CHAPTER 40: CHAPTER 40: COLLECTING WATER

The setting sun was like fire, the waves were vast and magnificent.

The surging waves reflected the red light, as if the ocean was burning.

"Ah~ huff!"

Chen Wen held a plastic thermos cup, filled with bright red goji berries.

Leaning against a tree, he gazed at the grand scene in the distance.

From time to time, he sipped the hot tea.

Enjoyment!

Chen Wen squinted like a seasoned official, taking another sip of the hot tea.

The whole afternoon.

Except for gathering some firewood, Chen Wen had been sitting under the tree slowly drinking tea.

The hot tea greatly eased the effects of the cold.

With the goji berry water, Chen Wen even felt his wounds were improving.

"Comfortable!"

He shifted his body, freeing the slightly numb right shoulder.

Chen Wen continued drinking tea.

"Four edges~ estimate~ Qing Wen~ Chapter~"

Humming an unknown melody, Chen Wen enjoyed this moment of leisure.

...

"If he’s not in the west, then he should be in the south."

Maritime rescue team.

The person in charge, with reddened eyes, stared at the map.

"There are quite a few uninhabited islands in the south, too many..."

Beside him, the equally exhausted deputy sighed, "This is truly like finding a needle in a haystack!"

"How about..."

The person in charge understood the deputy’s words.

The resources consumed by the search and rescue were indeed too much.

"Tomorrow! Search the islands in the south, let everyone rest today."

The person in charge sighed, "If these four islands still yield nothing....."

"Understood."

...

The fifth night.

The injuries on Chen Wen’s body still looked the same on the surface.

But the constant itch and hunger told Chen Wen the wounds were healing!

Good news!

Chen Wen resisted the urge to scratch the wounds and wrapped them again with bandages made from clothes.

After finishing the last of the exquisite lobster, Chen Wen picked his teeth, planning the actions for tomorrow.

"Go to the rainforest, might as well get some water on the way."

Chen Wen looked at the half-empty water bottle and couldn’t help but speak.

To prevent a cold, Chen Wen drank a lot of water today.

He went to the bathroom seven times.

The effect was evident, Chen Wen’s cold did not worsen into a severe one.

...

Men’s group.

"Let’s assign tasks for tomorrow."

Drinking fish soup, everyone gathered around the fire to allocate tasks.

Yan Bian continued, "Wang Zhi, continue to stay behind, Du Feng process the food, Zhuo gather firewood nearby, watch out for snakes!"

"Understood."

Wang Zhi and the others nodded.

"Mr. Lv, Mr. Bai, please continue taking charge of the food."

Bai Yachuan and Lv Guocheng nodded with a smile.

For others, finding food was a task.

For these two, finding food was entertainment!

"Shan, Lu, you’re responsible for preparing building materials. Lu, Shan is skilled at building houses, just follow his instructions!"

Gan Tieshan nodded, having worked as both a carpenter and a handyman.

He had ample physical strength and experience.

The hot-headed Lu Heng had a bad temper but was physically strong.

He was the best choice for an assistant.

Yan Bian advised Lu Heng not to clash with Gan Tieshan.

Among the remaining people.

Yan Bian looked at Zhang Hu, who was gnawing on a fish, and Lv Guocheng beside him, frowning slightly.

There wasn’t much to say about Zhang Hu.

Though he didn’t know much, he followed orders well and was very capable.

But Ding Decai...

Ever since failing to seize power again, everyone had been ignoring him.

He shamelessly did nothing.

Ate and slept, slept and ate.

"The camp cannot tolerate anyone living here without contributing."

Yan Bian said, staring at Ding Decai, "You and Zhang Hu will come with me tomorrow, the three of us will fetch water, remember to bring weapons."

"No problem with that!"

Zhang Hu immediately agreed.

Ding Decai hesitated for a moment.

But seeing almost everyone looking at him, he finally nodded, "No problem."

"That’s good then."

Yan Bian nodded slightly, "The plan is set, everyone rest early after dinner!"

...

The sixth day.

Chen Wen got up and went to the beach for an inspection.

Even though there’s not much hope for rescue, the necessary distress signals must still be there.

In case any other fishing boats pass by, they might be able to offer rescue.

Speaking of fishing boats.

Chen Wen had considered whether the person who took the Black Panther’s hide might be a fisherman coming ashore.

But as an ocean fisherman himself, Chen Wen knows.

This area, small fishing boats won’t come close.

It’s too far.

Ocean fishing boats typically have freshwater; they wouldn’t waste time coming to the island for water.

Therefore, Chen Wen quickly ruled out the fisherman option.

Chen Wen still feels those people are either private bodyguards for a wealthy person or drug traffickers.

"Let’s go check it out. If they’re good people, seek help. If they’re bad people... then just move to the rainforest for a few days."

Chen Wen believes that even if they’re bad people, they wouldn’t bother searching the rainforest from top to bottom.

Just to find a person who may or may not be there.

After making preparations.

Chen Wen took a small flint knife and headed to the stream.

Before investigating the reality, he needed to get water.

...

"Let’s go, get water."

The men’s group.

After squeezing the long spear in his hand, Yan Bian urged Zhang Hu and Ding Decai to set out.

Ding Decai reluctantly slung the bottle on his back and walked out of the camp unwillingly.

"These young people today don’t know how to respect the elderly anymore."

Ding Decai murmured, making Zhang Hu roll his eyes.

Respect the elderly?

Lv Guocheng, nearly sixty, hadn’t said anything, and had been fishing for the camp all the while.

Here you are, not even fifty, and you’re saying this.

But Zhang Hu didn’t bother with him.

At this moment, Ding Decai was strapping the only ranged weapon—the crossbow arrow—on his back.

"Why are you bringing this?"

Yan Bian asked, puzzled.

"Better safe than sorry. You two have short weapons, I carry a ranged weapon to complement."

Upon hearing this, Yan Bian said no more.

This crossbow is relatively light, with limited lethality.

If you want to bring it, bring it.

Besides weapons, Yan Bian also carried a first-person camera.

It was prepared by the show’s team in advance as filming tool.

After all, once deep in the rainforest, the cameraman can’t follow, and drones have difficulty entering.

So the three of them had only cameras to shoot with.

All set, the trio quickly headed to the stream.

...

Search and rescue team.

"Out of islands a, b, c, and d, which should we search first?"

"Let’s follow the order, start with island a, move from west to east, making a full circle."

Looking at the map, the search and rescue team decided their plan.

"If there’s a find, report promptly."

"Understood."

Just as everyone was preparing to take action.

A team member came running quickly.

"Captain, on island d, our Hua Country people are shooting a reality TV show. We’ve made contact with them."

"Reality TV show?"

The Captain was stunned for a moment, not understanding what kind of show would be shot in such a place.

"Yes, a survival show, they have their own search and rescue team too. They’re asking if we need help."

"We don’t need help, just send them a file over; if they have time to look, fine, if not, it’s okay too, as they have their own matters, we can manage ourselves."

The Captain shook his head, "A survival show... it’s still relatively rare in our country. If it were more popular, survival rates in many accidents might increase significantly."

"Let’s go, let’s rescue our people! Let everyone stay sharp!"

...

Tropical rainforest.

This terrain, almost impossible for humans to traverse, seemed like flat ground under Chen Wen’s feet.

Golden entry, terrifying indeed!

Tall and robust, Chen Wen deftly leaped over a bush, landing on the muddy ground on the other side.

Yet the splashing mud was minimal.

"Feels like I’ve learned the lightweight skill, this entry is truly powerful!"

After sighing with emotion, Chen Wen maintained this pace, soon arriving at the stream side.

Yesterday, Chen Wen didn’t dare to rush at full speed.

Today, under the conditions of going all out.

Chen Wen reached the vicinity of the stream in just over thirty minutes.

Compared to the previous speed, it’s improved by more than half.

However, the stamina consumption is significant.

After slowing down.

Chen Wen already saw the stream.

Fetching water, he stored the filled bottle in a safe place.

Chen Wen crossed the stream, reaching the opposite bank.

"The person who took the panther’s hide should be southward, need to be careful, they very likely have weapons."

Thinking, Chen Wen drew a stick and began exploring southward.