It was around eight in the morning, the sun having just risen, but most of its light was blocked by the dense canopy above, leaving the forest dim and shadowed.
Besides that, the forest was thick with mist, and after only a short while, the clothes that Qin Tian and Ye Lin had dried were already damp again.
Having watched Ai’e De’s survival shows before, Qin Tian had often imagined what it would be like to survive in the wild himself. But now that he was truly in such a situation, he realized that survival was far more difficult than he had imagined.
Even though he had mentally prepared himself, stepping into the forest made Qin Tian feel as if a pair of eyes were watching them from every dark corner.
There was no choice but for Qin Tian to stay constantly alert, ready in case any wild beasts suddenly appeared.
Compared to Qin Tian, Ye Lin was even more frightened, sticking closely behind him and keeping her voice low.
And so, the two pressed deeper into the forest.
***
An hour later, with the sun now high in the sky, the forest had brightened considerably, and the two relaxed a little, sitting down to rest.
They had only traveled a few thousand meters in that hour, but the nerves constantly on edge left them both with throbbing heads.
After a short break, Ye Lin asked, “Where are we headed?”
They had ventured deep into the jungle by now, and logically, they shouldn’t have needed to go this far just to set up a camp.
Moreover, Qin Tian gave off the impression that he was searching for something.
“By the river,” Qin Tian answered, which startled Ye Lin.
“A river? Is there fresh water in this forest?” She hadn’t expected Qin Tian to be looking for a river at all.
“Yes,” Qin Tian replied with a question instead of an answer, “Do you remember the snake you encountered yesterday?”
Ye Lin nodded—there was no way she could forget that.
“That was a Zhuhua Snake, which usually lives near freshwater,” Qin Tian continued.
“So that means there must be a river or a freshwater lake in this forest!” Ye Lin’s eyes brightened with understanding.
The thought of fresh water made her excited. Although coconuts could provide hydration, their numbers were limited and the regeneration cycle was slow.
They could survive on coconuts for a short time, but once those were gone, they would face the dire problem of having no water to drink. Finding a river would completely eliminate that worry.
“But this forest is so huge. We can’t just rely on luck,” Ye Lin said anxiously.
If they couldn’t find water before nightfall, their situation would be even more dangerous than when they were stranded on the beach.
***
Qin Tian didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he pointed to one side, and when Ye Lin turned to look, she saw nothing unusual.
“If you look carefully, you’ll notice the shrubs and branches nearby are broken, and all in the same direction,” Qin Tian said at the right moment. “If I’m not mistaken, this is a Beast Trail.”
“I think I’m beginning to understand,” Ye Lin replied, looking enlightened. “Animals, like humans, need to hydrate regularly. This Beast Trail is likely made by animals traveling to a water source.”
“You really are a top student—quick to grasp things,” Qin Tian chuckled.
Ye Lin lifted her chin proudly, momentarily forgetting that she was a high achiever, so being praised by the otherwise ordinary Qin Tian wasn’t exactly something to boast about.
Curious, Ye Lin asked, “How do you know so much about surviving in the wild? Are you an outdoor enthusiast?”
She had assumed Qin Tian was blindly searching for water, but it turned out he wasn’t relying on luck at all—he already had a plan. Seeing his behavior over the past couple of days, Ye Lin was convinced that Qin Tian was an expert at wilderness survival.
“Do I look like one?” Qin Tian smiled wryly.
“Don’t you?” Ye Lin countered.
“You can think of me as an outdoor enthusiast who’s never actually practiced,” Qin Tian said, not wanting to explain further.
He had accumulated quite a bit of survival knowledge from watching Ai’e De and Bei Ye’s shows—like recognizing Beast Trails, which he learned from Ai’e De’s African survival episode.
But he had never put any of that knowledge into practice until now.
Ye Lin found his answer somewhat evasive and showed her dissatisfaction, but she didn’t press the issue.
Having a goal gave them motivation. A few minutes later, the two continued following the Beast Trail in search of water.
As Qin Tian had said, he couldn’t be certain that the trail led to water—it was only a strong possibility.
Glancing at the sky, Qin Tian decided that if they hadn’t found water by noon, they would make fire and settle down somewhere.
This forest was vast—so vast that they nearly lost their sense of direction following the Beast Trail.
Suddenly, Qin Tian stopped.
Ye Lin was about to ask why but was cut off by Qin Tian raising a hand.
“Do you hear that?” he whispered.
“Hear what?” Ye Lin was puzzled, but she perked up to listen.
After a moment, the two exchanged excited looks.
They abandoned the Beast Trail and hurried in a certain direction, and the forest gradually became brighter.
In the distance, sunlight pierced the canopy.
By the time they reached the edge of the woods, the two broke into a run and then stopped, chests heaving.
Before them lay a stream with uneven banks and crystal-clear water, several meters wide.
“Qin Tian! A river! We found it! We found it!” Ye Lin was so excited she was nearly incoherent.
She ran to the riverbank, cupping the water in her hands, about to drink.
Qin Tian was about to stop her, but Ye Lin beat him to it.
“I know I can’t drink untreated water. I know!” she said, not wanting to be lectured again.
She had almost forgotten, caught up in the thrill of finding the stream.
Qin Tian shrugged and came to the river as well.
He scooped up water to wash his face, feeling as though the Goddess of Fate had finally smiled upon him, letting him find the stream so quickly.
***
“Should we build the camp right by the river?” Ye Lin’s mood was lifted, and a smile spread across her face.
“If we’re too close to the water, we might encounter wild animals,” Qin Tian shook his head.
He scanned the surroundings and continued, “We’ll look for a relatively flat spot nearby in the forest for the camp.”
It was already noon, and they still needed to make fire and build their shelter. Time was short.
Having made up their minds, the two followed the river in search of a suitable location.
Soon, Qin Tian found a spot about a hundred meters from the water.
Tall trees surrounded it, with fewer shrubs, and the ground was relatively flat.
It wasn’t the ideal place, but under the circumstances, it was the best they could find.
Time was tight, so the camp wouldn’t be large.
After some thought, Qin Tian decided to build a simple sloped shelter.
Once again, they returned to the riverbank.
Qin Tian handed Ye Lin the Survival Knife and instructed, “Go look nearby for large leaves like lotus leaves or low shrubs. Gather some for me.”
“Leaves?” Ye Lin was momentarily surprised, then realized Qin Tian wanted to use them for the roof.
She nodded promptly. “Okay!”
With that, Ye Lin turned and left.
Qin Tian wasn’t idle either.
He gathered wood and started a fire using the method from the day before.
It was midday, the sun at its strongest.
With previous experience, it took Qin Tian only half an hour to get a fire going.
But next, he needed to move the flames into the forested camp site.
If possible, Qin Tian wanted to avoid this hassle, but with the thick trees and insufficient light inside the forest, he couldn’t start a fire there directly.
After transferring the fire source to the camp, Qin Tian exhaled in relief.
In the jungle, you can have nothing else, but you can never be without fire.
***
After that, Qin Tian returned to the stream and waded in.
This stretch of water was shallow, barely knee-deep.
His eyes scanned beneath the surface until he found a large stone.
He grabbed it and smashed it against another rock.
With a crack, both stones fractured.
Qin Tian glanced at the pieces and repeated the process.
After several attempts, a large cobblestone split cleanly in two, and he finally stopped.
Building a camp in the wild requires wood, and with the Survival Knife’s small size, chopping wood was extremely difficult.
He needed to find or fashion another tool.
Like the cobblestone split in two, its sharp edges and weight made it the best substitute for an axe or machete.
While coming and going between the camp and river, Qin Tian noticed many young trees nearby.
The largest were no thicker than a bowl’s mouth; the smallest were about two fingers wide.
Perfect for constructing the camp.
After a few minutes, Qin Tian found a tree as thick as his fist.
He tried to push it down but failed.
Then he raised the cobblestone and hammered at its roots with all his might.
It was harder than expected.
After several strikes, he only made a small dent, but he had expected this.
Taking a deep breath, Qin Tian continued hammering.
After more than ten minutes, the roots were cut down by a third.
But by then, his hands had gone numb.
Every time he hit the tree, the force bounced back through the stone to his hands.
Several times, the stone slipped from his numb arms.
It took Qin Tian a whole hour to chop through two-thirds of the tree.
Using his body weight, he finally snapped it.
Fortunately, this tree was meant only for support.
The rest of the trees needed to be no less than a finger’s width.
Felling them was a hundred times easier than the first.
With no difficulty, Qin Tian chopped down the remaining trees in just over a dozen swings.
Like a tireless machine, he kept raising the stone and smashing it down hard.
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