From Robinson Crusoe

In the blink of an eye, it has been 28 days since I arrived in the prehistoric world.

Nearly a month has passed, and Chen Zhou and Paul, who are busy on the mountain, can clearly feel the chill of winter descending upon this land.

After the shelter was completed, it took several more days to repair it. The two were finally ready to set off and begin preparing food and fuel to get through the long winter.

……

The squirrels' storage of pine nuts in rock crevices and the forest where they were about to ripen became their primary targets.

Pine nuts are delicious and nutritious, containing protein, carbohydrates, and oils, making them a high-quality food. They also store well and are available in large quantities.

With their three serrated tiger cubs, which had grown to over 20 pounds each, Chen Zhou and Paul split up.

The agile Chen Zhou carried a spear and a hand axe, and used a leather bag to search for newly ripened pine nuts in the forest. If he found medium or large wild animals during the search, he could also kill them and store some meat.

Living in the cold mountains requires extremely high levels of fat, fur, and salt.

For a long time, Chen Zhou and Paul obtained salt almost exclusively through the blood of wild animals.

But the blood of wild animals has a fishy smell, and after eating it for a long time, Chen Zhou always felt that his mouth was filled with a strong rusty taste. If building a shelter wasn't more important, he probably would have set off long ago to follow the deer herd to find the rock salt they were licking.

Now that he finally had some free time, Chen Zhou collected pine nuts while observing the movements of deer and antelopes in the forest, pinning his hopes of finding rock salt on these animals.

His senses are far more acute than Paul's, so this task must be undertaken by him; it is the most reasonable way to allocate the work.

……

Paul, on the other hand, traveled with the serrated tiger cub.

The intelligence of tiger cubs seems to be similar to that of lions. They are born with an understanding of the concept of "group hierarchy" and have an innate talent for cooperation.

When building the shelter, Chen Zhou or Paul would occasionally take the little sawtooth tiger cubs up the mountain to hunt and kill squirrels.

Under Paul's careful guidance, the little ones quickly learned how to hunt these agile and cunning creatures.

Paul's sense of smell and hearing were far less acute than those of the sawtooth tiger cubs, so the sawtooth tiger cubs took on the roles of his nose and ears.

Once they find the squirrel's droppings, the serrated tiger cubs will lower their heads and sniff around, guiding Paul in the right direction.

Once Paul discovers the squirrel's tracks, or scares it into hiding in a crevice, that's when he can put his skills to use.

Using a long gun with a fixed saber, a homemade slingshot or spear, Paul could quickly hunt squirrels. Even if the squirrels retreated to their nests, he had plenty of ways to force them out and kill them.

As the tiger cubs grew stronger, they naturally found it increasingly difficult to catch squirrels, which are adept climbers.

However, "tigers rely on their master's power," and with Paul's help, they often manage to eat these little creatures that like to jump around.

The benefits of cooperation were imprinted in the minds of the tiger cubs with each successful hunt, making them work more and more closely with Paul, and their ability to find tracks and roar to signal became more and more skillful.

……

Of course, hunting with Chen Zhou would be a completely different story.

Chen Zhou's sense of smell and hearing were in no way inferior to those of the sawtooth tiger. In addition, he had an advantage in intelligence and knew how to analyze based on experience, environment and other signs, which further widened the gap between him and the sawtooth tiger cubs.

Traveling with Chen Zhou, the sawtooth tiger cubs couldn't find any meaning in their existence.

Chen Zhou always spotted his prey first. By the time the prey caught the scent of blood, the poor squirrels, rats, antelopes, or fawns had already been impaled by wooden sticks or spears and lay on the ground.

All they had to do was celebrate around their spoils and wait for Chen Zhou to bring the prey back to the sanctuary and butcher it for them to eat.

Throughout the hunt, the tiger cubs only needed to shout excitedly a few times and run a few steps in feigned anxiety before their prey lay dead in a pool of blood, waiting to be eaten. This was truly boring for the tiger cubs.

Although they mostly participated in the hunt, the serrated tiger cubs did learn something—

They showed only respect and obedience to Chen Zhou, this powerful and terrifying member.

Sometimes, when the tiger cubs were so hungry that they were craving the meat that Paul was skinning and roasting, they would even rush forward to snatch it, stretching out their paws and lying on Paul's back, or surrounding Paul's legs, making no attempt to hide their desire for food.

But if Chen Zhou were present, they would not dare to do anything out of line.

Even if a piece of roasted meat is left on the ground, they won't go near it unless Chen Zhou says he wants to eat it.

Chen Zhou had never hit the sawtooth tiger cubs, nor had he ever scolded them loudly. The only things that could make the sawtooth tiger cubs do this were fear and respect for their leader.

Even if they are not very intelligent, they can still figure out who the true pillar of the group is, who is leading the group forward, defeating powerful enemies, and bringing them food.

……

Pine nuts are abundant in the forest, and in just a few days, Chen Zhou and Paul collected a full 400 jin (200 catties) of pine nuts.

Most of these pine nuts are old ones that squirrels have hidden in rock crevices; there are less than 50 jin of fresh pine nuts.

Considering that squirrels would help collect the ripe pine nuts this year, and that there were enough pine nuts to last for a short time, Chen Zhou immediately changed his plans and decided to take Paul down the mountain to hunt.

In addition to hunting large mammals for their pelts to lay out in the sanctuary and for plenty of meat to dry or smoke for storage, he also wanted to find some plant-based foods to supplement his vitamins and other nutrients.

……

Today is different from the past.

When Chen Zhou was surviving on the island, he made a lot of mistakes because he was unfamiliar with seafood and plants. He even mistook a non-poisonous shrimp for a highly poisonous one and didn't dare to eat it once during his 28 years on the island.

After returning to modern times and getting involved in extreme sports, he met many wilderness survival enthusiasts and thus brushed up on his knowledge in this area.

He can identify the characteristics of two common toxins found in plants, such as hydrocyanic acid and oxalic acid.

Hydrogen cyanide has a bitter almond-like smell, which ordinary people can smell by breaking open a leaf, and it is even easier for them to identify it with their sense of smell.

Toxic substances such as sodium oxalate and rhubarb are found in the leaves or chestnut wood.

If the sap inside the leaf stem feels dry or hot when it comes into contact with the skin, it means that it contains oxalates, a type of toxin that he can also identify.

Of course, the gap between Chen Zhou, who had only crammed some knowledge, and a botanist was still enormous.

He couldn't even recognize one ten-thousandth of modern plants, let alone prehistoric plants.

But after hundreds of millions of years of biological evolution, the nature of all things is the same.

Plants, in particular, are slow-evolving organisms, making it easier to grasp the essentials.

Remember not to collect plants with milky white sap, bright red surfaces, or purplish-red spots on their leaves.

By avoiding collecting berries that split into five petals, avoiding weeds with tiny barbs on their stems and leaves, and not eating old or withered leaves or mature ferns, more than 90% of the dangers can be avoided. It was by following these rules, along with a few easily identifiable plants distributed in high-latitude regions, that Chen Zhou was able to successfully find non-toxic plant nuts and berries.

……

Near the riverbanks, there are many low willow trees, and in the sheltered, warm valley, there are even dandelions, sorrel, nettles, and plantains.

Protected by the mountain walls on both sides, these plants, which were originally distributed in the North Temperate Zone, survived in the valley.

I know that dandelion can clear heat and detoxify, and it contains vitamins, minerals and amino acids, making it a natural "vitamin tablet".

Chen Zhou specially wove a basket out of willow branches, collected two large baskets of dandelions, and brought them back to the shelter to dry in the shade.

Sorrel is also a medicinal herb that can treat internal bleeding, dysentery and constipation. Plantain and dandelion have similar medicinal value and are both used for clearing heat and detoxifying. Chen Zhou also collected some.

……

After nearly a week of running around, Chen Zhou and Paul collected a large number of herbs and berries in willow baskets and also learned about the movement patterns of the herbivorous herds down the mountain.

Tie the basket to the tree trunks around the shelter, cover it with a thick layer of tree branches and leaves, and then lay down moss to prevent winter snow from seeping in. Chen Zhou finally embarked on the road of hunting large herbivores in search of rock salt.

……

This trip is different from the past; it will last at least two or three days, and sometimes as long as six or seven days.

In the wild, there are no sturdy shelters to protect you from the wind, no fire to keep burning all day, and your understanding of the terrain is not as thorough as it is in the mountains.

Therefore, food, weapons, fuel, and baggage are all necessities.

The weather is getting colder and colder. These days, the temperature at night is only about 3 to 4 degrees Celsius, and when the wind blows, the perceived temperature is almost 1 degree Celsius. Without warm clothes, it is impossible to sleep comfortably outdoors.

Herbivores on the Mammoth Grassland are eating voraciously, fattening up for winter.

The carnivores also went on a hunting spree, frequently launching attacks to prepare for winter.

Chen Zhou and Paul sewed several tanned deerskins, pieced them together into a large leather blanket, rolled it up, and carried it on their backs. They would lay it next to the campfire at night to protect themselves from the cold wind and minimize the cold.

In this kind of weather, hot drinks are also essential.

The cooking pot couldn't function as a thermos, so the two of them could only try to get as close to a water source as possible, carry a few pieces of firewood with them, and start a fire with the gradually drying wild grass on the grassland. When cooking meat soup, they would scoop out several bowls from the wooden bowl to drink, to warm their stomachs and bodies.

Since there were no seasonings, Chen Zhou brought some sorrel and added some to the pot when stewing the soup.

This plant contains oxalic acid in its roots and leaves.

Oxalic acid has low toxicity but is highly acidic. Excessive intake can irritate the gastrointestinal mucosa, causing nausea and vomiting. However, it is not a problem if it is ingested in small amounts and the person does not have a history of kidney stones. In fact, the sour taste of oxalic acid can be used as a flavoring agent.

Although the slightly sour meat soup is not exactly delicious, it still has a novelty compared to meat soup that is bland and tasteless, or meat soup that is only fishy and has an oily aroma.

……

Relying on the small and medium-sized animals they hunted along the way, enduring wind and rain, Chen Zhou and his companion followed the herd of giant deer, heading northwest along a tributary of the Ider River, and finally found traces of rock salt at the foot of a large mountain.

The foot of the mountain is steep, as if it has undergone geological evolution or a severe geological disaster, with the entire rock face, about 9 meters high, collapsed.

Blue-green pebbles were scattered on the ground, trampled into the mud or kicked aside by the deer.

The exposed rock walls are covered with white rock salt mixed with light gray, black and red spots. When the herd of giant deer reaches this place, they stop on the surrounding grassland, and sometimes a deer stretches its neck to lick the rock salt.

The herd consisted of about ninety adult deer, and with the fawns, the total number far exceeded one hundred. Each deer was focused on licking one spot, leaving a row of distinct indentations on the rock face.

The largest adult male deer licks the largest and deepest crater, which becomes shallower and smaller as you go down.

That was from the fawn licking it.

Attracted by the natural rock salt on this stone wall, you can also see many herbivores nearby.

Besides the animals that live and reproduce on the Eurasian continent, other herbivores that were released here by the Time and Space Administration also came to join in the fun.

Despite the withered vegetation, this area was surprisingly bustling.

……

Chen Zhou and Paul, with the serrated tiger cubs, stopped at a mound a kilometer away, observing the situation from a distance and planning how to drive away or avoid the herd of giant deer, collect enough rock salt, and then how to transport the hunted animals back to the sanctuary.

From a distance, they could see all the herbivores, and they also spotted many of their "colleagues".

Animals such as the American lion, cheetah, saber-toothed cat, dire wolf, giant bear, and saber-toothed cat, whether hunting alone or in groups, were also attracted by the abundant food resources.

Before nightfall, these fierce hunters were already itching to make their move.

However, because there were so many predators gathered here, many hunters were killed by their own kind before they even had a chance to attack the herbivores.

Chen Zhou and Paul witnessed a pack of more than 20 cave hyenas fighting against a puma.

The American lion has reddish-brown fur and is larger than the African lion, but unlike African lions, they do not live in groups and instead live as couples.

A pair of male and female American lions got into a fight over an animal carcass that cave hyenas had just discovered, which angered the local hyenas.

In the sudden outbreak of conflict, the cave hyena pack displayed an extremely high degree of coordination, feinting forward and backward while clearly defining their roles.

Some members draw the attention of the puma from the front, while others launch sneak attacks from behind, and still others watch from the periphery, ready to take over for any attacked companions to prevent the group from suffering greater losses.

As the archenemy of primitive humans and one of the most ferocious and united hunters in ancient Eurasia, the cave hyena taught these two newcomers, the American lions, a harsh lesson.

The male lion, with its larger size, barely managed to break through the encirclement, while the female lion was caught by several large female cave hyenas, whose bellies were torn open and their internal organs ripped out.

This is where the Cave Hyena Queen's superior intelligence compared to the American Lion becomes apparent.

It instinctively sensed that a more intense conflict was about to erupt, and after leading its tribe to quickly finish the most delicious offal, it retreated into the distance without looking back.

They are ferocious predators, but also battlefield scavengers; after a major battle, they are more than willing to clean up the corpses.

……

Meanwhile, a bright fire had already been lit on the grass behind the mound.

In the firelight, Chen Zhou meticulously examined the spearhead of the kunai that was secured to it, and stroked the sharp blade of the hand axe.

Instead of lying on the ground as usual, the three tiger cubs stood upright, heads held high and ears pricked up, nervously listening to the commotion.

The pungent odor of herbivores and the fishy stench of carnivores, accompanied by the chilly autumn wind, seemed to herald an impending crimson rain. (End of Chapter)