Chapter 390: Chapter 390
Ah Huang had already made several trips back and forth, scouting with the stone held in its mouth. Monkey furrowed his brow and shook his head, repeatedly saying it was impossible. How big could this mountain possibly be? And how could there not be a single living creature on it?
Jing Shu frowned. The main issue was that the several poisonous bees she had dispatched hadn’t flown far before disappearing. She could only sense that these bees were suddenly devoured mid-flight. The path they were taking, despite its eerie quiet, still harbored unknown creatures. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝·𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚·𝔫𝔢𝔱
"If we don’t eat something soon, we’re really going to starve to death!" Little Black declared, lying completely motionless on the ground.
"Let’s rest for a while," Tan Ke said, pulling out a compass. "I have some bad news. Our phones are dead, and there’s no signal. If we don’t get out of this mountain in two days and meet up with Old Yang, we probably won’t be able to complete the next mission. I’m not sure if this compass alone will be enough."
Lingling peered into the darkness with night-vision goggles, while Snake Spirit leaned against a rock. "First, let’s take stock of the supplies everyone brought and how much food we have left," Snake Spirit said. "My Little Tai Ban just did a sweep and found nothing edible. There isn’t even wild grass or tree bark here. If it really comes to it, we might have to eat algae."
"Don’t look at me," Little Black said with a woeful expression. "I was running too fast earlier and lost all my daily necessities and food."
"All I have left are a blanket, a few guns, and some high-energy chocolate that could keep me going for three days without other food," Lingling said, looking down.
Snake Spirit, her tongue flicking, said, "I usually hide some emergency rations inside Little Snake’s body, enough to keep me alive for three to five days. Other than that, I only have some poisons and weapons."
Monkey, continuously chipping at a rock with his dagger, said in a low voice, "I’ve never made a habit of carrying food. I’m loaded with weapons and survival gear. Ah Huang and I have found food in plenty of harsh environments; this mountain range shouldn’t be an exception."
Tan Ke rummaged through a large pile of weapons and produced some pancakes and food bought from the Black Market. "I have a big appetite. A few days ago, instead of sending all the food I’d bought with my Black Market Coins back to our country, I kept some. However, it’s only enough to last me three or four days. We can only pray that we get out of this mountain soon and find some resources."
Jing Shu patted her luggage. "I have both food and water. But, as you’ve all seen, I’m strong and have an even bigger appetite. I don’t know how long this food will last me, so unless it’s a matter of life and death, I won’t be helping you. Of course, the old rule applies: one meal for 100 Contribution Points."
I warned all of you not to take this path. You didn’t listen to an experienced person’s advice; the real hardship is still to come.
"One hundred Contribution Points to save a life—that’s not expensive at all!" If it really came to that, Jing Shu being willing to give them food would be quite generous indeed. After all, these proud elites would never normally deign to accept her charity.
However, when everyone saw Jing Shu’s mountain of luggage, festooned with all kinds of food, they were momentarily speechless.
They didn’t need to worry about water. The floods from the second year of the apocalypse had receded considerably, leaving algae in many rock crevices. Monkey and Snake Spirit, among others, were professionals and soon dug a large pit, collecting some water. The water was a turbid, greenish-black, and tiny insects were visible in it. The group drilled wood to make fire, used their helmets as pots, filtered the water several times, and then boiled it.
Little Black took a mouthful and immediately spat it out. "PTOOEY! PTOOEY! This water is so bitter! It tastes just like ditch water!"
Snake Spirit, tongue flicking, grinned excitedly. "The more bitter it is, the higher the concentration of some creature’s droppings! That means there are living things in this mountain—we won’t starve!"
Jing Shu shook her head. It was very likely the excrement of those zombie creatures.
The fat chicken had started by excitedly scratching the ground, managing to peck out a few insects. After all, the fat chicken wasn’t picky, even considering red earthworms a delicacy. Unfortunately, after just a few bites, it became too disgusted to eat any more. It indicated that the insects from this ground were as unpalatable as Corpse Worms from a stinking ditch and tasted almost the same as Zombie Hippos. The fat chicken never wanted to eat anything tasting like a Zombie Hippo again; it was sick to its stomach of it.
By the way, the fat chicken had grown another size; its armor was now a bit too small.
"I found them! I found edible insects!" Monkey exclaimed excitedly. He flipped over a stone to reveal flat, black insects. Their entire bodies were encased in black shells, about the size of a fingernail but only a millimeter thick. When pried open forcefully, a thin, pale white layer was visible inside.
Snake Spirit nodded. "A bit of protein. Remove the heads, and they’re edible."
Monkey found two or three types of edible insects. Little Black took on the task of gathering more deadwood for the fire. Tan Ke contributed some pancakes to the soup pot, and Snake Spirit dug up some edible algae. After a flurry of activity, they finally managed to prepare a protein-rich soup.
Lingling sat on a rock, nibbled on some chocolate, and declared she wouldn’t eat the strange food from the pot.
Jing Shu, on the other hand, lit some disposable solid alcohol. She had boxes of it, collected during the second year of the apocalypse, which came in very handy now. Into her pot went the rendered beef fat base she had made a few days prior. She added large bones to simmer, then sliced chicken and ham sausages for flavor. Sausages and cured meats were put in to cook, followed by torn chunks of beef rib and slices of pork leg. For extra umami, she sprinkled in dried scallops, dried shrimp, and dried crab, then tossed in dried mushrooms, kelp, Black Fungus, and daylily bulbs, creating a rich, bubbling stew. She then picked some fresh lettuce and blanched it. To finish, she cracked four or five freshly laid eggs from the fat chicken into the stew, placed a block of instant noodles on top, and sprinkled it with shredded cheese.
The fragrance of the hot pot wafted far and wide. The rich, savory aroma enveloped everyone’s nostrils, accompanied by the rhythmic sound of a knife chopping on a cutting board. It turned out Jing Shu was preparing minced garlic, topped with chopped cilantro and garlic shoots. She then poured in half a bowl of sesame oil and a dash of fragrant vinegar, creating a dipping sauce to enjoy with the meal!
Only then did the group realize that the vegetables Jing Shu had been cultivating on the go were meant as accompaniments for her hot pot!
This was just too outrageous!
Ah Huang wagged his tail from a distance, wanting to approach but not daring to. When a bone was finally tossed his way, the fat chicken scrambled over and gobbled it down in one gulp.
SLURP! SLURP! Even the sound of noodles being eaten was delightful right then. Soon, Jing Shu picked up her pot, finished the last few bites of noodles, and drank every last drop of the soup.
"BUUURP~" Jing Shu let out a satisfied belch, quickly packed up, and was ready to set off at a moment’s notice.
"We’ll be able to eat properly once we get over this mountain," Little Black consoled himself, his mouth watering so much that his clothes became damp again.
With their bellies full and thirst quenched, they resumed their journey, their pace noticeably quicker. Lingling’s bird scouted from time to time, while Ah Huang and Little Tai Ban kept watch over their surroundings. There seemed to be no danger; the mountain was as eerily silent as if it were dead.
"Wait! Don’t go any further," Jing Shu called out.
The others turned to look at her.
"There’s danger ahead. This path could collapse at any moment, and unknown creatures are present," Jing Shu said, pointing to the pass between two peaks. "Let’s just climb over the mountain directly."
"This mountain is practically a cliff! How are we supposed to climb that?" Monkey complained, thoroughly displeased. "It’s obvious we can get out by going this way. Besides, Ah Huang just scouted ahead. Who’s the Scout here, you or me? Do you really think you’re all that, trying to contradict me at every turn?"