The deaths of Zhao Defu, Yang Li, and others did not leave much of a ripple in Lin Feng's heart.

For him, this was just a trivial episode in the struggle for survival in the apocalypse.

The immediate priority remains strengthening shelters and finding more abundant food sources to cope with the ever-emerging crises and long, unknown future on this planet.

While the radiance of the Sunwheel Tree brought warmth and safety, the food reserves in the shelter mainly relied on the dried meat of the exotic beasts they had hunted, some edible plant tubers they had collected, and fast-growing vegetables grown in the small vegetable garden that Qin Lan, Su Wanqing, and others had cultivated using the energy of the Sunwheel Tree.

Not only are the types relatively limited, but the consumption is also increasing as the population of the shelters grows.

Lin Feng decided to personally lead another team to explore the areas around the shelter that had not been explored before.

Ling Feng and Zhui Yue, the pair of Radiant Falcons, served as his aerial scouts, while on the ground, besides himself, he also brought Tang Bao and Su Wanqing.

Wangcai naturally followed him closely.

Their target area was a primeval forest shrouded in dense fog year-round, located northwest of the shelter.

The terrain of this dense forest is slightly higher than that of the warm basin, and the trees are thicker and older. Many of the trees are covered with thick, scale-like moss, exuding a deep and damp atmosphere.

The sunlight of the Japanese privet was greatly diminished by the dense layers of foliage, making it appear somewhat dim.

“Mr. Lin, the air humidity here is very high, and many of the trees look very old.”

Su Wanqing carefully parted the drooping vines while observing her surroundings.

She held a small notebook and a homemade charcoal pencil in her hand, jotting something down from time to time.

Lin Feng nodded, his sharp gaze sweeping over his surroundings.

His five senses have been enhanced multiple times, far exceeding those of ordinary people. He can clearly hear the faint chirping of insects in the forest and smell the complex scents of soil, humus, and various exotic plants mixed in the air.

Suddenly, Lin Feng stopped in his tracks, and his nose twitched slightly.

"etc."

He raised his hand, signaling the two people behind him to stop.

"Brother Lin Feng, what's wrong?"

Tang Bao's big, watery eyes were filled with curiosity and a little nervousness. She gripped the exquisite dagger that Lin Feng had given her for self-defense with a wary grip.

Lin Feng did not answer immediately. He closed his eyes and carefully discerned a faint, peculiar fragrance in the air.

It has an extremely unique flavor, with a hint of pine needle crispness, mixed with the fragrance of earth after rain, and hidden a rich and domineering umami aroma unique to fungi.

"This smell..."

Lin Feng opened his eyes, a hint of surprise flashing in them: "It looks a bit like... a matsutake mushroom?"

"Matsutake mushrooms?" Upon hearing this, Su Wanqing also sniffed curiously, but she obviously didn't have Lin Feng's keen sense of smell and could only smell some mixed grass and wood scents.

"Come with me."

Without further hesitation, Lin Feng followed the increasingly clear fragrance deeper into the dense forest.

Wangcai also growled softly, wagging its tail excitedly, and followed closely at his feet. It too had caught a whiff of a scent that interested it.

After passing through a thicket of bushes entwined with strange blue vines, they came to a slightly sunny, gentle slope.

The trees here are relatively sparse, and sunlight filters through the gaps in the branches and leaves, casting dappled patterns of light. Under a few unidentified giant trees with dark purple bark, Lin Feng finally found the source of the fragrance.

Among the thick layer of fallen leaves and humus, strange fungi quietly emerged.

These mushrooms are quite large, with thick caps that are over ten centimeters in diameter. They are dark brown and have a natural, silky sheen on their surface.

The stem is thick and sturdy, slightly lighter in color than the cap, with a warm, jade-like feel. Most remarkably, along the edge of the cap, one can faintly see a ring of extremely fine, shimmering pale golden specks, like stardust, which exude a mysterious and alluring aura in the slightly dim forest.

"These are them!" A hint of joy flashed in Lin Feng's eyes.

Su Wanqing also came over and carefully observed these peculiar fungi. She reached out her finger and gently touched the cap, which felt firm yet elastic.

“Mr. Lin, are these... are these really edible fungi? They look... so special.”

She said somewhat uncertainly, after all, many things on an alien planet cannot be judged using past experience.

"Absolutely right."

Lin Feng squatted down, pulled out the dagger he carried with him from his waist, and carefully pried a flower out of the soil.

The mushrooms felt heavy in my hand, and their aroma was even more intense, making my mouth water just from the smell.

He brought the mushroom to his nose and took a deep breath. A mixture of pine resin, earth, and a unique, fresh aroma rushed to his head, instantly invigorating him.

"This aroma is even more overpowering than the finest matsutake mushrooms on Earth. And look..."

He pointed to the small amount of milky white sap oozing from the broken stem: "The sap is clear, odorless, and does not change color quickly, which is usually a characteristic of non-toxic fungi."

Of course, Lin Feng wouldn't conclude that it was non-toxic based solely on these facts.

He cut off a small piece, about the size of a fingernail, and handed it to Wangcai first.

Wangcai sniffed the mushroom with its nose, then swallowed it whole without hesitation, licking its lips with lingering satisfaction, and staring longingly at the mushroom in Lin Feng's hand.

After waiting a moment and seeing that Wangcai had no adverse reaction, Lin Feng cut off a small piece and put it in his mouth.

He didn't swallow immediately, but savored it carefully with the tip of his tongue.

An indescribable, intensely fresh aroma explodes in your mouth! The flavor is rich and sweet, with a unique, peculiar taste that is a blend of nuts and a hint of caramel.

The texture is smooth, crisp, and chewy; upon closer tasting, one can even feel a faint energy pulsating on the tip of the tongue.

"Good stuff!" A glint flashed in Lin Feng's eyes, and he was overjoyed.

This is absolutely top-quality ingredient! Even better than he expected!

"Wow! Brother Lin Feng, is it really that delicious? Look at your expression, my mouth is watering!" Tang Bao watched with shining eyes, her little nostrils flaring.

Lin Feng swallowed the mushroom slice in his mouth, a satisfied smile appearing on his face: "This tastes even better than matsutake! Let's call it 'Star Mushroom'."

After confirming it was safe, the three immediately began collecting the velvet. These velvet plants have extremely high requirements for their growing environment and can only be found in this specific area; their numbers are not very large.

They carefully picked most of the mature mushrooms, leaving some smaller ones and spores so that they could continue to multiply.

Lin Feng was in high spirits after harvesting a full bag of "star antlers." This was not just about the increase in food, but also a kind of spiritual pleasure.

To be able to taste such delicious food in the wilderness is a luxury in itself.

With this unexpected find, they continued walking towards a river on the outskirts of the dense forest.

This river is a tributary of the shelter's water source. The water is crystal clear, and the riverbed is covered with colorful pebbles.

"Let's see if we can get a few fish to add to dinner," Lin Feng said with a smile. Although the shelter had some dried meat, fresh river fish would undoubtedly be more flavorful.

They walked along the riverbank, and soon Lin Feng stopped at a bend in the river where the current was relatively calm. In the clear water, a group of fish with strange, shimmering colors were swimming leisurely.

These fish are not large, about a foot long, with flat bodies covered with fine scales.

What's peculiar is that their scales are not a single color, but rather change with the angle of light as they swim, displaying a dazzling array of colors from deep blue to emerald green to crimson gold, just like the scales of a dragon in legend, shining brilliantly.

Its fins are large, with a hint of transparent pale pink at the edges, and its movements in the water are extremely graceful.

"Wow! What a beautiful fish!" Su Wanqing couldn't help but exclaim.

Lin Feng's gaze, however, fell on the swollen bellies of these fish. He noticed that the bellies of several of the larger "dragon scale fish" appeared particularly full.

"Tang Bao, get the net ready," Lin Feng said in a low voice, taking out a net woven from tough vines and fine animal sinews from his backpack.

Tang Bao nodded vigorously, her little face full of excitement and anticipation. She tiptoed towards the riverbank from the other side, her movements a little clumsy, but her eyes were exceptionally serious.

Lin Feng observed the movement of the fish, held his breath, and when the fish swam to an area with relatively lush aquatic plants, he suddenly dipped the landing net into the water and quickly scooped them up!

Water splashed everywhere as several startled "dragon scale fish" struggled desperately in the net, their scales reflecting a dazzling light in the sunlight.

"Goodness! That's quite strong!" Lin Feng lifted the net steadily out of the water with a shovel. Inside the net, three brightly colored "dragon scale fish" were jumping around.

Just as he was about to pour the fish into the fish basket, one of the fish that was struggling the most suddenly split open in its belly, and some crystal clear fish roe, the size of black pearls, mixed with a little transparent mucus, spilled out.

These fish roe shimmered with a dark and deep luster in the sunlight, each one plump and round, exuding a faint, salty and savory flavor with a hint of the ocean.

Lin Feng's eyes lit up instantly.

"Caviar?" A thought struck him. This unexpected discovery surprised him even more than catching the fish itself.

He carefully picked up the fish with its ruptured belly, and saw that its belly was full of these shiny black fish roe, piled together like the finest obsidian particles.

"Qing'er, come and look at this." Lin Feng handed the fish to Su Wanqing.

Su Wanqing leaned closer and looked surprised: "These...are these their eggs? They're so beautiful! And...they smell so good, there's no fishy smell at all, instead they have a...very special freshness."

Lin Feng carefully used his dagger to cut open the bellies of the other two fish, and sure enough, they were also full of these black fish roe.

"Looks like we're in luck today." Lin Feng smiled. "Not only do we have 'Star Velvet,' but also this top-grade 'Dragon Scale Caviar.'"

He instructed Su Wanqing and Tang Bao to continue trying to catch a few more of these "dragon scale fish," while he began processing the precious fish roe.

He carefully scraped the fish roe out of the fish's belly with the tip of his dagger and placed it on a large leaf that had been cleaned beforehand.

These fish roe feel slightly cool to the touch and are very elastic. You can feel the juice inside when you gently squeeze them.

They exude a unique salty and savory aroma, constantly stimulating Lin Feng's taste buds.

He couldn't resist picking up a few with his fingertips and putting them in his mouth.

No seasonings were added; it was just the most basic, unadulterated flavor.

When you gently bite through the thin, elastic membrane of the egg, an indescribable, exquisite flavor bursts in your mouth.

It was an extremely complex and layered flavor. First, there was a faint saltiness, like the purest sea breeze, followed by an intensely sweet and savory taste, like a concentrated essence of the ocean, with a subtle, rich aroma reminiscent of nutty oils.

The fish roe rolls on the tip of your tongue, and with each squeeze, more delicious juices gush out, creating a full and impactful taste that is simply irresistible.

The most amazing thing is that this fish roe not only has no fishy smell at all, but also has a fresh, light fruity aroma that is similar to some kind of alien fruit. After the savory taste, it leaves a sweet aftertaste in your mouth.

"Hmm!" Lin Feng couldn't help but let out a satisfied sigh.

It's so delicious!

The taste and flavor of this "dragon scale caviar" even surpassed the finest sturgeon caviar he could remember.

It was a pure, ultimate gift from alien nature.

"Brother Lin Feng, how was it?" Tang Bao also caught a smaller dragon scale fish. Although it didn't have any roe, she saw Lin Feng's delighted expression and her eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Lin Feng opened his eyes, his eyes sparkling with excitement: "Tang Bao, Wan Qing, you should try this too. This is definitely one of the most delicious things we've eaten since we came to this planet."

He handed over the leaf containing the fish roe.

Tang Bao and Su Wanqing each picked up a few and tasted them. Soon, their faces showed the same surprise and delight as Lin Feng's.

"Oh my god...it's so delicious!"

Su Wanqing covered her mouth, her beautiful eyes sparkling with admiration: "This is more delicious than anything I've ever eaten before!"

Tang Bao's eyes widened dramatically, her mouth forming an "o" shape. After a long while, she finally let out a trembling exclamation: "My God! Brother Lin Feng! This... this is some kind of divine flavor! It's... so amazing! If I were still streaming, the chat would definitely explode!"

As she spoke, she carefully picked up a few more, savoring them with undisguised adoration and happiness on her face.

With two top-quality ingredients, "Star Mushroom" and "Dragon Scale Caviar," Lin Feng was full of anticipation for tonight's dinner.

He decided to cook a meal himself to treat himself and his fellow shelter members.

They did not catch any more "dragon scale fish," only enough for that evening's consumption, as well as most of the roe.

Lin Feng deeply understands the importance of sustainable development; this precious delicacy cannot be exploited to the point of exhaustion.