173: Chapter 172 The Vanished Stone Tools

In the afternoon, the sunlight gently filtered through the gaps between the leaves, sketching patches of golden shadows on the ground.

Lu Fan paced over to the brick kiln and, with a hint of anticipation, cautiously reached his hand inside.

A wave of warmth brushed against his face; although the temperature had dropped significantly compared to a few days ago, there was clearly still some time to wait before the bricks could be safely removed.

He sighed helplessly, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as he teased himself, "As the saying goes, 'Haste makes waste'—or in this case, a hurried heart can't eat hot tofu. It seems I'll need a bit more patience."

Standing by the brick kiln, Lu Fan gazed into the distance, pondering how to make use of this waiting interval.

Inadvertently, his gaze fell upon the lush green grass not far away, where Big Horn was leisurely grazing.

Big Horn was a sturdy buck he had successfully tamed, and it had been a huge help since joining this small wilderness team.

It had a gentle temperament and was steady in its work, unlike the hard-to-tame Lightning or Big Black, who was always jumping around; it always silently took on various physical tasks without ever complaining.

Thinking about the large amount of cement needed for the subsequent house building, with river sand being an indispensable raw material, Lu Fan had an idea.

He walked quickly toward Big Horn, gently stroking its neck while whispering, "Big Horn, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to make a trip with me again."

Big Horn seemed to understand him, swishing its tail and letting out a low bellow as if responding, "Don't worry, leave it to me."

Lu Fan skillfully fitted Big Horn with a simple pack saddle, picked up two baskets, and led it toward the riverbank.

Before leaving, he didn't forget to turn back and instruct An Lan, "An Lan, I'm going out to dig some river sand. Be careful here by yourself."

An Lan nodded with a smile, "You stay safe too, and come back early."

Along the way, Big Horn walked with steady steps, occasionally lowering its head to nibble on the fresh green grass by the roadside.

Lu Fan walked beside it, humming a tuneless little melody, enjoying this moment of peace and beauty.

Before long, they arrived at the riverbank.

Before them lay a wide sandy beach, the river water shimmering under the sunlight as it flowed slowly.

Lu Fan's eyes sparkled with excitement; he released Big Horn's lead to let it roam freely while he quickly threw himself into the work of digging river sand.

Gripping the shovel tightly with both hands, he forcefully shoveled up the river sand and poured it into the baskets. Shovel by shovel, the fine river sand gradually filled them up.

During the process of digging sand, Lu Fan also encountered some interesting small creatures.

A small crab crawled out of the sand pile, waving its two little claws as if to challenge him.

He squatted down curiously, wanting to catch it, but the clever little crab darted into a sand hole, leaving him empty-handed.

Lu Fan couldn't help but laugh, "I'll count you lucky for being fast."

After filling the two baskets with river sand, Lu Fan hung them steadily onto the pack saddle on Big Horn's back.

Big Horn felt the weight on its back, shook its body, and then walked with firm steps toward the Shelter.

Returning to the Shelter, Lu Fan unloaded the river sand and piled it neatly to one side.

Looking at the river sand piled up like a small mountain, his heart was filled with a sense of accomplishment.

However, while Big Horn's transport speed wasn't slow, the capacity of the baskets was limited.

To stockpile more river sand, Lu Fan took a short break and decided to make another trip.

He brought Big Horn to the river once more, repeating his previous actions and filling another two baskets with river sand.

This time, to transport a bit more, Lu Fan gritted his teeth and carried two baskets of sand himself on a shoulder pole.

It had to be said that the fine sand was truly heavy; even with Lu Fan's physical fitness, carrying these two baskets felt like carrying two small mountains.

Every step felt as if it required all his strength.

But he didn't set them down; after all, how could a man say he can't handle it!

By the time he returned to the Shelter again, the sun had gradually begun to set, and a magnificent sunset glow appeared on the horizon, dyeing the entire world orange-red.

An Lan had long been waiting at the entrance; seeing Lu Fan return, she hurried to meet him, "You've worked hard, come in and rest for a bit."

Lu Fan carried the sand to the water's edge to pile it up, saving himself the trouble for tomorrow.

"Hiss, this soreness is the real deal." Lu Fan couldn't help but rub his arms.

Night fell, and the wilderness was shrouded in darkness, with only the warm firelight flickering within the Shelter.

Lu Fan and An Lan had a simple dinner and then began to organize their supplies.

Big Black lay nearby, yawning occasionally, his eyelids starting to droop, looking quite sleepy.

Just as Lu Fan was preparing to organize and store the tools, he suddenly discovered that the stone tools he had made previously were gone.

These stone tools, such as the stone axe and stone knife, were all things he had spent a lot of time and effort making, and they had played an important role in the early days of Wilderness Survival.

His brows furrowed instantly, his heart filled with doubt.

He searched the Shelter carefully, turning over every corner, but he still couldn't find any trace of those stone tools.

"An Lan, have you seen my stone tools?" Lu Fan turned to look at An Lan.

An Lan stopped what she was doing and shook her head, "No. Think carefully, where was the last place you saw them?"

In the livestream room.

"Ah, something's missing? Could it be that contestants from other countries have snuck over?"

"That's not right; if there were a thief, Big Black should have noticed, right?"

"Could it be an Enderman?"

"Don't Endermen only steal blocks?"

Gradually, the topic in the livestream room shifted completely, with netizens starting to talk nonsense about everything under the sun.

Lu Fan tried hard to remember, but he couldn't recall anything.

He remembered putting them on the shelf when he was organizing supplies a few days ago.

Although he now had sharper and more durable iron tools, these stone tools had, after all, accompanied him through many difficult days, and he had never thought of throwing them away.

He felt it was very strange; how could these tools just disappear for no reason?

When his gaze fell upon the iron tools he had obtained previously, the anxiety in his heart lessened slightly.

These iron tools, in terms of both sharpness and durability, far surpassed the stone tools.

With them, survival in the wilderness seemed to become much easier.

Although he was still puzzled by the disappearance of the stone tools, he felt that since he had better iron tools, the importance of the stone tools wasn't that high anymore.

Thus, he decided not to dwell on the matter and instead shifted his attention to the upcoming house-building plan.

He and An Lan sat side by side by the campfire, spreading out a simple self-made blueprint, and began to discuss the layout and design of the house.

The firelight reflected on their faces, sketching the outlines of happiness.

Big Black had fallen asleep at some point, letting out soft snores.