fire.
The light of life, the source of civilization, the seed of all technological trees, the foundation of health, safety and warmth.
If you want to survive for a long time in such a desolate and isolated environment, fire is necessary.
And since there is a river, Qi Guang’s food source for a period of time in the future will most likely be fish, shrimp, crabs and snails in the river. If there is no fire to cook the food, there will be a high risk of parasitic diseases.
Most of the materials he collected along the way were for making fire.
--Branches can be used as fire poles and wood drilling bases. Because he was not sure which one was suitable for making fire, he specially found several tree species to collect branches. There was always a combination that could make fire. The curved bow-shaped branches and dry vines were used to make bow drills, which could save physical strength and improve efficiency when drilling wood to make fire.
However, the dry vines still need to be processed before they can be used. Now these skinny branches cannot withstand Qi Guang's slight pull.
Qi Guang kneaded the vines into fibers in water and dried them in the sun, then twisted several strands of fibers counterclockwise and twisted them together clockwise. This method, similar to twisting hemp rope, can increase the friction and load-bearing capacity of the vines, making them strong and durable.
Qi Guang used this method to roll six or seven long ropes. The vine fibers squeezed out some water due to contraction under force, so after rolling they had to be placed on stones to continue drying.
The large and small stones scattered on the river beach served as a natural tool field. Qi Guang picked up a finger-length stone and polished it into a sharp corner. He used this crude stone drill to dig a shallow hole in the thick branch that served as the drilling base, and also cut a vertical groove on the side for the hot wood chips to fall into.
He then picked up a flat stone the size of a palm, and used a stone drill to knock out a depression in the center of the stone as a force point, which he then assembled into a bow drill set together with a rope and a bow-shaped branch.
After the materials for starting the fire were prepared, Qi Guang picked up a bundle of branches from the edge of the surrounding forest and spread them on the rocks where the sun could reach to dry them.
It doesn't matter if the firewood is a little wet after the fire is started, but it is better to be as drier as possible when you first ignite it.
After finishing these things, Qi Guang used the harvested vines to weave two fish baskets that could be tied and closed and a large basket. He calculated that the fishing trap had been set for almost three hours, and it was time to take it out to see if there was any catch.
Indeed, now is the time when many wild vegetables and fruits are ripe, and the forest is full of berry clusters and lush vegetation. There is no doubt that picking wild vegetables and fruits is an easier way to obtain food than fishing.
That is true, but the prerequisite is that Qi Guang can recognize which plants are edible.
After all, this is not a wilderness survival reality show, and Qi Guang's character is not a botanist or wilderness survival master. He had never had a balcony vegetable garden or planted crops before the apocalypse, and after the apocalypse, he was playing the zombie siege mode. Not to mention the wild vegetables and fruits that grow natively in the forest, he has only seen the common vegetables processed and placed in supermarkets and on the dining table.
Before taking out the trap, Qi Guang once again prayed earnestly to some unknown god or Buddha, hoping that he could have food to eat tonight.
I felt nervous and anxious, as if I was using my last ticket to draw a card.
I don't ask for luck, I just want a guaranteed ten-game winning streak.
Perhaps Qi Guang was really lucky today, or the fish that had lived a carefree life for hundreds of years had long forgotten the past of being caught by humans. Qi Guang caught three fish in the first fishing trap he pulled out.
Each fish was as long as Qi Guang's palm, with a slender body and dense scales, which was the limit of what a trap of this size could catch. The three fish squeezed into the basket and still bit the earthworm bait that Qi Guang put in, jumping around and splashing water all over his face.
Three fish!
Qi Guang couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth slightly, revealing a little bit of surprise and pride.
Tonight's dinner is settled.
And it is high-protein and high-energy meat.
Meat!
Qi Guang couldn't help but emphasize this tempting word to himself again, and his mind reflexively played the braised fish, boiled fish, squirrel fish, mandarin fish, and fish slices in fermented rice wine...
So the empty city plan in his mind became more and more lively.
There were no fish caught in the second trap, but there were a few small shrimps swimming around and three or five green-shelled crabs crawling around in it. Qi Guang counted them one by one and found that there were five shrimps and three small crabs.
That means not only today’s dinner, but also tomorrow’s breakfast.
Qi Guang stuffed the shrimps and crabs into the fish basket, tied the opening and put it back into the water to be enjoyed tomorrow. He also put the two fishing traps back into the river, hoping to have a good catch early tomorrow morning.
After putting the three fish into another fish basket, Qi Guang looked at the time and saw that it was already evening. He felt that it was almost time to take his catch to the shelter to prepare for the night.
He packed up today's harvest and put them into the basket one by one with the joy of an old farmer who had a good harvest: three fish, a crude stone knife and a crude stone drill, bow and drill equipment used to drill wood to make fire, as well as a small bundle of dried firewood, a bunch of unused dry vines, a few freshly cut thick vines, and several pieces of unprocessed stone tools.
The basket was filled to the brim and was very heavy. Qi Guang's physical strength had almost been squeezed to the limit, so he could only tie vines to the basket and drag it to save energy. Along the way, he picked up some dry grass to cover the ground at night.
The cave chosen by Qi Guang as a long-term shelter was not too far from the river. He dragged the basket and walked for less than ten minutes before he saw the landmark he had made.
After walking two more steps forward, the cave was still there on the hillside, with the entrance shining in the warm setting sun. After Qi Guang climbed up, he found that he could vaguely see the shimmering waves of the river from the entrance.
Qi Guang wasted three seconds appreciating the scenery outside as a reward for his hard work throughout the day, and three seconds later he started the finale of the day without stopping.
- Drill wood to make fire.
First, pile the dried firewood into a tower shape and keep it ready for use. The bottom of the thick branches has been processed with a stone drill, and the thin branches used as fire poles have also had their outer bark scraped off and polished smooth.
After being twisted and dried, the vine rope is much tougher than a single vine. Qi Guang wrapped the rope around the upright fire pole several times, then held the bow-shaped branch horizontally and perpendicular to the fire pole, and tied the two ends of the rope to the two ends of the bow-shaped branch - in order to prevent the rope from slipping, Qi Guang dug grooves at both ends of the bow-shaped branch to hold the rope.
This is the "bow" used to turn the fire rod.
Next, he rubbed and pulled the remaining unused dry vines into fiber balls and placed them under the base to catch sparks. One end of the fire rod was pressed against the shallow hole dug on the base. Qi Guang adjusted his sitting position and stepped on the base. He pulled the bow back and forth with his hands, and the rope wrapped around the fire rod generated centrifugal force, driving the fire rod to rotate rapidly on the base.
Although it took more time to prepare in the early stages, the bow drill was more efficient than drilling wood by hand. After about ten seconds of rotation, Qi Guang saw gray-black powder splashing out from the contact point between the fire rod and the base plate.
--The principle of making fire by drilling wood is to use the heat generated by friction with the wood to produce charcoal, and then the heat gathers to produce sparks.
But it shouldn't be this gray-black powder.
Gray-black powder means the wood is too soft. Wood that can spark will splash out black charcoal and emit smoke.
Qi Guang stopped, threw the branch into the firewood pile, and took out the second base plate.
…
… doesn’t work either.
Qi Guang pulled the bow for a long time and even broke a rope, but not a single wisp of smoke came out.
He took a breath, replaced the new fire rod and new base and continued working hard.
But to be honest, if he hadn't found a water source and had dinner today, he would never dare to waste his energy like this.
The wasted physical energy also gave Qi Guang a good reward. He successfully drilled out the black charcoal powder after only the sixteenth try.
The fire pole and the base plate came from the same tree. Their roughness and hardness were the average of several branches he picked up, so grooves could be easily drilled out with a stone drill.
Qi Guang made a note in his notebook, replaced the eighth new rope on the bow, and after resting for a few minutes, he drilled out Sparks in one go.
The signs of a successful fire are very obvious: black charcoal is splashing everywhere, and the gray smoke turns from a small wisp into a large stream in a few seconds. The smell of burning things immediately fills the entire cave.
Done!
Qi Guang quickly stopped and took away the fire rod. A faint red light was shining in the small shallow hole on the bottom plate.
The sky was gradually darkening, and a spark of fire flickered in the night wind, swaying as if it would go out in the next second.
Qi Guang held his breath and crouched down, carefully pouring the small sparks onto the dry vines below. He quickly clasped his hands together and held up the vines to blow air - not too hard when blowing, but gently, taking care of the small sparks in the vines as if blowing on a wound, watching it grow bigger and brighter little by little; the air should not be interrupted, but should be blown in a steady and rhythmic manner, until the small sparks suddenly jumped out into a small flame and burned Qi Guang's hair in the face.
Qi Guang held the flame and placed it into the firewood pile without feeling any pain in the heat, then diligently added flammable twigs and dead leaves to intensify the fire, watching over it carefully without blinking, his heart trembling whenever the flame was slightly blown by the wind, for fear that the hard-earned fire would be extinguished.
Qi Guang didn't breathe a sigh of relief until he saw that the thick branches and wood chips picked up on the road could burn steadily in the fire.
He didn't have much firewood, but thick branches and wood chips would burn harder than vines and dead grass. If he controlled the fire to keep it burning, it would last about an hour.
It's almost enough to grill a fish.
As if sensing that it was time to eat, Qi Guang's stomach growled twice.
Don't be in a hurry.
Qi Guang rubbed his stomach to let it wait for a moment, and prioritized clearing out a corner of the cave as a storage corner to place his most important assets at the moment - a bow drill, a fire pole, and a drill wood base.
The fire couldn't burn all night, and he couldn't keep it burning all night in this weather and environment, but as long as he had the three pieces of ignition equipment, he could light a fire for himself at any time.
After finishing all these things, Qi Guang strung the half-dead fish in the fish basket onto branches and placed it by the fire. He licked his lips at the fish's eyes that were still open.
Steamed fish, pickled fish, grilled fish, sweet and sour carp...
Slurp.
It takes more than ten minutes to grill the fish, so Qi Guang uses this time to clean the cave, shake off the dust and dirt on the dead grass, and lay out the "mattress"...
Gurgle.
Qi Guang heard the sound of himself swallowing saliva.
The fish was slowly roasted by the heat of the flames and began to smell good. It couldn't be described as very fragrant and even had a bit of a fishy smell, but as long as he thought about it being precious food, he couldn't help but be distracted by it.
He was just being lazy for a little while.
Qi Guang blinked his eyes, attracted by the flickering light and shadow of the fire. The fish on the fire were dyed with the attractive burnt yellow color of the flames.
The few minutes before dinner was when hunger was most unbearable. Qi Guang stared at the fire until his eyes hurt, so he had to open the system interface for the time being, trying not to think about the grilled fish so close to him.
He completed the first three novice tasks today: his first five-minute live broadcast, his first audience number exceeding five, and even his first fan (?).
Qi Guang looked at the number of fans changing from "0" to "1", and he had no idea how these fans came about.
Probably a slip of the hand.
Qi Guang ignored the attention of this slip of the hand and used his hungry head to calculate today's earnings.
The three novice tasks earn 35 points, and the fourteen and a half hours of live broadcast from 5 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. earns a total of 1.45 points, for a total of 36.45 points.
Completing more than one-third of the debt repayment target on the first day is a good sign.
Pop.
There was a sound of oil popping in the fire. Qi Guang covered his head and looked in the direction of the sound. The three fish skewered on the branches were shiny with oil due to the fire, and they looked extremely tempting.
I think... it's time to eat...
Qi Guang couldn't help but reach out to the grilled fish. The burnt aroma from the flames mixed with the greasy smell of the fish meat swallowed up the last bit of rationality left in his head.
It’s definitely edible!
Qi Guang blew away the hot air from the grilled fish and took a bite of the fish belly which looked plump and delicious.
…
…
Pooh.
Qi Guang pursed his lips tightly, his lips trembling. The soft yet hard texture of the fish meat and the bitter, astringent and fishy taste made him subconsciously want to vomit it out.
His expression was stiff, and he even looked a little aggrieved and wanted to cry.
--He remembered that he did not remove the internal organs or scrape the scales of these three fishes, so they were very original. It would be strange if they tasted good.
Qi Guang looked down at the half fish that was left in his hand, then looked at the two remaining grilled fish by the fire.
Dark food, hard to eat.
But this is precious food.
It's the calories that keep him alive.
It is an important source of energy to fill your stomach.
Every day spent in the apocalypse made it impossible for Qi Guang to waste even a single bit of food (no matter how unpalatable) against his conscience.
Qi Guang firmly resisted the urge to spit out the fish, pinched his nose and swallowed the fish in his mouth.
To survive.
Qi Guang ate all three fishes from head to tail without leaving any part.
Even the soft thorns that could be chewed, Qi Guang endured the fishy taste in his mouth and chewed them bit by bit, eating all that could be eaten.
Then he wrote down today's reflection diary stroke by stroke in his notebook.
When you catch a fish you shouldn’t get so carried away that you forget to gut and scale it.
As a proud citizen of a country of foodies, this is a low-level mistake that should not be made.
Qi Guang doesn't feel sorry for himself, he feels sorry for his fish.