N-A-A Chapter 15 Forest Trap
Chapter 15 Forest Trap
The light in the grove wasn't as glaring as on the beach; the sunlight was filtered through layers of leaves, turning into shimmering fragments of gold.
As Qin Chuan walked, he scanned the surrounding plants with his pupil technique. Most of them were ordinary tropical shrubs and ferns, nothing special.
Occasionally, some driftwood and dead branches could be seen on the ground. Qin Chuan picked up a few thick ones, carried them on his shoulder, and planned to take them back as building materials.
"There's not much usable timber in this forest," Qin Chuan said, frowning. "There are a few large trees, but we can't cut them down without a saw, and we can't even move them with a folding knife."
Fan Yubing followed behind, looking around anxiously: "What do we do? How can we build a wooden house without timber?"
"Let's search further inside."
The two continued deeper into the forest. They hadn't gone far when Fan Yubing suddenly stopped ahead.
"Brother Chuan, come quickly and take a look at this place."
Qin Chuan walked over and looked in the direction Fan Yubing pointed.
A strange plant was growing on the ground. At first glance, it looked like a bunch of strange trees, but upon closer inspection, it was discovered that the trunks of those trees were flat, with a width of ten to twenty centimeters and a thickness of only one to two centimeters.
Qin Chuan squatted down and examined it carefully, then touched the surface with his hand.
It is hard and solid, with clear grain, and feels exactly like a wooden board.
Automatic pupil scan pop-up message:
[Otherworldly Plank Tree, Level 1 Plant. Naturally grows in a flattened form; its wood is hard and can be used directly as building material. Edible parts: None.]
Qin Chuan's eyes lit up immediately.
"Plankwood tree?"
He stood up and looked around. A dozen or so plank trees grew in this area, varying in height, the tallest being only a little over three meters. Each one was flat and slender, like natural planks stuck into the soil.
Qin Chuan took out a folding knife, made a cut at the base of a wooden tree, then grabbed the trunk with both hands and snapped it open.
With a "snap," the wooden plank broke cleanly at the knife mark.
Qin Chuan picked up the broken plank and examined it. It was fifteen centimeters wide, one and a half centimeters thick, and over two meters long. It was flat and smooth, even more regular than a sawn plank.
"Great!" Qin Chuan slapped his thigh. "This is practically a natural material for building houses!"
Fan Yubing also got excited: "With these planks, we can make a bed! We won't have to sleep on banana leaves anymore!"
"Yes, but there aren't enough here. Let's see if there are any more ahead."
The two continued deeper into the forest, and sure enough, there were more and more plank trees. In some places, they grew so densely that they were right next to each other.
Qin Chuan broke off pieces as he walked, and soon he had collected more than a dozen planks.
Qin Chuan carried a large pile of wooden planks, feeling quite pleased with himself: "That's about enough. Let's take these back first, and come back later."
"OK."
Fan Yubing took a few steps forward, and Qin Chuan noticed a dull creaking sound coming from under her feet.
Qin Chuan looked down.
The ground beneath her feet was a different color from the surrounding area; it was darker and looser, covered with a layer of dead leaves, but looked no different from normal ground.
But this sound is wrong.
Just as Qin Chuan was about to tell Fan Yubing to step back, the ground beneath her feet suddenly collapsed.
"Ah~~!"
Ignoring everything, Qin Chuan dropped the wooden plank in his hand, then leaned forward and grabbed Fan Yubing.
But it was too late.
Both of them screamed at the same time as they lost their support and fell down together.
In the instant of her fall, Fan Yubing's mind went blank, fear gripped her heart, and she thought she was going to die today. But the next second, a pair of strong arms suddenly grabbed her and held her tightly in a firm embrace.
In that moment of panic and weightlessness, Fan Yubing's mind went blank, filled only with the terror of falling. She thought she was going to plummet into an endless abyss, and might die!
But the next second, strong and powerful arms held her firmly, and a warm chest steadily protected her in front of him.
Qin Chuan could have easily dodged to the side and avoided the danger with him, but his first instinct was to sacrifice himself to protect him.
Rough gravel and hard clods of mud slammed into his back and shoulders, but she remained unharmed, nestled in his arms, without a single bump or bruise.
All the awkwardness and hidden prejudices I had in my heart before have now vanished.
......
After sliding for about four or five seconds, the speed suddenly decreased, and then with a "bang," it crashed heavily onto the hard ground.
Qin Chuan winced in pain, but was secretly relieved that the pit wasn't deep.
But then Fan Yubing slid down and landed directly on him.
The two people huddled together at the bottom of the cave, raising a cloud of dust.
"Cough cough cough..."
After the dust settled, Qin Chuan opened his eyes and looked around at his surroundings.
This is an underground cavern, about two meters in diameter, surrounded by grayish-brown rock walls that are damp and have water stains.
Above them was the hole from which they had fallen, about seven or eight meters above the ground. A beam of sunlight shone down from the hole, creating a circular spot of light at the bottom of the hole.
Qin Chuan tried to stand up; his back hurt a little, but it wasn't serious.
Fan Yubing also rolled off him, sat on the ground rubbing her knees, her face pale, her gaze unconsciously falling on Qin Chuan's forehead and shoulder that were scratched by the gravel, feeling both guilty and heartbroken.
"Are you alright?" Qin Chuan asked.
Fan Yubing felt a warmth in her heart; even though he was injured, he still cared about her.
"I'm fine, Brother Chuan. You're bleeding from your forehead, how are you feeling?"
Qin Chuan dusted himself off: "It's good that you're not hurt. I'm tough, this little injury is nothing."
Fan Yubing nodded: "Thank you, Brother Chuan."
"Don't mention it." After saying that, Qin Chuan looked up at the cave entrance. It was seven or eight meters high, and although the rock wall wasn't smooth, it would be difficult to climb up it with bare hands.
"Brother Chuan, can we get out of here?" Fan Yubing's voice was filled with anxiety.
Qin Chuan thought for a moment, but then realized that Fan Yubing hadn't "checked in" yet, so he said, "It's too high up to the cave entrance; we can't get up there."
Fan Yubing's expression changed instantly: "What do we do then? Are we trapped here?"
"It's unlikely. Liu Yifei and Lin Shishi know we went into the woods, and if we haven't returned by dark, they'll definitely come to rescue us."
"But how did they know we fell into this hole? The entrance is so small, what if they couldn't find it?"
"That's hard to say. Maybe it will be tonight, maybe it will be tomorrow."
Fan Yubing leaned against the cave wall, her arms wrapped around herself.
I didn't feel anything when I fell, but now that I've stopped, fear is slowly creeping in.
The cave was seven or eight meters deep, with earthen walls and stones on all sides, and the exit above looked like a skylight that was out of reach.
"Or perhaps... forever." Qin Chuan added softly.
"Ah, then..." Fan Yubing became even more worried.
The air was still for a few seconds.
The cave was cool; the moisture seeping up from underground made it several degrees cooler than the surface.
Fan Yubing was wearing a tank top and a short skirt, with her arms and legs exposed, which gave her goosebumps.
Qin Chuan glanced at her, thinking to himself: Girl, you're a bit slow on the uptake. I just want to borrow a kiss, is that so hard?
Fan Yubing suddenly looked up, her eyes lighting up.
"By the way, Brother Chuan! Didn't you say you had a 'Many Children, Many Blessings' system?"
Qin Chuan was waiting for her to say this, but he also wanted to test Fan Yubing's bottom line. Once the two of them were "familiar," it would be easier to borrow a kiss in the future.
"Yes, but... but a single kiss doesn't provide enough of a boost. That time was an emergency; you kissed it, and that was just enough to kill that wild boar. But climbing a seven- or eight-meter-high vertical wall, while carrying you along, might not be enough in terms of strength level."