Chapter 373 - 42: Security Upgrades for the Shelter

Chen Wen didn’t completely cosplay Ah San, which means he didn’t use his hands to eat.The reason is simple.

First, the temperature is too high.

Second, it’s not hygienic.

Chen Wen broke a reed stalk to use as chopsticks.

He picked up a piece of crocodile meat and put it in his mouth.

"Hmm! Delicious!"

Chen Wen didn’t describe much; stir-fried meat isn’t tasty if left for too long.

His chopsticks flew between his mouth and the crocodile meat, back and forth.

He barely had time to speak.

This scene left many of the contestants’ assistants dumbfounded.

It tastes that good?

Really?

Lin Jiawei held his box lunch with a bit of bitterness in his heart.

Survival is for Chen Wen, but he has to suffer along with him!

Jiang Chang is slightly better off.

As a life assistant, she occasionally had time to go to nearby towns with other female assistants for a proper meal, using the show’s procurement vehicle.

But he had to work continuously.

However, it’s comforting that Abel, as the director, shares the same treatment as him.

Lin Jiawei felt somewhat balanced.

But soon, that balance was broken.

A staff member came with a plate of stir-fried meat for Abel to enjoy extra.

Abel used his power a bit to get the Ah San chef to add this dish.

Seeing this, many contestants’ assistants felt unbalanced.

...

Back to Chen Wen’s side.

After finishing a small stir-fry, he felt an emptiness inside.

After some thought, Chen Wen slapped his thigh: "No staple food, huh!"

"If only I had a bowl of rice to cover this, tut-tut, I can’t imagine how satisfying it would be!"

But getting staple food in the wild is very unlikely.

Unless a bag of rice falls from the sky or rice grows from the ground.

"Alright, I’ll eat some of the previously braised crocodile meat, finish eating, and get to work!"

Chen Wen sighed regretfully.

...

After the meal, he continued drying meat jerky.

Chen Wen put the cooled meat back into the pot and sprinkled some Ah San seasoning.

He mixed it well to ensure that every piece was coated with seasoning.

Chen Wen used a reed-woven rope to tie a drying line at the top of the shelter.

Then he hung the meat strips, keeping a certain distance between them.

After all, it’s about ventilation, safety, and shade.

Where else is better than one’s own shelter?

Moreover, the bonfire inside gives a bit of warmth and dryness.

It’s perfect for drying jerky here.

Besides drying jerky, the remaining crocodile meat was smoked.

Smoked meat, Chen Wen was quite familiar with.

He took an axe and chopped down a tree to make a smokehouse.

By the afternoon, a simple smokehouse was set up about 100 meters from Chen Wen’s camp.

He transferred the fire, put in the meat strips.

Start smoking!

After a night, the smoked meat would be perfectly done the next morning.

....

At night.

Chen Wen went to the riverbank and faced the hippo.

He asked the hippo to watch over his smokehouse to avoid other animals stealing it.

The hippo assured him that as long as it was there, the meat wouldn’t be stolen.

Chen Wen nodded in satisfaction and took the opportunity to check the hippo’s wound.

It showed signs of recovery, but full recovery would take a long time.

He sat with the hippo for a while, watched the sunset, and washed his feet.

In a great mood, Chen Wen returned to the shelter and climbed up to the tree house to sleep.

As for the hippo, after dark, it leisurely came ashore, grazing while serving as Chen Wen’s nighttime guard.

...

The next day.

With the toughest survival time behind them.

The contestants were all settled.

Those who needed to cooperate did so, except for Ivan and Vanessa.

Those who wanted to be lone wolves remained independent, like Chen Wen, Feng Zhong, and Yoshikawa Feng.

Adam and Rock’s teamwork was strong, and they were surviving smoothly.

The two teamed up, set traps, and successfully killed the crippled Nile crocodile.

Food would not be scarce in the short term.

Kaelian and Jamie finally found each other.

With the local Jamie’s guidance, they gathered many edible plants and even dug up cassava.

Moreover, Jamie used traps to catch fish successfully.

Kaelian, with her strong physique, built a decent shelter.

Vanessa, although not doing well, was stable enough to survive.

Yoshikawa Feng was lucky, and his traps managed to kill a gazelle.

Breaking through adversity, Feng Zhong lived quite well.

...

Back to Chen Wen’s side.

After getting up, he checked on the smoked meat.

No signs of tampering.

The hippo had returned to the water, but seeing the hippo’s footprints and dung around the smokehouse.

Chen Wen felt quite touched.

This showed that the hippo guarded the smokehouse for a long time last night.

A truly dependable hippo.

Chen Wen thought.

Reliable as it is, necessary training can’t be skipped.

After a moment of thought, Chen Wen planned to train the hippo at dusk and dawn.

This is when hippos are still somewhat active, and the sun isn’t too strong—bright but not harmful to the hippo.

Momentarily losing himself, Chen Wen felt like he was back in college learning to drive.

Back then, he also had morning and evening sessions with his coach.

It’s as if he’s practicing with a new energy amphibious vehicle in Caprivi.

Chen Wen chuckled, confusing the monitor.

What’s this big guy laughing about?

Checking the smoked meat, it looked good.

With his experience in smoking meat, Chen Wen handled the task skillfully.

He collected the smoked meat, brought it back to the shelter, and stored it in the meat storage area.

Sitting on the tree house platform, Chen Wen pondered his next moves.

So far, this survival experience had been smooth from start to end.

But at moments like this, caution is necessary.

How does that saying go?

"Proud horse gallops fast, trips and falls."

Cough, cough, the original poem definitely doesn’t mean that.

Chen Wen scratched his head.

In any case, fortune is hidden behind misfortune, and misfortune behind fortune.

Having had smooth sailing, there might be a hurdle waiting ahead.

So the upcoming survival must be more secure.

Chen Wen thought, for now, food isn’t a concern.

But for the bonfire, dry firewood needs to be stocked.

There’s no worry about water.

Unless a meteorite dries up the Kuanduo River overnight, water is definitely sufficient.

Among the key elements of survival, only the shelter remains.

The current shelter is comfortable, but lacks some security.

Chen Wen thought about it and decided to make the shelter more secure.

Now that food is abundant, the likelihood of attracting carnivorous animals increases.

"As of now, my shelter is quite safe, but if creatures like leopards or baboons, skilled in climbing, attack, they can easily climb up."

Chen Wen said: "Luckily, I have an axe now. I plan to use it to chop trees, make chevaux-de-frise, and surround this big tree for better security."

Absolute safety can’t be promised, Chen Wen admitted.

But once the chevaux-de-frise is completed, a leopard climbing up at night will surely alert him.

Leopards aren’t highly aggressive.

But that doesn’t mean they won’t attack people.

Vice President Qu Yong, whom Chen Wen knows, is one such example; he was scratched by a leopard nearby in the Okavango Delta.

The attack happened at night when Qu Yong was resting.

The leopard, attracted by the smell of food, approached.

Qu Yong sensed something nearby, stood up intending to drive it away.

But the leopard attacked so decisively.

Before Qu Yong could pick up a torch, it pounced.

In close combat without weapons, Qu Yong suffered, getting scratched on the cheek by the leopard.

However, as Qu Yong struck the leopard with a knee, it fled in pain, preventing a worse outcome.

Qu Yong’s experience made Chen Wen realize that information wasn’t always reliable.

The leopard is truly a leopard, not a cat.