The convenience brought by iron tools greatly enhanced Lin Feng's efficiency and confidence in transforming the world.
But he knew that in this perilous wilderness, self-preservation alone was far from enough. He needed more powerful hunting tools to deal with wild beasts that might appear, even more ferocious than wild boars and lone wolves, and to obtain meat from larger prey more efficiently.
His gaze fell on the spear.
A sharp and sturdy spear, capable of both offense and defense, is one of the most reliable weapons when facing large, ferocious beasts.
Making the spearhead presents an even greater challenge for Lin Feng at present.
The spearhead needs to have good piercing power, and its requirements for hardness and toughness are higher than those for ordinary knives and axes.
This means that he needs to try to smelt steel, which has better properties than wrought iron.
Lin Feng selected a piece of high-quality wrought iron that had been repeatedly forged and had few impurities, and forged it into a rough spearhead shape.
Then, he made a sealed sagger out of clay, tightly wrapped the spearhead blank with crushed charcoal powder, put it into the sagger, and then put the sagger into his iron-smelting furnace, where he heated it at a high temperature for a long time with charcoal.
He calls this process "carbon feeding".
Several hours later, Lin Feng carefully took out the casket and opened it after it cooled down.
The surface of the spearhead blank had a deeper color than wrought iron. He reheated it to a cherry red color and then forged it.
He repeatedly forged and folded the spearhead, striving to make the material more uniform and dense.
After the spearhead is formed, the crucial heat treatment process begins—quenching and tempering.
Based on his previous experience in making the Dragon Slayer Sword, he carefully inserted the red-hot spearhead into the water.
"laugh!"
White steam rose, and the spearhead cooled instantly.
He took out the spearhead, tested the hardness of the blade with a hard stone, and nodded in satisfaction.
He then tempered the spearhead appropriately to eliminate the brittleness caused by quenching and increase its toughness.
Finally, a steel spearhead, about 25 centimeters long and 5 centimeters at its widest point, with a thick spine and a thin blade, gleaming with a cold, eerie light, was born in his hands.
Its sharpness and durability far surpassed any of his previous tools.
Next came the spear shaft. He selected a straight, sturdy piece of hard ironwood, carefully sculpted and polished it to a suitable thickness and a good feel.
He heated the tip of the spearhead until it was red-hot, then carefully inserted it into the groove in the shaft, using the high temperature to slightly char the wood, thus making it bond more tightly to the spearhead.
After it cooled, he used tough animal sinew, dipped it in the fish glue he had boiled, and repeatedly wrapped and reinforced the connection between the spearhead and the shaft.
Several days later, when the animal sinew and fish glue were completely dry, a spear about two and a half meters long, with a proper center of gravity and a chilling gleam, was successfully completed.
Holding a spear, Lin Feng practiced a few simple thrusting, parrying, and sweeping movements in the open space, feeling a surge of heroic spirit welling up within him.
While the boast of "I have the world in my hand" might be an exaggeration, it certainly gives one a lot more confidence when facing unknown dangers.
Wangcai also sensed the killing intent emanating from the new weapon, and excitedly circled around Lin Feng, letting out a low roar.
The peaceful days didn't last long. This seemingly vibrant forest harbored a true terror.
One afternoon, Lin Feng was processing a freshly caught prey by the stream when he suddenly heard a piercing scream from deep within the forest, along with a terrifying roar of a wild beast he had never heard before.
The roar was deep and oppressive, making your heart clench.
Lin Feng's expression changed. He could tell that the screams came from more than one person, and there were also some familiar voices among them.
"Could it be...them?" The images of those women flashed through Lin Feng's mind.
Wangcai had already pricked up its ears alertly, its fur bristling slightly, and let out a threatening growl towards the depths of the forest.
Lin Feng didn't have time to think. He quickly picked up the steel spear he had just made and said to Wangcai in a deep voice, "Wangcai, let's go!"
He moved quickly and cautiously through the woods, following the direction from which the sound came.
The phantom darted past and landed on his shoulder.
The closer he got, the clearer the woman's cries and the beast's roars became. A strong, pungent stench filled the air, along with a faint, almost imperceptible scent of human blood.
As they passed through a dense thicket of bushes, the sight before them caused Lin Feng's pupils to shrink sharply.
Not far away, under a huge ancient tree, six ragged and disheveled women were scrambling in terror on the trunk and thicker branches, their cries and screams filled with despair.
They were the six women Lin Feng had met by the river earlier.
The Lolita internet celebrity "Tang Bao" cried so hard that her exquisite makeup was ruined, and her layered Lolita dress was torn to shreds.
The evening gown worn by popular actress Su Wanqing now looked more like a tattered rag, barely covering her body.
Her face was deathly pale, and she clung tightly to a tree branch, her body trembling like a leaf in the autumn wind.
Qin Lan was relatively calmer, but her tightly clenched lips and trembling hands betrayed her inner fear. She was trying to push the "pure and innocent anchorwoman" Ruan Mengtian, who was almost dazed with fright, to a higher position.
Shen Jiaqi, a top student in the art department, and Qian Xiaoxiao, a rich girl, huddled together, hugging each other and crying bitterly, their former charm long gone.
Their situation was even more tragic than Lin Feng had imagined.
Clearly, since entering this world, their lives have been extremely difficult. Food is scarce, and dangers lurk everywhere. They have long lost their former elegance and dignity, and now they are more like lambs in distress, struggling in despair.
Beneath that ancient tree, a massive, terrifying beast paced back and forth restlessly, occasionally letting out deafening roars and banging its ferocious head against the tree trunk, trying to shake the people up in the tree.
It was a terrifying creature that Lin Feng had never seen before.
It was even more robust than the largest Siberian tiger, with its shoulder height almost reaching Lin Feng's chest.
Its fur was covered in a patchwork of ochre and dark red, and its muscles were bulging, exuding explosive power.
What is most terrifying is its enormous head, and the two fangs, each over thirty centimeters long and dagger-like in shape, protruding from its upper jaw, gleaming with a chilling white light, like two deadly blades:
This is clearly a saber-toothed tiger enlarged several times over, with its ferocity increased exponentially!
Its claws are also exceptionally large and sharp; each time it digs the ground, it can easily stir up large amounts of soil and grass roots.
At this moment, one of its front paws was slightly injured, and it was limping a little, but its ferocity had only increased. Scattered under the tree were some torn pieces of cloth and several pools of glaring blood, indicating that someone had been injured before they climbed the tree.
"roar!"
The saber-toothed tiger suddenly stood upright, slamming one of its giant claws into the tree trunk, leaving several deep claw marks and sending splinters of wood flying.
The women in the tree let out an even more piercing scream.
At this critical moment, Lin Feng made a move.
Instead of rushing out rashly, he took a deep breath, lowered his body, and, using the bushes for cover, slowly circled around to the side and rear of the saber-toothed tiger.
Wangcai, understanding the situation perfectly, quietly flanked it from another direction, diverting its attention.
Phantom sat on Lin Feng's shoulder, its fur standing on end and its eyes fierce.
The saber-toothed tiger's attention was completely drawn to its "prey" in the tree, and it was unaware of the approaching danger.
When Lin Feng had sneaked to a position about fifteen meters away from the saber-toothed tiger, he stopped.
This distance was the one from which he was most confident in throwing his spear.
He slowly raised the steel spear in his hand, the tip pointing directly at the saber-toothed tiger's side neck—one of the large feline's most vulnerable spots.
His gaze became incredibly focused, and all his strength was concentrated in his arms and waist.
"Now!"
Lin Feng let out a low shout, his arm suddenly exerted force, his waist and abdomen twisted instantly, and the steel spear turned into a black light, shooting towards the saber-toothed tiger like lightning with a sound of tearing through the air!
"Pfft!"
The sharp steel spearhead hit the target precisely!
The saber-toothed tiger let out a deafening howl of pain, its massive body jerked violently, and blood gushed from its neck like a fountain.
It thrashed about, trying to shake off the spear stuck in its neck, but the spearhead was already deeply embedded in its flesh, possibly even damaging its cervical spine.
The women in the tree were stunned by what they saw, and they even forgot to cry out.
Just as the saber-toothed tiger was in pain and enraged, and tried to turn around to attack Lin Feng, Wangcai pounced from the other side and bit the saber-toothed tiger's injured hind leg hard!
"Aww!"
The saber-toothed tiger let out another scream, its attention drawn to Wangcai.
It violently swung its hind legs, trying to shake Wangcai off, but Wangcai held on tightly, its sharp canines deeply embedded in the saber-toothed tiger's muscles.
This brief stalemate bought Lin Feng valuable time.
Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Feng drew the Dragon-Slaying Saber from his waist and pounced again like a cheetah, taking advantage of the saber-toothed tiger's unsteady center of gravity and injured movements.
He circled around to the other side, aimed his dragon-slaying knife at the saber-toothed tiger's relatively soft belly, and stabbed it in with all his might, then slashed it with force!
"Sizzle!"
A long gash was cut open, and more blood and pieces of internal organs gushed out.
"Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo!"
Having suffered such a severe blow, the saber-toothed tiger let out its final, mournful cry.
Its massive body convulsed violently a few times before crashing to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Its two iconic saber teeth lay helplessly in the soil, and its once fierce eyes quickly dimmed.
In the forest, only the women's terrified voices and Wangcai's excited barking could be heard for a moment.
Lin Feng leaned on the Dragon-Slaying Saber, his chest heaving violently, his forehead covered in sweat.
Although the fight was brief, it was extremely dangerous and exhausted almost all of his strength.
The six women in the tree stared in disbelief at the enormous carcass of the beast below, then at Lin Feng, who was covered in blood and looked like a god of death, and the equally fierce dog. For a moment, they were speechless.
Before the fear had completely subsided, a surge of immense shock and elation at surviving the ordeal washed over them.
"We're...we're saved?" Tang Bao was the first to react, her voice trembling with tears in her eyes as she asked.
Su Wanqing covered her mouth tightly, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face.
Qin Lan loosened her clenched teeth, her body went limp, and she almost slipped off the tree branch, but fortunately Shen Jiaqi caught her. Ruan Mengtian and Qian Xiaoxiao were sobbing uncontrollably.
After a moment of silence, they burst forth with a strong will to survive and gratitude.
"Thank you! Thank you for saving us!"
Su Wanqing cried out, her voice choked with sobs. Her eyes were filled with complex emotions as she looked at Lin Feng, including gratitude, awe, and a strange sense of dependence.
"Waaaah... Great hero! Please, take us with you! We'll do anything!"
Tang Bao didn't care about her image anymore. Wiping away her tears and snot, she tried desperately to express her gratitude and dependence.
The other women also spoke up, their words sincere and filled with gratitude for Lin Feng and hope for the future. They were terrified by the ferocious beast, and at this moment, Lin Feng was undoubtedly their only savior.
Lin Feng glanced coldly at the women in the tree, who were barely clothed and crying. Their current disheveled state was a stark contrast to their previous glamorous appearance.
He sheathed his dragon-slaying sword, walked to the huge saber-toothed tiger corpse, and kicked it to confirm that it was dead.
Then, he turned around, facing the expectant and pleading gazes in the tree, and said in a flat and cold tone:
"I didn't want to save you, I just wanted to eat it."
Lin Feng's cold, emotionless words were like a sharp blade tempered with ice, piercing the hearts of the six women in the tree who had just begun to feel a glimmer of warmth.
Their cries, their gratitude, their pleas were frozen in time, hanging awkwardly in the air, before shattering into pieces of even deeper despair and disbelief.
His statement, "I just wanted to eat it," was understated yet carried immense weight.
This is not only ignoring their pleas for help, but also a complete denial of their value as "human beings".
In Lin Feng's eyes, they were no different from the saber-toothed tiger he had just slaughtered; they were all just part of this cruel wilderness, while he was the ruthless predator standing at the top of the food chain.
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