Love and passion, cutting up the wasteland

Although the caravan set up their fur tents to protect themselves from the rain in time, everyone still got wet beforehand in the pouring rain.

In addition, the firewood was soaked, and everyone who had never seen such a battle was helpless.

You must know that in the dry and dry Stan Desert, let alone being unable to light a fire, even if you are not careful, the sun-dried vegetation at home may catch fire. The weather is also mostly hot, so wandering warriors like to go bare-chested and wear no clothes. Jacket.

As a result, the caravan said they were resting, but in fact they just sat helplessly under the tent, each taking out dry food.

As for wet clothes, some people can change them if they are well prepared; others think they are not too wet, so they simply wear them and dry them with body heat. Fortunately, they are all healthy and have no serious problems. .

In the dim rain forest, a ray of fire burst out.

Lu Meng turned on the portable stove he got from the technology hunter, and the electric spark instantly ignited the vaporized fuel that was sprayed out.

There were only a few small cans of gas. Lu Meng did not use them to light fires for everyone directly. Instead, he dried the soaked tinder, then collected the better firewood and ignited it to build the first fire.

Even from far away, seeing this orange-red flame seems to make people feel warm out of thin air.

As the fires dried more firewood, the fires were scattered in the caravan camp. Every member who came to pick up the fire smiled and thanked Lu Meng.

Lu Meng extinguished the gas stove, which was like a lighter to him.

Technology hunters have a certain cooperative relationship with the skeletons of Black Sand City. They can obtain a stable supply of fuel, but others cannot. They use it sparingly.

In this swampy rainforest, there is no shortage of wood fuel.

After more than an hour, the previously exhausted caravan suddenly became noisy. They gathered around the fire, divided into four or five circles, each baking their bodies and wet clothes, talking and laughing, enjoying the warmth brought by the flames.

Various iron pots and stoves were also set up, either to boil water or to cook hot porridge. White steam was steaming everywhere in the camp, and the fragrance filled the air.

The fear of the swamp before departure and the fatigue of trekking in the rainforest were all gone.

Ariel stared at this scene blankly.

And Mr. Lu, who brought about all changes, has not rested yet.

After he was busy with the things in the camp, he was chatting with the people in charge of the daily life of the caravan, and asked them to prepare and store the firewood for the next camp, wrap it in that strange curtain, and bundle it. Loading bundles onto the backs of beasts of burden.

At this time, Ah Sheng trotted over from a fire, holding two bowls of steaming porridge.

"Brother Lie, try it." Ah Sheng smacked his lips, "The one they gave is so delicious!"

Ariel noticed that there were still two grains of wheat left at the corner of his mouth, obviously he had eaten a bowl earlier.

"Not careful at all! How could something given by an outsider..." Ariel subconsciously wanted to scold him, but the aroma of wheat porridge floated to the tip of his nose, and the young swamp man's stomach rumbled unconsciously.

Since leaving the village, they have only eaten cold and hard dry food along the way and have never had a serious meal.

"If you don't want to eat, it's good to warm your hands with it." Ah Sheng forced a bowl of hot porridge into his hand.

Warmth instantly spread through the cold and stiff fingers to all limbs, and Ariel couldn't help but shiver in comfort.

"It was seasoned by Mr. Lu." Ah Sheng said nothing and ran back to the camp to warm himself by the fire.

Ryan, Kang, Luka and others gathered there, which was considered to be the group of people with the highest status in the entire caravan. At this moment, Kang was beckoning Lu Meng to come back quickly, and the white-haired young man also came over with an apologetic smile. Sit down by the fire.

Silks of white gas steamed up from his body, but he didn't know which ones were roasted by the charcoal fire and which ones were evaporated by his own body temperature.

Ariel held the wooden bowl, and the aroma on his nose became stronger. He couldn't help blowing on the porridge skin to cool it down, and took a sip.

When the hot porridge enters the stomach, the coldness in the whole body seems to be driven away, and all the cells in the body seem to be happy.

"Mr. Lu..."

The swamp man shook his head, the corners of his mouth rising unconsciously.

In the village, everyone who had met Mr. Lu said that he was different from other outsiders. At first, Ariel didn't understand. He just thought it was because he was very skilled in martial arts. At most, he was a person worthy of respect and awe.

It's just that they met by chance this time and got along unexpectedly. Although they have never seen Mr. Lu take action before, Ariel seems to understand a little bit.

He began to think that maybe even if he didn't lead the way, as long as Mr. Lu was around, these people could still survive in the swamp.

Why would such a team covet their small village?

Walking through the forest to beat leaves, the rain rustles.

Tieniu was still bathing in the water and having fun. Through the surface of his bones, he glanced sideways at the caravan on the side, sniffing out a whiff of white air, as if he was quite disdainful.

The adaptability of these animals to their environment is indeed much higher than that of ordinary humans.

When nomads take them on long journeys, they don’t even need to bring a tent.

When there is a heavy rain, they hide under the belly of the cow; when there is wind and sand, they let the pack cows form a circle.

It can be said that except for sky fire and poisonous gas, there is no extreme environment that can prevent them.

This is also why Lu Meng brought Tieniu here.

…

Fortunately, the heavy rain did not last long.

Perhaps because they were still on the outskirts of the swamp, the heavy rain gradually became less intense after only half a day.

In the end, the sound of rain stopped completely, leaving only the occasional gust of wind, and water pouring down from the towering tree crowns from time to time, but it was no longer a serious problem.

Because of the tree canopy, the bottom layer of the marsh is always dark, even during the day.

The caravan was delayed for another half day due to heavy rain. It was now dark, and the surroundings were so dark that you couldn't even see your fingers.

However, everyone decided to continue on their way. Most people had already finished their rest and took turns to take a nap. They were full of energy after eating and drinking.

The linen clothes on Lu Meng's body have also been dried and are light and refreshing, but her feet have been put on long over-the-knee rain boots.

There are people in each section of the caravan who are responsible for holding torches. Perhaps because of the abundant oxygen, the fire points are aligned in a line, like a long dragon.

"Going further forward, the trees will get taller and thicker, until they cover all the sun... Then there will be no other grass growing below except some fern leaves." Ariel pointed with a hatchet. Ahead, "Without the weeds blocking us, the road will be much easier to walk, but we still have to be careful of poisonous insects and black swamps."

The weeds blocking the road when you first enter the swamp are more like a protective umbrella, blocking uninvited guests from the outside world.

By the time we got deep into the swamps and core areas, those ancient trees that had grown for thousands of years had greedily blocked every ray of sunlight below. If it hadn't been for lightning strikes or the ancient trees not being able to bear their own weight and falling down, it would have There are no other small trees or shrubs growing underneath.

What Ariel didn't say was that their village was also on the edge of that area.

And that was the end of how he and Asheng led the caravan.

It stands to reason that Ariel should feel more nervous as he brings outsiders closer to his village; however, his mood at the moment is much calmer, even slightly reluctant.

"Let's go." Lu Meng on the side shook the bone in his hand and watched it cross a parabola and fall into the quagmire in the distance.

Then he took out a piece of freshly baked cake from his backpack and ate it.

The torch was tied to the iron bull's back. Occasionally, the hot oil would roll down, but it would only drip onto its bone plates, causing no pain at all.

Unlike before, this time Lu Meng did not stay in the middle of the caravan, but took the initiative to lead the caravan, and Ryan changed into his position.

Ariel glanced at Lu Meng's eating appearance and was a little surprised.

According to his memory, after setting up camp and resting, Mr. Lu not only finished the hot porridge, but also hunted and roasted a half-human lizard. He was actually still eating it at this moment.

Did Mr. Lu actually have such a big appetite?

But this was his personal matter, and there was no need for Ariel to say more. The caravan set off again soon.

Sure enough, as Ariel said, as they continued to move forward, the vegetation on the ground gradually became sparse, and they no longer needed to work hard to clear the way, and everyone walked faster and faster.

It's just that some people passed by the big tree next to them and felt that it had a strange shape through the faint firelight, so they looked up.

Only then did he realize that what he saw was not a complete tree at all, but just an aerial root extending from nowhere.

"Be careful!" Ah Sheng whispered.

Everyone stopped as he did. The young-looking swamp man took off his torch and looked under his feet. Further on, he saw a patch of dark mud. The mud was flowing, and bubbles rolled out from time to time, just like a stream of water. The pot simmers silently hot porridge.

Ariel followed up and took a look: "It's Heimao... Heimao woke up after it rained."

"Is this the only way?" someone asked.

Asheng: "This depression is the shallowest nearby. If even this area turns into a black swamp, then other places will be even worse."

Kang on the other side pulled out the heavy blade from his back and plunged it into the swamp. The weapon, which was as tall as a person, sank directly into the water. The muddy water reached up to the big man Shaq's elbow, but it had not yet reached the bottom.

"What should I do?" He frowned and pulled out the heavy blade.

Although the mud and water were still attached to Kang's arm, the weapon that was inserted deeper was spotless, and the sticky mud naturally slid off the sword surface.

His weapon at this time was not the segmented ax he was used to before, but the flat sword that Lu Meng later made.

Originally, this big Shaq man was quite "dissatisfied" with the "women's sword" that Lu Meng gave him... But when he heard that it was a sharp weapon at the level of Kaidun City, he happily accepted it and went back to polish it. Several times.

Lu Meng once promised to give Kang a sword made by himself, and he would do it.

And according to Lu Meng's understanding, the improved version of the segmented ax like the Flat Sword is indeed lighter and more superior, and is not just suitable for the weaker female Shark warriors.

The popularity of segmented axes in the Shark Kingdom was originally just because they were rough and easy to forge and met the production level.

When technology develops, the use of flat swords should be further popularized except for those truly powerful freaks.

The flat sword forged by Lu Meng is as long as Kang's height. In addition, his wingspan cannot reach the bottom of the black swamp in front of him. If the caravan enters, I am afraid that except for the giant Ryan, everyone else will risk it. If you don't come out, you will be buried alive inside.

Ah Sheng glanced at Ariel, and Ariel nodded.

So Asheng said: "It's okay. This black swamp is a road we often pass. The village has laid some big stones in advance during the dry season. We can just step on it later."

Before anyone could ask questions, the swamp man took off his shirt and jumped into the black swamp.

I saw the surface of the dark swamp rolling, like an earth dragon twisting in the ground. After a while, a mud-covered figure emerged from the center of the black swamp, waving towards it. It must have found the villagers who had set up in advance. Nice stone path.

"Come back quickly!" Ariel stood on the shore and waved to him.

In daily life, Ariel is good at exploring roads; however, Ah Sheng is also the only one in the village in his ability to swim in owl water.

Ah Sheng came back from diving again and climbed ashore.

His movements seemed ordinary, but it was incredible that he could swim in the mud as well as in still water.

The swamp man did not care that he was covered in mud and showed everyone what he had in his hand. Only then did everyone realize that he was still holding a hemp rope twisted as thick as a bamboo pole.

"This rope is connected to the opposite side. When we go over, we can hold on to the rope and step on the rocks. It will be fine." Ah Sheng introduced, "Originally, there was also one end tied to a tree here. It should have washed down due to heavy rain. ."

After saying that, he held a torch and looked around, and sure enough he found traces of years of strangulation on a large, thick tree.

After Ah Sheng tied the hemp rope, he pulled it casually and it was as tight as iron.

An old businessman used the light of the fire to look at the other side of the river. He could not help but feel frightened as he saw the bottom was bottomless: "This must be at least a few hundred meters away, right?"

Different from other personnel arranged by Ryan, this one is a real businessman. In case of interrogation, there are also professionals to deal with it. However, after all, they have not been trained on the battlefield. When the matter comes, they will inevitably lack courage.

"Are you afraid?" Ariel glanced at him, "In previous years, when the water was bigger, even the stones were washed away, and we swamp dwellers could walk across just relying on this rope... You have to be afraid, our brother Two go forward."

The old businessman muttered: "What if you cut the rope after you pass by? Wouldn't we all drown..."

"伱!"

"Hey, Lao Su, don't talk nonsense." Lu Meng raised his hand to suppress the argument and turned to Ariel: "But what he said makes sense, I will be the first one - not that I don't trust you, but if something goes wrong , as long as I can reach the other side, I can still use the rope to pull you out."

He patted the thick beef belly next to him: "At least there is still this guy."

Tieniu mooed cooperatively.

"Okay." Ariel was silent for a moment, "I'll go in the middle, and Ah Sheng will go at the back."

Ah Sheng has the best water quality. If the hemp rope falls off here, he can swim back and tie it again.

Lu Meng looked at the old businessman again. The businessman named Lao Su couldn't resist his gaze and lowered his head: "Everyone listens to Boss Lu."

When he raised his head again, the worry in his eyes had disappeared.

I was once a traveling businessman, so I couldn't help but end up with few young people who dared to do anything.

Lu Meng didn't say much, let alone blame him.

He knew that Lao Su was cautious because he had seen so much. This was not a bad thing - in fact, Lu Meng himself was always on guard.

But preparing for a rainy day is one thing, but we must not be frightened by possible difficulties and stop in our tracks.

He took out an iron hook and hung it on the back of the iron ox, and fastened the hemp rope.

Although these beasts of burden can swim, they still come prepared.

Lu Meng himself grabbed the hemp rope with one hand and stepped into the black swamp.

He immediately sank in, and the seemingly sticky mud seemed to have a suction force, pulling his whole body straight down until it was up to his chest.

The hemp rope immediately tightened, tightly hanging Lu Meng.

[Life Skills: Swimming 0→1 (Beginner)]

Looking at the information that popped up on the panel, he shook his head and chuckled. This level could only be said to be better than nothing at this time.

Lu Meng climbed on the hemp rope and carefully explored the bottom with her feet. Finally, she stepped on the big stone that Ah Sheng mentioned and climbed up in one step.

In the rain forest late at night, the firelight could only illuminate the top of his head.

All that could be heard in my ears were the unknown chirping of insects, the popping of bubbles, and the whispers of teasing and cursing from the people behind me.

In front, there was a black swamp that exuded a rotten smell, and seemed to extend forever.