Chapter 656 - 6: Great Horned Deer (Part 2)
Even though the female deer was smaller than the male, it seemed to weigh over 400 kilograms. As for the male deer, it was about 600 kilograms. Each step left a shallow pit the size of a bowl in the sandy ground, and just looking from afar was intimidating.
"It’s the Great Horned Deer."
Chen Zhou pointed to the four giant beasts on the sandy ground.
He and Paul were at a high vantage point. The wind blew through the forest towards the riverbank, and the Great Horned Deer soon caught their scent, especially the smell of blood on Chen Zhou.
A male deer stood in shallow water, dipping its mouth into the water, drinking while searching for aquatic plants growing within—
To acquire the protein and minerals needed for antler growth, it had to consume more special vegetation, which was rare and could only be found near lakes or large rivers.
The other three deer consisted of two females and one young. One female stood guard, vigilantly watching the direction where Chen Zhou was.
The other female was nursing the young deer.
The youngest one in the family seemed to be around 100 kilograms and was lowering itself to suckle milk from the female’s belly.
Chen Zhou, with his keen hearing, could even hear the sound of the young deer sucking milk, which made him envious—
Compared to the cool and bacteria-laden river water, deer milk was not only more nutritious but also warm and safe, with a superior taste, being an excellent source of protein and fat.
"It would be great if we could catch this female deer."
While speaking, Chen Zhou’s gaze drifted back to the fawn.
If he could capture this pair of Great Horned Deer, he could not only drink deer milk but also have the opportunity to tame the fawn, using it as a pack animal or means of transportation.
Of course, considering his weight of 175kg, having the Great Horned Deer carry him might not be realistic, but it could work as a mount for Paul.
"Deer need salt. I see that these deer have large antlers, so we can try digging a pitfall or setting a snare on their path to the salt.
To catch a male deer, drive it into the forest where the trees are dense, and it will get stuck."
Paul suggested.
"That would take a lot of time; let’s stick to the original plan. First, find a convenient high point for observation and build a shelter, then we can slowly deal with these matters."
Hearing Paul’s words, Chen Zhou was somewhat tempted, but he ultimately did not adopt the suggestion.
As the weather got colder, building a shelter was more important than taming a means of transportation.
Otherwise, facing the threat of predators every night, they couldn’t afford to take turns keeping watch every night, which would soon lead to mental exhaustion for both of them.
And sleeping outside in the wilderness increased energy consumption and the risk of illness, which was detrimental to maintaining their physical condition.
As for food, it was actually the easiest issue to solve.
The challenge area was already inhabited by many animals from the Pleistocene epoch. The Space-Time Administration Bureau also forcibly inserted many iconic animals from other continents and different time periods, resulting in an unprecedented density of both herbivores and carnivores here, so much so that you could encounter several medium to large animals every two or three kilometers.
While these animals indeed increased the danger of the challenge, they also provided an abundant source of food. As long as hunting skills were adequate, there was an abundance of food.
...
After observing from a high vantage point for a while and not seeing any Mammoths or Hairy Rhinoceroses, which were super beasts weighing over a ton, approach the riverbank, Chen Zhou then led Paul down the hill towards the river.
This massive creature, the Great Horned Deer, weighing nearly 1500 jin, could still be dealt with using the Wooden Spear, and he was confident in being able to kill it. After all, it didn’t have any strong attack methods, and its fur wasn’t thick enough, making its defense relatively weak.
But Chen Zhou was truly fearful of the Mammoth and Hairy Rhinoceros.
The Mammoth was large enough, like a moving small mountain. It not only had tusks and a trunk to aid attacks but also moved in herds. Not even prehistoric humans from the tribal stage could hunt a single Mammoth without considerable effort.
And the temperament of the Hairy Rhinoceros was almost identical to the modern African rhino, with thick skin and flesh, and very aggressive, charging like a heavy truck when provoked, relentlessly pursuing until dead. Annoying it would indeed spell trouble.
Fetching water was easy, but before that, they had to ensure there were no highly threatening animals nearby.
Otherwise, if one crawled into the mud by the river, it would be an eye-to-eye showdown with the Hairy Rhinoceros. Not even Paul might manage to escape, nor could Chen Zhou.
...
Chen Zhou didn’t know if these prehistoric creatures had interacted with primitive people, but judging from their behavior, all were wary of this upright-walking animal with a somewhat unfamiliar scent, whether it be small mammals or giant beasts like the Great Horned Deer.
While Chen Zhou and Paul descended the dirt slope, the fawn that smelled their scent and a horse-like animal both actively avoided them.
Even the male Great Horned Deer on the sandy ground stopped grazing, raising its head to observe the pair, seemingly wondering what tricks they were up to.
Ignoring these curious wild animals, Chen Zhou and Paul reached the water’s edge, first examining whether the water flow upstream and downstream was clear, checking for fish, animal droppings, any unusual odors, or animal corpses.
Unlike the island’s Rock River, this northern continental river was quite wide, with the water surface spanning over twenty meters wide near the sandy area, flowing slowly, with bulrushes growing along the banks.
The shallow water near the shore was clear enough to see the bottom, with signs of fish activity.
As for animal droppings, they were mostly found on the grassland near the riverbank. There might be animals excreting in the water, but the current swept it away.
After a sniff, he didn’t detect any stench of rotting corpses, nor did he see any dead animals nearby, leading Chen Zhou to preliminarily judge the river water as relatively safe and reliable.
Nevertheless, he still didn’t want to drink the raw water directly.
He told Paul to find a drier spot to start a fire. Meanwhile, Chen Zhou broke off the surrounding river willows and wild grasses, searching for dry stones.
He intended to channel river water into a sand pit, creating a pool, then ignite a fire to heat stones until they were red-hot, subsequently placing them in the water to heat it until boiling.
In the absence of a container, this is a relatively simple way to heat water.
However, it’s important not to use damp stones or those with surface cracks, as they might explode during heating, with the flying debris capable of injuring someone.
These survival skills were taught by friends who engaged in extreme sports with Chen Zhou.
Particularly in Europe and America, outdoor survival enthusiasts and extreme sports lovers have formed large clubs and systematic training institutions, from which Chen Zhou learned a lot of useful knowledge.
Including knowledge about prehistoric creatures, which was drilled into Chen Zhou’s head by a friend passionate about excavating animal fossils and restoring ancient organisms, who incessantly babbled about it and spammed social media.
The modern, developed internet constantly bombards individuals with a deluge of information, and Chen Zhou’s excellent memory allows him to capture most useful knowledge, which has provided substantial assistance after the challenge began.
...
With a fire starter available, even the riverbank’s moisture didn’t affect Paul’s ability to quickly build a fire.
He soon used dry grass stalks to kindle a small flame, then carefully shielded it from the wind, letting the embers slowly grow stronger.
Chen Zhou supplied Paul with fuel while piling the selected stones near the campfire, waiting for the flames to grow.
Next, he picked up a long, flat stone to serve as a digging tool and excavated a large pit in the sandy ground, channeling river water into it.
During this process, two thumb-sized small fish swam into the pit along the water channel, reminding Chen Zhou of his fishing days.
Estimating that they would need to travel at least another dozen kilometers today, he intended to catch a few fish while boiling water by the river, to replenish fluids while also storing some food. Moreover, simple vine-woven armor and stone tools like the Stone Axe and Stone Hammer could also be made during this process, solving multiple issues simultaneously.
Once the pool was filled, allowing the sand and grit to settle and the water to become clearer, the campfire was burning vigorously.
Throwing the two tiny fish out of the pool, he blocked the water channel to prevent river water from contaminating the water slated for heating in the pit, and then began placing stones into the campfire, waiting for them to become sufficiently scorching.