93: Playing Gomoku

He excitedly dove into the water, stroking his arms vigorously to swim over. He grabbed the target, raised his voice, and shouted in surprise, "An Lan, come over here! There's a huge patch of seaweed hidden here!"

Hearing the shout, An Lan's feet seemed to catch the wind as she ran over in just a few steps.

Seeing the patch of seaweed, her eyes instantly lit up, and she said excitedly, "Such large seaweed!"

The two of them bent over, carefully fishing the seaweed up from the seabed.

The long seaweed swayed gently in the water like a supple green ribbon, shimmering with a charming luster under the refraction of the sunlight.

With a great deal of effort, they finally hauled the large patch of seaweed completely onto the shore.

"Quite a harvest today. Tonight, we can eat our fill with a grand seafood feast!" Lu Fan smiled until his eyes narrowed into slits, his face full of satisfaction.

An Lan looked at the small mountain of clams, the flailing crabs, and the large patch of seaweed on the ground. Her lips curled up as she smiled and said, "Yes, and it's all natural. It's so hard to come across these things nowadays."

[Wilderness Survival Announcement]

[Huaguo Contestant Lu Fan triggered ten thousand times rebate]

[Seaweed Slices * 10,000]

The livestream room was instantly flooded with barrage comments:

"Wow, this seaweed is too big; it's almost too large for the screen!"

"So that's what unprocessed seaweed looks like. I've really had my eyes opened."

"My mouth is watering just looking at it. I'm getting tired of eating industrial seaweed every day."

"Seaweed: For you, I spent half a year's savings, crossing the ocean just to see you~!"

Wang Tao sighed in the livestream room, "I haven't seen such fresh wild seafood in years. Even I can't help but feel envious."

Zhao Hangjun pushed his glasses and began to share some knowledge: "Seaweed has a crisp texture and a light flavor; it's a rare delicacy."

"Moreover, seaweed has a high iodine content. Iodine is an important raw material for synthesizing thyroid hormones, playing a crucial role in maintaining normal human metabolism and promoting growth and development, especially the development of the nervous system."

"Iodine deficiency can lead to diseases like goiter. Eating seaweed appropriately can effectively supplement iodine and prevent iodine deficiency disorders."

Carrying their heavy harvest, Lu Fan and An Lan set off on the road back to the Shelter.

The sunset's afterglow fell softly upon them, stretching their shadows long.

Da Hei ran ahead happily like a naughty child.

Big Horn steadily carried the seaweed, following slowly behind as dutifully as a professional porter.

Back at the Shelter, Lu Fan and An Lan immediately threw themselves into the busy preparations.

Lu Fan handled the seafood skillfully, cleaning the clams and crabs with nimble movements. He planned to use steaming to preserve their most original freshness.

An Lan cut the seaweed into small sections, preparing to boil a pot of delicious seaweed soup, letting the savory aroma fill the entire Shelter.

The bonfire burned brightly, its warm yellow light reflecting on their faces.

Before long, the grand seafood feast was served.

Steamed clams, spicy crabs, and seaweed soup—dish after dish of steaming delicacies were laid out before them. The colors were enticing, making one's mouth water at a single glance.

"Come, try the steamed clams I made and see if they're fresh." Lu Fan picked up a clam and handed it to An Lan, his eyes full of anticipation.

An Lan took the clam and sucked gently. The tender clam meat slid into her mouth, and the fresh, savory flavor instantly spread across her palate.

She closed her eyes in satisfaction, savoring it carefully. "It's delicious! As expected of wild seafood!"

The two of them chatted happily while tasting the delicacies.

After eating and drinking their fill, Lu Fan and An Lan leaned back comfortably in their chairs, gazing up at the twinkling stars in the night sky.

A light breeze brushed past, bringing a hint of coolness that drove away the day's heat and made them feel exceptionally comfortable.

Da Hei's belly was round like a little ball from eating. He burped from time to time, squinting his eyes in satisfaction.

Big Horn quietly chewed on fodder nearby, occasionally swishing its tail to drive away mosquitoes. Everything was so harmonious.

"This seafood feast today really hit the spot. I haven't eaten this satisfyingly in a long time." An Lan patted her slightly bulging stomach, her face overflowing with a happy smile.

Lu Fan gave a big stretch and said with a smile, "Yeah, natural seafood is different; the taste is much fresher than farmed ones."

"But now that we're full, what should we do next? We can't just sit here doing nothing through this long night."

An Lan tilted her head and thought about it seriously.

Before she could speak, Lu Fan's eyes suddenly lit up, and he suggested excitedly, "How about we play gomoku! I haven't played in a long time, and I really miss that feeling of a battle of wits."

"gomoku? But we don't have a game board or pieces." An Lan looked at him, her eyes full of confusion.

Lu Fan gave a mysterious smile and stood up with full confidence. "How hard can that be? Watch me!"

After saying that, he searched the surroundings carefully and finally found a flat stone slab. He then picked up a sharp stone, lay on the ground, and seriously drew the gomoku grid on the stone slab stroke by stroke.

Although the grid was a bit crooked, it didn't affect their interest in the game at all.

"Board's done!" Lu Fan stood up proudly, like an architect who had completed a great project.

Next, he began to collect stones of different sizes, using the larger ones as black pieces and the smaller ones as white pieces.

"Ta-da! We have pieces too! How about it? Am I smart?" Lu Fan held the "pieces" and showed off in front of An Lan like a child, his face full of pride.

An Lan was amused by his actions and laughed heartily, nodding as she laughed. "You really have a lot of tricks. Fine, let's have a round and see who's the real gomoku master."

The two sat across from each other in front of the stone slab, and an intense yet interesting gomoku battle officially began.

Lu Fan took the black pieces and went first. He placed the first piece with full confidence, as if he could already see the dawn of victory.

An Lan, on the other hand, was unhurried. She rested her chin in her hand and carefully considered every move, her gaze focused and determined.

"Watch this. Once this piece goes down, you'll have a hard time responding."

As Lu Fan spoke, he proudly placed a piece heavily onto the board with a crisp 'snap,' as if declaring his advantage to An Lan.

An Lan frowned and stared at the board for a good while. Suddenly, her eyes lit up, her lips curled up, and she placed a piece down, saying with a smile, "Don't be happy too early. This move of mine has a hidden trick; I'm just waiting to see how you'll handle it."

The two went back and forth, the pieces on the board grew more numerous, and the situation became increasingly tense.

At first, Lu Fan indeed won more than he lost, relying on his rich experience.

Every time he won a round, he would jump up excitedly like a general who had won a battle, dancing and showing off in front of An Lan. "Haha, how about it? I told you I'm amazing! You should practice more; maybe you'll be able to beat me in the future."

An Lan gave a defiant smile and said, "Don't get ahead of yourself; I haven't gotten serious yet. Once I find my rhythm, you'll see. Don't go crying when the time comes."

Sure enough, as the games progressed, An Lan gradually found her rhythm, and her skills began to improve by leaps and bounds.

Every move she made was incredibly precise and well-calculated, leaving Lu Fan somewhat overwhelmed.

The previously smug Lu Fan saw the smile gradually vanish from his face, replaced by a look of tension and focus. His eyes were glued to the board as he pondered his next move.

"What's going on? Why are my skills declining?" Lu Fan patted his head in regret. Looking at the defeat gradually forming on the board, he felt a bit anxious, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

But he refused to lose. He gritted his teeth and continued to throw himself into the game with full concentration, vowing to win back a round.