"You have successfully survived in the wilderness for four days, successfully caught five fish, including an 81cm long, 10.54kg, silver carp. Through trading, you acquired a pair of juvenile mountain rabbits for captivity. Overall score: 9 points." "You
have received the following rewards: [Resource Card] Level 1 Spring, Solar Flashlight *1"
Seeing today's rewards, Qin Ziwen was stunned.
This was the first time he had seen this type of card.
Could he actually install a spring in his house? His house had five floors! But even with the folding space, creating a spring out of thin air didn't seem unacceptable.
He just didn't know how big the spring was or how much water it could provide each day.
He summoned the card, and a silver-background, black-bordered card appeared in his hand, with a spring pattern in the center.
He needed to select a 3*3m circular area to activate it and create a Level 1 spring within that area.
Qin Ziwen pondered for a moment. Although 3*3m wasn't very large, there weren't many places in his house that could be used to create such an area at once.
First, there's the living room; then the master bedroom and the second bedroom; and finally, the area newly expanded by the expansion card.
The living room is definitely out; the master bedroom and the second bedroom already have beds and wardrobes, and people need to sleep there, so the only option is the area newly expanded by the expansion card.
Qin Ziwen was glad he had built the beast cage on the left-hand side of the entrance.
Considering that other domesticated animals might be kept in the cage later, to prevent pollution of the spring, it's best to keep a certain distance.
So he went to the upper right corner, diagonally opposite the beast cage.
The beast cage was in the lower left corner after entering. Qin Ziwen walked to the upper right corner and silently recited "use."
The card in his hand transformed into a beam of light and merged into the ground.
When the light dissipated, a rock protruding from the ground, three meters in diameter, came into view.
The rock's edges were irregular, nearly a meter high, but the inner walls were relatively smooth, like a natural stone bowl carved from rock.
But...
where's my water?
Qin Ziwen summoned a flashlight; the flashlight was a bit heavy, with a solar panel on the handle.
He pressed the switch, and a beam of light instantly illuminated the room.
The flashlight even had a small display showing the battery percentage, which was quite thoughtful.
There were four settings; setting one was similar to a small flashlight, while setting four was very powerful, boasting a beam of 10,000 lumens, providing both a large illumination area and high brightness.
Climbing up to the bottom of the spring, he braced himself against the ground and peered closely.
Finally, he saw the gradually deepening mass of stone at the bottom of the basin.
Over time, a very shallow layer of water had accumulated at the bottom, which he easily rubbed clean with his fingers.
The water was seeping from the cracks in the stone.
"..."
I knew this was a level one spring, so I didn't have high hopes.
But this was too small.
How much water could it possibly contain in a day?
Qin Ziwen shook his head. "Never mind, I'll check tomorrow morning."
The next day, early in the morning, Qin Ziwen went to the spring. At the bottom of the stone spring, a small puddle of water had accumulated.
The puddle was very shallow, about half a finger's depth.
Qin Ziwen estimated that there were about seven or eight liters of water.
That should amount to twenty or thirty liters a day.
He gently scooped up a handful and tasted it.
The spring water was sweet and clear; if he used it sparingly, the water supply at home should be sufficient.
He wouldn't have to laboriously carry water from the river every time, saving a lot of energy. Carrying it from the river back to the apartment complex and up to the fifth floor was still tiring.
If the apartment complex were located in a desert or Gobi environment, the value of this spring would increase several times over.
Last night, Qin Ziwen told Lao Deng about hunting crocodiles.
So Lao Deng knocked on the door early.
Looking at Lao Deng fully equipped, Qin Ziwen couldn't help but joke, "Wow, what a look on you."
Lao Deng was wearing a motorcycle helmet, a thick down jacket, and especially on his legs, several magazines were taped to his thighs, and he was holding a sharpened wooden stick.
Clearly, the events of the day before yesterday had left a deep impression on him.
"You guys are going out like this?" Old Deng noticed that Qin Ziwen and Qin Ziwu were only wearing long sleeves and long coats, without any other special protective measures.
"Wearing too much might restrict our movement,"
Qin Ziwu said. "We just need to avoid being touched by the crocodiles. There are even more people this time than last time, so being careful shouldn't be a problem."
Old Deng was a little confused, but respectful.
He felt that wearing thicker clothes would be safer, and he followed the two brothers to the meeting point with a smile.
On the way, Old Deng even showed off to the two of them, "My wife tied this on my leg for me; it's from my daughter's elementary school textbook."
Qin Ziwen gave a thumbs up, "Cool."
When they arrived at the gate of the residential area, it was crowded with people, divided into at least seven or eight lines.
"This way!" Zheng Yuan waved to him.
As they approached, Zheng Yuan introduced the man next to him to Qin Ziwen, "Zou Sheng, my downstairs neighbor, a professional fitness enthusiast."
Zou Sheng wasn't very tall, about 1.75 meters, and looked quite muscular, with a buzz cut and a smile that revealed eight teeth.
Zou Sheng extended his hand, "I've heard Zheng Yuan talking about you all the way here. He's been mentioning you since we came downstairs, saying that your spear was crucial when we were killing the crocodile the other day. Please take good care of me later."
Qin Ziwen shook hands. "I wouldn't dare offer to take care of you. Let's all work together. Crocodiles are incredibly fast when they burst out at short distances, so just be vigilant."
Time passed slowly as they chatted, and the temperature in the air gradually rose.
Zheng Yuan frowned. "Why isn't everyone here yet? Everyone else has already set off."
He walked over and found Huang Tao.
The two talked in hushed tones for a moment, and then Zheng Yuan returned.
Qin Ziwu quickly asked, "Brother Zheng, what did they say?"
Zheng Yuan said, "Huang Tao asked around and they said someone from Building 7 hasn't arrived yet. Maybe they overslept."
Soon, someone jogged out from the south gate and whispered something in Huang Tao's ear. Huang Tao froze for a moment, then his face turned grim.
He took a deep breath, then clapped his hands. "Brothers, everyone's here, and the tools are ready. Let's set off now."
Someone said, "Weren't there twenty people? Why are there only nineteen?"
Huang Tao hesitated for a moment, then said frankly, "One of the team members can't come. His family is worried about him and thinks hunting crocodiles is too dangerous. But it's okay, there's not much difference between nineteen and twenty people, and we'll even have one less person to share the meat."
Upon hearing this, the team erupted in commotion.
"Damn, which family is it?"
"He should have said so beforehand if he wasn't coming. Now he's suddenly not showing up, leaving us one person short."
"That troublemaker, always afraid of this and that, he might as well starve!"
Someone suddenly said, "Isn't it the guy from unit 2, apartment 302 in building 4 who didn't come? Damn it, he and his wife came to see me last night, babbling on and on about how hunting crocodiles is dangerous and unsafe. They even asked if I was coming tomorrow. I was so confused; apparently, he didn't want to come and was trying to drag me down with him."
Qin Ziwu was also a bit angry. "He should have said so earlier if he wasn't coming, making me wait so long."
Huang Tao calmed everyone down, while he and the security guards distributed the tools they had prepared beforehand, especially the large net.
"Where did this net come from? It looks familiar."
"It looks like the climbing net from the children's playground; he took it away." "
Wow, I knew where all the rope nets from the recreation area went; they took them."
Chapter 17 Cold Learning Machines
Before even reaching the river, Qin Ziwen heard the loud splashing of water.
Along the riverbank, teams were scattered, some already practicing, others watching.
The team with the most impressive results had used a rope made from several bed sheets and curtains to bind a crocodile, then tied the other end to a nearby tree. A group of people were using long weapons to repeatedly poke the crocodile.
"Glug glug..."
The crocodile thrashed wildly, opening its mouth and growling angrily.
Another team had dug a trap on the bank, but it wasn't deep enough, and the crocodile escaped. Startled, the crocodile scrambled into the river, splashing water everywhere.
On the surface, several crocodiles floated, their cold eyes peeking out, silently observing.
A young man in the group said, "We need to go further downstream; if we get too close, these crocodiles won't fall for it."
Huang Tao said, "Let's go down there. By the way, this brother's name is Zhang Zhen. He used to work at the zoo, as a crocodile keeper for a while, so he knows a lot about crocodile habits."
The others asked him for advice.
Zhang Zhen said, "It's very difficult to develop a bond with crocodiles. I've always felt that crocodiles are like cold learning machines. They don't have complex emotions, nor do they feel fear. All their behavioral logic is actually related to survival and reproduction.
For example, if you feed them, they know that coming near you will bring food. After eating and drinking their fill, they will lie there to digest their food. As long as you don't make them feel threatened, they won't attack you.
Seeing their kind being..." "Killing them won't frighten them, but it will make them wary. They'll equate us humans with a threat."
Zhang Zhen pointed to the crocodiles floating on the river's surface. "Look, those crocodiles in the water are observing us. They're assessing our threat. They'll consider this place and these humans a threat, and they'll be more cautious when facing us."
Qin Ziwen asked, "Then the crocodiles won't come up?"
Zhang Zhen shook his head. "No, in the short term, in the same place, using the same method, they won't fall for it because they've already equated this danger with danger. But as soon as we change locations, they'll still be attracted by the bait. They don't have the concept of 'humans hunting us with traps' in their minds; they only have the simple logic of food, threat, and defending territory."
Qin Ziwen roughly understood.
The group walked downstream for more than a hundred meters. Huang Tao took out the remaining crocodile entrails from the last hunt, tied them with a rope, and threw them into the river.
The blood spread along the water.
Under the bank, a thick shadow slowly approached.
Zheng Yuan, who was in charge of observation, made a gesture.
The people behind pulled the rope, scooping the entrails out of the water, the foul-smelling entrails scraping across the muddy ground.
The shadow remained motionless on the water's surface.
"Will the crocodile be attracted?" Qin Ziwu, squatting next to Zhang Zhen, asked softly.
"Yes, crocodiles' favorite food is animal entrails. When a crocodile sees entrails, it's like a cat seeing a cat toy; it thinks something is stealing its food. Just watch." As soon as he
finished speaking, the water surface exploded with a roar, and a huge black shadow broke through the surface, rushing towards the entrails on the shore.
"Pull!"
But it was too late; the shadow had already bitten the entrails and turned back into the river.
The rope holding the entrails tightened instantly, pulling the two people on the other end off balance.
The giant crocodile paused, lying still, seemingly wondering why something seemed to be dragging its food. Its
eyes fell on the humans not far away, and it suddenly swung its head, its thick tail splashing up a large amount of mud.
The rope snapped with a crack, and the giant crocodile dived back into the river.
Zhang Zhen murmured, "We have to
do it again." Huang Tao asked in a low voice, "Will it fall for it again?"
Zhang Zhen nodded affirmatively, "It ate the entrails earlier and got a taste of the sweetness. If we give it another entrails, it will definitely fall for it. But this time, we need to be quick with the bait. Pull it up, and once it gets close, cover it with the large net, then poke it with a weapon."
"Luckily, I prepared a few extra baits beforehand. This time, we'll have two people handle the bait, and we need to be quick."
Qin Ziwen volunteered, "I'll do it."
Zou Sheng next to him rolled up his sleeves, "Count me in."
The second bait was thrown into the river.
The entrails fell into the river, splashing water. Under the surface, the giant crocodile, which hadn't gone far, flicked its tail and swam back.
Qin Ziwen pulled up the line, and the entrails slid through the water, across the mud, and wound their way up the grass.
The giant crocodile followed the scent and climbed ashore, its heavy steps chasing after the entrails.
Qin Ziwen and Zou Sheng increased the frequency of pulling the rope. The crocodile paused for a moment, then suddenly accelerated.
Qin Ziwen stared intently at the giant crocodile; from his angle, it was charging straight towards him.
He was highly focused; if the others were even a little slower in setting the net, the crocodile would be right in his face.
Fortunately, this time there was no mistake.
The giant net fell from above, directly covering the crocodile. At the same time, the four people hidden diagonally behind pulled the tail rope, using the crocodile's forward momentum to trap it inside.
"Go!"
The group rushed forward, their weapons raining down on the crocodile. Their
primary target was the crocodile's head.
"Thud."
Someone was lucky; a spear struck right into the crocodile's eye.
"Roar!"
The crocodile let out a painful howl.
"I'll take it!" A security guard on the side shouted, bringing his long-handled axe down heavily.
This axe struck the crocodile squarely in the head.
The connection between the axe and the stick came undone, and with a snap, the short-handled axe became lodged on the crocodile's head.
The blow nearly made it stand upright.
Qin Ziwen clearly saw that it was a fire axe.
They must have tied the axe to the stick earlier.
The crocodile struggled frantically, instinctively trying to escape back into the river.
But the others wouldn't let it have its way, pulling on the rope and dragging it backward.
With over a dozen strong men pulling the rope simultaneously, several fell to the ground, caught off guard.
The crocodile's speed also decreased significantly, and after a stalemate of over ten seconds, its strength waned.
Finally, it stopped moving.
Zhang Zhen, panting heavily, said, "It's run out of stamina."
Qin Ziwen remembered Wang Yun saying yesterday that crocodiles had poor stamina, and now he had a more direct understanding.
In just over two minutes, the crocodile's stamina had been almost completely depleted by its powerful outburst.
Even though the crocodile seemed exhausted, no one dared to approach and provoke it at close range.
Instead, they continued to attack from a relatively safe distance using long weapons.
Finally, the crocodile breathed its last.
After waiting for another ten minutes or so, the group began to dispose of the carcass.
On the river, a pair of cold eyes watched this scene without emotion, observing its kin being dismembered.
This crocodile was slightly larger than the one they had hunted at the South Gate last time, measuring a full five meters and a half in length.
Because there were three more people this time, each person received 38 jin (approximately 14 kg) of meat, two jin (approximately 1 kg) less than before.
Even so, everyone was still overjoyed.
After processing the crocodile, Zhang Zhen's brow remained furrowed.
Huang Tao nudged his arm and teased, "What's wrong? Why aren't you happy after killing the crocodile?"
Zhang Zhen paused, then shook his head. "Nothing, I just observed that this one seems to be a female crocodile, and the one we killed at the South Gate last time was also a female."
Chapter 18 Terrifying Giant Crocodile
Huang Tao, somewhat curious, asked, "From what you're saying, male crocodiles are larger than females? How much larger?"
Zhang Zhen's expression turned serious, and he gave him a deep look. "The average length of male crocodiles in a crocodile population is generally 1.5 times that of females, and their weight can reach 2-3 times that of females."
Huang Tao's smile froze. "Such a big difference?"
Zhang Zhen nodded. "Yes, crocodiles are polygamous. Generally, one crocodile population will live in a certain river basin. This population will have a alpha male, several females, and some sub-adults. If food is particularly abundant in this area, the crocodile population will increase accordingly. Judging from the size of this female crocodile, the male crocodile's length should be between seven and eight meters." Qin Ziwen,
standing
not far away, also heard their conversation and subconsciously glanced back at the deep river surface.
Zhang Zhen said worriedly, "If it's really as I predict, then this male crocodile could be truly terrifying."
Seeing that the others didn't understand the seriousness of the situation, Zhang Zhen explained, "Have you heard of Luolong? It's the largest known crocodile captured by humans on Earth. In the documentary, they used steel cables to suspend chicken meat from tree branches; if the crocodile bit into the meat, it would be trapped. But the cables snapped. Later, they thickened the cables, but Luolong kept breaking them. They kept thickening the cables until finally, they caught Luolong.
Then they called on more than a dozen villagers to try to pull Luolong out of the water, but it wouldn't budge and almost escaped. In the end, the villagers who were watching all came to help, mobilizing more than sixty people for a tug-of-war that lasted for several hours before they finally dragged Luolong ashore.
On an empty stomach, it weighed 1075 kilograms, but its length was only 6.2 meters."
This last sentence was what shocked everyone the most.
Someone murmured, "It's already this powerful at only 6.2 meters, what would it be like at 7.2 meters? It'd be taking off!"
Zou Sheng frowned. "It might be even longer than 7.2 meters. If we calculate it at 1.5 times, its length would be at least 7.5 meters."
As a fitness coach, he knew very well that the difference in weight was difficult to compensate for with technique. A 6.2-meter-long Luo Long weighed one ton, and a 7.5-meter-long crocodile could probably weigh two tons.
It would be a super-powerful amphibious monster.
Zhang Zhen said, "If it really is a giant crocodile over seven meters long, we probably don't have any way to restrain it. The only way to deal with it is to dig a trap and try to bury it in a pit."
But some people thought Zhang Zhen was worrying unnecessarily. "You said it's from Earth. Who knows if the female crocodiles in this other world are even bigger? It's been several days, and no one has seen the kind of giant crocodile you're talking about."
"Yeah, if it really is, why doesn't it come out when we're hunting its own kind like this?"
"Ah—"
A scream from afar interrupted the discussion.
"Run!"
"What a huge crocodile~"
The people who were still cutting up the meat looked at each other in dismay.
Then, they all looked at the person who had said it wouldn't come out.
Zheng Yuan's lips twitched: "You jinx!"
The man also regretted it; he hadn't expected his words to come true.
Through the sparse bushes, they could see many residents fleeing in the distance.
Huang Tao shouted, "Wait, the gate to the community is over there. If we go there, we might be blocked by the giant crocodile. Let's go in another direction."
Qin Ziwu walked to his brother's side. "Brother, let's go through the east gate."
"Yeah, we have to be careful."
Then Qin Ziwen saw the bushes shaking violently, as if a monster was rampaging through the grass.
"Wait, that crocodile looks like it's coming. Run!"
Qin Ziwen ran back several dozen meters and looked back. At the spot where they had dismembered their prey, an extremely ferocious giant crocodile was quietly lying beside the remains of the female crocodile.
Just lying there, this giant crocodile gave people a terrifying feeling.
The female crocodile, which had been cut into pieces and left only as remains, looked as small as a little girl next to it.
Qin Ziwu murmured, "So big."
Qin Ziwen could feel his heart pounding, an instinctive emotion when humans face a giant beast: "Its height is probably over a meter."
The giant crocodile opened its blood-red maw, letting out a low roar, its mouth almost high enough to swallow an adult.
Then it bit the remains and dragged them straight into the river.
Only when the massive body was completely submerged did everyone breathe a sigh of relief.
Qin Ziwen felt that the crocodile's behavior didn't quite match Zhang Zhen's description. According to Zhang Zhen, crocodiles are emotionally detached creatures, and many of their behaviors are driven by survival. However, he sensed an emotion beyond mere survival from this male crocodile, something more than just anger at its territorial intrusion.
Zhang Zhen muttered, "It seemed to be expressing anger. Damn, this crocodile might be quite intelligent."
The group quickly retreated along the outer wall of the residential area.
They circled around to the east gate and returned to the area.
Reaching the south gate, they found it crowded with people.
Listening to their conversation, Qin Ziwen learned that a crocodile-hunting team had finally killed a crocodile near the south gate. While cutting it up, the crocodile suddenly leaped out of the water, biting one person and dragging the carcass back into the river.
The bitten person was then snatched back by the crocodile.
The man was rescued, but his condition was terrible.
Even someone with little medical knowledge would fall silent upon seeing his horrific state.
His chest and pelvis were caved in, like a smashed piece of fruit; his clothes were soaked in blood, and he was barely breathing.
His family knelt beside him, weeping.
Seeing Huang Tao approach, the deceased's relatives rushed over and surrounded him.
"How could there be such a terrifying crocodile in this river!"
The deceased's mother grabbed Huang Tao's collar. "My son was only twenty-three! He just graduated from university! He had so much life ahead of him!"
"Why, why did this have to happen! I'd rather it was me who died!" The deceased's mother weakly released her grip, collapsing to the ground, wailing in despair.
Huang Tao remained silent. "I'm sorry."
He looked around at everyone present. "We must kill this crocodile. It's different from ordinary crocodiles; it's more intelligent and stronger. It already harbors hatred towards us. If we don't kill it now, our chances of killing it later will only decrease.
This crocodile is likely the leader of its pack. If we can kill it, this stretch of water will truly be ours."
Someone said, "That's easy to say. How can we kill such a huge crocodile? We tried using nets, and it tore them to shreds."
Huang Tao firmly stated, "Dig traps. For enemies of this size, pitfalls are the most effective."
A silence fell over the room. The example
of this terrifying crocodile lying on the ground served as a stark warning; it was undoubtedly the most terrifying opponent they had ever encountered.
The deceased's mother forced out the words through clenched teeth, "I'll dig."
"Okay, dig! Kill this crocodile!"
"Get it! Damn it, we can't let a beast bully us!"
"Who knows if this crocodile will target me or my family one day? Kill it! No matter how strong it is, it's still a carbon-based life form. Bury it alive in a pit!"
In an instant, the crowd was in a frenzy, their shouts deafening.
Qin Ziwen was somewhat lost in thought, then a slow smile crept onto his lips.
This male crocodile leader must have reached the powerful enough to drop cards, right? He
just wondered what form the dropped cards would take.
Just like the others said, no matter how strong it was, it was still just a carbon-based life form.
Anything carbon-based can be killed.
Chapter 19 The Giant Bird Strikes Again
"Ziwen, have you seen the video of the Maasai people collectively hunting elephants in Africa? A six-ton elephant can only be riddled with pincers by their encirclement."
Qin Ziwen, who was shoveling dirt, straightened up when he heard Zou Sheng's words beside him, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said with a smile, "I've seen it before, but the Maasai people are trained from a young age, and hunting is a means of survival. We definitely can't compare to them in that respect."
"Hey, don't boost their morale and diminish our own. I exercise regularly too, and I don't think my physical fitness is inferior to those black people." Zou Sheng raised his arms, striking a bodybuilding pose.
Zou Sheng had the kind of physique that looked lean in clothes but was muscular underneath. His
muscles were clearly visible when his arms were taut.
On the grass outside the residential area, everyone was working enthusiastically, with someone taking over immediately when someone got tired.
In order to successfully trap the giant crocodile, they planned to dig a large pit measuring 12*4*4.
Deng Guang said worriedly, "Brother Qin, do you think the trap we dug can bury the crocodiles? What if they try to climb out?"
Qin Ziwen hesitated, "It's such a deep pit, the crocodiles shouldn't be able to get out, right?"
Deng Guang shook his head, "But what if the slope collapses, like a landslide? If the crocodile knocks down the edge of the pit, turning it into a slope, it could just climb up."
Qin Ziwen thought about that scenario and felt that Deng's concerns were not unfounded.
They found Huang Tao, who was standing at the edge of the pit, earnestly conversing with a bald middle-aged man beside him.
"Digging like this is absolutely not going to work. The soil here is quite loose. If you dig too deep, it will easily collapse. And such a big pit requires a lot of work; it will take at least several days to dig. Such a long time, and it's high-intensity physical labor, will also cause everyone's food supplies to be consumed much faster.
Although many people are involved, pit construction has 'working face' limitations. A 12 by 4 meter pit can only accommodate 20 to 30 people working at the same time, and without machinery, digging by hand is too slow.
Furthermore, the deeper you dig, the more difficult the project becomes. I calculated that based on the volume of this pit, 192 cubic meters, it would take more than a dozen trucks to transport it. And that's under ideal conditions. A depth of four meters is practically a foundation pit. Without slopes or support, it will definitely collapse. But we don't have those conditions right now."
Huang Tao was overwhelmed. He had never done engineering before and didn't understand these things. He just thought that digging a big pit would be enough, since it was only four meters deep.
But he knew that the person in front of him was an engineer, and his opinion was definitely more professional than his own.
Huang Tao thought for a moment: "We initially planned to dig this deep to trap the crocodiles. Since we can't dig that deep, how about other methods, like a mud pit?"
The bald middle-aged man said, "Theoretically, it's possible. As long as we mix it in the right proportions, we can make mud. Mud is a non-Newtonian substance; the more the crocodiles struggle, the deeper they'll sink. But this plan also has a problem: to make a mud pit, we need a lot of water, and we need to get water from the river."
Huang Tao said, "There's a diesel water pump in the property warehouse, and the cars in the underground garage have fuel."
The bald middle-aged man refused: "No, even with the spare connecting pipe, the water pump is only forty or fifty meters long at most. We're at least a hundred meters from the river here; the water pump can't pump water that far."
Qin Zi, who was standing nearby ... Wen said, "I have an idea. How about we make a spike trap? There are some iron fences in the neighborhood, right? We can take them down, make long spears, and insert them into the bottom. When the crocodile falls in, since it doesn't have armor on its belly or back, these spikes should easily pierce it."
The bald middle-aged man pondered and slowly nodded, "That's feasible to some extent, but if the pit is too shallow, the crocodile might be able to climb out. After it's injured, it can just hide back in the river, and it won't be so easy to lure it out next time."
Qin Ziwen suddenly said, "Then why don't we add a coffin lid for it?"
Huang Tao was puzzled, "Where would we get such a big coffin lid? Ordinary wood wouldn't be enough to cover it."
Qin Ziwen pointed behind him, "Aren't there so many cars in the garage?"
"Cars?" Huang Tao clenched his fist and clapped his hands, "Good idea! I happen to have a Jeep."
The bald middle-aged man scratched his head and said somewhat reluctantly, "Then I'll donate my G-Wagon too."
Huang Tao and Qin Ziwen looked at him in shock.
The bald, middle-aged man sighed, "This car was novel when we first got it, but after driving it for a while, it's just so-so. The sound insulation is poor, the seats are hard, and the engine is incredibly loud."
Qin Ziwen and Huang Tao exchanged a glance, taking it as a complaint.
The middle-aged man looked at Huang Tao and said half-jokingly, "I've even used my G-Wagon to crush alligators, so when we're dividing the spoils, can I get a bigger share? Here are the car keys, you can do whatever you want with it."
Huang Tao patted his chest generously, "You've already contributed your car, so getting a bigger share is definitely not a problem, Mr. Yang. I'll need to consult you more on engineering matters in the future."
Mr. Yang waved his hands repeatedly, "Don't be shy, you can just call me Old Yang if you don't mind. My physical strength can't compare to you young people, but I've been doing engineering for many years and know a little about everything. I think if we want to..." "Living here properly isn't possible with the current system, and the floor we live on is a major problem,"
Mr. Yang said, pointing to the complex. "Before, with elevators, higher floors weren't a problem; the view was nice. Now that there are no elevators, climbing these higher floors is really strenuous. Imagine, those living on the eighth, ninth, or even tenth floors—just climbing that steep staircase is exhausting. They also have to carry firewood, food, and water buckets.
They can tolerate it for a short time, but in the long run, problems will definitely arise."
Huang Tao nodded, agreeing with this point, as he lived on the seventh floor.
Even as a thirty-something adult man with some exercise, he found climbing up and down the stairs tiring.
The elderly and children must be even more exhausted.
Qin Ziwen said, "Actually, lower floors aren't as good as we imagine. While there aren't any large wild animals entering the complex yet, that might change in the future. Snakes, insects, and rodents can also easily get into lower floors."
Huang Tao agreed, "That's true. I bought a seventh-floor apartment because I thought it wouldn't be too low, the lighting would be better, and there would be fewer bugs."
After their brief exchange of complaints, they went about their business.
Qin Ziwen dug in the dirt while glancing back at the apartment building's windows.
He bought the apartment because of its decent quality; it wasn't an old complex, and most apartments didn't have security bars.
The sunlight reflected the azure sky in the glass.
"Screech—"
A long, piercing scream suddenly came from above.
"That big bird is coming again!" someone shouted.
"Run!"
Qin Ziwen looked up; a dark shadow was rapidly approaching them from above.
People scattered and fled.
He looked around; the area was rather open, with no large trees, and the gate to the residential complex was still dozens of meters away. At the giant bird's speed, there was no way it could reach him in time.
Qin Ziwen quickly grabbed his younger brother and pushed him into the pit, "Squat down!"
Chapter 20, Day 5 Settlement
. The giant bird was incredibly fast, like a gust of wind or a sudden downpour.
Air pressure churned the lawn, its broad wings blocking out the sunlight and casting large shadows.
A person sitting on the ground a dozen meters ahead was suddenly lifted by the shoulders and pulled into the air.
Her scream echoed from above.
She struggled desperately, but the giant bird released its claws, only lifting her again after she landed freely.
Only after the giant bird had flown far away did the group, hidden in various places, regroup in the sunlight, exchanging bewildered glances as they watched the departing bird.
Qin Ziwen muttered, "This guy really thinks this place is a buffet."
The closer they got, the more they could feel the oppressive presence of this giant bird.
It was like the dominant male crocodile in the river.
Zheng Yuan's face darkened: "If it comes a second time, there will definitely be a third, a fourth."
But facing an opponent that could fly, they didn't know how to deal with it.
Huang Tao stepped forward and asked the crowd, "Who was just taken away? Did anyone see clearly?"
"I don't know."
"I didn't notice, but the voice sounded like a woman's."
"That bird flew too fast, I didn't have time to notice."
The crowd murmured amongst themselves.
The atmosphere was tense; no one knew if they would be the next target. Faced with such a flying predator, the only option was to stay away from open areas.
Someone cursed angrily, "Damn it, there are crocodiles in the river, and man-eating birds in the sky! This damn world!"
"Cuifang! Cuifang!" An old man ran out breathlessly, calling out several times to the crowd.
Receiving no response, the old man looked around in fear.
He anxiously shouted to the surrounding crowd, "Luo Cuifang, Luo Cuifang, where are you? Have you seen my Cuifang? She was just here. She sprained her ankle and asked me to go home and get her some medicine."
"I remember now, a woman seemed to have been taken away by that big bird." Qin Ziwu's words trailed off as he turned away, unable to bear it any longer, because the woman who had been taken by the bird had just lost her son.
The old man stood there, mouth agape, stunned.
His chest heaved violently, and the medicine bottle in his hand shattered on the ground with a crash.
"Ah—"
He collapsed to the ground, howling in agony.
He had seen the giant bird overhead on his way here, and worried about his wife's safety, so he had run all the way.
He never expected that the thing he dreaded would still happen.
The old man's hands trembled as he rose and looked around at the crowd.
Everyone avoided his gaze.
In one day, his son was dead, and his wife was dead too.
He hunched over and staggered back home.
As evening fell and darkness descended,
"Bang!" A hydraulic shear clamped down hard, severing the middle joint of the guardrail in front of him. Zou Sheng let out a long breath and rubbed his aching arms. "This broken railing is actually quite sturdy," Qin Ziwen said, picking up a broken piece of
railing from the ground. "It's better that it's sturdy, so it won't break under the weight of the crocodiles." He squeezed the sharp, angular tip of the railing with his fingertip. "It's not sharp enough; the tip needs some work." Yang Chuhe picked up a dismantled piece of railing from the ground, weighed it in his palm, and said with satisfaction, "The quality of this zinc-steel railing is good. It's not just for piercing crocodiles; it could even be used for hunting wild animals. It seems the developers of Yujing Jiangcheng didn't cut corners. This thing would be considered a divine weapon in ancient times; it would easily pierce a crocodile." Hearing what General Manager Yang said, many people around him exchanged strange glances. Huang Tao looked at the dozens of dismantled railing bars on the ground and said with a wry smile, "I can't handle this by myself; there are too many. Everyone will have to help sharpen them tonight."
Hearing this, the others looked conflicted.
After digging in the dirt all afternoon, no one was not tired and just wanted to go home and rest.
Qin Ziwen volunteered, "Give me some, I'll work a little longer tonight."
Seeing Qin Ziwen's initiative, Huang Tao was secretly pleased, and his gaze towards Qin Ziwen became even more amiable.
Some people thought to themselves that Qin Ziwen was just trying to show off; with him like this, how could anyone slack off?
Zheng Yuan stepped forward, "I'll take some back to grind too."
Qin Ziwen waved his hand, smiling, and said, "No need, I haven't been sleeping well lately, I go to bed late, so it's good to have something to do."
Seeing his firm attitude, Zheng Yuan couldn't persuade him otherwise and had to take some spears from Huang Tao to take back.
Carrying the dismantled iron fence back home with his younger brother,
Qin Ziwu didn't understand his older brother's actions. "Brother, nobody else is doing it, why are we bringing it back?"
"Go to sleep early, I'll do it myself tonight."
Qin Ziwu thought his older brother was angry, so he quickly said, "I didn't say I wouldn't do it, I just think with so many people, it won't take long for each person to take one and sharpen it."
Qin Ziwen glanced at him sideways: "Go and get me two rough, hard stones."
Of course, he couldn't explain to his younger brother that it was for the sake of gaining points.
Now he had roughly figured out the pattern of the daily score settlement.
Gathering resources, drawing maps, hunting prey—as long as he did something positive for survival, he could gain points.
He could predict that if he succeeded in hunting this alpha male crocodile, he would definitely gain a lot of points.
So, did collecting so many alloy long sticks count as obtaining a large amount of materials?
In this primitive society environment, zinc-steel alloy material was extremely rare; it was extremely sturdy.
Whether used to make traps, spear-like weapons, or shield frames, it was a top-notch material.
Even if bringing back these zinc-steel alloys doesn't count as collecting materials, processing them would still increase his "contribution" to the crocodile hunt.
Night fell, and the curtains were drawn back.
Under the bright moonlight, the young man crouched on the ground, rubbing his zinc-steel spear against a rock.
"Shh."
It continued until evening.
A voice reached his ears.
"You have successfully survived five days in the wilderness. Your team hunted a crocodile, and you received some raw meat. You encountered the alpha male crocodile of this area. The crocodile's threat forced the community residents to cooperate in preparing traps. You participated in setting the traps, but you seem to have forgotten something. Overall score: 19 points."
"You have received the following rewards: [Building Card] Level 1 Farmland, Rabbit Food *4, Woodcutter's Knife *1."
Forgot something.
Qin Ziwen looked at the rewards, his gaze shifting to the rabbit food.
"Damn it! I forgot to feed the rabbits during the day!"
Qin Ziwen quickly got up and went to the animal cage.
He had put a little wild vegetable in the trough before leaving in the morning, but the rabbits hadn't eaten.
The food trough was now completely empty, and the two rabbits looked rather listless.
Qin Ziwen took out a bag of rabbit food.
His hand sank; a large 20-pound bag of rabbit food appeared in his palm.
He tore open the packaging and poured the dry rabbit pellets into the trough. As he poured, he smelled the rich aroma of hay, along with a faint scent of roasted grains.
The two rabbits hesitated for a moment after smelling the aroma, then eagerly hopped to the trough and began to devour the rabbit food.
Perhaps the smell was too strong, for they even ignored the large hand gently stroking their backs.