Chapter 1161 - 9: Making Torches

There’s a saying that goes well: food is the paramount necessity of the people.

Driven by the goal of better food, Darren decided to lend Yoshikawa Feng a hand.

The two gathered some materials for trap making, planning to take them back to the camp for processing, and then create and set the traps.

But right when they were gathering materials.

Yoshikawa Feng said with some emotion: "The effectiveness of my trap is undeniable, but with Chen Wen nearby, we must be vigilant at night, or these things will end up benefiting Chen Wen."

Darren nodded repeatedly.

There’s another saying: when my neighbor hoards grain, I hoard guns, my neighbor becomes my granary.

Currently, Chen Wen is like the one hoarding guns, eyeing them, the grain-hoarding neighbors.

"Tonight is the key; if Chen Wen attacks, it’s most likely tonight."

Darren said: "So as long as we withstand this attack, survival will be smooth sailing."

Yoshikawa Feng nodded in agreement.

But at this moment, Darren glanced at the position of Nelson and the other and whispered: "If we can take down Chen Wen tonight, we might as well take out the other two, split their supplies between us, with the water source as the boundary, and divide the oasis."

Upon hearing this, Yoshikawa Feng cautiously looked around and then nodded.

Although they mentioned they’d act separately after two days, Yoshikawa Feng was internally prepared long ago.

The two reached a deeper agreement and headed towards the water source.

...

Dunes.

Chen Wen slept until the afternoon, and only when the sun slanted and was about to shine on him did he slowly open his eyes.

"Ah! That was a comfortable sleep!"

Chen Wen stood up, shook the sand off his body, feeling quite refreshed.

The camel nearby saw Chen Wen wake up and couldn’t help but make a sound.

Clearly, it was getting a bit impatient staying still.

Seeing this, Chen Wen quickly patted the camel and pointed to the spot where he found the withering plants earlier: "Alright then, in light of you being so behaved, let’s go get you something nice to eat."

Leading the camel to the area with the withered plants, Chen Wen let the camel feast.

Meanwhile, he searched among the saxaul-like plants for something.

Soon, Chen Wen found some fairly straight sticks and some flexible, string-like branches.

After picking out these items, Chen Wen sat cross-legged on the ground and began crafting.

He was making torches.

Being familiar with the materials, and having survived in the desert, Chen Wen knew well how dangerous the desert could be at night.

Animals inactive during the day all leave their shelters, venturing out, making conflicts with other creatures more likely.

Whether it’s venomous snakes, scorpions, insects, or predators, they attack any creature daring to approach.

Even Chen Wen wasn’t exempt.

After all, the animals here couldn’t care less about your species; if you dare approach, they’ll hit you hard.

So, if he planned to raid those people tonight, Chen Wen needed to have some means of defense upon entering the oasis.

The method he thought of was torches.

Back home playing games, Chen Wen had played "Elden Ring," and the beast-repelling torches impressed him deeply.

What he wanted to create was a bug-repelling torch similar to those beast-repelling torches.

Besides using light to repel insects, Chen Wen also planned to add some other plants to enhance the insect and snake repelling effects.

He was using a plant locals called white mugwort.

According to data from the Hua Association, this white mugwort, once burned, would produce a pungent odor.

This scent effectively kept venomous snakes and mosquitoes away.

In Hua Country, according to records from a predecessor, he survived for a week in a desert oasis using such mugwort and wasn’t bitten by mosquitoes at all.

Of course, this was only at night.

During the day, this predecessor was bitten uncontrollably, eventually choosing to give up survival.

But that’s irrelevant.

What matters is the plant’s post-burn effectiveness in repelling bugs and snakes.

This is what Chen Wen valued.

However, would dried mugwort still have effects after burning?

Chen Wen looked at the withered plant in his hand, his eyes slightly hesitant.

Usually, fresh plants are burned for bug-repelling; the effectiveness of dried ones is unclear to Chen Wen.

So he could only try.

But the torch was just one of Chen Wen’s preparations; he had another, which was the divination traits.

[Insect Repellent], this trait from the Manjedti tree allowed Chen Wen’s skin to secrete some special substances, making mosquitoes annoyed, even too scared to approach.

This trait’s effects were genuine.

So this trait was Chen Wen’s fallback.

Additionally, the trait [Toxin Resistance] could save Chen Wen in dangerous situations.

Enhancing resistance to neurotoxins and hemolytic toxins, it already allowed Chen Wen to withstand the toxins from many creatures.

Chen Wen combined four sticks together and bound them with soft strips.

One end used for holding, while the other was filled with the durable-burning camel dung and some white mugwort, and other dried plants.

After setting it up, he used the branches to fasten it.

Swiftly, a bug-repelling torch was completed.

Seeing there were materials left, Chen Wen quickly made a second bug-repelling torch.

Just as Chen Wen intended to craft the third, the camel next to him hummed discontentedly.

Chen Wen used too much of the dried plants, making the camel worry about not getting enough to eat.

Understanding the camel’s message, Chen Wen chuckled helplessly and stopped his actions.

"Alright, eat more, we’ll rely on you to carry me tonight."

Saying that, Chen Wen gathered the two crafted bug-repelling torches.

Two were enough.

If everything went smoothly, stealthily taking down the Night Watchman, then dealing with the rest one by one wouldn’t take long.

If quick, ten minutes; if slow, about twenty.

After storing the beast-repelling torches, Chen Wen looked up at the sky.

The rolling sunset resembled a fireball thrown by a giant from the east, slowly falling towards the west.

Hunting time is approaching!

Chen Wen said slowly in his heart.

...

Back at the camp.

Upon returning, Yoshikawa Feng and Darren began crafting traps with the other two.

The bugs Yoshikawa Feng brought back were left untouched since no one was starving miserably, everyone felt they could endure further.

For a Survivor, starving three meals a day is basic; six in two days is commendable; nine in three days is like Ed.

In survival, not being hungry for the first three days means you’re not a Survivor.

Though enduring hunger, the others were not idle.

They cooperated with Yoshikawa Feng in completing the traps, which Yoshikawa Feng personally set up.