The tree remained silent.
Under Han Feng's oppressive aura, it ultimately gave in, watching helplessly as he brazenly stripped away its bark.
Once Han Feng had torn off four strips, he deemed it sufficient and stopped. He then twisted two of the strips together and began rubbing them back and forth between his hands.
After a short while, two sturdy ropes made of tree bark emerged in his hands.
The entrenching tool, curious, asked, "Big bro, what are you making ropes for?"
Han Feng raised an eyebrow. "To catch crabs!"
The entrenching tool was startled. "You saw how fierce those two crabs were. What are you going to use to catch them?"
"A wise man always has a trick up his sleeve!" Han Feng smirked, casually grabbing two clams before heading toward the beach where the two massive crabs resided.
After walking about twenty meters, he arrived at a patch of tall grass.
Han Feng crouched down and hid within it, his sharp eyes scanning the sandy shore.
He quickly noticed that only the female crab was present; the male crab was nowhere to be seen. It had likely burrowed into the sand to hunt for clams.
Han Feng's eyes gleamed with excitement.
If both crabs were here, it would be nearly impossible to make a move. But with just one, his chances were much better.
Of course, he wouldn't act recklessly—he had to wait for the perfect opportunity.
While the female crab wasn't paying attention, Han Feng casually tossed the two clams onto the sand.
Plop. Plop.
The clams landed with faint but distinct sounds, instantly catching the female crab's attention.
She turned her small eyes toward the sound and, upon seeing the two clams not far away, lit up with excitement. Without hesitation, she scuttled over.
With her powerful pincers, she grabbed one clam in each claw and began feasting happily.
"This is my chance!"
Han Feng bolted from the grass like an arrow released from a bow, gripping his entrenching tool tightly as he charged forward.
Before the female crab could react, he swung the tool down with all his might.
BANG!
The blow landed squarely on her shell.
Though her tough exoskeleton absorbed most of the impact, she was still slammed into the sand.
"Ugh..."
The female crab let out a pained groan, her mind reeling from the sudden attack. She was left momentarily dazed.
Han Feng stomped on her shell, pinning her down, and quickly bound her with the tree-bark ropes.
At that moment, the noise attracted the male crab, who emerged from the sand.
When he saw his mate tightly bound and in the hands of a human, his eyes instantly burned with fury.
"Human! Let go of my wife!"
The male crab brandished his massive pincers and charged toward Han Feng with a murderous aura.
"Stop right there, or she's dead!" Han Feng barked menacingly.
The male crab hesitated. Though enraged, he couldn't risk his wife's life.
Meanwhile, the female crab, having regained her senses, shouted in fear, "Honey! Save me!"
The male crab's eyes remained locked on Han Feng, his killing intent undisguised. "What do you want?"
Han Feng smirked and spoke with a slow, deliberate tone. "You wouldn't want anything to happen to your wife, would you?"
The male crab faltered. His aggressive posture softened as he warily asked, "Let's talk this through. As long as you let her go, I'll do anything you say."
"That's the attitude I was looking for!"
Han Feng chuckled, then pointed toward the sea. "See those three iron boxes floating out there? Get them for me, and I'll release your wife."
"Are you serious?"
The male crab hesitated.
For him, retrieving those iron boxes would be effortless.
But could he really trust this human? Would Han Feng keep his word?
"In my eyes, your wife is worth far less than those three iron boxes. So you don't need to worry—I have no reason to trick you." Han Feng's voice was calm, yet firm. "Now, hurry up. Don't waste my time."
The male crab didn't argue further. Without another word, he turned and dived into the sea, swimming swiftly toward the floating chests.
A moment later, he reached them, grabbed them with his massive claws, and hauled them back to shore.
"Human, I've brought your boxes. Now let her go!"
"Throw them over here first."
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The male crab tossed the three iron chests onto the sand before Han Feng's feet.
Han Feng glanced down, his eyes gleaming.
"Before I release her, I just need to ask—are you going to hold a grudge?"
"I won't!" The male crab's response was immediate and firm.
Han Feng wasn't sure if the crab was being truthful.
But one thing was certain—he couldn't kill the female crab.
If he did, he'd make an irreparable enemy of the male crab.
Individually, the male crab wasn't too much of a threat.
But crabs lived in groups. If this one summoned its entire clan, Han Feng could kiss his clam-hunting days goodbye.
After careful consideration, he decided to let the female crab go.
However, he still had one last favor to ask.
Clearing his throat, he said, "One more thing—can you pry that oyster off the rock for me?"
The male crab shook his head. "It's not that I don't want to help. I just can't. If I could have pried it off, I would've eaten it myself long ago."
"Fair enough."
Han Feng nodded, then untied the tree-bark ropes and tossed the female crab back toward the male.
"Honey!"
She scuttled toward her mate at full speed.
"Don't worry, I'm here. I'll protect you."
The male crab gently ran a claw over his wife's shell, completely ignoring Han Feng as he comforted her.
Right in front of Han Feng, they openly displayed their affection.
"Showing off your love? That's how you die early!" Han Feng thought to himself, rolling his eyes.
Grabbing the three iron chests, he quickly left the beach.
As he passed by the tree he had stripped earlier, he casually tossed the tree-bark ropes to the ground. "Tree bro, I'm returning your bark!"
The tree remained silent.
"What's the point of returning it now?"
It was already stripped and turned into rope—what use was it now?
Clearly, Han Feng was just rubbing salt in the wound.
After taking a few more steps, Han Feng suddenly stopped. He turned back, picked up the ropes again, and said, "Actually, you won't need these anymore. I'll take them back."
He still needed to catch more crabs in the future. These ropes would come in handy.
The tree: "..."
"This is pure bullying!"
A few minutes later, Han Feng returned to his shelter.
He placed the three iron chests on the ground but didn't open them immediately. Instead, he carefully examined them.
Opening treasure chests always carried risks.
Sometimes, they contained useful supplies.
Other times, they held dangerous surprises.
Until he was sure it was safe, he wouldn't take any chances.