Chapter 80: Four Days in the Wilderness (Part Four)
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An Bu and Jian Ningxuan sat on a mountain peak with a good view, able to see the rock wall where the two teams were competing. They sat on the ground, drinking water and eating chocolate, watching the competition.
They used a mixed format of individual and team speed climbing. Each side selected three members to simultaneously climb a 25-meter high rock wall. The winner would be determined based on the fastest individual and the team’s average time.
There was no suspense in the result of this competition. The gap between pure amateurs and semi-professionals was evident. Unless the foreigners intentionally held back or the Z country team members ate spinach, hopefully, those foreigners were just playing for fun, not intentionally humiliating them.
Observing the six gecko-like figures on the rock wall, An Bu silently analyzed each person’s posture, movements, rhythm, and climbing route. As time passed, the two sides gradually pulled apart. The speed of the three foreign team members was well-balanced, surpassing the Z country team by four or five meters. It seemed more like they were competing among themselves than against the Z country team. The three foreigners reached the summit one after another, while the Z country team had just climbed two-thirds of the way.
Zhao Kaihe, responsible for the safety of the team members, did not participate in the competition and was not overly concerned about winning or losing.
When the three Z country members successfully reached the summit, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief and planned to go over to encourage them. However, before he could approach, he saw the three arguing with a foreigner.
“What happened?” Zhao Kaihe walked over, asking sternly.
Taichu pointed angrily at the curly-haired foreigner, saying, “He called us Z country people weaklings.”
Zhao Kaihe coldly glared at the foreigner, “Is it fun to bully beginners? Why don’t you go flaunt your skills in the professional circle?”
The curly-haired foreigner chuckled, “I just like to bully you Z country people, what’s wrong with that?”
“Owen, what are you doing?” Joey scolded, “Get out, do half an hour of strength training.”
Owen snorted disdainfully, glancing at Qin Chu and the others, muttering as he walked away. After the foreigners left, Zhao Kaihe gathered everyone, “You all saw the competition just now. The climbing skills of those foreigners have many aspects worth learning. Although we lost, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. After all, your experience is not on the same level as theirs. If you are really interested in this sport, practice diligently; you might not be worse than them in the future.”
This eased the minds of the group.
“Unlucky, we still have to collect ingredients for them later.” A young man with dyed hair complained softly, “Knowing we can’t win, yet insisting on competing, in the end, we all share the embarrassment.”
“Zhang Yinjie, what did you say?” Chihuahua glared at him.
“Did I say something wrong?” Zhang Yinjie raised his neck, “You guys are just overestimating yourselves. You don’t even have someone to show off, and you’ve lost both substance and face, dragging others down with you.”
“When those people mocked us, didn’t you curse at them loudly? You didn’t oppose back then, and now you’re saying all this. Isn’t it interesting?” Chihuahua couldn’t stand his attempt to distance himself.
“I bet on you guys, but you were the ones competing. Why should everyone suffer for your decision?”
Chihuahua, Taichu, and Zhong Rui were infuriated by Zhang Yinjie’s behavior.
“Fine, we’ll handle the task of collecting ingredients for those foreigners ourselves,” Taichu sneered.
Zhong Rui and Chihuahua also expressed their agreement. Instead of being angered by foreigners, they found themselves turned against by their own people, which felt frustrating. Regardless, they just wanted to uphold the honor of their country.
There were a total of eight people present, with only Zhang Yinjie and a girl named Cheng Dan standing on the side opposite to Taichu. However, Taichu was firm and didn’t allow others to intervene, assigning the task of collecting ingredients for the foreigners to the three of them.
Although Crow South Mountain had abundant vegetation and rich resources, gathering a sufficient quantity of ingredients wasn’t an easy task. They also needed to consider potential dangers. With just the three of them, it was difficult to collect enough before the sun set.
Zhao Kaihe checked the time and said, “Today’s rock climbing activity ends early. Everyone form teams and, with your return route as the center, collect the ingredients you need within a radius of one kilometer.”
“It’s boring. We haven’t played enough, and we have to go back.” Zhang Yinjie, accompanied by his girlfriend Cheng Dan, packed up their equipment and left.
“Where did this guy come from?” Chihuahua couldn’t help but ask.
Zhao Kaihe waved his hand to interrupt, “Enough, don’t bother with him. Taichu, you’re with me, Chihuahua and Zhong Rui, An Bu and Jian Ningxuan are a team. Choose your own routes and collect the ingredients separately.”
This time, there were only eight people on the trip, with two staying at the camp.
“Brother Zhao, as I just said, the foreigners’ ingredients are our responsibility. No need for others to get involved,” Taichu insisted on his decision.
Zhao Kaihe glared at him, “If you don’t complete the task, how do you think those foreigners will view us? Understand the principle of mutual gain and loss?”
Taichu immediately fell silent.
After the teams were formed, Zhao Kaihe gave a few more instructions before they dispersed. He chose the direction Zhang Yinjie had just left, mainly concerned that he might act on his own.
An Bu and Jian Ningxuan chose the route along the river, each holding a spear made the previous night.
“Mr. Jian, wait for me,” An Bu took out a small, compact fishing net from her backpack, sank it by the river, scattered some bait, and said, “Come back later to pick it up; we should be able to catch many small fish and shrimp.”
Jian Ningxuan’s eyes sparkled; he loved eating fish.
“I know Mr. Jian loves fish.” An Bu saw his bright expression and knew what he was thinking. “I’ll make you a feast of wild fish tonight.”
Jian Ningxuan’s eyes curved, shining brightly.
“Mr. Jian, I think if I sink you into the river, we might catch a 200-kilogram Dabry’s sturgeon. You’re just too delicious~~” An Bu nibbled on his face, holding it in her hands.
Jian Ningxuan: …
He had already caught a 50-kilogram pooper scooper, what’s 200 kilograms of Dabry’s sturgeon? One could last a lifetime, and the other wouldn’t be enough for two weeks. There was no comparison at all.
An Bu, with Jian Ningxuan in tow, roamed through the woods like on a picnic, digging for wild vegetables, picking wildflowers, catching insects. Anything edible was collected one by one. Along the way, An Bu also set up two or three simple traps. Whether they could catch any prey or not, she didn’t care; it all depended on luck.
Jian Ningxuan followed quietly, enjoying the tranquility of the forest, forgetting the hustle and bustle of the city. Surprises were everywhere, and of course, there were also scares.
At first, Jian Ningxuan didn’t pay attention, but seeing An Bu’s skillful techniques gradually raised some suspicions. How long would an ordinary person take to master these survival skills in the wilderness? Her familiarity with the mountains, like an experienced old hunter, could quickly identify poisonous mushrooms, understand the characteristics of various plants, and examine animal droppings. She could accept any seemingly disgusting food without any hindrance.
Could this level of proficiency be achieved in just two or three amateur camping activities?
An Bu traversed the forest effortlessly, enjoying herself completely unaware that her survival skills had cast doubt in Jian Ningxuan’s mind.
Years ago, in order to save a group of abducted women and children, An Bu followed human traffickers into the mountains. Most of the people were rescued, but she herself was pushed off a cliff by the traffickers, resulting in shattered bones throughout her body. It took nearly a thousand points of life energy to recover, after which she survived in the mountains alone for two months, turning herself into a primitive man.
After that, she learned many survival skills from a few hunters, risking an increase in death energy. She also participated in several wilderness exploration activities, raising her survival skill points to the maximum.
In short, unless it was a desert area that could dry her into a mummy, she could adapt to most terrains and environments. Moreover, the natural advantage of being a corpse, compared to a living person, was not fearing death no matter how much she was tortured.
Two hours later, An Bu returned with Jian Ningxuan to the river where the net was sunk. As she pulled up the fishing net, they caught thirty to forty lively small fish and shrimp, as well as two large crabs.
“Today’s harvest is not bad.” An Bu carried the fishing net, smiling at Jian Ningxuan. “It’s getting late; let’s go back.”
“Yeah.”
The two walked briskly towards the camp, the afterglow of the setting sun casting a faint silhouette on them.
As An Bu and Jian Ningxuan returned, most of the other camp members had already returned to the base.
Zhao Kaihe, Zhong Rui, Taichu, and Chihuahua had a somewhat satisfactory harvest, gathering enough for five people with a majority being wild vegetables and berries, along with four fish weighing two to three pounds.
While it might look like a lot for five people, the eleven foreign team members would find it barely enough to pick their teeth. The initially agreed-upon wager was the entire team’s ingredients. If it fell short this time, they might have to make up for it tomorrow.
Zhao Kaihe frowned, “There are still four people not back. I’ll go nearby to find them. Don’t conflict with those foreigners; tell them we will hand over the ingredients at seven.”
Zhong Rui checked the time; it was already six o’clock. He wondered how the other four people had fared. Zhang Yinjie and Cheng Dan were not even in consideration, so their hopes rested on An Bu and Jian Ningxuan.
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