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Novel: [Night Without Borders]
Chapter 3: [The Wilderness]
Author: [Chen Dong]
Translator: [Shadow Knight AK]
Editor: [Shadow Knight AK]
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With the arrival of Shallow Night, the tranquility was shattered as every household rushed to the Fire Spring to collect Sunstones.
Qin Ming stood ready to depart, fully armed with a hunting fork, short knife, bow, and arrows.
He had already eaten the flatbread Lu Ze brought him but hadn't mentioned his plan to venture out, fearing Lu Ze would try to dissuade him.
Qin Ming had no intention of taking unnecessary risks.
He planned to try his luck in a relatively safe area.
After much deliberation, he recalled a fleeting glimpse of a creature he'd seen in the mountains during autumn. Based on its habits, it should still be dwelling nearby.
"I hope it's still there and can bring me a surprise."
The outside gradually quieted down as no one went to collect sunstones anymore.
Qin Ming set off, encountering two villagers along the way.
He greeted them with a smile and quickly moved on before they could react.
Passing the Fire Spring, he entered the dark wilderness.
The wilderness was harsh.
Qin Ming trudged through the deep snow, only his chest and head visible above the drifts.
The weather was bitterly cold, his breath freezing into frost on his eyebrows and hair.
Even during Shallow Night, the world remained dim, obscuring distant landscapes.
Qin Ming trudged forward with his hunting fork, each step a struggle through the deep snow.
After about four miles, he finally neared his destination.
A dense, dark mass loomed ahead - the edge of the forest.
Though still some distance away, its outline was now clearly visible.
Qin Ming's target was the forest's outer perimeter; he had no intention of venturing too deep.
He waded into the dense woods, where most trees stood bare, their branches laden with snow, except for a few hardy species.
Qin Ming paused, carefully recalling the creature's movements from their previous encounter.
He remembered finding tree hollows in that area, possibly one of its nests.
"It's larger than its kind, likely a Mutation," he mused. "If I can find its main nest, the reward should be substantial."
After a brief pause, Qin Ming pressed on.
The forest was dark, punctuated only by the occasional eerie cry of some strange bird, lending an unsettling atmosphere to the desolate wilderness.
Suddenly, Qin Ming tensed.
A faint, putrid odor drifted through the air - something was wrong.
Gripping his hunting fork with both hands, he scanned his surroundings, ready for anything.
In a flash, he thrust the sharp steel fork upward!
He had heard an unnatural rush of wind, pinpointed the source of the stench, and, at the same moment, looked up to see what it was.
A dark figure hung upside down from a tree branch over ten meters high, its pale, elderly face suddenly swooping down toward Qin Ming's head in a ferocious attack.
In this deathly silent forest, such a sudden appearance was truly terrifying.
Fortunately, Qin Ming's keen instincts had alerted him to the danger.
He swiftly raised his steel fork to intercept the airborne creature.
A piercing shriek echoed through the forest, sending chills down one's spine.
The creature didn't charge straight down; instead, it veered aside several meters away.
A cold wind whipped up as it spread its powerful wings, soaring through gaps in the forest canopy into the night sky.
After circling briefly, it vanished into the distance.
Though the sighting was brief, Qin Ming was certain of its identity: a Human-faced Vulture, a carrion-eating raptor with a gray-black eagle-like body. Its face, apart from the beak, was virtually indistinguishable from a wrinkled, deathly pale old man's face.
These vultures typically weigh no more than forty pounds.
Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't actively attack living adults, only feeding on corpses.
Was this aberrant behavior due to the scarcity of prey?
Qin Ming remained cautiously on guard, waiting for a long time, but the creature didn't reappear.
He was now close to his destination and couldn't afford to give up.
After a brief rest, he resumed his journey.
"This should be the place."
The area was dominated by Scots pine, broadleaf trees, and birch.
Qin Ming was certain he hadn't made a mistake when he spotted the familiar tree hollow.
Though the forest was quite dark, he could clearly see that the edges of the hollow were remarkably clean—whuch wasn't a good sign.
If the creature was hibernating inside the tree hollow, its exhaled moisture would have formed frost around the entrance in this extreme cold.
It was impossible not to feel disappointed.
Qin Ming frowned slightly.
'Could it be that the creature didn't inhabit this area at all?'
He took a deep breath, preparing to search the vicinity thoroughly.
His right hand gripped the hunting fork firmly, while his left hand held the short knife, maintaining a defensive posture at all times.
After all, no one could predict the dangers lurking in the wilderness.
Qin Ming moved slowly and quietly through the forest, searching carefully without making a sound.
After about half an hour later, he spotted animal tracks in the snow, and suddenly felt a glimmer of hope!
Suddenly, a massive burst of red light erupted from the mountains ahead, instantly illuminating the dense forest.
Qin Ming startled, then became acutely alert.
Seizing the opportunity, he scanned the surroundings for any signs of large predators lying in wait.
At the same time, he quickly surveyed the area for any suspicious tree hollows.
Before long, the brilliant red light faded, and darkness once again enveloped the world.
The "Earthlight" occasionally appeared, a phenomenon caused by the steam rising from deep-seated Fire Springs.
It was more common in warmer weather, especially during summer.
Sometimes, the Earthlight would persist for a day or two, influencing atmospheric conditions and potentially drawing in vast rain clouds.
During these times, dense raindrops mingled with the misty glow, creating an extraordinarily vibrant and beautiful spectacle.
For those who lived in perpetual darkness, it was the most magnificent sight imaginable.
As the dense forest returned to its darkness, Qin Ming's face lit up with a genuine, radiant smile.
He had just discovered another tree hollow, this one adorned with ice flowers.
He moved slowly through the snow, his soft footsteps muffled by the rising wind.
Stealthily approaching a massive, barrel-thick tree, he raised his hunting fork to reach the hollow, which was positioned some distance above the ground.
Setting down the fork, Qin Ming suddenly leaped forward, bursting from the snow.
He gripped the tree trunk tightly and climbed with remarkable agility and speed, reaching the hollow in an instant.
With a swift motion, he swung his short knife, striking the hollow's entrance with a dull thud.
Simultaneously, a creature that had been about to charge out quickly retreated, narrowly avoiding the blade.
Qin Ming hadn't expected to actually trap the creature inside the hollow; it was an unexpected surprise.
In his plan, finding the main nest and taking all its stored food would be a success, yielding a substantial reward.
Constant rustling and frantic squeaks echoed from within the tree hollow.
The opening wasn't large enough for Qin Ming to easily reach inside.
He repeatedly swung his knife, quickly widening the dried-out tree cavity.
He swiftly pulled out a leather pouch, slipped it over his hand, and began capturing the creature.
Panic-stricken cries erupted from the dark hollow.
Qin Ming plunged his entire arm into the hole, feeling the creature thrashing wildly.
Fortunately, the thick leather pouch protected him from bites.
He seized the prey and yanked it out.
Retrieving a sunstone from his chest, he shone it into the depths of the hollow, his face lighting up with delight.
Inside lay a treasure trove of dried goods: wild walnuts, chestnuts, red dates, and more, all packed tightly.
These were his primary target.
Starvation was a miserable experience, and these dried fruits were life-saving sustenance.
Qin Ming's clear eyes blazed with fervent hunger.
He glanced at the small creature clutched in his hand. Its fiery red fur, illuminated by the sunstone, shimmered like silk.
This was a Red Squirrel, typically weighing less than a pound. Yet this specimen weighed over two pounds - a clear sign of Mutation.
The Mutant Red Squirrel was gnawing at the deerskin bag Qin Ming had secured around its paw, desperate to escape but unable to.
Its fiery red, crystalline fur shimmered brilliantly, undoubtedly of considerable value.
Qin Ming retrieved a length of wire, swiftly bound the creature, tightened the knot, and hung it from a tree branch.
Next came the joy of the harvest.
He scooped handful after handful of dried fruits from the tree hollow, gradually filling the deerskin bag until it bulged.
When he weighed it, the bag exceeded eight pounds.
Nearby, the upside-down Mutant Red Squirrel glared with its black, gem-like eyes, chattering incessantly in what sounded like furious curses.
"You're so heavy," Qin Ming remarked, hoisting the squirrel onto his hunting fork.
"How could eight pounds of winter provisions possibly be enough for you?" He held the sunstone aloft, searching the area.
With the heavy snowfall each winter, these mutated creatures rarely buried their food underground; they'd never find it again.
Sure enough, Qin Ming soon discovered a second tree hollow, then a third.
Adding these to the frost-free hollow he'd found earlier, all contained hoarded food.
He cracked open a pile of wild walnuts, ate a handful of chestnuts—delicious!—then rubbed snow over some red dates, devouring five in a row, his mouth filled with sweetness.
Qin Ming was no longer hungry, his delicate face beaming with joy.
The dried fruits were delicious and, more importantly, solved his immediate predicament.
Just as a cunning rabbit has three burrows, this glossy-furred Mutant Red Squirrel had four nests, storing over thirty pounds of food—a testament to its mutated nature.
Qin Ming filled more than half of his animal skin bag.
"Squeak, squeak..." The Mutant Red Squirrel initially struggled fiercely, its cries incessant.
But when it saw all four nests discovered and emptied, it suddenly stiffened, its body going completely still.
Surprised, Qin Ming shook it.
Was it playing dead?
He had heard that these mutated mountain beasts possessed superior physiques and intelligence compared to their ordinary counterparts, but also had fiery tempers.
He never imagined one could actually die of anger.
"Perfect," he muttered to himself. "Xiao Wenrui said he wanted meat. I can make a pot of meat soup."
He couldn't believe he could fulfill the child's wish so quickly.
In Twin Tree (Shuang Shu) Village, some villagers were gossiping.
Someone mentioned seeing Qin Ming fully armed heading into the wilderness. Judging by his gear, it looked like he was going after large predators!
Lu Ze received the news, his brow furrowing deeply. "How could that kid venture out alone like that? He wouldn't be hunting bears, would he?"
...
Standing on the high ground, Qin Ming realized he was very close to the mountain peak.
This was one of the shorter mountains at the outer edge of the dense forest.
Unfortunately, after searching for a long time, he couldn't find any more squirrel burrows.
Reaching the mountain top, he gazed ahead.
The forest stretched out in a dark, oppressive mass, while the towering mountain range loomed in the distance, only partially visible as blurry black silhouettes.
Deep within the mountains lay areas of brilliant light, but they were obscured by the dense night fog, with only faint, hazy glows seeping through.
Qin Ming knew that those areas represented the unknown, the mysterious, and the dangerous—places he couldn't dare to tread.
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END OF CHAPTER
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