Chapter 1045 - 64: The Plan

Regarding wild boar hunting, Hua Yun and Chen Wen both have their plans.

For now, both are pondering and refining their plans while setting up camp, planning to continue their communication during dinner.

Taking advantage of this time, Chen Wen had the Golden Eagle search nearby for a water source.

Finding water is already a familiar task for the Golden Eagle.

Soon enough, the Golden Eagle returned with news, finding a small stream northwest of the temporary camp.

Chen Wen instructed Hua Yun to continue setting up camp and starting the fire while he took two squirrels and their water bottles to fetch water and handle the game.

With the Golden Eagle leading the way, Chen Wen arrived at the stream, planning to collect water before dealing with the squirrels.

The stream wasn’t very wide, but the flow was decent. However, Chen Wen noticed the temperature of the water was very cold.

When he reached out to scoop water, he even felt a stabbing cold in the water.

"Looking at this weather, it seems like it’s about to freeze, huh."

Chen Wen squinted his eyes, calculating silently to himself.

They arrived when the freezing period of Lake Baikal was nearing.

After surviving here for over ten days, Lake Baikal is likely about to start freezing.

Just a drop in temperature away, and this area would be completely frozen over.

By then, a heavy snowfall would turn this region into an extremely cold place where humans struggle to survive!

But Chen Wen wasn’t worried; their shelter was complete, and this place wasn’t lacking firewood.

Aside from a slight shortage of food reserves, they lacked nothing else!

Water, fire, food, shelter.

With all four elements in place, they could survive the winter!

After fetching water, Chen Wen began handling the squirrels.

...

Meanwhile.

Roland and Fred, taking the opposite route from Chen Wen and his group, continued on their way.

Although they had the Eagle to assist, the Eagle mainly helped them watch for dangers. It was somewhat timid when it came to hunting prey and finding game.

Because in this forest, the Eagle isn’t the top bird of prey!

Most avian predators share a characteristic—their aggression is swift and their harm potent, but they themselves are quite fragile.

The Golden Eagle is different.

It stands indisputably at the top of the avian food chain, allowing it to appear anywhere fearlessly, even soaring high into the sky.

But not the Eagle.

Compared to the Golden Eagle, it’s one level lower.

And this difference makes it vulnerable to being ambushed fatally.

In this forest, birds of prey capable of killing an Eagle include falcons!

Therefore, the Eagle dares not fly arrogantly, preferring a low-key path within the woods.

This is also the Eagle’s favored method of moving.

"We’ve walked all morning without seeing anything, is there really no game in this direction?"

Fred said, somewhat agitated.

Despite being a local, Fred had never encountered such a situation. He remembered this area being quite rich in animal resources!

Hearing this, Roland chuckled and advised, "Don’t rush, hunting requires patience!"

Fred nodded slightly.

He had patience, but the thought, "If it were Chen Wen here now, he should have quite a haul by now," pestered Fred greatly.

"But I did notice something just now."

Roland spoke, licking his lips, "It seems to be something substantial. If all goes well, we could be eating its meat tonight!"

Fred brightened, "What prey?"

"Wild boar!"

...

When Chen Wen returned to the camp with the squirrels, Hua Yun had already set up the temporary camp.

In simple terms, it was an A-frame shelter.

Enough for one person to rest.

Outside, keeping watch is necessary, especially since they have so much food.

To some hunters, Chen Wen and Hua Yun are like a walking buffet.

Of course, the entrance ticket to this buffet might be the hunters’ lives!

Chen Wen arrived at the camp, handing the squirrel skins and heads to Hua Yun to handle, while he skewered the remaining edible parts of the squirrels on sticks he had gathered, setting them near the campfire for roasting.

Chen Wen also took out a pack of Thirteen Spices from their supplies, planning to sprinkle some as the squirrels roast to enhance the fragrance and remove the game taste.

With supplies brought by Arseny, they no longer feared running out of seasonings.

"While we have time now, let’s plan how to hunt wild boars."

Hua Yun suggested.

Chen Wen nodded slightly, "My idea definitely involves relying on the Golden Eagle to find the boar’s location. We attack from both sides, catching as many as we can!"

The Golden Eagle looked dumbfounded, "bread?"

Hua Yun sighed, this plan certainly had Chen Wen’s style.

Not worrying about anything, just going in and dealing with issues as they arise.

However, the advantage of such a plan is straightforward and simple, though the outcome relies on luck.

Hua Yun had thought a bit more.

She spoke, "My idea is, why don’t we camp here temporarily."

Hearing Hua Yun’s suggestion, Chen Wen glanced at the shelter she built, noticing she indeed had plans to spend the night here.

However, Chen Wen didn’t question and continued to listen as Hua Yun elaborated, "In the afternoon, I can search for the boar’s location and their nests, then set traps along their paths. We start trapping first and once they rest tomorrow, we’ll actively strike and try to capture them all at once."

This plan sounded more reliable than Chen Wen’s, although it required more time and effort.

Chen Wen thought for a moment and said, "Let’s first find this group of boars to see how large they are. If it’s big enough, we’ll follow your method and catch them all in one go; if it’s a small group, then we’ll follow mine and hunt a few large ones."

Hearing this, Hua Yun also nodded.

If targeting a small boar group, her method wouldn’t yield beneficial results without a significant effort, only suitable for groups of five or more big boars.

After their discussion, Chen Wen noticed the squirrels were almost done roasting.

He adjusted the scoring on the squirrels and sprinkled some Thirteen Spices, releasing a faint fragrance.

"The scent of the meat combined with the spices; ah! It feels more like a camping trip or a self-service outing."

Chen Wen couldn’t help but exclaim.

Hua Yun nodded as well.

Once the squirrels were done roasting, they each took one and ate with the slightly cool stream water.

...

The flavor of the squirrel was better than Chen Wen imagined.

Partially due to the Thirteen Spices and Chen Wen’s culinary skills, and partially because the squirrels had higher fat content this close to winter.

This added a hint of fatty fragrance to them.

Chen Wen ate happily, disregarding the less-than-ideal appearance and slightly burnt roast; it was quite nice overall.

Hua Yun ate, nodding in approval.

It’s unknown why, but her Skill Points seemed entirely focused on hunting, with none in cooking.

Even for the simplest grilled meat, Hua Yun often overcooked it until it was very charred.

Not to mention results like Chen Wen’s, grilling the meat to a crisp and tasty state.

After they ate the meat and drank some water, they calmed their nerves around the campfire.

In the afternoon, Chen Wen instructed the Golden Eagle to accompany Hua Yun in searching for the wild boar’s trail, while he stayed at the temporary camp to gather wood in preparation for the evening.

Before leaving, Hua Yun rubbed some pine needle sap on herself to mask her scent.