By the time Lin Yang returned to the camp, it was just after 10 a.m. The actual combat had not taken much time—most of it had been spent traveling.
Little White, having eaten its fill, was directly placed on a rack to rest. Lin Yang snapped off a chopstick-thick fresh pine branch, alternately carving it with his army knife and heating it over a stove, busying himself with the task.
Soon, he had fashioned a simple plucking tool.
This was a bent pine branch tweezer, the front end of which had been shaved flat, and the back end had been bent into a U-shape by the fire, significantly increasing its flexibility. He tested it with his hands, and found that the elasticity and feel were both quite good.
"This is our plucking tool, a flat-headed tweezer. Using this thing won't damage the feathers and cause fuzz. Next, I plan to stuff the down I collected into the lining of my sleeping bag."
As he spoke, Lin Yang showed everyone the sleeping bag he had been using to sleep in lately.
