From Robinson Crusoe

The closer it got to the resupply landing, the dimmer the beacon's light became.

The flames it left behind transformed from a magnificent waterfall into thin, spiderweb-like threads, slowly falling into the dark blue night sky.

The challengers' standoff, fueled by the dimming campfire, teetered on the brink of collapse.

Everyone was focused on resupply. They frequently observed their opponents, looked up at the points of light in the sky, and felt an increasing sense of urgency. They even had no time to add firewood to the campfire.

……

Finally, when the beacon's light descended to an altitude of about 400 meters above the canopy, a group of long-planned challengers suddenly extinguished their dying campfire and set off first toward the beacon's landing point.

Their actions triggered a chain reaction, and the other two challengers naturally wouldn't let them get there first, so they followed suit.

At this point, everyone who set off believed that there would still be some time before the supplies landed.

This period of time is enough for them to reach the supply drop-off point and start fighting. The most optimistic view is that the supply may not even arrive until the battle is decided.

Of the six people, none noticed the small black dot that was faintly visible beneath the beacon, and no one observed for long whether the dot's descent speed was consistent with that of the beacon.

The beacon has been hanging in the sky for a very, very long time, so long that everyone thought they knew it well enough.

Who would care so much about something they can see all the time?
Especially when it's as bright as the sun.

Perhaps only someone like Chen Zhou, who shuttles between several groups of challengers, racking his brains to get supplies, and worrying about his partner and the injured Tiger Three, would endure the exhaustion of not sleeping for nearly two days and two nights, still keeping the beacon and supplies in mind, and never forgetting to keep an eye on things.

……

Apart from Chen Zhou, no one expected that when the beacon was still more than 400 meters above the ground, the "little black dot" hanging directly below it was about to land.

More importantly, someone was already waiting directly below where the "little black dot" landed.

The battle, the rush, the waiting, the worry, the exhaustion, and the planning that lasted for more than forty hours finally paid off at this moment.

Chen Zhou's usually bright eyes were now bloodshot, and he felt a long-lost sense of dizziness and exhaustion from staying up late.

Even the most powerful machines need rest, maintenance, and energy replenishment.

During this long battle for supplies, he did not replenish his food intake except for a few mouthfuls of meat soup.

Hunger was also draining his energy, but it was precisely hunger—

His stomach was sending signals to his brain every second, and the stinging sensation from the stomach acid kept him awake.

……

There was a breeze in the forest, but the descending beacons and small black dots seemed to be projections from another dimension. Unaffected by external forces, they descended slowly without moving.

The closer you get to the ground, the clearer the true appearance of the "little black dot" becomes.

It was a black box, similar in shape and size to a large-capacity briefcase, about 55cm long, 40cm wide, and 20cm thick.

In the vast sky, an object of this size is almost invisible. If Chen Zhou hadn't had amazing eyesight and frequently observed the position of beacons to estimate time and make plans, he probably wouldn't have been able to find this black box.

The entire black box has a texture similar to crystal, with a frosted finish on the outermost layer. There are no handles or gaps on the surface, only a solid rectangular blue label printed on the side.

Its surface has no threads connecting it to the beacon.

During the descent, although the black box was synchronized with the beacon, the complete lack of connection between the two created a strange sense of unease.

This bizarre scene reminded Chen Zhou of the mysterious reward on the isolated island and the cutting force field created by the time-space teleportation.

He originally intended to climb directly onto the tree next to the black box and take it before it hit the ground, but after climbing the tree and seeing the scene, he dared not make a move.

Picking up a stone, Chen Zhou leaned over a tree trunk and waited for the black box to fall beside him. He carefully stretched out his arm and tentatively touched the black box with the stone.

The imagined event did not occur. The stone did not come into contact with any tangible or intangible force field, nor did it make contact with the black box, transmitting a hard and smooth sensation to Chen Zhou.

This is undoubtedly good news, meaning there is a chance to receive supplies sooner.

Even though Chen Zhou was actually over fifty years old, he still couldn't remain calm after hearing the news. He decisively dropped the stone in his hand, reached out and grabbed the side of the black box, pulling it forcefully towards himself.

Like pulling an object out of semi-solid concrete, a sticky resistance prevented him from taking the supplies ahead of time.

With a sudden burst of strength, Chen Zhou only managed to pull the black box askew, unable to bring it to his side in time.

"Shit, what's going on?"

As the beacon descended lower and lower, Chen Zhou knew that the other three challengers would not be able to continue the stalemate and would arrive soon. He became increasingly anxious and used more and more force in his hands.

As the saying goes, great effort can produce miracles. Chen Zhou exerted all his strength, and even though it was inconvenient to exert force while lying on the branch, he still had several hundred kilograms of strength.

However, even with such great effort, the black box moved towards him at an incredibly slow pace. At this rate, by the time he got his hands on it, the person would probably already be there.

Chen Zhou's face turned bright red, but he still didn't let go.

He was at the very end of a tree branch, in a rather slender position. Although the jade-like branch was strong enough to support his weight, it was unknown what would happen if he exerted himself on it.

Looking down, about eight meters above the ground, and then at the tree branches beneath him, Chen Zhou hesitated whether to let go and wait on the ground or continue pulling.

The situation didn't give him much time to think.

The first challengers made no attempt to conceal their footsteps, and soon Chen Zhou could hear the heavy thud of their boots on the hard ground.

"Fight!"

The sound made him determined to use all his strength to get the supplies ahead of schedule.

……

Adjusting his posture on the tree trunk, from lying down to kneeling, and placing his weight on the slender branches, Chen Zhou stretched out both hands, gripped the black box tightly, gritted his teeth, and pulled the black box into his arms with all his might.

The sudden increase in force caused the black box to deviate from its course even faster, and it was gradually escaping from that invisible "quagmire" and moving to an unexpected location.

With each centimeter the supply moved, Chen Zhou's joy grew, but the already fragile tree branch beneath him couldn't withstand this surge of happiness—

Chen Zhou was already quite heavy, and now that he exerted his strength, even greater pressure was applied to the jade-like tree branch.

The stone structure barely held it up for a moment before the branch finally gave way and snapped with a crack.

With his knees empty, Chen Zhou was suddenly suspended in mid-air, his hands still gripping the side of the black box tightly.

He thought that the black box would remain suspended in mid-air until it slowly descended to the ground before he let go.

To his utter surprise, once he was suspended below the black box, the sluggish resistance suddenly weakened considerably. Before he could react, he plummeted toward the ground at an incredible speed.

"Fuck your grandpa!"

Time and Space Administration!

In the rush, Chen Zhou only had time to let go and barely manage to absorb the force. With a weight of over 300 pounds, falling straight down from a height of eight meters, even with his exceptional physical abilities, he still felt his internal organs tremble and his joints ached slightly from the impact.

Moreover, when the tree branch broke and hit the ground, it also scattered some sharp pebbles. When he rolled to dissipate the force, the back of his hand accidentally touched a stone, which cut him and left some blood.

It was only then that Chen Zhou understood that pulling the black box to the side or downwards would produce two different reactions: one was extremely difficult, while the other was easy and smooth.

"Damn the Time and Space Administration..."

Wiping the blood from the back of his hand, Chen Zhou limped towards the area directly below the beacon.

During the fall, he took the opportunity to pull the black box down several meters. Now the black box is less than three meters from the ground, which Chen Zhou can reach with a vertical jump.

After learning all the tricks, Chen Zhou did a quick, charged jump, grabbed the black box, and pulled it right in front of him.

When the black box was less than two meters from the ground, the invisible force field suddenly disappeared. Grabbing its smooth side, Chen Zhou could only feel the cold touch and its heavy weight.

Got it, let's go!

After much trouble, he finally got the supplies. Hearing the approaching footsteps, Chen Zhou dared not linger. He clutched the black box tightly under his armpit, enduring the pain in his joints, and quickly left the scene.

……

The distance wasn't close; Chen Zhou could hear the footsteps of the other challengers, but they couldn't hear him leave. They didn't even hear the snapping of the branches or the sound of them hitting the ground.

But there is an even clearer indication in the Black Forest—

Beacon.

Although its light is getting dimmer, the trend of its light weakening is traceable.

But just moments ago, the beacon, which was slowly descending in the air, suddenly went out.

The challengers initially thought they were seeing things, and some even stopped to observe for a while. In the end, they confirmed that the beacon had indeed gone out, or even disappeared.

"The supplies haven't even landed yet, how come the beacon went out?"

The six challengers shared the same question and had a vague sense of foreboding, so they quickly quickened their pace.

……

The three groups set off almost simultaneously, and naturally arrived at the resupply landing point at the same time.

When they arrived deep in the dark forest, all they saw was an empty ground and scattered pebbles.

Everyone looked up at the top of their heads without prior arrangement.

The stars shone brightly, casting a dim light against the inky sky.

Throughout this ancient galaxy, not a single different light can be found, and looking up to the very end of the line of sight, no unusual object can be found.

"The supplies have been taken ahead of schedule!"

The challengers reached a consensus instantly.

Then they saw the broken branches of trees high up, which led to an association—

That shameful, despicable, and hateful thief intercepted the supplies there, broke the branches, and even tripped and fell.

It was more than eight meters high from top to bottom. If that person fell, even if he wasn't seriously injured, he would probably be badly hurt. If we start chasing now, we might still be able to catch up.

The two groups of challengers who were first spotted by Chen Zhou looked around and found that the ground was full of rocks, leaving no footprints. They exchanged glances and tacitly chose to chase in two different directions, leaving only the group of challengers with the scent of wood behind.

Unlike the two groups who were eager, this group of challengers appeared to be more meticulous.

They carefully examined the rubble on the ground, which allowed them to determine from which direction Chen Zhou fell and in which direction he rolled to dissipate the impact after the fall.

Then, one of them found a blood-stained stone.

"Sigh~"

His voice was like the rubbing of dry wood, mixed with the rough texture of wind and sand.

They picked up the stone and reunited.

The other person took out a small bottle from his pocket, unscrewed the cap, and released a lizard-like creature about the length of a middle finger.

The blood-stained stone was brought to the lizard, which licked it twice, seemingly remembering the scent, and then restlessly climbed up and down in its owner's hand.

Once placed on the ground, it immediately took off running on all fours in the direction Chen Zhou had left.

"Hehe~"

The two men, their bodies exuding the scent of wood, let out a low laugh; they had caught a clue left by their prey.

Following closely behind the lizard, the two stepped into the dark forest.

……

Chen Zhou naturally knew that he had left bloodstains, but he did not think that everyone had a sense of smell like him, nor did he think that anyone could find him based on the bloodstains he left behind. After all, such a minor injury would heal in no time, and the smell would weaken to the point of being undetectable.

Most importantly, time was of the essence, and he had no chance to deal with the scene. Every second he was delayed would increase the risk of his whereabouts being discovered.

His thirst for nutrition intensified after his injury. He emptied the water reservoir, letting the remaining grease slowly melt in his mouth. Carrying the black box, Chen Zhou sped off.

Although he didn't think anyone could find him, out of caution, Chen Zhou headed in the opposite direction first.

He planned to take a long detour, leaving the Black Forest from the other side before heading straight for the cliff, misleading any potential pursuers into thinking he had climbed the cliff and left the Black Forest.

After making this feint, he set off from the bottom of the cliff, heading straight for Paul's location. After meeting up, he opened the supply box and took a good nap.

By then, even if there are pursuers behind us, we will probably be far ahead of them.

Once he has rested and recovered, if there is medicine in the supplies, he can heal Paul and Tiger Three. Then he can stay in the Black Forest for a few days, collect some coal, and then set off to climb the cliff and head south.

……

People are in high spirits when they have good news. Although the process of obtaining supplies was bumpy, the result was wonderful.

Although his legs were still not very nimble, Chen Zhou was still much faster than the average person. As he circled through the forest, he thought to himself—

"I wish I could meet those two wandering knights after I climb to the top of the cliff."

It would be even better if they had already tamed the great elk for me, and if I had happened to find a large tree on the tundra that I could use to make a cart.

"Once we haul back a thousand or eight hundred pounds of coal, plus supplies, the winner of this challenge will already be decided!"

Even knowing he was daydreaming, feeling the real touch and heavy weight of the supplies, despite mental exhaustion and physical pain, Chen Zhou remained optimistic. (End of Chapter)