From Robinson Crusoe

The brief period of good weather was the last act of mercy the Time and Space Administration bestowed upon those vying for supplies.

Chen Zhou packed up the supplies overnight, tied tree branches with animal hides, and reassembled the cart. Not long after setting off, the temperature plummeted like the water level of a reservoir being opened.

Chen Zhou originally wanted to bring more coal, but the temperature was dropping too fast.

After walking for less than five hours, he could clearly feel that the outdoor temperature had dropped by more than ten degrees. If this trend continued, the temperature was expected to drop to minus forty-five degrees within two days.

If the downward trend in temperature does not stop by then, the lower limit of temperature is very likely to exceed the normal level of an ice age and fall below minus sixty degrees Celsius, which is the "threat from the Time and Space Administration" written in the rules at the beginning of the challenge.

Having undergone genetic modification, Chen Zhou knew he could withstand temperatures as low as -30 to -40 degrees Celsius, but -65 degrees Celsius was truly terrifying.

It's important to know that the lowest natural temperature limit measured by humans on Earth is only around minus 100 degrees Celsius. This is almost the lowest limit that the Earth's surface temperature can reach. Lower temperatures can only occur under some extreme weather conditions.

At minus 65 degrees Celsius, water can freeze instantly when splashed on it.

In such an extremely cold environment, you have to hit the ground with a stick to urinate; steel plates become as brittle as glass, and even hard steel bars can break.

The cave was indeed thick and could, to some extent, withstand the severe cold.

However, Chen Zhou was not sure whether the cave could maintain a temperature suitable for human habitation should the temperature drop too low.

……

We traveled day and night without daring to stop.

To increase his speed, Chen Zhou even reluctantly threw away the coal on the cart.

However, he was careful and marked the spot in the snow when he dropped the coal.

The cave certainly had plenty of fuel stored up, but in the face of such extreme cold, more fuel was always better, especially high-quality fuel like coal.

If the temperature rises after returning to the cave, he can take Paul and Bi Kai to collect the coal again.

We can also bring along three saw-toothed tigers and have them carry leather bags as pack animals.

Despite being called a tiger, the sawtooth tiger is not genetically similar to the modern Siberian tiger. Compared to big cats that are not good at carrying heavy loads, the sawtooth tiger has a more robust body structure, somewhat similar to a hyena, and has a certain load-bearing capacity.

Especially after the sawtooth tiger grows to sub-adult or adulthood, its strength can be further enhanced.

……

As Chen Zhou trudged through the wind and snow, thinking of his three saw-toothed tigers at home and what would happen after the challenge ended, he couldn't help but feel a little worried.

The Time and Space Administration has sealed off this area. After the final winner is determined, how long will it take for the temperature to return to normal?

If he and Paul Bikai both leave, will Tiger Da Wa and the other two still be able to survive?

Having lived with humans since childhood and having almost no contact with their wild counterparts, they also needed human involvement to master hunting skills.

Chen Zhou estimated that even if the temperature returned to normal after they left, it would take the three sawtooth tigers at least two or three months to adapt to life without help.

Fortunately, Chen Zhou and his group had enough reserve food. If the other challengers didn't last long enough, they would at least have several thousand kilograms of meat left for the sawtooth tigers to consume. With this meat, they should be able to survive until they mastered the new hunting methods.

Of course, if they simply sit around eating all the meat and only then remember to hunt, the outcome would probably not be so optimistic.

However, Chen Zhou thought again that even if the saw-toothed tigers had the ability to support themselves, finding prey was still a problem.

These three lucky creatures had humans to light a fire for warmth and were able to hide in a cave to escape the catastrophe; other animals in the wild were not so fortunate.

Not to mention animals that live in the open, even bears and badgers that hibernate in caves or burrows would probably never wake up and sleep forever in this world ruled by ice and frost.

Once the prey becomes extinct, the sawtooth tiger, as the predator, also loses its chance of survival.

Chen Zhou had a vague feeling that if the Time and Space Administration did not provide any compensation after they left, the three-headed sawtooth tiger might actually starve to death.

"Well, that is a problem."

We don't know how they will survive after we leave.

Paul must have considered this as well; his feelings for the saw-toothed tiger are deeper than mine. Let's ask him what he thinks when we get back.”

……

Seven days after leaving, braving a blizzard, Chen Zhou finally returned to the safe and warm cave.

During the latter half of the trek, fearing that he would freeze to death if no one watched the campfire, Chen Zhou barely slept.

He adopted a segmented, short-duration rest method, only closing his eyes to rest when the campfire was burning brightest, and forcing himself to wake up when his consciousness was about to fade and he was about to fall asleep.

In this way, like a traveler in the desert drawing water from the hard roots of a plant, he slowly made his way to the foot of Mount Baihar.

When he saw the snow shelter built on the sunny hillside and the dozens of "food preservation cabinets" around it, his tense mood finally relaxed.

Although the cave was a simple home, it was a safe and warm sanctuary. He had companions to care for him and trustworthy wild animal friends. In the prehistoric world, nothing could make him feel more at home here.

……

The weather was terrible, and neither Paul nor Bi Kai went out.

However, recently they have been going out every day—

Chen Zhou saw that the snow near the entrance of the cave had been cleared, especially in the area closest to the snow shelter, where clear branch marks were still visible on the ground.

The wind blows all day long, and the shallow gullies on the ground will soon be smoothed out by the snow blown in. The scratches that can be seen now indicate that the people in the cave must have been working outside not long ago.

In addition to the relatively clean ground, the chimney openings extending from the snow shelters had also been cleaned.

The warm smoke melts the snow as it blows from the inside to the outside. The snow that falls on the chimney melts and flows down, freezing over time into huge icicles that can not only trip people but also clog the chimney, preventing the smoke from escaping.

In the northern winter, some poorly designed chimneys need to be cleaned every few days to remove the so-called "smoke residue" hanging from the bottom of the chimney. The reason is similar to this ice block, but not as serious. After all, the chimneys in caves extend upwards at an angle from the bottom, which is not conducive to drainage.

There's only a thin layer of ice on the exposed chimney opening, and it's surrounded by cracks, clearly indicating that it's been smashed.

With just a glance, Chen Zhou knew that his home was well-maintained, which made him even happier.

His two partners proved to be very reliable, and neither of them was lazy.

……

Just as Chen Zhou reached the entrance of the snow shelter, before he even went inside, he heard a deep roar.

Immediately afterwards, Tiger Two-Wa led the way and jumped out of the cave.

Having not seen Chen Zhou for over a week, it was no longer so familiar with his scent and appearance. After hopping up the steps, it showed no mercy to this "uninvited guest."

If Chen Zhou hadn't been so enormous and clearly not someone to mess with, making it difficult to gauge his strength, this guy would have pounced on him long ago. "Hey, don't you recognize me?"

Seeing Tiger Two's behavior, Chen Zhou quickly spoke up to remind it—

Having risked his life so much outside without a single injury, it would be a laughing stock to see him get bitten by his own pet tiger when he gets home.

He had intended to use the familiar voice to evoke Tiger Two's memory, but he didn't expect that the guy was a bit dim-witted. After hearing the words, he still didn't understand. Not only did he not remember, but he also thought that Chen Zhou was provoking him, so he immediately pounced on him without hesitation.

However, the reckless Tiger Second Brother soon paid the price for it.

Being underage, it was no match for Chen Zhou. The moment it charged, Chen Zhou grabbed its head and forcibly pinned it to the ground.

As they got closer and smelled the familiar scent, Tiger Two finally recognized that this was the leader of the tribe, and immediately begged for mercy in a humble voice.

But a tiger is a tiger after all; its throat is thick and its voice is deep. Its pleading sound has none of the gentleness of a cat. It sounds more like the mooing of a cow, both being low mooing sounds.

Not long after Tiger Two rushed out for no apparent reason, Bi Kai, wearing an animal skin coat and holding a hand axe, opened the door to the cave and poked his head out.

Upon seeing Chen Zhou, his bearded face lit up with joy, and he rushed up the steps in a few strides, running over enthusiastically.

As he ran, he called out to Paul in Russian.

Hearing Bi Kai's stiff tongue-twisting and Paul's heavy, rapid footsteps inside the cave, Chen Zhou felt genuinely delighted.

After so many setbacks and hardships, they finally reunited, and compared to the torment of the past, they could now see the dawn of victory.

……

Back in the cave, the enthusiastic Paul and Bi Kai did not ask Chen Zhou whether he had successfully obtained the supplies.

For them, whether they received the supplies or not was not important; what mattered was that Chen Zhou had returned.

With the return of their almost "omnipotent" leader, their hearts finally found peace.

As long as Chen Zhou was there, they believed that even without supplies, they could become the ultimate victors. This was not blind worship, but rather the courage and confidence that Chen Zhou's actions had given them over the long term.

With his nimble legs, Bi Kai helped Chen Zhou move the items from the cart into the cave one by one.

As for Paul, whose leg injury had left him with a chronic condition, he took firewood from the crack and made the fire burn even brighter.

Chen Zhou must be freezing cold after trekking dozens of kilometers through the snow and ice to get back; he needs to make sure the house is warm.

Even the three saw-toothed tigers, unusually, didn't stop to lie by the door enjoying the cold wind seeping in through the crack. They circled around Chen Zhou like curious children, their big eyes filled with doubt, as if asking Chen Zhou why he had only brought back a bunch of inedible black stones after going out hunting for so long.

Sitting on the heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove), Chen Zhou forced himself to stay awake and asked about Paul and Bi Kai's family situation. He casually placed the red box containing two syringes and the contract aside.

……

To Chen Zhou's relief, shortly after he left, Paul's psychological problems eased as the weather cleared up after Bi Kai took him out.

In the following days, the two people, who did not speak the same language, went out to do things by gesturing, either collecting firewood or looking for herbs buried under the snow. They cooperated quite well.

Paul's claustrophobia was not very severe to begin with, and he recovered quickly after going outside.

However, his brewing career came to an end here. Even if the Slavs loved alcohol, they did not have the ability to make spirits with random ingredients at unsuitable temperatures.

Having experienced a moment of mental confusion, Paul had realized that he would never be able to drink alcohol here again.

If you want to drink, you still have to seriously continue the challenge. When you get back to the Soviet Union, you can drink however you want.

Paul put aside his worries, and Bi Kai also had something to do when he went out: look for deer.

Of course, both of their careers ended rather unfortunately.

Paul's brewing work was completely hopeless, and although Bi Kai's deer were found, they were all dead when they were discovered.

The entire herd was surrounded by a blizzard and stopped about two kilometers from their gathering point in the forest. They were all eventually wiped out and froze to death.

After confirming his guess, Bi Kai didn't sit idle. Taking advantage of the good weather, he and Paul used axe and knife to break down the frozen deer in the forest bit by bit and then transported them to the mountain.

Unbleeded venison has a strong, unpleasant smell and doesn't suit human tastes, but it's very much to the liking of the sawtooth tiger.

With this entire herd of deer, the three-headed sawtooth tiger was quite fortunate, as it had meat with blood on it every day, though it was a little cold and tough.

Unfortunately, due to the large number of deer and the rapidly changing weather, the two of them, who had to take care of the household, chop wood, and start a fire, simply didn't have much energy left to process and transport the venison.

When Chen Zhou returned, more than half of the deer carcasses were still frozen in the forest. Unless there were a few more days of good weather, they would likely remain frozen there until the challenge was over.

……

Upon learning that Paul Bikai was doing well, Chen Zhou pushed away the fanged tiger who insisted on being affectionate with him and slept soundly on the warm kang (heated brick bed) for a whole day.

When he got up, it was already the afternoon of the next day.

Just as Chen Zhou sat up from the kang (a heated brick bed), he heard the howling of the wind outside the cave.

A cold wind kept blowing in from the cave entrance.

Paul and Bi Kai stood by the stove, the candlelight on the oil lamp on the dining table flickering in the wind, and the usually warm cave felt somewhat chilly.

After getting dressed, Chen Zhou went to the cave entrance and took a look.

Everything was as he expected.

After the "last act of tenderness" is over, it will be time for the Time and Space Administration to tear off its mask and reveal its cruel face.

Temperatures have been dropping further and further, with outdoor temperatures now around -47 or -48 degrees Celsius, and strong winds blowing all day long.

Although there was no snowfall, the cold weather was even worse than a blizzard. Not to mention humans, even saw-toothed tigers were unwilling to go out and all stayed in their burrows.

"It seems we've entered the final stage of the challenge."

It is unknown how much supplies the other surviving challengers prepared or what kind of shelter they chose.

Now, it's a matter of who can hold out the longest...

Chen Zhou remained silent, gazing at the world where snowflakes danced in the air, lost in thought.

A moment later, he returned to the cave and glanced at the red box that was still sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed), untouched. He couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

He wondered if, if he really reached the point of desperation, he would risk signing a contract of servitude and injecting those two doses.

As for the effects of those two injections, and whether the so-called "Rift Realm Tribunal" was truly generous, those were questions he didn't want to know the answers to. (End of Chapter)