Chapter Sixty-Eight: Survival in the Wild

"Brother Ma, how’s it look in there?" Zhou Miao approached, handing him an opened coconut.

"Not too promising. It’s pretty big inside, but doesn’t seem to have much wildlife. Still, I found a good spot for camp. This afternoon, let’s set up our base first."

It was about one in the afternoon. All three had eaten their fill before coming, so while their strength lasted, they divided up the work. Zhou Miao and Ma Run went to set up the camp, while Zhao Jingya circled the island to check the beach for any debris washed ashore—perhaps she’d find something useful.

Venturing into the heart of the island felt like flying from Hawaii into a tropical rainforest—everywhere, towering trees blocked out the sun, and strange plants of unknown names grew in abundance. Zhou Miao could hear the calls of birds in the forest, but when he looked closely, he saw nothing.

"We need tree trunks about as thick as an arm for the framework, but without a knife, we’ll have to use sharp stones and break them slowly. So don’t choose the really tough trees—pick this kind, they're more brittle and easier to snap, but strong enough for a frame," Ma Run said, patting a dark brown sapling.

Zhou Miao nodded to show he understood, selected a tree, and began hacking at it with the sharp edge of a stone. Even though this tree was relatively brittle, it still took the two of them a long time and a lot of effort to break it down without proper tools. Blisters had already started to form in Zhou Miao's palms.

While the two men sweated away at their labor, Zhao Jingya strolled the beach with light steps, as if on a spring outing. An hour later, her haul amounted to one white plastic bag, two bottles, a ragged fishing net, and a can of pork—still sealed but expired by over three years.

Having grown up in luxury, Zhao Jingya unexpectedly found a new kind of joy in this scavenger’s task, as though she were hunting for treasure. The island was vast. It took her two whole hours to walk the perimeter, and by the end, her legs were aching, and she hadn’t found anything particularly valuable.

When she returned to the interior, Zhou Miao and Ma Run had finished the framework. Since the shelter was for three, they’d built it large enough to accommodate them all. With Zhao Jingya back, the three went to gather palm leaves—for a proper shelter, a roof to ward off wind and rain was essential, not just a frame.

Palm leaves are a staple in survival shows—strong, durable, and rot-resistant, perfect for shelter or even weaving sandals. But since the leaves are sparse, they had to braid them together, much like plaiting hair, to make an effective barrier against rain.

Ma Run taught the two of them how to weave. In this, Zhao Jingya, being a girl, was clearly more adept than Zhou Miao; while Zhou Miao struggled to finish one, Zhao Jingya had already completed three. Ma Run spread thick mats of grass over the wooden frame, packing them down tightly for insulation, then draped the woven palm leaves over the outside. A simple camp began to take shape.

Inside, they laid another layer of grass, topped with soft, dry hay, then covered everything with the leftover palm leaves. Exhausted, Zhou Miao lay down—it was comfortable, cool, a little prickly, and filled with the earthy scent of nature.

Ma Run sorted through Zhao Jingya’s finds. "The bottles are good—we can use them to collect water. The net can be patched up and used. Even the canned pork, though expired, can bait fish, and the tin can itself can serve as a pot."

Delighted to hear her efforts had value, Zhao Jingya beamed with satisfaction.

After the hard work, the three were both thirsty and hungry. They downed several coconuts before deciding to try their luck at the shore in hopes of catching some seafood. By then, the sun had already dipped behind the hills, and if they waited much longer, the tide would come in.

Fortunately, they found a small bay teeming with loaches. The three surrounded the inlet and blocked the escape routes with stones, turning it into a trap. With pants rolled up, they waded in and soon caught half a bowl of loaches. The tide rose quickly, though, and the rest escaped.

Ma Run stuffed a piece of spoiled pork into one of the plastic bottles, left it open, and weighed it down in the pond with a stone—hoping the meat would lure in more fish. If luck held, by low tide tomorrow, any fish drawn in and trapped by the stones would be theirs.

They gathered more coconuts and headed back to camp to prepare dinner. With loaches in hand, all they needed was fire.

Zhou Miao had assumed that with an expert like Ma Run present, fire-making would be a breeze. But even after Ma Run’s hands were nearly blistered from drilling wood, there was barely a wisp of smoke.

After a while, Ma Run tossed the stick aside in frustration. "What the hell is this thing!"

"Don’t give up yet—let’s try making a bow drill, that should work better," Zhou Miao replied, picking up the stick. He took off his shoelaces and fashioned a bow, then began sawing away vigorously.

Ma Run and Zhao Jingya watched with hopeful faces, as if waiting for him to spark fire and bring them life and hope.

But after another long effort, Zhou Miao flung the stick away in disgust. "What bloody nonsense is this!"

Zhao Jingya clutched her stomach, her face pale. "I’m so hungry. If we can’t make a fire, what are we going to eat tonight?"

Ma Run reluctantly picked up a loach that had already turned belly-up. "We can eat these raw, in a pinch. Let’s just make do tonight—it’s getting dark and we’ve got no fire."

Raw loach? The very thought made the other two swallow hard. Was their first day on the island really going to be this extreme?

"Brother Ma, you go first and show us how it’s done," Zhou Miao said.

Ma Run took a deep breath, then popped a whole loach into his mouth and chewed. The other two watched, wide-eyed.

Like swallowing poison, Ma Run forced it down, managing a grimace worse than a cry. "Honestly, it’s not so bad. Give it a try?"

Zhao Jingya shook her head violently. "No way! I’d rather starve than eat that—it’s just too disgusting!"

Zhou Miao picked up a small loach. Truth be told, he’d always disliked fish, especially loaches and eels; the thought of eating one raw was almost unbearable. But since he’d come here to take part in Wild Survival, how could he not try something wild?

He hesitated, then pinched off the loach’s head, closed his eyes, tossed it into his mouth, and swallowed without chewing.

Seeing this, Zhao Jingya stared at him in astonishment as Zhou Miao smacked his lips. "Honestly, it’s not as bad as you’d think. You should try—really, it’s not that hard to accept."

"No way! I won’t eat it, not even if you beat me!" Zhao Jingya covered her mouth and backed away, and Zhou Miao didn’t push her—she simply wasn’t hungry enough yet.

Zhou Miao and Ma Run ate a few more between them, just enough to dull the edge of their hunger. After all, they were still raw, and too much might upset their stomachs.