Lu Zhe believed that since they relied on the creek, it should be easy to come across some animals drinking water.
He searched along the creek downhill, listening intently and observing carefully. Soon, he caught a pungent stench.
Following the smell, he found a few peanut-sized animal droppings under a clump of trees.
Since the stench was faint, mixed with a subtle herbal fragrance, Lu Zhe guessed they probably belonged to some small herbivorous animal.
As he picked one up, information about mouse deer flashed in his mind.
He was overjoyed!
He rolled it open. It was still fresh!
That meant the little creature was not far!
It looked like he had found dinner for tonight.
Then, he took out his slingshot from behind.
He crouched low and crept forward carefully, afraid to startle the precious protein in the woods.
Parting some leaves, he indeed saw two fawn-sized mouse deer frolicking by the creek.
They moved nimbly and adeptly, occasionally surveying their surroundings, appearing extremely alert and cautious.
Lu Zhe dared not get too close.
When one bent down to drink, he pinched out a pebble and took aim!
Hopefully he would not miss this time and strike true with one shot!
"Whoosh!"
The pebble still veered slightly off course. The two mouse deer were startled, one leaping backwards and the other forwards.
This was a trait of herbivorous mammals. When faced with danger, they would instinctively flee in different directions to divide the predator's attention.
The one that jumped back quickly disappeared into the woods with rustling sounds.
The one that leapt forward actually plunged right into the creek and dove underwater.
When Lu Zhe walked over, he only saw the mouse deer poking its head out at him like a seal.
Lu Zhe understood that diving was a mouse deer's survival tactic, but it came at a great cost. Once its fur got drenched, it would be hampered for a long time.
Lu Zhe sighed, "You might have gotten away from other predators, but next life don't play this game with humans."
Then, Lu Zhe simply hauled it out and knocked it dead to gain an ability point.
Weighing it in his hands, it was barely over three pounds!
Could you believe this was the size of a fully-grown deer?
Just then, the sun had set. Lu Zhe completed his task and sauntered back to camp with the mouse deer.
By now, the two girls had chopped quite a bit of firewood and kindling. The bonfire crackled vigorously.
They were using the remaining ropes to weave a hammock, almost done.
Indeed, having flint greatly freed up manpower. He would have to make more when there was a chance.
Ning Shu saw Lu Zhe return: "Chief, you finally came back. You had us worried sick!"
"I am the Chosen One. How could those plebeians in the woods possibly pose a threat to me!"
Tang Xiaoguo said, "Can you guys stop with the classical Chinese already? Little Brother Zhe, what did you catch?"
"Deer!"
"Where is it, darling?"
Lu Zhe tossed the mouse deer on the ground.
Both girls gaped. "This is...a deer??"
Tang Xiaoguo examined it. "Lu Zhe, you didn't kidnap a newborn fawn, did you!"
Ning Shu smiled. "Are you sure this isn't a squirrel?"
"Tiny as it is compared to a squirrel, this is genuinely a deer. Just look at its hooves if you don't believe me. And let me tell you, this is a fully grown one."
The two girls inspected the hooves. "Damn, it really is!"
"This can't be some new species, right?"
"No, it's a mouse deer, also called chevrotain. It was once thought to be extinct but has been rediscovered in recent years. There isn't much meat on it. We still have some mushrooms left. Let's braise some mushrooms to eat."
"Sure, let's prepare it together."
They removed the head, skinned and disemboweled it. The three-pound mouse deer was left with only one and a half pounds of meat.
After washing it clean and dicing it, they cooked it with mushrooms.
They scooped the scum, added some chili peppers and lemongrass, and finally a pinch of Ning Shu's salt.
Soon a mouthwatering aroma drifted out.
They blew on a piece to cool it before popping it in their mouths. The rich flavor of meat filled their palates.
Lu Zhe believed that if deer meat were categorized into grades, this kind would certainly be top-tier.
No wonder the species was on the brink of extinction. Overhunting by humans likely played a role.
He wondered if the creature could be domesticated.
Just then, Ning Shu noticed something and her expression tightened abruptly. "Lu Zhe, look over there!"
Lu Zhe turned his head. Fifty meters behind him on a tree, a pair of glowing eyes peered at them intently.
It was that clouded leopard again.
Tang Xiaoguo felt the hairs on her nape stand up.
"Good gracious, that beast came back!"
"It's got its eyes set on us now, huh."
Lu Zhe pondered, "I guess the meat aroma attracted it over. Cooking makes the scent more intense but it's not actually suitable for them to eat."
Ning Shu said, "Still, having it stare at us like that sure makes me uneasy. Can we drive it off?"
"Simple. Watch me!"
Lu Zhe picked up a rock and got to his feet. He hurled it at the tree.
The rock banged loudly against the trunk, startling the clouded leopard. It nimbly leapt onto another tree and turned to flee.
"Don't worry. It's vicious but gutless."
"Didn't you say it was a man-eating leopard?"
Lu Zhe smiled candidly. "I was deliberately trying to scare you so you wouldn't fall sleep at night. But having just arrived in this place, someone still needs to be on watch tonight."
Ning Shu nodded. "That works out perfectly. There was only enough rope left to make one hammock, barely fitting two people. Why don't you two take it tonight while I stand guard?"
"Lack of rest could hamper our overall traveling speed. It'd be better to take shifts. " Lu Zhe checked his watch. "It's 7:30 PM now. Let's turn in at 8. First shift from 8 to 11:30 PM goes to our squad leader. I'll take the second watch from 11:30 PM to 3 AM. Xiaoguo will be on duty from 3 to 6:30 AM until morning. While one person keeps watch, the other two can sleep soundly. Any objections?"
Then, Lu Zhe and Tang Xiaoguo squeezed into the one hammock.
After a month of surviving together, the initial awkwardness between the genders had long vanished. Tang Xiaoguo nestled naturally into the crook of Lu Zhe's arm and fell soundly asleep.
The night passed peacefully.
July 15th, the 36th day stranded on the deserted island...
The three finished the leftover meat soup from last night and continued their journey.
Lu Zhe led them through the jungle all day until finally descending the mountain and arriving at the island's hinterland.
If they had kept walking in this direction, they would have reached their intended destination for building a new home.
But now, they had to make haste and circle back from the eastern beach to the ridge's reverse side to locate their companions in the bear cave, before transporting everything together over there.
By nightfall, they finally arrived at the long-absent beach. Just then, thunder rumbled.
It actually started pouring again.
Indeed, the July southwest monsoon had come to Southeast Asia, marking the advent of rainy season.
ave】 Shen Qingling was a man with peerless looks, a cunning mind, and the ability to play both the aloof noble and the innocent sweetheart—a master of seduction who could outplay any player. But after an untimely death, he found himself bound to a system and transmigrated into the tragic "true young master" of a melodramatic novel. In the original story, his childhood sweetheart treated him as a backup plan, his fiancée swore to break off their engagement for the sake of the "fake young master," and his own sister saw him as the family's disgrace. He was nothing more than a rat everyone wanted to stomp on. System 077: "Your mission is to change the original fate and conquer the goddesses." Shen Qingling: "Thanks for the invite. If seduction had tiers, I’d be max level." His childhood sweetheart knelt, begging for forgiveness: "Qingling, I was wrong. Please give me another chance." His ex-fiancée refused to marry anyone else: "Shen Qingling, I was blind before. In this life, I’ll marry no one but you." A yandere CEO went mad for love: "Shen Qingling, you can only like me. I’ll stop at nothing to make you mine!" His green-tea sister clung to him daily: "Brother, look at me, won’t you? I’m more obedient than them—I love you the most~" At first, they scorned and trampled on him. Later, they burned themselves like moths to a flame, all for his sake. His looks were his weapon, his sweet words the bait—heroines obsessed over him, villains turned to madness for him. Shen Qingling became a true male siren, igniting battlefield after battlefield of women fighting for his affection. Years later, when System 077—now one of the elites—was asked how to become as outstanding as it, it lazily exhaled a smoke ring and replied: "Just know how to cheer ‘666’ at the right time."
lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.
ither go to a cultivation world where a single sword strike can defeat ten thousand enemies. Or they travel back to historical dynasties to alter history and wield imperial power. At the very least, they'd go back a few decades to get rich using their future knowledge and build a harem. Who the hell would transmigrate here!
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
