Chapter 388: Chapter 291: Tundra
Having a snowmobile made transporting the moose carcass much easier.
The three of them didn’t waste any time. They worked together to haul the moose directly onto the snowmobile’s frame, started the engine, and in a flash, brought the moose back to the temporary camp.
Director Roland waited anxiously by the walkie-talkie for news. His heart was in his throat, worried for their safety.
After all, this was the winter Tundra during the polar night. Any number of dangers could arise.
The roar of a snowmobile sounded from outside the tent.
Director Roland hurried out of the tent and saw that the three of them were safe and sound.
He hadn’t expected them to be back in less than half an hour, let alone with such a massive moose. A look of pleasant surprise immediately spread across his face.
After they returned safely to camp, they unloaded the moose from the snowmobile.
Feng Mountain was true to his word. He walked straight over to the moose, picked up his axe, and cleanly chopped off the two front legs. He offered them to the two White Wolves as a gift, thanking them for their hard work that day.
After such an ordeal, the entire group was exhausted. No one was in the mood to talk. They each took out their sleeping bags, found a comfortable spot by the wood stove, and lay down.
They soon fell asleep, and the tent filled with the soft CRACKLING of the burning firewood.
「The next day.」
The group was woken by their cell phone alarms.
After a simple morning routine of getting up and washing, Feng Mountain took last night’s leftover potatoes, rice, and chicken, mixed them together, added some water, and made a simple stew. As long as it filled their stomachs, it was good enough.
After breakfast, the four of them packed up their sleeping bags and fur blankets, carried the wood stove out of the tent, and tossed it into the snow to extinguish the embers.
A night of raging blizzard had left nearly a meter of fresh snow on the ground, burying the snowmobiles.
Nash and Yves took down the tent while Feng Mountain and Director Roland were responsible for digging out the snowmobiles.
Hearing the commotion, the two White Wolves burst out from a snowdrift and shook the snow from their fur.
「Half an hour later.」
The hunting party set off again, heading toward the Tundra. Now that they had a moose, there was no need to remain in the forest. Their next targets were reindeer and musk oxen.
The musk oxen would be easy enough; there were several herd territories within the Crown Territory.
The reindeer, however, would be more troublesome. They were nomadic foragers and didn’t stay in one place for long.
Hunting reindeer, therefore, would be quite difficult. It would require considerable effort and a bit of luck.
Three snowmobiles, each pulling a sled, sped out of the Moonlight Forest and onto the vast Tundra.
Back in the forest yesterday, the tall trees had at least provided some shelter from the wind and snow. The conditions had been harsh, but it was somewhat more bearable.
The Tundra was completely different. With no trees for cover, the cold monsoonal winds from the Arctic Ocean were like untamed horses, blowing with impunity. The wind cut at their faces like a knife, stinging so badly it was hard to even keep their eyes open.
The gale carried curtains of snow, sweeping across the land. Their vision was a field of blinding white. Visibility was pitifully low; it was impossible to make out anything even a short distance away.
In this weather, finding reindeer was out of the question; even just traveling across the Tundra was becoming extremely difficult.
They didn’t dare to drive too fast, afraid of losing their way or crashing into an obstacle hidden by the blizzard.
With every short distance they covered, they had to scan their surroundings. The howling wind echoed endlessly in their ears, grating on their nerves, but there was nothing to do but grit their teeth and push forward against it.
Besides, in such awful conditions, the reindeer had likely already found shelter, which made finding any trace of them even more difficult.
’This isn’t working! It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack. We have to find a place to wait for the blizzard to die down.’
Feng Mountain, who was in the lead, estimated the direction of the hunting cabin and raised a hand, signaling for the others to follow him closely.
The vehicles behind saw his signal and immediately flashed their headlights in response, indicating they had received the message and would stay close.
The three snowmobiles then began to race through the blizzard. The roar of their engines seemed especially loud against the howling wind, and their tracks kicked up clouds of snow, leaving deep grooves in their wake.
After a frantic dash, they finally reached the snowy hill where the hunting cabin was located. Feng Mountain drove straight to the summit.
The hunting cabin had originally been nothing more than four crude stone walls—a simple shelter from the elements.
But when tourists started visiting the area, Yves had brought a crew over and put considerable effort into renovating it. He not only added a sturdy roof but also thoughtfully stocked it with firewood, ensuring there would be emergency supplies in case anyone got stranded.
When the four of them finally made it to the hunting cabin and got off their snowmobiles, they were shocked to see themselves. The fur coats they wore were covered in a thick crust of ice that made soft KRAK-KRAK sounds whenever they moved.
Their windproof masks had also frozen solid, sticking to their faces like ice-cold masks.
But they couldn’t worry about that now. They were all shivering uncontrollably, their hands and feet growing numb.
The group hurriedly herded the two White Wolves into the hunting cabin. The moment they were inside, Yves rushed to grab the firewood and expertly lit a fire.
In an instant, warm flames leaped to life.
They all gathered around the fire to warm up. It felt like stepping out of an ice cellar and next to a roaring furnace. As feeling gradually returned to their frozen bodies, they all let out long sighs of relief.
"The Tundra is really no place for humans!" Director Roland said, curling up tightly to try and get warmer.
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