From Robinson Crusoe

It was nearly midnight when Chen Zhou brought the dead deer back to the camp.

The campfire was still burning brightly. Paul had removed the tiger's bladder, washed it, and built a small pool next to the fire using pebbles. He filled the pool with water from the bladder.

Following Chen Zhou's example, he was heating stones, preparing to boil the water.

The three little saw-toothed tigers were so hungry that they lost their spirits. Their eyelids drooped, their short tails hung low, and they looked listless.

Paul placed them beside his legs, tending to the soft fur on the tiger's belly while gazing at the dark forest, waiting for Chen Zhou to return.

……

The afternoon's solo hunt did not go smoothly.

Despite undergoing rigorous training in the Soviet Union and mastering many wilderness survival and hunting skills, that knowledge was only adapted to the modern environment; in prehistoric times, he would have needed to adapt accordingly.

Moreover, theory and practice are two different things. After actually hunting, Paul found that even hunting a small deer was extremely difficult.

First, he had to find deer droppings in the dense forest and determine which direction the deer went based on the freshness of the droppings and nearby footprints.

When tracing the deer's trail to its vicinity, one must pay attention to the wind direction and the weight of one's footsteps. One must avoid letting the wind carry one's scent onto the deer's face, and also avoid breaking branches or making excessive footsteps.

At the same time, he also had to ensure that he was heading in the right direction and could reach the position where he would throw the spear.

Besides these, a successful hunt also requires an element of luck.

No one knows when the prey will suddenly go crazy. It might be grazing and then suddenly take off running, or you might finally get close and then be disturbed by other animals, disappearing into the forest.

Paul tracked the fawn for two whole hours, during which he saw other animals and changed his target, but in the end he relentlessly stuck to the fawn.

After a long and arduous journey, his stomach was empty and he felt acid reflux. Only then did he kill the deer and return to the camp. There, he found that Chen Zhou had killed and butchered the huge saw-toothed tiger and was full.

While squatting by the stream washing his bladder, Paul looked at the carcass of the saw-toothed tiger lying around him and thought about his pitifully small trophy. The contrast between the two was immense.

From last night's encounter with cave hyenas to tonight's solo hunt, harsh reality has already shown Paul—

In this challenge, he and Chen Zhou were not on the same level at all, and not only were they not on the same level, the gap between them was far beyond the normal standard.

It can be said that if Chen Zhou loses his partner, he can still live comfortably, while once he loses Chen Zhou, he is very likely to die quickly in the mouth of wild animals, and even if he is not killed by wild animals, his situation will not be much better.

Right now, this person, who can't offer much help and seems rather like a burden, is actually going to be so willful as to raise three tiger cubs, which is really inappropriate.

From a rational perspective, Paul felt he should voluntarily give up caring for these little lives, no matter how much he liked them.

After a night's rest, they must set off tomorrow to confront other challengers. In order not to miss their chance, they must move forward at full speed. Where should they put the three tiger cubs during their journey?

If it's carried on someone's back, who will carry it?

Who should be responsible for finding food for them along the way?

When they launched their attack, the three little creatures made noise, alerting another group of challengers. Who will take responsibility for this?
Paul knew he was not capable of bearing this responsibility, nor did he deserve it.

Touching the head of the serrated tiger cub that was dozing off by the fire beside his legs, and hearing its reluctant whimpering warning, Paul hesitated whether to abandon them.

"Those that should be abandoned are not the right ones to be kept now."

Paul told himself that he should immediately throw the tiger cubs into the stream or place them next to the carcass of the female sawtooth tiger. He didn't need to lift a finger; the scavengers attracted by the smell of blood would naturally take care of the three little guys.

But whenever he was about to get up and move about, he would think of the wild beasts that lived in the same room as the Slavs in his hometown, and the big cat that had left the world with his grandfather.

On this land brimming with primal energy, it is these vibrant creatures that give the mountains and rivers their unique charm.

The apex predators living in this era are a sight to behold on modern Earth, and for Paul, they are simply too fascinating and too hard to part with.

"Let's stay with them one more night."

"At least let them eat their fill, let them sleep peacefully through the night. Leave them here when we leave tomorrow morning. Their fate after that is up to them..."

As Paul comforted himself in this way, Chen Zhou had already emerged from the woods down the slope, carrying a deer by the neck.

……

Having just observed the challengers' campsite below the mountain and confirmed that the campfire was indeed man-made, Chen Zhou's face still beamed with joy as he returned to camp.

The entire challenge area covers 60 square kilometers. Finding two people in such a vast area is like finding a needle in a haystack. It is undoubtedly very lucky that he was able to find other challengers on the second day of the challenge.

As for whether to engage in battle after finding the person, there is little choice on that front.

The rules of the challenge dictate that all challengers are inherently hostile to each other, and a life-or-death conflict is inevitable unless one can expel the other challengers from the challenge area.

Even if he takes a conservative approach and doesn't attack others first, others will still attack him first.

In this brutal competition, human nature simply cannot withstand the test.

Leaving here means achieving great success and a life of comfort.

Staying here means being a savage left behind in prehistoric times, destined to die alone, gazing at the surging river of time and sighing.

Unless someone is mentally unstable, any normal person would choose the former.

Chen Zhou wasn't particularly combative by nature, but he knew that if he wanted to survive in this challenge, he had to be cold-blooded, cruel, and rational, like a pack of cave hyenas hunting in the grasslands.

Wild animals have an easier time surviving here.

Moreover, compared to other "wild beasts," as a predator that smells the "blood" of its prey, it has a significant advantage.

If he can achieve his objectives, this advantage is likely to snowball, impacting the first supply drop and even challenging the ultimate winner.

……

"Aren't you going to rest?"
Are they waiting for me to bring them back meat?

Didn't I tell you to go catch fish in the stream...?

Chen Zhou tossed the dead deer beside the campfire, then looked at Paul, who was guarding the tiger cubs, and asked him a question.

Paul was scraping scraps of meat and fat off the tiger's fur with a knife when he heard this and smiled sheepishly.

"It's too dark, I can't see the fish, so I can't catch them."

"I had forgotten about that."

Chen Zhou then realized that not everyone has night vision like him.

For a normal person like Paul, it would be quite an achievement to be able to navigate through these mountains and forests without getting lost, let alone ask him to catch fish in the middle of the night. "Alright, give me the hide. Go and butcher the deer and feed these little guys."

As Chen Zhou spoke, he walked toward Paul and glanced down to see the water pit Paul had built and the stones being heated in the campfire.

"Wow, you've thought of everything. You've even prepared the water for tomorrow."

Looks like I'll have to work a little longer tonight, so as not to waste this hot water.

In a clearly good mood, Chen Zhou took the leather from Paul and plopped down next to the shelter, returned the knife to Paul, and picked up a random stone to take over Paul's work.

However, Paul, who was holding the knife, did not move his foot for a long time. He just stood there, staring blankly at the three serrated tiger cubs, his head down, looking like he wanted to say something but couldn't.

"Speak your mind directly, don't beat around the bush, that's not like the way you Slavs do."

Seeing Paul's thoughts, Chen Zhou grabbed the scruff of the neck of the tiger cub beside him and put the three little guys together.

The sawtooth tiger cub was terrified of him. When he picked it up, it didn't dare to open its eyes, its ears were pressed tightly against its head, and its limbs were all curled up. It looked even more docile than a house cat.

Paul's gaze remained fixed on the serrated tiger cubs until they all landed safely and were stacked in a row, at which point he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm thinking about how to take them with us when we set off tomorrow."

What I mean is, if you find them a burden, I can comply with your arrangement and give up raising them.

Mustering his courage, Paul uttered those words with difficulty, then shut his mouth.

The 2.3-meter-tall man stood in front of Chen Zhou, head bowed like a schoolboy being scolded, waiting for the verdict.

"Haha~"

Chen Zhou smiled.

"Giving up after only just starting to raise it?"

He gently stroked the head of the largest serrated tiger cub, his eyes darting around as if he were remembering something, his expression filled with nostalgia.

"Let's keep them for now. It's uncertain whether we can raise them to adulthood. They might get sick and die one day."

Tonight, we'll skin the giant sawtooth tiger completely. Small pieces will be used to make protective covers for its water bladders, and large pieces will be used to make bags. We'll carry them on our backs when we leave, and lock them up in a safe place before we begin our mission.

They're all little ones who can barely walk, and they don't eat much, so carrying them on my back is fine.

But let's be clear first, I'm not responsible for cleaning up after them. Since you've chosen to keep them, that's your responsibility.

"it is good!"

Paul could not hide his joy. With light steps, he dragged the dead deer to the brightest spot in the firelight and began to butcher it with a knife.

……

They were scheduled to depart on the morning of the third day, but the two of them were busy until almost dawn that night.

The little tiger cubs, whose teeth had just grown in and who were still nursing, struggled greatly when eating strips of venison, barely able to chew and forced to swallow them whole.

Paul was afraid that they would overeat and upset their stomachs, so he didn't dare to feed them too much, but he still managed to give the little guys two deer legs in small portions, which finally filled them up.

Animals that are still nursing are usually very sleepy. They are quite energetic when they are hungry, but they fall asleep faster than anyone else after they have eaten.

Without a mother, Paul, this unfamiliar wet nurse, obviously couldn't give the little sawtooth tigers enough sense of security. When they slept at night, they all huddled together, back to back and head to head, very close.

The warm yellow firelight illuminated the stripes on the tiger cubs' bodies and their undulating bellies. Paul sat by the fire watching them, seemingly never tiring of the sight, a smile on his face.

……

Chen Zhou didn't know when Paul went to sleep; he only knew that when he woke up, Paul had already sewed up the animal skin bag and was carrying the three serrated tiger cubs on his back.

The serrated tiger skin he used was untanned and was only maintaining some flexibility because it was fresh. It would harden by tonight or tomorrow and become unusable.

Before doing this, it's best to find another animal that's large enough, skin it to replace the serrated tiger skin bag, and continue alternating in this way. Otherwise, as the skin hardens and becomes brittle, it will easily break, shed fur, and be uncomfortable to carry, which will greatly reduce comfort and may even cause the contents to fall out.

……

It seemed as if he hadn't slept all night. Although Paul tried his best to pretend he was fine, the deep weariness in his eyes was hard to hide.

Seeing his condition, Chen Zhou had no choice but to extend the arrival time at the Challenger Camp by another five hours.

If they marched all the way as planned, Paul would probably be exhausted by the time they reached the enemy territory. He didn't want to lose a key general before the war even started.

Moreover, lack of sleep can also cause mental confusion, and when the brain is foggy, it is easy to make silly mistakes. Even if Paul were to force himself to fight, he could easily die in this state.

The other challengers had no sympathy for this big guy, nor did they care whether the animal skin pouch on his back contained a tiger cub or something else.

Their greed for survival tools and their desire to eliminate their competitors are the same as Chen Zhou's, or even stronger.

……

After descending the mountain, the terrain gradually decreases, and the advantage of visibility disappears. To continue forward, one can only rely on the terrain and orientation observed from the mountain to determine whether the path is correct.

From mountains to plains, and then to sparse forests, they made their way through the daylight, encountering many more prehistoric creatures along the way.

The most common animals on the grasslands are mammoths, bison, and woolly rhinoceroses.

These animals are all social animals, with bison being the most numerous. They are huge, with a pair of giant horns, a shoulder height of over 2 meters, and a weight of up to one ton.

Woolly rhinoceroses were larger, and compared to the white rhinoceros of later generations, their thick fur made them appear more robust and gave them a wild beauty.

These massive animals are about the same height as bison at the shoulder, but their bodies are wider, which makes them weigh far more than bison, estimated to be over two tons, or even close to three tons.

Nighttime is the peak activity period for carnivores, while the grasslands are teeming with herbivores during the day.

However, compared to carnivores, prehistoric herbivores were not exactly docile either.

Because of their large size, thick skin, and ability to move in large groups, they actually pose a greater threat to humans.

At least carnivores will carefully consider whether injury to their prey might affect their survival before choosing a target, and thus abandon the attack.

These guys who only know how to eat grass have such small brains that they don't know how to think at all.

The woolly rhinoceros, in particular, once provoked, would act recklessly, charging forward like a brute and ready to fight to the death. Even mammoths couldn't make them back down, which really gave Chen Zhou a headache.

To avoid these troublesome fellows, he took a long detour, which further increased the time it would take to reach the Challenger's camp. (End of Chapter)