Making Slingshots, Calculating Bearings

Compare and contrast, length and thickness, just right!

Peeling off the tree bark reveals a smooth wooden stick with one end larger and the other end smaller. The rough edges on both ends have been smoothed out, giving it a satisfying feel when held in the hand.

Next, Lu Zhe used Ning Shu's pencil to draw a small frame on the larger end of the wooden stick. Then, he spent over an hour using a stone and chisel to create a through-hole within the frame.

He then tried to fit in the stone axe head!

If it didn't fit, he would widen the hole a bit more. Once it felt just right, he inserted a charcoal fire into the hole. While the inner groove was charred, he took advantage of the principle of expansion and contraction due to heat to widen the opening. Finally, he firmly wedged the stone axe head into the wooden stick.

To make the stone axe more sturdy, Lu Zhe melted some plastic bottles and poured the molten plastic into the gaps of the stone axe, tightly sealing and compacting it.

Lastly, he tightly bound it with strips of tree bark.

And thus, a perfectly sturdy stone axe was completed!

It took Lu Zhe more than two hours to make this axe!

Even with a 2.8-fold increase in strength, he was getting exhausted quickly!

Under normal circumstances, it would have taken him an entire day just to make this one stone axe.

Although it was time-consuming, physically demanding, and the rewards were meager, it was definitely worth it!

Lu Zhe gripped the handle of the stone axe, feeling like he held the whole world in his hands.

He went on to chop down a small tree, effortlessly as if cutting through melons and vegetables. In less than twenty minutes, the branches of the small tree became firewood that could be used for the evening.

Now he wouldn't have to worry about not having firewood tonight!

He left the trunk intact, considering it for use as a shelter.

"Oh? This small tree branch looks good!"

Lu Zhe discovered a branch with a main diameter of about 2.5 centimeters, slightly thinner than his thumb, and thicker than the two branch forks.

It was excellent material for making a slingshot!

Why not use it to make a slingshot?

Using the abundant pebbles on the ground as ammunition, it could be used for self-defense and even to shoot seagulls and terns.

First, find the materials!

The tree branch would serve as the main body of the slingshot!

Next, find some rubber bands!

Oh right, Ning Shu had a bundle of high-quality headbands, 20 pieces to be exact. He had used a few, but there were still plenty left. He wasn't sure if they would be suitable as rubber bands for the slingshot.

Lu Zhe took one out and used a small round knife to cut open the outer decoration. Inside was a circular rubber hose similar to a valve core, but much thicker and with much greater elasticity.

It fit perfectly around a girl's slender wrist, and when stretched, it could reach a length of 15 centimeters, and with a strong pull, it could stretch up to 40 or 50 centimeters!

Moreover, its rebound performance was excellent, making it the best material for making a slingshot!

Padding!

Use the soles of discarded sandals collected from the ground!

Everything was ready!

Next, Lu Zhe smoothed the cut end on a stone, then used a small round knife to split the bark into small vertical forks. He peeled off the bark, leaving it smooth and bare.

In order to maximize the power, Lu Zhe dismantled eight rubber bands, tied four of them together, and threaded the rubber bands through the padding, securing them tightly.

And thus, a perfect slingshot was completed.

Lu Zhe pulled it back, and wow, it had quite a punch.

Taking a round goose egg-sized stone, he aimed the slingshot at a tree 20 meters away.

With a release, "Crack!" the projectile hit the trunk, leaving a big white mark.

Lu Zhe ran over and discovered that the tree bark had been smashed. It would have been satisfying if it had hit a bird.

Lu Zhe tried a few more times, but unfortunately, there were too few perfectly round pebbles, which affected the accuracy. The hit rate could only reach around 30%.

But it wasn't too bad!

He obtained another potential point!

The girls also kept themselves busy. They used this time to wash everyone's dirty clothes and socks.

Of course, they used seawater!

The clean clothes were hung on makeshift clothes racks made of tree branches, basking in the sun!

After the moisture dried out, the clothes became stiff due to the salt residue. A quick rub and shake caused a large number of dry salt grains to fall off.

Although they still felt a bit rough when worn, it was much better than being covered in filth!

Tang Xiaoguo's formal dress was also clean!

However, she remarked that the loose tank top and Lu Zhe's shorts were more comfortable to wear!

Although there were occasional wardrobe malfunctions and a glimpse of a little buttock, she didn't seem to mind at all. Comfort was the top priority.

Checking the time, it was already close to noon!

The distant blue sky, white clouds, and the vast ocean, but still no sign of the rescue team!

It seemed that the rescue wouldn't come today either!

At that moment, they came up with a new plan!

Calculating their current location!

For that, they needed a compass!

Making a compass seemed a bit difficult at first, but upon calm reflection, it seemed feasible!

To make a compass, they needed a magnetic needle!

They thought about what they had that was magnetic?!

Ning Shu had a magnetic door access card, and Lin Qianqian had a magnetic strip on her bank card. There were also things like magnets in their phones!

It appeared that there was more than one way to make a compass!

So, they opted for the simplest method!

Lu Zhe took out a bank card and used a ruler and a pencil to draw two lines about 3 millimeters apart over the magnetic strip!

Then, he used a small utility knife to repeatedly cut along these two lines!

After about fifty cuts on each line, the magnetic card was severed, resulting in a thin plastic strip about 54 millimeters long and 3 millimeters wide, with a magnetic portion in the middle!

He trimmed off the excess plastic from the other end of the magnetic strip, leaving a plastic needle of about 35 millimeters!

Finally, they took a half-empty bottle, filled it with water, and gently placed this "magnetic needle" on the water's surface. In no time, the needle pointed in a specific direction!

"Ding! Congratulations, host, for obtaining a makeshift compass. Potential point +1!"

Meanwhile, the girls were sitting in the shade, seeking respite from the heat, and chatting.

Tang Xiaoguo lamented, "It seems like we won't be seeing the rescue team today! They probably think we're dead and don't want to waste time searching for us!"

Jiang Yao said, "It's only been half a day. They might search for us in the afternoon."

Ning Shu listened for a while and suddenly said, "Listen, I think I hear the sound of a helicopter!"

Her words excited everyone, and they all tilted their ears to listen.

In the end, Lin Qianqian sighed leisurely and said, "Where would there be a helicopter? That must be the sound of the squad leader's stomach growling!"

After listening a bit more, it turned out to be true!

"Ah, eating such a small amount of food doesn't really have any effect..."

Tang Xiaoguo touched Ning Shu's belly and said, "Squad leader, squad leader, quickly release the helicopter and save us!"

Ning Shu helplessly replied, "Get lost..."

Meanwhile, everyone noticed that Lu Zhe had not been participating in the conversation. He was alone, holding a diary and drawing something.

Curious, Ning Shu asked, "Hey, our head of the group, what are you doing?"

Lu Zhe replied, "I'm calculating our position."

"Our position? Can you calculate it?"

"Although it may not be very accurate, theoretically, it should be calculable."

Lu Zhe's words caught the interest of the others, and they gathered around.

Ning Shu hurriedly said, "Quick, tell us, where are we?"

"Let me explain the train of thought first."

After a moment of contemplation, Lu Zhe continued:

"In the northern hemisphere, summer days are much longer than nights. But here, the difference between day and night is less than half an hour. Do you know what that means?!"

Tang Xiaoguo looked confused and asked, "Are we in the southern hemisphere?"

"No, that's not it."

Lin Qianqian thought for a moment and said, "The closer we are to the poles, the greater the difference in day and night time. The closer we are to the equator, the smaller the difference."

"Exactly!"

Lu Zhe nodded approvingly and opened his notebook, revealing a hand-drawn map. "It's currently around June 11, close to the summer solstice. The day and night here differ by about two hours, indicating that our latitude is quite low. We should be somewhere between the equator and the Tropic of Cancer."

As he spoke, Lu Zhe confidently drew a horizontal line on the hand-drawn map.

The group of girls was in awe of this map. Although it was a bit rough, the markings of the country's location were incredibly detailed and accurate.