Chapter Eleven: Kuangxitjia Wolf Station

In short, with the brown bear watching nearby, it was not the right time to collect the birch saplings. Now that he had located them, Qin Fei saw no reason to linger and returned to the fishing cabin. The polar day was short, and in the brief time he’d been outside, dusk had already claimed most of the sky. After chewing on some dried meat, he lay down inside the hut and went straight to sleep.

[You have survived: 10 days, 3 hours, 24 minutes]

Day had broken bright and clear, the weather outside fine. No telling when the grizzly near the birch saplings would leave, and Qin Fei had no intention of sitting idle, burning through his supplies as he waited. So today, he planned to follow the coastal highway toward the Desolation Zone.

The Desolation Zone was a new map in the game. By the sea, there was a derelict, beached ship called the Riken, which housed a furnace fit for forging arrowheads.

He packed some dried meat, water, his knife, hacksaw, and other necessities, then set off along the coastal road. Walking directly across the ice would have been faster, as the route was a straight line. But the open ice offered no cover—if there were wolves, they’d spot him from far off, far too dangerous. The road, on the other hand, was dotted with the occasional abandoned car, a refuge in case of a wolf encounter. There were also some cabins along the roadside, places to rest and warm up. The highway was the wiser choice.

Luck seemed to favor him that day. Along the way, he saw neither wolf nor blizzard, and the temperature wasn’t too harsh. After walking for an hour or two, he reached a gas station. The sign above the door read “Quanset.”

He was starting to feel cold, and, having skipped breakfast, he decided to go inside. Qin Fei planned to rest at the Quanset gas station, eat some dried meat, recover his strength, and warm up.

Just inside the door stood a counter for storing goods, upon which sat an empty cash register. Nearby lay a few magazines and a stack of old newspapers. Qin Fei gathered these up—they were good for passing the time and also made excellent kindling.

He searched the counter, but it was mostly empty. Still, in a corner, he found two red cans.

[Peanut Butter: Creamy, canned peanut butter—a good source of energy.]
[Tomato Soup: A rich, savory soup. Heated, it warms you and staves off hunger for a while.]

Beside the counter stood a drinks fridge, almost bare except for a single can of soda, sitting forlornly on a shelf.

[Stacey’s Soda: A can of fruit juice beverage, high-sugar syrup, very sweet.]

A good source of sugar. Qin Fei grabbed it. He also found a can opener hanging above the fridge, presumably for the staff’s use—a practical tool, so he took it along.

Further in were the restroom and a sleeping area. Close to the bed stood a workbench for crafting various items, and on it, Qin Fei discovered a bullet. He had no firearm, but it weighed almost nothing, so he slipped it into his pack.

[Rifle Cartridge: One .303 caliber round.]

Perhaps he’d find a gun later. Not far from the bed was an empty oil drum, inside which was an iron grill—likely used for cooking by the station’s former inhabitants.

Qin Fei put some of his wood into the drum, lit a fire, and laid strips of dried meat on the grill, sprinkling them with spice. That seemed insufficient, so he used the can opener to open a can of tomato soup and set it on the grill to heat as well.

With both meat and soup, the meal was unexpectedly lavish. After finishing the grilled meat, he drank the entire can of tomato soup, the warmth spreading through his body.

Fed and refreshed, he continued his journey. Pushing open the door, he left the gas station.

“Woof! Woof!”

No, not barking—those were wolves. As soon as he stepped outside, he heard a chorus of howls. Qin Fei glanced around and saw four wolves, slowly advancing from four different directions.

Damn!

He cursed inwardly, darted back inside, slammed the door, and locked it. The moment he did, the wolves lunged at the entrance. The scraping sound of their claws on wood echoed, making his scalp tingle.

Four wolves! He’d run into four at once! This was no gas station—it was a “wolf station.” There was no way he’d be able to leave any time soon.

Suddenly, Qin Fei remembered something. He hurried to the back door and locked it from the inside, then checked the windows, ensuring all were securely shut. At last, he felt marginally safer.

He passed the time reading magazines but checked outside through the windows and door cracks every hour, waiting for the wolves to leave. They showed no sign of going, lingering stubbornly outside as hours passed into night.

Outside, the wind began to howl—looked like a blizzard was coming. Qin Fei peered out once more; the wolves had vanished, likely driven off by the storm. But with night falling and the blizzard raging, it was impossible to travel. He resigned himself to spending the night at the gas station.

The next morning, the blizzard had stopped. Peeking out to confirm the wolves were gone, he wasted no time, sprinting away from the Quanset gas station.

After half a day’s journey along the coastal highway, he reached a dead end—the road blocked by snow and earth, seemingly the aftermath of an avalanche. Nearby was an abandoned mine.

If he remembered correctly, the mine led through to the Desolation Zone.

He took out his storm lantern, lit it, and entered the mine. The tunnel had no confusing branches, just a rough path, so he didn’t worry about losing his way. Along the way, he found many lumps of coal—crucial for him. Ordinary wood alone couldn’t generate enough heat for smelting iron in a furnace; only coal could raise the temperature to what was needed.

Qin Fei gathered the coal as he made his way through. The mine was much warmer than the outside. Reaching the exit, he took out his sleeping bag and napped until his body warmed up.

Once he was comfortable, Qin Fei retrieved some of yesterday’s roasted meat. It had grown tough and dry overnight, hard to chew, but with the orange soda he’d found, he managed to get some down and fill his stomach.

Emerging from the mine, he arrived at the Desolation Zone. In the distance, he could see the faint outline of a marble church. Qin Fei set off toward it.