Clearing

Lu Heng gripped the thick wooden club with both hands, deliberately lightening his footsteps as he slowly approached in small steps.

The venomous snake coiled in the shadow of the tree roots remained motionless, its triangular head slightly raised, its tongue flicking constantly, its gaze fixed firmly on the approaching figure. It did not flee. Its body tightened slightly, every muscle brimming with strength, already poised for an ambush.

Fear surged through him in waves, cold sweat soaking his back, his limbs tensed so hard they grew stiff.

Snake education videos he had scrolled through before suddenly flashed through his mind-in one, a venomous snake went from motionless to striking in mere fractions of a second, leaving its prey no time to react. Then there were those hunting sequences in wildlife documentaries: the snake arched, gathered strength, and struck, the entire sequence flowing seamlessly, almost too fast for the naked eye to follow.

He had only casually swiped past those videos at the time, never imagining that one day he would stand before a venomous snake himself.

Now he finally felt that pressure firsthand. There was almost no room for error. Targeting the head first was the only reliable choice, and he had to manage the distance carefully. He absolutely could not let the snake lunge within reach.

He took a deep breath, gripped the end of the club with both hands, and angled its tip toward the snake's head, keeping a distance of one and a half arm lengths-a safe range he had settled on after weighing it repeatedly. The club was long enough that the snake's strike could not reach him; it was hard enough that it would not bounce away when he brought it down.

He did not rush to swing. If he struck recklessly and missed, he would only expose his timing. He lowered his center of gravity, planted his feet with one ahead of the other, and kept the tip of the club suspended above the snake's head, neither touching it nor drawing back, like a hanging guillotine blade.

The snake's tongue flicked faster and faster. Its triangular head turned slightly with his movements, remaining pointed toward him.

Lu Heng waited three seconds.

The snake's head dipped slightly. The instant its tongue withdrew, he unleashed his strength, smashing the club down at its skull.

A dull impact sounded-the club was half an inch off, striking the side of the snake's skull.

The blow knocked its head sharply sideways, but its entire body shot forward like a spring, its triangular head lunging straight toward Lu Heng.

Lu Heng's scalp prickled, and he instinctively jerked backward. His heel landed on a raised tree root, his body swayed, and the club nearly slipped from his grasp. The snake's head skimmed past the outside of his calf, its bite missing. Its body slammed into the ground and writhed several times before arching again.

But the distance had changed.

The injury left the snake's neck slightly crooked. Several times it struggled to arch up and strike again, but it always fell just short of the strength it needed, dropping limply halfway through its lunge.

Lu Heng steadied himself, his palms slick with cold sweat. He dared not retreat again-roots and loose stones covered the ground beneath him. Falling as he backed away would deliver him straight to the snake. Gripping the club with both hands, he aimed at its head and struck repeatedly. When dealing with venomous snakes in the wild, the worst mistake was leaving them a breath of life. A dying counterattack could still be fatal.

Several heavy blows landed. The snake's writhing grew weaker and weaker, and after a few muscular spasms, it went completely limp among the dirt and dead branches, never moving again.

Lu Heng stood where he was, clutching the club, not daring to move.

He stared at the snake's corpse for a long time, long enough for the forest breeze to brush past his ears, long enough for his rapid breathing to gradually slow. The snake lay motionless, its triangular head tilted to one side, its tongue no longer flicking. Its cloudy eyes were half-open, completely devoid of life.

He checked three times.

After the third check, the club slipped from his hand and hit the ground.

Lu Heng retreated two steps until his back met a tree trunk, then slowly slid down it into a sitting position. His legs were weak, his knees seemingly drained of strength, unable to support him at all. He gulped for air, his chest heaving violently. Cold sweat streamed down his temples and into his eyes, stinging painfully.

If that bite had been half an inch closer-

He dared not follow that thought.

The scene replayed over and over in his mind: the instant the snake's head shot forward, the rush of air as it skimmed his calf, the weightless sensation of nearly falling when his heel landed on the root. Every image was terrifyingly clear, as though carved into his memory.

He lowered his head to look at his hands-his knuckles were white, the rough wood grain had rubbed two red marks into his palms, and his fingers were still trembling slightly beyond his control.

Lu Heng closed his eyes for a moment and sat against the trunk for quite a while.

Only when his heartbeat had completely settled did he brace himself against the trunk and slowly stand. His legs were still a little weak, but he could stand steadily now. He bent down to retrieve the club, then looked down at the snake's corpse again. Only after confirming that it would not move again did he raise his hand, summon the wristband interface, select the corpse, and activate the dismantling function.

A faint light flashed. The entire body rapidly broke down, and several materials appeared one after another: supple snake sinew, a venom sac, an intact snakeskin, fresh snake meat, and snake bones.

Looking at the pile before him, Lu Heng immediately found himself in a bind. His wristband had only ten Storage Slots. With everything he had already stored, hardly any room remained. There was no way to fit it all inside.

He could only pick the items up in batches, draping the snakeskin over his arm, winding the sinew around his wrist, and holding the bones and meat in either hand. Only the venom sac went into the last available Storage Slot.

With both hands full and assorted items hanging from his body, moving immediately became more cumbersome. Lu Heng frowned. For now, he would carry the supplies onward and work out what to do with them later. He adjusted his posture and continued deeper into the woods, still watching his surroundings for a suitable place to stay.

With various items hanging from him, his movements were noticeably hampered, and Lu Heng no longer felt like exploring blindly deeper into the dense forest. He slowed down, carefully scanning the terrain on either side for a suitable place to stay.

After walking a little over a hundred paces sideways along the slope, he spotted a natural recess set into a cliff. Low-growing trees partially concealed its entrance. It sat relatively high, with dry ground that did not collect moisture, and offered a view of activity in the surrounding area. It was both secluded and sheltered from forest beasts and cold winds.

Lu Heng did not enter immediately, first circling the entrance to inspect it carefully. Only scattered fallen leaves lay on the ground outside. There were no animal claw marks or droppings, nor any strong, rank odor. The entrance faced an open area, allowing wind to pass through. Ordinary beasts, snakes, and insects mostly preferred enclosed nests sheltered from the wind; ventilated, exposed recesses like this were rarely occupied by wild animals for long.

He picked up a dead branch and reached into the cave, probing around. Only after confirming that no living creature lay curled up in its depths did he relax. There was enough space inside to accommodate him, and the ground was level. It truly was a rare find for a temporary Shelter.

Stepping inside, he first removed the snakeskin from his arm and unwound the sinew from his wrist, then placed the snake meat and bones from his hands onto the ground one by one. With the pile spread out before him, along with the supplies already stored in his wristband, the severe inadequacy of his ten Storage Slots was plain to see.

Lu Heng crouched, his gaze settling on the snake materials covering the ground.

The fresh snake meat had a clearly defined grain and a faint raw smell. He had no intention whatsoever of eating it raw. He knew fresh meat in the wild harbored hidden risks, with countless parasites and bacteria. Eating it raw was no different from gambling with his life. In a desperate situation without any safeguards, he absolutely could not take such a pointless risk.

By contrast, after careful inspection, this cliffside recess was dry, ventilated, secluded, and free of signs of animal habitation. Its location was safe and secure, making it the best temporary Shelter he had found so far.

Having made up his mind, Lu Heng raised his hand to summon the system interface at his wrist and selected [Bind residence].

A prompt appeared on the screen:

[Bindable natural residence detected: Frostforest Cliffside Cave]

[Environmental safety rating: Excellent | Status: Natural bare cave (no protection, no enclosure, no defensive structures)]

[Bind immediately?]

Without hesitation, Lu Heng confirmed.

A faint glow flowed and spread along the lines of his tattoo, and pale white light enveloped the entire cave. In just two seconds, the prompts finished updating.

[Binding successful! Current exclusive residence: Frostforest Cave]

[Unlocked: Basic Shelter construction panel]

[Materials required to upgrade to a Beginner enclosed Shelter: Log timber ×30]

[Notice: Dead branches, thin twigs, and substandard timber do not count as building materials. Only standard timber cut from intact tree trunks and stumps may be used]

The white light faded without any flashy effects.

Lu Heng stared at the panel's prompts and instantly understood the rules.

The so-called binding merely laid claim to this patch of ground. The cave was still only an exposed natural recess, open on all sides, without cover or barriers. Cold night winds, wild beasts, and strange forest noises could still intrude. To create a complete, enclosed, safe Shelter, he could only gather materials and build it himself.

He immediately opened his storage space and pulled out a pile of thin twigs and dead branches he had casually collected while traveling yesterday.

He tried directing the branches toward the construction panel to submit them, but the interface did not respond.

A system prompt appeared in small text: [Materials do not meet specifications. Cannot be used for construction upgrades]

As expected, they were useless.

Lu Heng understood.

Loose twigs could only fuel a fire; they could not support an enclosed Shelter's framework at all. The only way to gather thirty units of standard timber was to fell thick tree trunks in the forest and cut sturdy stumps into building timber.

Thirty units of standard timber.

Lu Heng stared at the number on the panel. Just thinking about it gave him a headache. How many trees would he have to cut down in the woods? He did not know, nor did he want to calculate it. Merely imagining the workload was enough to make his scalp prickle.

And he was not the only hunter in this forest.

With his next objective decided, he composed himself and prepared to leave the cave to cut timber.