The herd
The snow fell silently along the riverbank.
Lu Heng continued walking downstream, his feet sinking into a thin layer of fresh snow that crunched softly underfoot. The path along the river was far better than the devastated forests after the disaster; the road was smooth and there were few obstacles. He traveled a long way, but the entire area was eerily quiet. He could hear no birds or animals, nor could he see any living creatures.
As I walked, my view suddenly opened up.
At the far end of the woods, the enormous crater where he first arrived in this world suddenly appeared in his sight.
Since crossing over, he has never deliberately defined the orientation of the crater. After landing and waking up, he simply relied on his intuition to identify a direction, left from one side of the crater, crossed the woodland, explored and moved step by step, and finally settled in his current Shelter.
Looking back downstream at this moment, his current position is exactly to the side of the direction he originally traveled.
This was the first time he had seen the complete side profile of the pit from this angle.
The pit's edges are neatly arranged, symmetrically ringed, and the curvature is excessively uniform, making it completely unlike any landform that could be formed by natural erosion from wind, rain, and water. The more you look at it, the less it resembles a natural mountain depression and more like the marks left by an external impact.
Moving his gaze downwards, Lu Heng also noticed a detail he had completely overlooked before.
At the bottom of the side wall of the pit, there is a trace of a dried-up ancient river tributary. The trace is clear and the depth is regular, indicating that water once flowed through this place year after year.
When he first landed, completely lost and disoriented, he was only focused on getting to safety and surviving, and didn't pay any attention to these geographical details.
Lu Heng stared at the pit wall for a few seconds, a few doubts creeping into his mind. There were many suspicious points, such as traces of a possible meteorite impact and an abandoned ancient riverbed, but now was not the time to delve into them.
He withdrew his gaze and continued downstream along the river.
After walking a little further, the surroundings completely changed.
The terrain suddenly drops, forming a wide, low-lying wetland. The temperature and soil conditions here are completely different from those of the upstream highlands. The thick snow cover has not completely covered the ground, leaving large areas of riverbanks, shallow marshes, and wet mud exposed.
As far as the eye could see, countless dark shadows swayed and moved about.
They are herds of wild herbivores.
Lu Heng tiptoed closer, growing increasingly alarmed with each step.
The wild animals that breed in this wetland are generally large and robust, with broad skeletons and sturdy bodies, much larger than any of the wild animals I have seen in the upstream mountains and forests.
He raised his Wristband and scanned and identified the species information one by one.
[Thick-Ridged Deer | Common grade]
The largest basic deer herd in wetlands, they are cold-resistant and can thrive in poor soil. They are adept at digging through snow to find grass roots, and are docile. They are the main source of prey for carnivores in the region, and only a very small number of individuals in the herd advance to the Black Iron Tier.
[Giant-Horned Deer | Mostly Black Iron Tier]
[Snow-Patterned Deer | Common Grade]
Its fur is covered with light white fine stripes, its body is light and agile, and it is extremely vigilant. It does not live in groups, but is scattered in twos and threes at the edge of the wetlands. It has keen senses and is the first animal group to detect danger.
[Rockland Sheep | Normal Level]
They are short and stocky with strong hooves that allow them to grip the ground, making them well-suited for slippery beaches and rocky terrain. They have a varied diet and a large population that is found throughout the wetlands.
[Marsh-Ridged Cattle | Standard Grade, Limited Black Iron Tier]
They are bulky and large, and live in low-lying swampy areas year-round, living in groups. Adult bulls can intimidate small predators with their sheer size, and a few elite individuals reach the Black Iron level.
After scanning all the species one by one, Lu Heng quickly surveyed the entire colony.
Herds of animals roamed about in search of food, and after repeated checks, there were no mutated wild beasts present.
At this point, all doubts have been completely resolved.
Mutant beasts are an extremely rare breed. The ferocious and obsessive mutated carnivores in the upstream mountains and forests do not belong to this stable main ecological community. They are most likely inferior and weak individuals who have been driven out of their groups and have nowhere else to go, so they take up residence in the sparsely vegetated upstream mountains and forests after the disaster and hunt indiscriminately.
The herd of beasts before them were each doing their job and peacefully foraging for food.
Thick-Ridged Deer and Giant-Horned Deer clustered together on the gentle slopes, digging at the surface snow with their hooves to nibble on the buried grass roots. Snow-Patterned Deer were scattered around, their ears twitching constantly, frequently raising their heads to scan their surroundings, remaining on high alert throughout.
On the nearby wet mudflats, herds of Rockland Sheep huddled together, grazing on moss and damp vegetation. Several large Marsh-Ridged Cattle strolled slowly, their heavy bodies causing the soft, damp soil to sink slightly; their movements were slow yet extremely imposing.
The species are incredibly diverse and their numbers are astonishing.
Lu Heng's suspicions were now completely confirmed.
The upstream forests were severely damaged by hail, with vegetation destroyed and snow covering the soil. Herbivores had no means of survival and all migrated to this unfrozen downstream wetland to overwinter. The abundance of prey here attracted countless carnivores to stay upstream and hunt, creating the bizarre ecology of the upstream area where "there are only hunters, no prey".
He looked around; shallow beaches, mudflats, and puddles were everywhere.
The terrain of this wetland is complex and has many hiding places, making it far more dangerous than the open upstream forests.
Just as he was observing the terrain and ecology, he caught a glimpse of movement in the distant grass out of the corner of his eye.
In the overgrown, deep mudflats on the side of the wetland, several gray-black figures clung tightly to the ground, slowly crawling forward with their bodies low to the ground.
It's Wolf Pack.
The seven or eight Alpha Wolf worked in a staggered pattern, moving silently and stealthily throughout, their eyes fixed on the Giant-Horned Deer not far away, their hunting intentions extremely clear.
Lu Heng's heart skipped a beat.
I never expected to witness a hunting scene in the wilderness firsthand; the living laws of nature were right before my eyes.
He didn't move rashly, but quickly checked his surroundings.
Behind him were dense shrubs, and to his side was a slightly raised earthen slope providing cover. His position offered a wide field of vision and excellent concealment, with no signs of any wild animals lurking nearby. After confirming that it was absolutely safe, Lu Heng crouched down to steady himself, hiding behind the bushes, and quietly observed the wild hunt.
The hunt, which had been planned in the distance, had already quietly begun.
These wild wolves were extremely experienced hunters, showing no reckless, mindless charges.
The Alpha Wolf stood firmly in the center of the pack, its body pressed close to the ground, its eyes sharp as knives, fixed on a large, mature Giant-Horned Deer had inadvertently strayed from the herd. The other wolves instantly scattered, tacitly creating a neat, semi-circular encirclement.
The Alpha Wolf maneuvered into the tall grass on the left, quietly circling behind the Giant-Horned Deer and completely blocking its retreat.
The Alpha Wolf lay lurking close to the right edge of the swamp, blocking any space for sideways evasion.
The remaining wolves advanced slowly, gradually reducing the prey's range of movement.
The entire process was completely silent, without any shouting or agitation—an extreme display of restraint and control.
Although the deer have an instinctive sense of unease, their vision is limited by the weeds obstructing their view, making it impossible for them to accurately pinpoint the source of danger. They can only vaguely stir and huddle together.
After a brief stalemate, the Alpha Wolf suddenly exerted its strength.
His figure suddenly darted forward, making a quick half-step feint attack before retreating at lightning speed.
The deliberately created panic instantly broke through the deer herd's psychological defenses.
The once orderly herd of deer instantly collapsed, with groups of Thick-Ridged Deer scattering in panic and fleeing in disarray. In the chaos, the lone Giant-Horned Deer was completely isolated from the herd.
The perfect opportunity presented itself, Wolf Pack pack tightened their encirclement instantly.
The rear, side, and front routes were all completely blocked off, leaving no room for maneuver.
The trapped Giant-Horned Deer roared anxiously, lowered its head, raised its massive antlers, and stomped its forelegs in a show of force, using its size advantage to intimidate the approaching Wolf Pack.
In a one-on-one fight, the wolf wouldn't dare to get close and fight him.
The Wolf Pack is well aware of the advantages and disadvantages, and does not crave close combat or rush into a fight.
They took turns probing and pulling, with Alpha Wolf feigning a pounce to force the Giant-Horned Deer to turn its head to defend itself, while the other immediately attacked from behind, repeatedly pulling and tugging to wear down the prey's strength and mentality.
Watching this smooth and interconnected hunting tactic, Lu Heng couldn't help but feel impressed.
They truly deserve to be called the most cunning social predators in nature.
There was no brute force; it was all about strategy and teamwork. Detours, divisions, driving away, encirclement, and attrition—every step was precisely aimed at exploiting the prey's weaknesses, using teamwork to compensate for the gap in individual combat strength.
Cruel, calm, and precise—these are the true rules of survival in the wilderness.
Lu Heng held his breath, watching quietly, his eyes filled with genuine emotion. The law of the jungle, survival of the fittest, was vividly displayed in this untouched wilderness.