“Do as you wish. Anyone who wants to enter the forest, follow me!” Luo Jun declared.
After saying this, he dropped a steel helmet for them and returned to the campfire.
Luo Na had returned Jenny's shoes and put on another pair of smelly green military boots.
Li Shi hesitated for a moment, bid farewell to Jenny, and followed Luo Jun.
Jenny and Jack did not follow them; instead, they started a fire by the beach to keep warm.
With limited energy, Luo Jun didn't lead the two women randomly. Instead, he went through the woods and circled back from another direction, reaching the rocky beach on the east side.
The dark and towering rocks here could effectively conceal them and provided good wind protection.
The crucial point was, they had limited stamina, and Luo Jun didn't want the two women to follow him blindly. Instead, he crossed the woods and circled to the east to avoid pursuers. However, he still needed to go back and gather intelligence, but it wasn't the right time. They had more pressing survival needs.
Additionally, Luo Jun needed to catch two fish for everyone to eat.
Of course, raw fish was not an option. Now equipped with tools, he could easily build a smokeless stove on the spot to roast the catch.
"Uncle, are we really abandoning Jenny?" Li Shi's innocent face was filled with concern as Luo Jun shook his head.
"Our own survival is challenging enough, and we can't afford to consider too much. Besides, they would surely expose our presence. I intentionally entered the woods and circled to the east just now to avoid pursuit. Still, I need to go back for reconnaissance. It's just not the right time; we have more urgent survival conditions to meet."
Luo Jun finished speaking and patted Li Shi's head. Her ignorance and kindness were not faults.
"You two, go find some soft-bodied animals. I'll need them as bait later."
Luo Jun instructed the two women.
"But we don't have fish hooks!" Li Shi said puzzled, while Lorna smiled.
"That won't be a problem for him. Let's go find something to use as bait!"
Lorna and Li Shi's figures started weaving through the rocks, looking for soft-bodied animals attached to them.
With an axe and a dagger, Luo Jun cut a sturdy, slender branch in the woods to use as a fishing rod. He then used the dagger to carve several sharp wooden spikes, intending to tie them into fish hooks.
In the first aid kit, there was gut thread that could temporarily serve as a fishing line. Still, if they wanted to catch bigger fish, it would undoubtedly get bitten off.
But it was a makeshift solution; recovering strength was the priority for future survival.
Luo Jun also made a fist-sized float from wood and returned to the beach, tying the float to the gut thread.
Lorna and Li Shi came back.
Lorna killed some sea cockroaches with her shoes, but Li Shi didn't dare. Sea cockroaches moved in groups, running fast like some man-eating monsters from movies, giving Li Shi goosebumps.
So, she picked up some sea snails by the beach.
They arranged these baits on the ground.
"Mr. Luo, is this enough?" Lorna asked.
Luo Jun nodded. To increase the harvest and save costs, he made six linked fish hooks at once, all tied to a piece of gut thread.
After crafting the fishing hooks, Luo Jun made his way to a large rock and cast the bait into the water.
"Lorna, you fish here. Li Shi, find a spot to dig a hole, surround it with some stones, and use it to keep the caught fish. I'll go do something else."
Lorna and Li Shi obediently acknowledged his instructions.
However, sitting on the rock enjoying the breeze, Lorna felt a bit chilly despite the high sun. Luo Jun took off his jacket and handed it to Lorna.
"Thank you."
Grateful for Luo Jun's gentlemanly gesture, Lorna gave him a warm smile.
Luo Jun didn't explain much, just walked away. Li Shi, though, looked at Lorna on the rock with a hint of envy. She, too, was dressed lightly and felt the chill, causing goosebumps.
Luo Jun noticed this but needed to ensure Lorna wouldn't get sick. On one hand, Lorna knew about Xiao Ya's whereabouts, and on the other, Luo Jun hoped to "move" her through his actions, prompting her to voluntarily reveal some secrets in the future.
"Uncle, I'm cold too," Li Shi complained, trotting after Luo Jun with a slightly aggrieved expression.
Luo Jun glanced back at her. "If you feel cold, move around more. We don't have spare clothes now. If we hunt some wild animals later, we can make clothes from their fur. Endure it for now!"
Li Shi pouted but had to relent.
Watching Luo Jun disappear into the woods with an axe, she lowered her head and examined her frail body.
"Men always like women with good figures!"
Li Shi wondered inwardly and started looking for a place to dig a hole with her bare hands.
In the woods, Luo Jun used the axe to cut many branches. He could have cut down some thicker trees, but for a temporary shelter, he didn't want to expend too much energy on it.
Survive the first few days, then find a suitable place for long-term residence with a water source.
He repaired the branches he brought back and used two rocks less than a meter apart as walls, covering them with branches as the roof. The back of the shelter would be sealed, leaving only one entrance.
During windy nights, he'd cover the entrance as well.
Of course, it wasn't enough, especially during the cold nights. Even if the three of them huddled together, it wouldn't be warm enough. So, he needed to dig a geothermal trench for this temporary shelter.
The geothermal trench would connect to a smokeless stove, an efficient multitasking effort that saved time and energy.
To dig efficiently, Luo Jun cut a tree with a thick branch, turning it into a 70-centimeter-long tool, flattened on one end for convenient shoveling.
The geothermal trench involved digging three channels, 40 centimeters deep under the shelter. After digging, dozens of wooden strips would be laid over the channels, covered with coconut leaves, and then sand.
To make it more comfortable to lie on, soft plants would be added on top of the sand.
At the front end of the geothermal trench, Luo Jun needed to dig a pit nearly 70 centimeters deep for the stove, slanting it into the shelter.
This pit connects to the entrance of the geothermal trench. Since the front ends of the three geothermal trenches converge to form a larger "exit," burning firewood in the front pit allows the heat to flow through the three geothermal trenches, effectively creating three chimneys at the front of the stove.
However, due to excellent air circulation, the combustion of firewood is thorough, and no smoke is produced.
That's not all – the stove pit needs to be constructed in two layers. The firewood burns on the upper layer, while air enters from the lower layer and then exits through the geothermal trenches.
Without the necessary tools, creating this geothermal shelter is no small undertaking for Luo Jun. Despite the cold weather on the island, he sweats profusely. Li Shi, who understands the situation, rushes over to Luo Jun and asks for a chopping axe. She intends to cut down a coconut-laden coconut tree to satisfy everyone's hunger and thirst.
"Be careful not to be crushed by the coconut tree. Also, there's a technique to cutting trees. Make the first cut from the top, then make a second cut from the bottom to the top, creating a V-shaped notch. Don't just cut on one side; use the tree's own gravity, so you save some effort."
Luo Jun knows this girl hasn't done much manual labor, so he gives her a special reminder.
He fears that when she cuts down a coconut tree, her delicate hands might lose a layer of skin.
"I got it; I'm not a fragile vase!"
Li Shi says, glancing at Lorna sitting on the rocks.
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
