"What's going on?"
Seeing the fire go out again, Wang Zhi felt numb.
As the designated fire starter of the team, he had already used the bow drill method to start the fire twice.
Now, it was time for the third attempt.
"The three of them drank spoiled coconuts, all got diarrhea, and with no one watching the fire, it went out!"
Someone said indignantly.
Hearing this, Lu Heng and the other two looked at each other, unsure of what to say.
In wilderness survival, the fire going out is actually a common occurrence.
But with no rain outside and the fire still going out, it left the three a bit speechless.
"All three of them have diarrhea?"
"Yeah, I just mixed some plant ash with rainwater, all three of us drank it, should help."
Zhuo Hongnian, a university student studying Chinese medicine, didn't look well.
Lu Heng nodded and said, "Since it was an accident, let's get the fire going again and make sure it doesn't happen again."
But upon hearing Lu Heng's words, the usually quiet coastal fisherman Bai Yachuan said grimly, "This was no accident!"
"I said yesterday, if the coconut smells bad after opening, don't drink it! But what happened?"
"Our leader opened the coconut, drank it knowing it smelled off, and even let Zhuo Hongnian and Du Feng drink it! Isn't this courting death?"
"I love telling the truth, our leader needs replacing, I support whoever is most capable!"
Bai Yachuan's outburst made the atmosphere instantly tense.
With everyone not resting well the night before, spirits were very low.
The accumulated discontent finally erupted!
...
Meanwhile, in Chen Wen's area.
He hummed a little tune, returning to the shelter.
After stacking the collected trash in a corner of the camp, Chen Wen got ready to handle the food.
In this weather, leaving the seafood for too long would surely result in it rotting and stinking.
Rotten food definitely can't be eaten.
It would cause diarrhea.
So, Chen Wen decided to roast it all by noon today.
He also planned to try each type of seafood to collect all possible tags.
The thing in the jungle might not come because of the fire, but you can't rule out the possibility of it attacking during a rest.
Dusting sand off the firewood, he added some more, then fanned it a few times with a coconut shell.
The dying bonfire instantly blazed to life.
Chen Wen placed barnacles and red snails around the fire to roast.
Same with the swimming crab.
The fish that looked like a sand whiting was skewered with branches to be held over the fire to roast.
This was currently the largest seafood Chen Wen had found, almost fifteen centimeters!
Therefore, Chen Wen decided to give it the proper treatment it deserved.
As for the oysters in the backpack.
Chen Wen originally wanted to try a different cooking method.
But for boiling or steaming, there weren't any large containers.
With no other choice, Chen Wen still opted to grill the oysters.
However, Chen Wen did come up with a little trick.
He cut open an empty cola bottle with a knife, added the oyster and coconut juice, and placed it in the fire to cook.
"Hope it doesn't taste too bad."
Chen Wen silently prayed.
Under the fierce flames.
It didn't take long.
The aroma of grilled seafood wafted out.
"Smells great!"
Chen Wen brought the grilled fish to his nose, took a deep whiff.
Almost got choked.
But the charred smell of grilled fish made his mouth water uncontrollably.
To make the fish cook faster, Chen Wen used a Swiss Army knife to score the fish.
Watching the white fish flesh turn black and yellow.
Chen Wen took down the grilled fish.
Hunger made him ignore the high temperature.
Chen Wen directly ripped off the charred fish skin and put it in his mouth.
"Hiss, it's burnt! But still tasty!"
Chen Wen quickly chewed, as if stir-frying in his mouth.
Apart from the heavy burnt taste, it was still quite delicious, reminiscent of grilled grasshoppers.
Upon careful savoring, there really was a chicken-like taste.
"Bear Grylls didn't lie to me!"
After finishing the fish skin, it was time for the fish meat.
This fish, similar to sand whiting, didn't have many bones.
Chen Wen devoured the fish meat in large bites, occasionally taking a sip of coconut juice to reset his mouth temperature.
"Ooh~ hoohoo! Delicious!"
Although this fish was dead when Chen Wen found it, its meat hadn't spoiled or gone bad.
Instead, it retained a sweet flavor.
Plus, this fish was quite fatty, Chen Wen even detected a rich flavor from the oils!
A good fish!
Along with half the fish down.
The system responded as well.
[Targeting natural creation—Sand Whiting, plundering in progress!]
[Plundering... Plundering complete!]
[Please choose one of the following three tags]
[Dummy (Purple): You're very slow to react, it's hard to respond to crises, and your intelligence decreases]
[Note: Huh? — Sand Whiting]
[Short-lived Conqueror (Purple): Your lifespan decreases, but in exchange, you grow faster]
[Note: What? — Sand Whiting]
[Skilled Swimmer (Green): You're good at swimming, especially in the ocean]
[Note: Whoosh~ — Sand Whiting]
[Please make your choice within a minute or forfeit! Delays will automatically select the first tag!]
Is it really a Sand Whiting?!
Chen Wen scratched his head as he looked at the tags.
Known as the dragon tail fish locally, it grows quickly but only has a lifespan of one to two years.
It's tasty, but the tags it spawned were genuinely making Chen Wen lose his composure.
"Two purple negative tags, one makes you dumb, the other shortens lifespan, seriously... The fact that it isn't extinct yet makes it quite the miraculous fish!"
Seeing the selection time nearing its end, Chen Wen immediately chose [Skilled Swimmer].
After choosing, Chen Wen still was a bit sullen.
A sea fish, most adept at swimming, yet it's only green.
This thing was definitely here to cause trouble!
"Could it be that Druids gradually went extinct because of these negative tags?"
Chen Wen couldn't help but chuckle: "If a Druid were to become careless, or had a moment of stupidity, and chose something like an intelligence-lowering or lifespan-shortening tag..."
"Hahaha, tough to keep a straight face!"
Though the tags weren't great, Chen Wen was still entertained.
His heart had become extremely resilient, with minor setbacks not even registering.
Soon, the whole fish was completely consumed by Chen Wen.
Wiping the crumbs from his lips, Chen Wen set his sights on the swimming crab.
"Had some meat, just right to pair with a swimmy crab."
Chen Wen placed the thoroughly warmed crab into a half coconut shell.
"Crabs should be eaten in balanced moderation, lift your little skull!"
Chen Wen broke apart the crab legs and claws, simply bit open the shell, and sucked out the meat.
Then he broke off the crab's abdomen and carapace.
"Not much roe, seems like an inexperienced one."
Chen Wen eagerly activated [Teeth Tongue], indulging himself.
The swimming crab was quickly devoured, but Chen Wen was still craving more.
"The second one!"
But before eating the second one, Chen Wen needed to choose a tag for the swimming crab.
[Targeting natural creation—Three-spined Swimming Crab, plundering in progress!]
[Plundering... Plundering complete!]
[Please choose one of the following three tags]
[Glutton (Blue): You're extremely gluttonous, and can't think about anything else when hungry]
[Note: Hungry hungry hungry hungry hungry hungry hungry hungry! — Three-spined Swimming Crab]
[Molting (Blue): You can grow larger by molting, but will enter a one-month weakened state after shedding. Note: Active, limited tag. You can molt three times actively, needing a six-month cooldown after each shedding]
[Note: I am invincible and ever-growing! Hey! Why do you want to know my molting time! — Three-spined Swimming Crab]
[Enhanced Digestion (Blue): Your digestion is improved, making it less likely to develop digestive system-related illnesses]
[Note: Eat a snail, then an algae, and your stomach will be safe for forty-eight hours, hehe! — Three-spined Swimming Crab]
[Please make your choice within a minute or forfeit! Delays will automatically select the first tag!]