuary exit in an attempt to beg for some food. However, when Chen Zhou offered them some roasted meat of his own kind, they recoiled as if electrocuted, preferring to go hungry rather than eat it.

Chen Zhou neither supported nor wanted to interfere too much with Paul's insistence on raising the sawtooth tiger cubs.

While tearing off pieces of slightly overcooked rib meat and stuffing them into his mouth, Chen Zhou looked down the mountain.

Paul has been gone for nearly four hours now.

During this season, most animals are active below the mountainside, especially in the grasslands.

Judging from Paul's pace, it would take him more than an hour to walk down the mountain, another hour to find prey and complete the hunt, and at least an hour and a half to return with the prey uphill and carrying the load.

If that's the case, Paul should have returned by now, but Chen Zhou hasn't heard any human footsteps in the woods below the mountain.

Chen Zhou tore off the last bit of meat attached to his ribs and put the ribs directly into his mouth, chewing them vigorously.

His bite force is no less than that of ordinary wild beasts. His ribs contain a mixture of cartilage and hard bone, which can supplement him with minerals and trace elements such as calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium.

In an environment where obtaining nutrition is difficult, the most convenient way to supplement minerals is through diet. He happened to have this ability, so he started chewing bones.

As his ribs snapped in his mouth, Chen Zhou's cheeks bulged and popped, making a cracking sound.

Three baby saw-toothed tigers huddled together, their eyes reflecting the flickering firelight, watching in terror the monster that had so easily killed the female saw-toothed tiger and was now feasting on her.

The heat of the flames and the shadow cast by Chen Zhou in the darkness left a deep impression on them, instilling in them an instinctive sense of awe.

……

Fearing that Paul might not be able to find shelter in the dark, Chen Zhou added extra firewood to the campfire.

The fire was lit high up, and after adding more firewood, the flames were bright and could be seen from a distance on the mountaintop. As for the plains below, one could probably spot the location of the campfire even from 20 or 30 kilometers away.

Half of the tiger's ribs had already gone into its belly, and a large branch was put into the fire. Chen Zhou was about to go look for Paul when he heard footsteps coming from down the mountain.

The footsteps were about 200 meters away from the campfire. They were quite rhythmic, with each step spaced almost exactly the same. This was the result of someone who had undergone military training and had not been away from the army for too long. The steps taken in response to commands during training had become muscle memory after long-term intensive training. Even without commands, they would subconsciously continue the walking rhythm they had developed.

Chen Zhou has an exceptional memory and could recognize Paul's voice, but upon closer inspection, he could tell that Paul's steps were not heavy, indicating that he was not carrying any weight.

In addition, there was no sound of dragging heavy objects or Paul's footsteps, which suggests that Paul likely returned empty-handed and the hunt was unsuccessful.

But Chen Zhou felt that given Paul's personality, he would never leave empty-handed if he didn't get food for the tiger cubs.

Paul is returning now, either because the prey is too big to move—

After all, the knife that could be used to butcher the prey was left on the mountain. Paul didn't have his strength. If he killed an animal weighing more than 200 pounds, it would be difficult to drag it back up the mountain by himself. He could only hide the spoils first and then go up the mountain to seek his help.

Either Paul encountered other important matters, far more important than finding food for the tiger cubs, which is why he turned back halfway.

Feeling a vague sense that Paul's return must have other reasons, Chen Zhou headed towards the direction Paul was heading up the mountain.

……

The sparse trees opened up the view, and Paul could see Chen Zhou from a distance.

He was carrying only a spear, and although he was covered in blood and dust, he was unharmed and appeared exceptionally excited.

Seeing Chen Zhou emerge from the high place, Paul quickly waved his spear and beckoned.

"Chen Zhou!"

He shouted and pointed his spear at the northeast corner of the mountainside.

“I saw fires down the mountain from there, like other challengers.”

Do not!
It must be one of the other challengers!

Paul shouted.

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhou could no longer remain calm and quickly ran to Paul's side, looking in the direction the spear was pointing.

However, it seemed too high up here, and looking down, a patch of trees blocked the view, so the firelight Paul had mentioned could not be seen at all.

"Go back first. I've noted down the location of the firelight. I'll draw it for you."

Unexpectedly, just two days into the challenge, Paul was lucky enough to find another group of challengers. He seemed even more excited than Chen Zhou, and he put away his spear and headed straight up the mountain.

Seeing Chen Zhou catch up with him, Paul asked in a slightly uneasy voice.

"How are the serrated tiger cubs?"

Seemingly afraid that Chen Zhou might misunderstand, he added.

“I killed a fawn and on the way up the mountain I unexpectedly saw a fire. Don’t worry, I won’t use your spoils to feed them.”

Do you think I care about this?

Chen Zhou was preoccupied with the survival tools in the hands of the other group of challengers, and he didn't pay any attention to the few sawtooth tiger cubs.

Worried that the fire Paul had mentioned might go out, he quickened his pace, leading Paul to jog as well, and soon they returned to the shelter.

The three tiger cubs had just crawled out of the shelter and were preparing to escape while Chen Zhou was away. However, upon seeing Chen Zhou return, they shrank back into the shelter, only daring to peek at him timidly, looking quite pitiful.

For several hours, they hadn't eaten or drunk anything, only pooped a little on the ground and urinated a little. Their round little bellies had shrunk, but they weren't so hungry that they were exhausted, and they seemed to be in pretty good condition.

Paul and Chen Zhou returned to the campfire one after the other. Seeing that the tiger cubs were unharmed and had not run out of the shelter, Paul knew that Chen Zhou had taken good care of the little ones and quickly thanked him.

Fearing that Paul's rambling would waste the best time to ascertain the locations of the other challengers, Chen Zhou quickly interrupted Paul, cleared a flat area by the campfire, broke off a branch, and tossed it to Paul. "Draw the location of the firelight you observed immediately and tell me where you saw it. I'll set off right away."

There's a dead saw-toothed tiger by the stream. After I leave, you can try cutting off some meat to feed the cubs. If they don't eat it, you can also catch some fish by the stream, but it's dark now, so it might be hard to catch fish.

Or you could tell me where you threw the dead deer, and I'll bring it back for you.

As he spoke, Chen Zhou placed the knife by the fire, pointed in the direction of the tiger carcass by the stream, and then focused intently on watching Paul draw a map of the fire's location.

Having received military training, Paul was also very skilled at drawing maps.

He first determined the cardinal directions based on the position of the Big Dipper, then marked the locations of the campfire and shelter on the ground. He then recalled and sketched out the landmarks he could see on the way from the campfire to the observation post, such as a small river, a dead tree, or a boulder.

Finally, Paul described to Chen Zhou the approximate distance between each node and the location of the dead deer.

"It's too dark, and the environment here is quite complicated. My perception may not be accurate enough, but the general direction is correct."

On the way, fearing I wouldn't be able to find the spot where the firelight was, I deliberately broke off some branches and left them on the path as markers. If you see those broken branches as fresh branches when you come down the mountain, it means you haven't gone the wrong way.

"Ah."

Chen Zhou nodded, memorized the location map drawn by Paul, and then gave further instructions.

"I'm planning to make a water sac using the bladder and abdominal fur of the sawtooth tiger, but I haven't started making it yet. When you're dissecting the sawtooth tiger's carcass later, be careful not to damage the bladder."

Also, I've saved you half a rib; you can eat it yourself later.

The temporary shelter is almost finished. You can improve it a bit more, and while you're at it, clean up the poop the tiger cubs left inside.

Keep a close eye on the campfire and don't let it go out. It gets very cold on the mountaintop at night, and you might get sick without a fire.

Without explaining why he wasn't afraid of getting sick or the cold, Chen Zhou picked up the two blood-stained spears he had pulled from the sawtooth tiger. He started walking quickly, then quickly turned into running, like a nimble ape, and disappeared into the forest in the blink of an eye.

……

Chen Zhou possesses night vision and has significantly superior physical strength and endurance compared to Paul, allowing him to traverse the mountains and forests at night at a much faster speed.

As he moved quickly forward, he kept an eye out for any landmarks that Paul had drawn on the road, as well as any broken branches on the ground.

As it turned out, the specialized training provided by the Soviet Union in later generations was still very reliable. The darkness and unfamiliar environment did not have much impact on Paul's sense of direction and judgment of distance. The map he drew was basically accurate, and Chen Zhou soon approached the observation point.

Not far from the observation point, there was a lingering smell of blood, and the tracks of wolves or other medium-sized social carnivores could be heard lingering nearby, seemingly searching for the deer carcass that Paul had hung on the tree.

Chen Zhou paid no attention to the animals. As he moved forward, he kept glancing into the distance, afraid that the group of challengers would turn off their engine after finishing their dinner. If that happened, he would not only have made a wasted trip, but he would also lose valuable clues.

……

Fortunately, the climate here is harsh enough that the temperature drops to around 12 degrees Celsius at night and strong winds blow from time to time, so it is necessary to keep warm by campfires, and the challengers at the foot of the mountain are no exception.

Paul observed that the firelight was located on a protruding rocky cliff, surrounded by rocks, which was not conducive to tree growth and was therefore particularly open.

Standing on the rocky cliff, facing northeast, you can see a flickering light on the bank of a river 35 kilometers away.

It was a plain with only a few small hills creating a difference in elevation. Looking down from the hill, the entire terrain was clearly visible.

Chen Zhou noticed a forest near the fire, and a circle of mounds shaped like the letter "C" not far behind the fire.

The mounds form a natural windbreak, which helps to keep warm.

The river in front of the fire and the forest around it can provide challengers with water and fuel, while the animals in the forest and grassland are a food source.

It can be said that it is a uniquely fertile land. Apart from its low location, which makes it easy to be observed from a high place, it is almost a perfect place to set up an army camp.

The distance was too great; even with Chen Zhou's exceptional eyesight, he couldn't see clearly whether there were any figures near the firelight. He could only judge based on the positions chosen by the challengers.

They are most likely "survivalist" challengers who are looking for a place to build a semi-permanent shelter.

The river fish are at their fattest this season. All they need to do is find stones, cut down trees, and dig burrows to build a sturdy, windproof hut by the river, and then they can catch fish in large numbers.

River fish can be boiled to extract fat, and after being smoked and dried, they can be stored for several years.

With the help of these fish, edible berries in the forest, and small mammals and medium-sized carnivores, challengers along the river can easily get through their first winter.

Given their smooth start, as long as the survival tools these challengers possess aren't too bad, they have every chance of becoming strong competitors to Chen Zhou.

Of course, that was assuming Chen Zhou hadn't discovered them.

Now that he has pinpointed the exact location of the challengers and knows they won't easily leave this "auspicious place," he will naturally take the initiative to eliminate his competitors and seize their tools for survival.

……

Standing on the rocky cliff and observing for a while, Chen Zhou imprinted the location of the firelight deep in his mind. He then looked back at the location of the campfire on the mountain, but could not find it. He only saw smoke rising from a distance, which was torn apart by the wind before it reached the sky.

Silently calculating the direction in his mind, and confirming that the challengers below the mountain couldn't see the firelight from the riverbank, Chen Zhou's confidence grew even stronger.

The enemy is bright and we are dark.

If his opponent is not vigilant enough, he could take advantage of the moment when the group of challengers split up to take out one of them first, and then join forces with Paul to take out the other, thus reducing the risk.

"It's 35 kilometers, the terrain is complicated, and we have to cross a river. Including meals and rest, it will take at least a day and a half."

Considering Paul's large weight and the three serrated tiger cubs he insisted on bringing with him, Chen Zhou changed the time to two days.

Two days of forced march.

If the challengers don't leave their carefully chosen camp within two days, his attack is highly likely to succeed, eliminating two competitors in one fell swoop.

Based on current observations, it is clearly a low-probability event that the group of challengers abandoned their camp and went elsewhere.

He faced far less pressure when he was living on a deserted island; it took him a great deal of determination to give up his cave dwelling and move to a factory, let alone in this high-pressure environment.

Including the time he and Paul spent traveling, that group of challengers would likely spend the entire four days since the start of the challenge building their camp. The enormous sunk costs would bind them firmly to their current location until he and Paul arrived. (End of Chapter)