From Robinson Crusoe

The bear paw was more difficult to stew than Chen Zhou had imagined. Even after being put into a pressure cooker and stewed on high heat for an hour, it was still tough and chewy when taken out.

Moreover, the paws of the Giant Bear with Fine Teeth do not taste good and are probably far from the "steamed bear paws" in the legendary Manchu Han Imperial Feast.

Even though Chen Zhou and Paul were not picky eaters, they lost their appetite after eating a few bites of the undercooked bear paw. They emptied the water and bear paw from the pot and started stewing the bear heart again.

……

While the two of them were steaming with heat, the grassland was a different kind of lively scene.

Compared to the boiling water in the pot, the battle beneath the rock wall, though not as scalding, was far more intense and bloody.

Apart from a few giant beasts such as mammoths, woolly rhinoceroses, and giant ground sloths, most of the original species of the prehistoric Mammoth Plains, as well as herbivores and carnivores from all over the world, gathered here, as if there was some kind of gravitational force pulling them together.

The roars of wild beasts never ceased once they began, and even the howling evening wind could not drown out the wails of dying creatures.

No matter what kind of creature it is, they are all running and struggling.

Both attackers and fleeing individuals are fighting for survival.

The dead beasts irrigated the earth with their blood, and the surviving animals continued to take from nature.

On this vast land, they achieve reincarnation in a special way.

……

Paul's hearing wasn't sharp enough to know how frenzied the herd's hunt was. While waiting for the bear heart to cook in the pot, he was helping Chen Zhou skin the bear.

When the giant bear attacked, Paul only thought it was like a small mountain. Now that it was dead, and as he approached the carcass and began to skin it bit by bit, Paul truly realized what a colossal beast he had been facing.

Even the strongest male brown bear in Siberia pales in comparison to this behemoth; its carcass lying on the ground is almost the size of a jeep.

And yet, such a colossal beast could be killed by a single person using a crudely made cold weapon.

This gave Paul a new understanding of Chen Zhou's formidable physical abilities.

Compared to the American soldiers and Japanese he had fought, he found that Chen Zhou's fighting ability seemed out of place among the other challengers, like a professional boxer who had inexplicably wandered into a gathering of amateur enthusiasts.

Thinking back to Chen Zhou's useless "survival tool," Paul even felt that the entire challenge was a test for Chen Zhou personally. Both the protective suit and his own relatively poor skills were there to make things more difficult for Chen Zhou.

……

Chen Zhou, who was focused on cutting the bear skin, had no idea what Paul was thinking.

Even with Paul's wildest imagination, he couldn't have guessed that Chen Zhou hadn't joined the challenge through what he considered "legitimate channels." From beginning to end, this guy was an anomaly.

……

The night grew deeper, the blood on the bear skin had long since congealed, and the battle on the grassland was drawing to a close.

After dinner, Chen Zhou and Paul laid the cut-off bear skin on the ground, partially blocking the windward side of the mound, using it as a makeshift wall.

The campfire blazed brightly, and Chen Zhou had already lay down on the bearskin, covered with a large leather blanket sewn from deerskin.

He usually took the first half of the night watch, while Paul took the second half.

But today is different from the past.

At this time, the wild animals have just finished hunting. After obtaining their spoils, they will first fill their stomachs and then find a safe and comfortable place to rest until they feel hungry again or their strength is restored before they will think about looking for food.

Therefore, the first half of the night is relatively safe.

As night falls, the satiated wild animals will naturally not finish digesting their food so quickly, but as they leave the hunting grounds and make room, new hunters will soon join them.

Chen Zhou estimated that around dawn, a new round of hunting would begin, and wild animals would inevitably be drawn by the light, attracted by the skinned bear carcass and the two men by the campfire.

In a critical moment, he could protect himself, but Paul might not be able to escape the attack of a wild beast.

Especially some large felines, they can finish off their prey in just a few seconds.

To save Paul's life and to avoid unnecessary trouble, Chen Zhou adjusted the watch order.

……

With his eyes closed, he controlled his overly acute senses and forced himself to fall asleep quickly through repeated self-suggestion. In less than ten seconds, Chen Zhou was fast asleep.

Since returning to modern times after the island challenge, he has rarely dreamed.

When he occasionally dreams, his dreams are fragmented and chaotic, a mixture of what he saw and heard while on the deserted island, as well as what he experienced after returning to reality.

The first twenty-five years of his life, the next twenty-eight years of living on a deserted island, and the few short years after returning to reality—these three completely different experiences divided his life into three distinct segments.

But his chance encounter with this challenge opened the fourth chapter of his life.

He almost lost his sense of time while sleeping. It seemed like he had only slept for a moment when he heard Paul calling his name. Then a large hand began to push his body.

Suddenly sitting up from the bearskin, he saw Paul with a face full of anxiety.

Instantly snapping out of his groggy state, Chen Zhou grabbed the spear beside him and cautiously glanced around—

It was nearing the deepest part of the night, and the sky and the earth were shrouded in darkness.

The campfire swayed in the wind, its flickering light making the surrounding grass stalks appear as if they were dancing wildly.

Looking at the bear carcass beside him, and then at the large hyena carcass lying on the grass not far away that hadn't been devoured by wild animals, Chen Zhou was somewhat puzzled.

There were no wild animals nearby, and it wasn't time for the changing of the guard, so why did Paul wake him up?

……

Paul, who was squatting next to Chen Zhou, noticed that Chen Zhou had stood up and realized his confusion, so he quickly explained.

"Chen Zhou, look over there."

As he spoke, he left the bearskin rug and climbed up the earthen slope beside him.

Chen Zhou followed Paul up the earthen slope and looked into the distance.

In the direction Paul was facing, a small flame flickered on the mountain where rock salt had been deposited due to the collapse.

The firelight flickered in and out of sight in the dense forest, moving slowly as if it were coming gradually from the other side of the mountain.

"Is that a person?"

Paul pointed to the firelight on the mountain and asked.

Chen Zhou narrowed his eyes slightly. Even with his amazing eyesight, he still couldn't see clearly what was under the tiny flame from such a distance, but he was certain that it most likely came from another group of challengers.

"should be."

As he spoke, Chen Zhou turned to look at the campfire behind him and continued.

“They should have seen us too. Just like when we saw the previous challengers, they have a higher vantage point and a better view. As long as they don’t keep their heads down, they should be able to see our campfire.”

"It seems there are still some stubborn warmongers out there."

The challenge has been going on for so long, and instead of focusing on building shelters, they've been pushing forward without even concealing their movements. They're up to no good…

Chen Zhou muttered to himself, but before he could finish speaking, Paul patted him on the shoulder, gesturing for him to look in the other direction.

When Chen Zhou turned his gaze to the grassland that met the foot of the mountain, he was immediately stunned—

Across the long river, on the other side of the distant Mammoth Grassland, two bright lights also shone.

Compared to the firelight on the mountain, this firelight was clearer and closer.

More importantly, the two flames were heading straight for the riverbank.

The firelight moved extremely fast, and as it drew closer, Chen Zhou saw that the person holding the torch was riding on the back of a giant deer, galloping across the grassland.

His earlier idea of ​​domesticating herbivores as pack animals was realized by someone else so quickly.

Watching another group of challengers moving rapidly across the grassland, Chen Zhou felt envious, but also a strong sense of crisis welled up in his heart.

Having a mount negates his speed advantage, preventing him from quickly closing in to engage in close combat and severely injure his opponent.

If the opponent is skilled in mounted archery and can manufacture obsidian arrowheads or powerful bows and crossbows with metal arrowheads, his situation will be even more dangerous.

Human intelligence can compensate for many physical disadvantages. Once the opponent discovers that he is strong in close combat, he may use the mobility advantage of having a mount to kite him, wear him down with rounds of mounted archery, and kill him.

His skin was indeed tougher than that of ordinary people, but it still couldn't withstand the attack of arrows.

As for dodging, even with his excellent stamina, he couldn't possibly outlast two people—

Chen Zhou subconsciously ignored Paul.

Faced with these two, the only way Chen Zhou could think of to deal with them was to enter the dense forest or climb the high mountain, use the terrain to restrict the giant deer, and then seize the opportunity to attack.

He didn't even dare to imagine the idea of ​​directly throwing spears to kill the giant deer, thus forcing the two of them to dismount and lose their mounts.

The reason why wild animals can be hit by spears is that they do not have the concept of throwing weapons.

Humans can recognize thrown weapons and can also discern the preparatory movements before throwing a spear. Under the premise of early warning, it would be a pipe dream to hit two moving targets on a vast grassland.

Moreover, the spears were too large, so he couldn't carry too many, leaving him with few opportunities to attack.

Although the bow and arrow are not as powerful as the spear, they have the advantage in terms of ammunition quantity and range. Overall, he still has a hard time gaining the upper hand.

"This is a big problem."

"Chen Zhou, your previous prediction was very accurate."

These two groups of challengers were likely the ones initially assigned to the north. Instead of staying put, they tried to find a way south. I estimate that we're already in the southern part of the challenge area..."

Paul couldn't understand what Chen Zhou was saying in Chinese. He couldn't see the firelight on the mountain very clearly, but he could see the two people on the other side of the river. So he took the initiative to analyze the current situation with Chen Zhou.

"There are a total of fifty groups of challengers. Including us, there are now four groups."

If conflicts have occurred among other challengers, or if weaker challengers have been killed by wild beasts, the remaining challengers may very well number less than forty groups…

While Paul was still analyzing the situation, he suddenly saw Chen Zhou walking down the mound.

"Cancel the plan, we can't stay here any longer."

Chen Zhou's tone was full of urgency.

This tributary of the Idel River is neither wide nor deep enough.

The temperature is not yet below zero, and although the river water is already chilly, it is not yet bone-chillingly cold.

At the same time they saw the challengers on the mountain and the challengers on the other side of the river, the other side also saw them.

The group of challengers on the mountain are alright; they won't be coming down anytime soon.

The challengers on the other side of the river could cross at any time and catch up with the mound if they were determined.

Unable to guarantee that all challengers were as belligerent as he was, Chen Zhou dared not expect anyone to show him any mercy in such a brutal challenge.

Once the enemy harbored murderous intent, he and Paul would have no chance of escaping their encirclement and pursuit on the open grassland.

Moreover, they had just fought fiercely with the giant bear in the middle of the night, during which Paul lost his weapon and exhausted a lot of his strength. He then held out for several hours and has not recovered yet. It seems that they should not have fought so hard.

Chen Zhou was at a disadvantage in terms of timing, location, and popular support, and he didn't want to fight a battle he wasn't confident of winning.

After reminding Paul, he immediately went to the campfire, ignoring the scalding hot cooking pot on it, poured out the water, wrapped the pot in a bearskin and slung it over his back, then picked up Tiger Big Brother and Tiger Second Brother, tucked them under his armpits, and called out to Paul again.

Although Paul didn't know why Chen Zhou was leaving in such a hurry, he didn't raise any objections.

Chen Zhou's experience, combat prowess, and observational skills far surpassed his own, and he had earned Chen Zhou's respect during their time together. Even if Chen Zhou's plans were sudden or unreasonable, Chen Zhou would obey unconditionally.

Who would refuse a leader who could kill a giant bear with melee weapons?
……

Before leaving, Paul picked up Tiger Three and rolled up the deerskin blanket. He even tried to pick up the small basket woven from willow branches, but Chen Zhou stopped him.

Willow branches are everywhere, and baskets can be woven anytime, but if you walk too slowly, you'll run into a lot of trouble.

Abandoning most of their equipment, including the bear carcass and the bear skin spread on the ground, the two left the mound one after the other without looking back.

Once Chen Zhou was out of the mound and his view was no longer obstructed, he subconsciously turned his head and glanced at a tributary of the Ider River.

At this moment, the firelight on the opposite bank of the river had stopped moving and remained steadily on the high slope on the opposite bank.

As they drew closer, illuminated by the firelight, Chen Zhou could now make out the attire of the challengers—

The two men dismounted from the deer and stood beside the giant antlered deer, both dressed in the attire of ancient wandering knights.

One of them was dressed in white, holding a torch in one hand and reins in the other, with a sword faintly visible at his waist.

The other man, dressed in brown leather armor, with long hair and a tall, upright posture, had a large bow slung across his shoulder. He faced the mound where he and Paul had left, seemingly observing the firelight and searching for their traces.

Separated by the river, Chen Zhou could not make out the features of the two people, but he could sense that the challengers were probably Chinese, which slightly reduced his hostility.

In the prehistoric world, it was already extremely difficult to encounter humans with whom one could communicate, let alone "fellow countrymen" from the same land.

Humans may have no intention of harming tigers, but tigers may have the intent to kill.

If these two people really came from ancient times, then even if he considers them compatriots in his heart, these two people may not necessarily regard him as a member of the same clan.

The world changes in an instant. Let alone thousands of years, even just a hundred years can make a world of difference in culture. These two people may not even understand each other's languages.

With a silent sigh, Chen Zhou turned away, no longer glancing at the two men. Taking Paul with him and clutching the little saw-toothed tiger, Chen Zhou's figure gradually disappeared into the darkness. (End of Chapter)