Chapter 44: Suitable Camp Locations

Chapter 44: A Suitable Location for Building a Camp

"At this water level, it should be quite low, which means it probably isn't the rainy season in this region right now. There should be relatively little rainfall during this period."

In the seven days since their arrival, it had only rained once.

Additionally, the soil layers and vegetation on both sides of the river clearly showed traces of high water levels.

Therefore, these signs served to corroborate Xu Yi's hypothesis, making it seem rather reliable.

"However, quite a few animals come here to drink water. If I come here to hunt animals, I might also end up being targeted by other fierce beasts."

"So, I need to take Keke and head upstream to find a place suitable for setting up a camp."

"Once I have sufficient strength and have crafted a hunting bow, I can come back to places like this to hunt."

Next, Xu Yi looked at the forest on the opposite bank of the river.

The jungle on the other side was overgrown with various vines, shrubs, and small saplings.

"The other side must have gone through something; the oldest trees probably don't exceed ten years of age, right?"

"It might have been a forest fire. Given that the terrain here is relatively flat, it shouldn't have been any other kind of disaster."

The forest on the opposite side had exceptionally rich vegetation, and it would likely harbor many of the plants he needed.

However, the vegetation was far too dense; getting inside would be no easy task.

Xu Yi gazed at it for a few moments, then turned back to find Su Keke.

Taking advantage of the current temperature—which was at its daily peak when animals were least active—he needed to seize the time to lead Su Keke across this area.

"Dad, what kind of animals are those?"

Seeing Xu Yi return, Su Keke hurriedly asked.

Even though Xu Yi had returned empty-handed without catching any prey.

"I didn't find any, but Dad found a river."

"Let's go, we're setting off now to find a place suitable for building a camp."

With that, Xu Yi began using his stone chopper to shovel dirt onto the campfire.

After extinguishing the flames completely, Xu Yi shouldered his bamboo basket, picked up the bucket, and set off with Su Keke.

Along the way, Xu Yi did spot some frogs.

However, their coloring was extremely vibrant, and Xu Yi suspected they were similar to poison dart frogs, whose skin might secrete potent toxins.

Otherwise, he definitely would have taken the time to catch them.

After the two of them passed through the hunting zone, they continued walking upstream.

Xu Yi needed to find an ideally located spot before he could build a long-term shelter.

Only with a permanent shelter could he claim to survive here for a hundred days, or even longer.

They walked upstream along the edge of the riverbank. The area close to the river was covered in weeds, many of which grew over a person's height.

If these weeds were not cleared away, it would be difficult to see the conditions in the river.

For Xu Yi, walking upstream simply by listening to the sound of the river was sufficient.

At a little past four in the afternoon, Xu Yi and Su Keke came to a halt in a certain area.

"Look, there are two small valleys on the opposite side, and a small stream flows into the river."

Xu Yi spotted a small stream and immediately pointed it out.

He felt that the stream on the opposite side was likely formed by a mountain spring, making it even more ideal as a water source.

Therefore, he planned to walk ahead, cross the river to the opposite side, and find a suitable spot to set up camp.

"Oh, have we reached a slope?"

Because of the torrential rain, Xu Yi believed the camp would be best established in a higher location.

"Let's go up and check out the situation."

Xu Yi hacked through the bushes and led Su Keke up the slope.

This way, he could get a more comprehensive view of the conditions on the other side.

"This slope is very steep and quite low; it's probably just a small mound."

"In that case, it's even more suitable for establishing a camp."

No matter how heavy the rainstorm, it would be impossible to flood their camp.

Once they got up there, however, Xu Yi realized his thinking had been a bit too simple.

"Judging by the situation, this might be the foot of a mountain, extending all the way up from here."

"Still, I think this place is pretty good. The river is right beneath us, making it convenient to fetch water."

"Even if there's a torrential rainstorm, this spot won't get flooded."

"In the future, I can cut down the trees in the low valleys on both sides and clear them into vegetable plots to start farming."

"Besides, higher ground is easier to defend."

The more he looked, the more satisfied Xu Yi became with this location.

Therefore, he decided to establish his camp right here.

The terrain on the opposite bank of the mountain also grew higher the further up you went, so if there were a flash flood across the river, they would remain relatively safe here.

"We've finally found a place suitable for building a camp. It hasn't been easy at all."

"Challengers like us who took seven days just to find a water source and are living this miserably—there probably aren't many, right?"

Xu Yi sat down directly, feeling exceptionally exhausted.

He knew this was because he had finally relaxed.

Previously, his nerves had been strung tightly the entire time.

[To be honest, there are still four or five hundred people who haven't found a stable water source yet. However, they are all on the verge of elimination.]

[Number 1, don't push it. You guys haven't lacked water or worried about food these past seven days. Even though you've been traveling constantly, you haven't starved or gone thirsty. You've had it quite good overall.]

[Honestly, if we apply the Pareto principle, you guys belong to that top twenty percent.]

[Many people are on the brink of elimination, and a wave of eliminations is coming soon. You should count your blessings.]

"Turns out we've actually been doing pretty well?"

Xu Yi had assumed everyone else was exceptionally strong since they had signed up.

After all, no rewards were mentioned at the beginning; it was merely an invitation extended to them.

The small group at the beginning might have entered blindly like him without understanding much.

However, those who came later had thought it through carefully and should have possessed certain survival skills.

Even though he had a system and X-ray vision, his other survival skills were still quite poor.

If he didn't have his precious daughter, he probably would have spent several days just trying to figure out how to weave a bamboo basket, let alone anything like a hammock.

After resting for a while, Xu Yi stood up.

He hadn't explored this place with his X-ray vision yet, so he still needed to check it out to ensure there were no hidden dangers.

"Keke, you rest here. Dad is going to walk around the perimeter and gather some firewood."

Xu Yi gave Su Keke instructions and then began exploring the area.

The width from left to right exceeded thirty meters, and the trees were relatively dense.

Even if pterosaurs were to attack, they would have no way of entering the forest.

This mountain extended northward with a relatively gentle slope.

However, Xu Yi figured he could still dig a trench to turn the area he selected into an "isolated island."

Next, he would cut down all the trees around the perimeter of the island.

Then, he would weave vines around the edges to form a large fence.

In this way, ordinary fierce beasts would have no way of entering his camp.

Safety would definitely be guaranteed without any problems.

The only thing left to resolve was food.