WS - Chapter 61

Chapter 61

A row of wooden huts. The open space in front and back would be used for sleeping at night, so Song Shiyue chose to set up the stove at the camp entrance.

Although the Production Team had prepared only one pot for them, it was plenty big. One could say it was several sizes larger than the iron pots used in rural earth stoves. The last time Song Shiyue saw such a huge pot was probably on TV back in Earth's peaceful era, during a country fair.

Though the cow was small, the head and bones were still plentiful and easily fit into the pot, with water added for well more than six servings. Because Song Shiyue had been quick, the soup in the pot was already starting to roll and turn white, and the faint aroma of beef was puffing out from the small hole in the glass lid.

Before long, the four people struggling to start a fire in back were drawn over one after another by the scent.

This day had been truly hard. Especially after getting the cow, everyone had been overloaded. Zhuang Jiachuan and the other two men had also climbed trees for a while, so now their legs were sore, their arms were sore, and every joint in their bodies creaked, making them extremely uncomfortable.

Once a person is fatigued, both strength and focus diminish quickly; even if they wanted to compete for second place, they were somewhat powerless.

After half an hour, even the beef aroma that had eroded their remaining willpower arrived, yet the sticks they had rubbed again and again still produced no smoke, which was truly discouraging.

There had originally been a tacit understanding of silent labor, but as soon as Ning Chuyang spoke, they went from energetic to declining, skipping over "failing again" and straight to "exhausting." The four looked at each other, and it seemed that the faint beef aroma had suddenly grown denser.

Mu Xingzhou glanced at Ning Chuyang in front of him, who was so exhausted she was almost lying on the ground holding the stick. Even though his own arm muscles were hard as rocks from fatigue, he couldn't bring himself to suggest switching hands, and he couldn't even allow himself to entertain the thought of giving up.

If only... Mu Xingzhou glanced out of the corner of his eye at the adjacent team, which was quickly swapping positions; Guan Yongyi took over the stick that Zhuang Jiachuan had been rubbing for a while and continued rubbing rapidly. Mu Xingzhou felt a bit envious, but more than that, he was thinking that if he were paired with a male teammate, he might have been able to suggest giving up earlier.

But precisely because Ning Chuyang was a girl, Mu Xingzhou simply couldn't say things like, "I can't go on, why don't we sleep in the lean-to shelter."

What else could he do? Keep rubbing. After all, Ning Chuyang in front of him looked pitiful and full of expectation, and the other two were bursting with drive and the desire to win. How could Mu Xingzhou voice a step back?

Yet, while Mu Xingzhou felt a lot of helplessness inside, weren't the others the same?

If Mu Xingzhou could have momentarily gained the ability to hear others' thoughts, he would have heard that Ning Chuyang, who indeed had little strength left, really wanted to suggest conceding, but also felt that such a proposal would waste his efforts of the past half hour, so she was hesitating, quite troubled. Meanwhile, Zhuang Jiachuan next to them kept regretting not sharpening his knife before chopping wood; if he had known it would be this difficult, he should have taken the time to make a small bow and use a bow drill to start the fire. Now, rubbing sticks by hand was making his hands hurt, and he really wanted to stop and go sleep in the lean-to shelter. And that was exactly what Guan Yongyi was thinking.

Online games use team and guild modes to bond players, retaining users who might otherwise quit and drift away. And now, weren't the two teams on Wilderness Planet, who were giving their all to drill fire, also falling under such a pattern?

Of course, it is not only humans among the myriad things that are bound by certain constraints.

"Sit, sit." Wang Daming held the leash in one hand and an opened can of dog food in the other, trying to get the dog to sit quietly, as it had obediently done in the previous days.

However, even the dog's favorite canned food could not stop its heart from constantly wanting to run outside.

The leash was stretched taut between man and dog, and Wang Daming had no doubt that if he hadn't been leaning his whole body against the tree and hugging it, he would have been dragged away by the dog long ago.

Truly worthy of the top recommendation from that canine training base! Such great strength. But what about the promised high intelligence that understands humans? Has it been eaten up in just two days?

"Why don't you just let it go? It's been like this for ten or twenty minutes; aren't you tired?" Feng Qianqian sat on the ground nearby, slowly massaging her legs as she said helplessly.

Wang Daming poked his face out from behind the tree and said with a wry smile, "It's already evening; what if it runs off and doesn't come back..."

"I think this dog is quite well-behaved. It's probably just that it had a relaxed afternoon and now isn't used to being restrained." Feng Qianqian glanced at the dog, which was constantly pawing the ground and running in place so hard that it was choking itself with its tongue sticking out, and advised again, "Even if it runs out, you don't need to be too anxious. Doesn't Director Zhang have individual video footage and can use the cameras for remote searches? If you don't let it go, it won't be able to run, but it's also almost choking itself..."

"Director Zhang has stored individual video? And can search? How do you know?" Wang Daming looked bewildered.

"..." Feng Qianqian was silent for a moment before speaking again, "It seems like after the meeting in Mingtan ended last time, I heard someone mention it."

"Oh, oh." Wang Daming turned his head and shouted, "Director Zhang! Director Zhang! If I let the dog go now and it runs off, can you still find it with the cameras? Director Zhang! The dog is almost choking itself! Director Zhang! Can you? This dog's rental is really expensive!"

Director Zhang, who had just followed Captain Yang into the woods, felt veins popping on his forehead from the shouting. Listening to the repeated calls, and glancing at the forest ahead, he finally turned back angrily.

"Yes, yes, yes! Let it go, let it go!" Director Zhang's voice was loud, carrying a hint of impatient annoyance.

To Wang Daming, it was like heavenly music, and he quickly said to the dog, "Come, come here, I'll untie you."

Strange to say, the dog which for the past ten or twenty minutes had seemed to lose its mind, only knowing to charge forward and refusing to be coaxed back, now stopped pawing the ground, shook its ears, and actually came running back with a pitter-patter.

How infuriating. Suddenly I don't want to untie it anymore. What to do?

Wang Daming snorted twice. The dog just blinked its innocent eyes and even furrowed its brows, as if puzzled by his slow reaction.

What was that news the other day said? Some dogs have evolved movable inner eyebrows to act cute and pitiful?

It seems this dog is exactly like that.

Wang Daming could even see its impatience from those twitching eyebrows.

Hmph. Wang Daming gave a cold snort, but still lowered his head to untie the leash, and by the way tossed the opened can to it, pretending to be indifferent: "Eat first, then..."

Before he could finish, the dog shot out like an arrow from a bow.

Heh heh...

Wang Daming glanced at where the dog had struggled for quite a while, and saw a shallow pit had been dug.

Although the dog was heartless, Wang Daming was still a bit worried and followed after it.

Most of the Production Team members were currently gathered behind the small wooden huts watching the four people trying to start a fire, and so were Wang Daming and the others. Now, as Wang Daming followed the dog around from behind the huts, he immediately spotted the several fires at the camp entrance, and the dog standing on its hind legs by a fire, constantly bowing its paws and wagging its tail at Song Shiyue...

An iron-willed dog, a revolving door of masters.

Wang Daming turned back indignantly, unable to watch any longer.

Director Zhang, who was in the woods and still angry with Wang Daming, naturally had no idea of Wang Daming's current suffering. If he had known, he would have clapped his hands and laughed inwardly, and perhaps his anger would have dissipated by half.

Fearing that Captain Yang's camera, who had gone into the woods first, might pick up the sound, Director Zhang walked quite a distance outside the woods before answering Wang Daming. The walk was tiring enough, and having to make an extra round trip made Director Zhang naturally less than pleased.

Especially since he didn't actually have anything he wanted to say to Captain Yang, yet Captain Yang kept looking at him and constantly hinting...

To prevent giving anything away, Director Zhang could only respond to the hints, and once again, one in front and one behind, they went into the woods.

In Director Zhang's view, this conversation would be fruitless. Let alone other things, just looking at the unity of those six people now, and how Song Shiyue and Yu Nianbing were equally unafraid in both action and words, even a well-hidden cow had been dug out, and Captain Yang couldn't even control a dog's heart—what chance did he have? What kind of schemes, what kind of restrictions, could squeeze into such a united team and try to become a leader? He might as well admit defeat... it would only be a dozen or so days of awkwardness.

When entering the woods, Director Zhang had already decided that there would be no more compromises like the one that morning. With Captain Yang being so hopeless, he would just say a few words of advice and consider that doing his part. As for causing trouble together, forget it...

It must be said, Director Zhang was someone who calculated interests very clearly. Once it was certain that Captain Yang had no hope of turning the tables, expecting Director Zhang to invest further was nigh impossible.

Yet no matter how well Director Zhang calculated, he hadn't expected that Captain Yang would call him into the woods at this time of night for such a matter...

After Captain Yang spoke, Director Zhang fell into a long silence.

This silence made Captain Yang, who kept glancing at his wristband and watching the remaining shield time, somewhat anxious, and he couldn't help but speak again to confirm: "So, will you always take care of my meals?"

Along the way, Director Zhang had considered many possibilities, such as Captain Yang wanting to discipline the team, or that Captain Yang was admitting defeat and hoping he would mediate. Among all these thoughts, Director Zhang truly hadn't expected that Captain Yang was here to beg for food...

After a moment of daze, Director Zhang calmed himself before speaking: "The boxed meal at noon was only possible because it was originally prepared for you all as well. But starting from the evening, your rations are already with them... how can we still take care of your meals from our side..."

Actually, it wasn't that they couldn't take care of him. In the evening thermal storage boxes of the Production Team, there were also boxed meals, but one per person for the team. These boxed meals would only be replaced with portable rations on the fifth day. In fact, the show's chief planner on Mingtan Planet wanted to show consideration by saving energy for the Mu Group's thermal storage boxes. Otherwise, with these boxes, the boxed meals could easily last until the tenth day. Whether it's the boxes or the energy, it's just a drop in the bucket for the Mu Group's 90 million, and I don't know what the chief planner was being so considerate about.

But that wasn't the main point at the moment.

From what Director Zhang knew, the boxed meals were roughly the same standard as the one at noon, and indeed it was one per person on the Production Team side, but if everyone just shared a couple of bites each, it would be enough for Captain Yang.

But what reason was there to do that?

If at noon, Director Zhang had still hoped that Captain Yang could stand up, lead the team, and get things on track, then by the end of the day, he had given up on that idea. Although, well, those people indeed didn't play by the rules, it must be said that what was being filmed was also quite interesting.

Director Zhang, whose eyes had been dazzled by Song Shiyue's various fancy operations, had already let go of the bit of resentment from the basement last night and could view the current situation more rationally.

After all, he wasn't Captain Yang, forcing himself to squeeze in with the guests for happiness. As long as the show was entertaining, whether the events in between followed the plan exactly was actually negotiable.

At this moment, Captain Yang's demand—no, it should be called a request—was something Director Zhang could easily agree to, but because he felt that Captain Yang's predicament was also a highlight of the show, he had a change of heart and started beating around the bush.

Captain Yang's thoughts were all on how to be a leader. Accustomed to exercising strong authority, he didn't immediately see through a slick old fox like Director Zhang. Hearing Director Zhang's reluctance to take care of his meals, he grew anxious: "They found the cow, they dug it up, they carried it back. How can I eat it?"

"That's why it would've been better if Wang Daming had dug it out according to the plan from the start. You could have given guidance, distributed it, and then dinner would have been taken care of. So you still need to try to blend in with them—after all, the ingredients later on will also need teamwork to obtain." Director Zhang gave Captain Yang a meaningful look. "If you can't cooperate and share ingredients properly, you'll have to think of another way. You can't go and steal from them, right?"

Director Zhang's words cut to the heart, and Captain Yang was stunned before growing angry: "Follow the plan and dig it out, and then I go and say it was killed by a wild beast that ate the innards? Wouldn't Song Shiyue and Yu Nianbing kick my cover right then and there? Now they're only guessing, so I still have some face. Couldn't your Production Team really find a wild beast to kill the cow? Instead, you used knives to fake it, and the kind that can be seen through!"

Right, Director Zhang had almost forgotten that this plan had already been seen through by Yu Nianbing and the others.

But at this moment with only the two of them and no cameras pointed at them, Director Zhang didn't feel embarrassed at being called out. Instead, he smiled: "Then if there's no beef, there's still rice and flour. The rice and flour in the little wooden huts were prepared for seven people. If you go get them, they can at least make a dinner. As for later, if you actively join in when collecting ingredients, won't they still count your share?"

The flames of Captain Yang's anger burned on top of his head.

But perhaps because he had flared up too many times today, Captain Yang was starting to control it somewhat and not explode immediately.

"Tomorrow. We'll see tomorrow. For tonight's dinner, give me a portion." Looking at Director Zhang's nonchalant face as if it had nothing to do with him, Captain Yang tried to suppress his anger. "The rice and flour—you definitely stored them together, not divided into seven portions. I can't go and ask for it."

Director Zhang, seeing Captain Yang practically grinding his teeth, felt that he shouldn't push him too hard.

After all, Captain Yang should indeed be given a bit of a buffer; on the route they had walked this afternoon, there was only one cow, and he truly had no way to be self-sufficient.

"Just tonight?" Director Zhang said with a smile.

"Just tonight." Captain Yang squeezed the words out between his teeth.

"Alright. Later, when I hold a plate and wave to you, you turn on the shield." Director Zhang said readily.

Captain Yang pressed his lips together; he truly couldn't say thank you.

Director Zhang didn't mind, and just gave a laugh before turning to leave.

After all, what kind of team leader would always eat with the Production Team? A team leader is the soul of the team; naturally, they should share meals, sleep, and hardships with the team members. As for whether this leader can be accepted by the team members... after a day of reflection, Director Zhang, who had become a bit more open-minded, thought it should be rather interesting.

They say a triangle is the most stable shape, but on a desolate planet, with three forces, there are too many possibilities between the strong and the weak. Director Zhang, who had been courted by the guests and had successfully courted them in return, felt that under the current circumstances, taking the guests' side might be the right move.

Eating, being a matter of survival, is a big deal no matter where you are.

Captain Yang had to swallow his pride for his stomach's sake.

Unbeknownst to him, back at the camp, someone was also thinking about his stomach.

After Feng Qianqian came to say that there were ingredients in the little wooden huts, Song Shiyue moved everything out.

Yu Nianbing, after getting over the shock of being frightened by what was in the pot, began to organize them.

A small bag of rice, a small bag of flour. Song Shiyue said she had weighed them earlier, and together they were about half a kilo or so. Five palm-sized small bottles, short and not stout, containing respectively: oil, salt, sugar, MSG, and pepper.

Alright, it really was just as Feng Qianqian had said... a portion for one meal.

But this one meal—Yu Nianbing looked at the two bags of rice and flour, and wondered whether Captain Yang's dinner was also included in this portion.

She thought, if it weren't for that king cobra, and everything had gone according to the Production Team's script until now, Captain Yang would probably be with them. So there was likely a share for Captain Yang in there.

But, so what?

Anyway, with the Production Team here, Captain Yang wouldn't starve. Just consider it as compensation for the fright of cutting the king cobra, or for preventing them from digging up the cow.

Besides, Yu Nianbing looked over at Song Shiyue, who was sitting cross-legged and seriously slicing the beef.

Even though they had a cow in hand, Yu Nianbing still had a sense that the food supply was very tight.

The dog, which had initially been clinging to Song Shiyue and barking for attention, had been scolded for disturbing her work, and could now only whine as it followed behind Yu Nianbing, not even daring to rub against her.

You have to know, one of the dog's survival principles is: when it is dirty, do not rub against clean people—the chance of being scolded is infinitely higher than being picked up and kissed.

After the dog had whined for a long while without the person who had petted it during the day petting it now, it felt even more that its decision was correct, but only whined a bit more pitifully.

"Alright, we'll be able to eat soon." Yu Nianbing didn't pet the dog, but still couldn't bear it and gave a gentle word of comfort.

"That's not possible; it still needs to stew for at least two hours." Song Shiyue, still slicing the beef without looking up, added, "Are they still not done? Why don't you go check?"

"I'd better help you slice the meat for a while." Yu Nianbing, who hadn't even wanted to touch the dog, rolled up her sleeves and prepared to pick up the bloody beef.

But she was stopped by Song Shiyue.

"Someone who has already taken a bath should cherish tonight's cleanliness." Song Shiyue said with a laugh, propping her elbow. "By the way, did you see the chair inside the hut? If you're tired, bring one out and sit."

Yu Nianbing, who had been standing for quite a while, looked at the ground where Song Shiyue was sitting and didn't move.

What a good person who shares both the joys and hardships...

Song Shiyue thought for a moment and then smiled with narrowed eyes: "Go get it, sit and rest for a while. The beef soup needs to cook for a long time, so later I'll prepare something to grill. When I marinate it, you can help me add the seasonings. You need to rest a bit to have more energy for work. If you don't go, I'll use these hands to get it for you."

Saying this, Song Shiyue waved her two blood-stained hands.

Just adding some seasonings—what kind of work was that? Yu Nianbing knew full well that Song Shiyue was deliberately saying this so she wouldn't feel awkward about not helping out.

This person...

Sometimes so crude as to split a stone with a casual hand.

Sometimes so meticulous and considerate.

It truly left one at a loss for words.

In the end, Yu Nianbing obediently went and brought a chair.

After all, when Song Shiyue said she would go get it, she really would.

"What are you going to marinate? The brains and the tongue?" Yu Nianbing naturally picked exactly the two that were hard to store.

"Just those two might not be enough. I just cut some brisket meat; this part is high in fat, and it's really fragrant when grilled. If we just make it into jerky, it might be a waste. Brains, beef, plus brisket, all grilled to a delicious crisp, and then we can use flour to make a few flatbreads to go with them. To finish, a bowl of beef soup. How's that?" Song Shiyue looked up with sparkling eyes.

How could it be any better...

To have the mood for a feast in this wilderness—only you could do that. Yu Nianbing also laughed.

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