160: Honeycomb briquettes, the Monkey King cries for help.

Next, they entered the critical stage of processing the bear skin—tanning.

Lu Fan knew very well that tanning would make the bear skin soft and resilient, preventing it from rotting or deteriorating, so it could be preserved and used for a long time.

He returned to the Shelter and pulled out some plant roots and bark that An Lan had carefully collected earlier; these were the raw materials for making the tanning solution.

When it came to processing these natural materials, the dexterous An Lan was an expert.

“I remember reading in a book that water boiled with these plants can be used as a tanning solution. Although it's not as good as professional tanning materials, in the wild, we'll just have to make do,” An Lan said.

As she spoke, she placed the various plant roots and bark into a pot, added a suitable amount of clear water, and then skillfully started a fire to boil them.

After a short while, a peculiar scent wafted from the pot.

It was like the fresh fragrance of plants intertwined with a faint sourness, quickly filling the entire Shelter.

“This smell... how should I describe it? It's a bit like a 'dark cuisine' dish I ate before,” Lu Fan joked, wrinkling his nose with a look of feigned disgust.

Lu Fan frowned and made a face of feigned disgust, speaking half-jokingly.

An Lan covered her nose and replied with a smile, “This is much more useful than dark cuisine. Don't you dare underestimate it.”

After a period of patient boiling, the tanning solution was finally ready.

Lu Fan carefully poured it into a large basin. Once the temperature had dropped slightly, he took the semi-dry bear skin down from the drying line and slowly lowered it into the basin.

“Next, it's time for the bear skin to take a nice 'tanning bath.'”

As Lu Fan spoke, he continuously flipped the bear skin in the basin with his hands, ensuring every part was evenly soaked in the tanning solution, his movements gentle and focused.

What followed was a long wait. Softening a bear skin was not something that could be completed in a short time; it required absolute patience.

“Now for the long wait.”

Lu Fan stood up, stretched his aching arms, and a smile of anticipation appeared on his face.

He could almost see that soft, warm bear skin protecting them from the winter's bitter cold.

Watching the bear skin peacefully 'taking its bath' in the large basin, Lu Fan gave a long stretch. His gaze inadvertently swept over to the pile of Honeycomb Briquettes in the corner.

“An Lan, I'm going to go check how our Honeycomb Briquettes are drying,” he said, walking toward the briquettes with large strides.

Reaching them, Lu Fan squatted down like a child hunting for treasure, staring intently at the Honeycomb Briquettes.

The sunlight poured over them without reservation, and with the breeze occasionally brushing past, some of the Honeycomb Briquettes had already become dry and crisp.

“Good grief, the sun and wind are really pulling their weight. Looks like our previous efforts weren't in vain.”

He rubbed his hands excitedly and picked out two of the driest-looking Honeycomb Briquettes.

“These really look the part,” Lu Fan said, calling out to An Lan as he moved the Honeycomb Briquettes to the fire pit.

He nimbly set up the Honeycomb Briquettes, and after lighting them, he watched them closely without blinking.

The flames cheerfully licked the Honeycomb Briquettes, and before long, the fire was burning steadily.

“Hahaha, it worked!”

Lu Fan couldn't help but laugh heartily. “These are much more burn-resistant than the firewood we used before. I feel like this one Honeycomb Briquette can burn for a long time.”

He leaned in closer, carefully observing the flame, and continued, “And the fire is so steady, it doesn't flicker at all. Boiling things will definitely be much faster from now on.”

An Lan also leaned in, saying with a smile, “It seems our coal-drying plan was a huge success.”

“You bet. And then there's the smell—before, whenever we burned stuff, the smoke would make you frown, but now you can barely smell a thing.”

Lu Fan fanned the air under his nose, a proud smile spreading across his face. “In the future, we'll rely entirely on these Honeycomb Briquettes for cooking and heating.”

He slapped the dust off his hands and continued, “I reckon if these Honeycomb Briquettes dry for another day or two, they'll be completely cured. Then we can stack them neatly; it'll be a proper 'energy depot.' Even when winter comes, we won't have anything to fear.”

After speaking, Lu Fan picked up another Honeycomb Briquette and examined it closely against the sunlight.

“Say, if we made these Honeycomb Briquettes into different shapes, like squares, would they be better to use? Maybe they'd even save space,” he said, letting his imagination run wild.

An Lan was amused by his idea. “You certainly have a lot of ideas. But maybe it really would work. Once this batch is dry, we can give it a try.”

“Right then, it's a deal,” Lu Fan said, full of energy. “Once the bear skin is handled, we'll have a good look at the 'Transformers' version of these Honeycomb Briquettes. We might even create a new divine tool for wilderness survival!”

As he spoke, he imagined all sorts of novel Honeycomb Briquette shapes, as if seeing the huge role they would play in the future, making their life in the wild more comfortable and convenient.

Just as Lu Fan was about to sit down on a nearby tree stump to take a good rest, he suddenly heard a series of hurried "squeak-squeak" sounds approaching from a distance.

He looked up and, lo and behold, it was the Monkey King, charging toward the Shelter in a frantic rush.

Usually, this Monkey King was always jumping around and acting up, but right now, his expression was exceptionally urgent, his eyes wide as brass bells.

The Monkey King ran up to Lu Fan and, without a word, grabbed Lu Fan's pant leg and pulled hard, screeching incessantly. He looked as if the sky were about to fall.

“Hey, friend, don't rush, don't rush. Speak slowly, what on earth is going on?”

While Lu Fan tried to soothe the Monkey King, he felt a sense of unease. It was rare to see anything make this mischievous Monkey King so anxious.

The Monkey King had no patience for slow questioning. Seeing that Lu Fan hadn't reacted yet, he simply turned and ran.

He ran a few steps and looked back. Seeing Lu Fan wasn't following, he rushed back to pull him again, his cries becoming even more urgent as if urging Lu Fan to hurry up.

“Alright, alright, I'll go with you.”

Lu Fan smiled helplessly and stood up, saying to An Lan, “I'm going to follow the Monkey King and see. I reckon something big has happened.”

An Lan nodded with a worried expression. “Be careful. If there's any danger, come back quickly. I'll be waiting for you.”

Led by the Monkey King, Lu Fan jogged along, weaving through the dense jungle.

The paths in this jungle were truly difficult to navigate, with tangled branches and slippery moss everywhere. Lu Fan nearly ate dirt several times.

“I say, Monkey King, couldn't you pick an easier path?” Lu Fan complained, panting for breath.

But the Monkey King didn't care about any of that, continuing to charge forward as if a fierce beast were chasing him, showing no intention of slowing down.

Finally, they arrived at an unremarkable-looking place.

If the Monkey King hadn't come to a sudden halt, Lu Fan wouldn't have noticed that a deep pit was hidden here.