night.

Schech sat at the table, resting his chin on his hand and looking out the window at the rain. "With this rain, it's hard for cars to drive."

Shi Jinzhe said, "We should be thankful that the raindrops were of normal size, otherwise the car would have been flooded."

He could hear rustling and crawling sounds outside the car; he knew without looking that insects were passing by.

After inspecting each wooden box, Shi Jinzhe sighed, "I wonder if this little butterfly will grow this big too."

“It’s hard to say.” Shech picked up a strand of pasta with his fork. “We haven’t seen any trees yet, so we don’t know how big the things here are. If the butterflies are going to come back here, then they should be about the same size.”

"If that's the case, I'm glad it was handed to me after it had emerged from its cocoon." Shi Jinzhe didn't even dare to imagine what it would be like to hold a worm in his hand every day to see where he was going.

“It said it’s not a caterpillar,” Sheikh corrected earnestly. “It said it’s very pretty, so don’t say that. Also, you’re not afraid of bugs, are you?”

After speaking, Shekh thought about it and then felt that it shouldn't be like this. He had been very calm when the leeches bit him and broke his skin.

After finishing his dinner, Shi Jinzhe sat down next to her and said, "Being unafraid and disliking are two different things. I don't really like those soft and squishy things."

He could look at it, but didn't want to; it was a twisted, strip-shaped object. He preferred Shekh's tail.

The obvious affection was evident in his eyes, and Shekh took the initiative to kiss Shi Jinzhe's chin.

"The reward is good. I can continue. Do you want to hear more?"

"That won't be necessary. Being too ulterior-motived would be insincere."

After the two finished their noodles, Sheikh opened a box of ice cream.

This is what she brought back after emptying the supply warehouse on the twenty-ninth day.

It has a mixed flavor and a smooth texture, and it won't feel cold in your throat when you eat it.

Shehe took a couple of bites, and Shi Jinzhe sat beside her silently, staring at her.

She scooped up a spoonful and handed it to him, pressing it to his lips: "Stop looking, I'll give you a bite."

"You're so good to me."

The two shared a box of ice cream and went to bed early.

The forty-second and forty-third days of the game were both passed safely.

On the forty-fourth day of the game, the car left the grass and entered a vast, towering forest.

Rows and rows of trees stand tall and straight, their dark brown bark covered with vines and moss, and flowers bloom in abundance. Looking up at the sky, a single petal can block out the clouds.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps between the leaves and flowers, and a thin beam of light, shifting between focus and illusion, condensed into a series of dazzling hexagonal halos as the eye zoomed in.

The trees were spaced far enough apart that it was easy to drive through them, which felt better than walking through the grass.

Schech rested his hands on the car window: "This is the place where I should live."

This tree looks sturdy; if you bend it over, it definitely won't collapse under her weight.

The snakes here aren't afraid of her, and the butterflies even chat with her. It's truly a wonderful place.

"You should talk to the system and ask if it's possible." Considering the previous encounters with the anaconda and the green tree python, Shi Jinzhe continued:

“But I don’t think the rainforest is a good place. It’s hot and humid. The climate here is much better than this giant forest. There’s not as much wet mud here, so you won’t get dirty. If you’re going to stay, stay here.”

"...If you don't like those two snakes, just say so."

They were beating around the bush, thinking she wouldn't understand.

"Okay, I don't like it."

In order to avoid Shekh misunderstanding, Shi Jinzhe emphasized the reason.

"It's not that I dislike snakes because they are snakes, but because I dislike them because they have ulterior motives towards you. I quite like snakes now, as long as they don't have any designs on you. If they don't like you, I like those two snakes."

...

Are you reciting a tongue twister?

Shekh is practically tied in knots by all his talking.

"It's not a tongue twister, it's saying I like you." Shi Jinzhe had been with her for so long that he had long forgotten his reserve.

Shekh liked the straightforwardness, and she didn't bring it up again.

Anyway, she was just saying it; she didn't really intend to do it.

After driving through the giant forest for a day, the two saw about a dozen monkeys swinging among the branches at dusk.

The movements were hurried and extremely fast, like a circus act; with a flick of the arm, he threw himself out and hung on another big tree.

Amidst the loud chattering and shouting, a black leopard darted out from the treetops.

The last monkey was startled and fell from the sky, landing with a thud in the bushes.

The black panther chose to continue the pursuit over the lone monkey. With a powerful push of its hind legs, it could leap over half a tree, but its final landing was unsteady, and it failed to catch the monkey it had its eye on.

Having lost its original prey, the leopard followed the unfamiliar scent and looked toward the broken car.

A few seconds later, sensing the threat, the leopard lowered its body and retreated, climbing back up the tree to conceal itself.

Shi Jin sat in the car for half an hour, but there was no further movement in the woods. He then started the car and continued on his way.

Shekh sensed his surroundings: "There are no other animals around, and the golden butterfly isn't flashing. It's safe."

"Okay, keep watching. I don't know if the road ahead is passable by cars. Let's walk a bit further today."

"We need to travel more. Butterfly just said that things won't be easy later on, so we need to allow more time."

"It also said there was nothing else."

"That's all. You can drive now. I'll tell you if there's anything else."

Shekh kept a close eye on the golden cocoon's condition the whole time, and nothing unusual happened even after midnight.

Looking at the moonlight in the sky, she advised Shi Jinzhe: "It's too late, you need to rest."

"Then let's rest. I'll find a place."

At 2 a.m., Shi Jinzhe and Shehe parked their car and went to sleep.

At night, the rustling sound of the leaves of the huge flowers, grasses and trees rubbing against each other when the wind blows is very annoying.

Shi Jinzhe tossed and turned in bed for a long time before finally falling asleep.

The next day, the two got up and continued their journey, resting late at night as usual.

On the 46th day of the game, which is the third day after entering the Giant Forest, the road narrows and cars can no longer pass.

Shi Jinzhe and Shehe put down their carts and walked.

The further they went into the forest, the denser the trees became, making it difficult for sunlight to penetrate. The two walked at the bottom, where visibility was extremely poor.

With no other option, Shi Jinzhe took out the golden cocoon and used it as a navigation and lighting tool.

As he walked along the map, Shekh smelled a strong, pungent stench of decay in the forest.

"It smells awful, it's a bit like..." she thought for a while, then said, "like the smell of a corpse."

"The stench of a corpse?" Shi Jinzhe felt a tap on the shoulder from behind. He stopped and turned around from the side where he was tapped.

Shekh turned to the side, raised his hand and pointed in a direction, "Over there, that's the way we need to go."

Shi Jinzhe handed over a mask, saying, "Put this on before you go."