Apocalypse: After Being Reborn, I Stocked Up on All Supplies-Chapter 177 - : Survival at Sea: Mutant Scorpion
Chapter 177: Chapter 177: Survival at Sea: Mutant Scorpion
“I know.”
Jiang Yan nodded, patted the dust sticking to her hand, and stood up, “Let’s go.”
The branch was not light, and the two of them decided to return to the cave entrance before setting off.
Ye Qing raised his arm and hoisted the bundle of branches onto his back.
Whereas Jiang Yan took his submachine gun and led the way with a flashlight.
The two had only taken a few steps when a cold wind blew out from some unknown hole.
Following it was a strong, blood-curdling stench.
The stench was like that of heavily decomposed corpses or some kind of large snake.
“Yue!” Even with her mask on, Jiang Yan couldn’t help but retch.
“Rustle rustle—” A dense, scattering sound arose from all directions.
Ye Qing’s brow twitched slightly, a bad hunch surfacing in his heart, “Jiang Yan, let’s move faster and get back to the cave entrance.”
“Okay,” Jiang Yan quickened her pace as she spoke.
The “rustle rustle” sounds gradually faded behind them.
“Jiang Yan, why do I feel like there are fewer stones in the cave than before?” While walking, Ye Qing habitually looked around.
When they had entered earlier, besides the stalagmites connected to the floor, there were numerous large black boulders piled on both sides of the walkway.
But now, it was visibly obvious that there were fewer stones.
The cave had become much more spacious.
“I don’t know, let’s just get out of here first,” Jiang Yan’s lips curled up, her flashlight shining directly down the walkway as she didn’t stop for a moment.
She certainly wouldn’t tell Ye Qing that she had collected those hard black boulders into her “Space.”
After all, the space was large enough for everything.
Ye Qing’s frown deepened as he hurried after her.
When the two returned to the entrance platform, Song Qian and Kong Wu still hadn’t come back.
The light inside the cave had dimmed further.
A cold wind began to whoosh into the cave.
Sun Jingtao and Su Dai were not in sight.
Judging by the sounds, the two of them seemed to be killing fish on the boat outside.
Near the cave entrance, a messy pile of damp, dead branches was scattered.
They must have been salvaged from the water by Sun Jingtao and his group.
These branches were moist now, but if left in the wind on the boat for a few days, they might become useful later.
In the center of the open space, there was a newly constructed rectangular stone stove made of rubble.
Beneath the stove, there were a few handfuls of dry grass and some twigs.
The amount wasn’t much and probably had just been picked up nearby.
On top of the stove sat a piece of household screen.
At a glance, it looked very much like a barbecue grill.
Listening to the talk between Su Dai and her husband outside, there would be grilled fish for dinner.
And as per Song Qian’s analysis before, they would prioritize consuming the heaviest fish first.
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As for stir-fried rice, instant noodles, and compressed biscuits, those would be eaten last.
Latter on without waterways, these would also be easier to carry.
“You even dismantled this?” Jiang Yan looked at the screen in surprise.
The ingenuity of the working people is always endless.
Ye Qing smiled and put down the bundle of wood.
“Yeah, we brought four or five pieces, originally intending to assemble them into a fish trap later. We didn’t expect to find so many fish along the way today.”
Now, it was like returning back to primitive society.
Anything that could be reused was generally not overlooked by anyone.
Not to mention Jiang Yan herself, who could collect those large rocks into her “Space”…
Ye Qing picked up a piece of wood and, with a “snap,” the wrist-thick log was split into two halves by the fire axe.
Sun Jingtao and Su Dai also came in at this time.
Their faces were rosy, and they smelled strongly of fish.
Their hands were also reddened, likely from the cold water.
Sun Jingtao rolled up his sleeves, holding a stainless steel basin containing four or five cleaned fish, split open and gutted.
Su Dai held a plastic bag full of fish eggs and swim bladders.
“Jiang Yan, Xiao Ye, you guys are back!”
Seeing the bundle of wood, Su Dai exclaimed excitedly, “You even found so much firewood, that’s pretty impressive!”
“Yeah, we happened to come across a wooden walkway and took it apart,” Ye Qing said.
“Ah, you took apart the walkway… How will others pass…” Su Dai’s words trailed off, then she let out a self-deprecating laugh, “Cough, look at me, what am I thinking about the future at a time like this.”
The others also let out a bitter laugh for a second.
“Brother Song and the others haven’t come back yet?” Ye Qing asked while chopping wood.
Su Dai nodded, “Yeah.”
Sun Jingtao glanced inside the cave, holding back some words he was about to say.
They had many doubts that needed to be discussed face to face, but clearly, now was not the right time.
In just a minute or two, footsteps and voices of Song Qian and Kong Wu along with the dull sound of heavy objects dragging on the ground echoed from the cave.
Everyone turned their heads in unison and saw Song Qian emerge from around the corner, carrying a nearly disintegrated wooden raft tied with hemp rope.
Kong Wu held a large bag in his left hand.
Judging by the scattered grass and mud on it, it seemed like they had cleared out a bunch of bird nests or something.
In his right hand, he carried several scorpions tied with straw rope.
A bunch of arm-length scorpions with shiny yellow-brown shells.
All the scorpions had been stabbed with a dagger on their backs, with their poisonous tail sting neatly removed.
“…” Jiang Yan couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
“You guys have had quite the bounty!” Su Dai’s pupils constricted, her skin breaking out in goosebumps instantly.
“Pretty good, we came across all sorts!” Kong Wu put down the bag and scorpions on the ground, beaming, “Tonight, we can have an extra meal! This is Bear Grylls’ favorite protein-rich food!”
Ye Qing looked at the gigantic-sized scorpions, a slight frown forming on his forehead.
If the “rustle rustle” sounds he had heard earlier were made by these scorpions.
Then one could only imagine the scale and number.
Sun Jingtao took the raft from Song Qian and looking at those scorpions, said, “Brother Song, these—”
“Most likely mutated as well. These scorpions are very aggressive. We found a lot of human skeletons in another cave, probably those who sought refuge here before.
Their clothes hardly faded, but now, all that’s left is a pile of bones.”
After briefing them, Song Qian instructed Kong Wu, “Kong Wu, go to the boat and get some gasoline.”
Su Dai seemed puzzled, “Brother Song, we’re going to make grilled fish soon and will light it with alcohol. That gasoline can’t be used for grilling…”
“It’s not for grilling, it’s for defending against those scorpions,” Sun Jingtao looked at his wife and explained, “Scorpions are carnivorous and have sensitive smells, especially afraid of pungent odors like paint, gasoline, and kerosene. If we smear gasoline at the cave entrance, it should temporarily fend off the scorpions for a while.”
Outside, dusk was approaching.
Everyone had finally found this temporary refuge and naturally wouldn’t let a few mutated scorpions scare them away.
