Survival of the Nation: My luck was a tiny bit worse.

Hassan glanced at it and said okay.

"We'll start digging first thing tomorrow morning. The three of us will take turns, and we should be able to finish in a day and a half."

Farhan agreed and got up to deal with the rabbit.

Just then, Haishan returned from outside.

He carried a large bundle of vines on his back and a leather bag in his hand.

"This should be enough. I saw a lot of these wild fruits on the road; they're a bit sour, but edible."

He threw the vines on the ground and sat down next to Hassan.

He took a wild fruit out of the bag and took a bite—

"Holy crap!"

It suddenly tasted so sour that my whole face scrunched up.

Hai Shan subconsciously spat out, "Ugh, so sour."

Hassan took it, took a bite, frowned slightly, but resisted the urge to bite.

"Even if it's sour, you can still eat it; it's a good source of vitamins."

"well……"

All three of them wore bitter expressions and swallowed the fruit in a few bites.

The three from Pakistan didn't say much, nor did they show much emotion.

Whatever happens, solve it.

If you're missing something, find it.

Eat whatever is available.

As one of the few second-batch contestants to survive in the forbidden area, they deeply understand that relying on luck is completely impossible in the wilderness.

They can only rely on their brains, diligence, and cooperation.

Hassan was the core of the trio.

Although he wasn't the most skilled fighter, he was the calmest.

He could sharpen arrows, make basic tools, and devise hunting plans.

They can calculate the cost of ideas proposed by teammates and allocate resources effectively.

Farhan, on the other hand, was an action-oriented person.

He was more accustomed to reconnaissance, tracking, and setting traps. He could spend an entire day camping out for a single animal trail.

Haishan is like a brick; she can be moved wherever she is needed.

They dug holes, cut down trees, gathered resources, and cooked, never complaining.

The three of them each performed their duties and cooperated seamlessly.

They never considered forming an alliance, nor did they ever think about relying on anyone.

"Oh, right—"

Haishan suddenly thought of something.

"Do you remember that mountain to the east? I just confirmed it, it's smoking."

Hassan looked up. "A cigarette?"

"Smoke from campfires. Not just one, there must be several campsites. I climbed a tree and looked for a while, and there was smoke coming from at least three directions."

Farhan frowned. "East? Isn't that the direction of the Dragon Kingdom?"

"Yes. It should be the camp of the Dragon Kingdom and several other countries."

Haishan ate wild berries—and then her face turned as sour as to turn into a chrysanthemum-like mess.

"But it's too far, and we can't get more information."

Hassan remained silent for a moment, then continued cutting the arrow.

"Never mind them. Let's do our thing."

"clear."

The three of them neither provoked, nor tried to curry favor, nor were they envious.

It's their business if others are strong; they should just focus on managing their own little corner of the world well.

After replenishing their energy, the three began digging a trap.

Hassan first chose a location with hard soil, which was difficult to dig but not prone to collapse.

Farhan first made a simple measuring tool using sticks and vines, marking a depth of three meters.

The three worked in shifts: one dug, and the other two carried the soil.

The excavated soil is not thrown away; it is piled up to the side, covered with grass, and kept for camouflage later.

When they dug to a depth of one meter, they hit a rock with a clang.

It wasn't a small stone, but a large rock embedded in the soil, almost taking up half of the bottom of the pit.

Farhan immediately cursed.

"Want to switch to another spot?"

"There's no need."

Hassan jumped into the pit, tapped the stone, and looked at the surrounding soil.

"This rock can be used. When digging, go down along its edge to make it protrude. If a porcupine falls down, it will get stuck on the rock and have a harder time climbing back up."

Farhan agreed.

The group then continued working.

For a day and a half, the three of them took turns digging holes, spending all their time except for eating and sleeping.

The trap was finally dug by the evening of the following day.

The depth is 3.2 meters, which is 20 centimeters more than originally planned.

The large rock at the bottom of the pit had been carved into a protruding shape, like a giant tusk—the pit walls were smooth and vertical, so a porcupine that fell in would definitely not be able to climb out.

Farhan stood at the edge of the pit and nodded in satisfaction.

"good!"

The three began to disguise the trap.

Thin branches were laid out in a grid pattern, covered with large leaves, then sprinkled with a thin layer of soil, and finally some withered grass and pebbles were placed on top, making it exactly the same as the surrounding ground.

The group stepped back and squinted at each other for a long time.

"I can't tell."

"That's fine then."

Hassan patted the dirt off his hands.

"Tomorrow morning, bring in the porcupines."

Before dawn the next day, the three began their plan to seize the porcupine.

Farhan went to stake out near the porcupine trails.

Hassan and Haishen lay in ambush near the trap.

Farhan's plan was simple.

First, create a disturbance on the porcupine's likely route to startle it and make it run towards the trap.

When startled, porcupines will run along familiar routes. If you can predict their escape route, you can lure them into a trap.

It's not some sophisticated strategy, but it's simple and effective.

Hassan and Haishen crouched in the bushes on either side of the trap, holding spears in their hands.

I waited for about half an hour.

Farhan's shouts and the angry grunts of porcupines could be heard in the distance.

The ground began to shake.

A gigantic mutated porcupine burst out of the woods.

Its body was covered with dark brown mane, and its back was covered with dense, sharp spikes, each as thick as an arm, gleaming with a cold, dark purple light.

Its eyes were bloodshot and drool was dripping from its mouth; it was clearly angered by Farhan.

The porcupine charged wildly along the trail, heading straight for the trap!

Hassan gripped his spear tightly and held his breath.

The porcupine stepped on a camouflaged trap with one of its front legs.

"boom--"

The facade has collapsed.

The porcupine's body suddenly sank, and its front half plunged into the pit.

It struggled frantically, kicking its hind legs wildly at the edge of the pit, its thorns scraping dirt and sending it flying everywhere.

But it was too big, and its center of gravity had fallen into the pit.

The futile struggle only caused the soil around the pit to collapse, making it sink deeper and deeper.

Finally, with a loud thud, the porcupine fell to the bottom of the pit.

"Aww—"

From the bottom of the pit came the angry and terrified howls of a porcupine.

Hassan and Haishen rushed over immediately upon hearing the sound.

The porcupine struggled frantically at the bottom of the pit, but the pit was too deep, and the protruding rock got stuck in its body, preventing it from exerting any force.

Its sharp spikes poked wildly at the pit walls, causing dirt to fall down in a flurry, but it was of no use.

Farhan also rushed over, standing panting at the edge of the pit, and glanced down.

None of them rushed to make a move.

They observed for a while, confirming that the porcupine really couldn't climb up, before they began to take action.

The three men raised their spears and thrust them fiercely into the pit!

The spear pierced the porcupine's soft parts, such as its eyes and ears, and went straight into its brain.

"Aww—"

The porcupine let out a short, pitiful cry, twitched a few times, and then lay still.

"You've all worked hard, brothers."

Hassan breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Although the process was arduous, the ending was beautiful.

This one porcupine is enough to keep everyone eating well for a while.

However, just as the group of guys were preparing to drag the porcupine out of the trap...

Suddenly, a flock of forest birds took flight from the nearby woods.

"boom--"

A tremor.

"boom--"

Another vibration.

The rhythmic footsteps, like... the footsteps of some enormous creature, are coming this way.