Chapter 43: The Waterside Hunting Ground

Chapter 43: The Waterside Hunting Ground

"It sounds like some kind of deer, but I'm not entirely sure."

Xu Yi knew very few animals, and identifying one by sound alone was even more impossible.

"I'll go take a look and see what it is."

[Number 1, are you kidding me?]
[What if it’s a predator? Are you going to deliver yourself and Keke as a takeaway?]
[If you really have to go, don't take Keke. At least there’s a campfire here that provides some defense.]
[It sounds like a leopard to me. Deer? Number 1, do you even know what a deer sounds like?]

"Are we going now?" Su Keke asked as she watched Xu Yi putting away the charcoal from the bucket.

Venison—it must be delicious, right?

Su Keke had never eaten it before. Although she had eaten plenty of meat, she had never tried deer. Most wild deer were protected species and off-limits. Growing up in a remote village, it was even more unrealistic to come across farmed venison.

"You stay here. Dad is going to take a look."

As he spoke, Xu Yi lit another campfire. This would create a wall of fire to help protect Su Keke. He felt the viewers' concerns were valid; what if he really did run into a predator? Even a small wildcat would be difficult to handle, and even if he managed to kill it, he would surely end up covered in scratches.

"Stay here, Dad is going to check it out. Don't wander off, understand?" Xu Yi said with great seriousness, knowing the risk of encountering a beast was real. Furthermore, if he went too far and something happened to Su Keke, he wouldn't be able to rush back in time.

"Mm, Keke will be good. I won't let Dad worry." Su Keke promised, acting very sensible.

Xu Yi nodded, then grabbed his stone machete and spear, heading toward the direction of the sound. Deep down, he hoped for a bit of luck and that it would turn out to be a herbivore. If he could successfully hunt it, they would have food stored for many days.

Xu Yi’s eyesight was quite good; his previous vision defects had been corrected, and his acuity had actually improved. If there were no obstructions, he could see very far. However, in the jungle, his range was limited by the trees.

He approached cautiously, but the sound didn't last long. After a while, it stopped completely.

However, Xu Yi heard something else.

"I think I hear running water."

He tilted his head and listened intently for a moment.

"Yes, I’m sure of it. It’s not very loud, which means either I’m still quite far away or the stream is small."

Xu Yi felt a surge of joy. After seven days, he had finally found a water source. That explained the earlier sound; some animal must have come to drink or was hunting near the river. He quickened his pace, moving toward the sound of the water.

"There’s a metallic scent of blood. Some animal must have just been killed here."

Xu Yi stopped in his tracks upon smelling the blood. He scanned his surroundings, using his X-ray vision to search for the carcass and the predator. However, his X-ray vision had an effective range of only 30 meters, and its effectiveness was greatly reduced by obstacles. If an animal were hiding behind a large tree, he could only see two or three meters past the tree; beyond that, everything was a blur. It was difficult to identify other animals in that blurred area. Besides, he could only use the ability for one minute at a time, followed by a ten-minute cooldown.

He walked a bit further and finally saw the river.

"Look, there’s a small river, about three meters wide."

Xu Yi pointed it out, and the follow-shot camera captured the scene. However, he saw the river but no animals.

[Number 1, you should really go back! The smell of blood means it’s a kill site.]
[Finding water is good, but not if it’s at a place where a slaughter just happened.]
[Be careful! There could be other predators lurking nearby, waiting for herbivores to come drink.]
[Number 1, I beg you, play it safe! You still have Keke to look after!]

Xu Yi ignored these comments entirely. It was easy for people to talk from the sidelines. He and Su Keke hadn't bathed in ages; if they kept this up, they’d be covered in fleas. Furthermore, not bathing for a long time could lead to bacterial infections. Even in the wilderness, personal hygiene remained a crucial part of survival.

Only by finding a river could they wash their hair and bodies. While the jungle had water-bearing vines, it wasn't realistic to use them for bathing—how many vines would you need to harvest? It might work once or twice, but it wasn't sustainable. Therefore, now that he had found water, he couldn't just walk away.

"I’ve found tracks. It looks like the predator has already dragged the prey away."

The smell of blood would attract other scavengers, so it was likely dragged off to avoid competition. Upon reaching the spot, Xu Yi found some animal fur. He didn't recognize what kind of animal it came from; the hair was incredibly coarse and unlike anything he had seen before.

However, he happily collected the fur. These were excellent materials for making toothbrushes. How could he pass that up?

[Why is Number 1 picking up that animal hair? What’s the use of that?]
[Can’t you tell? It’s obviously for making toothbrushes. Number 1 touched it earlier, and the hair was clearly stiff—perfect for bristles.]
[Number 1 is actually pretty resourceful. Does any expert know what kind of animal this is?]

Discussions broke out in the live chat, though Xu Yi couldn't see most of them. He didn't miss a single strand, even picking up a piece of skin the size of a palm that still had fur on it. The fur was very dense, and he felt that this piece alone would be enough to make a toothbrush for both himself and Su Keke. Combined with what he had already collected, making four or five brushes wouldn't be a problem. It was good to have spares; after all, you couldn't buy these things in the wilderness.

After collecting everything, Xu Yi walked to the riverbank. There were many messy tracks along the shore, confirming that many animals came here to drink. This spot was at a lower elevation, making the water accessible. Elsewhere along the bank, the drop to the water level was over two meters, making it quite difficult for animals to reach.