55: Chapter 55 I'll Be Your Dog

Zhang Tao's brain exploded.

Go into the mountains? Forage for wild fruit?

That monster, dozens of meters long, had just crushed Old Li into pieces in a single bite!

That lush Mangrove Forest now looked ten thousand times more terrifying than the eighteenth level of hell in Zhang Tao's eyes!

Forget about going into the mountains; he felt his legs turning to jelly just by looking at the edge of the forest!

"No, no, no! Brother Fan! I was joking! I was talking nonsense!"

Zhang Tao scrambled over and threw himself at Lin Fan, clutching Lin Fan's boots with a death grip.

"I won't go! I'm not going anywhere! I'll stay in the Karst Cave and work! I'll be your dog!"

"How could that be?"

Lin Fan kicked him away, a mocking sneer appearing on his face.

"We're all colleagues, how could I exploit you? You have a big appetite, half a biscuit really won't cut it."

"I've thought about it carefully, and your proposal is excellent. It's a win-win, absolutely perfect."

"I've accepted it."

As these four words were spoken, Zhang Tao felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and he collapsed completely onto the ground.

"Brother Fan... Lin Fan! Don't do this to me!"

Zhang Tao broke down, tears and snot streaming down his face instantly. He kowtowed desperately, his forehead thumping against the gravel.

"People will die! They really will! I was just blinded by greed, I have a loose mouth! Hit me, scold me, just please don't send me away!"

"I'll eat less! A quarter of a biscuit is enough! I just need a sip of water!"

Nearby, Xiao Zhou, Lily, and the others watched Zhang Tao's grief-stricken appearance, all of them struck dumb, not daring to even breathe loudly.

The deathly silence on the Karst Cave platform lasted for a full minute.

Zhang Tao lay sprawled on the ground, his face covered in snot and tears, his hands digging desperately into the gravel, not even daring to lift his head.

That mutant snake from earlier had completely shattered his courage.

Lin Fan ignored him, turned around, and walked over to the unconscious Zhao Na.

He raised his right foot and kicked Zhao Na in the hip.

"Bang!"

The force was not light; Zhao Na cried out in pain, her body jerked, and her eyes snapped open.

"Snake! Don't eat me! Don't eat me!"

As soon as she woke up, she waved her hands frantically in the air, shrinking back like a madwoman, her back slamming heavily against the rock wall.

It wasn't until she saw Lin Fan standing in front of her that she shivered and stopped screaming.

"Shut up now that you're awake." Lin Fan looked down at her, his voice devoid of any warmth.

Zhao Na gasped for air, her chest heaving violently. Her torn underwear couldn't cover anything, but she didn't care about exposing herself right now.

She glanced at the now-calm Mangrove Forest below, then looked at Lin Fan, the fear in her eyes impossible to suppress.

"My conditions were made very clear just now."

"Half a compressed biscuit and half a bottle of water every day. Work to trade for your life. Any supplies found must be turned in. Collective punishment, rewards for reporting."

"Agree, and you stay."

"Disagree, and you can roll down right now to keep Su Qingxue company, or go into the forest and be a snack for that long worm."

Lin Fan gripped his tactical knife, the tip pointing casually at the slope below. "Choose."

"I agree! I agree!" Zhang Tao was the first to shout out, "Brother Fan, I'll do whatever you tell me to do! I'll be absolutely obedient!"

"I agree too!" Xiao Zhou followed suit, his voice hoarse.

Lily and the other women nodded like they were pounding garlic.

As long as they weren't kicked down, let alone half a biscuit a day, they would accept even just a little water.

Zhao Na leaned against the rock wall, swallowed, and said with a trembling voice: "Brother Fan... I'll listen to you, I'll listen to everything you say."

Lin Fan put away his knife.

He turned and walked into the depths of the Karst Cave, pulling out six unopened bottles of nongfu spring from the neatly stacked pile of supplies.

The moment they saw the water, the eyes of the dozen or so people turned green.

The sound of Adam's apples bobbing echoed across the platform.

They hadn't had a drop of water for a day and a night; their lips were cracked and bleeding, and their throats felt like they were smoking.

Lin Fan walked up to them and tossed the six bottles of water directly onto the gravel ground.

The plastic bottles hit the stones with a dull thud.

"One bottle for every two people. Divide it yourselves."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Tao lunged forward. He didn't care about colleague loyalty; he grabbed a bottle of water, clutched it tightly to his chest, unscrewed the cap, and poured it into his mouth.

"Zhang Tao, you bastard! Leave some for me!" A male colleague nearby turned red-eyed, tackled Zhang Tao, and reached out to snatch the water bottle.

Xiao Zhou was quick-witted and grabbed a bottle. Just as he opened it, Lily screamed and lunged over, her hands gripping Xiao Zhou's wrist tightly: "Let me have a sip! I beg you, let me have a sip!"

Zhao Na also lost all regard for her image; she and another female colleague rolled back and forth on the ground over a bottle of water, their nails digging into each other's flesh.

"Gulp! Gulp!"

The sound of swallowing, accompanied by the cursing of the struggle, turned the platform into a chaotic mess.

A few people, for the sake of six bottles of water, completely tore off their civilized masks.

Lin Fan watched this scene with cold eyes.

This is human nature. As long as you choke the throat of survival, even the most arrogant white-collar worker will turn into the most obedient beast.

In less than a minute, the six bottles of water were drunk clean, and even the last drop at the bottom of the bottles was licked up.

Zhang Tao's eyes finally regained a bit of clarity, and the others slumped on the ground. Although they had only drunk half a bottle, the long-lost sweetness revitalized their bodies with a glimmer of life.

"The water is finished."

Lin Fan clapped his hands, pulling everyone's attention back.

"Now, start working."

He pointed at the steep slope below and the pile of rubble at the end of the slope.

"Men, all of you go down. Take all the scattered stones and wooden planks—anything you can carry—and bring them all up to me."

Zhang Tao froze for a moment and looked at the steep slope below.

Moving stones and climbing slopes was pure, heavy manual labor.

But he didn't dare to refute, only nodding repeatedly: "Okay! Brother Fan, we're going right now!"

As long as they didn't go into the forest, what was a little manual labor?

Lin Fan turned his head, his gaze falling on the five women, including Zhao Na and Lily.

"Women, go gather firewood."

Zhao Na had just let out a sigh of relief, but upon hearing this, she immediately stood up straight: "Okay! Brother Fan, we'll go to the beach to gather..."

"No."

Lin Fan interrupted her. He raised his hand, his finger pointing precisely at the edge of the lush Mangrove Forest down the slope.

"Go there. There are many dry branches at the edge of the forest; collect them and bring them back to the Karst Cave."

As soon as these words were spoken, there was silence again.

Zhao Na's face turned deathly pale, completely devoid of color. Lily's legs went weak, and she fell to her knees with a "thump."

"The... the edge of the forest?" Zhao Na's voice trembled uncontrollably, tears instantly welling up, "Brother Fan... you must be joking, right?"

"A twenty-meter-long snake just appeared there! Old Li's bone fragments haven't even cooled down yet!"

"Going there to gather firewood... isn't that just going to our deaths?!"

Lily lunged forward, hugging Lin Fan's combat boots, and wailed: "Brother Fan! Please, change the location! Can we go to the beach? Can we go behind the rocks? I don't want to be eaten by a snake!"

The other three female colleagues were also huddled together, trembling in fear.

Lin Fan ignored their wailing. He turned around and looked at Song Ya, who had been sitting by the fire, watching everything silently.

"Song Ya, come here."

Song Ya stood up and walked to Lin Fan, "Lin Fan, what is it?"