80: Awkward late-night chats

Lu Fan hummed a catchy, self-composed tune as he carried the Wild Rabbit and Wild Chicken. With a light step, he strode into the Shelter like a general returning in triumph.

An Lan heard the movement and looked up. Seeing the plump Wild Rabbit, her eyes instantly rounded, and she blurted out, "Wow, it's so big!"

The corner of Lu Fan's mouth curved up as he teased, "I hope you're talking about the rabbit."

An Lan was instantly speechless.

"When I take action, one person is as good as two!" Lu Fan said with a face full of pride. He placed the prey on the ground and briskly rolled up his sleeves, preparing to get to work.

Da Hei also followed behind, his tail wagging like a propeller as if he were claiming credit: "I helped too, don't forget about me!"

Skinning and butchering, Lu Fan's technique was skilled, his movements flowing in one smooth motion, which An Lan secretly admired.

Looking at the burning fire in the Shelter, Lu Fan was full of curiosity and asked, "How did you get this fire started?"

One should know that in this wilderness, many people still have no source of fire and can only eat cold, raw food.

An Lan smiled and explained, "During a previous thunderstorm, a tree was struck by lightning. I saw the opportunity and preserved the embers."

After hearing this, Lu Fan sucked in a breath of cold air. The risks involved were self-evident; few people would have the courage and luck to pull that off.

He couldn't help but feel a bit more admiration for this thin but mentally strong girl. He gave her a thumbs up and praised, "You're really brave!"

An Lan smiled, her expression serious. "It's not about being brave or not. Even if not for myself, I have to grit my teeth and survive for the sake of the country."

"What high awareness!" Lu Fan praised, turning around to begin preparing dinner.

Since he hadn't brought the pot back, they could only roast the food.

He picked up his dagger and deftly shaved some wood into several skewers, propping the Wild Chicken and Wild Rabbit over the fire.

The flames licked at the prey. The surfaces of the Wild Rabbit and Wild Chicken gradually turned golden, and grease sizzled out, emitting an enticing aroma unique to primitive wild game.

Lu Fan took out some salt and sprinkled it evenly over them.

Looking at the fine white salt, An Lan couldn't help but praise, "You're amazing. To be able to get such good salt out here in the middle of nowhere."

Lu Fan looked up with a smile, his gaze landing on An Lan's face. "You look like you're in good health; you must have a way to supplement your salt intake too, right?"

An Lan nodded and explained, "I found some plants with high salt content; their root systems have quite a bit of salt attached to them."

"As expected of a Chinese Medicine student, you really know a lot!"

"Then what did you study?" An Lan asked curiously.

"Me? I studied to be a Preschool Teacher, though I wasn't very good at it," Lu Fan replied while flipping the roasting meat.

"I really couldn't tell." An Lan sized him up, her eyes full of doubt.

The two chatted back and forth while Da Hei, lying to the side, stared intently at the roasting meat.

From time to time, he glanced at the two of them in confusion, seemingly wondering: What's there to talk about? Doesn't the meat smell good?

Finally, the meat was done. "Come, try my cooking!"

Lu Fan used his dagger to cut off a large chicken leg and handed it to An Lan.

"Thank you."

An Lan took it, blew on it gently, and took a bite. Her eyes instantly lit up like stars. "It's delicious! With your culinary skills, it's a pity you're not a chef."

Lu Fan scratched his head and chuckled. "I've loved researching food since I was a kid. I didn't expect it to come in handy here in the wilderness."

For An Lan, who hadn't tasted meat in a long time, she didn't care about being reserved at this moment and began to eat heartily.

Lu Fan didn't forget Da Hei, cutting half of the rabbit meat for the dog who was watching expectantly.

Da Hei took the meat and immediately wolfed it down, eating with great relish.

Having eaten and drunk his fill, An Lan leaned against the wall and couldn't help but let out a loud burp.

"Sorry."

She blushed instantly and quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

"Haha, it's okay. You need to be full to have the strength to keep surviving," Lu Fan laughed heartily.

With their joint efforts, the food was soon completely finished.

*Burp*... I'm so full."

An Lan clutched her stomach, her face brimming with a satisfied smile. This was the most sumptous meal she had eaten since starting her Wilderness Survival.

By this time, the sky had gradually darkened. The afterglow of the setting sun filtered through the gaps in the leaves, splashing into the Shelter and forming patches of golden light like a dreamlike stage.

After eating and drinking their fill, the two actually fell into an awkward situation where they didn't know what to say.

"Uh... this Wild Chicken today was quite plump, huh," Lu Fan was the first to break the silence, making small talk.

"Yeah, thanks to you and Da Hei," An Lan echoed, her gaze drifting elsewhere as her fingers unconsciously toyed with the hem of her clothes.

"Well, Da Hei really did a great job today. I'll have him catch a few even plumper ones tomorrow," Lu Fan said as he reached out to pat Da Hei's head.

Da Hei squinted comfortably, enjoying his master's praise, a contented purr coming from his throat.

"Yeah, Da Hei is really amazing." An Lan nodded, again not knowing what to say.

The atmosphere fell into silence once more, with only the crackling sound of the firewood burning, as if it were also adding to the awkward vibe.

Lu Fan racked his brains, searching for a topic.

In the livestream room, barrage comments were flying like snowflakes.

"Oh my god, this is too awkward!"

"Great God Lu Fan, say something! You're usually so good at chatting with Da Hei."

"Oh boy, these two... it's not a blind date, why is it so awkward?"

"Hahaha, I was like this the first time I went to my father-in-law's house. I was so nervous I didn't know what to say."

As the silence grew, Lu Fan had a sudden inspiration. "Do you think there might be other strange animals in this wilderness?"

"It's possible, but I haven't seen any." An Lan gained a bit of interest and sat up straight, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"I think there definitely are. Maybe there are even fire-breathing dinosaurs!" Lu Fan said seriously, a mysterious expression on his face.

"Don't talk nonsense, dinosaurs went extinct a long time ago." An Lan was amused.

"What if a few escaped the net and are secretly breeding in this wilderness?" Lu Fan's words became more and more outrageous as he gestured in the air, mimicking a dinosaur's claws and teeth.

"Then we'd be in trouble. We might end up as a dinosaur's dinner." An Lan played along with his imagination and also started joking, her eyes full of laughter.

"That won't do. I'll definitely run faster than you. I'll just hop on a horse and bolt, throwing you to the dinosaur as bait first." Lu Fan gave a deliberate wicked grin and pulled back, making a posture as if he were ready to flee at any moment.

"You... you're too much!" An Lan pretended to be angry and reached out to hit him. The two laughed together.

The atmosphere suddenly became relaxed, and the awkwardness vanished.

Having laughed enough, An Lan asked curiously again, "What do you think the contestants from other countries are doing right now?"

"Who knows? Maybe they're still going hungry. Not everyone is as lucky as you to encounter a 'Survival Great God' like me." Lu Fan looked proud, his chin slightly raised, his face full of confidence.

"Maybe they've also caught a lot of prey and are eating heartily," An Lan countered, her arms crossed over her chest as she tilted her head to look at him.

"I can't speak for others, but our Huaxia contestant Ling Yue is definitely eating something good. I can often hear his Reward Announcements," Lu Fan patted his chest, his tone certain.

"The one I hear most about is your rewards, Lu Fan. Sometimes I really suspect you and I aren't in the same Wilderness Survival," An Lan joked with a smile, her eyes full of envy.

"Haha, just good luck." Lu Fan scratched his head, a humble smile appearing on his face.

The two talked back and forth, discussing the situations of other contestants and speculating on what dangers they might encounter or what adventures they might have.

Unknowingly, the sky had turned completely dark. Stars filled the sky like gems embedded in black silk.

"Look, the stars are so beautiful." An Lan pointed at the sky, looking enchanted, the brilliant starlight reflected in her eyes.

"Yeah, you can't see such a beautiful starry sky in the city." Lu Fan also looked up, a hint of emotion in his eyes as his thoughts seemed to drift back to the past.