Chapter 185 - 81: Departure (2)
Without any seasoning, the fried rabbit meatballs are crispy but quite bland, with a slight gamey taste, not really delicious, but in glass jars as emergency food, they don't require heating, simple and convenient, quite suitable.
Apart from the necessary food, Chen Zhou also packed a small improvised pot made from canned packaging, and included a fire striker and two lighters.
When not in a hurry to start a fire, use the fire striker to slowly strike, saving the lighter's fuel.
If a fire is urgently needed, a lighter is enough to meet the needs, and since he brought two lighters, if one accidentally breaks, he still has a spare.
The food and fire-starting tools almost filled the entire pocket, and Chen Zhou also took a few empty glass jars.
If he finds suitable plant seedlings on the riverbank, he will dig them out, with roots and soil, put them in the jars, and bring them back home.
With the essential survival food and tools packed, Chen Zhou faced difficulty in choosing a weapon for defense.
Logically, it's best to carry a matchlock gun when traveling far.
The power of large caliber lead bullets can deal with any wild beast encountered, making it the pinnacle of personal defense weapons.
However, Chen Zhou knows there are no large beasts on the island that could threaten human safety.
If he has the chance to catch goats or other animals, he wouldn't use a gun.
The matchlock gun is too powerful, somewhat lacking in precision, and any shot fired would either kill or seriously wound, making live capture impossible.
Wounded prey can't be taken, dead prey left on the ground can't be eaten or taken back, that's a waste!
Moreover, the matchlock gun is heavy and long, combined with the supplies in the pocket, the load is over thirty pounds, making it inconvenient to carry, and requires a lot of small tools to accompany the gun, making it less cost-effective than a steel crossbow.
However, the crossbow found in the carpenter's room has its bowstring sagging due to long-term neglect, compounded by a dry fire, with internal fibers showing signs of breakage.
Fortunately, the metallic bow structure of the steel crossbow is very robust and undamaged, with a replaced bowstring it could regain its former glory.
But with bowstring damage, the crossbow's accuracy significantly dropped, its stability is worrisome, making it unsuitable for hunting or defense.
Ever since patrolling the fields two months ago and leaving the crossbow in the cave, Chen Zhou has let it sit in a wooden box collecting dust, not used it for a long time.
Considering the crossbow's flaws, and his lack of practice resulting in poor accuracy, Chen Zhou decided to carry a hand axe and dagger instead.
It's impossible for cannibal tribes to run onto the island, those two weapons are sufficient for defense.
The long-handled axe is the tool he uses most frequently in daily life, his proficiency is maxed out, its quality is beyond question.
During outings, the axe can cut trees, attack, create paths, or be used as a hammer.
Apart from lacking a ranged option, the long-handled axe is almost the perfect weapon, and it's what Chen Zhou is most accustomed to.
Tightened his belt and hung an iron blade on it.
Before setting off, he meticulously sharpened the long-handled axe, "Damascus pattern" dagger, and Robinson's small knife.
After packing all the gear and ensuring nothing was left behind, Chen Zhou took out the bag of dried small fish, opened the bag, left reserve food for Xiao Huihui and Tizi, and added a large bunch of dried grass and some fresh grass to the wooden box of the chinchilla.
Ensured there were no embers in the stove to prevent a fire hazard.
Put on a wide-brimmed hat, closed the bedroom windows and doors, tucked the Robinson Crusoe original book in his chest, went down the mountain, and headed straight for the beach.
The next date for the mysterious reward to arrive is April 26th, just right for him to collect it when he returns from his outing.
Before leaving, he must reorganize the wooden and stone wall on the beach.
After the earthquake, those semi-finished planks and bricks must be in a mess, if left unmanaged, 15 days would be wasted.
Cutting once more to produce finished materials would mean waiting another month.
...
This time leaving home, Xiao Huihui, Tizi, and the chinchilla stay home, only Lai Fu Chen Zhou couldn't leave behind, taking it along out.
Lai Fu has a large appetite, at home it doesn't have suitable dry food, jerky contains too much salt, eating for several consecutive days would affect health.
If he cooks a big pot of paste ahead of time, it wouldn't last long.
After entering the dry season the island temperature is rising steadily, the paste turns sour and spoils with bacteria in less than a day, producing toxins.
Just leaving Lai Fu tethered in the cave with a few flatbreads and cool water, Chen Zhou couldn't bear it.
They've spent over half a year together, a deep bond developed.
He can't leave such an old and accomplished companion at home like a prisoner.
After thinking it over, Chen Zhou decided that taking Lai Fu along has more advantages than drawbacks.
During the day, Lai Fu can assist in hunting, at night, it can act as a sentry, guarding against wild beasts and snakes, promptly alerting to threats.
If they get lost, perhaps they'll rely on it to guide them home.
Even if Lai Fu fails in these tasks, during a lonely outing, having a companion to play with, chat with, and relieve stress is work that other animals just can't do.
...
The beach appearance changed drastically after the earthquake.
The ends of waves froth with white foam, looking dirty and muddy.
The sand no longer smooth, features many gentle undulations.
The mountain peak near the reward location was missing a huge rock, examine closely to find the depression left on the mountain by the rock's base.
As for the wooden and stone wall Chen Zhou painstakingly constructed, it turned into ruins, even the rain shelter at the center is crooked, unrecognizable.