Chapter 470: Chapter 467: Alone
From choosing the campsite to constructing the shelter, it didn’t take very long.
Since lunch was eaten relatively late and there had been an incident in between, by the ti a simple dwelling had been set up, it was already five-thirty in the afternoon.
In the sowhat open campsite, Leonardo was making his final farewell to the audience.
He didn’t plan to stay over for camping, and had called for a helicopter ten minutes earlier.
“Wilderness Survivalist is much harder than I thought. The mont the Wild Baizhi Ox appeared, I was soaked in cold sweat,” shouted Leonardo over the loud noise of the helicopter rotors as it hovered above the trees.
He still felt shaken by the incident that had happened at noon, but then he burst out laughing, “But it’s also much more interesting than I imagined. I hope to see you again next ti!”
“You will!”
Bi Fang waved, watching as Leonardo grabbed the rope ladder and climbed into the helicopter, disappearing into the jungle.
What followed was the fading sound of the rotors.
“Phew, he’s finally gone. Taking soone along is much more tiring than I thought,” Old Fang mopped the sweat from his forehead, breathing a sigh of relief.
After a busy day, Master Fang was also exhausted, and now his stomach was growling with hunger.
Physical exhaustion was one thing, but the ntal stress was quite another, especially when having to take responsibility for another person, that pressure was far greater than when being alone.
[Little Leo is as handso as ever]
[It seems pretty interesting]
[At least he helped Old Fang quite a bit, and he’s pretty good at chopping trees, funny.jpg.]
[It’s so dark now, I can’t even see him, it’s ti to make a fire]
The audience was being noisy; it was now six in the evening, and the already dim forest was getting so dark one could hardly see their hand in front of their face, thanks to the long days of June.
Night vision mode simply does not have the sa feel as lighting a fire in the dark forest, and the darkness also made the viewers sowhat afraid, so they all urged Bi Fang to start the fire.
Bi Fang hastened, for in the tropical rainforest, a campfire was not used for warmth but mainly for keeping wild animals at bay and for illumination.
Bi Fang took out the charcoal from his bag. At this point, the charcoal showed no sparks on its surface, but that was not a problem.
When he touched it, the charcoal was still hot, which was enough.
“For most non-professionals, making fire by hand is a very difficult thing. Even if you are genuinely interested in survival techniques, after one or two failures, that interest is hardly lasting, and you’ll end up only watching instead of doing.”
[Ah, too real, facepalm.jpg.]
[I still rember the first ti I watched Master Fang live stream Fire-Making by Wood-Drilling, I was amazed. So amazed that I went downstairs to the garden to break a few branches and try it myself, but after half an hour, not even smoke ca out.]
[Hahaha, sa here, birds of a feather.]
[In the residential area? I sense elents… Better not to try in a residential area, it’s a bit dangerous.]
“But in the wilderness, we can’t always stay at one campsite; many tis, whether by necessity or choice, we’ll face reasons to move, be it the howling of wolves nearby, the discovery of predator tracks, or finding a way out.”
“In these cases, getting to the next campsite and making a fire all over again can be tricky. If you’re adept at starting fires, it’s fine, but if not, it’s bad. So, we must learn to make fire-starting materials, and charcoal is one of the easiest to prepare.”
Bi Fang snapped the charcoal in his hand, and in the dim light, crimson sparks fell.
This was the fire seed within the charcoal, which could enable people to start a fire quickly.
“There are many ways to preserve a fire seed. You can find a dry and relatively thick piece of wood, preferably a tree root, with not too high a density. Sparks from wood that is too dense are easily extinguished. Then, after igniting it, put out the visible fla, leaving only the smoldering sparks.
This way, you can carry it over a long distance. When it’s about to burn out, ignite the next piece like this repeatedly, and you can carry it a very long distance. But as you walk, keep an eye on it so the sparks don’t go out. If they’re about to extinguish, blow on them to make them fla up a bit.
When you need to ignite sothing, just place the tinder on top, then blow on it, and you can light the tinder.”
Gathering the dry leaves together, Bi Fang took a bunch of combustible material and gently pressed it onto the charcoal with drifting sparks. Very quickly, the audience could barely see the dense smoke rising in the darkness.
Bi Fang blew several slow, deep breaths, and in less than a dozen seconds, a pale yellow fla lit up in the dark forest.
Throwing the fla into a fire pit that had been dug in advance, the small fire instantly lit the branches inside the pit, followed by the larger sticks of the pyramids. Soon, a campfire was ignited within the campsite.
“Line the bottom of the fire pit with stones, then place dry twigs and leaves on top, followed by thin sticks, and then construct a pyramid of thicker sticks. This structure allows the fla to burn steadily, soar high, and shine brighter.”
[Another small detail]
The small flas naturally climbed up, like a giant serpent entwined on the pyramid. The campsite, which had been hastily erected due to ti constraints, suddenly ca into view before everyone, its lush green form casting shadows on the ground in the firelight.
Many viewers who had just gotten off work in the evening and finally had ti to watch the live stream realized what a hovering shelter was and how it avoided insects and ants.
Quite simply, it was a stretcher.
Bi Fang tied two bamboo poles to form an A-shaped structure, which he then erected, tying the top of the A to a tree as a fixed support to ensure it wouldn’t fall over.
Then, about two or three ters away from the first A-shaped structure, he constructed a second identical A-shaped structure and secured it.
He tied a stick across the top ends of the two A-shaped structures to form a crossbeam structure similar to that of a house.
Then, about half a ter off the ground at the legs of each A, he tied a stick firmly on each side, and a “stretcher” appeared.
Naturally, it wouldn’t be suitable to lie down on just yet, so Bi Fang and Leonardo worked together to find a large number of vines and wrapped them around the stretcher, and with that, the task was accomplished.
Bi Fang personally secured every knot to ensure sturdiness.
The base was also deeply embedded into the soil because this wasn’t just for one or two days of sleep, but at least a week, so it was essential to ensure quality and durability.
Even a ring of stones had been piled up around the edges. Although they weren’t very useful, they still created a barrier that could provide a sense of psychological comfort.
It was as if in the perilous rainforest, one finally had a place to stand.
Of course, it would not have taken Bi Fang and Leonardo three or four hours to construct just one stretcher.
“Rain in the rainforest is very frequent, especially in the sumr. Banna itself has a tropical monsoon climate with distinct rainy and dry seasons. From late May to late October is the rainy season, and it rains very frequently, possibly every two to three days. So, when we set up the campsite, we have to consider rainfall.”
“Even though the temperature in the rainforest is high, because you can’t be directly exposed to sunlight, getting wet in the rain can still easily lead to catching a cold. Therefore, it’s necessary to prevent it before it happens.”
Bi Fang pointed at the “roof” over his head.
It was a canopy woven from a large number of palm leaves and was not connected to the “stretcher”.
A total of six three-ter-long wooden sticks supported the canopy structure. Two sticks were vertically hamred into the ground with a distance of two and a half ters between them.
“`
Another stick was tied to the top of the two nailed sticks, serving as a crossbeam. Bi Fang used vines as ropes for tying, and so bark as well. He leaned the remaining three sticks against the crossbeam at an angle to the ground.
For the roof, there was an abundance of palm leaves, all neatly arranged in an overlapping fashion, with all the tips pointing downward.
“In a tropical rainforest, what we don’t lack are palm trees. I split them in half and then wove them onto the fra I had built,” he explained.
“You should start weaving the leaves from the bottom of the fra upwards, ensuring all the leaf tips point down to facilitate the runoff of rainwater. While weaving, it’s important to cross two layers of leaves diagonally; this enhances the waterproof capability.”
“After weaving a layer, bind it with vine ropes, then continue with the next layer until the whole fra is covered. You can also use this weaving technique to make palm leaf mats or cushions for added comfort.”
Bi Fang held a torch and stepped outside the shelter to show everyone the palm leaves above, pointing to a clearly defined strip in the middle and saying, “The top row of palm leaves should be complete, providing an ‘eave’ that directs the rainwater down smoothly.”
“Of course, if you have tarpaulin or waterproof canvas, it’s much easier. Just stretch it out, and you’re done—no need to go through the trouble like I did.”
For normal camping, you can spread a waterproof tarp over the entire fra to keep out the rain, then fasten the four corners of the tarp with rope and secure the other ends of the ropes to the surrounding trees.
Otherwise, just this roof would take up nearly two hours for both Bi Fang and Leonardo, with most of the ti spent on it.
“As for the circle of stones around the shelter, it’s not just for peace of mind; they can actually act as a fire break, containing the spread of flas. Of course, it won’t work if the fire is too big. Additionally, it can keep out so small animals.”
After showing everyone around the periter, Bi Fang sat on the “stretcher” he had woven from vines, covered with palm leaves, and a soft vine-woven base underneath, which was quite comfortable.
The previously oppressive and airless rainforest seed to make room for breathable space under this cozy shelter, easing the pressure imnsely.
[Phew, night is falling, hurry back to the camp.]
[It’s all in the details.]
[No wonder Old Fang is like a fish in water in the rainforest.]
Bi Fang looked around, at ease, and took out all the Fishy Grass from a backpack, plucked the leaves, leaving only the stems, which he threaded onto thin branches and lightly toasted over the fire.
This was his dinner for the night.
After eating and feeling slightly satiated, Bi Fang bid his audience goodnight. Without waiting for them to ask him to stay, he went off-air.
At this mont, he was truly alone in the entire rainforest.
It was far from silent around him; the fire crackled and popped, and the darkness beyond was filled with the sounds of insects, and even further away, there were the eerie calls of birds or other animals.
Nightti is the peak of activity for many creatures and the most frequent ti for predators to erge.
The only thing that could keep them at bay was the burning campfire.
The firelight reflected in his pupils, and even Bi Fang felt a touch of unease deep inside. The walls that let in drafts offered no sense of security.
Tomorrow, he would try to add a lower wall, and he also needed more tools. Additionally, he had to start planning for iron slting early, ideally having a preliminary plan by day five.
Bi Fang placed the three wooden spears he had made today by his bed, added so more firewood, and then fell into a deep sleep.
…
In the early morning rainforest, a faint mist lingered. Compared to the night, it now seed truly silent. The chorus of insects had ceased, and the growling of beasts had disappeared completely.
Within the fire pit, the bonfire had burnt out, leaving only a wisp of white smoke.
“`
Bi Fang had just woken up when he felt the hunger in his stomach, followed by a chill that spread through his body as moisture clung to the air around him.
Yesterday, aside from eating two large centipedes and so Fishy Grass, Bi Fang hadn’t had anything else to eat, which ant there was a deficit in energy compared to what he had expended.
Fortunately, the deficit wasn’t too large, but Bi Fang still shivered, goosebumps covering his skin.
“It’s a bit cold.”
With exceedingly high humidity and the absence of direct sunlight, the rainforest exuded an eerie kind of cold, but luckily it was still within a bearable range.
As soon as he started the live stream, a large audience flocked in.
In the first arena, there were already people waiting.
By the ti Cao Lifeng arrived with breakfast, there were already people waiting and munching on hand-grabbed pancakes.
However, compared to the crowded scenes of yesterday, today was much better.
A few roommates, yawning and waving, were lackluster this morning after last night’s bonfire party went late.
“Did you bring breakfast?”
“Here it cos, here it cos,” Cao Lifeng said, placing the bags of various sizes on the seat.
He served up stead buns, noodles, eggs, tofu pudding, fried dough sticks, and other breakfast items.
“Sweet or savory?” asked a roommate who had leaned in at the sight of the tofu pudding.
But as soon as Cao Lifeng lifted the lid, his roommate’s expression turned sharp and he rebuked, “You heretic!”
The white tofu pudding was sprinkled with chopped pickled mustard plant, seaweed, dried shrimps, minced cilantro, and dripped with red oil and sesa oil—it was clearly for the savory crowd!
“Heh, it’s the sweet-favoring folks who are the heretics,” Cao Lifeng retorted disdainfully, taking a big bite of the oily stick dipped in the spicy tofu pudding.
“You!”
Just as the two were about to argue, the big screen, which had been dark, finally lit up again.
“Stop arguing, the live stream is starting.”
“Here it cos, here it cos. I wonder what we’ll encounter today?”
“They’re going to start iron slting, right?”
“Not necessarily, I think they should still focus on gathering food first. They’ll probably consider slting iron once they have food security, right?”
Soone guessed correctly.
In the camp, drops of dew were falling from the tips of palm leaves, and then the focus of the cara shifted to Bi Fang, who was roasting the tip of a spear.
“The morning in the rainforest is much colder than I imagined. Luckily, I wove a palm leaf blanket last night, otherwise, I might catch a cold today.”
“Besides being a bit cold, my stomach is still very hungry. Just relying on so plants and two centipedes is nowhere near enough to fill it. Although my plan is to slt iron, the priority is to find enough food.”
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