Surviving in the chaos of war begins in the wilderness.

Chapter 4 Temporary Residence

He filled both water bags. Zhou Ye then scooped up water with both hands, washed his face, and rinsed his mouth. He finally reached the riverbank and replenished his drinking water.

Along the riverbank, there is actually a stretch of mudflats that extends for dozens of steps. Here, there are dense reed beds, branching streams, and small ponds filled with water.

At this moment, Zhou Ye was standing by a small river. The water here was clear and the current was slow. He could even see schools of fish swimming in the water.

Zhou Ye nodded silently. This was indeed a blessed place for air force pilots, a good place for fishing.

However, it's unwise to linger here. Rivers attract wild animals to drink, and they also serve as important landmarks for human movement. Encountering either wild animals or other people inevitably carries a degree of danger.

With that in mind, Zhou Ye judged the direction and quickly walked towards a small hill in another direction...

Half an hour later, Zhou Ye arrived at a clearing overgrown with weeds and shrubs.

This is a gentle slope on the back of a small hill. It's not a large area, maybe only a few acres at most, surrounded by sparse trees. So it certainly wouldn't be discovered by people on the riverbank.

Beyond that, there was a towering, steep cliff. Beside it, there was a narrow stream, barely a few steps wide and ankle-deep. And on the opposite side of the stream, there was even a bamboo grove?

He grabbed a handful of soil from the ground—it was dark, humus-rich earth, incredibly fertile, almost like you could squeeze oil out of it. Zhou Ye grinned; he immediately made his decision: this would be where he settled down.

Finding a patch of grass a few steps in circumference, Zhou Ye put down all his belongings, picked up a shovel, and quickly cleared away all the weeds.

We still need to build a temporary shelter. It doesn't need to be too big, just enough for one person to sleep in.

Once the temporary dwelling is built, a fence or wall should be erected around it. Only when safety is guaranteed can the formal dwelling be built with peace of mind.

Picking up his axe, Zhou Ye went into the nearby woods. He chose a tree about the thickness of a bowl, chopped it down dozens of times, and quickly felled it to the ground. After clearing away the branches and leaves, leaving only the bare trunk, he dragged the tree back to the clearing.

In this way, Zhou Ye cut down four similar trees, then dug several holes at the four corners of the open space and buried all four trees upright.

Zhou Ye came to the stream again. Stepping on the rocks in the stream, he entered the bamboo forest on the other side. He cut down four more relatively thick pillars and some medium-sized bamboo.

After cleaning the bamboo thoroughly, leaving only the bamboo stalks, Zhou Ye cut them to roughly the same length and tied the thick bamboo stalks to the four upright trees, creating a square frame about the height of a person. Then he placed the other bamboo stalks side by side on top, securing them firmly with hemp rope, and erected a bamboo raft on top.

Before we knew it, it was time for dinner.

Surprisingly, the basic chopping skill had already gained 1 experience point? Zhou Ye became thoughtful. The efficiency of chopping with an axe should be about the same as that of a machete... right?

Three bonfires were lit around the area, and a circle of animal-repelling powder was scattered. After dinner, Zhou Ye climbed back onto the bamboo raft. Using the short bamboo poles left over from the day, he tied a bamboo fence around the raft, reaching chest height.

That's right, Zhou Ye was actually planning to sleep on the bamboo raft. Being at a higher elevation would mean fewer dangerous wild animals.

We moved the tent onto the bamboo raft and set it up. Then we took a knife and bow and arrows and put them inside the tent. With the tent as cover, at least there were fewer insects and mosquitoes. It's just that sleeping on the bamboo raft was very uncomfortable. But conditions were limited, and we couldn't ask for more…

I slept soundly all night without any incident...

……

Waking up in the early morning, Zhou Ye climbed down from the bamboo raft. It was much safer now, but the hard bamboo poles were making his whole body ache. It would be much more comfortable to lay down a layer of dry grass.

This is important, remember it!

Furthermore, using a knife and axe to cut grass is very inconvenient; it would be best to have a sickle. Remember this!

After breakfast, Zhou Ye, filled with happiness, took another tour of his little home.

After carefully examining the place, Zhou Ye decided on the location for his small home. It would be here, about thirty paces on each side. It didn't need to be too big; a few rooms and a yard would be enough for one person. This temporary dwelling would be placed in a corner, which could also be used as a storage area for miscellaneous items.

The four corners of the small enclosure have been marked. The location of the houses inside can be considered in the next few days. It's important to consider everything in detail.

This point is also very important, so be sure to remember it!

At this moment, Zhou Ye couldn't help but chuckle a few times. It seemed there was too much to remember; it was best to write it down with pen and paper. Speaking of pen and paper, there should be some in the old camp, right? After all, they were burning charcoal, and the soldiers needed to divide the accounts, so they had always kept records.

Upon reaching the edge, the terrain here is flat and close to a stream, making it suitable for cultivating several acres of land, and irrigation would be relatively convenient. It's also important to note that we need to find some seeds.

Although the old camp has a good supply of food, we might be staying here for a long time, so we need to be prepared for the worst. When we have free time, we should still farm. Besides, we can't let our race's natural talent for farming go to waste, can we?

These were the camp's immediate plans. After considering them, Zhou Ye took his machete and went into the woods to begin chopping.

Regardless, strengthening our capabilities is the top priority. We can also cut down trees incidentally. We can't possibly complain about having too many trees in future developments.

After chopping for about an hour, the basic chopping experience increased by 1 again.

This time, Zhou Ye was more certain that if he focused intently on chopping for an hour, he could gain some experience points. Furthermore, the effects of a machete and an axe were basically the same.

They dragged the felled trees to the edge of their small home. Zhou Ye wiped his sweat, drank a large gulp of water, and rested for a while.

However, at this moment, Zhou Ye suddenly had a new idea—why not try the standard waist knife from the army?

Thinking of this, Zhou Ye immediately switched to his waist knife. Drawing the knife from its sheath, he regained his focus and began to slash forcefully through the air.

After all, a waist knife is a specialized weapon, and Zhou Ye didn't have many of them. He simply couldn't bear to use it to chop down trees.

However, the effect of such slashing training was about the same, and because it was a special weapon, Zhou Ye seemed to be more adept at it.

However, just a quarter of an hour later, Zhou Ye suddenly sensed something was wrong and couldn't help but let out a "Huh?"