Chapter 12: Hands Numb from Chopping (Please Bookmark)

"Not bad. The base is quite thick, while the upper section is uniform. The thickness is just right for a firm grip."

"Besides, since all the branches are at the top, the middle section is perfectly straight and smooth. I won't even need to sand it down to make spears; I just need to sharpen the ends."

Xu Yi said this with a satisfied smile, then began hacking at the base of the tree with his stone knife. The small tree stood about seven or eight meters tall. Xu Yi figured the base segment could be used to craft a handle for a stone axe, while the rest could be fashioned into spears and a longbow. That way, he would finally have some weapons at his disposal. Although they had yet to find any traces or sightings of wild beasts, he knew that most of the contestants who had been eliminated were likely victims of predator attacks—wolves, leopards, bears, tigers, and the like. Therefore, he had to prioritize making weapons. Of course, the wood would need sufficient flexibility to be used for a longbow.

"This wood is incredibly hard. I wonder if it’s some kind of ironwood?"

After a few strikes, the web between Xu Yi’s thumb and forefinger was stinging from the jarring impact. To make matters worse, his stone knife was dull and had a short handle, making it difficult to grip. Still, the harder the wood, the better it would be for a spear. So, no matter how tough it was, he was determined to cut it down.

"Keke, give me the small stone chisel."

Xu Yi decided to switch tactics and slowly chisel through it. If it couldn't be done in half an hour, he would take an hour; he would get it cut eventually. It took him over forty minutes to finally sever the trunk. Xu Yi was already drenched in sweat. His hands were bright red from the vibration, and his right hand had even developed two blisters from the repeated chiseling. Yet, he felt that getting it down was well worth the effort.

"Daddy, have one of these." Seeing how much Xu Yi was sweating, Su Keke took out a piece and handed it to him.

"Thank you, sweetheart."

Xu Yi was indeed feeling exhausted, so he ate the chocolate.

"This stone knife is too dull. I really need to find a way to sharpen it; it would be so much more efficient." Xu Yi glanced at the stone knife in his hand, feeling a bit helpless. All he wanted right now was a drink of water and a good rest.

Unfortunately, there wasn't a single drop of water to be found. After resting for a dozen minutes, Xu Yi finally caught his breath. He examined the base of the tree; the interior was reddish and appeared extremely dense. Xu Yi tried to bend it, but found it impossible to budge. That meant it wouldn't work for a longbow, but it would be absolutely perfect for a spear.

He measured the wood and divided it into three sections. The first section was about 1.2 meters long, intended for the axe handle. Because the base resembled a baseball bat—tapering from thick to thin—and the root was quite bulky, it had taken him a significant amount of time. The viewers in the livestream had been urging him to give up on the base and just cut the thinner upper part instead. However, they didn't know that Xu Yi had his eye on the base for a handle from the very beginning. Even though he hadn't yet found a stone suitable for an axe head, having an axe was essential for wilderness survival. You couldn't just rely on gathering fallen wood and twigs; you would quickly exhaust the supply in the immediate area. With an axe, he could fell trees and chop them into firewood.

Furthermore, he needed to clear the trees around his campsite. If they ever encountered a forest fire, that cleared area would serve as a firebreak. In a jungle, even a lightning strike could ignite a wildfire. If he were to establish a permanent camp, he had to be prepared for that. Ideally, he should dig a cellar as well; that would be even safer. After all, one could never outrun a fire. The firebreak had to be wide enough to withstand a prolonged blaze.

Once the tree was down, Xu Yi found it much easier to work with. In about half an hour, he had successfully divided it into three segments.

"These are our weapons. If any animals attack us, we'll use these to fend them off."

The spears in Xu Yi and Su Keke’s hands were just under two and a half meters long—not particularly long, but sufficient.

"Mm-hmm! Then we'll have meat to eat!"

Su Keke gripped her spear. Since hers was made from the thinnest part of the tree, it was lighter and easier for her to handle.

"That's right. Once we encounter animals, we'll have meat to eat," Xu Yi said, happily ruffling Su Keke’s hair. "But remember, we can only eat wild game in this world. Back in our own world, we can't hunt wild animals."

"Right now, we are in a state of 'emergency necessity.' We can eat whatever we find to survive."

[2333, "Emergency necessity," that's a good one. Contestant No. 1, you're in a parallel world, why are you still worried about committing a crime?]

[Don't you see those trolls saying we can't eat wild animals? Damn it, in the wilderness, if you don't eat, do you just wait to starve? A bunch of brainwashed idiots.]

[Some of you morons should just leave the stream. Nobody is begging you to watch, okay?]

Watching the livestream chat turn into a battlefield, Xu Yi couldn't help but twitch his lips.

"Come on, let's keep moving. Let's see if we can find a water source."

"It's getting dark again. That was too fast."

Xu Yi licked his dry, cracked lips and looked at his watch with a sense of gloom. It was already 16:46. In the dense forest, 17:00 felt like the twilight just before sunset. By 17:30, they would need the lights from their phones and tablets to keep walking. This was already the second day, and they still hadn't found a water source. It was a massive challenge to their survival. Both of their throats felt like they were smoking. However, Su Keke didn't complain about being thirsty; she didn't utter a word of protest.

"Look, there are some water vines ahead. Let's go check if we can get some water from them."

Even though Xu Yi didn't hold high hopes, he had to try whenever he saw an opportunity. What if? His blood blisters had burst, and they were stinging, but there was no choice—he just had to endure it. It took some time to hack through the water vines with his dull knife. After ten minutes of effort, he was nearly through.

"Daddy, there's water! There's water!" Su Keke exclaimed excitedly before he had even finished cutting.

Xu Yi sped up and finally severed the vine.

"The water is clear, not cloudy or discolored. It should be safe to drink."

"Let me test it first to see if it's drinkable."

With that, Xu Yi held the vine above his head, letting the water drip into his mouth.