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

Upon seeing this from both the north and south, they exclaimed, "This is outrageous!"

So you're the only one who can hunt?

So all you know is how to pick fruit?

You think you're so particular?

With a whoosh, Nanbei vanished from its spot almost instantly.

Less than a minute later, it came back with a whoosh.

Nanbei was panting heavily, with a wild boar in his mouth and a fruit-laden tree branch wrapped around his tail.

His head and body were covered with leaves and dry grass.

"Meow!"

Boss! Look at me! Look at me!

Ou Yun, who was drinking water, saw Nanbei returning from hunting at lightning speed and exclaimed again.

"We had a pretty big breakfast this morning, huh?"

Leng Ruolan glanced at the wild animal carcasses on the ground. "How about we have wild boar soup for breakfast?"

Ou Yun took a sip of water. "Anything is fine. We have big appetites, so wild boar is perfect."

Leng Ruolan said okay, dragged the wild boar aside and began to process it.

Nanbei assisted from the sidelines—

At this moment, the white fox also came over and rubbed against Leng Ruolan, wanting to help.

This has angered both North and South again.

You want to fight for the spot next to my second sister?! Are you ever going to shut up?!

The white fox had just arrived when it was greeted by Nanbei's hind paws—

The white fox was amused and gracefully dodged away.

Then comes the forelegs of the North and South, used to finish off the enemy.

The white fox continued to avoid it.

A cat and a dog clung to Leng Ruolan, inseparable, jumping and leaping about, their white fur flying everywhere.

"Achoo!"

Leng Ruolan couldn't hold back any longer.

He casually grabbed the pheasant and threw it towards the direction of the European Union!

The cat and dog, who were making a racket just a second ago, were instantly distracted and simultaneously launched themselves towards the pheasant.

Ou Yun, who was drinking water: ...?

One chicken.

A cat.

A dog.

"Clang clang—"

People and cats and dogs were overturned.

"Cough—cough... Captain Leng!"

"What?"

"Did you do this on purpose?!"

Leng Ruolan was carefully chopping wild boar meat into a topping when she replied without looking up, "The one who tied the knot must untie it."

"..."

*

After all the chaos, we can finally eat normally again.

Leng Ruolan scattered the meat sauce on the ground, and Nanbei and Baihu rushed to gnaw on it.

Ou Yun let out a burp, then watched as Leng Ruolan scattered the meat sauce on the ground like rice. "Is this how you feed someone?"

One bowl of sauce was gone in the blink of an eye, so Leng Ruolan tossed out another bowl, "Give them a lesson. If they misbehave again, they'll only be able to eat what's on the ground."

"..."

Ou Yun thought for a moment, "Never mind. Business comes first."

So after the two of them had eaten and drunk their fill...

Ou Yun, carrying the white fox, began to inquire about other aspects of the forbidden area.

"You're so familiar with this forbidden area, do you know where the exit is?"

"Waaaaah?"

"Have you ever seen a golden pillar of light descending from above in the forbidden area?"

"Waaaaah?"

"Alright, besides the mutated beasts we have now, are there any other even more terrifying creatures in the forbidden area?"

"Waaaaah?"

"..."

So Ou Yun smiled and leaned closer.

"You really don't know?"

"Eek..."

Ou Yun's smile remained unchanged, but he was furious inside.

You really don't know?

Or are you pretending not to know?

I wonder if they're still traveling together?

Is this some kind of divine guidance?

Okay, if he finds out this guy is lying, I'll just add it to the deluxe Weibo family photo—

However, this scene is viewed from both the North and the South.

The eldest brother is completely infatuated with the white fox again!

"Nanbei, don't be discouraged."

Leng Ruolan, who was deboning a wild boar, smiled and said, "You have your advantages too."

Nanbei looked up at her, and hope rekindled in his eyes.

"You know how to be cute."

"..."

Hope has been dashed again.

"Ahem, just kidding."

Leng Ruolan suppressed a laugh, "You're a better fighter than it. Yesterday, that bone boar chased the white fox all over the place; if it were you, you would have definitely gone straight for it."

Nanbei's ears perked up a little.

"Besides, you were the first one to follow the eldest brother. First come, first served, you'll always be the eldest son."

The ears of both North and South stood up completely.

Yup!

I am the eldest legitimate cat!

When I followed the boss, this fox was still nowhere to be found!

Nanbei felt much better afterward. He walked to the campfire with his head held high and squatted down next to Ouyun, his tail held high and his posture upright.

Ou Yun was grilling meat when he looked down at it and asked, "Hungry?"

"Meow!"

"Wait a minute, it's not done yet."

"Meow!"

"Okay, okay."

The white fox watched this scene silently from the side and flicked its tail.

*

After breakfast, the three people, the fox, and the cat packed their luggage and continued their search for the last materials for the furnace.

The animal trails in this forest are quite messy, and many trees are broken and scattered, making it difficult to discern directions.

The white fox stood at a fork in the road, sniffing around for a while, looking somewhat puzzled. It then turned to look at Ou Yun, as if waiting for him to make a choice.

Leng Ruolan calmly took out the map.

The area on the right is completely unexplored and not marked on the map.

Ou Yun and Leng Ruolan stared at each other for a long time.

The terrain here is much more complex than in their own mountains, where every blade of grass and every tree is familiar.

Not to mention that this place is so messy, if you walk rashly, you might encounter other dangers.

Therefore, the safest way is—

Where is the Abyss Crystal?

Ou Yun smiled and looked at the white fox.

"..."

The white fox looked around, seemingly about to give an answer—

But suddenly, a gust of wind rose around them.

The wind is normal, especially in this forest.

But the white fox twitched its nose, its expression one of shock and horror, and it looked away guiltily.

This is quite unusual; it's the first time I've ever seen it like this.

In every previous time it led the way, it strode confidently with its head held high.

Leng Ruolan asked, "Is there danger ahead?"

The white fox's tail twitched slightly, and it looked into the distance without uttering a sound.

He's guilty; you can tell he's guilty at a glance.

Animals are just like humans; when they have something to hide, they always look a little different from their usual selves.

Leng Ruolan noticed something amiss and put the map away.

"Alright, since we're already here, and we're heading in the right direction, let's go take a look."

Feeling guilty? If you won't let me go, then I'll just go and see for myself.

Ou Yun had no objections, since the surrounding area was unfamiliar no matter which way he went.

When the white fox saw that they were really about to set off, its tail stood up immediately.

It quickly bit Ou Yun's trouser leg and grabbed his thigh with its two front paws, preventing him from walking any further.

This slightly unusual reaction made Leng Ruolan instinctively reach for her gun. "What's wrong?"

The white fox couldn't say anything either, it just kept tugging at Ou Yun's trouser leg.

"..."

Ou Yun paused for a moment, then said, "If there's danger ahead, will you call out?"

"..."

The white fox subconsciously loosened its grip, but still didn't make a sound.

"Looks like it's not dangerous anymore?"

Ouyun looked north and south, gesturing for it to go ahead and take a look.

This is a great opportunity to shine!

Upon receiving a look from Ou Yun, Nanbei immediately dashed out.

"Aww—"

The white fox called out hurriedly, as if calling it back.

But will the North and South listen to it?

The more it shouted, the more energetic the North and South became, disappearing like shadows.

"Ugh...!"

The white fox slapped its forehead with its paw, its expression seeming to say:

Spicy!