Chapter 101: Chapter 100: Mutton? I Eat It Every Day

Almost instantly, he identified it as a flock of ewes traveling with their lambs. And with habits like these, the sheep in this area were most likely Dorper Sheep, also known as Dai’s Plateau Sheep.

’These sheep seem born to be food for carnivores. The ewes’ horns are thin and short, and they weigh about forty percent less than the rams. They typically weigh between forty and sixty kilograms, which is about the same as a slender young woman.’

’Although the heavier rams can exceed one hundred kilograms, their horns grow in a curve and aren’t suited for aggression. They’re mainly used for competing for mates.’

’During mating season, two rams will compete by ramming each other. They usually collide forehead to forehead, and because they have double-layered skulls, they don’t get injured.’

’Most importantly, rams travel alone, while the ewes travel with the lambs. In the eyes of a predator, what’s the difference between that and a walking buffet and a solitary, delicious meal?’

The moment he saw them, Andre’s right hand was already reaching for his quiver.

The little lambs, drinking happily, were completely oblivious to the danger. In contrast, a few of the ewes vigilantly scanned their surroundings, their gazes locked on his position from afar.

Seeing him begin to draw his bow, the ewes seemed to sense the danger. They let out a series of calls, then turned and bolted toward the forest.

The seven or eight lambs immediately stopped drinking and scrambled after them, hopping and skipping.

Andre’s eyes narrowed to slits. He took aim at one of the white sheep from a distance, angling his bow upward and tilting it slightly.

SWISH—

The moment the bowstring twanged, the flock instantly picked up speed.

Two fletched arrows carved arcs through the air. One accurately struck the white sheep as it sped up, felling it to the ground. The other landed in the grass beside it.

"Nice!"

Andre pumped his arm, clearly very satisfied with his predictive shot.

In just a split second, he had calculated the distance, the necessary flight time and angle for the arrow, and predicted the target sheep’s path of movement.

The arrow was in the air for over a second, nearly two, between being loosed and hitting its mark.

With how nimble the sheep were, covering six or seven meters in such a short time was no issue.

The key lay in the Dorper Sheep’s fatal instinct: the ewes act as nannies for every lamb in the flock. They would never flee before ensuring the lambs’ safety.

This seemingly simple shot was a culmination of not only the archery he had honed through years of wilderness survival, but also his perfect grasp of the Dorper Sheep’s behavior, and a significant degree of self-confidence.

Even the long-time viewers of his stream couldn’t help but be floored once again by his stunningly brilliant shot.

Hitting a moving, living target from over two hundred meters away with a predictive shot wasn’t something just anyone could pull off.

Lin Chen had just made it back to his shelter when he suddenly heard Andre’s panting shouts from behind.

"Lin!!!"

"W-wait for me!"

"Look what I brought you~"

Lin Chen turned in confusion, only to see the man running toward him, panting, with a white sheep slung over his shoulder.

"A Dorper Sheep?"

"Oh? You’ve seen them before?"

"I eat them every day."

"..."

Andre, who had been about to show off, felt his smile freeze on his face. He chuckled awkwardly and scratched his cheek.

’When did this kid get so good at hunting? Last time, he was still asking me basic questions. It’s only been a little over a week, and first it’s a Black Bear, then a Yukon Wolf, and now a Dorper Sheep... No matter how outrageous, you can’t be *that* lucky, can you?’

’He refused to believe it was Lin Chen’s skill. If it was, what would the thirty-plus years of his own suffering account for?’

"Do you want to eat it today, or wait three days?"

"Three days?"

Andre froze for a moment, then seemed to recall something. "You mean in three days Robert is bringing the seasonings you need?"

"Right." Lin Chen didn’t try to hide it; this news was bound to reach all the contestants’ ears sooner or later.

"I traded my own meat for the seasonings, so I can’t just give them to you for free. If you don’t want them, we can eat the sheep today. But if you want to try Great Xia-style roasted mutton, you’ll have to pay me some meat as a fee for the spices."

"No problem!"

Andre agreed on the spot without a second thought.

’The kid’s food was delicious even without seasoning. With it, wouldn’t it be divine?’

’This ewe weighed a little over fifty kilograms, which meant about thirty kilograms of pure meat—enough to last him for a month.’

’But after eating a delicious mutton dish at Lin Chen’s, the thought of going back to eating his own bland cooking...’

’He’d much rather trade some for a few good meals.’

’Winter hunting might be difficult for others, but for seasoned veterans like them, it was hardly a challenge. He wasn’t worried about a thing.’

"In that case, I’ll just leave this sheep with you. It’s too much trouble to carry back and forth. You’re the professional, so I’ll entrust the butchering to you as well. As payment, the hide is yours. How’s that?"

"Deal."

Lin Chen held out a fist and bumped it against Andre’s, then turned to lead the way.

’This sheep would probably yield twenty to thirty kilograms of meat. The old guy would eat two, maybe three kilos at most in a day. I can definitely find a way to swindle the rest of it from him.’

Andre didn’t enter Lin Chen’s shelter; he simply handed over the sheep and left immediately.

Staying together for an extended period without a formal partnership was not allowed. It could even be judged as a de facto partnership, which came with a seven-day time extension as a penalty.

He cleaned and butchered the still-warm sheep, separated the meat by cut, and placed it in a corner of the storeroom to keep it separate.

He didn’t collect the sheep’s blood this time; he simply had no spare containers to hold it.

’No, it looks like I’ll have to make a trip to the river. Otherwise, I’ll have no way to clean the intestines. They’re packed with rich, delicious fat—I absolutely can’t let that go to waste.’

He didn’t rush to leave. His gaze swept around the interior, finally landing on the waterproof tarp that made up the roof of the second story.

The tarp was laid over the wooden surface, its outer layer concealed by leaves and moss. It was completely invisible from the outside, but clearly visible from within the shelter.

’Wait a minute, I remember the tarp is ten meters long, but the roof is only five meters. The problem was the width; it wasn’t wide enough, so I had to lay down two layers.’

’But it’s winter now. It’s not going to rain. If anything, it will snow, and snow has volume. It’ll be stopped by the layer of leaves and moss, and once it freezes, it’ll become a natural roof on its own.’

’Come to think of it, is there really any need for the tarp at all?’

’Waterproof... water doesn’t leak...’

’Could I make a bucket?’

The moment this bold idea popped into his head, he couldn’t sit still any longer. He scrambled up to the second floor and ripped off half of his own roof.