90 Wilderness Survival
◎The wolves haven't returned yet.◎
Ye Zhizhi focused his eyes and tried to look far away, but still could not see the end.
She looked around and saw mountains on both sides gradually transitioning into the Gobi Desert.
If she and Xiaohua went there, the unfamiliar terrain and environment would bring unknown dangers.
I don’t know how long this trip will take.
Ye Zhizhi was still worried about the wolves.
She felt conflicted. She intuitively felt confident that the wolves would be fine, but she couldn't feel at ease unless she saw them with her own eyes.
But then she thought, since she had already come here, she might as well explore for a few more days. Besides, the raft had not been built yet, and she didn't know if it could carry the wolves here. If it didn't work, she wouldn't be able to leave and come back under the wolves' noses.
Ye Zhizhi was conflicted and asked Xiaohua to take her down from the tree.
In the end, Ye Zhizhi did not enter the Gobi Desert with Xiaohua.
Most of her belongings were across the river. It would be irrational to rush into an unfamiliar area without adequate preparation. Ye Zhizhi thought about it and gave up the idea.
They returned to the river again.
As time went by, it was already evening. When sunset met night, the light began to dim and the river surface appeared dark.
Ye Zhizhi hesitated for a moment and didn't rush to cross the river.
Crossing the river at night, even with Xiaohua around, she still didn't feel safe. She decided to wait until tomorrow. She didn't know if the group of man-eating ants were still nearby, and she didn't hear any wolf howling.
No matter what decision Ye Zhizhi made, Xiaohua supported him. They walked around the area and finally decided to stay by the river for the night.
No one could predict what would happen in the forests here, but if there was any danger, they could immediately jump into the river and swim away quickly, which was also very convenient.
Ye Zhizhi thought of making a fire. There were a lot of dead branches and leaves here, so he should be able to start a fire.
I don’t know what dangers there are in this unfamiliar area, but many wild animals are instinctively afraid of fire, so this will be safer.
She touched the snakeskin bag and suddenly remembered that her medicine powder and lighter were in the bag, and she had been soaking in the water for so long!
Ye Zhizhi's heart skipped a beat and he quickly took out all the small bags inside.
She opened the bag of powder and it was empty. When she poured it out, only a little water was left, which was all washed away by the foam.
The dried meat and fruit are still wet, so you can still eat them after drying them again.
Ye Zhizhi picked up the most important lighter, opened the lid and pressed it. After several times, fire still came out, but it was a little dim and weak.
Fortunately, Ye Zhizhi felt relieved that the loss was not too big. This lighter is waterproof and does not affect its use.
Ye Zhizhi looked at the marks on his wrists and ankles. They were not completely healed yet, but he should not need to apply medicine anymore. He didn't feel anything anymore.
The river bank was very humid, so Ye Zhizhi found a slope sheltered from the wind, and found some thin branches and dead leaves at the edge of the jungle. He cleaned the surroundings, dug a small hole, broke thin branches and laid them in a haphazard manner, and then covered them with some dead leaves.
Ye Zhizhi found some relatively dry leaves and lit them, then placed thin branches on them. Huge amounts of thick smoke came out. She lowered her head and puffed up her cheeks to blow while placing the leaves.
Before long, the fire started burning. Ye Zhizhi added thicker branches to it, then cut a few branches with a dagger, supported them with a stone, and placed them in rows at an angle on the edge of the fire, and then put dried meat and dried fruits on it.
Although Xiaohua is instinctively afraid of fire, the instinct of cold-blooded animals will drive them to pursue warmth. Therefore, relatively speaking, Xiaohua is not as afraid of fire as a wolf. After sensing the heat source, it crawls forward slightly and coils up its body.
The firelight shone on the snake, casting a huge shadow.
Xiaohua moved her tongue in and out, catching the cub's breath and sensing her location. The snake head faced her and followed the cub's movements.
Ye Zhizhi was busy, and went to the edge of the forest to look for branches. She brought back two large piles of firewood, sat aside, and put the snakeskin bag on the fire to dry with branches, and then ate the half-dried dried fruits and meat.
After filling his stomach, he put the rest back into the snakeskin bag.
At this time, the sky had become completely dark, with only a flash of fire on the river bank illuminating a cluster of light.
Ye Zhizhi sat below for a while. She put the remaining branches into the fire. The flames suddenly became brighter and then climbed up Xiaohua's body.
Xiaohua coiled up in circles by the river, while Ye Zhizhi lay between the coiled bodies, alert to the surrounding environment.
Xiaohua's voice was hoarse and very clear in the quiet night. Ye Zhizhi rubbed the snake head that Xiaohua brought closer, then closed his eyes and rested.
That night, Ye Zhizhi heard many subtle noises coming from the jungle. Even if some were silent, she could still keenly perceive the vague gazes.
But perhaps because of the presence of the fire and the small flowers, the predator that was watching secretly did not show up in the end.
The fire began to die out in the second half of the night, and the embers gradually dimmed.
There were strange noises in the jungle. Xiaohua raised her snake head high and hissed, as if warning something in the darkness.
It was not until dawn came and the sight from the jungle disappeared that Ye Zhizhi truly fell asleep.
The next day, at noon, Ye Zhizhi rubbed his eyes and climbed down from Xiaohua.
Ye Zhizhi immediately observed the movements on the other side of the shore. She didn't hear the howling of wolves calling her last night, and now she looked out but still didn't see any trace of the wolves.
Where did they go? How could they have run so far?
Without the wolves on the other side, Ye Zhizhi was in no hurry to cross the river. Of course, she and Xiaohua were just looking for some wild fruits nearby. She still remembered being watched by some ferocious beast all night. Although she knew it might not be in the jungle at the moment, she tried not to go too deep to avoid a confrontation.
Ye Zhizhi picked some wild fruits that he was familiar with, turned his head to look in the direction of the Gobi Desert, and finally decided not to go in.
She took Xiaohua to the riverside and thought about the swimming training she had planned to do earlier.
Ye Zhizhi originally learned her swimming skills in Xiaohua's school, and now she has to continue to bother Xiaohua. She wants to learn how to dive and swim in deep water for a long time.
It was her only lighter, and it was lucky enough to escape the damage yesterday, but it might not be the same this time. If it got soaked and damaged, it would be the end of her.
She didn't want to try rubbing two sticks together to make fire again. Although she had mastered the technique, it was too laborious and the uncertainty of making fire by rubbing two sticks together was too great. She also had to prepare dry firewood and leaves and make tinderboxes all the time...
Having this lighter can solve many of her troubles.
Ye Zhizhi thought about it, tied the snakeskin bag on her shoulders, carried it with all her strength, trying not to let it touch the water, and then asked Xiaohua to take her across.
Xiaohua had been in contact with Ye Zhizhi for a long time and could understand the meaning of her voice, but at first it pretended not to understand and looked at her with its head tilted.
Ye Zhizhi: “…” Although Xiaohua and Yinyi don’t get along, in some ways, they are quite similar and are both good at playing dumb.
Of course, in the end, Xiaohua couldn't resist the little cub's request and swam over with her.
At first, Xiao Hua swam very slowly, listlessly, turning in circles from time to time. Ye Zhizhi saw that the overall direction was correct, so he stroked Xiao Hua's snake body soothingly, but said nothing.
But not long after, Xiaohua seemed to have figured it out and swam quickly to the other side, faster than taking a boat.
Ye Zhizhi leaned back and almost fell into the water.
Fortunately, Ye Zhizhi stabilized his body in time.
Soon, Ye Zhizhi and Xiaohua returned to the opposite side.
Ye Zhizhi checked the package on the shore. Nothing had been disturbed overnight, except for the man-eating ants that had crawled over it yesterday. Apparently, they weren't interested in her package, so everything was intact and undamaged.
She sniffed the air and walked around the forest with Xiaohua, but there was still no sign of wolves. It had already been a whole night, hadn't they run too far?
She paid special attention and found that the traces of the man-eating ants had disappeared without a trace.
Ye Zhizhi thought about whether to go looking for them, but she only knew the general direction in which the wolves disappeared. What if they changed their route later, wouldn’t they miss the wolves they found?
Ye Zhizhi was sure that if the wolves didn't run too far, they would definitely come back in time.
No matter how far the wolves ran, they should be able to come back today, right? Ye Zhizhi thought for a moment and decided that she should not run around and just wait here for the wolves to come back and find her.
She took advantage of this time to practice her swimming skills. She also wanted to learn how to dive and hold her breath.
Ye Zhizhi tried hard to communicate with Xiaohua. Although Xiaohua could not understand complicated things, she knew that the little cub wanted to go into the water, and that was enough.
Ye Zhizhi put the snakeskin bag on the shore, carrying only the dagger as a weapon. Then she lay on Xiaohua's head and hugged her with her limbs. Xiaohua sank down. Before she completely entered the water, she took a deep breath and then sank into the water in an instant. The water on the river rippled a few times and soon returned to calm.
She was not quite used to it at first, as the water surrounded her from all directions. The forest was obviously very quiet, but once she entered the water, there was another kind of tranquility, as if everything in the outside world was isolated, forming a unique underwater world.
Ye Zhizhi tried to open his eyes after a while. At first, his eyes felt sore and swollen, but he soon saw the underwater world clearly and was deeply attracted.
Looking from the surface of the river, one cannot see the bottom of the water clearly. Ye Zhizhi thought that the water was very deep and appeared green.
In fact, the water is quite shallow at a distance of about ten meters from the shore. The bottom of the water is mottled with dark green moss, and many fish and shrimps live in it.
Xiaohua took Ye Zhizhi to swim underwater, and soon they dived deeper and deeper.
The underwater light gradually dimmed, and the water became dark green and quiet.
The bottom of the water seems to be a world of its own. Aquatic plants grow on the riverbed, and their slender branches and leaves sway with the waves, as if they have life. Many fish swim among them, sometimes gathering in groups, and sometimes suddenly dispersing and swimming around as if frightened.
The terrain of the riverbed is also very complex, as if it is a miniature of mountains and plains. Occasionally, dark underwater holes can be seen, sucking in water and surrounding plankton.
The sunlight refracts through the water surface, creating mottled shadows, adding a touch of warmth to the quiet underwater world and making it come alive.
Ye Zhizhi stayed underwater for less than two minutes before she couldn't hold on any longer and wanted to come out. She patted Xiaohua to let her know, then let it go and swam up.
With a push from Xiaohua's huge body, Ye Zhizhi, who was still trying to swim upstream, instantly broke through the water, revealing his wet little head.
Ye Zhizhi took a deep breath, but she was almost suffocating.
She floated on the water and turned her head to look around. At this time, she was dozens of meters away from the river, and Xiaohua continued to swim forward with her on her back, swimming very fast.
Ye Zhizhi gently patted Xiaohua's torso, hissed a few times, and swam back.
Xiaohua was unwilling and slowly changed direction.
Ye Zhizhi rested for a while, then floated on the water and prepared to swim over by himself.
Anyway, with Xiaohua by her side, she doesn't have to worry about getting exhausted and drowning.
The river looked calm, but the water was very fast. While she was swimming towards the shore, she had to pay attention to fighting against the current that was trying to push her down. No wonder she got tired so quickly.
However, while tossing back and forth in the water, Ye Zhizhi gradually mastered a more energy-saving swimming method.
After doing this for a while, I swam a little, practiced holding my breath, and then returned to the shore.
She soaked in the water for a whole day, and her skin became wrinkled and pale, and she felt cold from the inside out.
However, after sitting on the shore for a while, bathed in the setting sun, her body warmed up a little and she quickly adapted.
After Ye Zhizhi caught his breath, he turned his gaze to the forest again.
Another day passed, and the wolves still hadn't returned.
She panicked. Could the wolves be in danger? What kind of danger could delay their return?
Ye Zhizhi could no longer sit still. She put the snakeskin bag on her back, held the dagger and ran towards the forest, no longer caring about how dangerous the forest would be after nightfall.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
