The viewers in the livestream were in stitches.
"Indeed, a straight man's understanding is different from a normal one."
"Right, in a poet's eyes, this is a pair of fated lovers, living together, buried together. In a straight man's eyes, it's pulling someone to be a human shield."
"Sigh, Jiang Shen, oh Jiang Shen, let her go, I'll be the human shield."
"By the way, are there any scholars here, can you calculate how long this road is, given that it's a 125-meter high tree, plus 6.0 vision, and you still can't see the end at a glance..."
"That's beyond our league as poor students, Professor Zhang, please step up."
Professor Zhang, true to his title, immediately calculated it for the viewers, finishing in under thirty seconds.
"Dear viewers, calculating with the Earth's radius as 6,400 kilometers, using the formula d*d = (r+h)*(r+h) - r*r, we get d approximately 35,777 meters, but in reality, due to the limitations of human vision, it would be slightly less."
After finishing, Professor Zhang sent a super bullet comment of "Old but still vigorous" to encourage himself.
The viewers in the livestream were full of praise.
"As expected of Professor Zhang, anyone who can be a professor, even a history professor, is a scholar."
"So it means at least forty kilometers, and still can't see the end."
"A normal walking speed is five kilometers per hour, considering this is a volcanic area with very poor road conditions, it needs to be halved."
"Which means even walking day and night without sleep won't get you to the end."
"Oh my god, may heaven bless Jiang Shen."
In an instant, the livestream was filled with blessings, and some silently lit white candles.
The next morning, Jiang Fan woke everyone up to depart.
He had them take off their shoes and distributed a pair of straw sandals to each person, with an extra-large pair for the panda.
And the panda received special treatment, it had four shoes.
These straw sandals were made from banana leaves that couldn't be burned, making them much more heat-resistant than rubber shoes.
"Wearing rubber shoes in a volcanic area would definitely melt them, we need to be fully prepared."
Then, Jiang Fan took some white, gauze-like material and wrapped it around everyone's feet.
This was a new discovery by Jiang Fan in the forest, a secretion from a purple tuberous plant.
The secretion was like white gauze, it could insulate against heat and cool down, and it was also wear-resistant.
Next, Jiang Fan sprayed the straw sandals with water, which would allow them to last longer.
Then, Jiang Fan helped his teammates put on the bamboo hats and straw clothes he had made.
These were also made from materials found in the forest, covered with the white gauze and sprinkled with water.
It should be known that in extremely hot weather, simply shedding your clothes is not enough; it can easily lead to burns from the high-temperature gases.
These grasses had heat-dissipating properties, and with the added water, they could minimize the damage they sustained.
He also provided sturdy staffs made of branches, giving one to each teammate.
They could use them to walk when tired, and also to ward off venomous snakes.
"Yao, go refill the bamboo tubes with water."
"Dai Xiao Mei, go pack up the tents."
"Panda, carry all the luggage, let's go."
Jiang Fan directed everyone, but deliberately did not assign a task to Zhou Niannian.
Zhou Niannian looked at Jiang Fan, her eyes full of gratitude.
"You stayed up all night to prepare all this for us?"
"Slept for two hours!"
Jiang Fan replied simply.
"What can I do?"
Zhou Niannian volunteered.
"Your mission is the most important. On the road ahead, you will be responsible for the livestream."
"Even if we don't make it out, we must leave a record of this place for others."
"This way, in the future, people will continue our path."
Jiang Fan said solemnly, his words as heroic as an elder calling upon comrades.
Zhou Niannian chuckled, no wonder Jiang Fan kept her aside.
Only the two of them knew that the road ahead was long and arduous, with at least tens of kilometers still to go.
Along the way, she would have to be responsible for keeping everyone's spirits up and motivating them to move towards their goal.
This was not something a straight man could do.
"You sound so old-fashioned, do you think you're an explorer of the Lop Nur Desert?"
"We will definitely get out of here."
Zhou Niannian said, clenching her fist.
"Very good, let's go!"
Jiang Fan, the four teammates, and a panda marched towards the edge of the forest.
The path was easy to find; they just needed to use the [Humidity Detection] talent and head towards areas with less moisture.
Soon, they emerged from the forest, and an endless volcanic landscape unfolded before them.
Everywhere was red dust and black basalt, with craters dotting the terrain.
The most terrifying thing was that all these volcanoes were active, and no one knew when or where they might erupt.
The viewers in the livestream watched with bated breath and fear.
"Oh my god, if it were me, my legs would turn to jelly and I wouldn't be able to walk."
"Poor Dai Xiao Mei and the others, they still don't know how long they have to walk."
"We absolutely cannot let Dai Xiao Mei know, it's fine if Zhou Niannian knows, but Dai Xiao Mei would definitely have a mental breakdown."
"Jiang Shen, keep going, lead everyone forward!"
"Everything depends on you!"
The team began to traverse the volcanic zone. For the first few hours, Dai Xiao Mei was still chatting and laughing.
She even hopped around in front of the camera, cooperating with Zhou Niannian for the livestream.
After walking for three hours, Dai Xiao Mei had fallen silent.
Another two hours passed, and large beads of sweat dripped from Dai Xiao Mei's forehead, leaving her too weak to speak.
Zhou Niannian's livestream frequency also began to decrease.
She was pushing herself purely on willpower, considering they had been walking for nearly five hours in a volcanic area with extremely poor road conditions.
Even without the high temperature, walking for five hours on a cool, pleasant mountain would leave many people with numb legs.
The temperature was extremely high, and the sun in the sky seemed like a giant fiery eye staring at them.
Apart from Jiang Fan and Yao, who could still hold on, the other few were already swaying, showing signs of heatstroke.
Even the panda was starting to feel dizzy. While pandas have good endurance, they also have a lot of fat.
Animals with a lot of fat and high body weight are most afraid of long-distance travel.
During long journeys, they consume three times the energy compared to lighter animals.
This is why, in nature, animals like hippos are surprisingly fast, but to avoid expending energy, they usually move lazily and remain still.
"Rest!"
Seeing that everyone was at their limit, Jiang Fan immediately ordered a rest.
He handed the bamboo tubes to Zhou Niannian and Dai Xiao Mei, who immediately gulped down the water.
Jiang Fan frowned. His original plan was to cover forty kilometers within two days.
However, the road conditions were too harsh. They had walked for nearly six hours and had only covered ten kilometers in total.
This was when their energy levels were at their peak; from now on, they would only slow down.
At this rate, the mere forty kilometers would take three to four days.
And their water supply would only last for three to four days.