Chapter 83: The Great Ice Cave in the Snowy Mountains (Part Two)

Qin Fei divided the curry he had cooked into two portions and handed them to Caesar and Xie Nainai.

The Fira curry gave off a fresh, vegetal aroma, interlaced with a hint of spiciness. Upon swallowing it, a wave of heat surged through Qin Fei’s entire body, filling him with warmth from head to toe.

At the same time, a new message appeared on the diamond-shaped crystal on his wrist.

[Fira Curry Buff: Consuming Fira curry grants you 50% extra resistance to low temperatures and slows your rate of heat loss by half.]

With the warmth provided by the curry, Qin Fei no longer felt the biting cold when he stood near the entrance to the great ice cave.

Fortified by the effects of the Fira curry, the group pressed onward, venturing deeper into the cavern. After about ten minutes, Qin Fei and his companions found their path blocked by a wall of ice. Below this wall was a low tunnel, about two meters wide but less than half a meter high—so low that to get through, one had to crawl flat on the ground.

Before attempting to pass, they needed to make sure there was nothing dangerous on the other side.

As the team leader, Qin Fei took the lead. He lowered himself to the ground and began inching forward on his stomach.

But he hadn’t gone far when he suddenly stopped dead. Opposite him, a massive gorilla lay on the ground, staring intently at him.

Man and beast locked eyes, staring at each other for several long seconds.

No, wait—this was no gorilla.

From his gaming experience, Qin Fei deduced that this must be a yeti, native to the depths of the great ice cave. These creatures were unique to the cave; survivors would never encounter them anywhere else.

When the yeti saw Qin Fei, a look of shock flickered in its eyes, tinged with a trace of fear. After all, it had never seen a hairless yeti like Qin Fei before...

As Qin Fei studied the creature, a series of bear growls echoed from behind it. At the sound, the fear in the yeti’s eyes deepened. It clambered closer toward Qin Fei, moving on all fours.

The yeti stood nearly four meters tall, an imposing figure. The tunnel beneath the ice wall, however, was extremely low—far too small for a creature its size to squeeze through. As a result, the yeti became wedged in the center of the passage.

At the same time, a white bear appeared behind the yeti. Even larger than the yeti, the bear couldn’t even fit its head into the tunnel.

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All it could do was glare at the trapped yeti, roaring furiously but unable to reach it.

Unable to crawl in, the white bear thrust its paw into the tunnel, trying to claw the yeti out.

Watching this scene, Qin Fei retrieved a shotgun from his backpack and pointed it at the yeti before him. He intended to take advantage of its predicament and shoot it while it was stuck.

Sensing his hostile intent, the yeti’s eyes filled with pleading. It lowered its head to the ground in front of Qin Fei, adopting a submissive posture.

Qin Fei was taken aback by the reaction. It seemed… the yeti was begging for its life.

A yeti that could yield and plead for mercy? That meant it had intelligence and might even be capable of communication.

Given this, Qin Fei decided not to kill it.

He continued crawling forward, shotgun in hand, until he reached the yeti’s side. After making sure it meant him no harm, he aimed at the white bear opposite and fired.

Bang!

The blast peppered the bear with lead pellets, but only inflicted minor wounds. Such formidable defense! Qin Fei marveled.

Though the bear wasn’t seriously hurt, it clearly felt the pain. With a howl, it turned tail and fled.

Seeing the bear driven off, the yeti’s eyes lit up with joy. It wriggled out of the tunnel, then turned and leaned its head affectionately against Qin Fei’s chest—a gesture of gratitude.

After a moment’s thought, Qin Fei took some dried meat and purple berries from his backpack, along with the leftover Fira curry, and offered them to the yeti, motioning with his hands to indicate they were for eating.

His aim was to win the yeti’s favor with food, hoping it would follow him.

The yeti studied Qin Fei for a long moment. Once it was sure the food was a gift, it grabbed some of the berries and meat and stuffed them into its mouth.

The yeti was nearly twice the height of an adult man, and its appetite was proportionally greater. It finished all the food in just a few bites.

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After devouring the dried meat and berries, it picked up the Fira curry and gulped it down in one go.

Yeti were omnivores—primates, just like humans—so their tastes were quite similar. The dried meat Qin Fei had given it was seasoned with salt, making it especially flavorful. The yeti, accustomed to a bland diet inside the ice cave, had never tasted such delicacies—let alone berries from outside or carefully prepared curry.

After enjoying these treats, the yeti became visibly excited, bouncing in place and making strange, babbling sounds as if trying to communicate with Qin Fei.

Seeing Qin Fei’s puzzled expression, the yeti placed its right arm around his shoulders and nuzzled its head against him. It seemed to be declaring that the two of them were now friends.

For convenience, Qin Fei decided to give the yeti a name: Friday.

The interior of the ice cave was vast and sprawling. Unlike the mountain ice caves in the game—which consisted of a single, linear path—this cave’s tunnels branched in all directions, illuminated by shafts of light that made the whole interior as bright as day. Walking within, Qin Fei felt as if he had entered a world of ice and snow.

Not far from the entrance, a shallow glacial river flowed.

In such a frigid place, one would expect the water to be frozen solid. Yet this river remained unfrozen.

What’s more, strange fish swam in the current—species Qin Fei had never seen before. The only one he recognized was the anglerfish, with its distinctive glowing lure.

These anglerfish stood about a meter tall and two meters long, making them slightly larger than a human.

The fish in the icy river were swift, and the water itself didn’t seem ordinary. When Qin Fei dipped his hand in, he immediately received a cut, drawing blood.

Unable to use his hands, Qin Fei shot one of the anglerfish with his shotgun and fished it out with a stick.

Anglerfish oil was extremely high in calories—a vital source of energy in times of scarcity. It also burned for an exceptionally long time; a small amount could sustain a flame far longer than any wood. By weight, anglerfish oil burned dozens of times longer than wood. (Based on data from the Ark game.)