Future Worries

Morning mist rose in the forest, causing the temperature to drop.

Three women laid out waterproof cloth and life rafts on the clearing to huddle for warmth. Jenny suffered the most during this relocation, with her wounds.

After hours of walking mountain roads, her inner muscle movement from the through-and-through wound reopened her barely healed injuries, and fresh blood flowed from the penetrative wound.

Luo Jun didn't want to waste the limited diclofenac to relieve her pain, as the stuff was already scarce and highly toxic.

So Luo Jun just gave her a painkiller and an antibiotic.

Luo Jun used a chopping axe to chop down many bamboo poles nearby, then trimmed off the branches and dragged them back to the flat ground.

Luo Jun should have dug the geothermal pits first, but the women were too tired, so he didn't disturb them and let them rest for two hours.

So for those two hours, Luo Jun used them to work on the bamboo, cutting each bamboo pole to certain specifications.

He had already constructed a very complete makeshift shelter in his mind, and this shelter was just basic.

Because time was limited, he needed to build the house with bamboo first, then reinforce the walls with wood when possible, turning the house into a livable environment.

After two hours, Luo Jun had finished cutting the bamboo for the makeshift building.

The women were sleeping soundly, so he didn't wake them up, letting them recover their strength before the day's labor.

Luo Jun made several bamboo shovels for later use. These bamboo shovels were much more useful than the previous wooden ones, doubling efficiency when shoveling mud.

When the women woke up, Luo Jun had already cleared all the surrounding grass, to avoid attracting insects.

"Uncle, you haven't rested yet?"

Li Shi woke up and saw Luo Jun drenched in sweat, while she herself was wrapped in his jacket, which warmed her heart.

"I'll rest after I'm done. Since you're awake, go gather some firewood, Lorna, help her gather as much as possible."

Luo Jun said to Lorna.

Although Lorna had never done any hard labor, she knew she should help however she could, since Luo Jun had been working nonstop while the three of them rested.

Jenny felt guilty about not being able to help.

"Mr. Luo, is there anything I can help with?"

Luo Jun glanced at Jenny with a faint smile: "Rest well, when your wounds heal, there will be plenty of opportunities."

Seeing Luo Jun's gentleness, and remembering his escape last night, Jenny thought he was like two different people!

If last night's Luo Jun was an unyielding and harsh commander, then this morning's Luo Jun was a considerate gentleman.

Luo Jun started shoveling mud. The geothermal pit this time was more complex than the last, because the previous one was just temporary and small enough for three straight pits.

This time Luo Jun had to make spiral pits under an area big enough for four people to sleep, and enable the smokeless stove to function normally.

This was no easy task. Bamboo shovels relied on brute force, and ropey muscles bulged from his arms.

Though it was cold, he worked up quite a sweat. Thankfully they had ample water, otherwise such labor would certainly lead to dehydration.

After two hours, Luo Jun finally dug the geothermal pits, and a drainage ditch to prevent rainwater from flowing in. Waterproofing would come later, simple ditches wouldn't suffice.

But Luo Jun still had to build the complete smokeless stove, the real big project, requiring a large pit in front to sit a person to stoke the fire underneath.

After another three hours, Luo Jun finally dug the smokeless stove. His hands were utterly exhausted.

The bamboo shovels relied solely on brute force. Both his arms were corded with bulging muscles.

Though it was cold, he was drenched in sweat. Thankfully they had ample water, otherwise such labor would certainly lead to dehydration.

Luo Jun split the pre-cut bamboo in two lengthwise, laying them neatly and densely over the geothermal pits, then spread another layer of mud on top.

After laying the mud, to avoid sleeping directly on the damp ground, Luo Jun neatly lined more bamboo poles on top.

When the smokeless stove and geothermal pits were done, it was already one o'clock.

The women had gathered a huge pile of firewood. Luo Jun was also spent, sitting down to teach Li Shi how to drill for fire.

The firesteel from before still hadn't come in handy, so they still relied on fire drills.

Having seen Luo Jun do it before, Li Shi quickly got a small ember going with the prepared tools.

They didn't worry about the wisp of smoke from the char attracting attention. Li Shi placed the ember in the fire pit, first burning some dry leaves, then small sticks and bamboo.

Luo Jun also lit the fire piston, placing it in a bamboo tube slightly wider than the piston, making an air hole and capping it.

The fire quickly roared. The smokeless stove's effect was pronounced. The geothermal pits were much larger than before. So was the fire pit.

Li Shi found it deeply satisfying to start a fire.

The women sat on the new bamboo "bed," though they couldn't feel the warmth yet.

The hot air needed to circulate through the spiral pits to heat the surrounding earth before they'd feel the geothermal heat.

"This is much more comfortable than the beach one!"

Li Shi exclaimed. Lorna and Jenny were also impressed, singing praises of Luo Jun.

Luo Jun felt a slight sense of accomplishment.

"Roast some fish to eat. We need to build the bamboo shelter now, or it'll be dangerous tonight!"

Luo Jun reminded them of things to do. He still had much to do himself, but couldn't be in two places at once, and his strength was limited.

It would already be a blessing to build a safe bamboo house today.

Traps, palisades, surveying the island, all those things were far from done, and could only be continually pushed back.

Thinking of those looming dangers he knew nothing about, Luo Jun couldn't stop no matter what, wishing each minute could be stretched to two, each hand to three.

The bamboo house had four bamboo walls and a sloped roof.

Such a roof needed a waterproof layer, so their only waterproof cloth could no longer substitute for a blanket, since it was needed to keep out wind and rain.

If it snowed, they'd still freeze inside, so they desperately needed a blanket substitute.

Otherwise, getting sick in the cold would be hugely problematic.

This was what Luo Jun dreaded most, whether it was them getting sick or himself. The consequences would be dire either way.

Unlike modern cities where one could at least eat while bedridden, in the wilderness, stopping work meant stopping food. Even eating couldn't be guaranteed, let alone survival.

And as time in the wild lengthened, the body would also suffer problems from dietary imbalance.

Seventy percent of immunity came from the gut. Getting sick on top of malnutrition could spell catastrophic disaster!

Thinking of this gave Luo Jun a pounding headache, while the women were blissfully content roasting fish.

"Damn it, perhaps ignorance really is the root of happiness!"

Seeing the chatting and laughing women, Luo Jun wiped sweat from his brow and swore helplessly.