Shen Feng found a sled in the small town and returned to the cave. However, he couldn't find any animals to pull it. He decided to sleep and prepare to catch some animals to pull the cart after the snow stopped.
However, during the night, Lu Xian suddenly sensed sounds outside the cave. He quickly turned on his flashlight and shone it outside. He saw a dark figure in the cart, rummaging through something.
"City Lord, look quickly! Someone is stealing our things. Hurry and catch him!" Lu Xian shouted.
Lu Xian's shout startled whatever was in the cart. The dark figure then quickly rushed out of the cart door and disappeared into the wind and snow. When Shen Feng woke up, he checked the items in the cart. Most of the weapons and equipment were still there, but the clothes had been tossed around.
"Did you get a clear look at what that was?" Shen Feng asked.
Lu Xian recalled what he had seen. The dark figure had fled as soon as it was startled. However, he was sure of one thing: "I didn't see the dark figure clearly, but it had four legs. It's definitely not human!"
"Nonsense. If it were human, why would it be rummaging through things in such heavy snow? I think it must be a wild wolf!" Qi Lingshan couldn't help but say.
Since the creature walked on four legs, it was undoubtedly a wild animal. Shen Feng examined the footprints on the ground and confirmed it was a carnivorous animal. However, the footprints were different from those of a wolf, and Shen Feng couldn't identify the species.
"I think it came looking for food but was afraid to approach because of the fire, so it was rummaging through the food in the cart," Xu Xing added.
All the food on the cart had been stored in the cave. Over eight hundred catties of rice and flour, along with some salt and chili powder, were vital supplies for survival and were not left on the cart. It seemed that hiding the grain was the most suitable choice. In the heavy snow, animals had already set their sights on Shen Feng's provisions.
The minor incident during the night did not disturb Shen Feng's rest. Everyone continued to sleep, but they assigned one person to observe the situation outside. If any animals attacked, they needed to be warned in advance.
They needed to start a fire in the cave, but a fire would produce smoke. Lu Xian, feeling helpless, dug a hole leading outside, creating a makeshift chimney. The smoke quickly dissipated through the opening, and the air quality in the cave improved.
"I really can't imagine how the Inuit people in North America build their houses with ice bricks," Shen Feng said with a sigh.
"That's their special skill; we can't learn it. Let's just sleep. It's impossible for it to snow forever; the snow will eventually stop," Lu Xian said.
However, in the early morning, Lu Xian woke up and used his ability. He detected the presence of animals in the distance and immediately exclaimed, "Who's on watch? There are animals outside, why wasn't I alerted?"
Qi Lingshan, sitting at the cave entrance, turned his head and said lazily, "What enemies? I've been watching outside the whole time, and no enemies have appeared. Can you stop spreading false alarms?"
Lu Xian walked to the cave entrance and looked outside. Indeed, he could only see a pale landscape. The forest was white except for the black tree trunks. As for the thermal energy reaction he had detected, there was nothing to be seen in that area.
"See? I told you there was nothing, and you didn't believe me. Now you can see for yourself!" Qi Lingshan said with dissatisfaction.
Qi Lingshan was already very unhappy with Lu Xian. He was constantly speaking pessimistically, and at critical moments, he would falter. He had failed to detect enemy movements several times before, and now he was spreading false alarms.
Lu Xian looked at the vast white scene outside and began to doubt if his senses had erred. He used his ability again and still detected thermal energy reactions in the distance, within the snow, and there were four of them.
"It's correct. I really sensed the presence of animals, right over there!" Lu Xian stated confidently. He believed his ability would not be wrong, and even if they couldn't be seen, the enemies were truly there.
Shen Feng had also woken up by then and said, "Let's try firing a shot. If there are really animals there, a shot will scare them away."
"That makes sense. The City Lord is right!" Lu Xian immediately reacted, pulled out the pistol he was carrying, and fired directly in the direction where he sensed the heat.
"Bang..." The pistol emitted a loud noise. The bullet shot out but burrowed into the snow. The loud bang, however, vibrated many branches, causing snow to fall from them.
At that moment, four white animals suddenly stood up on the snow and fled into the distance at lightning speed. Qi Lingshan saw this and was startled. He hadn't expected animals to be present in the snow. They had white fur, and when they crouched on the snow, they were completely indistinguishable. White was the best camouflage.
"Are these foxes?" Qi Lingshan asked uncertainly.
It wasn't unusual to see white foxes in the north. Many arctic foxes in the north had pure white fur. Seeing one or two was normal. However, what was unusual was the size of the individuals Qi Lingshan saw.
"White foxes? Snow Mountain Flying Foxes?" Shen Feng muttered to himself.
"Stop dwelling on that. The animals to pull the cart have appeared, haven't they? Hurry and catch them!" Xu Xing urged. She didn't care if they were foxes; she only cared about completing the mission. The sooner they reached Qiu Ming, understood the situation, and returned to Yuzhou, the better.
Shen Feng was reminded by Xu Xing of the important task. Since these foxes could walk on snow, it meant they could pull the sled. Moreover, judging by their size, they were mutated arctic foxes, which were quite large and suitable for pulling a cart.
"I'll catch them! A mere fox is no match for me!" Shen Feng immediately rushed out of the cave, using "As the Wind Follows" and "Walking on Water," and chased after the white foxes. His speed was so great that even a snowmobile couldn't catch up to him.
Shen Feng quickly caught up to the white foxes. Without a word, he threw a punch. "Bang," one white fox was knocked to the ground. This was Shen Feng holding back; otherwise, he could have killed the fox with a single punch.
There were four white foxes fleeing in the snow, but Shen Feng had now blocked their path. The four white foxes stared at Shen Feng and surrounded him from four directions. They were indeed cunning foxes, capable of using encirclement tactics even in this situation.
Shen Feng knew that it was impossible to pacify these foxes through words. Besides, even if he spoke, they might not understand. Instead of wasting time communicating, it was better to beat them. While the white foxes might not understand spoken words, they would certainly understand the language of fists.
Then, the four foxes launched an attack on Shen Feng. Their attack method was to rush forward and bite. The white foxes were no longer small. These were mutated arctic foxes, large in size, comparable to large dogs, with long tails and pure white fur without any杂色.
Facing attacks from four directions, Shen Feng dodged and disappeared. In the face of Shen Feng's speed, the white foxes' movements were too slow. Shen Feng could dodge them with a mere flick of his body.
Next, Shen Feng began to punch and kick the four white foxes. His goal was not to kill them; otherwise, he could have finished them off in a second. A few wind blades would have been enough, requiring no effort.
However, Shen Feng's objective was to subdue the white foxes and train them to pull the cart. Although the goal was simple, subduing the white foxes was not easy. For Shen Feng, the first step was to subdue them without causing serious injury.
The simplest logic for animals to submit to humans is that they cannot defeat them. There is a saying: if you can't beat them, join them. Animals understood this principle.
When the white foxes pounced on Shen Feng, they were confident they could bite him. However, facing these attacks, Shen Feng would simply dodge and disappear. Not only did the white foxes fail to catch Shen Feng, but they also suffered continuous attacks. They could no longer withstand such an assault. Although their legs were not broken, the punches to their bodies were painful.
Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, the white foxes wanted to escape. It was not shameful to retreat if they couldn't win; survival was the most important thing.
However, Shen Feng had caught up from behind. Now that he saw the white foxes trying to escape, how could he let them have their way? He immediately chased after them and continued to beat them. The white foxes could only see a dark shadow flash before their eyes, and a detestable figure would reappear.
For the white foxes, they couldn't win in a fight, and if they tried to run, they would be pursued. They became panicked and fearful, with fear overwhelming them.
Finally, the four white foxes lay on the snow, exposing their bellies and whimpering. This indicated their submission.
After two hours, Shen Feng finally succeeded in taming the mutated white foxes and returned to the cave with them. Now, they could continue their journey once the snow stopped.
"Wow, they're so cute! It's just that their ears are too short and round. If only their ears were more slender!" Xu Xing was excited when she saw Shen Feng bring back the white foxes. She rushed forward and began to stroke their fur.
However, the white foxes being petted were not pleased. They bared their teeth at Xu Xing, issuing a warning.
"Bang," Xu Xing ignored this and slapped one of them. The white fox was dazed and could only lie on the ground, wagging its tail. In the face of the fist, it had understood the situation.
"That's more like it. Be good, and you won't be treated badly," Xu Xing said while stroking the white fox's fur.
At this point, Shen Feng explained, "Animals in northern regions conserve heat, so they reduce heat dissipation. The short ears of arctic foxes are also to better retain heat. If you like long-eared animals, you should go to Central Asia to find fennec foxes. Those foxes have particularly large ears to enhance heat dissipation."
Xu Xing, while petting the white fox, said, "Their fur is so soft. If it were made into a fur coat, it would be very noble, wouldn't it?"
Xu Xing knew that this pure white fur was rare, and only noblewomen could wear fur coats. Therefore, Xu Xing also wished to obtain it. Wearing a snow-white fur coat in the future, who wouldn't look on with envy?
"Using them and then discarding them, isn't that what you're doing now?" Lu Xian couldn't help but shake his head and say, "The most poisonous heart is a woman's."
"Hmph, what do you know? This isn't called using and discarding; it's called making the best use of everything!" Xu Xing didn't care what Lu Xian said. She did like cute animals, but Xu Xing preferred wearing beautiful clothes even more.
Shen Feng looked at the four white foxes. Their stomachs were already empty. He said, "Let's cook. Now we have four more big eaters, and our food supply is getting tight."
The several hundred catties of food were enough for Shen Feng's group before. But now, with the addition of four mutated white foxes, the required food supply had increased exponentially. Shen Feng had to consider the food issue.