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

Nanbei's ears twitched, but he still obediently continued to squat.

They baked it for a while longer.

The aroma of the meat filled the air, and Ou Yun immediately shared the first piece of roasted meat with Nanbei.

Nanbei, with a piece of roasted meat in its mouth, retreated to the side and ate happily, its tail sweeping back and forth on the ground, snoring continuously.

Ou Yun picked up a second piece of roasted meat and waved it at the white fox on the stone wall: "Hey, come down and eat!"

The white fox looked down at him, then at the piece of roasted meat.

Then it leaped lightly down from the stone wall and walked gracefully to Ouyun.

It didn't rush to eat, but first lowered its head to sniff the roasted meat, then raised its head, let out a howl at Ou Yun, and licked Ou Yun's hand.

"You are welcome."

Ou Yun chuckled and wiped his wet hands on Leng Ruolan's back, placing the roasted meat in front of her. "You did a great job today, so here's an extra piece for you—"

He was interrupted by a merciless elbow strike before he could finish speaking.

The white fox's eyes lit up.

It lowered its head and ate the roasted meat with very refined movements, which was in stark contrast to the wolfish eating habits of people in the north and south.

Nanbei glanced at him sideways and let out a disdainful snort.

What's the point of eating so politely!

Eating quickly is the greatest respect you can show to your master's cooking skills!

*

Late at night.

The campfire had burned down to a dark red ember, with only a few sparks occasionally blown up by the wind, flashing in the air before disappearing.

Leng Ruolan leaned against her backpack, her eyes closed, her breathing even, but Ou Yun knew she wasn't asleep—it was her habit to never let her guard down in unfamiliar surroundings.

Nanbei was curled up at Ouyun's feet, fast asleep, emitting even, soft snores.

The white fox crouched on a tree stump at the edge of the camp, facing the direction it had come from, as if keeping watch.

Ou Yun lay on his sleeping bag, looking at the sky through the gaps in the leaves.

The starry sky in the forbidden area is quite different from that in the real world.

There were more stars, and they were brighter. The Milky Way was like a bucket of water spilled out, covering the entire sky.

As he looked at it, he began to sort through the events of the day in his mind.

We've got the Storm Core; that's the biggest gain.

There's also an extra silver supply crate.

It was a box I'd never seen before, and I had no idea what was inside. Of course, I couldn't treat it carelessly.

Instead of fighting them, Storm Blackhawk gave them supplies.

Could it really be because of that little guy?

not necessarily.

The whereabouts of the Abyss Crystal are still unknown.

I wonder how well Chen Hao's furnace base is being built.

and also……

He turned his head to look at the white fox on the tree stump.

What exactly is this fox?

Able to communicate seamlessly with Storm Black Hawk —

Honestly, even if the White Fox didn't say it outright, and the Forbidden Land didn't give any notification, it's clear that Storm Black Hawk is obviously a top predator in the Forbidden Land, right?

To these humans, they're no different from wild boars crawling all over the ground, right? They can catch them all in one go, right?

But this little thing can actually communicate?

Do you think they can get something for nothing?

Did they put it on twice?

Is that correct?

That's not right.

Those who know the terrain in the area like the back of their hand, and those who send flowers, act cute, and kick flying kicks, etc., are all overlooked.

The little thing is quite adept at playing.

Of course, Ou Yun was not bewitched by the white fox.

Who is he?

You've escaped from the clutches of the King of Hell so many times, what kind of level are you, little fox?

Dude, I've never had such a smooth life since I was born. Now that the Forbidden Zone version has been updated, you're telling me things are finally going smoothly?

Ha, I'm not falling for that!

The white fox seemed to sense his gaze and turned around.

The eyes of the human and the fox met in mid-air.

The white fox blinked, then jumped down from the tree stump and walked to Ou Yun's side.

It didn't rub against him or act cute; it just quietly lay down next to him and curled itself up with its tail.

His amber eyes gleamed softly in the darkness.

European Express: ...

I didn't mean for you to come and sleep with me, buddy.

But look at that fluffy little thing...

Oh well, guests are guests, it's not good to kick them out.

As Ou Yun looked at it, he noticed its white fur was so glossy and smooth...

I started touching it after looking at it for a while.

Ah... this feel.

This reminded Ou Yun of looking at it, and suddenly he remembered what it looked like when he first saw it.

At that time, it was still very thin.

It was a tiny creature, and he casually fed it a piece of jerky. It ran off with the jerky in its mouth, glancing back at him after a few steps.

The next time we met was with the Bear King.

It came to repay a debt of gratitude. He believed that.

But to suddenly appear like this today, and then naturally walk at the front and lead the way—

Ou Yun stroked the white fox's back, then changed the subject.

"Have you been following us?"

The white fox did not answer, but simply swayed its tail slightly.

Ou Yunxin thought, "Okay, you really don't intend to say yes, huh?"

"Do you know where the Abyss Crystal is?"

The white fox's ears twitched.

Then it stood up and touched Ou Yun's hand with its nose.

Ou Yun remembered this gesture—last time at the camp, it touched the back of his hand in the same way before leaving.

Then it left and disappeared for several days.

"You know?" Ou Yun tried to interpret.

The white fox narrowed its eyes, neither confirming nor denying.

Ou Yun stared at it for a few seconds, then took a deep breath, thinking to himself, "Well, I'll find out when the time comes."

He closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.

The white fox looked at his sleeping face and gently twitched its ears.

Then it lay down again, rested its head on its front paws, and continued its night watch.

And to the side—

Nanbei nestled next to Leng Ruolan.

It used Leng Ruolan's buttocks to block its view, narrowed its bright eyes, and bared its teeth.

Little vixen! Even this late at night, you're still up to your old tricks, trying to seduce the big brother!

Unable to bear it any longer, Leng Ruolan covered her eyes.

"Sweetie, your older brother is fickle and forgets his friends for the sake of women, let's not stoop to his level."

Nanbei whimpered a few times, humming and babbling, then nestled obediently in Lengdui's arms and fell asleep with tears in her eyes.

*

The next morning, Ou Yun was awakened by a series of urgent meows.

The moment he opened his eyes, he saw Nanbei standing on his chest, its two front paws stepping on his chest, its tail standing upright like an antenna, meowing wildly right in front of his ear.

Ou Yun was completely bewildered by the sudden wake-up call.

"What happened... was it an earthquake or a volcanic eruption?"

Nanbei howled a few more times and pointed its paws outside the camp.

Ou Yun looked in the direction of its paw.

The white fox has woken up.

It crouched at the edge of the camp, with a row of things in front of it.

Two wild rabbits, a pheasant, and a bunch of wild fruit picked from who-knows-where.

They were neatly stacked in a row.

When the white fox saw that he was awake, it immediately looked up and howled.

proud!

Ou Yun exclaimed, "Oh! When did you get this done?"

"Let's go before dawn."

Leng Ruolan squatted down beside her and picked up a pheasant with one hand.

"You're quite chubby... and you even know how to balance meat and vegetables? That's thoughtful."

Leng Ruolan prepared to have the pheasant for breakfast, and while laughing, she casually stroked the white fox's head, "Not bad, quite filial, huh."