Chapter 7: Survival In the Jungle

Translator: Dragon Boat Translation  Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

Shen Xiaoxiao moved her stiff limbs. The heat on her skin made her head feel a little dizzy. Her throat felt hot as if it was about to catch on fire.

She opened her mouth and tried to catch the raindrops falling from the sky. After swallowing a mouthful, she finally felt temporarily comfortable. She propped herself up and tried to stand up by supporting herself on the tree trunk next to her.

She looked around at the place where she had stayed the whole night. She had not expected to fall into this ditch.

Fortunately, it was full of dead leaves. Otherwise, her limbs would definitely have broken. The large piece of dead tree above her head blocked the wind and rain for her. By chance, she had rested for an entire night, and the temperature of her body had slowly decreased. Even her headache was no longer so painful.

She gently shook her somewhat dazed head. She did not know how long she had slept, however she remembered that when she fell asleep, the sky had been very bright. At the moment, her surroundings were pitch black. Could it be that she had slept for a whole day?

She touched her bones. There was nothing wrong with them. It was just that lying on the ice-cold mud floor had been a little stiff and cold. She habitually closed her eyes and took a deep breath. This grassy scent so unique to the forest made her feel extremely joyful.

It had been many years since she had smelled such a fresh smell. It was a smell that made people ecstatic, and it made people miss it.

There was no foul smell of urine, no fishy smell, and it was wet with a hint of sweetness. The corner of her lips slightly curled up. Such wanton freedom was really a luxury.

With such a big commotion last night, neither Devon’s people nor Yan Kuan’s people would let go of the possibility of searching the mountain. Moreover, she was holding Yan Kuan’s things in her hands. It seemed that she had to hurry up and get out of this forest as soon as possible.

The heavy rain continued for the entire night. The jungle gradually woke up, and the occasional chirping of birds could be heard. Due to the rain just now, the surroundings were hazy with smoke.

Shen Xiaoxiao had already walked for the entire night. Fortunately, she had gotten used to the dark night during those 10 years. Even if she could not see her own fingers, she could still vaguely walk toward the east based on her senses.

She did not care about her arm that had been cut by a tree branch after passing through a thicket. She gathered her last shred of faith and continued to walk forward.

Suddenly, a lake the size of a small football field appeared in her field of vision. The lake was so clear that the bottom could be seen.

She staggered forward and fell headfirst into it. She gulped down large mouthfuls of it. The burning pain in her throat woke her up.

With both hands on the stone beach, she finally had the time to look at herself in the water. She was really inexperienced.

She was only 17 years old now. Her hair was short, and her stature was still not that tall. She was thin with a sickly pallor, and her hair was dry and yellow. Her enchanting and beautiful little face could not help but feel ridiculous looking at this shriveled figure. Where did she get the courage to climb onto Yan Kuan’s bed in the past? The key was that Yan Kuan was actually able to enjoy it without gnashing his teeth.

No, word on the street was that man had a habit. He would never look a woman in the eye and liked the dark.

That was why she was able to replace that woman and climb onto that man’s bed under the cover of the night.

She held her tongue and looked at herself in the water. She could not help but laugh. This laugh went straight to the bottom of her eyes. This time, she was really laughing. Because, at least at this moment, she knew that she was temporarily safe. The only thing she had to do was to wait and survive – survive in this forest.

The medicinal strength in her entire body would not disappear for at least three days. She could only take a temporary rest by this lake.

It should be August or September now. Otherwise, it would have rained heavily for two days straight. In addition, it was still early in the morning. Of course, this was also related to Shen Xiaoxiao’s cold-resistant immune system.

The prison where Shen Xiaoxiao had been imprisoned was in the north of China. In winter, it could get lower than -10 degrees Celsius. Moreover, those people wanted to torture her to death.

Therefore, it was impossible for her to have heating equipment and a cotton suit to survive those severe winters. Other than constant activity, there was no other way to keep warm. Shen Xiaoxiao could endure a cold ten times colder than ordinary people.

The surroundings seemed to be a forgotten paradise. A few big rocks were scattered around. The lake was next to a big mountain, but it could not be called a big mountain. The bare rocks were more than ten meters tall, so it should be called a small mound.

There was a stone cave under the small mound that could be used for one person. Despite the heavy rain last night, the stone cave was still dry and clean. There was nothing around that she could distinguish.

There was a lake, water, a cave, and the jungle outside that she had walked in for the whole night. The whole place seemed to be a small independent world encircled by a thorny forest. It was so peaceful that there was not a single trace of impurity.

The lake water was so clear that one could see the bottom. She could vaguely see small fish swimming by. Her stomach was drumming, and her hands and feet were a little sore. Shen Xiaoxiao looked around, but there was nothing except for an unknown fruit tree.

At this moment, she did not have the energy to go out and look for food. An entire night of walking had used up all her strength. If she had not just drunk a few mouthfuls of water, she might not even have had the strength to look at herself.

The most important thing now was to find some food for herself. She stared at the small fish swimming past in the lake and smiled. Poor fish, I can only use you to fill my stomach.

However, she did not have fuel for the fire, nor did she have the time to make a fire to roast the fish. She simply cleaned up and ate the sashimi. The faint fishy smell made her, who had not tasted meat for a long time, feel a little nauseous. However, she resisted the nausea and let herself swallow it.

She finally felt her stomach be a little full. Only then did she have the energy to plan her future path. Although it was important to survive in this jungle, her real goal was to return to her country.

She did not know what was outside the jungle, but she knew that she would not be able to leave this place for the next few days at least. Plus, this “heaven” was the best place for her to take refuge.

Looking around, there was no place to shelter her from the wind and rain except for the cave. She casually picked up some dried branches and walked over. At this moment, she began to feel grateful for the lighter she had taken from the two men in black earlier. She had not expected for it to be of such great use at this critical moment.

She did not know if she was the luckiest one. At that time, she was not the only one who had barged into the jungle. However, she was lucky to have found such a natural refuge.

After she had tidied everything up, she finally had the time to sit in the cave and rest for a while. The temporary bed made of grass felt moist after the rain. She slowly moved the fire closer before sitting on the grass bed. Only then did she have the time to look at the password box she had snatched from Yan Kuan’s hands earlier.

She smashed the box with the huge rock beside her. Once, twice, and with a click, the box was opened.

Shen Xiaoxiao opened it and saw a silver-white key lying in the middle of the box. There was nothing else.

A team that was on standby just to protect such a key? What kind of joke was this? Was this the most important thing they were talking about?

Shen Xiaoxiao suddenly felt like she had been played. She had really thought the thing she had snatched would be able to hurt that man. She had not expected it to be a simple and useless key.

Little did Shen Xiaoxiao know that this key would provide her with some extremely beneficial help in the future.