Chapter 746 - 46: Supplies in Hand
As the time for the supply drop drew closer, the light of the beacon grew dimmer.
The glory it once cast had transformed from a magnificent waterfall into fine threads of spider silk, gently falling against the dark blue night sky.
The confrontation among the challengers teetered towards collapse with the dying campfire—
Everyone was fixated on the supply drop. They frequently observed their opponents and glanced up at the dots of light in the sky, their sense of urgency gradually intensifying, leaving them no time to replenish the firewood.
...
Finally, when the beacon’s light descended to about 400 meters above the canopy, a group of premeditated challengers suddenly snuffed out the barely surviving campfire and set out first toward the beacon’s landing point.
Their actions sparked a chain reaction. Naturally, the other two groups of challengers couldn’t let them take the lead, so they followed closely behind.
At this point, everyone setting out believed there was some time before the supply drop would land.
And this period was enough for them to reach the supply landing point and engage in a struggle, with the most optimistic thinking that perhaps even after they decided the winner, the supply might not yet have landed.
Among the six people, no one noticed the faintly discernible small black dot under the beacon, nor did anyone observe for long whether the descent speed of this black dot was consistent with the beacon—
After all, the beacon had been hanging in the sky for a very long time, long enough for everyone to think they understood it well enough.
Who would pay attention to something visible at all times?
Especially when it’s as dazzling as the sun.
Perhaps only someone like Chen Zhou, who roamed among the groups of challengers, rack their brains trying to secure the supply and worried about their partner and the injured Tiger Third, would still be concerned about the beacon and supply despite nearly two days and nights without sleep, not forgetting to observe at all times.
...
Besides Chen Zhou, no one anticipated that when the beacon was still more than four hundred meters from the ground, the "small black dot" hanging directly beneath it was already close to landing.
More importantly, someone was already waiting directly beneath where the "small black dot" would land.
More than forty hours of battle, running, waiting, worry, fatigue, and planning finally paid off at this moment.
Chen Zhou’s always bright eyes were now bloodshot; he longed for the dizziness and exhaustion resulting from staying up all night.
Even the most robust machines need rest, maintenance, and energy replenishment.
And during this lengthy supply struggle, apart from a few sips of meat soup, he hadn’t had any other type of food supplement.
Hunger was also consuming his energy, but it was hunger—
The signals from his stomach incessantly passing to his brain, coupled with the stinging pain from gastric juices, kept him alert.
...
There was wind in the forest, but the descending beacon and the small black dot seemed like projections in another spacetime, unaffected by outside forces, descending steadily and slowly.
The closer to the ground, the clearer the true form of the "small black dot" became—
It was a black box roughly the size and shape of a large briefcase, about 55cm long, 40cm wide, and 20cm thick.
In the vast expanse of the sky, such a small object was barely discernible. If not for Chen Zhou’s extraordinary eyesight, combined with his habit of frequently observing the beacon’s position to estimate time and plan, he might not have spotted this black box.
The whole black box had a texture similar to crystal, with a matte finish on the exterior, no handles, no seams, only a solid rectangular blue label printed on the side.
Its surface did not have strings attached to the beacon.
During the descent, even though the black box moved in sync with the beacon, the lack of any connection between the two gave an inexplicable sense of unease.
This bizarre scene reminded Chen Zhou of the mysterious rewards on the isolated island and the cutting force fields formed during hyperspace transmissions.
He initially intended to climb directly onto the tree next to the black box to retrieve the box before it landed, but upon seeing the scene from up high, he didn’t dare to take action.
Picking up a stone, Chen Zhou lay on the tree trunk waiting for the black box to descend beside him. He carefully stretched out his arm, attempting to probe the black box with the stone.
The imagined occurrence did not transpire. The stone encountered neither tangible nor intangible force fields. Instead, it came into contact with the black box, relaying a hard yet smooth sensation back to Chen Zhou.
Undoubtedly, this was good news, indicating the opportunity to secure the supply earlier.
Even though Chen Zhou was in his fifties, learning this news left him unable to remain calm. He decisively dropped the stone in his hand and reached out to grip the side of the black box, mustering strength to pull it towards himself.
Like extracting an item from semi-solidified concrete, a viscous resistance thwarted his attempt to retrieve the supply prematurely.
With a vigorous exertion, Chen Zhou only skewed the black box; for the moment, he couldn’t bring it to his side.
"Damn, what’s going on?"
As the beacon descended lower and lower, knowing the other three groups of challengers would not continue to hold their positions, they would arrive soon. Chen Zhou grew more anxious, exerting more force.
As the saying goes, great strength produces miracles. Chen Zhou exerted himself with all his might. Even though the awkward position on the branch did not allow much leverage, he still had several hundred kilograms’ worth of strength.
However, even with such great effort, the speed at which the black box moved towards him remained extraordinarily slow. At this rate, by the time he got it in hand, perhaps the others would have already arrived.
His face turned bright red, but Chen Zhou did not let go.
He was at the end of the tree branch, at a relatively slender position. Although the trunk was strong enough to support his weight, what might happen if he exerted all his force on it remained uncertain.