From Robinson Crusoe

"There's nothing we can do. No matter how much we envy them, we don't know how to tame animals, so we can only watch from afar."

Watching the deer linger on the ridge, leisurely searching for dead hay in the light snow and diligently consuming nutrients, Chen Zhou shook his head.

……

He continued forward, intending to collect some salt rocks as soon as possible, and then, while it was still bright and warm in the morning, walk around the foot of the mountain to look for caves.

If a suitable shelter could be found, perhaps he could take Paul to live somewhere else.

When building the wooden and stone shelter on the Whitehar Mountains, his priority was to discover the whereabouts of other challengers as early as possible, so as to create an advantage in seizing airdrop supplies.

Unexpectedly, the airdropped supplies were accompanied by such a large, brightly lit beacon; even a blind person would find it dazzling.

Furthermore, the supplies were located in the far north, and he and Paul happened to be away from home at the time, rendering the shelter, which could serve as a lookout post, completely useless.

The challenge has now entered its second phase, where everyone will be stockpiling food to survive the winter as long as possible, and no one will be so reckless as to continue wandering outside.

From this perspective, the shelter on the mountainside seems particularly useless.

Winters during the Ice Age were already long and cold, and the constant winds on the mountains exacerbated the loss of temperature.

If it weren't for the time and effort required to rebuild the shelter, coupled with Paul's unhealed leg injury and subsequent injections of genetic modification drugs, Chen Zhou would have already attempted to relocate the pine nuts and other resources from the mountain.

While planning what to take first if he had to move, without any pack animals, Chen Zhou was already very close to the foot of the mountain.

……

The towering mountains blocked out the sunlight, and the land covered in shadow was especially cold.

Although less than a day had passed, the snow on the ground had already shown obvious signs of differentiation—

The surface of the snow, exposed to sunlight, had melted, giving it a damp appearance.

The snow in the shadows remained solid, especially the snow layer directly below the rock face, which, combined with the previous snowfall, appeared even thicker.

The closer you get, the more you can feel the danger of the mountain and how towering it is.

Standing at the foot of the mountain, anyone would inevitably look up and see where they are on the mountain.

Fearing the three saw-toothed tigers might wander off, Chen Zhou called out to them, bringing them back. When he looked up again, he saw a white line rising from the side of the ridge.

At first, he thought he was seeing things, because the white line that rose from below only appeared briefly before being blown away by the wind and disappearing into the pale blue sky.

But after observing it carefully for a while, he finally determined that the white line was not a uniquely shaped cloud, but rather the smoke from a fire.

Not only that, noticing something amiss, he stopped and observed for a while longer, then noticed something even stranger—

The herd of giant deer that seemed not to have migrated and remained on the mountain appeared to be foraging freely, but in reality, they never left their small area on the ridge, as if someone was restricting their movements.

……

"Are these deer being raised by humans?"

An idea popped into my head.

Worried that he was going crazy thinking about deer and making that connection whenever he saw one, Chen Zhou didn't rush up the mountain. Instead, he moved to a less conspicuous spot to continue his observation.

The result is correct.

Although the smoke rising from behind the ridge is often blown away by the wind, it always manages to reappear when the wind is weak.

The herd of bighorn deer never ventured too far, especially the one that appeared to be the leader, which kept looking toward the smoke, as if observing the reaction of the herd's owner.

"You can't find anything after wearing iron shoes, but it takes no effort to get there."

Chen Zhou hadn't expected such an unexpected gain on this trip. He kept his eyes fixed on the deer herd on the ridge and didn't rush up the mountain.

This hillside is bare, with almost no trees and not even large rocks. If someone climbs the mountain, they can see it from above.

If his trail is discovered, and the other party doesn't want to fight, they can simply mount a deer, whistle, and run off with the deer, leaving him several kilometers behind in the blink of an eye. In this freezing weather, he can't possibly continue the pursuit.

Right now, salt harvesting is the priority.

Once he had collected enough rock salt, he also gained a good understanding of the surrounding terrain.

Once the sun sets and it gets darker, he can try climbing directly up the rock face, or starting from the side and going around to the ridge.

Chen Zhou was certain that this group of deer herders must have settled here.

Because this place has both aquatic plants and rock salt, and is not short of fuel, it can truly be considered a region rich in resources.

In the dead of winter, it's clearly better to stay here than to migrate with the deer herd.

The only thing that puzzled him was that the grass here didn't seem plentiful, and he didn't know where the deer herders got the grass to feed so many deer.

However, these are not issues he needs to consider.

When he climbed the mountain in the afternoon, he followed the tracks left by the deer and found the deer herder, and all his questions were naturally answered.

As for what methods to use to obtain the domesticated giant deer, Chen Zhou had not yet decided on a course of action.

Although the rules of the challenge destined it to be bloody, and he was well aware of the cruelty of the rules, he did not actually like the feeling of being restricted by the Time and Space Administration and having to act as a gladiator in the arena, fighting against others.

When they encountered their first group of challengers, he and Paul were severely lacking in survival tools and were living a very difficult life.

Furthermore, the other party's identity disgusted him, and they had discovered their whereabouts in advance, set a trap, and adopted a stance of fighting to the death, which solidified his intention to take action.

After killing that group of challengers, apart from the black-robed man who posed a significant threat and gave him the idea of ​​striking first, the subsequent groups of challengers actually gave him many opportunities, but he did not take the initiative to attack.

This was partly because the risks and rewards did not match, and partly because he and Paul had limited carrying capacity and could not take everyone's survival tools and clothing.

On the other hand, it was also because he was not inherently bloodthirsty, and especially disliked creating such bloodshed without any grudges or hatred.

With sufficient survival tools, the first batch of airdropped supplies already in hand, and a large food reserve, Chen Zhou felt that his group was basically guaranteed victory.

As a result, his murderous intent diminished considerably.

He generally won't make the first move unless the other party is hostile.

Without airdrop supplies, the only way to win is to outlast your opponents by relying on a warm and stable shelter and plenty of food.

Now, on this winning track, he and Paul are far ahead.

This isn't an island or abandoned city from a battle royale game, nor are there vehicles that can carry people at high speeds, and the temperature conditions aren't such that you can stay outdoors 24/7 without getting cold.

Unless a flying superhero is mixed in among the challengers, no one can win by killing all their competitors. In the end, the one left will be a "turtle" rather than someone who dares to fight.

Chen Zhou realized this as soon as the challenge began, so from the moment he built his shelter on the mountain, he started raiding squirrel nests to prepare for a protracted battle. The only difference was that at the beginning, because he didn't have any survival tools, he was paired with Paul, and they basically had to share one person's survival tools, making life extremely difficult.

As the saying goes, poverty breeds cunning, and wealth breeds conscience. If you have nothing, you can't make anything or buy anything.

But people have to survive, so what can they do? They have no choice but to rob.

Now that he has the lives of several challengers on his hands, he is living a more comfortable life, and Chen Zhou has become a bit "milder".

Although he really wants the Great Antler Deer right now, since the Great Antler Deer won't play a decisive role in the outcome of the challenge, his methods will naturally not be as violent as before.

Of course, whether the situation will develop into an exchange of benefits or a murder and robbery is not something he can decide unilaterally; it also depends on the deer herder's reaction.

If the other party insisted on not parting with it, he had no choice but to return to Mount Baihar alone with the salt.

Unless it involves life or death, Chen Zhou is no longer willing to kill or steal for two deer.

Instead of wasting time stealing deer, it would be more worthwhile to find some hibernating wild animals and obtain more pelts and meat than to steal deer.

After all, once you get the deer, you still have to take good care of it and watch the temperature trend in the future.

If the temperature drops sharply and he doesn't have a chance to move, the two bighorn deer will only be used as backup food, and they might even be slaughtered early for fear of losing weight in the cold.

Moreover, as a stranger, the deer is unfamiliar with his scent and voice, so whether he can steal a live deer is unknown.

……

After winter sets in, the days become shorter, and the sun rises in the east and sets in the west much faster.

In what seemed like the blink of an eye, the shadow cast by the mountain had expanded to the riverbank.

Below the cliff, Chen Zhou had long since finished collecting rock salt and was patiently waiting for the sky to darken further.

He put the salt stones he knocked off the rock face into a wicker basket.

These natural rock salts contain many impurities and are far less pure than seawater.

In ancient times, salt production often involved purifying the salt by using brine, dissolving rock salt in the water, and then adding chemical reagents such as lime and alkali to cause impurities to precipitate.

A more traditional approach involves pouring an impure brine solution into a salt pan or container, using sunlight and wind to evaporate the water and allow it to crystallize.

This purification method is exactly the same as Chen Zhou's salt-making method on the island. The salt produced is of very poor quality, easily clumps, and has a very bitter taste, which is actually harmful to the body, although it is much healthier than seawater.

However, concepts like health and wellness depend on the environment.

Living in the prehistoric world, without the necessary conditions, there was no need to pursue extremely pure salt; a little saltiness was enough to replenish salt levels.

After bringing these salt stones back to the shelter, Chen Zhou would at most break them up, then boil them in boiling water until they dissolved, and then pour the brine into a container.

Once small salt crystals appear on the inner edge of the container, he will scrape them off and eat them.

As for whether it contains heavy metals or how many impurities it contains, those are things to consider only after the challenge is over and one becomes the ultimate winner. The dead have no right to worry about their health.

……

Just past noon, as the sun began to slant slightly westward, the herd of deer that had been lingering along the ridge turned around and disappeared back to the other side of the mountain.

Chen Zhou knew that the deer herders were probably leading the deer to another location, so he wasn't too worried.

The heavy snow is a natural canvas. Animals are scarce on the mountain, so the deer's footprints will not be disturbed. As long as you arrive in time, you can find the deer by following the footprints. There is no need to worry about getting lost.

Wait patiently until it gets dark enough, then leave the wicker basket containing the salt stones at the foot of the mountain.

Chen Zhou calmed the three saw-toothed tigers to prevent them from fighting again and disturbing the deer herd, then led the little ones around the side of the mountain and headed straight for the ridge.

Actually, climbing directly up the rock face is much faster than taking a detour, but unfortunately, only Chen Zhou can do free climbing.

Even snow leopards and clouded leopards, which are known for their climbing abilities among felines, are helpless against such near-90° right-angle rock walls. Only primates with their flexible, powerful, and grasping fingers can manage it.

……

The three-headed saw-toothed tiger ate and lived with humans since it was a cub, and could understand most words.

Moreover, because Chen Zhou would occasionally teach Paul a few sentences in Chinese, the little ones were able to receive bilingual education and could understand a few sentences in both Chinese and Russian.

The atmosphere was already a bit tense, and the little guys had entered hunting mode, remaining silent on the way up the mountain and even slowing their pace considerably.

However, no matter how quietly they moved, it was all in vain—

Chen Zhou, who was leading the way, was quite a heavyweight. No matter how hard he tried to conceal his footsteps, he would still leave deep footprints in the snow, after all, he couldn't defy gravity.

Walking from the hillside to the ridge, in the area where he had seen the deer during the day, Chen Zhou discovered a large patch of footprints left by giant deer.

In addition, he found footprints left by humans collecting feces on the snow.

To his surprise, the footprints seemed to belong to only one person, meaning that the deer herder was not a pair of challengers, but a lone wolf.

However, there is also the possibility that one person will look after the deer while the other searches for food.

Despite his confusion, Chen Zhou did not stop and continued forward.

Once past the ridge, the view on the other side of the mountain was something I was seeing for the first time.

Sunny slopes are covered with dense grass, while shady slopes have many trees.

Not far from where the deer roam on the mountainside, there is a circle of rubble with some embers scattered by the wind.

That was a campfire left behind by the deer herders.

The snow around the campfire melted into a circle as the fire heated it, and the melted snow froze into ice after the temperature dropped in the afternoon, making it look exceptionally crystal clear.

About 100 meters down the slope from the campfire, there is a dense forest.

Because they don't get much sunlight, most of the trees here grow slowly, are extremely thin, and appear fragile.

Most of them are birch-like trees, with a few coniferous plants as well.

As dusk approached, many birds returning to their nests gathered in flocks and flew from the foot of the mountain into the forest.

Among the dense canopy of trees, many of the gnarled structures hanging from the trunks are their nests. In the cold north, even bird nests must be built large and thick enough to prevent drafts.

From his vantage point, Chen Zhou could see flickering lights in the woods from a great distance. As for the herd of deer, they were nowhere to be seen; presumably, they had been driven into the woods by the deer herders and were no longer visible.

Everything went smoothly as planned. Chen Zhou felt he was most likely to get his hands on two large antler deer, and his spirits lifted considerably. He quickened his pace as he walked down the mountain. (End of Chapter)