Wilderness Survival with Druid System-Chapter 520 - 19: Insect Breakfast

The first day of survival passed, and aside from Chen Wen, everyone else more or less got some food.

Some were picking berries, some were digging for roots, and others were hunting animals.

In short, no one went hungry.

So, when the second day began,

everyone else was in pretty good spirits and started preparing to build shelter.

Except for Hua Yun.

She continued to search for prey. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

...

Meanwhile, for Chen Wen,

waking up with nothing in his stomach felt uncomfortable all over.

Especially in his stomach.

His stomach was already protesting.

A day without digesting anything caused some issues in his digestive system.

Chen Wen sat on the ground and stoked the fire.

Then, he took out the pine wood he chopped yesterday.

"Going without food isn’t going to work. This morning, I plan to eat something meaty."

The new monitor on duty was taken aback by this remark.

Not a buddy?

You? Eating meat?

Are you planning to eat dead skin from your hands?

But soon, this new monitor was in for a surprise.

Chen Wen dragged the pine wood over, then took out his hunting knife.

With the sharpness of the knife, he easily lifted a piece of bark.

Tearing the bark apart, and examining the wood shavings and hollows inside, Chen Wen found a branch to keep picking at it.

Before long, he picked out a larva about the size of his little finger.

"Looks like some kind of beetle larva."

Chen Wen said, swallowing hard involuntarily.

He remembered his grandfather often dug up these larvae in the woods when he was young.

Brought them home, and pan-fried them in a pan.

Yum yum.

He didn’t know if the neighbor’s kid would be drooling, but he certainly was.

"These things are edible."

Chen Wen explained, "They’re rich in protein and fat, especially protein, with levels many times higher than beef."

"This morning’s menu, I shall call it Insect Breakfast!"

With that said, Chen Wen skewered the larva with a twig and placed it by the campfire to roast.

But that wasn’t all.

As Chen Wen continued searching and digging, one by one, white and tender larvae were slowly picked out by him.

"This tree has two, this one has two as well, this one’s less, but still has one."

"Five larvae! This protein, it’s a good boost!"

Chen Wen skewered all the larvae together and roasted them.

Meanwhile, he went to the river with a pot to fetch water.

This morning boiled water.

Chen Wen noticed the campfire was not quite blazing, so he added some pieces of deadwood to the firepile.

As the campfire burned stronger, he slowly waited for the roasted larvae.

But while waiting, Chen Wen noticed some small black shapes crawling on the deadwood he had just added to the fire.

Upon closer inspection, it was a bunch of black ants.

"Ants... can be eaten too, right?"

Chen Wen picked up a lively ant and put it in his mouth.

Hmm...

Aside from feeling the ant bite his tongue before it died, he felt nothing else.

"Damn, feels like the energy I gained from eating it is less than the energy I spent chewing it."

Chen Wen couldn’t help but complain.

But eating this ant wasn’t for nothing, as soon as he swallowed it,

his mind got a response from the system.

[Performing pillage on the natural creation — black ant!]

[Pillaging... pillage complete!]

[Please choose one of the following entries]

[Miniature (Blue): You will gradually become smaller]

[Note: Do you know the essence of something concentrated! — Black Ant]

[Pathfinder (Purple): You can trace your peers’ paths flawlessly]

[Note: Follow the comrades’ path, and everything you need is available! — Black Ant]

[Giant Strength (Gold): Significantly increase your strength, augmenting it by threefold your body weight]

[Note: Call me Great Strength! — Black Ant]

[Please make a choice within one minute or it will automatically select the first entry!]

The black ant’s options were quite formidable.

The golden [Giant Strength] can remedy Chen Wen’s shortfall of not having a direct strength boost entry.

On top of his current strength, it increases his muscle power by another three times his weight.

If Chen Wen’s current strength was two hundred pounds, with a bodyweight of one hundred seventy pounds, acquiring this entry would boost his strength to seven hundred ten pounds.

This strength augmentation is already terrifying.

A purely numerical entry!

Moreover, Chen Wen’s strength wasn’t just two hundred pounds.

Last time at Caprivi, he could drag a three to four hundred pound crocodile.

After careful calculation, Chen Wen suddenly realized his strength was approaching that of characters in novels.

Acquiring the golden [Giant Strength], Chen Wen’s gaze turned to the slightly charred and yellow larvae.

"It’s about done."

Chen Wen reached out, took the twig, and picked a larva, sniffing it by his nose.

A meaty aroma mixed with a hint of freshness filled his nostrils.

Smells great!

Chen Wen’s stomach growled at the enticing aroma.

"Can’t hold back any longer, let’s eat!"

Chen Wen popped a larva into his mouth in one bite.

Crunch!

The crispy shell broke open, releasing juicy white tender meat inside.

An average person might not be able to handle such food.

But for a survivor, as long as it’s not poisonous, it’s delicious!

Chen Wen nodded in satisfaction, saying, "Crunchy with a chicken meat flavor, protein’s several times that of beef, ha, indeed it is several times."

Hearing this, the monitor couldn’t help but laugh.

After all, this joke is known by almost anyone with survival knowledge.

He continued downing the larvae and drank some boiled water.

Chen Wen let out a satisfying sigh.

Finally, there’s something in his stomach, not much, but enough to activate the digestive system that had been idling for so long.

Providing energy for the body.

Upon eating the larvae, there was also an entry.

Two bad ones and one good one, no choice.

Ultimately, Chen Wen chose the entry — [Winter Hideaway].

[Winter Hideaway (Purple): During winter, living in a shelter reduces energy consumption, increases body temperature, with a thirty percent bonus effect inside wooden structures]

[Note: Winter, ah, is when you should be hiding away comfortably! — Pine Beetle]

These pine beetle larvae really were a huge help!

After feeling grateful, Chen Wen pondered whether to focus on chopping the pine trees infested by these larvae.

After all, pine beetles are a significant threat to pine trees, and they are a decent source of protein.

Not completely filling, but enough to offset much energy expenditure.

Eventually, Chen Wen decided to continue chopping those pine trees infested with pine beetles.

But before chopping those pine trees, Chen Wen needs to chop a perfectly intact large tree to use as the main beam.

For the main beam of his luxurious shelter.

Chen Wen had high requirements for this tree.

First, it had to be thick, second, tall enough, third, sturdy enough.

Therefore, the main task this morning was finding the main beam.

Additionally, during the search, he could make some snare traps.

The animal trails discovered yesterday also needed to be utilized.

After a simple plan for the morning tasks and work, Chen Wen set into action.