Chapter 285 - Chapter 285: Chapter 282 Improving Meals

Chapter 285: Chapter 282 Improving Meals

Don’t panic.

I’ve written two thousand five hundred words so far and am still typing. It will probably be early morning before I can post, so consider this a measure against piracy for now.

I will change it back around early morning, and you all might see it then.

Lisa gripped her spear, trembling slightly—a testament to her current state of agitation.

The noises drew closer, the squeals more piercing.

Until suddenly, a dark shadow burst forth from the cave!

Now is the moment!

Her arm muscles contracted in waves, power surged along the shaft of the spear, and in the end, she thrust it like a bolt of lightning at the panicked prey—

A sharp squeal echoed.

The sensation of striking leather rebounded, and a smile flashed across Lisa’s face—a huge, fat rat!

But it wasn’t over; there were far more than one inside the cave!

Several smaller shadows darted out from beneath the coat, scattering in all directions. Ava was quick to act, swiftly drawing in the coat and trapping three of them in one go.

“There are more!”

More shadows leapt out, and Ava shouted excitedly, trying to catch them with her bare hands.

Lisa produced the remaining spears and struck one with each thrust. Except for a few that got away, they caught three more.

By the time they turned to catch the others that had fled, they were long gone, with about a dozen having escaped.

“They sure run fast.”

Ava felt a twinge of regret, but her disappointment was soon drowned out by excitement as they counted their catch—eight groundhogs in all!

A groundhog was the size of a small arm and extremely plump, enough for the two of them to eat for four or five days!

The viewers were happy for their catch; Lisa and Ava were the first to catch such a bounty among all participants.

Having caught so many prey, Lisa and Ava couldn’t wait to sit down on the ground, moving the still-burning fire over and adding a large amount of firewood, intending to roast one on the spot!

After simply processing the fur, the plump groundhog was skewered from head to tailbone with a stick and placed over the fire, which soon began oozing golden fat.

The sight was too much for some female viewers, who found it hard to stomach. Subconsciously, they still regarded groundhogs as no different from the common mouse, albeit slightly cuter, but still a mouse.

[Can you really eat groundhogs?]

[Yeah, it looks a bit disgusting. Plus, they’re so cute, how could they be eaten?]

[I eat my three bowls of rice with tears.]

“Of course you can, and not only that, but they’re incredibly tasty,” Bi Fang’s memory drifted back to long ago. “On the Tibetan Plateau, groundhogs are considered a delicacy, especially in the autumn when they are at their plumpest—like little fat bears. Deer and sheep meat can’t compare. The roasted meat is very tender and rich in fat; one bite and it’s all oil in your mouth.”

Wild groundhogs were among the most delectable fare in Bi Fang’s memory; all other meats, even rabbit meat, were tough and seemed delightful only because he had gone too long without food.

Many viewers were enticed by Bi Fang’s description and couldn’t help but swallow hard.

But then, several viewers quickly came to a realization.

Wait, Master Fang’s taste buds aren’t normal; if he thinks it’s tasty, it’s probably not something an average person could stomach.

How did that saying go? Crunchy, tastes like chicken?

“I’m serious, why won’t you believe me?”

Bi Fang was quite speechless, and when had he ever mentioned anything about the taste of chicken? How did a joke from the last world follow him to this one?

Was it brought over by another streamer?

After catching the gopher, Bi Fang glanced over at the other contestants. Ji Zuodong walked along the river and tried to fish in a bend, ending up with quite a bountiful catch.

It was two Arctic aniseed fish, large in size, fast-growing, with firm muscles and a delicious taste.

Mugalen took advantage of the power of his bow and arrow to successfully hunt a jackrabbit, roasting it on the spot and savoring it with the leftover sauce from the canned food—a truly delightful meal.

He seemed to be following a strategy of fighting to feed the fight, not at all sparing in his consumption of food, showing quite the determination.

The remaining contestants had little to no harvest; the most anyone got was a relatively small one. The two who had stayed put found a stream and crafted a small fish trap, into which they placed earthworms and managed to catch a few small fish.

By the afternoon, Marcus’s cold had become much worse, his face incredibly pale and his temperature rising to 39 degrees Celsius. No longer able to feign strength, he had no choice but to press the sos button.

Only then did the audience realize that just halfway into the second day, three people were already eliminated. From the original sixteen contestants, only twelve remained.

“The early stages of survival are always the most difficult, testing a person’s willpower, technical skills, and adaptability. Those who make it through the first five days will find the subsequent one’s increasingly easier. I predict there will be another peak of elimination tomorrow and the day after, and by day five, I estimate only seven to eight will remain.”

Seven to eight?

Many viewers fell silent. It sounds like quite a few are left, half of the contestants, but they hadn’t forgotten that these sixteen were no ordinary people; most of them had military experience, and even the few who didn’t were professionals in related fields, with substantial experience.

And only seven to eight could last five days?

What if they were all ordinary people?

Wouldn’t that mean total annihilation?

By the end of the competition, would they even be able to find three finalists?

Moreover, according to another safety consultant, Black Bears and Brown Bears might wake up early, adding a chilling presence to the quiet forest.

Just watching the live broadcast was thrilling; this is the greatest charm of Wilderness Survival, something that television programs in the former world didn’t have, far surpassing recorded shows in tension and excitement.

Bi Fang, however, wasn’t worried. It was still possible to pick out three contestants. With this thought, he pulled up the mini-map and looked towards Bonuo, who had traveled the farthest.

This guy wasn’t just traversing the wilderness; he was heading in the direction of the cabin.

Bonuo was one of the escapees, but his method of escape differed from the remaining two—he didn’t confront them head-on, but simply vanished from the crowd. Many viewers might have underestimated him, but this wasn’t a sign of incompetence.

At least this unwavering determination to head directly for the cabin wasn’t something everyone had, meaning he had walked a hundred kilometers for nothing.

“He’ll probably get there tomorrow.”

The signal from today had already disappeared, and Bonuo didn’t dare to proceed rashly. After reducing the distance to less than twenty kilometers, he slowed down, planning to launch red smoke again at noon tomorrow, by which time he should arrive.

[The first one to find the cabin?]

[What exactly is inside? I’m really curious. I really want to know (kicking and screaming).]

[Is there food inside? It’s not going to have a submachine gun, right?]

“Submachine gun?” Bi Fang was somewhat embarrassed, “You guys really dare to imagine. If they put a submachine gun in there, we might as well just declare the winner right away.”

[Okay, no submachine gun, one answer ruled out.]

[Is it this kind of submachine gun, picture.jpg]

[I think it’s this, picture.jpg]

[When I have money, I’ll definitely buy a mobile phone that can view pictures.]

“Mr. Bi, come take a look at this.”

A staff member suddenly called out to Bi Fang and then transferred the footage he had captured to him.

It was a drone climbing high, with forests stretching as far as the eye could see, a boundless expanse of blue-gray, and further away, mountain ranges covered in snow and blue rivers. But none of these were the key points.

At the bottom of a hillside valley, a large herd of deer was leisurely grazing on shrubs, easily a hundred of them.

More reindeer!

Not only Bi Fang but also the audience who had seen them once recognized them right away—wasn’t this a large group of reindeer?

Master Fang had hunted reindeer with a short spear last time and then hid under the ice river to avoid being trampled. It was vivid in everyone’s memory, and now they had encountered another group?

“Is anyone nearby?”

“Bonuo, less than three kilometers away.”

The camera immediately switched to Bonuo, who at that moment did not seem to realize there was a large group of reindeer nearby; he was single-mindedly trying to find the cabin.

But it was already four in the afternoon, and it would soon be dark. Several hours had passed since the last smoke release, and the precise direction was somewhat unclear.

“Where is it?”

Bonuo murmured to himself. As the show’s carefully arranged supply site, the stuff inside must be good, perhaps there was food, so he had been rushing along even though he had been hungry for two days.

“Let’s look from higher ground.”

To determine the direction and target, the best choice was to look from higher ground. With a little effort, one could see the situation tens and even tens of kilometers away.

After looking around, Bonuo chose a rock wall.

The subsequent development was just as everyone guessed. He didn’t find the cabin but discovered the large herd of reindeer.

Bonuo’s eyes bulged, completely not expecting his luck to be so good. He didn’t find the cabin, but instead, he found a large group of reindeer.

How long could one reindeer last?

If he could catch one, without considering decay and weight, it would easily last twelve days!

Without hesitation, Bonuo climbed down from the rock face and rapidly ran toward the direction of the reindeer herd.

[Are we going to see reindeer hunting again?]

[So exciting, I wonder how he will catch them?]

[The terrain is different from last time, can he catch them?]

Many viewers excitedly discussed how Bonuo would capture the reindeer but suddenly noticed that a gift rain started again, and it was all familiar top donor IDs.

[Lord Mu gave the host 1 Spaceship—The desire to collect reindeer heads is burning up again]

[Lin Chang gave the host 5 Spaceships—To be honest, I want one too]

[Nanana is me giving the host 1 Spaceship—This time he should be able to catch a few, right? After that guy is done, can we catch another one? I want one too (pity)]

Bi Fang laughed: “Yao Jun, didn’t you get a reindeer head last time? Why do you still want to mix in?”

[I don’t mind having more.]

“Let’s see. After Bonuo is done, if there’s a chance, we can try,” Bi Fang didn’t refuse. On one hand, he was feeling eager; on the other, he wanted to improve his diet.

On hearing this, the audience became even more excited.

Half an hour later, Bonuo lived up to expectations and found the reindeer herd. But he did not act immediately. Instead, he stood on the slope above the reindeer, observing the environment, and after a long while, he stealthily moved down to the slope below the reindeer herd.

This move from top to bottom confused the viewers. What was he doing? They all started asking Master Fang.

Everyone got used to it, whenever they encountered something they couldn’t understand, they would ask Bi Fang, and nine times out of ten, they’d get an answer—even one more comprehensive than what they had in mind.

Those in the know understood that the ability of the person being asked to answer all questions did not mean the two individuals were on the same level, but rather that the one being queried was far more knowledgeable than the person asking.

This was also what deeply shocked Pondy.

“Rope!” Bi Fang put himself in Bonuo’s perspective and thought about what he owned, combining it with the characteristics of reindeer to make a probable judgment.

“He’s going to use rope to hunt reindeer!” Bi Fang pointed at the screen very confidently.

“The area where the reindeer herd is a clearing, but below it is a forest. If it were me, I would wrap the twenty meters of nylon rope all around the trees, then go back above the reindeer herd.

Reindeer are skittish, you just startle them into the forest, and as soon as one enters the area with the nylon rope, their antlers will get entangled. With their limited animal intelligence, once their antlers are caught, they can’t escape!”

“Achoo!”

Marcus just woke up feeling uneasy in his nose, and the next second, his face twisted violently as he sharply contracted his lungs and let out a forceful sneeze, with the gas and droplets rushing out of his nostrils in a frantic burst.

A faint stench wafted through the air, and Marcus’s heart sank after the dizziness passed.

This was bad.

He had caught a cold!

Yet immediately, he harbored a glimmer of hope. It could just be an uncomfortable nose, spring had arrived, perhaps it was pollen… As he went out to hunt for food, still alone, he fell asleep.

As soon as he got up, he sneezed several times in a row, and anyone could tell he had a cold.

[Is it over, will I be eliminated on the second day?]

[The first to be eliminated]

“To treat a cold, you rely on the body’s own immune system, and the main physiological effect of Echinacea is to boost immunity, very directly.

You might see many health products claiming to enhance immunity, like ginseng, wheatgrass, antioxidants, and phytochemicals, but most health products contribute to immunity in a more indirect way.

They first strengthen the physique, and then, naturally, the immunity relatively improves.

The mechanisms by which Echinacea boosts the immune system are more direct: upon consumption, it can immediately stimulate the immune system, allowing the body’s ability to fight pathogens to be boosted in the shortest time possible. It can completely rival specific medications because of this characteristic, and because of this, Echinacea doesn’t get to be recognized by others too easily. Even Lieutenant General Orange and Chen are tired from being auctioned and awarding prizes every day, wanting to go back to writing.

Did you ever care about anything else? No, you only cared about yourself!]

[But is this useful even if it hasn’t bloomed?]

“That’s another characteristic of Echinacea, it works with the flowers and roots, so it’s useful even if it hasn’t bloomed; finding the root is enough.

The most frustrating part is that if you hadn’t found it, it would be one thing, but the thing was right in front of you and you didn’t even recognize it!

How is that any different from leaving a treasure mountain empty-handed?

You were given an opportunity, but you’re not making use of it!

Countless people felt regret at this moment, but it was immediately followed by admiration for Bi Fang; could they have recognized it if they were in his shoes?

If it hasn’t bloomed, even a student of traditional Chinese medicine might not be able to identify it amidst a pile of weeds, right?

[Bi Fang is awesome, he recognizes everything. Not like me, everything looks like weeds. ]

[Add one, I once drove past a field with a friend, and he couldn’t even tell the difference between wheat and rice, let alone medicinal herbs.]

[When will I be as excellent as Master Fang?]

[Don’t talk about practical skills.

What’s the biggest fear in the later stages of Wilderness Survival?]