Chapter 10: The Entire Crab Clan Wiped Out

Chapter 10: Wiping Out the Crab Family

After his vision was restored by the system's repair potion, Xu Yi found that his eyesight had not only returned to normal but had actually become sharper than before.

He spotted a piece of stone buried in the soil and hurried over, using his stone knife to start digging. With just a few movements, he unearthed a piece of flint. It was quite small—only two fingers wide and a palm in length. It was a fairly regular rectangle with one remarkably sharp edge.

"This can serve as a chisel; it’ll definitely be effective for boring holes," Xu Yi said, smiling even more broadly. With a little processing, it would become a formidable stone chisel. Its value was no less than that of a stone knife. Such a find early in the morning put him in an exceptionally good mood. After searching the area once more without further success, he decided to move on. "Alright, let’s eat some ground figs, then continue our search for a water source."

Xu Yi checked the time; it was nearing 7:00 AM. By now, the other contestants would be waking up. Everyone had gone to sleep late the previous night due to anxiety and fear. Lu Ning was no exception; although she had secured herself in a tree, she had spent a long time tossing and turning before finally drifting off.

"I think I’ve found water," Lu Ning whispered. "Yes, I can see the reflected light—there must be water over there." She grew excited, unfastening her safety harness and climbing a bit higher. However, reaching a higher vantage point didn't reveal the water, as the dense canopy obstructed her view.

Returning to her original spot, she took out her phone to check the compass. She needed an accurate heading to ensure she wouldn't lose her way. After noting the direction, she slid down from the tree. Once she had thoroughly extinguished her fire, she began to move in that direction. Along the way, she kept a sharp eye out for familiar plants. She did find a few things, but nothing she could put to use. She did, however, pick up a stone flake—palm-wide at one end and tapering to a fine point at the other. She figured it would be a suitable tool for crafting a stone axe, though it would require significant grinding. If she found better material, she wouldn't need this piece, as grinding a stone to a sharp edge would take days.

After walking for nearly an hour, Lu Ning heard the sound of flowing water. "Audience, do you hear that? The sound of running water! It’s the sound of water!" She was ecstatic. Water was the source of life; without it, there was no way to survive. Once she found a water source, she wouldn't have to worry. Water was the hardest thing to secure; shelters could be built as long as one put in the effort, even if the quality and comfort varied. Finding water meant establishing a base camp. As for fire, as long as one knew the principle of friction generating heat, it could be figured out. Human potential was immense; in desperate situations, as long as the will to survive remained, people could accomplish feats far beyond their usual capabilities.

Lu Ning continued forward as the terrain began to slope downward. "Look, it’s a small stream. I wonder if there are any fish." She was hopeful; if there were small fish, she could supplement her protein intake. This was the second day, and having eaten nothing the previous day, she needed to find something to sustain herself.

[There must be fish! This is a super-primitive world; if fish have evolved here, they have to be there!]
[Without humans to mess things up, the water must be teeming with them, right?]
[For sure. Someone already caught a few small fish in a puddle yesterday.]

Ten minutes later, Lu Ning reached the stream. The water was crystal clear, and at first glance, she saw small fish swimming about. "These fish are a bit too small—the largest is only as big as my little finger." Lu Ning felt a wave of frustration, her lips pouting. They were too tiny to catch. Even using a fish trap would require one that was incredibly delicate and fine-meshed. If she had a knife, she could spend time crafting such a trap.

"The water is so cool, icy cold—it feels wonderful." She touched the water and washed her face. "Wait, is that a crab?" A new discovery made her entire face light up. She quickly flipped over a stone in front of her and saw a crab attempting to scuttle away.

"Where do you think you’re going?" Lu Ning quickly reached down and pulled the crab from the water. "To catch a crab, just grip the underside of its belly; that way, its claws can’t reach you." She showed the crab to the audience, feeling quite pleased. It was a decent size—the body was three fingers wide, and the claws were as thick as her index finger. A crab this size would have a good amount of meat.

[What a beautiful crab! Its claws are actually purple.]
[This one looks pretty meaty; if she catches a dozen, she’ll be full.]
[That looks like a purple-waisted crab; it must taste amazing.]
[Wow, she caught another one! It seems like there are a lot of them.]

"Hey, you actually bit me! Just wait, I’m going to eat you in a little while." She made a mock-menacing face at the crab.

[My Seventh Sister is so cute, I’m in love.]
[Cute +10000]

With two crabs in hand, she couldn't catch a third, so she plucked some weeds to tie them up. "It seems there are quite a few crabs here. My luck is pretty good." She flipped over a few more stones and caught another. She kept searching upstream, and after half an hour, she had twelve crabs in her possession.

"The fish here are too small—the biggest I’ve seen is only the size of a pinky. Fortunately, the crabs here aren't small at all." Holding the twelve crabs, she smiled brightly. "I’m so hungry, I’m going to go roast these crabs."

There was a small waterfall ahead, and to continue upstream, she would have to trek along the bank. It was now past 11:00 AM, so she decided to take care of lunch before considering her next move. Finding a relatively open space on the bank, she gathered some dry branches. She still had the tools from her fire-starting attempt yesterday, so she quickly got a fire going.

"I’ve finally found a water source today. Although I can only drink raw water for now, the water here is flowing, so drinking a bit shouldn't be a big problem."

"While the crabs are roasting, I can weave some vine baskets to carry my gear. I plan to weave a large one to hold my stone knife, fire-starting tools, and vines, and a smaller one to use for catching crabs next time."