Chapter 385: Chapter 289: A Walk (2)
As expected of someone with professional training, after showing a flicker of surprise with his first bite, Yves ate the rest of his meal with a blank expression.
His harsh military training had long ago taught him the ability to eat any food, no matter how disgusting or strange-tasting, without a change in his expression.
So even if the numbing spiciness of the Sichuan peppercorns caught him off guard, it didn’t affect his enjoyment of the meal in the slightest.
"First one done is off the hook, last one washes the dishes!" Feng Mountain muttered, then immediately grabbed his plate and started wolfing down his food.
It was all thanks to the profound and sophisticated nature of Chinese cuisine.
When Feng Mountain ate chicken pieces, he didn’t do it like a foreigner, separating the meat from the bone first. He just popped the entire bone-in piece into his mouth, swirled it around deftly for a few moments, and then spit out a clean bone.
Thanks to this unique and efficient eating method, Feng Mountain ate much faster than Nash and the other two.
In no time, Feng Mountain had already finished two plates of rice. But looking over at Nash and his companions, they were still slowly working on the chicken pieces on their plates. They looked like they were fighting a battle with the chicken; it was a real struggle.
"Last one finishes has to wash the dishes! I’m going out for a walk!"
After he finished eating, Feng Mountain set his tray by the wood stove, picked up the Type 56 carbine leaning against the side of the tent, and put on his windproof face mask and goggles. Once he was fully bundled up against the wind and cold, he lifted the tent flap and stepped outside.
Outside, the frigid wind howled like a madman, whipping relentlessly. The biting gale swept up the falling snow, sending it dancing wildly through the air.
The entire world seemed to be shrouded in a vast, white curtain of snow, causing visibility to drop to almost nothing.
Even looking just ten meters ahead, it was basically impossible to make anything out clearly.
Everything was a blurry expanse of white, exuding an air of cold and desolation.
WHUFF!
Lao Liu and the other White Wolf crawled out from under a waterproof tarp and bounded over to Feng Mountain’s side.
"Come on, let’s go for a walk."
As he spoke, Feng Mountain put on a pair of snowshoes. He carefully checked his gear one more time, and after confirming everything was in order, he pushed through the howling blizzard toward a nearby spruce forest.
The two White Wolves flanked him like loyal guards, one on his left and one on his right. They moved with remarkable agility through the swirling snow.
Once inside the spruce forest, the dense trees helped block the wind, and the raging blizzard subsided, making it feel a little more bearable.
Suddenly, a chittering sound came from overhead.
He pointed his flashlight in the direction of the sound.
Two squirrels were perched on a spruce branch, their small, round eyes staring warily at the two White Wolves below. They let out a continuous stream of frantic chirps.
Feng Mountain playfully raised his hands and mimed shooting a gun, yelling, "BANG!"
This gave the two squirrels a major fright. They shuddered violently, then turned and fled without a second thought, vanishing into the dense foliage in the blink of an eye. All that remained was a slightly swaying branch.
Seeing this, Feng Mountain couldn’t help but chuckle. He then continued his unhurried pace forward.
He planned to make a loop nearby. ’If I’m lucky, I’ll run into some careless animal. If not, it’s just a walk to help with digestion.’
He walked on like this for some distance, until Lao Liu suddenly seemed to sense danger. The wolf arched its back, the fur all over its body bristling slightly. It stared intently at a spruce tree ahead, letting out a low, warning growl.
Seeing this, the other White Wolf also began to growl, as if it too had discovered a threat.
’Something’s there?’
Feng Mountain’s heart tightened. With a quick, smooth motion, he reached back and grabbed the Type 56 carbine from his back, then aimed his flashlight in the direction of Lao Liu’s growl.
There, amidst the swirling snowflakes and illuminated by the beam of his flashlight, a strange-looking large cat was crouched on the branch of the spruce tree before him.
It had grayish-white, mottled fur, a large, round face, and a prominent ruff on its cheeks. Its ears were triangular, tipped with two very distinct tufts of hair that swayed gently in the wind.
The large cat was perched on the branch, its eyes filled with nervousness.
’A lynx?’
Feng Mountain raised his rifle and aimed at the large cat on the branch.
The lynx, also known as the Canada lynx or great lynx, is a solitary animal. Its movements are very secretive, and it is usually active at night. A nocturnal Hunter, it has a large territory and no fixed den.
During the day, it might lie on a Rock to sunbathe or hide quietly under a large tree to shelter from the snow. It can remain motionless in solitude for several days within a territory of several hectares, or it can run for more than ten kilometers without stopping. It is skilled at climbing and swimming and has a strong resistance to hunger.
The lynx is cunning and cautious by nature. When faced with danger, it will quickly flee up a tree to hide. Sometimes, it will even lie down on the ground and play dead to escape an enemy’s attack.
In the wild, large predators such as tigers, leopards, snow leopards, and bears are the lynx’s natural enemies. If it encounters a Wolf Pack, it will also be chased, surrounded, and killed, with little chance of escape.
Its main food source is the Snow Rabbit and other species of wild hare. Therefore, in many places, the lynx population fluctuates with the rise and fall of the hare population, generally peaking every 9 to 10 years.
Besides hares, its prey includes many other animals, such as various squirrels, wild mice, lemmings, marmots, and birds like Thunderbirds, quail, wild pigeons, and pheasants.
Feng Mountain had little interest in hunting such a wimpy lynx.
For one, it didn’t have much meat on it. Even if he went through the trouble of hunting it, he wouldn’t get much to eat. It simply wasn’t worth the effort.
For another, its pelt wasn’t worth much money. Compared to more valuable furs, it was far inferior and wouldn’t fetch a high price.
Leaving it alive to continue living on the Tundra, on the other hand, could serve a greater purpose.
The Tundra had a considerable number of wild hares and mice. They start breeding in spring and summer, producing large litters and gnawing on plants everywhere, which has a significant impact on the local ecosystem.
Since the lynx preyed on hares and mice, its presence helped control their numbers and prevent them from becoming an infestation.
Feng Mountain watched the lynx quietly for a moment. After weighing the pros and cons, he quickly dismissed the idea of hunting it and prepared to continue his walk elsewhere.
Before leaving, Feng Mountain called out to the lynx hiding in the branches, "Hey, buddy! I’m just passing through. We leave each other alone, how about it?"
The lynx wasn’t afraid of Feng Mountain. Instead, it grew even more tense when it looked at the two White Wolves. Its large eyes were filled with alarm, and it instinctively shrank back behind the tree trunk.
Perhaps it had a traumatic memory of being chased by a Wolf Pack, giving it an instinctive fear of the animals.
Lao Liu looked at the lynx’s nervous and fearful state and let out a pair of disdainful, low growls that seemed laced with mockery. Then, in perfect sync with the other White Wolf, it moved to surround the spruce tree, one in front and one behind.
When the lynx realized it was surrounded, it became extremely agitated. It clung tightly to the tree trunk and let out a threatening HISS, as if trying to scare away the White Wolves that had it cornered.
"Stop bullying it. The poor thing," Feng Mountain couldn’t help but say.
He then slung his rifle back over his shoulder and turned to walk in another direction. He didn’t want any conflict with the lynx over this and figured it was best to leave quickly.
Seeing Feng Mountain leaving, Lao Liu looked up at the still-terrified lynx and let out a low whine.
It then disdainfully gave up the encirclement and took off after Feng Mountain, its figure quickly disappearing into the woods.
Seeing its natural enemies leave, the lynx hiding in the tree breathed a sigh of relief but also began to hesitate.
It wondered if it should find a new hiding spot, but it was also afraid this was a deliberate ploy by its enemies to lure it out of the tree.
While it was still deliberating, it looked around again and saw that its enemies were long gone.
Feng Mountain walked in the other direction for a good while.
Unfortunately, he didn’t find any prey along the way. Estimating the time, he gave up the search and prepared to return to the temporary camp.
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