"Secondly, and most importantly, prolonged low temperatures will slowly decompose and lt the tough mbranes in the at, turning them into a jelly-like, soft and slippery gelatin."
"The final result is that the at becos extraordinarily tender, almost easily pulled apart, a cooking alchemy that turns decay into magic."
After finishing all this, Lin Yu’an began the final packing process.
He neatly arranged four leg ats, two loins, heart, liver, kidneys, and the rolled-up wolf skin on the spread-out birch bark.
Then he did one more crucial thing: he picked up the Hunting Knife and returned to the skeleton of the wolf carcass, carefully scraping off all the usable fat.
This wasn’t an easy process; the wolf had almost no block of fat. He could only patiently collect the scattered fat clusters around the abdominal organs and the subcutaneous fat layer.
"Alright, this is one of the most important trophies of the day." He displayed the collected pale yellow fat mixed with mbranes in front of the cara.
"I ntioned before, the best way to cook wolf at is to use its oil, but it has very little fat. This is all I could find, and they will be the soul of my wolf at cooking."
He carefully wrapped all the scraped fat, along with the previously processed casing fat, in a large piece of birch bark, making a fat pack that wouldn’t easily leak.
Because he didn’t bring a sled, only a limited-capacity hiking backpack, he had to make reasonable choices and allocations.
"Guys, now is the packing stage, and it’s the most challenging test of planning ability."
"I must fit the most valuable items, which also align with my next plan, in the limited space."
First, he stuffed the two most premium loin cuts, heart, liver, and kidneys, these highest-value organs, and that heavy fat pack, into the main compartnt of the backpack.
"These are the most important assets, and must be well protected. at provides protein, organs provide vitamins, and fat provides energy and the key to cooking."
Then he firmly tied the wolf skin and the four remaining heavy leg ats to the outside and top of the backpack with nylon rope using the "mountaineering bundling thod."
"External items can greatly expand the volu of the backpack but must be tightly tied, with no movent, otherwise it will seriously affect your balance and consu extra energy while walking."
This made his backpack exceptionally heavy, with a total weight of at least over sixty pounds.
As for the remaining skeleton and those organs he decided to abandon, he chose to leave them here temporarily, burying them under thick snow for future use if needed.
He glanced at the sky; the sun was almost touching the western ridge, and the sky was darkening at a visible speed.
He hefted the backpack, so heavy that it pulled him down sharply, picked up his spear, and without the slightest pause, started heading back toward the shelter as fast as possible.
This ti, his steps no longer had any of the victors’ composure but were filled with urgency and vigilance.
He knew he was now a moving, strongly blood-scented "bait."
The bloodstains left behind and the scent constantly seeping from his backpack were broadcasting his location through the entire forest.
He must return to the shelter safely before nightfall, before other large predators, following the scent, found him.
The return journey was full of tornt, the massive load causing his snowshoes to sink deeper into the snow than when he ca, each step requiring trendous effort.
He didn’t dare stop to rest, only chanically trudging forward, step by step.
From afar in the sky ca a few hoarse, harsh raven calls, and he didn’t think it was an illusion caused by his fatigue.
Ravens have arrived." He didn’t look up, but his tone beca even more grave.
"These scavengers of the sky, their appearance, ans only one thing, they’ve already discovered the wolf carcass I left behind."
"And their cries are like a flashing neon sign from Japan for all predators in the forest, saying ’New entry today! Welco to experience!’"
"This will accelerate the gathering of other animals to that area, also aning I must leave here faster. Because after finishing the appetizer, they will start looking for the main course."
The last ray of dusk was swallowed by the horizon.
When Lin Yu’an finally dragged his almost shattered body, stumbling back to the shelter, night had already completely fallen.
He didn’t imdiately start a fire but first gently put down the backpack and weapons, then, at the shelter’s observation port, spent a full ten minutes carefully observing and listening to the surrounding darkness.
He paid special attention to the movents in the sky, but those ravens hadn’t followed, which gave him a slight sigh of relief.
After confirming nothing had followed him back, he completely sealed the entrance and lit the fireplace.
The warm firelight rekindled the small shelter and finally dispelled the last trace of fear of being tracked from his heart.
He didn’t imdiately deal with all the wolf at but first took out the precious fat pack from the core area of the backpack, then threw all the fat clusters directly into the iron pot.
Watching the "sizzling" oil in the pot, the rich aroma was the highest reward for his life-and-death struggle today.
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