CHAPTER 31: CHAPTER 31: HUNTER AND PREY

The next day, the fourth day since Chen Wen landed on the island.

After getting up in the morning, Chen Wen first checked his wounds.

There were no signs of inflammation, and the recovery was extremely fast.

However, the rapid recovery also had its downsides.

Itchy!

Chen Wen’s wounds had been itching since last night.

In the morning, this symptom became more severe.

What should he do to divert his attention?

Chen Wen resisted the urge to scratch the wound on his foot and began to wander around the camp.

What was most needed now was fresh water.

Next was a weapon.

Chen Wen thought about it and decided to make a weapon.

But the flint he found last time had been used up.

To make new weapons, he needed to find stones again.

Chen Wen took his backpack, preparing to try his luck at the seaside once more.

An hour later.

Chen Wen returned.

"There were some findings, but not much. This time, the stones are only enough to make two weapons."

Placing the two pieces of flint around the camp, Chen Wen picked up his axe to find suitable wood.

He kept himself busy like this for the entire morning.

By noon, Chen Wen had crafted a flint long spear and a flint knife.

The reason it wasn’t two long spears was because Chen Wen made a mistake while crafting the second long spear.

At that time, his right hand itched, causing him to accidentally break the almost-formed spearhead.

Having no other choice, Chen Wen had to convert it into a knife.

...

After eating lunch.

Chen Wen lay down on the ground and took a nap.

When he woke up, the itching sensation had completely disappeared.

Except for the wound on his right hand, all other wounds had healed.

The wound on his foot was also mostly healed.

The recovering Chen Wen felt a reckless urge.

He wanted to fetch fresh water.

Sitting by the fire, Chen Wen kept pondering whether it was worth it.

"I have a container for collecting fresh water here, and a body capable of gathering fresh water, so why can’t I fetch water?"

"Because of that thing! What if it’s a large animal that’s hard to defeat?"

"Hard to defeat? I even took down a bull shark in the water!"

"Seriously, dude? Do you really think that was all your strength? You had the geographical advantage! If the tides hadn’t receded, could you have won? Plus, that bull shark was likely still young, and you’re boasting about this?"

Chen Wen patted his head.

As time went by, like waves eroding rocks, loneliness was slowly eroding him.

Chen Wen tried to fight off this erosion by constantly talking to himself.

But now it seemed the effect was mediocre.

"I have my entries and weapons now, so fetching water shouldn’t be daunting!"

Chen Wen said seriously, "If I encounter it in an open area, I’m sure I can take it down!"

"But what if it’s not an open area, but the rainforest?"

Just thinking about the rainforest environment made Chen Wen’s heart falter.

Not only was that environment not suitable for using a long spear, but his movements would also be greatly affected.

Moreover, that thing had always lived in the rainforest, it would definitely have a greater terrain advantage!

What to do?

Should he continue waiting, trying to gain new entries before taking action?

Or should he take the risk to obtain fresh water?

After thinking for five minutes, Chen Wen slapped his thigh and said, "Let’s do it!"

"If I keep dragging this on, I’m the one without the advantage!"

In these five minutes, Chen Wen realized one thing.

He is human, his strength lies in his mind.

That thing is a beast, its strength lies in physical power.

If he kept delaying, Chen Wen was very worried about his mental state.

Today’s incident served as a wake-up call for him.

His mind had become a bit chaotic due to lack of rest and loneliness.

If he lost his ability to think because of loneliness, or became sluggish,

he would definitely suffer!

While his mind was clear, going directly to fetch water or even eliminating this threat was the right thing to do!

Most importantly, fresh water was crucial!

Coconut juice, although drinkable as water, could not replace fresh water!

Drinking too much would upset the stomach.

If he drank so much coconut juice that he hurt his stomach, that would be a real problem!

After making up his mind, Chen Wen started to take action.

This time, he decided not to bring his backpack.

The round trip would take about three hours.

There was no need to bring food or drink, considering the complex rainforest terrain and potential dangers.

Carrying a backpack would hinder Chen Wen’s movements, so the backpack was of no use.

As for weapons, Chen Wen decided not to bring too many.

He only took a short spear and a Swiss Army knife.

In the terrain of the rainforest, a long spear is of limited use.

A flint knife is not as convenient to use as a Swiss Army knife.

An axe’s damage is also limited.

Therefore, Chen Wen decided not to bring these three.

As for all those plastic bottles.

Chen Wen decided to stick to the old plan, packing them in a suitcase, filling them with water later.

This way, he could drag the suitcase along, and if he encountered danger, he could abandon it to focus on dealing with the threat.

After preserving the fire source and being ready,

Chen Wen began his journey to collect water.

...

"Found fresh water!"

On the men’s side.

Yan Bian and Zhang Hu brought back exciting news.

Yan Bian took out the map prepared by the production team, pointing to it and said, "We bypassed the rainforest and came to the southeast of it."

"There’s a large red mangrove swamp over there. Hu and I didn’t dare to go deep but followed the edge of the swamp northward, eventually finding a stream in the buffer zone between the swamp and rainforest. It’s fresh and very clean!"

Upon hearing Yan Bian’s words, everyone in the camp was overjoyed.

Freshwater was a major factor limiting their survival.

With this problem solved, their survival pace could quicken.

"The freshwater we brought back isn’t much, just enough for one drink."

Zhang Hu said, taking out the collected freshwater.

Wang Zhi nodded: "Indeed, but you didn’t bring many containers. In a bit, let Yan Bian go again with more people and containers to fetch more. Thank you for the trouble."

"No problem, though this place is far, the road is quite good, making another trip is fine."

The men’s group had not yet weakened from nutritional issues and were all quite energetic.

Moments later.

Bai Yachuan, Lv Guocheng, and others returned.

They brought back a large amount of seafood, enough to feast the group twice over.

Upon hearing about the fresh water, Bai Yachuan immediately said, "I can go. The seafood we found this time tastes better when cooked, what a coincidence."

Others who felt they were fit enough eagerly volunteered to join.

After all, it’s fresh water!

The fresh water they brought to the island was long gone.

They hadn’t had water for more than two days, surviving solely on coconut juice.

Thus, upon hearing the news of fresh water, everyone was as excited as if they had been energized.

In this enthusiastic atmosphere, Yan Bian quickly selected some people and set out to fetch water.

...

On Chen Wen’s side.

Despite being constantly on edge, he encountered no real danger.

He finally found the spot he had previously marked.

"According to the mark, moving forward leads to the depths of the rainforest, likely that thing’s territory."

Chen Wen rested for a while, regaining his full strength.

"Let’s go!"

Dragging the suitcase and gripping the short spear, Chen Wen remained alert to his surroundings.

...

In the rainforest.

A blackened leopard was crouched under a large tree.

It occasionally sniffed the air, trying to locate prey it could hunt.

But unfortunately, aside from the chicken it caught the night before last.

It smelled nothing.

However, there was an exception.

Yesterday, it encountered those familiar two-legged creatures.

Previously, in the black panther’s eyes, these two-legged creatures were both hateful and terrifying.

But after it attacked a lone two-legged creature and tasted blood,

the black panther now had a new perspective on the two-legged creatures.

They might be quite tasty!

The black panther remembered meeting a lone two-legged creature before, which was Chen Wen.

At that time, a starving black panther attempted to attack Chen Wen.

But it was scared off by an unexpected passing helicopter and Chen Wen’s fury.

But now, the black panther would not be scared away again.

It had realized that humans are edible.

If given the chance, the black panther would directly attack Chen Wen instead of being frightened away by him.

While the black panther was in a daze, a familiar scent drifted over with the wind.

It’s him!

The black panther froze, then stood up.

It was still hungry.

So...

A black shadow darted through the bushes.

The hunter is going to seek its prey!