HLM -Chapter 1175 Dealing with the Furious Herd

A hunting rifle hung inside the tent—standard equipment for an expedition like this. The route stretched nearly two thousand kilometers, crossing habitats of wolves, bears, and lemmings. Danger was unavoidable.

Outside, the dogs erupted into frantic barking, the shouts of Zhuang Ding especially fierce. Wang Bo immediately grabbed his rifle, pulled open the small tent flap, and used the barrel to lift it slightly so he could look out.

He guessed a large wild animal had come calling—perhaps an Alaskan brown bear. If it were one of those, he’d have to switch weapons.

Wang Bo cherished his life. Ever since that robbery incident, he’d pulled some strings and bought a real military-grade rifle, keeping it back at the castle—a German G36 assault rifle that could spray thirty rounds in a few seconds, devastatingly powerful.

But when he peeked outside, the Alaskan night was crystal clear. Moonlight bathed everything like a cold spotlight, reflecting off the snow so that the ground remained brightly lit even at night.

Thanks to that, Wang Bo could clearly see what had triggered the dogs’ frenzy.

He had guessed right—there were large animals outside. But they weren’t wolves or brown bears.

They were cows.

Musk oxen had arrived!

They were adult musk oxen, resembling yaks in both size and their long, shaggy coats. Their body lengths ranged from 1.8 to 2.3 meters, with shoulder heights of about one and a half meters. They appeared silently, and when faced with the barking dogs, they slowly began to form up.

Under the cold moonlight, the herd moved swiftly, pressing shoulder to shoulder and forming a tight circle. Then they lowered their heads, raised their horns, and revealed their fierce, battle-ready side.

These musk oxen were incredibly strong. Both males and females bore long, curved, sharp horns, so when they assumed an attacking stance like this, the intimidation was palpable.

The four Alaskan sled dogs immediately behaved themselves. Though they were still barking, their tails were tucked tight between their legs, bodies hunched as they glanced around nervously, looking as if they might bolt at any moment.

The Chinese village dogs, on the other hand, really did Wang Bo proud. Not only were they unafraid, they became even more ferocious. Every single dog lunged forward madly, the ropes pulled taut.

They roared and strained ahead, paws digging into the snow, sending powder flying all around them.

Seeing that it was a musk ox herd, Wang Bo rushed out. He had to scare these animals away—once a fight broke out, things would get messy.

Musk oxen were among the animals most adept at combat. Unlike ordinary cattle, they were anything but docile.

When Wang Bo had looked them up before, he’d learned that once a musk ox herd formed a circular battle formation, the bulls would launch surprise attacks, goring enemies with their sharp horns. Their long, thick coats protected them from bites. After an attack, the bull would immediately retreat to the formation, stand guard, and prepare for the next strike.

Scanning the herd, Wang Bo saw it wasn’t very large—just over twenty animals. He let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Musk oxen loved living in groups. Large herds could number in the hundreds, usually led by the strongest bull, who would also be the first to charge in battle.

Wang Bo spotted an especially powerful bull stepping forward a few paces. Guessing it was about to attack, he raised his shotgun and fired straight into the sky.

Boom!

At night, a shotgun blast looked like a flamethrower—pellets erupting in a fiery burst that was profoundly shocking.

The herd was startled. They were brave, but they weren’t trained soldiers; danger still inspired fear. At the sound of the gunshot, the bull about to charge retreated immediately. The entire defensive circle tightened, clearly showing their fear.

But intimidation alone wouldn’t work. He had to find a way to dissolve the hostility on both sides.

He didn’t want to kill musk oxen. Their numbers were already low, and besides, the fault lay with Zhuang Ding for having grabbed one of their calves earlier.

As he anxiously studied the herd, Wang Bo suddenly noticed something: all their bellies were sunken.

That was normal. Musk oxen mainly fed on grass and shrub branches—but in winter, where would they find such things? They could only dig through the snow to eat moss and similar plants.

Sometimes they couldn’t even find moss, and had to eat snow instead. This was a unique ability of theirs. Most animals wouldn’t dare eat snow for hydration, because melting it consumed precious body heat. But musk oxen could. Doing so met their needs while actually minimizing energy loss.

This all stemmed from their unique digestive system and energy utilization. Musk oxen were extremely efficient at conserving energy, requiring only one-sixth the food of a cow of similar size.

From that perspective, they were ideal livestock.

Thinking this through, and looking again at their hollow bellies, Wang Bo had an idea. He opened the system inventory and pulled out a large pile of fodder from the ranch warehouse.

The fodder was nutrient-rich, fragrant, and tasty. He decided to use food to send these fellows on their way.

Carrying the fodder, he ran forward and spread a large pile on the ground, like laying down a firebreak.

The fodder carried a fresh, grassy scent. As soon as it hit the ground, the massive animals grew restless.

Two calves pushed their heads out from the defensive circle, drooling as they stared at the fodder, eager to break formation and eat.

The adults stopped them at first, but they themselves soon couldn’t hold out—not because of greed, but hunger. A heavy snowfall had blanketed Alaska, with average snow depth reaching half a meter. In conditions like these, musk oxen simply couldn’t find food.

Hunger was a terrifying thing. Once it reached a certain point, it could dominate one’s entire will.

Musk oxen didn’t have much resistance in this regard. Before long, they couldn’t take it anymore and rushed over to start eating the fodder.

Wang Bo laughed out loud. What “impregnable” defensive formation—hadn’t he broken it just like that?

As long as they weren’t provoked, musk oxen were actually very gentle animals. With their heads lowered, they ate quietly and obediently. Even the dogs sensed the change and gradually stopped barking.

Wang Bo quietly returned the injured calf to the herd, making the musk oxen even calmer.

When they saw the calf, several adults stepped forward and rubbed its head gently with their horns before resuming their meal.

Completely relaxed now, their eating behavior was fascinating. They would eat for a bit, then stop, lie flat on the ground, and chew slowly. Before long, they’d even start nodding off.

Their naps were very short—just a few minutes—after which they’d wake up and repeat the routine: eat, ruminate, nap.

This behavior had a purpose: it reduced energy expenditure while lowering food requirements.

Watching this, Wang Bo finally understood how Zhuang Ding had managed to snatch a calf from the herd. Even a tiger posed little threat while dozing—let alone a musk ox.

Clearly, the calf had been ambushed while the musk oxen were napping…