CHAPTER 441: CHAPTER 410: WOLF PACK?

"What’s wrong?"

Mountain Eagle, having soon caught the second fish, cheerfully dragged the greedy dogfish, nearly two feet long, ashore...

He picked up a stick and gave it a smack. While Mountain Eagle was arranging the fishing hook, he noticed Old Qiao staring at a hill not far away; Balang and Old Qiao’s Big Dog both issued a dull, low growl toward that direction.

Feeling something amiss, Mountain Eagle walked over to Old Qiao’s side and, following his gaze, frowned and asked, "What’s there?"

Old Qiao glanced at Mountain Eagle and said, "There are wolves on the mountain, and something about the surroundings isn’t quite right..."

Mountain Eagle looked at the fish on the ground, spread his hands, and said, "I don’t see what’s wrong..."

Old Qiao glanced at Balang, who was still focusing on the hill, then said to Mountain Eagle, "We’re by the water, but have you noticed any animal tracks?"

With that, Old Qiao stroked his stubbly chin and said in a deep voice, "Apart from squirrels, I haven’t found any traces of reindeer, rabbits, grouse, foxes, water otters, or muskrats.

Such a situation isn’t normal, especially during summer!"

Mountain Eagle was certainly competent, but he lacked this kind of survival experience in the northern wilderness. Faced with Old Qiao’s unease, he said cautiously, "If you think something’s wrong, we can move our camp to another spot.

It doesn’t bother me, but Quida needs to wait here for several days..."

Old Qiao appreciated Mountain Eagle’s considerate attitude. He shook his head and said, "It’s not about this spot; it’s the animals...

There are wolves on the mountain, and probably a ferocious Wolf Pack..."

Speaking, Old Qiao looked at a frowning Mountain Eagle, smiled, and said, "How could Quida possibly be afraid of a Wolf Pack?

Don’t worry, they’ll come to greet us tonight...

Secure your dog, I’ll take you hunting for a North American gray wolf. The quality of wolf skins isn’t great this time of year, but they are still valuable."

Mountain Eagle could clearly feel Old Qiao was holding back some information, but he didn’t press further. Instead, he went to the river to clean the two fish and then returned to camp.

Daria had finished setting up the tent and began to process the wild ducks according to the boss’s orders.

Six wild ducks, two of which were used to make soup...

Blanched in boiling water, then placed in a pressure cooker with ginger pieces and a bit of Brandy to stew.

The remaining four ducks were to be roasted...

Coated with sauce inside and out after a massage, stuffed with onions, apples, blueberries, and butter in the belly, then sewn up, wrapped in foil and thick mud, and thrown directly into the campfire.

The last two fish were not spared either...

The fish meat was cut from the sides, a rack was set up above the campfire, the fish meat was slightly marinated and sandwiched between two grill wires, and set aside ready to be used after the ducks were roasted, to be charred slightly for a wonderful meal.

None of the people present had been to East, so they found Mountain Eagle’s various cooking methods novel and admired his willingness to fuss over food in the wild.

The pressure cooker was efficient in making soup; it took less than an hour for the lid to whistle with steam.

Mountain Eagle waited until the steam whistle subsided, then opened the pressure cooker and added prepared carrots and onions before closing the lid to continue cooking.

The moment the duck soup was uncovered, the rising steam and aroma attracted everyone; but when they saw Mountain Eagle cover it again, Quida disappointedly put down his lunchbox, grumpily saying, "Do all Hua Country people eat like you?

Doing this every day in the wild, one would starve to death!"

Mountain Eagle laughed heartily and said, "There’s a saying in Hua Country that good meals are worth the wait, so it often pays to wait a while."

While speaking, Mountain Eagle took out Balang’s food bowl and poured half a bowl of dog food, and also served a bowl for Old Qiao’s Big Dog...

After waiting for about fifteen minutes, Mountain Eagle uncovered the soup pot again, took a spoonful of old duck soup and poured it into the dog food, then added salt and chicken stock powder to the pot...

"Butcher, fetch the roasted ducks, Daria, start grilling the fish over the fire, let’s eat!"

Quida, who couldn’t wait any longer, took the lunchbox Mountain Eagle gave him, which had an insulating jacket for a 78 container, and scooped himself a bowl of duck soup, a duck leg, along with a generous portion of carrots.

He took an eager sip of the oily duck soup and widened his eyes in disbelief...

"FUCK, how on Earth did you do this?"

As he spoke, Quida picked up the duck leg, took a bite of the tenderized meat, no trace of the wildness to be tasted, the texture that should have been somewhat tough turned unexpectedly silky smooth.

"FUCK, those Chinese restaurants in Anchorage are all swindlers; this is nothing like the duck they make."

Chefs love customers like this. Mountain Eagle took a small hammer and cracked one of the roasted duck’s mud shells, peeled off the golden foil, and a strong aroma arose in the campsite due to the Maillard reaction.

Everyone who smelled it couldn’t help but swallow their saliva unconsciously!

The fat in wild ducks of this season was abundant, and with Mountain Eagle deliberately filling the duck’s belly with butter, the flavor of this "beggar duck" was brought to its peak.

With a gentle tear, the flesh fell off the bone. The onions and apples from the belly of the duck were thrown into Big Dog’s food bowl, Mountain Eagle pinched a piece of duck skin and tasted it.

Sweet to the taste, it lacked the crisp texture of authentic roasted duck, leaning more towards the feel of roasted chicken.

For Mountain Eagle, the flavor was passable at best, but to these foreigners, it was an unparalleled delicacy.

Many people say that Hua Country food, being high in oil and salt, doesn’t suit European and American tastes...

But those present proved to Mountain Eagle that when it comes to the universal appeal of sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy, the adeptly seasoned Chinese cuisine was sure to win everyone over.

Especially for those living in the frigid zones who have a significant need for calories.

Since Mountain Eagle had arrived in Alaska, apart from the extravagant hotel restaurants, he hadn’t seen anyone else enjoy good food.

The only decent thing had been the reindeer hot dog Old Qiao made at the time!

But that was thanks to the meat’s own quality, paired with the fact that Mountain Eagle was indeed a bit hungry at the time, making it deliciously appealing when eaten hot.

While Old Qiao and the others enjoyed sipping hot soup and savouring the roast duck, Mountain Eagle took out some dried noodles and a bag of dehydrated vegetables to throw into the pot that was left with duck broth.

Because there were only four roast ducks, Mountain Eagle, the chef, managed to snag just a duck neck from Daria...

While waiting for the noodles, he drizzled teriyaki sauce over the fish that was about to be roasted. Once the sauce permeated the fish, creating a savory crust, he dished out the noodles and then placed the fish on top...

This fresh way of eating thoroughly impressed Old Qiao and Quida...

Carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins - the four most vital elements for survival in Alaska were condensed into this one meal, which was not only delicious but also rich in nutrients.

Quida devoured two large bowls of noodles, plus a whole roast duck and a quarter of roasted fish, and still not quite satisfied, poured the last bit of broth into his bowl and drank it up...

After gulping down the very last drop of the broth, Quida let out a comfortable sigh, then sat down on the ground, took out a small notebook and a pen, and while keenly recalling every move Mountain Eagle had made, jotted down the secret recipe.

After finishing his meal, Mountain Eagle cleaned and packed his lunch box, then accepted a cup of coffee from Daria and sat on the open ground next to the campfire, gazing out at the distant sunset, somewhat lost in thought...

Alaska exhibits phenomena of midnight sun and polar night, but that is at the far north.

At the latitude where Mountain Eagle and his group were, the sunlight could last for up to 18 hours during July and August, which allowed them to catch the sunset even after a busy day.

Perhaps it was a coincidence, but both Kamui’s Sunset Mountain and the Yukon River campsites, one facing the sea and the other facing the wetlands, both offered views of breathtaking sunsets.

Mountain Eagle particularly loved sunsets...

Because it’s hard for a working person to fall in love with sunrises!

For the working class, the moment the sun rises doesn’t signify a reawakening of all things, but rather the start of a day’s labor.

He loved sunsets because the evening glow provided a splendid color to the off-duty time of the worker.

In countries that adhere to an eight-hour workday, people could walk under the stunning twilight to attend a romantic or exciting date, or stay at home alone, basking in the sunset and enjoying their time and life.

During the waiting time for the sunset, Mountain Eagle always felt most relaxed...

Daria packed up the sleeping bags and walked over with a cup of coffee to join Mountain Eagle in watching the last sliver of sunset, then as darkness began to sweep over the Earth, she smiled and said, "Boss, we can only sleep for six hours..."

Mountain Eagle looked up at Daria, about to say something, when Balang suddenly stood up from the ground and emitted a muffled growl toward the eastern hillside of the camp...

Mountain Eagle furrowed his brow, put on his tactical glasses, and saw about a dozen red dots running down the hill. When they reached the middle of the hill, they spread out to either side as if they intended to surround the camp.

"There are wolves, get the guns!"

Mountain Eagle was on his feet in an instant, pulling Daria into the tent...

He grabbed the Benelli M2, took the quick loader fitted with 10 deer bullets and 10 solitary bullets, and strapped it to his waist before rushing out of the tent...

Old Qiao, armed with an old Winchester lever-action rifle, was forcefully holding back an agitated Big Dog, constantly soothing: "Simone, stay still, Simone, don’t panic..."

Seeing Mountain Eagle and company arm themselves in less than a minute, Old Qiao shouted at Butcher, who looked the most suited for heavy labor: "You’re in charge of chopping the wood; we need to set up fires around the camp...

There’s something off about these wolves; we need to be fully prepared!"

Mountain Eagle saw only about a dozen red dots through Crow’s vision and didn’t understand why Old Qiao was so agitated...

As the youngest and most formidable in firepower, Mountain Eagle voluntarily moved to the eastern side of the camp, which was closer to the woods.

Like a faithful guardian, Balang followed closely by Mountain Eagle’s side...

A few minutes later, Butcher brought over a large bundle of wood to the front of Mountain Eagle, using fuel to instantly ignite a fire, illuminating a large area.

After all was said and done, Butcher picked up his AK-105, with two spare magazines on his belt, and took up a position about 15 meters from Mountain Eagle’s flank.

Butcher and Daria’s actions were swift, but in reality, they didn’t feel the tension...

Accustomed to the power of firearms, they couldn’t imagine a few wolves causing much trouble.

As they understood, upon discovering a wolf pack, simply firing a shot into the air was enough to drive them away.

Mountain Eagle originally thought the same, but what kept his tension up wasn’t Old Qiao, it was Balang...