Free Web NovelChapter 800: Chapter 142: Wild Horses
"Woof! What a big fish!"
Dahuang, who also emerged from the water, barked excitedly.
Chen Wen laughed heartily, activating the [Giant Strength].
With a swift motion, he flung the massive carp onto the shore.
The carp, which was already close to death, hit its head on a rock with a crack, lying motionless on the riverbank.
"So many carp... it’s not good; these carp don’t seem appetizing. Are there any other freshwater fish?"
Chen Wen murmured to himself.
Quickly, he spotted other fishes.
There were grass carp and silver carp too.
But overall, their numbers were still far less than the carp.
Additionally, they moved more nimbly and swiftly than the carp, making them harder to catch.
Chen Wen attempted a few times, but only managed to spear a grass carp about ten centimeters long.
Meanwhile, Dahuang, cooperating with Chen Wen, also bit into a carp about ten centimeters long.
"Alright, alright, this much fish meat should be enough."
Chen Wen said, stopping Dahuang who wanted to continue catching fish.
He had a lot of supplies, especially canned food.
Thus, to ensure he remained within a reasonable load limit, Chen Wen waved for Dahuang to halt the hunt.
Dahuang glanced at the fish on the shore and obediently swam back onto land.
He also felt that the amount of food was sufficient.
Especially that giant carp, it looked particularly delicious!
...
After coming ashore, Chen Wen took out a knife and swiftly processed the fish.
Two of the smaller carps were directly given to Screaming Kite and Dahuang.
"Be careful when eating, fish have bones; don’t choke yourself!"
Chen Wen’s reminder seemed a bit redundant to Dahuang and Screaming Kite.
Their genes naturally contained the skills and techniques of eating fish.
Chen Wen took out a knife, cutting open the belly of the large carp and thoroughly removing its viscera.
Then he chopped off the carp’s head and fins, leaving only the fatty fish meat.
"If this thing were at home, I wouldn’t eat it at all—tastes bad and greasy. But in the wilderness, it’s a rare delicacy!"
Chen Wen said, touching his somewhat gaunt face.
For this survival exercise, he had lost quite a bit of weight.
Thus, in the latter part of survival, for the sake of energy recovery, he had to eat a bit of fat.
Making a fire on the spot, Chen Wen sliced the carp meat and skewered it onto a tree branch.
Then he skewered the processed grass carp for roasting as well.
Chen Wen opened a can of fish meat, placing it next to the bonfire for heating, while using the seasoning-rich broth inside as a condiment, sprinkling it onto the grilled fish meat.
Soon, the aroma of meat spread around.
Chen Wen’s face showed an expression of anticipation.
Taking a piece of sizzling carp meat, he blew on it gently before putting it into his mouth.
The rich meat flavor, blended with spices, exploded in his mouth.
Even with a hint of fishy taste, the flavor of this bite of meat was quite satisfying to Chen Wen!
He ate the fish meat in big bites, while glancing at the system alerting him to some activity.
The entries provided by the carp were decent.
[Water Adaptation (Purple): You can adapt to more water environments. Facing different bodies of water, you can adjust your body quickly, allowing you to adapt to the water characteristics.]
It’s a trait leaning towards survival in water.
Useful, but more so in water-abundant areas.
The grass carp’s traits were comparatively poor.
Two bad traits aside, the only good trait was green.
[Underwater Agility (Green): Your movements in water become slightly more agile]
For the current Chen Wen, this trait was better than nothing.
After enjoying a feast of fish and storing some more fish meat.
Chen Wen continued his journey.
He kept walking downstream along the great river and, seeking rescue, had Screaming Kite increase the frequency of reconnaissance.
He initially planned to transform into a hippopotamus and carry his supplies through the water.
But considering the supplies couldn’t be secured unless he spent time crafting a small boat to store them.
Chen Wen abandoned the idea of transforming into a hippopotamus and entering the water.
"I still need to find something to carry the supplies,"
Chen Wen muttered as he walked.
Nearby, Dahuang wagged his ears and then looked excitedly at Chen Wen, "Human, let me help you!"
But seeing Dahuang’s relatively thin body, Chen Wen kindly declined his offer.
However, just as Chen Wen and Dahuang were talking,
from high above, Screaming Kite returned.
Seeing Screaming Kite, Chen Wen immediately shouted, asking if it recognized any human structures.
Screaming Kite shook its head.
But just when Chen Wen was feeling a bit disappointed, Screaming Kite brought an unexpected piece of news.
"Human! I saw camels! They look a bit like the camel king, but also slightly different!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Wen instantly felt excited.
Camels!
Wow, just when he was looking for a mount, these camels come right to his doorstep?
This is amazing!
However, this area doesn’t seem to have camels, so perhaps they are domesticated ones?
Chen Wen became even more excited!
If they are camels herded by someone, all the better!
As long as the person understands English, Chen Wen has a hundred ways to persuade them to take him to nearby human settlements.
And then he can complete the challenge.
However, upon seeing Chen Wen’s excitement, Screaming Kite poured cold water on him: "Just to be clear, I just feel that they are camels, but they are not exactly like camels. You’ll know what I mean when you see them."
"Also, I feel they’re much more aggressive than camels. When I saw them, they were fighting!"
More aggressive than camels, yet similar...
Chen Wen shook his head and asked, "Where did you see them?"
Screaming Kite pointed with its beak toward the northwest direction.
Chen Wen gritted his teeth: "Let’s go check it out! Whether they are camels or not, as long as they’re animals, I have a way to handle them!"
...
As Chen Wen arrived at the northwest plain,
he immediately saw the camel-like animals Screaming Kite mentioned.
His mouth twitched as he introduced to Screaming Kite, "These aren’t camels, they are horses, wild horses, completely different from camels!"
Wild horses, one of the rampant invasive species in Australia.
They were brought to Australia by particularly conspicuous European colonists.
Like those rabbit warrens that climbed over walls to escape, wild horses too broke free and thrived on this land.
Tall, fierce, and highly combative, wild horses in Australia also lack natural predators.
Here, they graze and breed recklessly, eventually becoming a prominent member among Australia’s invasive fauna.
But compared to the crazy rabbits and carp, nicknamed ’water rabbits,’ wild horses are still a bit lacking.
Yet wild horses are still useful.
Chen Wen eyed the herd of wild horses, each strong, tall, with smooth coats.
They seemed like excellent draft animals.
If he could tame one, Chen Wen would have a draft horse for carrying supplies.
If he could tame two, he would even have a mount!
However, Chen Wen did not entertain any illusions that simply by waving his hand, the wild horses would obediently bow to him.
These aggressive wild horses are different from camels.
Even the aggressive male dromedary would be considered docile and gentle in a herd of wild horses.
Therefore, for these wild horses, Chen Wen planned to actively search for those with special personalities and try to communicate for taming.
Showing goodwill and offering benefits might help win over wild horses with distinct personalities.
But for ordinary wild horses, Chen Wen had no thoughts of taming them.
Because it’s just too difficult!
