Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
In the end, the rest of the team found them on their own. After the wind subsided, they could use satellite phones again.
The seven enormous SUVs rushed over. The car with Brother Wolf in it was traveling at high speed. It rushed ahead and stopped abruptly before them. When the car doors were pushed open, a few of the men in full combat suite hopped out.
The hunters who were intending to make trouble for Li Du were stunned. They saw his team carrying rifles and a few other automated weapons.
Even the students who were lying low in a corner of the house were stunned. They looked at Li Du with questioning looks on their faces and made guesses about his identity.
It was common to see people bringing guns into the wilderness. They, too, brought guns for self-defense. However, Brother Wolf and his men were all dressed for combat from head to toe. Besides, they carried themselves with the air of soldiers, and it was easy to tell that they were probably elite warriors.
They have never heard of such people traipsing through the Siberian wilderness. Their party suddenly resembled a legion of international forces at training.
Brother Wolf looked over to Li Du, concerned. Li Du nodded and said, “We are fine.”
The rest of the cars soon arrived and surrounded the campsite. The hunters looked afraid as they cowered together. ( NovelFull )
After getting out of the car, Steve asked Li Du, “Hey, Li, how are you doing?”
“All good,” Li Du replied.
Steve heaved a sigh of relief and said, “That’s good. D*mn it, when the wind started to howl, I tried to tell you through the wireless phone to lock up the car and follow behind us closely. Our car was able to withstand even such a strong wind.”
Li Du said, “You said that? We didn’t catch that. The phone signal was very poor then.”
As Driver had top skills, their car had been at the forefront of their troop.
Steve threw his hands out and said, “Alright, I told everyone to bring their cars close by to hide from the wind together. You, however, started off in an unknown direction. In the storm, we couldn’t tell where you guys headed.”
Li Du explained that the windscreen of their car had been buried under a bunch of tumbleweeds and they were unable to see anything. They could only keep driving forward blindly.
The younger Ford noticed the hunters who were standing outside as if they were being punished. Then he looked at the gun Li Du was holding. He asked, “What did those guys do?”
Li Du did not answer but looked at the guilty party and said, “Ask them. What did you guys do?”
The stubble-jawed man laughed dryly and said, “We are mammoth ivory hunters, sir. So sorry that we spoke out of line just now. Please forgive us for our impertinence. Low-class people like us don’t know how to behave themselves.”
Li Du replied, “Well, now you’re talking pretty decent.”
Hearing the exchange, the people at the scene could sense that there had been a conflict previously.
Brother Wolf looked coldly at the row of hunters, while Firecracker and Madman immediately pulled the trigger, preparing to fire.
Although it was awfully cold, beads of sweat appeared on the hunters’ foreheads.
Li Du waved his hands and said, “Forget it. We’re not going to stoop to your level. What are you guys still waiting for? You think I might treat you guys to dinner?”
The hunters no longer had the courage to question Li Du about their bags. They went to pick up their remaining luggage and prepared to leave silently.
Luo Qun, who had been silent the entire time, asked, “You guys are mammoth ivory hunters?”
The hunters did not know why Luo Qun was stopping them and only nodded in fear.
Luo Qun took out the photo of Jonas Malone and said, “This man is called Black Snake. Do you guys know him?”
The hunters examined the photo and shook their heads, evidently clueless.
Luo Qun hid the photograph reluctantly and the hunters immediately started their cars to retreat from the camp.
Those men would not die without their guns. However, they would not be able to keep hunting. According to Li Du’s conjecture, those men would definitely return home to get other weapons. Otherwise, it would be too dangerous for them to enter the wilderness.
Although the wind had subsided, it had not stopped. They heard the howling of some wolves in the distance.
As the howling sounded faint, it suggested that the wolves were still rather far away from them. They were not howling because they had tracked Li Du and his people.
After the group reunited, they decided that the weather was not suitable for them to continue their journey. As the campsite was small, they decided to take turns to sleep inside. Some of them rested in the car while others went underground.
That was just one benefit of being rich. If they had taken regular cars into the wilderness, resting in them would not have been very comfortable. However, with their modified mega-SUVs, it was spacious inside and when the seats were folded down, they could serve as beds and people could get a decent sleep.
As the wind continued to subside, Brother Wolf and some others began to prepare the bonfire.
The place where they were was far from any places of human habitation or supply stores. There were no woods in their immediate vicinity and it was all deserted wilderness. Hence, even dry branches were rare. They had to start the fire using the equipment they brought along. Everyone huddled around for warmth.
It was already late in the night and none of them had eaten properly that day.
Li Du hung a huge pot above the fire and brought out the beef that he had marinated with black pepper, red wine, and egg white before. Then, he melted some butter in the pot and fried a bunch of potatoes in it. After that, he added the beef and fried the ingredients together with onions. Finally, he sprinkled some seasoning and added water to the pot. That was the preparation of Russian-style potatoes and beef.
The chilling wind continued to blow from the north, and the bonfire burned even brighter.
They had brought a lot of food with them but were rationing it. After all, there would be fewer and fewer available pit stops as they wandered deeper into the wilderness.
The lid of the pot bounced and the stew inside bubbled. The clear water had turned into a thick stew and it was time for them to start dinner.
Their group went to the car to bring out some dry bread. Each of them got a bowl of beef stew and dipped their bread in it. The bread absorbed some of the liquid and turned sweet and aromatic. It was even tastier than the beef itself.
Li Du invited the seven students to have dinner together with his party. Although they distanced themselves from Li Du and his people, they had clearly been starving for some time. A dish like a potato and beef stew was too enticing for them to reject. Although they had wanted to say no, none of them could stop themselves from saying, “Yes, thank you.”
They had truly been starving, judging from the way they chewed and swallowed.
After having some of the hot, savory stew, the bunch of them praised the food. Their stomachs had been warmed and filled and they would be able to get a good rest.
Li Du did not feel sleepy and checked out the map by the firelight. He started to plan the itinerary for the next day.
The further they went, the worse were the conditions of the road. Hence, they would need to make proper plans beforehand.
It was especially true because Li Du had also wanted to excavate mammoth ivory. He had brought along the mammoth ivory treasure map. They would have to head in the Northeast direction the next day based on the treasure map and their geographical location. If they were quick enough, they would be able to arrive at the Oskoba area, which was near Podkamennaya Tunguska River. According to the map, there was a bunch of mammoth ivory hidden in the area.
After the itinerary was confirmed, they would start their journey once the sky lit up the next day. The seven students also went their way. However, they had a different itinerary as Li Du and his group. Hence, the students left much earlier.
As they went further north, a more primitive Siberia emerged.
The ground was piled with snow. When the snow melted, the mud on the ground turned sticky. Soon, the tires of the SUVs were soiled with mud. Every once in a while, someone had to get off the car to clean up the tires to prevent them from sticking in the mud.
After being on the road for another day and a half, they finally saw a piece of dense woodland.
