Wilderness Survival with Druid System

Chapter 153: Chapter 39: Little Demon Gila Woodpecker

After dividing the bighorn sheep meat, the desert cottontail rabbit and the roadrunner were much simpler.

The innards were given to the bobcat, the skin removed, and the meat taken back to the shelter to dry.

Chen Wen spent the whole day dealing with these pieces of meat.

In the meantime, he used dry branches to build a food storage rack.

Compared to the now silent Chen Wen,

that day, Roland’s performance stunned many people.

This hunting guide, seemingly unknown, successfully shot a female bighorn sheep with a bow and arrow.

When Roland excitedly raised the bighorn sheep, the assistants knew this guy was going to be on a roll!

Gina’s assistant sourly remarked, ”Isn’t it just Chen Wen’s credit? If he hadn’t driven the bighorn sheep from the other side of the mountain, Roland would be eliminated from hunger tomorrow!”

Just after he said that, the chubby assistant felt something was off.

Isn’t that praising Chen Wen!

He hummed and stopped talking.

...

The same day.

After stocking enough food, Gaston began his migration.

He dared not stay at his current shelter any longer.

It might have been to find someone to cooperate with later, or maybe to avoid Chen Wen.

In any case, Gaston chose to leave his homeland, bypassing Chen Wen’s shelter according to Chen Wen’s directions.

Heading east to seek cooperation with Gina.

But what Gaston didn’t know was that the distance between Chen Wen and Gina was almost twice that of going to Char!

Seeing this scene, Gaston’s assistant covered his face.

Poor child, he doesn’t even know what he’s about to experience!

Hope he can make it through.

...

Over at Gina’s side.

She used the teddy bear cactus ruthlessly to eliminate a passive contestant.

While Adam, exploring south, encountered another passive contestant.

He crushed the opponent who was weak from hunger once again.

Thus, with Chen Wen’s landing point at the Giant Pillar Great Plains as the boundary.

In the western mountains, Chen Wen is in the north, Roland is in the south.

Gaston entered the great plains, trying to traverse this land of death.

In the eastern mountains.

Gina is on the northwest side of the mountains, Adam on the northeast side, with only one mountain between them.

Fifteen kilometers south of Gina, contestant number eight is barely hanging on.

Only six contestants remain, and the survival challenge is not yet halfway through.

...

The fourteenth day of survival.

After a few days of rest, Chen Wen had completely processed the last batch of game.

A substantial amount of jerky was securely stored in the shelter.

During those days, the bobcat’s injury had stabilized.

After consuming enough nutrition, the bobcat’s spirits gradually returned to pre-injury levels.

However, it would still take a long time for the fracture to heal.

Meanwhile, Chen Wen himself acquired two new attributes over these days.

Their origins were the Gila woodpecker and the bighorn sheep.

[Insect Catcher (Blue): You are better at catching insects, gaining increased agility and reaction when catching them, and it’s easier for you to spot insects]

[Note: Tap tap tap! Tap tap tap! Ha, found you! — Gila Woodpecker]

[Climbing (Purple): You are better at climbing and can always find a safe route]

[Note: Climbing is an extreme sport for humans, but for us, it’s just a walk in the park — Canadian Bighorn Sheep]

Chen Wen was quite pleased with both attributes.

But it’s worth mentioning that the Gila woodpecker attribute had two negatives and one positive.

The two negative attributes were [”Filial Piety”] and [Brain Sucking].

[”Filial Piety” (Purple): When you reach adulthood, you will suffer rejection from your parents, who will try to expel you, and you will also try to expel them]

[Note: Old Deng, drop the coins! — Gila Woodpecker]

[Brain Sucking Obsession (Purple): You become more fond of eating brain matter raw; if you don’t have brain matter for a long time, you become more violent]

[Note: Want a cup? Fresh brain ice cream — Gila Woodpecker]

These two attributes gave Chen Wen a clear understanding of just how discordant Gila woodpeckers are with human values.

He also understood why they were so violent and aggressive.

They’re practically devils!

...

On the morning of the fourteenth day.

After getting up, Chen Wen planned to go to the eastern Giant Pillar Plain to pick some prickly pear cactus fruits.

It seemed the rainy season had thoroughly passed.

During these dozen days, Chen Wen hadn’t seen any rain here.

Instead, it was getting drier, even the water source near Chen Wen had shrunk significantly.

Although it connects to an underground river, giving the appearance of sufficient water.

Yet he couldn’t help worrying about insufficient water in the later stages of survival.

Therefore, Chen Wen planned to start picking prickly pear cactus fruits as a supplementary water source.

Leaving the shelter, Chen Wen was followed by the bobcat family.

A person with three cats was quite the team.

Another tamed animal, or bringing the sleeping owl, could start a ranked match!

The bobcats were of no assistance in picking prickly pear cactus.

On the open ground, they tried teaching the kittens to hunt, while Chen Wen began picking.

Soon, the prickly pear fruits filled a backpack.

Chen Wen strapped the backpack on and went to call the bobcat family to leave.

But when he reached the bobcats, what the kittens were chasing grabbed his attention.

”Grasshoppers?”

Chen Wen looked at the tan, constantly jumping insects and couldn’t help licking his lips.

”Do you know them?”

The bobcat lazily replied, ”These little bugs are great for training the kittens. They jump quickly and aren’t dangerous, good for training the kittens’ reactions.”

Not just recognize, these little things are part of my childhood memories!

Chen Wen said, ”They’re quite the treat, remove the wings, blanch them briefly, then toss them into the oil without breadcrumbs, even the kids next door will be drooling!”

Hearing Chen Wen’s nonsense again, the bobcat rolled its eyes.

Recently, it often saw Chen Wen talking nonsense to that black thing.

Supposedly to record a show?

Strange human.

...

Chen Wen had no idea what the bobcat thought.

He rolled up his sleeves, ready to catch grasshoppers.

While grasshoppers jump high, their reaction speed was much slower.

For many mischievous kids, especially in the countryside, catching grasshoppers wasn’t too hard.

Let alone Chen Wen with [Swift] and [Insect Catcher].

Just the single [Swift] made Western diamondback rattlesnakes miserable.

With one more speed boost, Chen Wen’s hand moved so fast it left afterimages.

On camera, Chen Wen’s hand rose quickly, pinning down a grasshopper trying to jump away.

He deftly snapped the grasshopper’s wings, then found a thin twig to skewer it.

For the cluster-living grasshoppers, the ensuing time was a near extinction event.

Not only was Chen Wen fast.

The bobcat also joined the grasshopper catching contest.

Its speed was no less than Chen Wen’s, with strong paws pinning them down effortlessly.

The two kittens, following their mother’s demonstration, gradually mastered the trick.

Soon, they too were able to pin down grasshoppers.

With a craving, the kittens would instantly pop them into their mouths, crunching away happily.

In just under half an hour, the combined efforts of a person and three cats captured nearly all the grasshoppers in the area.

”Let’s leave some to sustain the population,”

Releasing the last grasshopper in sight, Chen Wen straightened up.

In that short half hour, he caught at least a pound of grasshoppers.

”The Sonora Desert is truly blessed! The giant pillars here can provide shelter for birds, allowing them to multiply and the birds can control the grasshopper population, otherwise, if these grasshoppers went unchecked, we’d face a locust plague turning this place barren.”

Looking at the birds flying around the giant pillars, Chen Wen mused.

Nature always finds its own balance.