"Jiang Fan!!!"
Zhou Niannian stumbled to the edge of the swamp.
With the speed they had just witnessed, if the horned eagle died in the mud, Jiang Fan would surely have fallen in with it.
Mud splattered everywhere, only to fall back into the swamp.
Silence returned to the surroundings, not a stir.
The scent of death wafted from the swamp.
The person who should have appeared, did not.
Zhou Niannian could not accept the possibility of Jiang Fan sacrificing himself to save her.
She was even willing to disregard the filth of the mud and go in to find him.
"Sister Zhou, wait!"
Dai Xiaomei, following behind, couldn't stop her and could only watch as she walked forward.
Just as Zhou Niannian was about to step into the mire, she suddenly heard someone beside her descend from a tree.
A familiar voice reached her ears.
"The swamp is home to many creatures, many of which carry parasites, and many survive by blood-sucking and parasitism."
"I don't recommend you take a mud bath, it's not very hygienic."
Turning her head, she saw a tall, thin youth standing on a rock, not wanting to touch any mud.
He held a shovel, showing no signs of injury, perhaps only a bit of disheveled hair.
He looked at Zhou Niannian with clear eyes, completely unaware that she had just been calling his name.
His appearance stunned her completely.
Seeing Jiang Fan suddenly appear, she was completely taken aback.
She stood frozen for a full three seconds before suddenly rushing forward and hugging Jiang Fan tightly.
The barrage of comments in the live stream, after a brief pause, exploded.
"Damn! This man really knows how to show off!"
"Jiang Shen, are you considering making movies? That move was too cool, incredibly powerful!"
"Making movies? Isn't this more exciting than any movie? One shovel to take down a horned eagle, I say he's a more capable explorer than Bear Grylls, no one can object, right?"
"No need for comparison, our Jiang Shen is the best!!! Only Sister Zhou, that silly girl, would worry. But Jiang Shen truly has good fortune with the ladies."
Everyone relaxed now that the person was safe, and jokes could be made freely.
Watching Zhou Niannian throw herself into Jiang Fan's arms, they didn't know who to envy.
Jiang Fan, however, was not swayed by the embrace. He slightly raised his hand to avoid accidentally injuring himself with the shovel.
Being held, he was a little confused, not understanding why she was so sudden.
Though she was soft and fragrant in his arms, he didn't dislike it much.
But they hadn't bathed in days, and in the humid environment, their clothes had gotten wet and dried, then dried and wet again.
Various odors mingled together.
Just smelling that scent...
Ugh~
Refreshing!
This was practically an assassination by smell!
Jiang Fan truly admired himself for being able to have normal male reactions under such circumstances.
He certainly couldn't.
Feeling the woman in his arms trembling, his free hand, after all, did not push her away, but fell onto her back.
Comforting her.
"What's wrong? Was it that scary?"
"No, not scary, I just..."
Zhou Niannian hugged Jiang Fan tightly, her ear against his chest, listening to his heartbeat.
The strong heartbeat calmed her, and she couldn't help but smile. With a breath, a bubble of snot even formed.
"I just, I was afraid you were gone."
"It wasn't... that bad. Calm yourself down and wipe your nose before you speak."
Jiang Fan couldn't help but lean back, wishing he could distance himself from Zhou Niannian.
She, however, had no such concept. She rubbed her snot fiercely on Jiang Fan's clothes before taking a step back, her eyes sparkling.
She had regained her vitality.
Dai Xiaomei watched from the side, but saw that Jiang Fan looked like he was about to collapse, and couldn't help but chuckle.
"Luckily you're still alive, otherwise Sister Zhou would have been worried to death."
"Dai Xiaomei!"
Zhou Niannian stomped her foot, showing a rare blush.
Jiang Fan, however, looked at Yao and handed him the shovel.
Yao, as if startled by something, suddenly took a step back, watching Jiang Fan warily, baring his teeth.
His sharp little canine teeth, though seemingly harmless, made both women look over in confusion.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
Jiang Fan answered first, understanding the other's reaction as if he were facing an enemy.
In the critical moment just now, he had unleashed his talent, [Beast Intimidation].
To sensitive wild animals, his presence was incredibly conspicuous and full of threat.
Fortunately, this intimidation would fade over time.
Just now, it was Zhou Niannian and Yao who were in contention.
Now it had become Jiang Fan.
Dai Xiaomei had no idea what had happened and just felt a headache coming on.
The fans in the live stream were also guessing what was going on between them.
Was it a clash of auras?
No one understood, and the others present were also quite perplexed.
Fortunately, even though the atmosphere was a bit stiff, they didn't start arguing.
Under Jiang Fan's gaze, Yao was the first to look away, conceding defeat.
Seeing the awkward atmosphere, Dai Xiaomei quickly tried to break the ice.
"Alright, alright, now... which way are we going?"
"This way."
"This way."
Zhou Niannian instinctively pointed in a direction, which was opposite to the one Jiang Fan indicated.
She immediately corrected herself and pointed in the same direction as Jiang Fan.
"No, it's this way."
Seeing the tall and short figures pointing in the same direction, Dai Xiaomei took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
Fine, she shouldn't have asked.
Damn it, she felt like a clown under a car!
She stepped out first.
After the recent heroic rescue, Zhou Niannian became more intimate with Jiang Fan, tugging on his sleeve and walking in the direction he pointed.
Yao followed silently at the end.
The four of them formed a column, moving forward to explore.
The wooden ball responsible for the live stream was very considerate, slowly pulling away from their retreating backs.
The wide-angle lens opened, revealing the vast jungle.
Towering ancient trees, strange flowers and exotic grasses, the sunlight slowly rose, gradually sinking into the slowly flowing golden sea in the sky.
Night fell.
"That's good enough, here it is."
When Jiang Fan called a halt, they were already on a gentle slope.
There were many trees around, but they were not dense.
The gentle slope, which allowed for drainage, was a good location for a shelter.
As they walked, Jiang Fan had been clearing the path with his shovel, attempting to make a cut on the branches of various trees.
This was to test trees suitable for building a shelter and also to expand the progress of the system's exploration task.
By the time they reached this gentle slope, the progress had reached 3.0293%.
The branches suitable for building a shelter had also been found.
The sun had completely disappeared into the golden sea, and the surroundings had become lively.
Animals that were quiet during the day only started to move at night.
Building a shelter at night would be significantly more difficult.
Jiang Fan placed some of the branches he had collected earlier on the ground.
The others followed suit.
"You guys start a fire first, I'll go collect branches suitable for building a shelter."
"There are quite a few mosquitoes and insects here, so get the fire going as soon as possible."
Jiang Fan picked up his shovel and intended to leave alone.
Dai Xiaomei hesitated, wanting to say something, but knowing her own limitations, she didn't foolishly offer to go herself.
Yao, as usual, remained silent and began preparing to start the fire.
Only Zhou Niannian followed him.
"Wait! I'll go with you!!!"