Alaska Gold Rush Diary

Chapter 190 Preparations

Chapter 191 Preparations

Zhou Xin's arrival marked the completion of the treasure hunt team.

Is Sofia coming along too?

Zhou Xin knew this journey would be very difficult. Sophia's strength was limited and she had little experience, so going with her would naturally mean facing more dangers.

"Yes," Bell nodded, "she's an adult now and a full-fledged hunter, and she needs to grow through things like this."

The journey may be dangerous, but through these dangers, one can also grow rapidly.

Zhou Xin understood this principle very well, because he had grown rapidly through various difficulties.

The group sat on the sofa and began discussing the upcoming itinerary.

Through Bell's explanation, Zhou Xin learned that they had already completed all the preparations.

They brought a lot of high-calorie ready-to-eat food, but that wasn't enough to sustain them for the entire trip.

However, everyone present was a hunter, and hunting was a basic skill for them.

The Alaskan wilderness is rich in game, so they don't have to worry about food at all.

For accommodation, it's a single polar tent with a folding stove.

Temperatures in Alaska are now below zero; camping in the freezing cold without a stove would be certain death.

In terms of firearms, they each carried their own preferred weapon.

Zhou Xin himself only carried a pistol, and at his request, Bell took him to the base's armory.

It must be said that Bell's arsenal was incredibly powerful, with various rifles and shotguns hanging all over the walls.

Zhou Xin wandered around the armory for a while before finally choosing a Remington 870 shotgun.

On this journey, he will face wild beasts.

At medium to long range, other hunters can handle the situation while you use your pistol for support.

The skulls of wild beasts like bears are very thick, especially the skull, which can effectively cushion and disperse the impact of bullets.

Even if a bullet hits the head, unless it precisely strikes a critical and fatal area such as the brainstem, it will only further enrage them.

If a wild animal gets close, a shotgun will be the best defensive weapon.

In addition to living supplies and weapons, the hunters also prepared a lot of other supplies.

After explaining the preparations, Bell took out his phone and pointed out the location of Hibernation Valley to Zhou Xin.

Hibernation Valley is located northeast of Fairbanks, and there are no people or roads within a radius of fifty or sixty kilometers.

This means they would need to trek 60 kilometers through the wilderness to reach Hibernation Valley.

The area was already covered with thick snow, and the road was rugged and difficult to travel, so it was estimated that only about ten kilometers could be traveled each day.

In other words, it may take them four or five days to reach Hibernation Valley.

Zhou Xin could already foresee that this journey would definitely not be easy.

But he has always believed that fortune favors the bold, and if he could earn several hundred ounces of gold in just ten or twenty days, then the hard work would be worthwhile.

They have a total of six hunting dogs, and they plan to bring them all this time.

If encountering a pack of wolves, hunting dogs can provide early warnings and also help in the fight.

Zhou Xin didn't know how Logan would react when he encountered his compatriots, but he was certain that Logan would at least not turn against him.

Only humans are capable of betraying their own people.

Zhou Xin inquired about some details and found that they were very well prepared; they had considered everything he could think of.

It seemed that they were indeed hunters with extremely rich experience in wilderness survival, which reassured Zhou Xin considerably.

You don't need to worry about things in life, so you can focus more on defending against danger.

In the evening, after enjoying a flavorful smoked venison dinner, everyone returned to their rooms to rest and recharge for tomorrow's journey.

Zhou Xin was arranged to rest in a small wooden cabin. Sophia had thoughtfully lit the fireplace an hour in advance, making it very warm.

Lying in bed, listening to the crackling of the burning firewood in the stove, Zhou Xin first called Zhang Jianing to let her know he was safe, and then began to research how to deal with wolf packs and how to wake brown bears from hibernation.

Although he had tamed a wolf and a brown bear, he knew very well that most wolves and brown bears in the wild were not as docile as Logan and Bartholomew.

Especially during the cold winter when food is scarce, these people are the best prey in the eyes of wolves.

If you only encounter a small pack of wolves, there's not much to worry about. After all, the hunters have enough firepower to scare them away with just a few shots.

But if you were to encounter a large pack of wolves, like the hunter described, consisting of twenty or thirty wolves, it would be an absolute disaster.

The hunters chose to set off at this time because the probability of encountering a large wolf pack would be much lower.

Regardless, Zhou Xin believes it is still necessary to acquire relevant knowledge to avoid being at a loss when the time comes.

Actually, Lone Wolf isn't very strong in combat. Last time, Zhou Xin encountered Lone Wolf in Livinggood and easily took him down.

Wolves are dangerous because they are highly organized and disciplined, with a division of labor and cooperation, much like an army.

Wolves are endurance hunters; they do not seek to make a burst of speed, but rather achieve their hunting goals by pursuing their prey for a long distance and exhausting their strength.

Wolves possess high intelligence and learning abilities; they can remember terrain features, predict prey escape routes, and even learn human behavior patterns.

Wolf packs hunt in a manner comparable to highly coordinated military operations. They have scouts, main forces and flanks, vanguards and elite assault teams. Through close coordination and the support of collective wisdom, they are capable of threatening any creature.

This is why hunters prefer to set out in the harsh winter to avoid encountering wolf packs.

Compared to wolf packs, hibernating brown bears are much easier to deal with.

In fact, as long as they are not disturbed while the bears are asleep, they will not launch an attack.

But if you really disturb a hibernating brown bear, it is likely to become furious because its sweet dreams have been interrupted.

Coupled with their long sleep, they are already starving and would definitely be full of aggressive desires towards humans who disturb them.

Wolves and bears are the biggest threats they will face on this treasure hunt.

After checking the enemy's information, Zhou Xin opened the map and looked at it again.

The hunters had already planned their route: they would first meander along the riverbank of a canyon, then cross two mountains to reach Hibernation Valley.

The name Hibernation Valley was given by an expedition team a long time ago, and they also recorded the conditions there.

According to records, the expedition team consisted of thirteen people. They were attacked by wolves and brown bears, eight of whom died, and only four survived.

One of the surviving expedition members wrote in his diary: "That place is a paradise for wild animals and a forbidden zone for humans."