Lin Chen sensed the bone-chilling cold as well, just not as quickly as Andre had.

"A wolf?"

Seeing the pair of gleaming green lights, Lin Chen put a hand to his forehead in resignation.

’So, the inevitable has finally happened...’

’It made sense.

I’ve been cooking here every day. The aroma was bound to drift, serving as the perfect beacon for any creature with a keen sense of smell.’

’The creature probably chose to show itself today because tonight’s meal was just too lavish, wasn’t it?’

"Can you tell what kind it is?"

Lin Chen asked, his voice low, while his hand was already reaching for the hunting bow on the ground nearby.

"I can’t, it’s too dark," Andre said, shaking his head. "Alaska has many kinds of wild wolves. I’ve run into four types myself. The strongest, of course, are the Yukon Wolf and the Tundra Wolf."

"But they’re huge, and regular prey can’t satisfy their appetites, so they usually hunt larger animals. I’m guessing this one is a common type, like a gray or black wolf."

He didn’t want to sound too certain, because even he couldn’t be one hundred percent sure.

"Be careful. Wolves are pack animals. If you see one, it means there are more hidden nearby."

Andre swallowed hard and slowly set down the duck leg in his hand, trying to avoid further provoking the creatures hidden in the darkness.

Just as he reached for his own hunting bow, the two eerie lights in the pitch-black night began to retreat, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

"It’s gone."

Andre breathed a sigh of relief. "It was probably a scout from the pack, out on reconnaissance. It just happened to be drawn in by the smell of our cooking."

"Most animals are afraid of fire, though. Plus, you have this fence. You don’t have to worry about your safety for now."

"Let’s hope so."

’Wolves are primarily nocturnal. Just because it retreated for now doesn’t mean it won’t be back.’

’I have to master archery as soon as possible!’

BUBBLE... BUBBLE... BUBBLE...

The duck carcass soup in the pot slowly began to boil.

Lin Chen sliced some wild mushrooms into the pot to enhance the soup’s flavor, but he couldn’t stop the image of those two eerie, glimmering lights from flashing in his mind.

"Andre, how about we make a temporary deal?"

"A temporary deal?"

Andre picked up his duck leg again and took a huge bite, looking over in confusion. "A deal about what?"

"You know I don’t have much experience with wilderness survival. I’m not too proud to admit it, but just now..."

"Oh, I get it. You were spooked by the green glow from the wolf’s eyes, weren’t you?"

Seeming to guess his thoughts, Andre cut in, "That’s completely normal. The first time my dad took me out and we ran into a wolf, I was the same way. I was so scared I couldn’t sleep all night."

"It stays with you until you kill one with your own hands. But don’t worry, I’ll stand watch tonight. I’ll even do some more work on the shelter. You go ahead and get some sleep."

Even though he agreed to stand watch, Andre wasn’t particularly concerned. The shelter was incredibly secure. A wolf wouldn’t be stupid enough to risk attacking two relatively small prey.

And if the worst-case scenario did happen, he was confident he could scare the enemy away with his superb archery skills.

"Alright, how about this," Lin Chen said. He was relieved that Andre had agreed so readily, but he also felt a little bad about it. "I’ll make you a dessert for breakfast tomorrow. It needs the low temperatures at night to set."

"What??? Dessert?!"

Andre exclaimed, "Did you just say dessert? I’m not hearing things, am I?"

"If you were talking about cooking a meal, I’d be excited. But making dessert out in the wild with no ingredients? That’s impossible!"

"Impossible?"

A mysterious smile played on Lin Chen’s lips as he reached into the leaf basket and pulled out two enormous duck eggs.

"Just you wait. You’re about to witness a miracle!"

Lin Chen didn’t know about people from other countries, but when it came to North Americans, he knew that if they had to choose between steak and dessert, the vast majority would pick the latter.

People here practically subsisted on sugar. Whether it was from a bakery or a donut shop, the dough itself wasn’t just packed with a lethal dose of various sugars—the final product would also be coated in a cloyingly thick syrup and sprinkled with a generous amount of powdered sugar.

Then there were the beloved waffles, which were typically drizzled with maple syrup and served with ice cream—practically no different from drinking sugar straight.

He was confident that if he just dangled the allure of dessert, Andre would be full of eager anticipation as he stood guard until dawn.

"Dessert from duck eggs? But there’s no flour or syrup here, much less an oven or molds. What are you planning to make?"

Just as he’d expected, Andre showed intense curiosity. The word "anticipation" was practically written on his face.

"It’s a secret."

Lin Chen smiled mysteriously and put the duck eggs back. "I’ll make it after I finish dinner. It’s not cold enough yet. I need to wait for the temperature to drop below freezing."

"Of course, you know there’s no sugar here, so the final product won’t be very sweet. Think of it as more of a sweet and tart flavor."

"Like a lemon tart?"

"Something like that."

Andre tore off a huge bite of duck leg, his eyes sweeping over the remaining ingredients, lingering on the pile of assorted berries.

’The only thing here that could possibly add sweetness would have to be those berries, right?’

’Blueberry pie, raspberry cake, lemon tart...’ Several sweet and tart fruit desserts flashed through his mind, making his mouth water. Suddenly, even the roasted duck leg in his hand seemed less appetizing.

As Lin Chen leisurely enjoyed his humble dinner, Andre finally understood what it felt like for every minute to stretch into an eternity.

As he continued repairing the shelter’s roof, he kept part of his attention fixed on Lin Chen, worried the kid might stealthily start making the dessert when he wasn’t looking.

"What!?"

"Making dessert in the wild??"

"How is that possible? It’s absolutely impossible!" 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Gray shot to his feet, slamming his hand on the table with a deafening BANG.

"I’ll admit this young chef from Great Xia has an extraordinary talent for both innovation and cooking. To think he can make so many different, delicious dishes with limited ingredients in the middle of a forest."

"But cooking is one thing, and baking is another! They’re two completely different disciplines!"

"Without flour, sugar, or other essential ingredients like butter, cream, or cheese, it is fundamentally impossible to make dessert!"

"Keep it down, old friend. You’re scaring the baby."

At the table, a handsome, blonde man in sunglasses put down his coffee cup with an exasperated sigh and had to start gently rocking the baby stroller beside him.

"You know that if Angelica gets back and finds the baby crying, I won’t be the only one in trouble."