Chapter Two: The Gray Wolf

Because Qin Fei hadn't eaten anything before bed last night, he awoke now with an unbearable hunger gnawing at his stomach.

The sensation of an empty belly was truly miserable.

Survival in extreme cold requires far more food than in temperate regions—consumption rises dramatically.

The region of Great Bear, where the Mysterious Lake is located, lies at the northernmost part of North America, within the Maple Leaf Country.

Here, deep within the Arctic Circle, daily temperatures can plunge to minus fifty or sixty degrees.

Under such frigid conditions, an adult needs to burn around 1,500 calories a day. Without enough food, it wouldn't be long before Qin Fei froze to death.

Yesterday, he’d melted snow atop the large stove, storing about two liters of drinking water.

With nothing to eat, he could only fill his stomach with water.

Qin Fei withdrew the cooled boiled water from his pack and took several hearty gulps.

Though food was scarce here, water was not. The entire Mysterious Lake region was blanketed in snow; as long as he had enough fuel, he could boil as much water as he liked.

It was still morning, and the outside temperature was low. But hunger forced Qin Fei to venture out in search of food.

From his experience in the game, he knew that the edges of Mysterious Lake should be home to cattails.

Cattails, in the game, were vital survival resources. Their stems were loaded with starch, replenishing sugar for the body, while their tops made excellent tinder for starting fires.

Qin Fei opened the door to the camp office and stepped outside.

A blast of cold wind struck him; he immediately felt its bite.

His down jacket lacked a hood.

From basic survival knowledge, he knew that in severe cold, over half of the body’s heat escapes from the head. Thus, a hat is crucial.

He needed to find one soon.

Leaving the camp office, he walked onto the frozen surface of Mysterious Lake.

The ice was thick and slippery beneath his feet.

Aside from the occasional caw of a distant raven in the birch woods, the surroundings were eerily quiet.

The deer and wolves that appeared frequently in the game were nowhere to be seen.

At the lake’s edge, Qin Fei found several cattails growing from the ground.

Finally, something to eat!

He harvested the cattails and stowed them in his backpack.

[Cattail Stem: Rough. Not very filling, but at least edible.]

[Cattail Top: Can be used as tinder.]

Starving for hours, Qin Fei immediately stuffed a segment of cattail stem into his mouth.

The stem contained moisture and tasted faintly sweet. Perhaps because he was so famished, it seemed delicious—far better than any delicacy he'd ever had.

Braving the biting wind, Qin Fei gradually gathered more than twenty cattail stalks, reaching the center of Mysterious Lake.

“Awwooo~!”

A dog’s howl echoed!

Qin Fei shivered, his whole body trembling.

The sound was familiar...

Having played The Long Dark for thousands of hours, Qin Fei realized within seconds—this was no dog.

It was an Arctic gray wolf, native to the snowy plains of northern Maple Leaf Country.

Arctic gray wolves were much larger than ordinary wild wolves.

Due to the scarcity of food, their numbers here were few, so they often hunted alone.

Normally, a lone wild wolf encountering a human would avoid confrontation, knowing it had little chance against someone of similar size.

But Arctic gray wolves were different.

Living in the polar region, they were enormous, fierce, and aggressive. If they encountered a human smaller than themselves, they would attack without hesitation.

“Awoo!”

The wolf howled again.

Qin Fei looked toward the source.

In the distance, he could faintly see a gray wolf slowly approaching.

If this wolf knocked Qin Fei down, a struggle would surely ensue.

In his backpack was a crowbar found in the camp office.

An adult armed with a weapon would not be easily killed by a lone wolf—the odds were about even.

But given Qin Fei’s current predicament, whether his clothes were torn in the fight or he was wounded by the wolf’s teeth, he’d have trouble dealing with either outcome.

So, even if he could beat the wolf, there was no need to risk it.

If he could avoid it, he would.

Qin Fei scanned his surroundings.

Not far behind him stood an ice-fishing hut, complete with a door.

Such huts often had flotation boards attached underneath, allowing them to float during summer thaw. In winter, when the lake froze, the hut became fixed in place.

People would enter these huts, break open the specially prepared holes in the floor, and fish through the ice.

Seeing the wolf drawing nearer, Qin Fei began slowly retreating toward the hut.

When confronted by a large carnivore, the first step was to remain calm.

Don’t panic or try to run—humans cannot outrun wild animals.

Running signals weakness, and the beast will chase you down.

Above all, never turn your back. If you expose your back, the animal will seize the opportunity to pounce.

The correct approach was to stay calm, face the wolf head-on, and slowly back away.

As Qin Fei retreated, the wolf advanced, occasionally letting out a howl.

Because Qin Fei responded properly, the wolf didn’t attack immediately, instead probing him, testing his resolve.

With each step, the distance between them narrowed.

“Woof!”

At last, the wolf could no longer restrain itself; it growled and lunged at Qin Fei!

Run!

Qin Fei reacted swiftly.

He’d already moved closer to the hut while backing away, so it was within easy reach.

Turning, he dashed inside in two strides.

Thud!

As he entered, Qin Fei grabbed the door, slammed it shut, and slid the bolt, locking himself safely inside.

The wolf arrived moments later.

Unable to enter, it circled the hut, growing increasingly agitated.

Soon, the sound of claws scraping at the door echoed within.

But Qin Fei wasn’t worried.

The door was thick wood; unless chopped with an axe, the wolf’s claws would never break through.

The scratching persisted for a while, then gradually faded.

It seemed the wolf had left.

Cautious, Qin Fei didn’t exit immediately.

He pressed his ear against the door, listening intently... faint footsteps could still be heard on the ice outside.

The wolf was still there!

Clearly, it was deliberately quiet, waiting for Qin Fei to step out and meet his fate.

Seeing this, Qin Fei simply remained inside.

He pulled several cattail stems from his pack, chewing them as he waited for the wolf to leave.

After eating four or five stems, Qin Fei’s arms began to shiver uncontrollably... Only then did he realize he was freezing.

The hut’s insulation was poor; even inside, the cold seeped in.

He needed to light a fire immediately.

Otherwise, trapped by the wolf, he would soon freeze to death.

Every ice-fishing hut typically contained a large stove with good insulation to help anglers stay warm.

Qin Fei tossed the wood he’d found in the camp office into the stove, pulled out a cattail top for tinder, and struck a match...

A weak flame flickered in the stove... Before long, the hut’s temperature began to rise.

Qin Fei’s shivering body gradually warmed.

Finally, he was safe!

He let out a long breath and sank onto the floor, utterly relieved.