Chapter 699 - 24: Beast Horde (2)
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Today is different from the past.
Back when Chen Zhou was surviving on a deserted island, he made quite a few mistakes due to unfamiliarity with marine products and plants, even mistaking a non-toxic shrimp for a deadly one, going 28 years on the island without daring to eat it.
After returning to the modern era and getting involved in extreme sports, meeting many wilderness survival enthusiasts, he managed to cram some knowledge in this area.
For example, he can identify two common toxins found in plants, such as hydrogen cyanide and oxalic acid.
Hydrogen cyanide has a smell similar to bitter almonds, and an average person can smell it by breaking a leaf open; for him, identifying it by scent is no problem at all.
Toxic substances like sodium oxalate and wild rhubarb exist in leaves or chestnut trees.
When a cut leaf stalk’s sap contacts the skin and feels dry or burning, it indicates the presence of oxalates, which he can also identify.
Of course, even with some extra knowledge, the gap between Chen Zhou and a botanist remains vast.
He can’t recognize even one percent of modern plants, let alone prehistoric ones.
But with billions of years of biological evolution, the nature of everything is interconnected.
Especially plants, which evolve slowly, making their key points easier to grasp.
Remember not to collect plants with milky white sap, those with a bright red surface, or leaves with purplish-red spots.
Avoid gathering berries that split into five parts, steer clear of wild grasses with tiny hooks on their stems, and refrain from eating old or withered leaves and mature ferns to avoid more than ninety percent of the dangers.
Relying on these few rules, along with a handful of plants he can recognize with distinct characteristics that are distributed in high-latitude areas, allowed Chen Zhou to smoothly find non-toxic plant nuts and berries.
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Near the riverbanks, there were many low willow trees; in the warm, wind-sheltered valley, there were even dandelions, sorrel, nettles, and plantains.
Thanks to the protection of the valley walls, these plants, originally distributed in the Northern Temperate Zone, survived in the valley.
Knowing that dandelions can clear heat and detoxify, and contain vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, they are natural "vitamin tablets."
Chen Zhou specifically wove a basket out of willow branches, harvested two large baskets of dandelions, and took them back to the shelter to dry in the shade.
Sorrel is also a medicinal herb that can treat internal bleeding, dysentery, and constipation, while the medicinal value of plantain is similar to dandelion, also used for clearing heat and detoxification, so Chen Zhou collected some as well.
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After nearly a week of toiling back and forth, Chen Zhou and Paul used willow baskets to collect a large batch of herbs and berries, and at the same time, they learned the migration patterns of the herbivore groups at the foot of the mountain.
They tied the baskets to the tree trunks around the shelter, covered them with a thick layer of branches and leaves, and added moss to prevent winter snow from seeping in. Finally, Chen Zhou set off on the path of hunting large herbivores and searching for rock salt.
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This outing was different from the past, lasting anywhere from two to three days to as long as six to seven days.
In the wild, there was no sturdy shelter to shield from the wind, no fire to keep alight all day, and their understanding of the terrain wasn’t as thorough as on the mountain.
Thus, food, weapons, fuel, and packs were necessities.
The weather was getting colder; nights were now around 3~4°, and with the wind, it felt nearly 1°. Without warm clothing, sleeping safely outdoors was impossible.
The herbivores of the Mammoth Grassland were frantically eating, gaining fat for the autumn.
Predators were also seemingly crazed, frequently hunting to prepare for winter.
Chen Zhou and Paul sewed together several tanned deer hides, formed a large skin blanket, and rolled it up to carry on their backs; at night, when they lit a bonfire, they spread it out beside the fire to shield against the cold wind, minimizing exposure.
In such weather, hot drinks were equally indispensable.
The camp pot couldn’t keep drinks warm like a thermos, so the two stayed close to water sources, took along dry kindling, and used the gradually drying wild grass from the grassland to ignite fires. When boiling meat soup, they would scoop several wooden bowls full to drink, warming their stomachs and bodies.
Without seasonings, Chen Zhou brought some sorrel and added it to the pot when stewing soup.
This plant has oxalic acid in its roots and leaves.
While oxalic acid has low toxicity and strong acidity, excessive intake can irritate the stomach lining and cause nausea and vomiting, but in small amounts, and if the consumer has no history of kidney stones, there’s no major harm; moreover, the sour taste of oxalic acid could be used as a seasoning.
Although the slightly sour meat soup wasn’t considered delicious, compared to bland meat soup with no taste, or meat soup with just a hint of oily flavor and nothing else, sour meat soup definitely offered novelty.
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Relying on the small to medium-sized animals they hunted along the way, weathering the elements, Chen Zhou and his partner followed the large-horned deer herd, traveling along a tributary of the Yidu River to the northwest, eventually finding traces of rock salt at the foot of a large mountain.
The mountain foot was steep, seemingly having undergone geological changes or severe geological disasters, resulting in a 9-meter-high rock face collapsing entirely.
Blue to green fragmented rocks were scattered on the ground, trampled into the soil or kicked aside by the deer herd.
The exposed rock face was scattered with white rock salt mixed with light gray, black, and red spots. The large-horned deer herd, reaching this place, stopped on the surrounding grassland, occasionally stretching their necks to lick the rock salt.
The entire deer herd had about ninety adults, and counting the fawns, the total far exceeded one hundred; each one focused on a spot, licking it until noticeable depressions appeared on the rock face.
The largest adult male deer’s licking spot was the largest and deepest, positioned at the top. The lower one went, the smaller and shallower the depressions became—
Where the fawns licked.
Attracted by the natural rock salt on this rock wall, many grazing animals could also be seen nearby.
Besides animals native to Eurasia living and reproducing here, other herbivores introduced by the Space-Time Administration Bureau also joined the excitement.
Even with wilted vegetation, this area was unusually lively.
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Chen Zhou and Paul stopped with a serrated tiger cub about a kilometer away at a mound, observing the situation from afar and planning how to scare off or avoid the large-horned deer herd, collect enough rock salt, and subsequently transport hunted animals back to the shelter.
Far enough away to take in all the herbivores, they also saw many "companions."
Predators like the American Lion, North American Cheetah, Saber-toothed Tiger Genus, Fear Wolf, Fine-toothed Giant Bear, and Blade-toothed Tiger, either solitary or pack hunting, were also drawn here by the rich food resources.
The sky hadn’t darkened yet, but these fierce hunters were already itching to move.
However, due to the sheer number of predators gathered here, many hunters hadn’t managed to attack the herbivores before being backstabbed by their peers.
Chen Zhou and Paul personally witnessed a pack of over 20 cave hyenas fighting with an American Lion.
The American Lion, with its reddish-brown fur, was larger than an African Lion, but unlike African Lions, it didn’t operate in prides, moving instead as a couple.
A male and female pair of American Lions, competing for an animal carcass just discovered by the cave hyenas, angered the local "homegrown" group.
In the suddenly erupting conflict, the cave hyena pack showed extremely high teamwork and coordination, with some distracting the American Lion from the front, others sneaking up from behind, and still others watching from the periphery, ready to replace attacked comrades, preventing greater losses to the group.
As one of primitive man’s arch-enemies and among the most ruthless and united hunters of ancient Eurasia, the cave hyenas gave these newcomer American Lions a harsh lesson.
The male lion barely broke through the siege due to its larger size, but the female lion was caught by several large female cave hyenas, which tore its belly open, spilling out its guts.
Here, one could see how the Hyena Queen’s wisdom surpassed the American Lion’s.
It instinctively sensed that a more intense conflict was about to erupt here, hurriedly leading its group to finish off the choicest innards before withdrawing without looking back—
They were ferocious predators and also the battlefield’s scavengers, more than willing to clean up the aftermath of a great battle.
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On the grassland behind the mound, a bright fire had been kindled.
In the firelight, Chen Zhou meticulously examined the long spearhead fixed with a shuriken, and stroked the edge of the hand axe.
The three serrated tiger cubs, unlike usual, were not lying on the ground but standing upright, heads raised, ears perked, tensely listening to the clamor.
The musky scent of herbivores and the bloody smell of carnivores, accompanied by the cold autumn wind, seemed as though they were about to kick off a bloody rain.