Chapter 668 - 12: The Little Saw-toothed Tigers’ Belonging (2)
Even if he takes a conservative approach and doesn’t take the initiative to attack others, others will still take the initiative to attack him.
In this brutal competition, human nature simply cannot withstand the test.
Leaving here means achieving fame and fortune, and a lifetime of happiness.
Staying here means being a prehistoric savage, only to die alone, sighing at the surging river of time from afar.
Unless one has a problem in their head, any normal person would choose the former.
Chen Zhou is not inherently combative, but he knows that to survive after being inexplicably swept into this challenge, he can only behave more cold-blooded, more cruel, more rational, just like the Cave Hyenas hunting in packs on the prairie.
Here, beasts find it easier to survive.
And compared to other "beasts," as a predator who caught the "scent of blood" of prey, he has the upper hand.
As long as he can complete the set goals, this advantage may very likely snowball, affecting the first airdrop supplies and even ultimately who wins the challenge.
...
"Not resting yet?
Waiting for me to bring the meat back for them?
Didn’t I tell you to catch fish in the creek..."
Throwing the dead deer next to the bonfire, Chen Zhou glanced at Paul, who was guarding the Serrated Tiger Cubs, and asked.
Paul was scraping the bits of meat and fat off the Saw-toothed Tiger’s fur with a knife; he smiled embarrassedly upon hearing this.
"It’s too dark, I can’t see the fish, there’s no way to catch them."
"I actually forgot about that."
Chen Zhou then remembered that not everyone has night vision like he does.
As a normal person, it’s already not easy for Paul to move through the forest without getting lost; asking him to catch fish in the dark night is indeed a bit too much.
"Alright, give me the fur, and go dismember the deer to feed those little things."
Saying this, Chen Zhou walked over to Paul, glanced down, and found the water pit Paul had made and the stones being heated in the campfire.
"Wow, you’re quite thorough, even prepared the water for tomorrow.
Looks like I’ll have to work a bit more tonight to avoid wasting this hot water."
In a clearly good mood, Chen Zhou took the fur from Paul, sat down beside the Shelter, returned the knife to Paul, and casually picked up a stone to continue Paul’s work.
However, Paul, holding the knife, didn’t move his feet for a long time, just standing there dumbfounded, staring at the three Serrated Tiger Cubs, looking downwards, and hesitating to speak.
"Just say what you have to say, stop hesitating, this isn’t the style of you Slavs."
Seeing through Paul’s mind, Chen Zhou grabbed the neck of the Serrated Tiger Cub beside him and placed the three little creatures together.
The Serrated Tiger Cubs were so scared of him that they didn’t dare open their eyes when he picked them up, their ears pinned to their heads, limbs all curled up, looking even more obedient than house cats.
Paul’s gaze was firmly glued to the Serrated Tiger Cubs. It wasn’t until the little ones were all stable on the ground, lined up in a row, that he breathed a sigh of relief.
"I think we should decide how to take them with us when we set off tomorrow.
What I mean is, if you think they’re a burden, I can follow your arrangement and give up raising them."
Gathering his courage, Paul said this with difficulty, then closed his mouth.
A two-meter-three giant stood before Chen Zhou, head down like a schoolboy awaiting criticism, waiting for the verdict.
"Hehe~"
Chen Zhou chuckled.
"You’re giving up so soon after just starting to raise them?"
He gently stroked the head of the largest Serrated Tiger Cub, his eyes drifting, as if recalling something, filled with nostalgia.
"Let’s keep them for now; it’s uncertain if we can raise them to adulthood. They might get sick and die on their own someday.
Tonight, skin the big Saw-toothed Tiger completely. Use smaller pieces to make water bag covers, larger ones to make pockets. When we leave, carry them on our backs and find a safe place to lock them up before we start moving.
They’re all little things that can’t walk properly and don’t eat much, so we might as well carry them.
But let me be clear, I won’t clean up their mess. Since you chose to raise them, you have to take responsibility for that."
"Got it!"
Paul could hardly conceal his excitement, stepping lightly as he dragged the dead deer to the brightest spot by the fire and began cutting and skinning with his knife.
...
Scheduled to depart on the third morning, the two of them were busy almost until dawn that night.
The young Serrated Tiger Cubs had just grown teeth and had not yet weaned; they struggled greatly when eating strips of deer meat, unable to chew and could only swallow it down.
Paul was afraid that feeding them too much would upset their stomachs, so he didn’t dare to provide too much. Scattered and little by little, he fed them until they ate two deer legs in total, finally filling them up.
Animals that haven’t left the nursing stage love to sleep the most. With empty stomachs, they’re full of energy one by one, but after eating, they fall asleep faster than ever.
Without a mother beast, Paul, this unfamiliar nanny, clearly couldn’t provide the young Serrated Tigers with enough security, so they all huddled together at night, backs against backs, heads touching heads, inseparable.
The warm yellow campfire illuminated the stripes on the Serrated Tiger Cubs, lit up their gently rising and falling bellies, and Paul just sat by the fire watching them, seemingly never getting tired, with a smile on his face.
...
Chen Zhou didn’t know when Paul had gone to sleep, he only knew that when he woke up, Paul had already sewn the Beast Hide Pocket and carried the three Serrated Tiger Cubs on his back—
He used untreated Saw-toothed Tiger hide, which currently maintained some flexibility thanks to its freshness, but by tonight or tomorrow it would become hard, making it inconvenient to use.
Before that happens, it’s best to find another large enough animal to skin to replace the Saw-toothed Tiger hide pocket, continuing the cycle. Otherwise, as the hide hardens and becomes brittle, it will easily break and shed, being uncomfortable to carry and possibly causing the contents to fall out.
...
Seeming not to have slept all night, Paul tried to act as if everything was fine, but the deep fatigue in his eyes was unmistakable.
Seeing him in this state, Chen Zhou had no choice but to extend the time to reach the Challenger Camp by five hours—
If they continued to force march according to the original plan, Paul would likely be exhausted by the time they reached the location. Chen Zhou didn’t want to lose a major player before the war began.
Besides, lack of sleep can cause mental confusion, a muddled brain easily making simple mistakes. Even if Paul managed to participate in the battle, being in such a state could easily cost lives.
The other challengers wouldn’t sympathize with this big guy, nor would they care whether his Beast Hide Pocket carries Serrated Tiger Cubs or anything else.
Their greed for survival tools and desire to eliminate competitors are the same as Chen Zhou’s, even stronger.
...
After descending the mountain, the terrain gradually lowered, and the advantage of vision disappeared. Moving forward, they could only rely on the terrain and directions observed from the mountain to judge whether the path was correct.
From mountains to plains, then to sparse woodland, taking advantage of the daylight to advance, Chen Zhou and Paul encountered more prehistoric creatures along the way.
The most commonly seen animals on the grasslands were Mammoths, wild cattle, and Hairy Rhinoceroses.
These animals lived in herds, with the wild cattle herds being the largest. They were huge, with massive horns, shoulder height over 2 meters, and weight up to a ton.
The Hairy Rhinoceroses were even bigger. Compared to the white rhinos of later generations, their thick hair made them appear more majestic, possessing a kind of wild beauty.
These big creatures’ shoulder heights were about the same as the wild cattle, but their bodies were wider, which made their weight far exceed that of the wild cattle, estimated to be over two tons, and perhaps approaching three tons.
Nighttime is the peak activity period for carnivores, while during the day the grasslands are covered with herbivores.
However, compared to carnivores, prehistoric herbivores cannot be considered particularly docile.
Due to their large size and thick skin, as well as moving in groups, they pose a bigger threat to humans.
At least carnivores would carefully consider whether attacking might injure them and affect their survival before they choose their prey, hence choosing to give up.
But these guys who only know how to graze have such tiny brains, they don’t even think.
Especially the Hairy Rhinoceroses, once provoked, they’ll charge like brutes looking to fight for their lives, not even Mammoths can make them retreat, truly giving Chen Zhou a headache.
To avoid these troublesome creatures, he took a long detour, further increasing the time to reach the Challenger Camp.