Chapter 96: Hunting in the Northern Frontier 2.0

"Ping'an, I forgot to tell you, the temperature difference between day and night here is huge, and it's even more so in the mountains. Did you two bring thick clothes?"

"We did, Uncle Watuo, don't worry."

"That's good."

The horse-drawn carriage wasn't fast; it took over a hundred kilometers and didn't reach the foot of the mountain until after twelve noon.

"You wait for me here for a moment; I'm going to drop off the carriage to be boarded."

"Alright."

"Let's eat something to replenish our energy; we still have six or seven hours of mountain road to walk later," Wasta said.

"Alright." Zhang Ping'an wasn't familiar with this place yet, so for now, he had no choice but to follow them.

Watuo was also chewing on dried meat when he walked back, and seeing that everyone had eaten enough, he prepared to set off.

"Ping'an, I know you're also skilled at hunting, but this is still an unfamiliar environment for you, so try your best to listen to me."

"Understood, Uncle Watuo, I know the rules."

"Good, let's set off."

Watuo and Zhang Ping'an walked one in front of the other, with Wasta and Dong Jianguo in the middle. Watuo held a brush knife to clear away obstructive plants, while two dogs led the way.

"A-Ta, the vegetation here has grown even more wildly than when we last came."

"Mm, that's normal in summer."

All of them were wearing long sleeves and trousers; at this moment, in the airless jungle, their clothes were soaked through and sticking to their bodies.

Four hours later, the four people and two dogs finally arrived at a small wooden cabin.

"This is where I rest my feet; it was built seven or eight years ago. There is another wooden cabin three or four hours further up. Let's rest for half an hour."

Zhang Ping'an's heart stirred upon hearing this. When he went back, he could also build two wooden cabins; they would be good for both keeping a low profile and resting.

The key was that he had watched a lot of wilderness survival and shelter-building content in his past life, but he never managed to do it himself; he had to make it happen in this life no matter what.

"Alright."

The spots Watuo chose were all quite good—sheltered from the wind, with a water source nearby; it was easy to stay warm and convenient to fetch water.

Along the way, Zhang Ping'an collected all the rare items he encountered into his space.

At eight o'clock in the evening, the four people and two dogs reached their destination for this trip. Zhang Ping'an estimated the altitude must be three or four thousand meters.

"Is the cousin doing alright?"

Zhang Ping'an knew about altitude sickness; if things went wrong, people could die, but he didn't feel much of it himself.

"He's fine, just a bit tired."

It was fortunate that he had lived here for years and had been training with Zhang Ping'an for over a week, plus he had drunk quite a bit of Space Water; otherwise, it would have been hard to say.

"Rest up tonight, and we'll start hunting tomorrow. This area basically has Red Deer, Wild Boar, Wolf, and fox, so we need to be careful."

"Alright."

The sky outside the mountains might still be bright, but inside the mountains, it had long since darkened; it was indeed not suitable to go out again.

"I'll go out and pick up some firewood; you all tidy up the cabin."

"I'll go too; it'll be faster with two people."

"That works too. Take your gear, and don't go too far from the cabin," Watuo hesitated for a moment before agreeing.

"Alright." Zhang Ping'an took the gun and removed his backpack and bow and arrows before heading out.

Zhang Ping'an's figure moved rapidly through the mountains, while simultaneously using his space to quickly scan the surrounding terrain to familiarize himself with it as soon as possible.

Half an hour later, Zhang Ping'an had a rough idea of the surroundings. There were indeed many animal droppings, and he also took the opportunity to set a few traps; when he saw medicinal herbs, he also transplanted them into his space.

By the time Zhang Ping'an returned carrying a bundle of firewood, Watuo had only been back for ten minutes.

Jianguo and the other had also tidied up the cabin. It had been a long time since anyone lived there, so it was a bit damp and musty, but it was much better after lighting the earthen stove.

After a simple meal of dry rations, everyone slept in their spots, and there was no further talk throughout the night.

Early the next morning, Zhang Ping'an woke up early as usual. Without disturbing them, he stretched and exercised by the pool, and finally had a comfortable wash, even though it was a bit cold.

He casually caught a foraging pheasant—it should be called a Snow Chicken here—and cleaned it directly. Adding some wild mushrooms, Zhang Ping'an prepared to stew a pot of mushroom chicken soup; that was an absolute luxury in the wilderness.

He checked the traps he had set the night before and had a decent harvest: three Squirrels and two Snow Chickens, all still alive, so Zhang Ping'an tossed them into his space.

When Zhang Ping'an returned, Watuo was also up and exercising. Zhang Ping'an nodded and began stewing the chicken on his own.

After Watuo finished his practice, Zhang Ping'an greeted him.

"Morning, Uncle Watuo."

"Morning. But why did you get up so early, kid? In the mountains, you need to conserve your energy and be ready to deal with emergencies at any time."

"I understand, but I'm used to it."

"Young people really are full of energy," Watuo said, shaking his head.

The savory aroma of the chicken soup became even more fragrant after Zhang Ping'an added the seasonings, and Wasta and the other finally woke up.

"Smells so good."

"Hurry up and wash up, then get up to eat."

"Oh, oh, alright."

By now, the chicken soup had been simmering for nearly an hour. The sky in the mountains was still dim, though it was likely already bright outside.

"How about some flatbread soaked in chicken soup?"

"Ping'an, your skills are impressive; you could be a head chef," Watuo was also surprised by Zhang Ping'an's culinary skills.

"Hahaha, I learned a trick or two from a head chef in Sijiucheng."

Zhang Ping'an had indeed learned some seasoning combinations from He Daqing, and combined with the information explosion from his past life and the freshness of the ingredients, what he made was truly delicious.

After a full meal, the sky was slightly bright. The four of them took their gear and set off; the dogs had also eaten their fill. Zhang Ping'an handed the gun to Dong Jianguo while he himself carried the large bow.

Watuo was indeed an old hunter and had a knack for finding animal trails; he soon led the three people and two dogs to a group of Moose.

"We're lucky this time; we might be able to head back soon," Watuo said, looking at the herd of Moose in the distance.

"We'll split into two groups. Ping'an, you drive them from this side, and I'll go downstream to shoot. Try not to hit the females. Start in about half an hour."

"Understood."

Half an hour later, Dong Jianguo began firing blanks, and the herd, startled, stampeded downstream as expected.

The two of them chased from behind. Zhang Ping'an was fast, and while Dong Jianguo wasn't paying attention, he quickly approached the herd and randomly selected three lucky ones (one male and two females) to store in his space.

At this moment, gunshots also rang out from downstream, causing the herd to scatter even further. Watuo and the dogs followed the blood trail and found a Moose weighing five or six hundred kilograms, while Zhang Ping'an had also shot through the neck of a Moose.

"I didn't expect this trip to go so smoothly, but it's a pity we can't carry all this meat."

"Yeah, let's take as much as we can."

The two of them took their knives and quickly began dismembering the carcasses. Once they were completely dead, the temperature today would quickly breed bacteria, so they had to be butchered and smoked as soon as possible.

Wasta and the other person were responsible for gathering pine branches to build a smoking rack near the wooden cabin. Both of them finished dismembering quickly and started transporting the meat back; the smell of blood at the scene might attract a pack of Wolf.

Both were skilled hunters and quickly made makeshift stretchers to carry as much as possible, not knowing if anything would be left by the time they returned for another trip.

"Ping'an, you're carrying too much; you won't be able to drag it at all."

"It's fine, I have a lot of strength, maybe I'll just be a bit slow."

"Alright then, be careful. I'll head out first and come back to support you."

"Okay."

The Moose Zhang Ping'an shot must have weighed over six hundred kilograms, and he had more than half of it on his stretcher. After Watuo walked away, Zhang Ping'an also stored the two deer heads away.

Watuo had only been back for ten minutes after transporting the Moose meat when Zhang Ping'an arrived.

"Ping'an, your uncle is impressed."

Watuo was completely convinced this time. He was exhausted after transporting back about five hundred jin, while Zhang Ping'an had dragged back at least two or three hundred jin more than him.

"Hehe, I just have a bit more strength. Uncle, you stay with them, I'm going back to take another look."

"Alright, be careful. There's an eighty percent chance a pack of Wolf has already surrounded the place by now." Watuo truly had no strength left to return.

Zhang Ping'an had wanted to store everything in his space just now, but he was afraid that if Watuo returned, he wouldn't be able to explain it. Even if the Moose were eaten up by the time he got back, he would have to collect a few Wolf as interest.