"There are two things we've decided to do today," Fumiya Jin said, pointing to where the firewood pile had been. "First is chopping wood. Since we don't have an axe, I'll handle the chopping, but I'll need someone to help carry it."
He looked at the black man and said, "You'll do, Daniel."
"No problem!" The man with dreadlocks pounded his chest, agreeing readily—after the terrifying judgment just now, he was eager for a chance to show his loyalty.
"And the second thing?" Nijika asked.
"Before we get to the second thing, there's something else we need to do first," Fumiya Jin said, his gaze sweeping over the group. "Everyone, come with me to the forest."
Everyone's expression immediately changed.
"Why go to the forest... to feed the snakes?" the black man asked fearfully.
"No, we're going to conduct an experiment," Fumiya Jin said. "Don't worry, Miss Pudding and I have already been in the forest several times. Dealing with venomous snakes isn't a huge problem. Besides, you'll just be watching from five meters away. There won't be any danger."
Hearing this, the black man and the others were still a bit uneasy.
But after some hesitation, they agreed at Fumiya Jin's insistence.
After all, Fumiya Jin and Nijika had ventured deep into the forest to fetch water, which gave them plenty of credibility when it came to fighting venomous snakes.
Moreover, watching from five meters away... the risk factor would indeed be much lower.
Of course, there was another important reason—Fumiya Jin was now unquestionably the team's leader, as well as the strongest in terms of combat ability.
As long as it wasn't something they were strongly opposed to, the black man and the others were certainly unwilling to cross him.
...
After reaching a consensus, Fumiya Jin prepared to lead everyone to the forest.
Before that, however, he picked up an unused plastic bottle from the small pile of plastic trash he had collected earlier.
With his tachi, he sliced off the narrow part near the bottle's mouth, creating a plastic cup.
Holding this plastic cup, he walked over to the corpse of a fish-headed monster, pressed the cup against it, squeezed, and scooped... collecting about a third of a cup of black oil.
Everyone watched this, their eyes wide.
And when Fumiya Jin walked over with the cup and the pungent stench hit them, everyone covered their noses and frowned.
"What are you..."
"This is the experiment's prop," Fumiya Jin said with a calm expression, offering no further explanation as he led the way towards the forest.
Under his lead, the others quickly followed.
Fumiya Jin walked at the very front.
Nijika walked behind him, ready to summon her drumsticks at a moment's notice.
The others huddled together, following four or five meters behind.
In this formation, the group entered the forest.
Probably because it was early morning and the temperature at the forest's edge hadn't risen yet, this time Fumiya Jin and Nijika only had to walk seven or eight meters in before they encountered snakes.
"Over there! And there's more than one!" Having entered the forest several times, Nijika had honed her snake-spotting skills. She pointed to their front right and shouted.
Following her direction, the others quickly noticed three snakes slithering on the ground not far away... all were primarily black and white, but with slightly different patterns. And at the edge of the bushes a little further on, they could faintly see a few more snake bodies moving.
"Good, they'll do," Fumiya Jin said as he tiptoed a few steps closer, stopping about three meters away. Then... he threw the black oil from the cup in his hand!
The nearest snake was directly splashed by a bit of the black oil...
"Tsssss—" A corrosive sound sizzled as the snake began to convulse violently, writhing on the ground as if in extreme pain.
The other two snakes nearby weren't hit by the oil. But after flicking their tongues, they seemed to sense something terrifying... they zipped away in a flash, rapidly fleeing the area.
As for the bushes in the distance... the faint silhouettes of snakes moving within them had completely vanished.
Seeing this, everyone's eyes widened.
"This is..."
"Looks like the experiment was a success," Fumiya Jin said, turning back to explain to the group. "Snakes are extremely sensitive to smells. Pungent odors make them feel threatened. And since this black oil's smell is so acrid that even humans find it alarming, the snakes definitely can't stand it."
"So this stuff can be used to repel venomous snakes?" Nijika asked, pleasantly surprised. "Doesn't that mean exploring the forest will be much easier for us now?"
"Yes, but there's more to it," Fumiya Jin said. "If we bring more of the black oil from the corpses and draw a large circle, won't we have a safe zone in this forest, free from venomous snakes? That way, we can also take shelter from the sun in the forest during the day, greatly reducing water loss. And at night, we can be a bit farther from the sea, making us less likely to be attacked by those sea monsters. Kills two birds with one stone."
The madam and Nijika's eyes widened.
"Whoa—to think you'd come up with that... you're a genius!" Nijika exclaimed.
The madam was also amazed.
She looked at Fumiya Jin's face.
Composed in the face of danger, meticulous and thorough in his thinking, and most importantly... he's so handsome.
Ah, I can't take it. I'm starting to want to marry off my daughter.
A wonderful kid like him would make such a great son-in-law!
...
With the experiment complete, Fumiya Jin led everyone back to the beach.
"Since the experiment was a success, the second task is now set—we'll use bottles and containers to transport the black oil and mark out a safe zone," Fumiya Jin said.
The madam and Nijika immediately nodded, but the other three seemed unenthusiastic.
"Um... there are still a lot of venomous snakes in the forest, after all. Even if this black water can repel them, we could still die if we get bitten while transporting it, right? So it's still very dangerous, isn't it?" the black man said hesitantly.
"Yeah, yeah, I don't think we really dare to do this..." the chubby guy said, scratching his head.
Fumiya Jin's face turned cold. He shot them a glare and said, "You disappeared for a whole night, and I haven't even settled the score with you about the suspicion you're under. You yourselves promised to contribute more. But now you're unwilling to do even this little thing... Are you trying to cause trouble?"
At these words, the chubby guy and the man with dreadlocks panicked instantly, shaking their heads frantically.
"No, no, it's not that I'm unwilling... I'm just... just a little scared," the chubby guy said. "I'll do it, I'll do it, okay?"
"Me too! Of course I'm willing to listen to you, boss!" the black man said, shamelessly sucking up. "It's just... don't I still have to go with you to move the wood? I can only come back and do this after we're done. But I'm definitely willing to work!"
Fumiya Jin glanced at them. Seeing they had backed down, he didn't press the issue further. "Alright, then this is the plan for now—Maruyama, you and your 'big boss lady' will go collect the black oil and mark the safe zone. Daniel, you'll come with me to chop wood first. After the firewood is taken care of, you can come help them."
Then Fumiya Jin looked at Nijika and the madam. "The madam was up all last night tending the fire, so she must be tired. Go rest for a while in the shade behind that rock over there. Pudding, you go with the madam and watch over her."
At this point, Fumiya Jin moved closer to Nijika and whispered in her ear, "Be careful of the other three. If they approach you or do anything suspicious, start drumming immediately and shout for me."
Nijika froze for a moment.
Then she nodded. "Okay."
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