Chapter 7: Teaching You How to Sleep in a Tree

Chapter 7: How to Sleep in a Tree

While Xu Yi and Su Keke were enjoying the glow of their campfire, Lu Ning also successfully ignited her own.

"Friction fire starting isn't about brute force; it requires a certain amount of skill." Watching the flames rise, Lu Ning clapped her hands and rubbed them together. "The materials are also crucial. If you follow the key points I mentioned when gathering materials, you can start a fire just as quickly as I did."

She then held up her hands to show them. "And you won't hurt your palms, either."

[Brother Seven is awesome! You're the fastest at friction fire-starting I've ever seen; you really live up to your reputation as a veteran forest ranger.]
[If others had Brother Seven's guidance, they'd probably catch on quickly. Unless, of course, they have hands as clumsy as mine—I just can't get a fire going.]
[Learning a craft is all about the eyes being quick, but it's hard to say for the brain and hands.]
[We have a saying where I'm from: "Watching someone else eat pig's trotters makes it look so tender." That's exactly how I feel watching you start this fire.]

Lu Ning glanced at the comments, stood up, and patted the tree behind her. "I plan to sleep in this tree tonight."

"Look, this tree is quite far from the others, the branches are relatively straight, and the bark is smooth." She continued, "Another point is that it has a distinct scent, and there are no insects on it. Although I don't know the species, my experience tells me that the scent emitted by this tree acts as a repellent."

"I've been here for over half an hour, and I don't feel any discomfort, which means the scent isn't harmful to me."

[Brother Seven, sleeping in a tree? How do you even do that?]
[Yeah, exactly! If you fall off, wouldn't you be eliminated immediately?]

"During the day, I collected several bundles of vines. I just need to use them to make a three-ring harness. Once I climb up and secure myself, I won't have to worry about falling while I'm asleep."

"I hand-picked these vines. Aside from having smooth surfaces, they are exceptionally flexible." As she spoke, Lu Ning untied one of the small bundles and demonstrated how to tie a three-ring harness.

"The structure of this three-ring harness is quite stable; you see it used in rock climbing, rappelling, and various rescue operations. Just put two of the loops around your legs and the large one around your waist, and it will keep you secure."

"There, the harness is ready. I'll put it on." She demonstrated by slipping into the harness. "It's just gotten dark, and I'm not sleepy yet, so I'll wait a bit longer before heading up."

Lu Ning added some wood to the fire and leaned against the tree, looking at the light screen floating above.

She wondered if her parents and grandparents already knew that she had entered this mysterious livestream and arrived in a parallel world. She noticed that the other challengers in the chat were usually referred to by numbers or nicknames like "Ground-hugger" or "Aussie-guy." She was glad she hadn't revealed her real name. In fact, she regretted even mentioning her background. She worried that relevant authorities might have already identified her and tracked down her family.

Unfortunately, stuck in this parallel world, there was nothing she could do about matters back home. All she could do was strive to survive.

The air was filled with the sounds of insects. To someone who had spent so much time in the jungle, this was nothing. What worried her were the dinosaurs and prehistoric beasts. These were creatures she had never seen or studied. She had no idea what their habits were or how they hunted.

If this were just a simple wilderness survival challenge, she felt she could live to be seventy or eighty. But this was not a simple wilderness; it was a parallel world filled with dinosaurs, prehistoric predators, and countless plants she didn't recognize.

She desperately needed the rewards promised for this parallel-world wilderness challenge. She wanted to survive until the end and be one of the final five. If she did, she would gain access to many medicinal agents. Then, she could let her grandparents and parents use the youth-restoring serums.

Life, aging, sickness, and death are usually fair. But with these rewards, things had become unequal. She didn't need to think twice to know that countless people would want these serums—especially those in power.

However, this wasn't a problem she had to face alone; all the other challengers who managed to survive 100 days would face it too. The relatively safer option would be to finish the challenge, then leave the serums in this parallel world, as the final victors would gain the authority to travel back and forth. That meant she could come to this world whenever she pleased.

If anyone tried to control her family, she could use that as leverage for negotiations. Otherwise, if she brought the serums back and was controlled by someone else, the rewards would effectively belong to them. She wouldn't let anyone take what she had worked so hard to earn.

With that thought, her determination to win only grew stronger. After mentally planning her tasks for tomorrow, Lu Ning prepared to climb the tree.

"I've only eaten plant leaves and grass roots today; it's nowhere near enough to sustain my energy levels," she muttered. "The fire didn't attract any bugs either. I was hoping to see if any edible insects would be drawn to it. In the wild, most insects are a good source of protein."

As she spoke, she put the three-ring harness back on. "I hope I can find a water source and get some food tomorrow. For now, I'm heading up."

She took out her phone, turned on the flashlight, and began to climb. The tree she had chosen wasn't very large, making it easier to scale. Once she reached the fork in the branches, she secured the harness to the trunk.

"Alright, I'm fixed in place. The structure of this fork is very stable, so I can sit here with peace of mind without worrying about falling."

"Of course, sleeping like this is very restrictive and quite uncomfortable. But this is the wilderness. Compared to being attacked by a wild beast, a little discomfort is acceptable."

Lu Ning turned off the flashlight and looked around at her surroundings. She would have to sleep in the tree for the night. She had done this many times before; sleeping in a tree felt much safer than on the ground. Especially with this tree's insect-repellent properties, her safety was significantly enhanced.

The tree's scent would mask her own, so even if a predator appeared below, it wouldn't be able to detect her. She decided that when she left tomorrow morning, she would pick extra leaves to take with her.