Chapter Three: The Ice Fishing Cabin

Staring into the flames within the pot-bellied stove, Qin Fei took a tin can filled with snow from his backpack and set it atop the stove to heat. Fuel was a precious commodity in the polar environment—once a fire was kindled, it was best to put it to some use, never wasting a single log or splinter. This habit alone could mean survival for a lone wanderer in such extreme conditions.

Inside the ice-fishing hut, Qin Fei rummaged through a wooden cabinet and discovered a box of matches. On the top shelf, he found a packet of fishing bait, a length of fishing line, and a hook. Since the gray wolf still lingered outside, unwilling to leave, Qin Fei decided he might as well try his luck at fishing during this enforced wait. Catching a fish would be ideal; even if he failed, the attempt was better than idling away the hours inside the hut.

The room was dim. By the stove’s faint glow, Qin Fei threaded the fishing line through the hook.

[Fishing Tackle: Hook and line for catching fish; Durability: 100%]

After examining his gear, Qin Fei took a small piece of cattail top from his backpack and tied it to the line to serve as a makeshift float.

Inside the ice-fishing hut, the temperature was well below freezing. To fish, he first had to break through the frozen hole in the floor designed for angling. Luckily, his backpack contained a crowbar scavenged from the camp office, which he now used as an improvised ice pick. After chipping away for nearly ten minutes, he finally broke through, revealing the dark water beneath the ice.

Gripping his tackle, Qin Fei threaded the bait onto the hook and tossed it into the freshly opened hole. Winter fishing, especially on lakes sealed with ice, often yielded good results. Of course, it also consumed precious supplies. Without enough bait, his fishing would quickly come to an end. The hooks, too, wore out quickly—cold temperatures made everything brittle, and once a hook or line snapped and fell beneath the ice, it was lost for good. Iron hooks were far harder to come by than raw meat.

Most importantly, to keep from freezing while fishing, Qin Fei needed to gather sufficient fuel before each attempt. Yet the birch trees around Mystery Lake were tall and thick; without an axe or saw, obtaining wood was no simple task. In such an environment, surviving two hundred days on fishing alone was all but impossible.

Half an hour later, the cattail-topped float on the surface of the ice hole gave a slight twitch. Qin Fei immediately pulled in the line, reeling up the hook. He had actually caught a fish—a small, silvery lake fish dangled from the end.

[Fresh Lake Whitefish (Raw): Common freshwater fish, small in size but plentiful]

Landing this fish lifted Qin Fei’s spirits. He rebaited the hook and cast it back into the water. By the time the fire in the stove had dwindled to embers and the last of the wood was nearly spent, he had caught another small lake whitefish. It wasn’t surprising that he hadn’t caught anything larger—this was only a small lake, after all. Any fish at all was a blessing.

With the stove now cold and the temperature in the hut dropping, Qin Fei collected the freshly boiled drinking water and stowed it in his backpack. He gently pushed open the door and peered outside—the gray wolf, unable to withstand the howling wind sweeping across the lake, had finally departed. The vast expanse was silent and empty.

Only after confirming that the wolf was truly gone did Qin Fei cautiously emerge from the ice-fishing hut. Better safe than sorry—this was no game, and preserving his own life was paramount.

Scattered around Mystery Lake stood several small cabins, once homes for the fishermen who had lived here. Qin Fei entered these cabins one by one, searching each for useful resources. He needed to gather all the essential tools for survival. His task was to endure for 200 days in this world; aside from food, water, and fuel, tools were indispensable.

To obtain food, he would need to craft bows and arrows or set traps for hunting, or fashion hooks and lines for fishing. To boil snow and keep warm, he’d need saws or axes to collect firewood. Thus, Qin Fei searched each cabin meticulously, checking under beds, inside cabinets, and in every corner.

By the time he finished scouring the last cabin, dusk was falling. This particular cabin was relatively warm, so Qin Fei decided to spend the night here. Venturing out after dark would be unwise—not only might he encounter the same gray wolf from earlier, but in the pitch-black wilderness, he could easily lose his way and freeze to death without shelter.

Opening his system’s spatial backpack, Qin Fei took stock of the day's haul:

[Whetstone: Used to sharpen blades]
[Herbal Tea: A fragrant tea boasting nourishing and sleep-inducing properties according to its label]
[New Woolen Socks: Sturdy and warm wool socks]

He pulled the wool socks over his regular athletic socks without hesitation—no one could have too many socks in this cold. With two pairs and a pair of rubber boots, his feet no longer felt the biting chill that had tormented him when he first arrived.

He had also found a box of salted crackers and a bar of chocolate oat candy in the cabins. If he counted the seventeen cattail stalks gathered from the lake and the two lake whitefish caught earlier, his current food reserves provided about 3,000 kilocalories—enough for two days, as an adult required roughly 1,500 kilocalories a day.

Additionally, during his scavenging, he had torn some cloth from the cabin furnishings and, using a sewing kit, fashioned a simple headscarf to wrap around his head.

[Improvised Headscarf: Almost like a hat, made from scraps of cloth; body temperature +1°C]

Though not as warm or durable as a proper hat, it was far better than nothing.

Before sleeping, Qin Fei drank some water, ate the chocolate oat bar, and chewed five cattail stalks. Sated, he lay down and soon fell into a deep sleep.

When Qin Fei awoke again, dawn had broken. The system prompt appeared before his eyes:

[You have survived: 2 days 2 hours 5 minutes]

Today, Qin Fei planned to head southwest of Mystery Lake to the Hunter's Cabin. In the game, this cabin often contained firearms—old-fashioned, single-shot long-barreled rifles. While such weapons might not bring down a bear in one shot, a well-placed hit to a wolf or deer’s head could easily be fatal.

The meat from a wolf or deer could feed Qin Fei for a long time. Moreover, he could replenish his salt from animal blood, and their pelts, organs, and bones could all serve useful purposes if properly utilized.

In short, acquiring a gun would mean a significant stockpile of food and increased personal safety—no longer would the gray wolf pose such a dire threat.

After eating a little to restore his energy, Qin Fei opened the cabin door and stepped outside. As a seasoned player of The Long Dark, he knew the map around Mystery Lake by heart—there was no chance he’d lose his way to the Hunter’s Cabin.

But after only a moment outside, he was forced to retreat. A blizzard was raging, making it all but impossible to advance. The temperature plummeted, visibility shrank to a few paces—the world outside was a maelstrom of snow and biting wind.

With no other choice, Qin Fei remained inside, patiently waiting for the storm to pass.