The Gap
The hail outside kept pounding, the dense crackling sound echoing throughout the entire mountain forest, showing no sign of stopping.
Lu Heng casually picked up a thick, solid wooden plank, held it above his head to shield himself from the falling ice, and steadily walked out of the Shelter. The cold ice particles continued to hit the surface of the plank, making a series of dull thuds. Fine ice shards slid down the edge of the plank and shattered quickly on the ground.
He walked to the outside of the fence, stopped in front of the pit where the seeds of the Bloodthirsty Vine had been buried the day before, slowly squatted down, lowered his gaze and carefully examined the changes in the soil.
After a night of nurturing, the soil surface is no longer dormant.
A thin layer of topsoil was pushed aside, and a tender green sprout emerged, delicate and fragile, looking as if it would break at the slightest touch, yet firmly rooted in the compacted soil. The remains of the Red Cliff Jackal's flesh and blood at the bottom of the pit were still being slowly absorbed by the vine, the absorption rate even and stable, without interruption, continuously providing growth energy for the new shoot.
Lu Heng could see it clearly.
This newly sprouted seedling of the Bloodthirsty Vine has demonstrated a survival ability that surpasses that of ordinary plants.
The tender shoot curled up, hiding itself firmly beneath the large chunks of flesh and blood, deliberately avoiding the exposed soil. All the hailstones falling from the sky struck the surface soil and fragments of flesh and blood, and after being buffered and dissipated layer by layer, they did not touch the tender shoot beneath.
A fairly heavy hailstorm did not cause it any damage.
Lu Heng squatted quietly in place and watched for a long time.
He knew in his heart that this Bloodthirsty Vine wasn't exactly a dull plant; it possessed a basic instinct for self-preservation and could adjust its state according to environmental dangers, exhibiting the most primitive and simplest survival intelligence. But that was all; all its actions were instincts etched into its blood, without thought or flexibility.
The difference is immediately apparent when compared to the Purifying Water Lotus inside the house.
When the Purifying Water Lotus first sprouted, it was full of spirituality and took the initiative to approach me to seek a bond. It absorbed my blood, recognized me as its master, and was connected to me in spirit. It had perception and response.
The Bloodthirsty Vine before us were stiff, rigid, and numb, driven only by the primal desire to survive and absorb, devoid of any spirituality.
The hierarchical suppression is evident from the very beginning.
Lu Heng stirred, and he decided to try to complete the master-servant binding.
He slowly extended his index finger and gently brought it closer to the tender green bud. When his fingertip was about an inch away from the bud, several thin tendrils suddenly sprang to life, piercing the skin of his fingertip in an instant.
A trickle of blood seeped out, but it was immediately absorbed by the vine.
There were no unusual phenomena, no energy fluctuations, and no mental resonance. The process was simple and straightforward, barely managing to complete the master-servant bond.
Lu Heng focused his mind on sensing the connection between the two, and thoroughly understood the characteristics of the Bloodthirsty Vine.
It has only three fixed instincts: blood-sucking for energy, hiding in danger, and close-range ambush. Its mind is blank; it doesn't know how to probe, doesn't know how to adapt, and is completely devoid of intelligence. However, its offensive capabilities are excellent, making it a very practical means of outer defense against the large number of low-level beasts in the mountains and forests.
Even though the vines could avoid danger on their own, Lu Heng still dared not let his guard down.
Instinct is ultimately just instinct, too passive. If the hail suddenly intensifies, the soil is breached, and the protective shelter is shattered, the tender shoots will surely die.
He stopped watching, reached out and opened his Storage Space, taking out several thick wooden planks.
The hail continued to rage overhead, the sound of it hitting the wood incessant. Lu Heng pressed down on the wood with one hand, drew the Bronze Hunting Blade from his waist, and personally trimmed the edges of the planks, cutting off excess wood and sanding down any sharp corners.
The technique was skillful and decisive, with no unnecessary movements.
Using the fence as support, he stacked timber in a crisscross pattern to build a multi-layered, triangular roof, which he then fixed upside down over the vine planting area. The layers of wooden planks fit together tightly, completely covering the entire pit and forming a stable, simple rain shelter.
Now everything is completely safe; no matter how fierce the hailstorm rages outside, it will no longer be able to harm the vine seedlings in the slightest.
After confirming that the protective structure was secure, Lu Heng put away his Bronze Hunting Blade and turned back into the Shelter.
The noise of the hail and rain outside was blocked out, and the room instantly became quiet.
Lu Heng opened the Wristband interface and stared blankly at the system prompt for two seconds.
The three-day cross-regional trading event has officially concluded.
He instinctively avoided the public chat channel. The various arguments and gossip from before were still fresh in his memory; the messy, trivial matters were irritating. He couldn't be bothered with it, nor could he be bothered to click and browse.
My private messaging function has been turned off, but there are still tons of unread messages piling up in the background.
There are quite a few, each one hanging at the top of the list.
Lu Heng glanced at it and ignored it completely.
In chaotic times, the worst thing you can do is let your mind be disturbed by external affairs. There's no need to disrupt your own rhythm of life because of the gossip of strangers.
He simply cleared all message notifications, completely blocking out distractions.
Now that the situation is stable, the best choice is to calm down, develop steadily step by step, protect the Shelter, nurture both the inner and outer plants, and live a solid life.
Wristband, Lu Heng decided to find something to do to pass the time and optimize his survival skills.
Since the apocalypse, he has never had proper oral hygiene tools. For a long time, he has been using primitive methods of wilderness survival, wiping his teeth with a mixture of wood ash and charcoal.
It's barely usable, the cleaning effect is rough, the experience is terrible, and after a while, my mouth always has a bitter taste.
He recalled a short DIY video he'd seen in the old world, which included a complete tutorial on how to make a simple toothbrush.
Limited resources may prevent the creation of exquisite finished products, but a simple, makeshift toothbrush can certainly be handcrafted.
Lu Heng rummaged through the Storage Slot and found the thin, straight wooden sticks he had saved in advance, as well as the clean, soft animal hair he had collected and sorted out while tending to the fur of the exotic beasts. All the materials were ready.
He sat down, holding Bronze Hunting Blade, and began to meticulously work on the wooden stick.
The stick is carefully sanded to remove all burrs and make the tip round and smooth to prevent scratching the mouth during use. Then, several fine grooves are carefully carved into the head of the stick, with even depth, just enough to hold the animal hair.
The movements were neither hurried nor slow, and each step was performed meticulously and steadily.
He neatly arranged the soft animal hair, gathered it into bundles, and inserted it into the carved slots, pressing and securing it little by little to ensure it wouldn't fall out or loosen.
A rudimentary toothbrush shape gradually took form in the palm of my hand.
The natural disasters outside have not stopped; hail continues to lash the entire mountain forest, and the environment remains turbulent.
The room was peaceful and quiet, undisturbed and without any prompting.
Lu Heng focused on the small tasks at hand, slowly refining and assembling them. In the monotonous daily life of the apocalypse, he personally improved his quality of life and held onto this rare sense of security.