“From that day on, the village children did not misbehave for a long time, and the hunters who used to be hunters began to gather in groups of three or five, and were always careful when hunting.”
Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other, realizing that Song Xiaoyou was telling a long story about the village's past.
"Where are the monkeys?" Lu Wuyai asked. "Could it be that every man-eating monkey turned into one of those purple-haired monkeys?"
"Purple hair." Song Xiaoyou repeated the sentence, glanced at Yang Jian, and said calmly, "That's human blood. The monkey soaked in it for too long. Over time, it can't be washed off."
Forehead
Lu Wuyai and the others remained silent for a while, not expecting things to turn out this way.
"What do you mean? Those monkeys we just encountered were man-eating monkeys. They just ate our brains, which angered me." Lu Wuyai was a little confused, because according to Song Xiaoyou, these man-eating monkeys were very intelligent, and he had no doubt about that.
As primates, monkeys possess intelligence that surpasses that of other animals.
But just now, those monkeys were clearly making fun of themselves.
"Perhaps they aren't entirely similar to man-eating monkeys," Jin Xilu said. "Didn't Song Xiaoyou say that every man-eating monkey is a unique individual?"
Su Xi recalled the yellowed woods from before and said with lingering fear, "That place was too quiet, it always felt like a tomb."
Kim Seok-rok shared the same sentiment.
"Don't scare yourself. I don't think there's any danger." Lu Wuyai shook his head because he felt there were many loopholes in what Song Xiaoyou said. For example, no one knew how Uncle Qi died at first.
It may indeed be a so-called man-eating monkey, or it may be hiding something else.
But Song Xiaoyou was too young at the time, and many scenes are still blurry in her memory now.
The story of the man-eating monkey was passed down orally by the village elders, and its authenticity can no longer be verified.
"Don't overthink it." Lu Wuyai stood up from the ground, glanced at the forest, and then turned his gaze to the sea.
"If you have time, why not go to the beach and catch a few more fish?"
By this time, the tide had begun to recede, and darkness was not far off.
Yesterday at dusk, as the water began to recede, Lu Wuyai led the others to rush towards the other three pits.
They didn't have much time left, so they had to speed up their fishing.
At four o'clock, they reached the first pit, but found little inside. Some were dead fish, stuck in the crevices of the rocks, emitting a foul stench. It was very likely that Yang Jian had shielded them from view earlier. Upon reaching the pit entrance, the tide receded, the seawater was pumped out, and most of the fish and shrimp inside died.
Then came the second and third pitfalls. Although the gains weren't significant, there was still some accumulation.
On the way back to the station, Yang Jian was asking for their opinions.
"Tomorrow, would you like to go to a more distant beach?"
Several women shook their heads simultaneously. There were already plenty of fish in the sea. Although they couldn't guarantee they would survive the cold winter, staying at the beach for too long was still a bit risky.
"Never mind, let's go home early," Su Xi said, her earlier words flashing through her mind.
The word "go home" hasn't been heard from people's ears for a long time.
The sea surged in from the horizon, splashing white waves. Everyone stood on the beach, silently looking at each other for a long while.
"Let's go, it's getting dark," Lu Wuyai reminded him.
Dusk had fallen, and a campfire was slowly burning on the rocks by the sea. The firelight dispelled the darkness, and looking up, one could see a sky full of stars.
But because of Song Xiaoyou's memory, everyone fell into a long silence.
As night fell, everything in the forest seemed to become even more eerie and terrifying.
"Do you really think those are man-eating monkeys?" Anna asked, her blue eyes wide and her long blonde hair cascading over her shoulders. She looked stunning.
"Don't worry." Lu Wuyai frowned, picked up a piece of wood from the ground, and threw it on the campfire.
The fire grew a little brighter, and the surrounding area seemed more open.
Lu Wuyai also looked at the forest, but his curiosity about the man-eating monkeys far outweighed his fear.
Like many others, he was genuinely curious.
"Song Xiaoyou, do you think the man-eating monkeys will come tonight?" Lu Wuyai asked curiously, looking at the silent Song Xiaoyou.
"I don't know." Song Xiaoyou glanced at him, puzzled. "Do you really hope they'll come?"
Lu Wuyai shook his head, then nodded, looking at everyone with a puzzled expression.
"Although I have some doubts about the authenticity of the man-eating monkeys, I naturally don't want them to come for safety reasons."
Su Xi rolled her eyes and said, "You have self-awareness."
"Heh, heh," Lu Wuyai smiled slightly, glancing again at the dim forest. He seemed to be able to vaguely see several man-eating monkeys mocking him from the treetops.
"I wonder which unlucky guy got eaten by the monkeys," Kim Seok-rok suddenly remarked.
Everyone looked at each other, as if no one else had thought of this.
The monkeys' hair turned purple. According to Song Xiaoyou, they became like this because they had been bathed in human blood.
“It could be another survivor,” Song Xiaoyou said.
As time went on, the number of survivors dwindled, and those who remained were truly fortunate.
Since the plane crash, life has not been easy for the survivors.
"Everyone, please rest, it's getting late," Lu Wuyai said from the side.
The others nodded, arranged the night watch order, and everyone began to rest while undercover.
Tonight, Lu Wuyai is the first person to keep watch.
At nine o'clock, Lu Wuyai came out of the sea and looked at a bonfire on the beach, feeling quite clear-headed.
"One more hour."
Lu Wuyai squeezed his hand, scattering the water droplets. If he had held on for another hour, Anna would have become the one on watch.
One night, one person kept watch for two hours. This was the final plan they had recently discussed. That way, when we took action the next day, no one would be delayed or stranded at the station.
As autumn arrives, the temperature changes daily, forcing the five people to work together to find food and opportunities.
There was still an hour until ten o'clock. Lu Wuyai sat on the beach, watching the ebb and flow of the tide on the opposite shore, feeling a little lost.
At some point, Lu Wuyai heard a sound coming from the woods, but upon closer listening, he could not make out anything.
"It might be because of the wind," Yang Jian muttered.
The wind was strong, especially the sea breeze after nightfall, which gave Lu Wuyai a headache.
The stars and moon were sparse, and dark clouds seemed to be rolling across the sky.
"Yang Jian".
"Yang Jian".
At some point, Lu Wuyai, who was about to take a nap, heard the sound again. He turned his head but saw nothing.
However, he suddenly became wary when he remembered the man-eating monkey that Song Xiaoyou had mentioned.
"Such an evil animal exists." Lu Wuyai took a breath. Although he was very curious about this animal, he was still very cautious in the face of life and death.
Picking up the fork from the ground, Lu Wuyai stared intently at the wind rustling through the grass, his nerves on edge.
After thinking for a moment, Lu Wuyai picked up a few stones from the ground and threw them into some bushes, but nothing came out.
"Auditory hallucination."
Lu Wuyai frowned, and after confirming again, he took the fork and walked over.
But when he turned around, there was nothing there. Lu Wuyai returned to the campfire and continued to stare blankly at it.
"Yang Jian".
The moment I sat down, the voice appeared again.
"sweet"
Lu Wuyai cursed, but when he turned around this time, he saw a clump of grass swaying and there was no strong wind, so he was obviously acting suspiciously.
Lu Wuyai immediately ran over and stuck the harpoon into the bushes.
"nothing."
Lu Wuyai frowned, stood there looking around, and then walked back to the campfire.
But for some reason, Lu Wuyai pressed his temples and felt a little dizzy, even a little nauseous.
"What happened? This feeling is so familiar." Lu Wuyai sighed and took another sip of water, hoping to feel better.
In fact, the uncomfortable dizziness became more and more severe over time.
"No, I have to wake Anna." Lu Wuyai struggled to stand up, but after taking a few steps, the feeling of dizziness and lightheadedness became stronger and stronger.
While watching the campfire, Lu Wuyai noticed that his vision was shifting between near and far, and a red forest flashed through his mind like lightning.
"That's right."
Lu Wuyai then realized that this kind of rosewood shouldn't be here. Who on earth threw this hallucinogenic rosewood here?
At this moment, Lu Wuyai was fully awake for a while. He instinctively sensed danger and immediately pounced on the other women.
The next second, Anna and Song Xiaoyou were pinned down by Lu Wuyai, and the two women immediately woke up.
However, after inhaling enough smoke, even the two who had just woken up fell into a deep coma.
Hehehe.
Strange laughter erupted from the forest behind the sand. At that moment, Lu Wuyai's heart sank to the bottom.
Hehehe.
Yang Jian.
Beside the campfire, Lu Wuyai strained to open his eyes. He wanted to see if the monkeys making the noise were the same man-eating monkeys he had seen in the forest that morning.
Now, he could no longer resist. The flames in his eyes turned into orange light and shadow, and within that light and shadow, he could only see some blurry things approaching him.
He inhaled too much smoke; the psychedelic effect in the redwood forest was too strong.
"No, I must wake up."
Lu Wuyai lay on the ground, his numb hands groping around for a while, not even knowing what he had grabbed. He used all his strength to hit his shoulder.
Pfft.
After Lu Wuyai felt a sharp pain rise in his body, most of the dizziness disappeared instantly.
Only then did Lu Wuyai have the strength to look around.
At this moment, a monkey was squatting on the ground, its purple fur shimmering in the firelight, its eyes cold as ice, as if no temperature could melt it.
“It really is a man-eating monkey.” Lu Wuyai immediately looked around and then found that a group of monkeys had gathered near the beach.
Among this group of monkeys, no fewer than ten are suspected of being man-eaters.
Now, the monkeys reach out to kill them.
Lu Wuyai didn't have time to think too much. He grabbed the dagger that had just stabbed him and rushed towards Song Xiaoyou, who was closest to him.
A purple-haired monkey immediately ran away, made a face at Lu Wuyai, and then disappeared into the grass.
"This is so exciting." Cold sweat broke out on Lu Wuyai's forehead as the story Song Xiaoyou had told him naturally came to mind.
But now, he could no longer allow himself to think too much, because the dizziness caused by the burning redwoods was hitting him again.
Even when the body experiences severe stinging, it still cannot stop the sensation.
Taking advantage of this moment, a look of determination flashed across Lu Wuyai's face. He gripped the dagger and stabbed at the other women's bodies.
Of course, the targets are all insignificant organizations, and no deaths will be caused.
Lu Wuyai knew that if they wanted to escape this disaster, they had to leave the area around the campfire and work together.
Just seconds later, everything changed.
Song Xiaoyou and the others were immediately awakened by the pain. Upon waking, they saw monkeys all around them, and everyone realized something was wrong.
"There's a gun."
"Take the gun!" Lu Wuyai roared.
"very good."
Song Xiaoyou took a breath and quickly pulled out his pistol. He hesitated noticeably as he pulled the trigger.
This is the last bullet, why use it here?
"Don't hesitate, shoot now."
"If we don't shoot, we'll all die here," Yang Jian shouted anxiously.
At that moment, Song Xiaoyou no longer hesitated, pointed the gun directly at the largest man-eating monkey, and decisively pulled the trigger.
With a bang.
Bullets streaked through the air, flames flickered, and the monkeys scattered.
"Let's go." Lu Wuyai extinguished the campfire, and the white smoke rose high into the sky and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
However, when the flames died down, the monkeys that had just left and hadn't yet entered the forest gathered together again.
With no other choice, everyone forced themselves to get up from the ground and relight the fire.
"You go start the fire, I'll go scare the monkeys away," Lu Wuyai volunteered.
“I’ll go too,” Anna said.
The two walked one after the other in the dim starlight, trying not to let the monkeys disturb the other people who were making fire by rubbing sticks together.
However, the sea breeze was too strong, and we were unable to succeed for quite some time.
Lu Wuyai was sweating profusely with anxiety. Fortunately, at the last moment, a cluster of flames appeared from Su Xi's direction.
The others immediately surrounded her to block the sea breeze, allowing Su Xi to quickly rekindle the flames.
Ahh.
A monkey leaped out of the woods, half the height of Lu Wuyai, waving its arms and moving incredibly fast, charging towards him in an instant.
There seemed to be a chain reaction; suddenly, almost all the monkeys were doing the same thing.
“Stop them.”
"Hurry up."
Although they had many weapons, everyone was a bit overwhelmed by the sheer number of monkeys, who were also man-eating monsters.
"All right."
"Fire!"
"Quickly go find some dry branches." Hearing Su Xi's voice, the others immediately perked up and handed over some easily flammable branches and dry leaves.
A few dozen seconds later, a small campfire was lit, and as more firewood was added, the flames grew stronger and more intense.
"Finally done."
Su Xi breathed a sigh of relief, sat down on the ground, and looked at her hands covered in blisters and her bloodshot eyes.
Here, the other four people were still chasing away the monkeys. During this time, most of the monkeys left, leaving only the truly man-eating monkeys. Even in the pitch-black night, the purple hair felt cold. A chill ran down my spine.
"It's a man-eating monkey, so be careful," Song Xiaoyou warned. They had already roughly guessed that the redwood in the campfire was likely made by these monkeys.
This man-eating monkey may be more intelligent and ruthless than we imagine.
"Let's leave tomorrow, lest we get targeted by these monkeys." Lu Wuyai had a bad feeling, afraid that he would encounter these man-eating monkeys again in the future.
Song Xiaoyou also said, "Man-eating monkeys are very vengeful, so don't offend them casually."
“But it’s obvious they provoked us first,” Anna said, adding that she didn’t understand and felt wronged.
In the darkness, several monkeys were still crouching in the grass, sitting like humans. The shadows in the darkness continued to grow longer, reflected in the forest, making it look particularly strange.
"Don't sleep tonight." Lu Wuyai glanced at his watch. There were still five hours until dawn.
After a while, you can leave when it gets light.
However, at eight o'clock in the morning, several monkeys were still looking down at them from the high treetops.
No matter how far they went, they persevered.
"What should I do? I really want them to stay with me," Tang Xin said anxiously.
Lu Wuyai frowned. This was truly a major problem. They couldn't shake off the monkeys' pursuit even while walking. It would only get more and more troublesome in the end.
"We'll take a detour." Song Xiaoyou sighed and continued to update the route on the next road.
At some point, Kim Seok-rok suddenly cried out. Everyone looked over and realized that her shoes were torn.
This was the first time the team had encountered something like this.
Although there were some shoes in the cave, the distant water could not extinguish the nearby fire, so in the end, Lu Wuyai gave his shoes to Jin Xilu. Because the shoes were too big, he put some things inside them.
Jin Xilu frowned. Lu Wuyai's shoes really smelled awful, but in the end she had no choice but to accept it.
Standing barefoot on the ground, Yang Jian felt extremely uncomfortable. He also worried that his current shoes would eventually break down. Would everyone be running barefoot on a desert island then?
Lu Wuyai smiled bitterly for a while, then looked down at his toes sticking out of the ground, goosebumps rising on his neck.
"Keep going, hopefully we can avoid the man-eating monkeys."
To this day, those purple-haired monkeys still follow behind them, hanging at a distance without making a sound, but they seem to have placed a sharp knife in everyone's heart that could fall at any moment.
"Let's go our separate ways," Song Xiaoyou said.
They looked at each other, then nodded, split into two groups, and walked south and north respectively.
Lu Wuyai, along with Anna and Su Xi, while Song Xiaoyou and Jin Xilu headed north.
The road to the south leads to a treacherous peak, while to the north lies another vast forest.
There were too many deserted islands, and survivors in many places were unable to contact them during this period.
After the group members were assigned, the five of them began their work. Although it was already daylight, it would soon be dark again, and they didn't have much time left.
After walking separately for a while, Lu Wuyai turned around and noticed that there were still a few monkeys on the canopy, but their numbers were significantly fewer.
"As expected, Song Xiaoyou's method was correct." Lu Wuyai frowned slightly, greeted the two women, and then, according to his previous plan, began to walk alone towards a familiar place.
Soon, the two man-eating monkeys also left, closely following behind Lu Wuyai. Their cries echoed through the forest, sounding extremely arrogant.
Before long, a familiar landscape appeared before Lu Wuyai: a stone mountain.
The ground here is covered in stones. Lu Wuyai and the others have lived here for a long time.
Lu Wuyai and the others speculated that perhaps in such a place, the man-eating monkeys would automatically give up the pursuit. As for the truth, we'll find out by trying it now.
So, as Lu Wuyai entered the rocky mountain, the monkeys in the nearby forest suddenly started screaming wildly.
Lu Wuyai glanced back at them and smiled faintly.
In any case, the mood of these two purple-haired monkeys is now clearly starting to change.
After crossing the rocky mountain, Lu Wuyai's figure instantly disappeared from the man-eating monkey's sight.
At this moment, the monkey seemed even more excited, and the whites of its eyes were even covered with blood vessels.
Lu Wuyai hid behind the rocky hill, listening intently to the sounds coming from the forest. Only when the forest disappeared did he cautiously peek out again.
"They're gone."
"I don't know if we've found Anna and Su Xi again."
Lu Wuyai wasn't too worried about the two women. According to their original plan, they should have already reached the fruit orchard.
There are many falcons in the orchard. Logically, man-eating monkeys wouldn't attack. Besides, it's broad daylight, so the chances of this happening are even lower.
Based on Song Xiaoyou's past experience, most man-eating monkeys should only launch attacks at night, and their attack methods are also diverse.
Monkeys are naturally intelligent, and monkeys that eat human brains are obviously even more so.
“Song Xiaoyou and Jin Xilu, they don’t know what happened,” Lu Wuyai said with some worry. When they parted, Song Xiaoyou didn’t say where she was going. She had just told us she should be able to escape the monkeys’ pursuit.
"Well, what's done is done. I hope everything will be alright."
With that in mind, Lu Wuyai rushed towards the fruit grove, hoping to find Anna and Tang Xin earlier.
For safety's sake, he still walked around the rocky hill once.
Later, he was surprised to find that the previously dried-up stream had started flowing again. Although it had not yet regained its flow rate, the traces of water were obvious.
"It seems that autumn doesn't extinguish all life." Lu Wuyai smiled, squatted down, washed his face, and felt refreshed.
After that, he went around the pile of stones and re-entered the forest.
On the way to the orchard, Lu Wuyai had some doubts, perhaps because he had been angered by those man-eating monkeys earlier.
Lu Wuyai kept looking back. Occasionally, he could see some creatures on some large trees, but they weren't monkeys.
"We need to speed things up," Yang Jian said.
The orchard was quite far from the rocky hill. When Lu Wuyai arrived, it was already three in the afternoon. In the distance, he heard fierce bird calls. Without a doubt, the eagles soaring in the sky were fighting again.
"Yang Jian, this way."
As soon as Lu Wuyai arrived at the orchard, Anna and Su Xi spotted him immediately.
"Where are the man-eating monkeys?" Yang Jian asked.
"I don't know." Su Xi shook her head. "I didn't see them after entering the orchard. What should I do next?"
"Let's go first, let's not linger here," Yang Jian said.
Soon, the three of them stood up from the orchard and walked among the fruit trees, looking around to avoid being targeted by the man-eating monkeys again.
Fortunately, none of this happened.
By the time they all returned to the cave, it was already dark.
Lifting up the turf, Yang Jian crawled into the hole and paused for a while.
"What's wrong?" Su Xi asked anxiously.
"It's alright, it's just Song Xiaoyou and the others." Lu Wuyai said, leaving the few pieces of paper airplane on his chest.
The fire was lit, and the five people sat on the ground. The enclosed environment gave them a sense of security.
“It should be fine,” Anna whispered, clearly a little scared.
Lu Wuyai nodded, it should be fine. Later, they separated several times, and all traces of their journey were erased.
However, everyone noticed that Song Xiaoyou's complexion was not good.
“Don’t worry,” Lu Wuyai said. “We need to be careful while we keep watch. I was too careless last night. When I went into the forest, a monkey might have put some wood in the fire; that’s about it.”
Thinking about last night, Yang Jian felt really guilty. If he hadn't left the campfire, the monkey wouldn't have had this opportunity.
"What's done is done. Just be more careful next time," Kim Seok-rok said.
Lu Wuyai pursed his lips and nodded, thinking to himself that such a thing would never happen again.
At this point, Song Xiaoyou, who had been silent, said, "Be careful, that man-eating monkey won't let us off so easily."
"To be precise, it's human beings."
Lu Wuyai frowned: "These monkeys hate humans."
"It's not like that," Song Xiaoyou said after thinking for a moment. "It's like when you've tasted an unforgettable dish once, you still can't resist it the second time you encounter it."
"For a man-eating monkey, a human brain is a dish it can never forget. Given the chance, it will definitely want it again."
"These monkeys must be poisonous," Lu Wuyai couldn't help but complain.
“It’s instinctive; it can’t be controlled by any living being.” Song Xiaoyou shook her head, looked at the ventilation vent above her head, and felt that lighting a campfire tonight was a bit risky.
"Then put out the fire, and a few of us will guard the cave entrance tonight," Yang Jian said.
The others nodded. Since the beach incident, they had to renegotiate the night watch arrangements.
Tonight, it was decided on the spot that two people would keep watch, and the time would be changed from two hours to three hours.
Lu Wuyai and Song Xiaoyou stood guard at the cave entrance. After the campfire was extinguished, the cave became extremely dark.
Woof woof
A dog barked, startling everyone.
"You damned dog, be quiet," Yang Jian said in a low voice.
Alas.
The three little black dogs were pinned to the ground and obediently shut their mouths.
In the darkness, a pair of green eyes walked over, trying to get out of the cave, but Lu Wuyai slapped them away.
"Get lost."
"It's not over yet."
Several women chuckled inside the cave, but quickly fell silent. There seemed to be something rustling on the ground outside the cave.
“It must be the wind.” Lu Wuyai lay at the cave entrance, his head resting on a protruding rock, his eyes still filled with darkness.
At that moment, he remembered the pistol that had run out of bullets and spoke up to remind the others.
"The last bullet is gone."
Yang Jian's words made everyone realize that in the future, they must not act rashly and must be cautious in every action. Even a single accident could cause irreparable damage to the team.
A tense atmosphere filled the air.
Realizing that his words had made others nervous, Lu Wuyai was about to speak when Song Xiaoyou spoke up from the side.
“It will be very dangerous from now on. The previous gunshots indicate that others have guns and bullets. Life will be tough for us after the fall.”
"Especially man-eating monkeys, they won't give up. Once they discover our tracks again, although they may not attack directly, the consequences will be unimaginable if they know we're out of bullets."
Song Xiaoyou did not ease the tension; instead, she exacerbated it.
He spoke in one breath, without any pauses.
"Anyway, everyone be careful," Lu Wuyai said beside him.
All right.
In the darkness, some responded, some remained silent. The atmosphere inside the cave was still oppressive.
Lu Wuyai thought for a while, then sighed. In this atmosphere, he really couldn't think of any jokes. He might even burst into tears before he finished speaking.
"It's very windy outside." Lu Wuyai pressed his ear to the cave entrance; the rustling wind never stopped.
That night, late at night, Lu Wuyai and Song Xiaoyou woke Anna and Su Xi. A storm was raging, and the temperature was dropping rapidly.
"It's so cold." Anna was woken up from her sleep and felt the temperature in the cave. It was so cold that she felt very uncomfortable.
Lu Wuyai picked her up, his hands and feet becoming a little restless.
"Let's go, let's go." Su Xi's face flushed red. Although the cave was pitch black, she had a feeling that someone was watching her.
Lu Wuyai chuckled softly, released his grip, and lay down in the cold cave, forcing himself to fall asleep.
Sufficient rest can ensure concentration.
It was a long night for everyone.
The next day, perhaps due to the wind direction, a large amount of rainwater poured into the cave, causing Lu Wuyai and his group to move deeper into the cave first, and then free up their hands to deal with the leaks.
On a dark, rainy night, a bright campfire appeared deep inside the cave.
Lu Wuyai noticed out of the corner of his eye that the turf at the entrance of the cave had completely collapsed and there was no chance to rebuild it in a short time.
Outside, the heavy rain continued to pour into the cave, following the contours of the land.
If this trend continues, the cave will probably turn into a huge puddle before dawn.
"I remember the cement materials are all here," Lu Wuyai asked, wiping the raindrops from his face.
Tang Xin and the others nodded, immediately knowing what to do.
On the open ground at the cave entrance, they mixed wood ash with sand and then poured rainwater over it, quickly forming cement. However, looking at the fine texture of the cement, Lu Wuyai and the others found it incredible.
The cement of the past wasn't very good. Just by touching it, you could absolutely imagine what it would look like after it was molded.
"Did it rain?" Lu Wuyai thought for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. Apart from this heavy rain, all the other materials used to make the cement were the same.
But before he could figure it out, a wave of water suddenly fell, widening the original opening twice.
"Quickly block it out!" Jin Xilu shouted anxiously. Soon, the rainwater that had rushed in had spread onto the campfire.
Lu Wuyai and the others immediately stuffed cement into their hands and walked directly to the cave entrance.
However, the cement also takes time to harden. During the process, almost half of the cave was flooded.
"More cement."
Lu Wuyai shouted that he had put some stones in the cement, hoping that it would be stronger after it hardened.
Finally, ten minutes passed. The gray cement reduced the area of the hole to three-quarters, and the amount of rainwater being poured in also decreased.
"Finally done."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. The rainwater now only flowed through the narrow opening, slowly reaching the edge of the hole and disappearing.
"Get some more cement to reinforce this hole."
Still feeling unsafe, the women stuck a piece of crocodile skin to the narrow opening and used cement as glue.
That put everyone's mind at ease.
A campfire was lit deep inside the cave, and everyone gathered together to keep warm and ward off the real drop in temperature that had begun in autumn.
Time flew by and it was the next morning.
When Lu Wuyai broke through the cement and appeared in the outside world, everything changed.
From that day on, the desolate atmosphere of autumn became even stronger, as if tinged with a burnt yellow hue, with fallen leaves covering the ground, and everything in the forest looking similar.
At a glance, everyone can see extremely far places.
A sense of loneliness permeated the forest, making it hard to like this deserted island.
Lu Wuyai walked alone to the dangerous peak and saw that the stream below was still flowing and showed no signs of drying up.
Seeing this, Lu Wuyai breathed a sigh of relief.
Once the water comes, everything else can wait.
Lu Wuyai then thought of the stream he had seen on the hill yesterday. Because of the fresh water, it was another place to spend the winter.
Today, the five of them are going to the rocky mountain. If the stream is still flowing, they must find a place nearby to take shelter from the rain.
A cunning rabbit has three burrows, let alone a person.
Soon, Lu Wuyai returned and joined the others, rushing towards Shi Qiu at top speed.
Any source of water is essential for life.
"You didn't see it wrong yesterday, did you?"
On the way, Su Xi opened her sleepy eyes, feeling really tired.
Lu Wuyai nodded. The mountain path was difficult to walk on after the rain, but they had to go see the Stone Mountain today.
If the stream beneath the precipitous peaks disappears, they will once again face the same predicament they once faced, or even death.
Before noon, the five of them stepped into the area of the rocky mountain.
Returning to this familiar place evokes a strange emotion in everyone, like a cycle of reincarnation, a journey starting anew from the rocky mountain.
"Listen."
Lu Wuyai pointed to the once-dried-up stream, which was now flowing again. Even if it was weak, it was still a glimmer of hope.
Sure enough, the dried-up stream began to flow again, though the flow was slow, and a small pond had formed not far away.
Xitang, a pool about 3 meters in diameter, was likely formed during the previous earthquake on the deserted island, because before that, the site was just a gentle gravel road.
The stream water was clean. After double confirmation, everyone began searching for shelter upstream of the rocky hill.
The rocky mountain is familiar to many people, making it increasingly difficult to find suitable accommodation in a short period of time.
In winter, only caves and underground caves are the most suitable places.
The five of them wandered around the area for a long time before finally finding a cave a kilometer away from the rocky mountain.
However, the cave is too small; it can only accommodate five people.
Of course, the advantage of doing this is that the temperature inside the cave is very warm.
Of course, there are many other drawbacks, such as the way supplies are placed and the inability to light a campfire inside the cave, etc.
"We just need to find another cave," Su Xi said.
"Let's go look for it then, there are still a few hours before dark."
Soon, the five of them divided up the area and continued their search in the nearby mountains.
Autumn was indeed bleak, but it also brought them great convenience. Standing at the foot of the mountain and looking up, they could almost find a cave.
"Not here."
"Not here either."
"It's the same here."
As we ran over all the hills near Stone Hill, a look of helplessness crossed everyone's face. There really were no caves around.
Lu Wuyai shook his head helplessly. The cave he had discovered could only accommodate two people at most if he wanted to survive the cold winter.
"Why don't we dig a hole ourselves?" Lu Wuyai suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
They looked at each other in bewilderment, but after a while, their eyes gradually brightened.
"I think it's alright." Tang Xin was the quickest to react. Since he couldn't find the cave, he might as well dig one himself, and the holes on the ground were much more hidden than caves.
The others nodded in agreement. They had never thought of this method before.
After deciding on the plan to dig a hole in the ground, the next natural step was to find a place to carry it out.
First, everyone unanimously ruled out the possibility of a stone mound, because stone mounds are made of stone and cannot be used to build underground caves.
Focusing on the forest beside the rocky hill, there is a fertile patch of land nearby. As autumn arrives, the soil begins to dry out, so digging is not difficult.
Lu Wuyai and the others looked around and finally found a relatively secluded place.
What should have been a shrub forest has withered after autumn and is now completely dry.
From here to the creek, through the forest, there is a clear, unobstructed viewpoint.
“This place is nice,” Lu Wuyai remarked.
Su Xi urged him to hurry up and get to work. He was already in a daze, and they were destined not to return to the cave tonight.
Yang Jian took a breath, raised the shovel in his hand, and continued digging in the soil beneath his feet. As for the others, some began gathering firewood, while others fetched water to wash up, preparing for tonight's vigil.
An hour later, the people in the forest could only see half of Lu Wuyai's body.
The pit was huge, and Lu Wuyai planned to dig a large cellar, at least as big as a cave.
"At this rate, it should be dug out in about a week," Lu Wuyai said, wiping the sweat from his brow. He was dissatisfied with the digging speed. The main reason was that the soil's strength had exceeded their expectations.
The deeper you dig, the greater the digging force. In soil a meter deep, it would be difficult for anyone other than Lu Wuyai to exert any force.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com