Infinite Ebullience
Chapter 1377 - 47 Jungle Survival

Chapter 1377: Chapter 47 Jungle Survival

Tang Zheng touched the pocket on his thigh, finding nothing inside and consequently revealing a bitter smile. Once, that pocket housed a palm-sized, fingernail-thick little box containing essentials like emergency medical supplies, fishing line, and water purification tablets, but as his strength and physical condition had improved, those items were no longer necessary.

All he needed was a tactical straight knife to survive in the jungle, but if there were enemies, these supplies were clearly insufficient.

"I’ve got nothing but a survival folding knife and a few compressed biscuits!" Gu Xueqi said, her face reddening slightly. She wasn’t a greedy girl; those biscuits were leftovers from earlier that she had forgotten to put back into her wristwatch.

"What kind of folding knife do you have? Can you store things in the handle?" Tang Zheng felt touched, Gu Xueqi was a conqueror after all, worth billions, yet she still ate compressed biscuits. He suddenly realized that the school beauty had never enjoyed luxury goods; she rarely even ate snacks like chocolate.

"Vengeful Goddess Tactical Folding Knife. I’ve modified it, and there’s sturdy fishing line and a few large pins inside the handle!" Gu Xueqi listed the items she had for Tang Zheng’s use.

"Heh, it seems we have similar tastes!" Tang Zheng drew his folding knife, tossing it up and down and opening it single-handedly with a flourish.

Watching Tang Zheng’s nonchalant expression, Gu Xueqi gradually calmed down too, knowing he said this to divert attention and ease her panic.

"Starting now, we’ll have to survive in the jungle, which might lead to some unpleasant experiences." The forest was too dense for Tang Zheng to see the sky; he couldn’t determine the direction using the sun and the canopy and could only pick a vague direction to move forward. He needed to find a sufficiently large tree to climb up to confirm their way.

"Not at all, I’ve seen corpses teeming with maggots. Could there be anything more disgusting than that?" Gu Xueqi had relaxed quite a bit and started to curiously observe the rainforest. It was very hot, and her protective clothing, not as high in quality as Tang Zheng’s, meant she felt somewhat uncomfortable.

"Of course there is!" Passing by a large tree, Tang Zheng casually stabbed and pinned down a thumb-thick larva, handing it to Gu Xueqi.

The white larva didn’t die immediately and wriggled around, emitting a strange odor as green bodily fluid, like pus, oozed from the wound.

"Ah!" Gu Xueqi jumped back in surprise, instinctively moving her head back and averting her eyes, "That’s disgusting; what do you want with it?"

Smart as she was, Gu Xueqi didn’t wait for Tang Zheng to answer, guessing his intent, "You’re not planning to eat it, are you?"

"Of course, this bug has no fur and it’s the color looks very ordinary, not flashy or green, clearly it’s some kind of larva, and edible." Tang Zheng matter-of-factly captured the larva, pinned it to a tree trunk, and then cut off its head, "Here, it’s yours."

"No way, absolutely not!" Seeing Tang Zheng slice open the larva’s head, which then burst and oozed out a paste-like substance, Gu Xueqi felt nauseous at the thought of eating it.

"We’re short of food and water now, anything edible must not be wasted and must be swallowed," Tang Zheng suddenly seemed to enjoy being wicked, thinking that if he captured Gu Xueqi’s bug-eating posture on camera and posted it online, the comments would explode.

"You eat it, I’m not hungry yet!" Gu Xueqi continued to shake her head. Although she knew she couldn’t avoid it forever, she could delay it as long as possible.

"Aren’t you rational? This doesn’t seem like your style!" Tang Zheng no longer forced the school beauty and proceeded to stuff the still-wriggling larva’s corpse into his mouth. He chewed once, and a sticky sensation spread throughout his mouth.

"Even if I’m rational, there are some things I just won’t do." After Gu Xueqi explained, she watched as Tang Zheng knitted his brows, his expression unnatural. She carefully asked, "How does it taste?"

"What do you think? It definitely doesn’t taste like chicken!" Tang Zheng did not spit the larva out and was too lazy to chew any further, directly swallowing it, "I wish I had enjoyed a feast earlier."

"Hehe!" Gu Xueqi covered her lips, bursting into laughter, which dispelled the tension.

"Be careful to keep up. Don’t touch anything carelessly!" Tang Zheng continued to lead the way, the dense branches and leaves frequently slapping his cheeks, leaving some scratches.

"Tang Zheng, next time, I will eat it." As they made their way through the jungle and the pioneer leading them had a tough job, Gu Xueqi was moved watching Tang Zheng take the lead and carefully break away the branches and leaves, "He really is very responsible. Being his girlfriend must be very happy!"

"Okay then, next time, I’ll find you a nest of ants. They’re said to be very nourishing!"

"How do you think Sister Qin Yan and the others are doing?" Gu Xueqi asked softly, gradually adapting to the jungle environment, "Teleported back to the Trojan Room?"

"That’s unlikely, but worrying won’t help; let’s focus on surviving first!" Every once in a while, Tang Zheng made a mark on the tree trunks.

Twenty minutes later, Tang Zheng found a stout tree with a thick trunk, which also meant it was tall. Climbing it would allow him to see farther.

"Lend me the folding knife. You wait down here and keep watch." Though Tang Zheng was injured, climbing a tree was still manageable.

"Be careful!" Gu Xueqi handed over the folding knife and, seeing Tang Zheng’s blood-stained cheeks, instinctively wanted to wipe them clean but restrained herself.

"Mm!" Holding a folding knife in each hand, Tang Zheng stabbed them into the tree trunk, alternating hands and rising effortlessly. Once he spotted a thick branch, he kicked against the trunk with both feet, propelling himself upward like an agile cheetah.

Through the crisscrossing tree branches, Tang Zheng reached the back of the canopy, where the view suddenly became clear. Gazing at the azure sky and the flock of startled birds soaring, he felt his mood lift and took a deep breath.

"About seventy meters above the ground, looking at the plants, it should be a tropical rainforest climate!" Tang Zheng shaded his eyes with his hand, scanning the surroundings.

Everywhere he looked, there were green trees stretching out like an ocean. To ordinary people, this inescapable predicament would surely bring despair, but Tang Zheng was unperturbed, seeking the most suitable route.

"We should find a place with a stream or river and advance downstream; this way, we can ensure a supply of water and catch enough prey." In fact, it would be more purposeful to travel this way once the Silver Trojan issued an announcement, otherwise, it might be fruitless, but Tang Zheng would rather take some wrong turns than wait.

Having determined his route, estimated the distance, and calculated the time, Tang Zheng jumped down from the tree trunk, stabbing the folding knife into the tree trunk every five meters to lessen resistance.

When he was ten meters from the ground, Tang Zheng fully withdrew the folding knife and grabbed onto a vine. As his soles touched the fallen leaves, he squatted and rolled with the momentum, dissipating the force of the landing. If he hadn’t been trying to conserve life energy, he could have controlled gravity and floated down.

"Let’s go, we should see a river in about three hours." Tang Zheng stated a slightly shorter time, worried that Gu Xueqi might find it tedious.

"How much longer until dark?" Gu Xueqi proved stronger than Tang Zheng had anticipated; while he was scouting, she took the initiative to collect some wild fruit.

"Six or seven hours." With regard to camping skills, Tang Zheng still knew a bit.

While the two of them hastened on their way, Qin Yan and the others, who had also been teleported into the Incan rainforest, were caught in an argument.

"I support Sister Qin Yan; let’s camp here!" Lu Fan disliked Mu Nianqi, so he took the opposite view when choosing directions, additionally frustrated from being separated from Tang Zheng, leaving the loli fuming with nowhere to vent.

"Do you think by waiting here, Tang Zheng will appear?" Mu Nianqi shook her head; as the third in the team’s hierarchy, Qin Yan was too soft-hearted.

"But several are seriously injured; they won’t be able to hold up!" Bai Guo spoke timidly, finding Queen Mu quite heartless.

"What do you think the Trojan Horse Game is? It’s not child’s play. Any misjudgment can lead to death!" Mu Nianqi huffed, her tone stern. "Either way, I am leaving. Make your decisions—those with me, stand on this side; those with Qin Yan, stay!"

Queen Mu wasn’t interested in power and had no intention of usurping Tang Zheng’s position as Group Leader, but she absolutely wouldn’t submit to Qin Yan, for she considered that decision utterly foolish.

The group members glanced at each other, and after some hesitation, a few newbies moved behind Mu Nianqi. However, many others remained still; they all knew about Qin Yan and Tang Zheng’s relationship, and siding with the wrong person now might lead to trouble later on.

"Are you still thinking about what happens later? We might die this time. As for Tang Zheng, he isn’t as small-minded as you think. He’ll understand your decisions." It was undeniable; Mu Nianqi was adept at swaying people’s hearts, and several Conquerors wavered.

"Why don’t we try walking a bit first, then set up camp when it gets dark?" Sha Ou suggested resolutely.

"I think we can’t wait!" Dong Zixuan also stood with Queen Mu.

"Brother Lin, what should we do?" Qin Yan sought the Old Soldier’s opinion.

"Let’s start walking and send out scouts to find the way!" The Old Soldier wasn’t one to just await his fate either. "As for the seriously injured, carry them!"

"Damn it, why isn’t the wristwatch working!" The inability to summon his mount irritated Lu Fan, meaning they now had to trek on foot.

"Then let’s move out. Nianqi, Fei Fei, please bear the strain and lead the way. Brother Lin, you and Bi Yun take the rear guard." Qin Yan started acting more decisively this time, but her next action caused Mu Nianqi to frown. Qin Yan approached Xin Lan, intending to carry her.

"No, that’s not right. You’re a main combatant; if danger arises, you’ll need to fight immediately. You shouldn’t waste your strength on trivial matters." Mu Nianqi intervened, picking out a few weaker individuals to take turns carrying the injured.

"You must adapt. This is Trojan World, where the law of the jungle prevails. If not fit for purpose, you’ll be eliminated." Mu Nianqi didn’t give the Sanitation Worker and his granddaughter a single glance from beginning to end.

The little girl was also strong, never complaining or showing fatigue.

"Little sister, come, let me carry you!" Bai Guo, ever kind-hearted, stepped forward and squatted down before the young girl.

"No need, no need, I can manage on my own," the Sanitation Worker quickly waved off, not wanting to trouble the group.

"Thank you, big sister, I can walk on my own," the little girl declined, holding tight to her grandfather’s hand.

"Good girl, listen to your sister!" Bai Guo insisted, despite the girl’s objections, and lifted her onto her back. (To be continued. If you like this work, we invite you to cast your recommendation vote or monthly vote at Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.)