Chapter 1029 - 48: Topping Off

Soon, the animals left the camp together.

Their destination today was still the rabbit hole they had previously discovered.

Mountain hares live in groups, so finding one rabbit hole means there are definitely more rabbit holes nearby.

Thus, under the reconnaissance of Golden Eagle and Eagle, the group of mountain hares was unearthed.

At present, Golden Eagle and Eagle have made a decision.

They plan to wipe out most of this group of mountain hares and then look for other prey.

On the ground.

Wolf Mink King Kong and Chen Wen’s newly tamed Wolf Mink walked one behind the other, still maintaining a posture of ignoring each other.

However, King Kong was pondering the words Chen Wen had told it earlier.

It hesitated for a bit, slowed down its pace, allowing the Wolf Mink behind it to walk up alongside it.

Looking at this much smaller companion, King Kong thought for a moment and asked, "Hey... are you hungry?"

High above, upon hearing King Kong’s voice, Eagle felt a brief blackout.

Really?

Why would you start a conversation with such a question?

Yet, surprisingly, the little Wolf Mink seriously considered the question after hearing it and replied, "A bit."

King Kong nodded: "I noticed you didn’t eat much yesterday. If you eat too little, you won’t grow big. When I catch some rabbits later, eat more so you can become as big as me. That way, you can swagger in the woods!"

Hearing this, the little Wolf Mink nodded vaguely.

For them, the larger their size, the stronger their combat and survival abilities.

The little Wolf Mink couldn’t help but ask, "Did you grow this big from eating so much?"

Upon hearing this, King Kong proudly nodded: "I probably ate a lot! By the way, let me tell you about when I was at Chen Wen’s, oh, the human’s house..."

King Kong began talking about the feast on the island, and the little Wolf Mink listened with shiny eyes.

High above.

Eagle, speechless, watched the two Wolf Minks chatting and becoming more animated as they spoke.

Wow, so in the Wolf Mink worldview, it’s all about eating?

In the midst of these thoughts, Golden Eagle flew next to Eagle.

It was observing the situation below, and seeing the two Wolf Minks starting to talk, Golden Eagle chuckled: "Looks like Chen Wen was right, for Wolf Minks, breaking the ice starts with talking about food."

Eagle gave a wry smile and nodded: "I thought only King Kong loved to eat, who knew it was their entire family."

"When we catch rabbits, let’s give them some first."

Golden Eagle said as it quickened its pace.

...

Meanwhile, with Chen Wen.

The situation with the Wolf Minks was unknown.

Thinking about the Wolf Minks, Chen Wen was still quick with his hands.

He spread a clay mixture on the stone wall’s exterior for reinforcement, making the wall sturdier and smoother.

The wall required quite a bit of clay mixture, so seeing Fred sawed a lot of wood, he had Fred continue to dig clay to store more.

Chen Wen and Roland continued building the shelter.

After roughly an hour.

All four walls were processed, and it only needed a layer of moss to be completely finished.

Roland was able to handle the moss alone.

Chen Wen began transporting planks, preparing for the next step of roofing.

Regarding the roof, Chen Wen planned to make a slope.

Snowfall here is heavy, reaching one to two meters deep in winter, so if the roof is flat, snow will accumulate, making it hard to clear and risking collapse under the weight.

So a sloped roof was the best choice, allowing snow to slide down the incline; even with excess snow, they could easily clear it with a stick.

Very convenient.

Thus, a sloped roof was Chen Wen and the team’s first choice.

Building a sloped roof requires some skill.

Chen Wen selected seven sturdy logs.

Six short ones, one long one.

The six short logs were for fixing the long one, forming a triangular frame on the roof.

Chen Wen took nails previously salvaged from a wooden cabin and found a suitable flat stone to use as a hammer.

Standing beside a main beam, he began securing the logs, nailing them to the main beam.

Three on the left, three on the right, forming a triangular structure.

It’s well-known that triangles are stable.

With the triangular structure, the shelter roof will be very stable.

After securing the frame, Chen Wen called Roland, and they placed the longest log on the triangular structure.

This was the most tense moment; if the triangular structure failed or the shelter’s load-bearing was insufficient, the shelter would likely collapse, and days of effort would vanish.

But the solid foundation and walls lived up to Chen Wen and Roland’s expectations.

After placing the heavy main beam, the shelter walls remained unaffected, as if a drop of water had entered Lake Baikal.

Not even a crack appeared on the walls.

After inspecting the walls, Chen Wen gave Roland a thumbs up: "Steady!"

Everyone was pleased.

Next, it was time to lay the planks.

The planks were long enough to cover both sides when split in the middle.

Chen Wen and Roland sped up, laying the planks before lunch.

"Perfect!"

Looking at the shelter taking shape, Roland gazed at it like he was admiring a stunning beauty.

Chen Wen was equally impressed.

Though the shelter’s appearance seemed earthy, it was very sturdy and simple.

"In the afternoon, we’ll build a fireplace inside and make a bed with stones and clay mixture, what do you think?"

Chen Wen asked Roland.

Roland was surprised: "A bed? Do we need to be this... indulgent?"

He felt it wasn’t the time for making beds.

Chen Wen thought about it and agreed.

He was somewhat presumptuous; for now, enjoyment was less important than building the six shelters.

"Alright then, let’s forgo the bed for now and focus on the shelter, I’ll work on the fireplace, and you can do the roofing."

Chen Wen said.

This time Roland had no objections.

...

As Chen Wen and the group energetically built the shelter.

In the forest.

The two Wolf Minks were glaring at a rabbit hole.

Wolf Mink King Kong bared its teeth, instructing: "Block this side, I’ll dig from the other end to scare the rabbits out. Remember, if they dare to come out, you dart in and bite their necks, got it?"

The little Wolf Mink earnestly nodded.

It vigilantly watched the hole, where its and Wolf Mink King Kong’s lunch—two mountain hares—were inside.

On a tree branch nearby.

Eagle and Golden Eagle were sharing a mountain hare.

Unable to bear seeing its good brothers starve, Eagle asked, "Are we really not giving them food?"

Golden Eagle replied: "If they don’t catch anything today, we’ll definitely share with them. But it’s still early, let them hunt by themselves—it’ll be more satisfying when they catch their own prey, and it importantly helps them bond."

Hearing this, Eagle nodded slightly.

It knew Golden Eagle was right.

Yet, considering it was their first cooperative hunt on the ground, the success rate must be... not very high!

Thinking this, Eagle lost interest in eating.

Golden Eagle quickly filled its belly and said, "I’ll go scout around, keep an eye here."

"Okay."