Chapter 803 - 16: Trap

Chapter 803: Chapter 16: Trap

The sun hung high in the sky, its splendid rays illuminating the vast snowy plains as if it were a white desert.

The temperature rarely rose, but the wind remained incessant, whipping ice crystals like coarse salt grains, striking the animal skin coat with a crackling sound.

Chen Zhou bowed his head, using the thick animal skin coat to fend off the wind and snow, silently moving forward.

His tall and upright posture appeared especially cumbersome due to the numerous layers of clothing he wore—

Underneath was underwear and a shirt, followed by a carefully selected thick combat outfit, over which he wore a layer of light armor, and outside the armor, a simply stitched animal skin coat.

The animal skin coat had three layers, the innermost made from a thin pelt pieced together with squirrel fur and small rodent pelts.

This pelt was soft and comfortable, offering excellent warmth and windproof performance, taking the longest time to make.

Outside the thin pelt was a simply styled animal skin coat, over which he wore a long robe.

Together, these layers of clothing weighed over twenty pounds, making it hard for an ordinary person to move, yet they posed no obstacles to Chen Zhou’s movements.

Of course, he was not only carrying these clothes on his solo journey to the red beacon.

On his back, Chen Zhou carried an entire tanned bear pelt from a male Cave Bear. It hadn’t died from the thrown Long Spears but had its throat severed by Chen Zhou, dying instantly in the cave.

After the Cave Bear died, the intact pelt was turned into a blanket by Paul. Lacking luggage on this outing, Chen Zhou rolled up the bear pelt and carried it on his back.

Aside from the bear pelt for nighttime rest, Chen Zhou also brought two spears with shurikens as spearheads, a Long Saber, and a Military Saber.

As for shuriken and flint, essential for wilderness survival, they were also part of his equipment.

In addition, Chen Zhou was also dragging a cart behind him.

The cart slid over the snow, with a long rope at one end hooked around Chen Zhou’s shoulder, moving with him.

The cart had simple guardrails on its four sides, containing some coal, grease sealed in clay pots, and also oil-fried jerky, dried berries, and kindling stored similarly.

Chen Zhou estimated that his round trip including the struggle for supplies would take at least a week, so he prepared materials for ten days.

To be honest, he wasn’t very confident in obtaining the supplies this time—

At this stage, after enduring extreme cold, anyone still daring to venture to the beacon wouldn’t be ordinary.

If the first batch of supplies had boosted his combat effectiveness, it would’ve been better, but so far, the only "Strong Regeneration Potion" that augmented his combat power among the supplies had long been consumed, leaving him only better resistant to cold.

However, being more resistant to cold didn’t mean gaining any advantage in combat. He would still be killed by a single blow if it came to that.

Facing stronger opponents, harsher environments, and earlier, more intense skirmishes, even though he always believed he ranked among the top fighters among all challengers, Chen Zhou still felt immense pressure.

If there was anything that could give him a hint of confidence, it might be only the Martial Arts taught by Bi Kai.

The structured techniques in saber, spear, and movement, combined with his physical fitness and the Light Armor left by the Black-robed Man, as long as he remained cautious and avoided others’ traps, he would stand a chance even if caught off guard.

...

A distance of more than eighty kilometers wasn’t too far for Chen Zhou; if not for the Great Horned Deer perishing entirely in the blizzard, he could advance much faster.

With his head down, he pressed forward, hearing only the sound of the wind and seeing only the color of snow.

This time, Chen Zhou didn’t bring Paul nor did he have Bi Kai accompany him; even the Three-headed Saw-toothed Tiger was left on the mountain.

Thus, the journey was especially lonely; there was no one to converse with or anything to divulge. The only thing he could do was to take one step at a time towards the beacon.

Starting in the morning, Chen Zhou walked non-stop until the sun was about to set before taking a break.

He found a sparse woodland area, dragged the wooden cart between a few large trees, and set up a fire on the spot—

In fact, there was no ready-made wooden board at home; to set off early, he had to dismantle the cave door. Although he saved some effort, Paul and Bi Kai were left at home, painstakingly axing and slicing wooden boards.

He prepped the bear pelt on the cart and threw some broken branches into the fire stack. Watching the billowing smoke of the bonfire and chewing on jerky, Chen Zhou couldn’t help but think of Paul.

Paul was recently noticed to have psychological issues. If it weren’t for the sudden appearance of the beacon, positioned so close to Mount Baihar, he would definitely have stayed a few more days until Paul’s mental state improved before departing.

Now there was only Paul and Bi Kai in the cave, and Bi Kai, being an ancient man, not only had a language barrier with Paul but also had little understanding of what "psychological issues" or "claustrophobia" were.

Leaving him to be with Paul indeed worried Chen Zhou a little.

The only solace was Paul’s genuine affection for the Saw-toothed Tiger; these three gentle creatures were undoubtedly a form of psychological comfort.

Moreover, after the beacon appeared, the weather had significantly improved, so Paul no longer had to stay in the cave all day, allowing him some outdoor activities, which was truly beneficial to his mental health.

Even if he just walked a few more laps around the mountain or bathed in more sunlight each day, his psychological issues should greatly alleviate. Perhaps by the time Chen Zhou returned, Paul would have recovered.