Chapter 667 - 12: The Fate of the Saw-toothed Tiger Cubs
When Chen Zhou brought the dead deer back to the camp, it was already close to midnight.
The bonfire was still blazing. Paul had already removed the bladder of the Saw-toothed Tiger, washed it clean, and built a small pond lined with pebbles next to the bonfire to hold water. He filled the pond with water using the bladder.
Imitating Chen Zhou, he was heating stones, preparing to boil the water.
The three Serrated Tiger Cubs were so hungry they had no energy, their eyelids drooping, and their short tails hanging low, looking very listless.
Paul placed them by his leg, dealing with the soft fur on the Saw-toothed Tiger’s belly while looking into the dark forest, waiting for Chen Zhou to return.
...
The afternoon hunt alone did not go smoothly.
Although he had undergone rigorous training in the Soviet Union and mastered many wilderness survival hunting techniques, those skills were only suited for modern environments and required him to adapt swiftly to prehistoric conditions.
Besides, theory and practice are two different things. After actually hunting, Paul found it extremely difficult to hunt down even a small deer.
First, he had to find deer droppings in the dense forest, and judge the deer’s direction based on the freshness of the droppings and nearby tracks.
When he tracked the deer down to a nearby location, he had to be mindful of the wind direction, careful with his steps, ensuring the wind didn’t carry his scent toward the deer or that he didn’t snap branches and make loud footsteps.
At the same time, he also had to ensure his direction was correct to reach a position where he could throw the Long Spear.
Aside from these, a successful hunt still required an element of luck.
No one knows when prey might suddenly get nervous, perhaps suddenly bolting while quietly grazing, or as he painstakingly approached, be startled by other animals and disappear into the woods.
Paul tracked that small deer for a full two hours back and forth, during which he also saw other animals and changed targets, but ultimately he persistently stuck to that deer.
After exhausting all efforts, running until his stomach felt empty and sour, he finally killed the deer and returned to camp, only to find that Chen Zhou had somehow already killed and dissected a large Saw-toothed Tiger and had his fill.
Sitting by the creek cleaning a bladder, looking at the sprawled open Saw-toothed Tiger’s corpse nearby, comparing it to his own pitifully small trophy, Paul felt a huge disparity in his heart.
From the confrontation with the Cave Hyena last night to attempting solo hunting tonight, the harsh reality had already told Paul—
In this challenge, he and Chen Zhou were not on the same level, and the gap between them far exceeded normal standards.
One could say that even if Chen Zhou lost him as a partner, he could still live comfortably, while if he lost Chen Zhou, he was very likely to die quickly to a beast’s jaws. Even if he wasn’t killed by a beast, his situation wouldn’t be much better.
As it was, he, who couldn’t offer much help and appeared somewhat burdensome, was still willfully planning to raise three Serrated Tiger Cubs, which was genuinely inadvisable.
From a rational standpoint, Paul felt he should actively give up caring for these young lives, no matter how much he liked them.
After a night of rest, they should set off to face other challengers tomorrow. To avoid delaying the battle opportunity, they must advance at full speed. Where should these three tiger cubs go during the journey?
If they were to be carried, who would carry them?
Who would be responsible for finding food for them along the way?
If these three little things made noises during an attack, alerting another group of challengers, who would take the responsibility?
Paul knew he couldn’t take on this responsibility, and he wasn’t worthy of taking it.
As he stroked the sleepy Serrated Tiger Cubs by his leg, warmed by the fire, listening to their reluctant warning whines, Paul hesitated whether to give them up.
"It’s time to give up; now is not the time to raise them."
Paul persuaded himself in his heart, telling himself he should immediately throw the tiger cubs into the creek or place them next to the Saw-toothed Tiger’s female body. Without him having to act, the scavengers attracted by the scent would naturally solve these three little guys.
But every time he prepared to get up to act, he would think of the ferocious beasts he lived with alongside the Slavs in his hometown, recalling the big cat that left the world with his grandfather.
On this land, teeming with primitive atmosphere, it was these vibrant creatures that gave the mountains and rivers unique charm.
The apex predators living in this era were sights not found on modern Earth. To Paul, they were exceptionally captivating and truly hard to part with.
"Spend one more night with them.
At least let them eat their fill, sleep peacefully tonight, and when we depart tomorrow morning, leave them here. Whether they live or die will be up to them..."
As Paul comforted himself this way, Chen Zhou was already walking out of the downhill woods, dragging the deer by the neck.
...
Having just observed the challengers’ camp below the mountain and confirmed it was indeed a man-made bonfire, Chen Zhou returned to the camp with the joy on his face yet to fade—
The entire challenge area was as vast as 600,000 square kilometers. Finding two people in this vast land was like searching for a needle in a haystack. It was undoubtedly very fortunate that he could find other challengers at the very beginning of the second day of the challenge.
As for whether to engage in a fight after finding them, this was a matter with little choice—
The rules of the challenge destined the relationships between all challengers to be inherently hostile. Unless he could drive other challengers out of the challenge area, a life-and-death conflict would be inevitable.