Desert Island Survival Arc

Bear was in excellent physical condition. Although he had drifted at sea for so long, exhausted and on the verge of dehydration, with enough food, fresh water, and a good place to rest, he recovered in less than two days.

However, Zhang Heng wasn't in a hurry to set out. The island was neither too big nor too small. It would take him about eight days to circle it along the perimeter, and his pace would slow once he entered the rainforest. Still, it should only take around three days to travel from where they lived to the center of the island.

And barring any surprises, Bear's standby time was nineteen days, which meant they had plenty of time to prepare.

After spending the past two days together, Zhang Heng had gained a general understanding of his new companion's abilities.

Sure enough, Bear's Wilderness Survival Skills differed from Ed's and Shorts Kid's. His skills leaned more toward hunting and self-rescue, which happened to be exactly what they needed to explore the rainforest.

Zhang Heng could now make most tools and possessed basic survival skills like finding shelter and water sources.

However, the limited variety of vegetables in his garden and the lone Mickey Mouse in his animal enclosure showed that he did not actually know much about the natural world around him.

Species identification in particular had always been a weakness for Zhang Heng—or rather, for modern people who lived in cities.

There were many other kinds of plants in the forest, but Zhang Heng didn't know whether they were edible or which parts could be eaten. Afraid of poisoning himself, he only dared to dig up potatoes and onions that he recognized.

The situation was similar with animals. Zhang Heng had always privately thought Mickey Mouse was ugly, never imagining that the latter was actually the extinct national bird of Mauritius.

Now, the rescued explorer could finally make up for this last shortcoming.

Since they still had time to spare, Zhang Heng simply took Bear on a trip around the outer edge of the forest first.

Bear taught him how to identify and obtain the various resources in the forest.

After hearing him out, Zhang Heng couldn't help sighing. The past year had truly been a waste of natural treasures. He had been sitting on a trove of riches without understanding how to extract any of it.

But as he listened, Zhang Heng began to feel that something was off, because almost every living thing Bear encountered ultimately received the assessment: "...Cut off its head and you can eat it."

"..."

On the morning of the tenth day, the two returned to the tile house. Zhang Heng was satisfied with what they had gained from this short trip. Even if there was nothing at the center of the island, he had already benefited immensely from these ten days.

What was more, Bear was a very good listener and conversational partner.

The two rested in the tile house for a day. Zhang Heng planted the vegetable seeds they had collected during the journey in the garden, only to receive another message during that time.

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Successfully collected more than ten types of vegetables. Wilderness Survival Skills increased from Level 1 to Level 2. Game points +5. Relevant information can be viewed on the character panel...

Even now, Zhang Heng had no idea what these so-called game points were for. Including the previous times, he already had sixteen points, which were clearly displayed on his character panel.

In his view, this thing was somewhat like an achievement system. He could earn points after meeting certain conditions. The previous eleven points, for example, had come respectively from starting a fire, building a house, and hunting.

But Zhang Heng didn't dwell on it too much. Even when playing games, he had always been the type to just go with the flow. Clearing the game was enough for him; he didn't have the obsessive need of hardcore players to dominate every achievement. This time, he had simply been playing alone for so long that he couldn't avoid completing them.

Besides that, he noticed that the evaluation section seemed to have changed slightly.

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Evaluation: This player is utterly ordinary, with little worth praising, but possesses some Wilderness Survival Skills and archery skills. Estimated to be unable to survive past the first five rounds of games.

Zhang Heng was a little curious. He thought his archery was fairly good, and he had also acquired survival knowledge capable of dealing with harsh environments. Yet he still couldn't make it past the fifth round? What, then, were the other players like?

The thought only flashed through his mind before Zhang Heng focused his attention back on the matter at hand.

After a night's rest, both of them had mostly recovered from their fatigue, and their physical condition was at its peak.

At last, it was time for the main event.

Zhang Heng slung his longbow and quiver over his back, then divided the dried rations and fresh water he had prepared before bed last night into two portions. He and Bear each took one. If they used them sparingly, these supplies would be enough to keep them alive in the forest for an entire week.

And with Bear, a human-shaped hunting machine, with him, there was no longer any need to worry about supplies.

Zhang Heng then took out the two spears he had made earlier as melee weapons, but Bear shook his head. He drew the small knife at his waist. "This is enough for me."

Zhang Heng was a little envious. Seeing that small knife reminded him of his Swiss Army Knife back in heaven... Ever since he had ended up on this deserted island, he had never seen another metal tool. Back when he had been with Ed, he had even accomplished the feat of sawing down a tree with a clam shell. Even the spears in his hands now were merely sharpened after carbonizing their tips.

They worked fairly well, but they were still no match for proper equipment.

What was more, the knife looked exquisitely crafted, and Bear's name was engraved on it.

"If you like it, I'll give you this knife once we're safe. You can also come visit my home. I'll introduce you to my wife and son then."

Though he knew that day would never come, Zhang Heng still politely thanked the explorer.

After making all the necessary preparations, the two officially ventured deep into the rainforest.

Yet on the very first night, Zhang Heng realized just how fortunate he was to have Bear with him.

He had made the most thorough preparations possible, but he had clearly still underestimated how dangerous this place was.

No one could stay alert twenty-four hours a day, especially when the forest was far from quiet at night. Something was always rustling behind the bushes in the darkness.

For the first half of the night, Zhang Heng remained on guard. At the slightest movement, he would tighten his grip on his spear. But he soon realized that this wouldn't do. If he stayed awake all night, his mind would be sluggish and his reactions dull the next day.

So Zhang Heng forced himself to close his eyes.

He had only just managed to ignore those furtive sounds and drift into a half-awake state when he felt something rubbing against his abdomen.

But this was the time of day when Zhang Heng was most drowsy, and he failed to wake immediately. Not until something wrapped around his body and began tightening did Zhang Heng feel short of breath. He opened his eyes and saw the mass coiled around him.

It was a python, estimated to be over three meters long. Its body was thicker than Zhang Heng's forearm, with a white belly and brown cloud-like markings covering its back.

Zhang Heng tried to struggle free from its coils, only to discover that he couldn't even lift his arms. That Thing constricted tighter and tighter, making him feel as though his bones were about to be crushed.

Fortunately, his struggle woke Bear beside him.

"A Burmese Python, a subspecies of the Indian python and one of the world's six largest snake species. They're common in tropical rainforests. They're incredibly strong and have few natural predators, but that doesn't mean they have no weaknesses." Bear placed one hand on the giant python's tail and lightly jabbed it somewhere. Miraculously, the Burmese Python's body gradually went limp.

"The anus. It's usually the most vulnerable part of a python. Attacking it can buy you time to escape."

Once Zhang Heng had successfully freed himself, Bear explained as he drove the small knife into the Burmese Python's head.

"Not bad luck. We've got breakfast for tomorrow morning."