Chapter 372: Chapter 222: New Prey! (Part 2)

He rubbed the fabric with his hand, producing a clear "rustling" sound.

"And then, like this type of rigid windproof jacket fabric, every slight brush with a branch makes noise, enough to alert any wary prey dozens of meters away."

Therefore, he chose a multi-layered clothing system optimized for stealth hunting. The innermost layer was a close-fitting woolen underwear that wicks moisture quickly, the middle layer was a thick fleece jacket.

For the outermost layer, he chose a fleece softshell jacket, one of his only two jackets.

"The fabric of this jacket has undergone a special brushed treatment." He demonstrated the surface of the garment to the camera.

"Its fibers are extremely fine and soft, maximally absorbing and dulling sounds, unlike a hard-shell jacket that would emit a crisp ’rustling’ sound."

"When tracking wary prey, this kind of difference in detail is the line between success and failure."

He slung on the hiking backpack, which held tinder and a flint, a piece of smoked fish jerky, and a first-aid kit. Holding the birch spear in his left hand, he slung the quiver of 8 Hunting Arrows and the Recurved Bow over his back.

After doing all this, he also took a nylon rope at least thirty meters long from the supplies pile.

"This thing might not be needed, but if the need arises, it becomes crucial."

He hung the heavy bundle of rope on the outside of the backpack, "If I’m truly lucky enough to hunt a large prey, I’ll divide it on the spot and then use this rope to drag it back to the shelter." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Finally, he securely tied the snowshoes to his boots, flexed his ankles, feeling that "area sensation" connected to the Earth.

"Let’s go!"

He turned around, opened the door, and took one last deep glance at December sleeping soundly on the wolf fur bed, a hint of tenderness flashed in his eyes. This tenderness was replaced by a focus belonging to a predator.

Lin Yu’an slowly walked into that white forest, stepped onto the snowshoes, and immediately felt the difference. Earlier, every step sunk deep into the snow up to his calves, now it barely reached his ankles.

This not only conserved energy but also meant his movement became quicker, greatly enhancing his tracking and ambush abilities in the snow.

He moved forward smoothly and efficiently in a manner akin to "floating" on the snow, each step silent.

In the forest, traces of the blizzard were more evident, with countless tree branches bending under the weight of snow, forming arcs of white arches.

In his eyes, these were no longer beautiful sceneries but natural "visual obstacles" and "cover."

He occasionally needed to bend over to pass through, and each time he did, his sight was briefly blocked, which made him be even more vigilant.

Occasionally, a breeze would pass by, and the snow accumulated on the treetops would "sift" down, prompting him to halt immediately, listening intently.

Because that sound might be the moment when other animals are startled, revealing their positions.

Here is a true place of silence, where all sounds seem absorbed by the thick snow, forming a unique quietness with an "echo."

In this environment, any non-natural sound is infinitely magnified.

Aside from the rhythmic "creak, creak" sounds of his snowshoes treading on the snow, the entire world was silent.

Lin Yu’an’s senses were at their peak at this moment, his body fully relaxed, but his mind was like a fully drawn bow, ready to release at any moment.

His eyes were like a hawk’s, no longer appreciating the scenery but performing high-speed "information screening" on any unnatural shapes in the snowfield.

Any tree trunk where snow had been scraped off, any color discordant with the white backdrop, would be instantly captured and analyzed by his brain.

His ears, like a precision radar, were fully engaged in capturing those signals bearing "information value."

A distant bird’s startled call could mean a ground predator has passed by.

A dry twig snapped in the distance, its crisp and brief "crack" was one of the most valuable signals.

He could roughly judge the distance by the loudness of the sound and estimate the "offender’s" weight category.

If it was a crisp "crack," it was likely a light rabbit or Thunderbird.

But if the noise was a muffled "creak," it must have been a much weightier large creature stepping on a thicker branch.

Even the scent carried by the upwind, not belonging to the plant aromas of this area.

Possibly the slightly pungent stench of Arctic Fox urine or the musky smell of some large herbivores, similar to domestic livestock.

His brain, continuously moving, was ceaselessly receiving, analyzing, judging, and filtering these fragmented pieces of auditory and olfactory information.

Trying to piece together from this seemingly lifeless white forest, a dynamic and unknown "life activity map."

He walked for nearly an hour; in this time, he felt as if he had traversed the entire World.

But looking back, estimating his pace, he knew he had probably only advanced less than three kilometers deeper into the forest.

Traveling through deep snow and dense forest, speed is a luxury.

Along the way, he saw countless small animal traces, the footprints left by Snowshoe Rabbits. The paths formed on the snow’s surface when lemmings dug tunnels beneath.