Wilderness Survival with Druid System

Coyote jerky.

The taste was unexpectedly good, making Chen Wen quite satisfied.

The three entries provided by the coyote were rather useful.

After all, it is one of the top predators in this desert.

The entries provided by the coyote were one negative and two positive.

The negative entry is that vision weakens under strong light.

The two positive entries are [Howl] and [Enhanced Vision].

Since he already had the roadrunner's [Dynamic Vision], Chen Wen did not choose [Enhanced Vision].

Instead, he chose [Howl].

[Howl (Purple): You can emit a howl that intimidates surrounding creatures, making their limbs stiff. The extent of intimidation depends on the level of threat you pose, but be cautious, some creatures might be enraged by your howl.]

[Note: A wolf's howl can make the timid even more timid but can also embolden the brave — Coyote]

The strength of this entry lies in its ability to restrict the movement of creatures, making timid ones more timid.

But the drawback is that it can embolden some fierce animals even more.

Not to mention others, just lions and tigers.

If Chen Wen dared to howl nearby them, he'd probably infuriate them instantly.

After choosing the entries, to take care of the dying short-tailed cat and its cubs,

Chen Wen painfully shared some jerky with them.

But to his surprise, the short-tailed cat did not eat the food but instead gave all its portions to its young ones.

This scene moved Chen Wen deeply.

As he interacted more with the creatures, he discovered that many creatures have emotions, even rich ones.

Such as the short-tailed cat before him.

Knowing it wouldn't live long, it gave the food to its cubs.

And also the screech owl.

Although it said it's accustomed to death, sometimes when Chen Wen woke up at night, he could still see the screech owl standing on the main beam, gazing towards the southeast.

That was the direction it used to live.

After seeing the short-tailed cat refusing to eat,

Chen Wen helplessly turned off the recording device and persuaded: "Have a bite, if you don't eat, how can you recover?"

"No... no."

The short-tailed cat's voice started to weaken.

It glanced at its two children, showing a reluctant and affectionate gaze: "I'm... leaving."

After saying that, the short-tailed cat struggled to get up and walked out of the camp.

Chen Wen wanted to stop it, but the short-tailed cat shook its head: "If by sunrise... I'm still alive, I'll return."

After saying that, the short-tailed cat supported its shaking body and headed into the darkness.

The two little cats seemed to notice their mother's departure.

They meowed, trying to follow their mother leaving.

But the short-tailed cat let out a weak growl, driving the kittens back.

The kittens couldn't understand why their gentle mother had turned so frightening.

Left with no support, they could only look back at every step and came to Chen Wen's side.

With [Friendliness], Chen Wen became their last refuge.

Chen Wen sighed.

This situation... the program crew's side...

Probably can't count on them anymore.

...

In the recording hall.

This scene also made the female assistants behind the screen unable to help but wipe away tears.

After Chen Wen brought back the short-tailed cat, these assistants took over his screen.

"Let's save the short-tailed cat, shall we?"

A very sentimental female assistant looked towards the person in charge.

But the person in charge just shook his head: "In the desert, death can happen at any time, we can't manage everything."

"Flying a helicopter over once would cost a lot of money, and the subsequent treatment and upbringing of the short-tailed cat would also cost money. The production team won't invest in this area, the investors won't agree."

Jiang Chang couldn't help but say: "After the program is broadcast, such a cute short-tailed cat will definitely attract a lot of people. You can completely market the short-tailed cat family to gain long-term popularity and benefits, and even use them for endorsements if you're willing to save it."

The person in charge was somewhat dumbfounded upon hearing this.

Foreign internet doesn't have as exaggerated monetization as domestically.

There aren't many endorsement streamers.

The person in charge wasn't familiar with this aspect either.

He spread his hands, helplessly said: "That's after the program is broadcast. We can't predict the situation by then, so... very sorry."

Jiang Chang sighed, shook his head slightly: "No, you don't need to apologize. It's not you who are cruel, but nature."

...

Chen Wen held the two tiny cats.

Suddenly encountering a mishap, coupled with a day of fatigue, the two little cats were fast asleep.

Chen Wen could feel them breathing in his palm, even feel their hearts beating.

"Poor children."

The screech owl standing on the main beam overheard Chen Wen's entire story, its maternal instincts overflowing.

Even though it wasn't bigger than the two little cats, it still treated them as juniors.

"Did your screech owls ever have conflicts with short-tailed cats?"

Chen Wen was curious why the screech owl wasn't afraid of the short-tailed cat.

Logically, as omnivorous animals, short-tailed cats eat anything.

The screech owl should be on their menu too.

The screech owl shook its head: "I don't know, prior to this I hadn't even encountered such creatures."

"Alright, I wish you a successful hunt tonight."

Chen Wen and the screech owl bid farewell and carefully placed the two kittens into his sleeping bag.

Allowing them to be both safe and comfortable there.

Also, Chen Wen folded three-quarters of the sleeping bag underneath, using it as a pillow.

Lying there, Chen Wen completely drifted off to sleep.

...

The next morning.

The tenth day of survival.

Chen Wen exchanged good mornings with the screech owl standing guard on the main beam.

He didn't eat but instead put the sleepy little cats into the open side pockets of his backpack.

One on each side, just perfect.

With the kittens, Chen Wen set out.

One, to fetch water, two, to check the traps.

And also to find where the short-tailed cat went.

If it's dead, then give it a proper burial.

After all, it was a friend.

...

Reaching the water source valley.

Without the threat of the short-tailed cat, Chen Wen moved more boldly.

The two little short-tailed cats seemed to love staying in the pockets.

They were meowing, communicating something with a brother on the unseen opposite side, or perhaps a sister.

Chen Wen arrived at the water source, expertly filtering and fetching water, then started checking the traps.

Today, Chen Wen had a new catch—a rabbit.

But it was a desert cottontail, the kind Char had once hunted.

However, this one was slightly bigger than Char's.

And it seemed Chen Wen's luck was turning.

At the exit of the valley, he spotted another dead roadrunner.

"The program team's information is really accurate."

Chen Wen remarked, retrieving the roadrunner.

According to the program team, the roadrunners were rampant in the survival areas of the ten contestants.

In the notes from the program team, not only were these roadrunners edible, but the team even encouraged the contestants to eat them.

The creatures that threatened roadrunners in the desert were getting fewer, and without constraints, their numbers were skyrocketing.

There was a faint feeling of them becoming a nuisance.

So hunting roadrunners, the program team fully supported.

They even provided several common trap setups.

The snare trap Chen Wen used was one of the recommended methods by the program team.

"This area might be one of the roadrunners' roosts, so set more traps from now on."

"Aside from here, traps can also be set in the valley where the short-tailed cat used to be. Once the short-tailed cat is gone, that area is likely to be reoccupied by roadrunners."

"Next is to continue exploring south along this mountain range, setting traps in the valley, and seeing if there are other prey."

Chen Wen packed the two pieces of prey, planning his next actions.