From Robinson Crusoe

The grassland after the snow was stained mottled white.

Patches of melting snow revealed withered yellow grass beneath them; thin ice froze overnight and melted again in the morning.

It is extremely cold here at night, but during the day there is an indescribable dampness.

……

Perhaps it was good luck, but there was no wind this morning and the sun was shining brightly, making it a rare good day.

Carrying a wicker basket filled with salt stones, Chen Zhou led the three saw-toothed tigers across the river. Before leaving, he looked back at the mountain ridge.

As he had predicted, Bi Kai did not wake up, nor did he appear on the ridge.

Imagining how the person who thought he was going to die would react after waking up to find that he was completely healed, even his severed limbs were intact, Chen Zhou walked into the depths of the grassland.

The morning is a rare time to find food, especially on a warm day like today.

A not-too-large herd of mammoths appeared in the distance.

Several female mammoths, acting as the "grandmothers" of the herd, led the group as they strolled along the riverbank, while the young mammoths curiously observed the wintery world.

This is their first winter in their long lifespan.

Winter is commonplace for most adult animals; the mammoth grasslands experience four seasons every year.

However, only those who are actually in the midst of the challenge know how cold this winter will be. Temperatures of minus 65 degrees Celsius are no less than a mass extinction event, and more than 90 percent of creatures will not be able to survive this winter, including mammoths.

All the creatures that now leisurely walk on the grassland will one day become corpses under the snow.

……

Looking at the mammoth with its long fur in the distance, Chen Zhou shook his head helplessly.

The Time and Space Administration remains as indifferent to life as ever.

When they can freely control and manipulate everything in a world, it's probably like a gamer using cheat codes. The only slightly interesting thing is watching the "chess pieces" in the game field react. They can't get any other kind of fun from it.

……

Hey~
Tiger Two saw several cave hyenas sneaking towards a camel in the distance and couldn't help but let out an urgent roar.

This was the first time the three brothers had gone hungry like this since they started following Chen Zhou.

The young sawtooth tigers were growing rapidly and couldn't bear to go hungry. If they didn't know they were no match for cave hyenas and couldn't hunt large prey on their own, they probably would have gone out to find food on their own long ago.

"Is this urgent?"

Bending down to rub Tiger Two's little head, Chen Zhou walked to the other side, where a small group of wild donkeys were rummaging through the snow, searching for grass stalks underneath.

The most important thing right now is to bring the rock salt back to the shelter and, incidentally, complete the cold-resistance injections.

He didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble, such as hunting prey that was too large or getting into conflicts with other wild animals.

The plan has already been set; all that's needed is to follow it step by step.

However, to Chen Zhou's surprise, trouble is often not something you invite; when you're unlucky enough, it will come knocking on your door.

……

A lone camel may have been attacked by a wild animal, and its temperament appears much more wary than that of its kind.

Before the cave hyenas had even fully formed an encirclement, it stretched out its long neck, hissed, and began to run wildly on its four long legs.

A behemoth weighing up to 800 kilograms would naturally have an astonishing momentum when it ran. Even though cave hyenas were renowned hunters in the prehistoric world, they dared not stop this giant beast head-on.

However, they weren't in a hurry.

Although the grasslands in winter do not have enough wild grass to provide them with enough cover, they do offer them a wide field of vision.

To deal with this cunning prey, simply follow closely behind it; its panic will exacerbate its energy expenditure.

In terms of endurance, cave hyenas have the advantage. With the tacit cooperation of the group members and their excellent endurance, they can exhaust the camel's stamina before launching a final attack.

Maintaining a moderate pace, the cave hyenas followed behind the camel. Whenever the camel slowed down even slightly, they would quicken their pace to frighten it.

This is equivalent to forcing the camel to run a long distance by walking. As long as the duration is long enough, the camel will be the first to give up.

The cave hyenas had sophisticated hunting tactics, but none of them expected this camel to seem somewhat insane—

Realizing it could not shake off the predator behind it, it strode off and headed straight for the woolly rhinoceros that was resting by the river.

It was a woolly rhinoceros mother and her calf. The calf was already two-thirds the size of its mother and was probably born this spring.

Of these two enormous creatures, the smaller one weighs nearly a ton, while the adult female woolly rhinoceros weighs over three tons.

Similar to modern rhinoceroses, these furry creatures with horns on their heads are exceptionally irritable.

Apart from the mammoths whose sheer size intimidated them and caused them to retreat, neither harmless herbivores nor carnivores were allowed to enter their territory.

The cave hyenas' chasing of the camels had already caught the attention of the woolly rhinoceros, but because they did not enter the woolly rhinoceros' territory and the woolly rhinoceros was busy looking for food, it ignored them.

Only at this moment, after the camel ran towards the woolly rhinoceros, did it finally attract the attention of this grassland overlord.

Two puffs of white vapor shot out from its large nostrils, and its small eyes, hidden beneath its fur, revealed a hint of anger.

With an impatient flick of her tail, the female woolly rhinoceros warned the camel and the herd of small creatures following behind it with a deep growl—

"Get out of my territory!"

Hu~hu~hu~
The camel was a complete idiot; it ignored the woolly rhinoceros's warnings and charged straight ahead.

This behavior was tantamount to provocation and thoroughly enraged the woolly rhinoceros.

Without any preparation, it began its sprint without warning.

Like a locomotive at full power, the camel, weighing less than a third of the female woolly rhinoceros, was knocked to the ground and then, like a tattered sack, was placed on the head of the woolly rhinoceros, leaving a deep mark on the grass.

The camel is not a native species of Eurasia; it was sent here by the Time and Space Administration and is unaware of the power of the woolly rhinoceros.

As an "old friend" of the woolly rhinoceros, the cave hyena was deeply impressed by this terrifying creature.

There are few creatures on the grasslands that they dare not provoke, and the woolly rhinoceros is on this "list".

Although cave hyenas were larger and stronger than modern spotted hyenas, woolly rhinoceroses still had an overwhelming advantage in size.

Moreover, because woolly rhinoceroses have thick fur and a thick skin underneath, their defense is even greater than that of modern rhinoceroses. When facing an adult woolly rhinoceros, even if a cave hyena risks being trampled to death by biting it, the result is usually no pain or itch.

Knowing that the woolly rhinoceros had gone mad, the cave hyenas hurriedly turned around and retreated, fleeing in all directions.

But once the woolly rhinoceros's anger flared up, it wasn't so easy to vent it. Its small eyes turned almost bloodshot, and without caring which cave hyena had first intruded into its territory, it straightened its tail, randomly picked one, and charged straight at it.

A colossal beast weighing over a ton ran across the winter grassland, its heavy footsteps like drumbeats that could be heard from a great distance.

Just as Chen Zhou and his three sawtooth tigers formed an encirclement around the wild donkeys, before they could even make a move, the donkey herd was startled by the frenzied woolly rhinoceros and began to flee in a direction far away from the rhinoceros.

Tiger Cub was lying in ambush there, and as soon as he saw his prey rushing over, he immediately charged.

However, its size was ultimately too small, and it could only pounce on the back of its prey before it could increase its speed, or leap up from below to tear at its throat. It could not win by force like an adult sawtooth tiger.

Seeing the donkey hooves flashing in front of him, Tiger Cub's instincts reminded him not to try to attack, or he would be finished if he got kicked.

So it swallowed the roar that was about to burst from its throat, obediently brought the brakes on, stood still, and watched the herd of donkeys disappear into the distance.

Tiger Two and Tiger Three, charging from the other two directions, also dared not contend with so many wild donkeys' hooves—

Chen Zhou was their main hunter. Without Chen Zhou launching the first attack and inflicting wounds on the prey, the three of them would be basically unable to deal with large, healthy prey. They might be able to catch squirrels and mice, though.

……

"Damn it, when you're down on your luck, even drinking cold water will cause you to choke."

Having already drawn his kunai, Chen Zhou was slowly moving forward, bending over, intending to wait until he was closer before making his move. Naturally, he could see what was happening and couldn't help but curse under his breath.

Of course, what made him unlucky wasn't just the herd of donkeys being disturbed, but also that damned cave hyena—

It is charging here with a furious woolly rhinoceros.

Beneath the hooves of the woolly rhinoceros, mud and water mixed with ice splattered.

The cave hyena, in its panic, ran straight toward Chen Zhou.

"run!"

Shout loudly to remind the three-headed saw-toothed tiger.

Chen Zhou was confident in dealing with the giant beast, but the little ones were powerless to resist. In this critical moment, it was best to let them stay far away to avoid being implicated.

Moreover, when hunting such large predators, the smaller saw-toothed tigers cannot provide much help, and even adult saw-toothed tigers may get injured during the hunt.

Chen Zhou doesn't have a second regeneration injection right now, and if the Sawtooth Tiger gets injured, it will most likely lose its life.

……

The three-headed saw-toothed tiger had lived with humans for so long that it was quite obedient.

Upon hearing the "leader's" command, they immediately scattered, leaving Chen Zhou alone with his knife, waiting for the woolly rhinoceros.

The fleeing cave hyenas never expected that there would be creatures that didn't run for their lives after seeing the woolly rhinoceros.

It charged straight at Chen Zhou without flinching, baring its teeth as if threatening this clueless human to get out of the way.

Chen Zhou's response to it was a kunai—

The distance was so close that the cold glint of the flying blade flashed in the cave hyena's eyes for only a moment before piercing deep into its chest.

A sharp, stinging pain suddenly appeared in the cave hyena's chest, making it difficult to breathe and even take a step, causing its speed to drop drastically.

During the escape, any hesitation or waiting is fatal.

The relentless woolly rhinoceros lowered its head and quickly came up behind the cave hyena. Its thick neck seemed to be triggered by some mechanism, instantly flinging the cave hyena into the air.

Its sudden pause halted its momentum, leaving it almost standing still.

As a behemoth weighing over a ton, once the woolly rhinoceros stops, it would be difficult for it to reach a sprint speed of 45 kilometers per hour again. That would require abundant physical strength and a relatively long acceleration period.

What Chen Zhou feared was precisely the terrifying power of the woolly rhinoceros once it began its charge.

Once the woolly rhinoceros voluntarily relinquishes this advantage, it will lose most of its potential threat and become a much clumsy sitting duck than a mammoth.

……

The cave hyena, which had been flying more than ten meters, crashed to the ground with a thud, leaving a mark on the snow.

It was not dead yet, and it struggled to stand up.

Cave hyenas are muscular and much lighter than camels, and their limbs are not as slender. As hunters selected by nature, they are much more resistant to attacks than most herbivores and have a very strong vitality.

If a cave hyena is merely flung away by a woolly rhinoceros instead of having its horn pierce through it, such a blow would certainly not kill it.

However, what was truly fatal was the kunai that Chen Zhou threw out; it pierced the cave hyena's skin and lodged in its lung.

As the cave hyena was thrown into the air, the metal kunai, affected by potential energy, moved within the hyena's lungs, exacerbating its injuries and directly causing it to be unable to breathe.

It opened its mouth wide, as if to draw in more air.

However, no matter how hard it tried, all it could feel was the coldness of the snow.

So it could only stare wide-eyed in despair as the woolly rhinoceros approached step by step, as it raised its thick, cylindrical forelegs...

As the woolly rhinoceros lowered its forelegs, the cave hyena's entire body collapsed, flattening into a "carpet."

The woolly rhinoceros's anger had not yet subsided after killing two intruders who had trespassed into its territory.

The stench of blood beneath it instinctively disgusted the massive herbivore. It turned away in revulsion, its gaze fixed on the strange, uncooperative creature.

Chen Zhou.

……

Two more plumes of white vapor shot out from the woolly rhinoceros's nostrils, which inexplicably reminded Chen Zhou of the steamship he had built.

When the coal in the boiler is fully burned, the water is boiled, and the steam whistle is sounded, white smoke will come out of the chimney.

However, the white vapor from the woolly rhinoceros's nostrils was not hot enough, and its attitude was far from friendly like that of a steam engine. Not only did it not serve humans, it also wanted to kill them.

Gripping the knife tightly, Chen Zhou's mind involuntarily conjured up many knife techniques he had only recently learned.

"Should we chop, or use a hacking, sweeping, slicing, hanging, flicking, or wiping motion...?"

Or perhaps it's a feint to conceal a knife, a hand gesture to a stand, or a snowflake covering the top...

Despite having learned a great deal, his mind became even more confused after the battle, instead of clearing up.

Before Chen Zhou could figure it out, the woolly rhinoceros charged over.

At that moment, he abandoned all thoughts of techniques or sword skills, instinctively dodging to the side and then slashing at the woolly rhinoceros's forehoof. (End of Chapter)