Chapter 23: Island Survival 4
Chu Yun whipped her head around, pulling hard on the rope as she accelerated her pace through the riverbed.
She practically sprinted up the riverbank. The instant her feet touched solid ground, she pulled the rope with all her might, the line jerking Xu Dongdong and Yu Wenhao forward to accelerate their speed.
Yu Wenhao proved his worth as a former military man, quickly rushing past the rear position to flank Xu Dongdong’s side. At this moment, the two men were still eight meters from the shore. Though they could finally stand on the riverbed, it was still a second too late; the piranhas had already closed in, snapping their terrifyingly massive maws.
Standing on the bank, Chu Yun’s mind spun as she swiftly fished her bow and arrows out of her storage ring, unleashing a barrage to slaughter the piranhas. However, the school of piranhas was simply too massive to eliminate entirely. The situation in the river was dire; unable to cover every angle, she could only play support, leaving the actual retaliation up to the two men.
Yu Wenhao was the first to react. Keeping close to Xu Dongdong, he drew his machete and hacked two encroaching piranhas clean in half. Red blood immediately diffused through the river, stimulating the remaining piranha school into a rabid frenzy. They swarmed the carcasses of the two dead piranhas, and within a single second, the corpses were reduced to a pile of bare bones floating on the surface of the water.
Yu Wenhao and Xu Dongdong pressed forward. From the bank, Chu Yun kept her eyes locked on the scene, drawing her bowstring to its maximum extension to loose a straight arrow whenever a piranha pursued them, hitting the mark every single time.
Ultimately, however, the piranhas won by sheer numbers. For every few that died, a fresh swarm instantly took their place. Before long, they had completely surrounded Yu Wenhao and Xu Dongdong. The situation was anything but optimistic.
“Dongdong, you and Chu Yun clear a path ahead! I’ll handle the rear!” Yu Wenhao remained completely unfazed in the face of danger, maintaining his absolute composure even at a critical juncture between life and death.
“Understood! Be careful, Bro Hao!” Assisted by Chu Yun’s archery, opening a breach in the piranha encirclement was relatively simple for Xu Dongdong. The hardest job fell on Yu Wenhao, who bore full responsibility for securing their rear.
Under Yu Wenhao’s training, Xu Dongdong’s combat skills had improved significantly. Gripping his short knife, his eyes locked with absolute focus onto the piranhas, his agile frame thrusting forward to skewer one encroaching fish after another.
Chu Yun also kept a constant watch on Xu Dongdong’s side, coordinating her movements flawlessly. Whenever a runaway fish attempted to strike him, her arrow would fly out without a moment’s hesitation. Before long, a clear exit was carved out of the encirclement.
“Bro Hao, move!” At the critical split second, Xu Dongdong pulled Yu Wenhao out of the breach. The instant they broke free, the piranhas shifted into a new formation, pursuing them closely.
Yu Wenhao possessed excellent martial prowess. The heavy machete in his hand danced smoothly along with his physical movements as if it were a feather. Moving with immense speed, his blade swept through the air to weave a brilliant silver flower.
He retreated backward; because the piranhas were a mere step away from his heels, he needed to stay vigilant against their attacks at every moment.
Five meters, three meters… drawing closer and closer to the riverbank. The two retreated rapidly while prioritizing their safety, while Chu Yun watched the state of the river from the shore with deep anxiety.
In the final meter, right when they were about to step onto the bank, two death-defying piranhas bypassed the flank to leap out of the water, lunging straight at Xu Dongdong and Yu Wenhao. They had clear objectives: one fish for each person.
Xu Dongdong’s eyes flashed. He raised his short blade and thrust it violently toward the piranha that was about to bite Yu Wenhao’s thigh, but in doing so, he missed his own window and was bitten on the calf by the other airborne fish.
The piranha possessed razor-sharp teeth and an immense bite force. Its teeth pierced straight through the protection of his trousers, clamping hard onto Xu Dongdong’s calf.
Xu Dongdong’s face instantly turned pale with pain. His bitten left leg gave out completely, and just as he was about to collapse, Yu Wenhao caught him with sharp reflexes, rushing him up onto the bank immediately.
The group stopped at a distance far from the riverbank, finally shaking off the attacks of the piranha school. However, the piranha on Xu Dongdong’s calf still refused to let go.
Yu Wenhao’s gaze darkened as he raised his machete to kill the fish on Xu Dongdong’s leg. Yet even with the fish dead, its teeth remained locked onto his flesh.
Yu Wenhao was completely at a loss; the slightest movement made Xu Dongdong grimace in agony. The panic actually caused the usually tight-lipped Yu Wenhao’s face to fill with intense guilt. Xu Dongdong had been injured precisely to save him; had his back not been turned, Xu Dongdong could have blocked the attack and wouldn’t be enduring this pain right now.
“Bro Hao, it’s fine. A real man doesn’t mind a minor scratch like this,” Xu Dongdong comforted him through clenched teeth. The stray hairs on his forehead were drenched in cold sweat, his lips were entirely pale, and he bit deep into his lips to suppress any groans of pain.
“Start a fire first,” Chu Yun concluded after inspecting Xu Dongdong’s calf.
“Dongdong, hand me your knife.”
Chu Yun’s storage ring held the leftover firewood from yesterday. Yu Wenhao moved quickly, and within a short while, a bonfire blazed beneath their feet. By then, Chu Yun had already sliced away the piranha’s body, leaving only the tissue around its jaws.
A piranha’s triangular teeth were exceptionally sharp—news reports had claimed they could pierce through steel, let alone a mortal body. Right now, Xu Dongdong’s situation was highly perilous; blood flowed continuously from his calf.
“Hold on tight,” Chu Yun warned him, then picked up the sharp blade sterilized by the fire to nimbly pry out the teeth embedded deep within his flesh. Her skilled technique was entirely due to her extensive experiences in her past life; she had operated on herself before, let alone a teammate.
With every tooth pried out, Xu Dongdong let out a muffled groan, his body twitching with pain and his back drenched in cold sweat. The muscle on his calf had been shredded, and prying the teeth out felt like ripping open a gaping wound all over again, causing an agonizing torment.
Yu Wenhao gripped Xu Dongdong’s hand tightly with a face full of guilt and tenderness, attempting to offer him comfort.
Chu Yun wasn’t having an easy time either. She needed to focus entirely, yet her mind was involuntarily drawn to the gruesome wound. Xu Dongdong was her companion; she couldn’t remain entirely indifferent to his agony.
She took a deep breath, casting aside all useless thoughts, and pulled out the teeth one by one. The teeth brought away shreds of muscle tissue and bright red blood, splattering onto the ground in a shocking display.
Chu Yun took the medical bandages handed over by Yu Wenhao, but using ten in a row still failed to completely stop the bleeding. Combined with the private bandages she and Xu Dongdong had left, only five remained—a quantity that was woefully inadequate.
Chu Yun stopped using them. She picked out the herbs meant for stopping bleeding and reducing inflammation, crushing them into juice to apply to Xu Dongdong’s wound. The herbs hadn’t undergone chemical processing, and the sheer sting made Xu Dongdong twitch again. Once the medicine was applied, Chu Yun used another medical bandage to wrap his leg.
By the time all the work was handled, Xu Dongdong had already lost consciousness. Yu Wenhao located a flat spot, set up a bed, and placed Xu Dongdong on it in a comfortable position.
With a teammate injured, their forward progress was delayed once again. Yet no one blamed anyone else; in their hearts, they already viewed each other as comrades who had shared a life-and-death bond, and they wouldn’t easily abandon a single companion.
A substantial amount of time remained before nightfall, so she wanted to search for more supplies and scout the path ahead.
Chu Yun retrieved some food, water, and the fishing rod from her storage ring to leave with Yu Wenhao, who needed to stay behind to care for Xu Dongdong.
Yu Wenhao had specifically requested the fishing rod; he felt the river must still contain edible fish. Looking at Yu Wenhao’s gritted teeth, looking as though he wanted to tear the piranhas to pieces, Chu Yun sighed silently.
Before her lay the river formed by the crashing waterfall, and behind her was the gloomy, dense forest. The terrain here was exceptionally steep, making it entirely impossible to climb the mountain from this spot; Chu Yun’s primary goal for this trip was to find a suitable path up the mountain.
Pacing along the river toward the mountain, the traces of birds, beasts, insects, and fish grew more frequent once she crossed the river. From time to time, Chu Yun discovered footprints left by wild animals and heard the chattering cries of birds.
After walking for over an hour, Chu Yun finally located a suitable path up the mountain. The terrain here was slightly gentler, and the brambles were sparse, making it very easy to blaze a trail upward.
Since she had come all this way, Chu Yun didn’t intend to return empty-handed. She checked the time on her watch and walked inside without a moment’s hesitation, holding her spiked mace to clear the path while maintaining a defensive posture.
The vegetation here was abundant, meaning there were far more edible wild vegetables and fruits available; she collected every single one she recognized.
The medicinal herbs needed for Xu Dongdong’s treatment were also insufficient, so she focused her search entirely on soil suited for herb growth. She truly managed to find quite a few. Among them, two varieties were relatively rare. One was Bletilla, which was exceptionally useful for trauma-induced bleeding and cracked skin. The other herb was Sarcandra, which looked a lot like ordinary grass; had she not cast an extra glance, she almost would have missed it. Applying this herb to a wound after grinding it could prevent wound infection. Xu Dongdong’s injury was severe, and these two herbs happened to be highly urgent.
On her way back, she also discovered a small patch of wild celery by the riverbank. Wild celery omitted a much richer aroma than cultivated varieties, and throwing a handful into a stir-fry with meat added incredible flavor. She cut them all at the stalks and stored them inside her storage ring.
As dusk approached, gorgeous evening primrose clouds appeared on the horizon. Chu Yun headed back to camp.
When she returned to the pitched shelter, Yu Wenhao was sitting by the fire, feeding Xu Dongdong hot water.
“Bro Hao, my body is perfectly fine, I can do it myself.” Xu Dongdong wrestled for the bowl in Yu Wenhao’s hands, adding when he saw Chu Yun return, “Sister Chu Yun, look at him! He’s treating me like a total invalid!”
Chu Yun pursed her lips and smiled slightly. For Xu Dongdong to have the energy to say so much meant he was out of danger.
Chu Yun handed several stalks of herbs to Yu Wenhao so he could change Xu Dongdong’s dressings, while she retrieved a small handful of wild celery and a wild pheasant to begin preparing tonight’s dinner. Following his venomous snake bite and the piranha bite, Xu Dongdong had lost a lot of vitality; she might as well use the final wild pheasant to stew a pot of soup.
Yu Wenhao had actually managed to catch two grass carps from the river, replenishing Chu Yun’s meager stock of fish. However, the group had eaten fish continuously for over a dozen days, and looking at fish now almost made them want to vomit, so they wouldn’t touch them unless absolutely forced to.
This time, the chicken soup was specifically simmered for a full two hours. Right at the very end, she threw in a small handful of wild celery, making it smell absolutely heavenly. The wild pheasant was stewed tender and succulent, and the group had a blast devouring their meal, pairing a bite of instant noodles with a piece of chicken.
With Xu Dongdong’s mobility impaired, the group decided to rest here for two days, setting out once his injury improved.
Day 8 on the island.
Chu Yun went out to scout the path again. Yu Wenhao had adamantly demanded to go in her place, but Chu Yun had soundly beaten him in a bet to settle the matter in three moves, leaving him at the camp to care for Xu Dongdong. Xu Dongdong was an injured patient, and leaving him here alone was simply unsettling.
Yu Wenhao stared blankly at his numb, vibrating hands for a long time. He had always known her skills were decent, but he hadn’t expected her to be so explosively formidable. Despite holding the title of number one in his military unit, he hadn’t even managed to touch the hem of her clothes within three moves before crashing heavily to the ground.
Yu Wenhao’s respect for Chu Yun grew deeper and deeper.
Leaving early and returning late, Chu Yun brought back another batch of wild vegetables and a handful of wild fruits, having blazed the trail for another four hours ahead.
The group’s food storage was running low; even the fifty-pound Spanish mackerel was beginning to be portioned out, so they merely ate some wild fruits to line their stomachs for dinner.
Day 9 on the island.
Yu Wenhao decided to carry Xu Dongdong forward. Having stayed in place for a day and a half, the players behind them would begin to catch up no matter how weak they were. Furthermore, Chu Yun had cleared a long stretch of path, which was sufficient for their travel today.
Thus, Chu Yun led the charge, following the markers left during her scouting trips over the past two days. Because Chu Yun had cleared the path in advance, aside from their speed being slightly slower than usual, they encountered no setbacks along the way.
Day 10 on the island.
They had already traveled far beyond Chu Yun’s final marker.
Day 11 on the island.
Xu Dongdong was still carried by Yu Wenhao. His wound had already scabbed over, but his movement remained slightly restricted.
Their medical bandages were entirely depleted. They hadn’t expected this round to combine two instances, making the duration exceptionally long, leaving them underprepared with medical bandages. Chu Yun’s group had arrived on the island three days ahead of schedule, meaning thirteen days remained until clearance, yet their medical supplies consisted of nothing but a few handfuls of herbs. If they suffered an injury now, they could truly do nothing but endure it blindly and wait for death, so the group was exceptionally cautious.
When sleeping at night, they kept the campfire burning constantly, terrified of sneak attacks from wild animals. During the day, they could already spot footprints left by large animals.
Days 12–13 on the island.
They continued climbing up toward the mountain peak. Xu Dongdong could finally walk on his own. They hadn’t discovered a single supply pack along the way, leaving Xu Dongdong slightly disappointed; he worried someone had already beaten them to it.
Chu Yun also began to experience a flicker of anxiety internally. It wasn’t entirely because of the supply packs, but rather that their food storage was nearly hitting rock bottom. Before locating a supply pack, she worried they would starve to death.
Over these two days, they ate nothing but wild vegetables and wild fruits paired with fish meat and instant noodles. Although it could fill their stomachs, the negative impact of starvation would surface very quickly.
They deduced a pattern: staving off hunger required a staple food, followed by meat, while fruits and vegetables only provided half the effect of a staple or even lower.
Therefore, the consumption rate of meat, wild fruits, and vegetables had to be exceptionally massive. No wonder the community convenience store sold nothing but dry rations that fought off hunger; it turned out the game had been dropping tips into the subconscious minds of all players right from the very start.
