Chapter 24: Island Survival 5
Day 14 on the island.
The group woke up hungry. Their food would only last through today—their final day of rations.
Because Xu Dongdong had been injured earlier, they had deliberately avoided the tracks of large beasts along the way. Now that he was fully recovered, they might as well try their luck.
The moment searching for food was mentioned, Xu Dongdong was eager to try. Over the past few days, if it hadn’t been to accommodate him, Chu Yun and Yu Wenhao could have easily secured food given their skills.
Paired with wild vegetable soup, the group finished the last grass carp Yu Wenhao had caught. They extinguished the campfire and got ready to set out.
Chu Yun once again stored the entire assembled wooden tent into her storage ring. The space inside the ring wasn’t particularly large to begin with, and it already held other miscellaneous items. Adding a two-meter-long tent made the space feel rather cramped. However, the wooden tent was only stored there temporarily.
Driven by the pressure of a food crisis, their movements were brisker than usual. Carrying only their personal weapons and backpacks containing nothing but water, they moved with much greater agility.
A few days ago, when Yu Wenhao was carrying Xu Dongdong on his back, they had tried to pick gentle mountain paths. Now, they didn’t have to worry about that at all. Utilizing the escape rope and the vines on the mountain, they were quickly able to scale the steep, rocky crags.
“Shh.”
Chu Yun suddenly stopped in her tracks, signaling for Xu Dongdong and Yu Wenhao to stay quiet. Following her gaze, they spotted a wild goat lingering by the distant grass, grazing leisurely. It was completely oblivious to the fact that it had become their prey.
Chu Yun drew her bow and arrow, aimed at the wild goat, and with a swoosh, the arrow flew out as fast as lightning.
Catching the slight whistle of the wind, the goat panicked and prepared to flee. But Chu Yun’s arrow was simply too fast. Though it missed its main body, it sank deep into the animal’s thigh.
The goat let out a bleat of agonizing pain. Despite being injured, the fright triggered a tenacious will to survive, forcing it to flee even faster. With the arrow still protruding from its leg, it bolted into the distance.
Chu Yun reacted instantly. As she sprinted to close the distance between her and the goat, she fired more arrows. But the goat was a moving target, fast and erratic. Two consecutive arrows missed. Chu Yun didn’t give up; she stayed hot on its trail, weaving through the jungle after the goat, with Yu Wenhao and Xu Dongdong right behind her.
After all, the wild goat had taken a hit from Chu Yun. After she chased it for a dozen minutes, its pace gradually began to slow.
Now was the time!
Seizing the moment, Chu Yun drew her bow with both hands and loosed a fatal arrow. The goat finally collapsed. It let out a few weak bleats before breathing its last.
“Wow, Sister Chu Yun, you’re practically a master archer!” Xu Dongdong started blowing smoke again.
This goat weighed at least seventy to eighty pounds—enough to feed the three of them for six or seven days. With their food supply replenished, Chu Yun’s mood improved drastically. She smiled as she watched Yu Wenhao and Xu Dongdong bury the blood-soaked turf, then contentedly stored the wild goat into her storage ring.
The group didn’t rest on the spot. After hydrating a bit, they continued on their way. They needed to find a suitable shelter before nightfall.
The trees on the island were towering, making it difficult to figure out what lay ahead. They decided to climb a tree to take a look; only by standing high could they see far.
Finding the tallest tree nearby, Yu Wenhao warmed up his limbs and began to scale the trunk. He had received specialized tree-climbing training in the military.
Using both his hands and feet, he quickly bypassed the bare section of the trunk and reached the point where the branches began to fork. With the branches for support, he stepped onto them, using the leverage to continue upward. Once he reached a suitable height, he stopped and turned his body to survey the surroundings.
A few minutes later, Yu Wenhao landed safely, his expression looking rather grim.
“Half the island has been submerged.”
The beach they had stayed on was completely gone, and the path they had taken to get here was mostly underwater.
“So we have no choice but to keep heading up until we clear the game.”
Chu Yun felt there had to be a limit to the rising sea level. Since the game intended for people to clear it, there had to be a baseline. When all the remaining survivors were forced to gather at the highest peak… Chu Yun couldn’t even imagine what they would face then.
Yu Wenhao continued, “Fortunately, there’s a large clearing not far ahead. It’s a pretty good spot to rest.”
They arrived at the clearing Yu Wenhao had mentioned.
Here, Chu Yun’s group discovered a small patch of potato vines. The vines grew low and hidden, and the leaves had been trimmed completely clean. Based on its surface characteristics, you would never guess that potatoes were growing underneath.
This was a deserted island; this was likely a resource point deliberately set up by the system after modifying the plant’s traits.
If Xu Dongdong hadn’t been idly poking around the dirt to mess with the ants, they never would have discovered this hidden stash of supplies.
The large machete came in handy here. Chu Yun used it to loosen the surrounding soil, then followed the vines using Xu Dongdong’s sharp little knife to carefully scrape away the dirt around the potatoes.
Once the soil was loose enough, Chu Yun gave the vine a tug, pulling out a large cluster of potatoes. As the potatoes were lifted into the air, a shower of loose dirt rustled to the ground.
While Xu Dongdong gathered the potatoes one by one, Chu Yun and Yu Wenhao continued searching. Counting them up at the end, there were actually over fifty small potatoes. Calculating at one per meal, with a daily requirement of nine for the three of them, these would last them for four days.
Potatoes could serve as a staple food. Coupled with the wild goat they hunted today, the food reserves in Chu Yun’s storage ring had suddenly skyrocketed.
Dinner was potatoes paired with roast goat. They carved off a small section of the goat leg, rubbed it with salt, pepper, and wild vegetable juice, and carefully brushed on a little oil as it roasted. The potatoes were buried under the hot ashes, baking in the residual heat of the fire.
Once the goat leg was cooked and the potatoes were ready, the group enjoyed a rare, hearty meal.
Meanwhile, in a crude shelter a hundred meters away.
“Bro, do you smell that delicious roasted meat scent?” Skinny Monkey sniffed the faint aroma drifting through the air, unable to stop his mouth from smacking.
“You’re hallucinating from starvation. If you’re hungry, eat some wild vegetables and drink some water. If that doesn’t work, just sleep. You won’t feel hungry once you’re asleep.” The player called “Bro” firmly believed it was an illusion. The two of them had starved for a whole day without a bite to eat; their vision was blurred and their bodies were weak. At a time like this, he didn’t believe anyone had the capability to score meat.
“It’s definitely a hallucination. Sleep, just sleep. It’ll be fine once I’m asleep,” Skinny Monkey curled up and closed his eyes to console himself. Except, even in his dreams, that faint, tantalizing scent of roasted meat was still everywhere.
Day 15 on the island.
Chu Yun’s group was brimming with energy. Sure enough, the power of a staple food and roasted meat was not to be underestimated. They cooked breakfast and lunch in one go, storing the lunch in the storage ring. After finishing breakfast, they prepared to set off.
“Help! Help me!” An hour later, intermittent cries for help came from ahead. The voices were hoarse and feeble.
“Did you guys hear anything?” Chu Yun kept her head down and continued walking forward.
“Did we? I didn’t hear a thing.” Catching her eye signal, Xu Dongdong replied loudly. Acting as if nothing had happened, the group deliberately took a detour around the source of the cries.
The ones calling for help were exactly the two unlucky players who had smelled the roasted meat the night before. They had diligently set out early in the morning to search for food. Who knew their luck would be so rotten? While passing through a certain part of the woods, they were ensnared by unknown vines.
Seeing the three players passing by—who represented light and hope—Skinny Monkey used every ounce of strength he had left to call out to Chu Yun’s group. “Please, fellow players, lend us a hand! As long as you save us, we’ll tell you where there’s a supply pack!”
Hearing “supply pack,” a sharp glint flashed through Chu Yun’s eyes. She exchanged a few glances with the other two, and they turned back to where Skinny Monkey was.
They didn’t dare get too close, only observing from a distance. They saw the two players, one fat and one skinny, tightly bound by vines and suspended in mid-air. Their legs dangled, and the more they struggled, the tighter the vines coiled. Chu Yun had casually heard of this strange plant before, though she didn’t know much about it.
Chu Yun feigned indifference toward the supply pack. “Let’s hear it.”
Seeing that they actually came over, Skinny Monkey nodded excitedly. “As long as you get the two of us out, I’ll take you there.”
Noticing their skepticism, he quickly added, “It’s absolutely true! It’s just that it’s in a place we can’t reach.”
Because his movements while talking were too exaggerated, the vines constricted even tighter. The wooden vines, as thick as a child’s arm, tightened loop by loop as if they had a mind of their own, nearly digging into his flesh. His skin was chafed red, and Skinny Monkey felt like he was suffocating.
Chu Yun nodded at Yu Wenhao and Xu Dongdong. They could be trusted.
“Relax. The more you resist, the tighter it wraps,” Chu Yun shouted to them. Even though she hadn’t seen this specific plant before, based on her brief observation, she could confirm this vine was the type to prey on active targets.
Hearing this, Skinny Monkey and the fat guy gave it a try. Right now, they were like grasshoppers after autumn—they didn’t have much time left to jump around. Unable to save themselves, they could only put their faith in these seemingly capable players.
To their surprise, it was exactly as the girl said. Once they stopped resisting and relaxed their bodies, the vines coiled around them stopped constricting so tightly. Skinny Monkey and the fat guy breathed a sigh of relief. They weren’t going to die immediately, but they still had to wait for these players to get them down.
Ancient Chinese philosophy emphasizes the mutual generation and restriction of the Five Elements: Wood is the beginning; Wood generates Fire, Fire generates Earth, Earth generates Metal, Metal generates Water, Water generates Wood. Conversely, Wood restricts Earth, Earth restricts Water, Water restricts Fire, Fire restricts Metal, and Metal restricts Wood. All things generate and restrict one another—restriction within generation, and generation within restriction, complementing each other.
Chu Yun found a piece of wood, lit a torch, and brought it close to the vines. The vines shrank back as if provoked. Sure enough, Wood feared Fire. However, there were trees everywhere. She wasn’t stupid enough to just set the forest ablaze; not only would they fail to save the two men, but they themselves would perish in the flames.
She had to think of another way.
Hanging in mid-air, Skinny Monkey and the fat guy stopped struggling. They watched Chu Yun’s squad with fascination. The group possessed a strong synergy and was clearly much more sharp-minded than other teams.
Chu Yun instructed, “Find the mother vine, but be careful not to touch the vines themselves.”
Yu Wenhao and Xu Dongdong replied, “Got it, we’ll take one side each.”
Mimicking Chu Yun’s actions, the two lit torches to ward off the ubiquitous man-eating vines.
Skinny Monkey and the fat guy watched helplessly as the three disappeared from their line of sight.
“?” They didn’t just run off, did they? Skinny Monkey and the fat guy exchanged a knowing glance, recognizing the familiar glint of panic in each other’s eyes.
The surroundings were choked with twisting, winding vines. Finding the mother vine amidst this chaotic tangle truly required quite a bit of effort. The three divided the labor, searching patiently within their respective areas.
“Found it! It’s over here,” Xu Dongdong’s voice called out. Hearing this, Chu Yun and Yu Wenhao hurried over to his side.
When Skinny Monkey and the fat guy saw the two players pass by again, they finally set their minds at ease. They hadn’t run away; they were genuinely looking for a way to save them.
It was indeed the mother vine. It had a massive wooden stump, from which densely packed vines branched out one after another. It was over ten times thicker than the offshoot vines it sprouted.
First, getting close to the mother vine was a challenge. The mother vine was tightly wrapped and protected by its child vines, preventing the three from approaching it.
Chu Yun rapidly ran through several methods in her mind, ultimately selecting the most suitable one: first, use a bow and arrow to shoot a burning projectile, and once the mother vine burned to death, they would quickly extinguish the flames.
To achieve this, they needed two things: first, fuel to coat the arrows, and second, enough water to put out the fire. Pine trees were everywhere, and the oozing pine resin was perfect as fuel. As for water to extinguish the flames, they had none—they barely had enough to drink, let alone to put out a fire. Chu Yun planned to use dirt. Sometimes, smothering a fire with soil worked even better than water.
After Chu Yun clearly explained her plan to her two companions…
Xu Dongdong and Yu Wenhao went to gather pine resin, while Chu Yun went to dig up dirt. Fortunately, loose soil was abundant in this area. Utilizing the advantage of her spatial dimension, she touched the red clumps of dirt, and the earth she made contact with instantly transferred into her space. It worked better than a hoe—a feature she had only just discovered today under these urgent circumstances.
The wooden tent was taken out, the collected soil filled up most of the space, and the arrows coated in pine resin were ready.
