Chapter 670 - 13: Riverside Biome_2
However, it is still unclear how intelligent these birds are, how fast they grow, and without a stable base, Chen Zhou cannot put his ideas into practice.
...
Looking out over the open river, one can occasionally see tangled branches and clumps of mud and grass slightly protruding from the water surface.
Initially, Chen Zhou thought they were mud deposits or naturally accumulated stone bars made of river stones and sand, but later he discovered they were beaver dams built by giant beavers.
These beavers are much larger than modern beavers, each one measuring nearly 2 meters in length.
They move in groups along the water’s edge, equipped with a pair of massive chisel-like incisors.
Although these dam-building "architects" have only recently arrived here, they have already caused significant damage to the riverside trees.
However, due to their massive bodies and underdeveloped hind limbs compared to modern beavers, they find it laborious to walk on land and mostly remain in water except when collecting building materials—
The buoyancy of the water reduces their movement burden.
The giant beavers’ diet mainly consists of river fish, shellfish, and some aquatic plants. Thanks to the river fish, they’ve built up a large amount of fat, swimming with rotund bodies that jiggle as they climb the dams, making Chen Zhou envious.
The animals Chen Zhou and Paul can hunt on the plains rarely have ample fat reserves, offering hardly any oil.
Especially predators, what little fat they have is consumed in hunting.
Last night, while roasting Saw-toothed Tiger meat, both the thigh and rib meat were tough and dry. At that time, Chen Zhou wished for some oil to brush on. Now, seeing the giant beavers, he couldn’t help but think they’re like mobile oil tanks.
Before winter arrives, killing more beavers can not only yield thick, waterproof pelts but also a large amount of high-quality fat.
This fat can be used as food or as fuel for oil lamps. In addition to the beavers’ nutritious meat, it’s fair to say every giant beaver is a treasure trove, even their huge, sturdy incisors can be knocked out to use as small shovels.
...
Worried about Paul, who fell asleep, encountering danger, Chen Zhou only took a lap around Turtle Nest Beach to get a rough idea of the local biosphere, then returned to the campfire.
Paul’s nap allowed him to avoid the hottest part of midday and the afternoon.
As the sun leaned slightly towards the west, painting the plain golden, Chen Zhou woke Paul and fed the little Serrated Tiger cubs again, then packed them into still-damp hide bags to continue their journey.
...
After his body’s physical changes, Chen Zhou’s energy levels were unlike those of an ordinary person.
His sleep efficiency was extremely high, needing only about three hours of sleep a day to feel fully energized. Having rested in the shelter last night, he lasted until the evening.
Before the sun completely set, to avoid predator attacks, Chen Zhou chose a temporary campsite in advance and started a campfire early.
That night, without a turtle-shell pot, they could only eat roasted food again.
After catching a few large fish by the river and leaving enough for themselves, Chen Zhou cut open the excess, removed the bones, and fed the fillets to the little Serrated Tigers.
This was already the third time Chen Zhou had fed the little Serrated Tigers.
After the initial unfamiliarity, wariness, and fear, the cubs familiarized themselves with Chen Zhou’s scent and became somewhat closer.
When Chen Zhou fed them meat by hand, the boldest cub dared to approach and gently lick his hand, while the other two, though timid, would stumble along with their big brother to ask Chen Zhou for food.
When Paul first wanted to raise these Serrated Tigers, Chen Zhou was dismissive, thinking of them as burdens, unnecessary weights.
Now, surrounded by the little ones, watching them cautiously show affection, gradually building trust, Chen Zhou felt as though he was back on the island, back when he had Xiao Huihui, Zizi, and Tiger Head with him.
However, no matter what, these little guys couldn’t compare to Lai Fu in intelligence, loyalty, or courage—
This was what Chen Zhou thought.
Taking advantage of the cubs being close, he checked their genders by the napes of their necks.
Little did he know, he was in for a surprise—
"Well, they’re all male."
All three Serrated Tiger cubs were male.
In the context of the pack-living Serrated Tiger, this would be difficult. If this were a solitary Northeast Tiger’s family, providing for three big gluttonous cubs could exhaust the tigress. In their growth process, at least one or even two would likely die due to malnutrition and stunted development. Even if they survived by some miracle, they’d be much smaller compared to a solitary tiger.
Seeing Chen Zhou becoming more affectionate towards the little Serrated Tigers, Paul’s nervousness and guilt eased considerably.
Sitting by the campfire, as he roasted fish, he cautiously asked,
"Want to give them names?"
Chen Zhou put down the smallest Serrated Tiger, watching it awkwardly run to its two brothers, and lightly shook his head.
"If you like, feel free to name them.
I’ll take the first watch tonight; after you eat, go to sleep. I’ll wake you for the second half of the night.
We lost quite a bit of time with the midday nap. Considering we went off-course, we’ve only covered about 11 kilometers from dawn till dusk.
If we don’t rest properly tonight, we might fall behind again tomorrow, effectively giving those challengers three days to prepare. Such a long time could allow them to build simple defensive structures.
Plus, nobody knows when parachute supplies might arrive. If it happens before we reach the target camp, we’ll face a decision between choosing survival tools or parachute supplies from other challengers.
To avoid this situation, I advise you to rest early; tomorrow, there won’t be any special rest time for you."
After speaking, Chen Zhou pushed away the little Serrated Tiger trying to approach him again and grabbed a handful of wild grass from the side, adding it to the fire—
With fewer trees along the river and wild grass in abundance but not durable for burning, someone had to keep watch over the campfire all night. A lapse in attention like this could extinguish it, hence why Chen Zhou chose to take the first watch.
Although Paul was stronger than an average person, his sleep quality had been poor lately, and the midday nap only ensured some alertness for the afternoon trek. Keeping watch at night, he might forget to add fuel under exhaustion and fall asleep.
This is akin to driving while tired. A little nap doesn’t solve the problem; the alertness after sleep is temporary, and the body hasn’t really recovered.
The first half of the night on the plains is peak activity time for predators. Chen Zhou couldn’t guarantee he’d always hear the movements or detect scents of wild animals. An error in scheduling could lead to unforeseen mishaps, an outcome no one could afford to regret.
...
Sleeping on the plains is utterly different than resting on a mountaintop.
Few herbivores would abandon the plains, abundant with food, for the sparse vegetation of high mountains, which is why carnivores are also rare in high altitudes.
The plains, however, are the opposite.
After witnessing various giant beasts during the day, Chen Zhou deeply grasped the inherent dangers of this land.
By night, listening to the winds carrying across the plains with roars of beasts, mixed with cries of prey, alarms of Great Horned Deer, flutters of waterfowl, and the splashes of beasts entering water, Chen Zhou remained tense.
The bright flames illuminated the riverbank but couldn’t pierce the deep black covering Mammoth Plain.
The flickering fire brought warmth, offering some sense of security on these ancient wilds over ten thousand years ago.
Maintaining guard until the second half of the night, confirming no beasts neared the fire, Chen Zhou then woke Paul, who was sleeping while embracing a little Serrated Tiger, and turned a roll of wild grass into a pillow. Resting his head with the sound of water and wind, he forced himself to sleep, retaining one last strand of vigilance.
...
Without a solid, stable shelter, even resting was much less efficient than usual.
Had it not been for his unique physiology, this brief sleep wouldn’t have been enough to rejuvenate Chen Zhou’s energy.
Having endured another night, at dawn the next day, even before Paul could wake him up, Chen Zhou got up on his own, stepping into the faint morning light to continue their journey forward.