After breakfast, Li Ling and Liu Ruoling didn't leave the pots and pans for Liu Ruoxi to wash; instead, they washed them themselves. Then they went to set up the shed and lay stones. All morning, they went about their own business, neither saying much. The atmosphere in the entire camp was heavy, like the calm before a storm.
Wang Lun, however, had a very fruitful journey. This time, he chose to walk upstream along the stream. His reasons were twofold: firstly, to check the waterway for any problems; secondly, to look for wild vegetables, as there are usually plenty along the stream; and thirdly, to see if there were any freshwater fish or shrimp. If so, he could catch them later and keep them, so he could enjoy fresh fish soup in the winter.
However, it seemed that Wang Lun hadn't seen any fish along the way, only some crabs. But there were plenty of wild vegetables; he spent the whole morning digging as he walked, almost filling his basket. Of course, he had walked a long way. Wang Lun was walking quite fast, which is why he had such a large harvest.
Of course, they encountered some problems along the way. They came across large puddles blocking their path and had to detour. They also encountered snakes, but they slithered away before Wang Lun could approach. Wang Lun also slipped and fell a few times on the wet, slippery stones, but nothing serious happened, so he was quite lucky overall.
By this time, the sun was high overhead. Wang Lun had basically accomplished his goals for the day. The waterway had been checked and there were no major problems; the minor issues had also been resolved. He had gathered almost a whole basket of wild vegetable leaves, enough to feed the four of them for a while. The only remaining goal was to find freshwater fish and shrimp. So Wang Lun decided to walk for another half hour; if he still found nothing, he would return to camp.
Wang Lun strode forward. Soon, he reached a fork in the river. He then realized that the stream he was currently in was merely a tributary of a larger river. The main river in front of him had a much larger volume of water. Moreover, Wang Lun could clearly see fish swimming in the water.
Wang Lun didn't immediately start catching fish. Instead, he put down his basket, drank some water, and rested. While resting, Wang Lun decided to look further downstream to see if there were any larger ponds; if there were fish, that would be even better. Actually, Wang Lun's best option was to go upstream, but he wanted to confirm the danger situation on the island, so going downstream was more in line with his needs.
At the same time, since he was alone, he could take some risks. If Li Ling and the others were there, Wang Lun would definitely choose to go upstream, as it would be safer.
Wang Lun ate some dried hyena meat he had brought to replenish his strength. He placed his basket on the side of the stream, then, carrying his spear and a machete at his waist, he stepped towards the riverbank.
Wang Lun took one step and looked three steps ahead, while remaining vigilant about his surroundings. After walking for about half an hour, he reached a flat area. However, Wang Lun did not leave the woods but instead hid in the trees, watching the depression ahead.
Wang Lun saw several deer and a herd of goats grazing and drinking in the depression. Although excited, Wang Lun didn't rush out; instead, he became even more concealed. He had spotted a large cat, a cheetah. He didn't know its exact breed, only that it could easily kill him.
Wang Lun stayed to watch because he wanted to see if he could snag something while the big cats were hunting. If he could encounter a stray mountain goat or deer, that would be even better. Even if not, just witnessing a big cat hunting would be something to brag about. As for the big cat discovering him and attacking him, Wang Lun wasn't worried.
The spear in his hand and the machete at his waist were not easy to fool. Moreover, Wang Lun had already shared his experience. The probability of him returning empty-handed was high. As for the probability of the big cat attacking him, that was even smaller than the probability of him getting a freebie. After all, Wang Lun was far away from them, and the big cat was already in action.
Soon, a deer seemed to sense something was wrong and looked around. The big cat also noticed that the deer and goat herd were aware of the situation. So it stopped hiding and ran towards one of the deer. The deer and goat herd scattered and fled.
At the same time, Wang Lun was also quietly retreating. When Wang Lun saw the great cat's speed, he realized he had underestimated the cat and overestimated himself. His initial assessment was based on the hyena pack's fighting strength, leading him to believe he had a chance against the great cat. However, upon witnessing the cat's speed, he knew the hyenas and the great cat were not in the same league. Moreover, this was a direct confrontation, whereas before it was a defensive operation within the camp.
Wang Lun understood the situation and retreated immediately. Once he was out of sight of the depression, he turned and ran, quickly returning to the stream. He then slung his basket over his shoulder and rushed back to camp. He dared not linger there.
It took Wang Lun more than ten minutes to run back to the stream and find his basket. However, he was now a bit more disheveled than before. Running in the woods was very different from running on flat ground, especially since it was his first time there and he wasn't very familiar with the area. So, he fell several times on the way back. But he made it back to the stream unharmed.
Wang Lun shouldered his basket and, without taking a break, hurried back to the camp.
About half an hour later, Wang Lun was walking along the bank of the stream when he heard some noise ahead. He touched the machete at his waist and gripped the spear tightly. With the spear in hand, Wang Lun assumed an attack stance and headed towards the source of the sound.
As Wang Lun walked past the large rock blocking his view, he saw a goat flailing about, seemingly stuck. Upon closer inspection, Wang Lun confirmed it was indeed stuck. One of its front hooves was wedged in a crevice between the rocks. The more it struggled, the deeper it was stuck, and blood was seeping out.
Wang Lun stepped forward with a smile; this was truly a windfall. A live goat was far better than a dead one. So, Wang Lun took out a vine from his basket, first holding the goat down to prevent it from struggling, then gagged it to stop it from bellowing and attracting other animals. He then tightly bound the goat with the vine. Once the goat was secured, Wang Lun pulled out its front hoof, which was stuck in a crevice in the rocks. There were only some bloodstains left from the goat's struggle; there were no other injuries. Wang Lun quickly bound the front hoof again, securing the goat once more, before placing it in his basket. Carrying the goat, Wang Lun hurried back to camp.
Unbeknownst to Wang Lun, shortly after he left, the same large cat he had seen before returned to the rock. The cat sniffed around, seemingly spotting Wang Lun, but couldn't identify what it was. The goat was also gone, so the cat didn't pursue him, but instead returned to the woods and quickly disappeared into the depths.
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