Both the veteran and the new members nodded in agreement.
“If we’re ready, then let’s proceed.” said Ke Xun, ignoring the silent gaze cast by Tian Yang. He turned and, with Mu Yiran, took the lead into the dark and eerie forest.
Ke Xun pulled out his phone and attempted to use the compass, only to find it unusable. He said to Mu Yiran, “This function has been disabled. I think we need to be extra cautious in the forest. It’s obvious that the forest is being used as a challenge level, and if we lose our direction, we might meet the criteria for death.”
Mu Yiran nodded without adding anything.
Now, Ke Xun had grown remarkably perceptive and thoughtful and almost did not need his advice and guidance anymore. The two of them now supported each other, complemented each other, fought side by side, and shouldered responsibilities together.
“Guys, pay attention, be sure not to fall behind,” Ke Xun turned his head and reminded the group.
“Since the compass function is unavailable, we better determine a direction beforehand,” said Shao Ling, from the middle of the group.
“It’s simple… the direction with denser foliage is the south. We learned this in elementary school…” Xiao Kai said weakly.
“Then please help us figure out which side of the trees has denser foliage.” Wei Dong said.
Xiao Kai looked up for a while but saw trees and branches above intertwined and densely packed. It was impossible to tell which side had denser foliage.
“Um…” Xiao Kai scratched the back of his neck, “then, let’s find a tree stump. The side with sparser growth rings should be the south…”
“By the time we find a tree stump, we might already be lost,” Wei Dong said.
“And the density of growth rings on trees in the northern and southern regions is different. They will also point to different directions,” Shao Ling added.
“Unfortunately, it’s noon now. Even if we try to determine the direction by the sun’s shadow, we might not be able to,” Wu You said, trying to find the sun through the gaps in the branches.
“Doesn’t matter if it’s not noon,” He Tang shook her head. “The entire sky is gray. I can’t see the sun at all.”
“Eh…it’s broad daylight, we can’t even use the Big Dipper to determine direction,” Wei Dong said.
“Look at ant nests,” Luo Bu suddenly said. “The opening of ant nests all face south.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Pr atlr wfatbv gfiljyif?” Qfl Gbcu jrxfv. “Cii atf jca tbifr P’nf rffc bqfc eqkjgv.”
“Ft… kfii, jcar ilxf reciluta, rb lo atfs mjc mtbbrf, atflg tbifr rtbeiv jii ojmf rbeat,” Oeb De tfrlajafv.
“Oeb De lr gluta,” Vtjb Olcu rjlv. “Qf mjc ags ab olcv jca cfrar cfjgys. Dea la’r yfaafg ab tjnf j ofk wbgf wfatbvr ab mbcolgw atf vlgfmalbc ab jnblv ecfzqfmafv rlaejalbcr atja klii lcafgofgf klat beg pevuwfca. Ofa wf reuufra bcf wbgf wfatbv: ifa’r olcv rbwf gbmxr ab ibbx ja. Ktf vgs bg vfcrfis nfufajafv rlvf lr ab atf rbeat, jcv atf wbrr-qgbcf rlvf lr ab atf cbgat.”
“Or look at the bark of some sturdy trees,” Mu Yiran continued, “Generally, the smooth side of the bark is south, and the rougher side is north.”
“And… if there are pine trees, the side with more resin secretion is also south…” That girl named Gu Qingqing added weakly.
After observing several sturdy trees, ant nests, and a few rocks, the group finally determined a general direction: the direction they came from was north, and the way forward was south.
Ke Xun made a mark on a conspicuous tree to indicate the direction and turned to the group, “Remember this tree. If we accidentally get separated, find a way to locate this tree. As long as you find the tree, you can find the direction back to the residential area. Let’s continue forward now, everyone keep checking your surroundings. Apart from finding a water source, we also need to look for clues about getting out of this painting.”
The group followed and continued forward.
Ke Xun marched ahead, waving a branch to clear the way, while Mu Yiran remained a step behind, vigilantly watching the surroundings for him.
The forest was shrouded in thick undergrowth. Some unknown plants even reached up to a person’s height. The towering trees that blocked the sky already made the forest feel gloomy and terrifying, and the tall grass even added an eerie atmosphere to it.
As Ke Xun cleared the way with his branch, rustling sounds often emanated from the bushes. It was unclear whether it was snakes, beasts, or some other lurking “things” that had been watching them that were startled away.
After more than an hour of continuous walking through the forest, the dense forest ahead still blocked out almost all sunlight.
“Stop… Let’s take a break,” Gu Qingqing suddenly spoke up, “He looks very uncomfortable.”
Everyone looked towards her and saw she was pointing to Xiao Kai with a tinge of concern.
Xiao Kai was not looking good. His lips dry and pale, his steps unsteady, and his breathing was heavy.
Qin Ci stepped forward to feel Xiao Kai’s forehead and checked his temperature, asking, “Where do you feel uncomfortable?”
Xiao Kai replied, “My head hurts, my eyes hurt, my throat hurts, my muscles ache, and I feel weak all over.”
“Your temperature is a bit high. Based on the symptoms, it seems like a fever caused by a cold,” Qin Ci said, then looked at Ke Xun and Mu Yiran. “He shouldn’t continue walking. If he continues forward, it might lead to dehydration or heatstroke.”
“Everyone, let’s stop and take a break,” Ke Xun decided promptly. “But remain vigilant and pay attention to your environment. I’ll climb up a tree to see what’s ahead.”
Upon hearing this, Wei Dong quickly said, “Damn, be careful up there. Poisonous insects are everywhere in a forest of this size. You never know what might be on that tree.”
“Let me add some extra protection,” Ke Xun said as he untied his bag of clothes on his back. He wrapped himself in a down jacket, pulled the sweater over his head, wrapped the pants around his face, leaving only his eyes exposed. After thinking about it, he felt he was still missing one thing, so he took Wei Dong’s long johns and tore them in half, using the pant legs to cover his hands more tightly.
“…You, you, my Beijiren!” Wei Dong said. “You owe me a new pair once we get out!”
“Why didn’t you also say your long johns were already torn in the crotch. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to tear them so easily,” Ke Xun stretched himself. “I’ve never seen anyone use long johns to stage an accident before.”
After exchanging a glance with Mu Yiran, Ke Xun agilely climbed up the tree trunk.
Mu Yiran kept an eye on him from below. The others watched the surroundings in case of sudden changes in the situation.
Ke Xun climbed as high as he could, surveyed the area, then climbed down. He was covered in spider webs and wiped himself clean with Wei Dong’s long johns, then tossed them aside before taking off his clothes. He was already sweating profusely.
“From what I could see, there’s no water source within sight,” Ke Xun frowned. “Even if we walk until nightfall, we might not find a source of freshwater in this forest. We need to think of another solution.”
“This forest, similar to a tropical rainforest, definitely has water sources. The problem is the vastness of it. We don’t know where the freshwater source is and, at least, we don’t have time to search for it today. Unless we survive tonight, and head into the forest in the early morning tomorrow and use the entire day to find water.” Shao Ling said.
“But we must solve the basic issue of drinking water now,” Zhu Haowen said, glancing at Xiao Kai. “If he gets dehydrated, it could be dangerous.”
“Well, um…” Gu Qingqing raised her hand timidly, like a diligent student eager to answer a question in class. “If there’s no fresh water, we can look for plants with high water content…”
“The key is how do we distinguish which plants are poisonous and which are not, and which ones have a high water content?” Wei Dong said.
“Generally, mosses are not poisonous,” Gu Qingqing continued, “and they have a lot of water. The liquid you squeeze out of it can be drunk directly.”
“Is that reliable, sis?” Wei Dong asked. “This painting is full of traps. One wrong move and we could lose our lives.”
Gu Qingqing hesitated. “Unless the forces behind this painting you guys mentioned deliberately made the mosses deviate from natural laws and become poisonous plants, ordinary mosses are indeed really not poisonous.”
“I know there’s a type of vine that’s also rich in water content. After cutting it open, you can drink the juice directly,” Luo Bu imitated Gu Qingqing’s manner and raised his hand. “I don’t know what that kind of vine is called, but if I see it, I’m able to recognize it.”
“Are you sure, Radish? You drank from it?” Wei Dong asked.
“I’ve drunk it before,” Luo Bu affirmed, “Several friends and I often fool around in the wilderness. I’ve drunk it several times, and if it really comes to it, we can drink our own piss.”
“Oh shut up, we trust you okay?” Wei Dong raised his hand and tapped him on the head.
“Since that’s the case,” Shao Ling said, “We shouldn’t waste any more time. It’s best to split up and search around this area for moss and the vines rich in moisture that Luo Bu mentioned. If we can find water sources, that would be even better.”
So Xiao Kai was left behind, along with Qin Ci, who was responsible for taking care of him, and He Tang, whose physical strength was nearly at its limit. The rest of the group split into three teams and headed in different directions to search for moss and vines.
More than an hour later, the teams returned one after another. Not only did they dig up moss and find the vines Luo Bu mentioned, but Ke Xun also brought back several nests of bird eggs.
However, Xiao Kai’s cold and fever symptoms seemed to have worsened. He sat leaning against a large tree, looking very weak. Qin Ci’s expression also became a bit solemn. “I don’t know if it’s because of the power of the painting, but Xiao Kai’s symptoms came so suddenly and fiercely. His current condition is not good at all. He must receive drug treatment.”
“Isn’t there a clinic in the residential area over there?” Luo Bu asked. “Wouldn’t they have medicine there?”
“We can’t be sure of the production date of those drugs,” Qin Ci shook his head slightly. “Medicine is not like food; there absolutely cannot be any mistakes nor should we use them randomly.”
“Qin… Doctor Qin,” Tian Yang, who had always been reticent, spoke up, “Please try to think of something. Xiao Kai has always been in good health. He rarely gets weak to this extent due to a cold and fever.”
Qin Ci looked towards the depths of the dense forest and said, “There is an emergency method, but it may require luck. Did any of you happen to see willow or poplar trees in the forest just now?”
Everyone shook their heads, “We were too focused on finding moss and these long vines. Even if we saw willow trees, we didn’t pay attention,” Wei Dong said.
“Why look for willow trees?” Ke Xun asked.
“The bark of willow trees contains a component called salicin, which is equivalent to natural aspirin,” Qin Ci explained. “It can be used to treat fever, colds, headaches, and pain caused by inflammation. If we can find a willow tree, we can alleviate Xiao Kai’s symptoms a bit.”
Now this is different. There is no monster but now we have in-game-sickness?
You’ll find out ;D
Thanks for the chapter 😊
thanks for the chapter!! <33
i love peat moss!!!! i love reading abt the potential uses of it, it’s soo interesting!
Oh, education by this book is continuing
Thank you for your translation 💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙💙