Big Shrimp (Continued)

He was very careful when taking the bird eggs, only taking the one he wanted to take and trying not to touch the other eggs with his hands to avoid leaving any scent.

Ban Ming and A Hu were digging around nearby, putting the bird eggs they found into his basket.

If they happen to encounter Violent-Violent Bird in its nest, they will simply walk past it, avoiding any provocation to prevent being pecked by the bird.

The Violent-Violent Bird is quite large, and the eggs it lays are also large. Jian Mo felt they were a little bigger than duck eggs, but not as big as goose eggs.

The shells of these eggs are quite hard, much harder than those of regular chicken eggs; they are both hard and thick.

The thick eggshell may better protect the fertilized eggs inside, making it easier for them to survive in nature.

As they were taking bird eggs, more and more birds were disturbed and began to make uneasy noises.

Ban Ming glanced back and quickly called to the others, "Let's speed up, or we'll be in trouble if the flock of birds comes back."

Whether he was jinxing it or not, no sooner had he finished speaking than a bird let out a long cry.

When they looked up again, the flocks of birds that had returned from their outings and those that had stayed on the sandbar had gathered together. The birds that had found their companions immediately became fierce and flew over to peck at them.

Ban Ming cried out in alarm, "Run! Run now!"

Before Jian Mo could speak, Ban Ming had already transformed back into his beast form, grabbed the basket containing the bird eggs, and disappeared into the jungle in a few swift movements.

Jian Mo, who was originally holding the basket in one hand, stumbled and almost fell over when he was lifted up like that.

Before he could react further, the bird flew over and began pecking wildly at him.

What kind of luck is this?

Jian Mo quickly covered her head and face and ran in another direction.

The bird wouldn't give up, flapping and pecking at him, instantly reminding him of the fear he felt as a child being dominated by geese.

Just as Jian Mo was wondering which way to run, a long-haired orange cat ran up behind him, grabbed his collar, and ran off in the other direction.

They ran around wildly, crossing the lake and wading through the river. After running for who knows how long, they finally reached a meadow. Only two or three of the Violent-Violent Bird behind them remained, and they ran away after being shooed away by them.

Everyone was exhausted, and a bunch of big cats, dogs, and Gaia orcs lay scattered on the grass.

After lying down for a while, Ban Ming finally managed to get up and start counting heads. "One, two, three... seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, okay, everyone's here. Is everyone alright?"

Xi Lu lazily raised her hand. "I'm not injured, just a little tired."

Ban Ming: "It's alright, let's rest here for a bit."

As he spoke, Ban Ming inspected the basket.

Whether it was the dry grass lining the basket that helped, or the eggshells that were thick, almost none of the eggs in the basket broke after he ran such a long distance.

Ban Ming said proudly, "It seems my running technique has improved again. I ran really fast and steadily, and the bird eggs are still intact."

Jian Mo lay on the grass, glanced at him, and sneered, "Silly cat, that's because I lined it with dry grass."

Ban Ming: "???"

Jian Mo: "What?"

Ban Ming cautiously said, "Jian Mo, you seemed a bit fierce today, you know."

Jian Mo sighed, completely ignoring him.

A Hu laughed uncontrollably from the side, "That's because when the bird came, you snatched the basket from Jian Mo's hand and completely ignored Jian Mo, causing Jian Mo to get pecked by the bird."

Ban Ming carefully explained, "Wasn't it because you were there? I thought you could take Jian Mo's basket first, so I grabbed it."

Jian Mo wasn't angry, but he missed Wu Jiong terribly. He sighed, too lazy to continue the topic.

Jian Mo had just run so hard that she was covered in sweat. She had also been whipped by branches and grass along the way, and her body was covered in all sorts of sap.

After resting for a while and recovering, Jian Mo stood up and went to the river to wash her face.

Xi Lu and the others got up and went together.

There's a river nearby. It's not deep; it's a rocky river, probably formed by snowmelt from the mountains.

Jian Mo touched the water; it was so cold it hurt her bones.

However, washing her face with this water felt very comfortable. After washing her face a few times, Jian Mo felt much refreshed and sat comfortably on the rock, letting out a long sigh of relief.

Xi Lu had finished washing up and was also resting on a nearby rock. "Jian Mo, is this your first time running around like this?"

Jian Mo thought for a moment and said, "No, it's not that. I was chased by other animals when I was little."

When he was a kid, he and his friends in the village were often chased by dogs, which was quite exciting.

Xi Lu asked curiously, "What animal?"

Jian Mo couldn't explain it clearly, she said, "It's a unique animal in our area. It's quite fierce if you provoke it; it will bite."

As the two were talking, the others gradually finished washing their faces.

A gentle breeze is blowing, and it's quite comfortable sitting in the sun; nobody really wants to move.

Jian Mo stared at the stream for a while, and then suddenly noticed fish swimming around in it.

Fish from these streams are generally tastier than those from large rivers or lakes; they are very fresh and have little fishy smell.

Jian Mo became interested. "Let me see if I can catch some fish."

Xi Lu stood up. "I'll catch them with you."

Jian Mo is now quite skilled at catching fish. The stream isn't deep, making it even easier to catch fish, and he caught two in no time.

When he tried to catch more, he saw not only fish in the stream, but also translucent shrimp. He was overjoyed. "Look, there are shrimp!"

Xi Lu came over and took a look. "It's quite big, it probably swam up from the lake."

Jian Mo: "Maybe, I'll catch some shrimp."

Jian Mo hadn't eaten shrimp in a long time and thought there weren't any near the Riverside Tribe, but she unexpectedly saw some today.

Shrimp don't swim very fast, so they're much easier to catch than fish. If you can see them, you can usually catch them.

Jian Mo worked quickly and soon caught more than ten shrimp.