Chapter 153 – The Practice of Mountain Collapse and Earth Crack
“Isn’t this about losing weight? How can you lose weight if you eat so much?”
For the first time, Pangpang closed its eyes comfortably when its head was patted.
But Tu Ran only patted it twice before leaving, making Pangpang feel a bit disappointed.
“Pangpang needs to rely on exercise to lose weight.”
“Okay.” Tu Ran nodded in agreement, not wanting to undermine its confidence.
The fish was soon grilled. When the first one was handed to Pangpang, it unusually did not take it directly.
“What’s wrong?” Tu Ran asked, puzzled.
“Boss should eat first,” Pangpang said.
“Huh?” Tu Ran was momentarily taken aback by Pangpang’s politeness about eating, “Why?”
“Because Boss expended too much energy to carry Pangpang, so Pangpang wants Boss to replenish her strength.”
“Haha, no need. I’m already much better after a nap. Pangpang, you should eat.”
Its saliva was almost making a mess on the ground, and she was worried that she would be drowned by its saliva if she ate first.
Politeness when it came to food was indeed not Pangpang’s strong suit; it couldn’t control the saliva that kept coming.
“Then… Pangpang will eat first.” Pangpang, feeling embarrassed, took the grilled fish from Tu Ran’s hand, blew on it, and pecked at it directly.
“Slow down, there’s plenty more.” Tu Ran continued to grill the next fish.
The fish was grilled perfectly and cooked quickly. During this time, Pangpang wanted to try grilling fish itself, so Tu Ran handed over the grilling task to it while she chewed on a five or six-pound fish on the side.
Without any seasoning, the fish didn’t have much flavor. Tu Ran had to use her imagination, picturing the fish as a five-star delicacy with rich taste, and enjoyed it immensely.
Nutritional supplements and compressed biscuits really couldn’t compare to such substantial food. Tu Ran had eaten an entire fish, and her stomach was already feeling full.
She stood up to stretch and adjust to the feeling of restored strength.
Pangpang was still eating; this was already its fourth fish.
It ate while flipping fish on the grill, clearly enjoying itself.
Tu Ran planned to clean the bloodstains from her clothes. After checking the area to ensure it was safe, she returned to her spot and waded into the river.
She washed the dried bloodstains from her clothes and cleaned herself up before returning to the shore.
Pangpang, having eaten and drunk its fill, was lying there.
This was the same guy who kept saying it wanted to lose weight.
Tu Ran shook her head in resignation and walked over to kick it a couple of times. “Don’t sleep. We need to find a place to stay overnight. It’s getting dark.”
It was still not even nine o’clock by Federation time, but the sky here was noticeably darkening.
The night outside was not safe in the wilderness.
Pangpang immediately complied and sat up, reluctantly glancing at the river. “Boss, should we catch a few more fish to take back? They could be breakfast for tomorrow.”
It wasn’t a bad idea, as it would save them from having to find food in the morning.
Tu Ran walked to the riverbank.
She drew out her long knife and, with a series of swift thrusts at the water, turned the river red. Soon, seven or eight fish floated to the surface.
“Wow! Boss, you’re amazing!” Pangpang couldn’t help but praise her.
It had taken it a long time to catch just a few fish, but Boss managed to catch so many in such a short time.
Tu Ran ignored it, taking out a rope to string the eight fish together and handing the rope to Pangpang when she got back to the shore.
“Carry this yourself.”
Pangpang eagerly took it, though it was a bit heavy, but for food, it was willing to bear the burden.
“Do you have a home on this mountain?” Tu Ran asked.
“No, Pangpang has never been here before,” Pangpang said with a grunt, carrying the eight fish on its back.
“Alright, then we’ll have to find another place.”
She looked up at the sky, worried about whether they would find a suitable place before it was completely dark.
Nightfall came quickly in the wilderness.
The pair still hadn’t found a suitable cave.
Tu Ran and Pangpang finally stopped in front of a massive rock face. The rock face sloped inward, making it a good candidate for digging.
Tu Ran stroked her chin and looked at Pangpang. “I remember you said you were good at digging.”
“Yes, but Pangpang’s claws can’t dig through such hard rock.”
“I’ll help you,” Tu Ran said calmly, placing her palm against the rock face.
She controlled the duration of contact and activated [Mountain Collapse and Earth Crack].
In a second, cracks spread across the surface of the rock, forming a three-meter-diameter circle.
Tu Ran removed the eight fish from Pangpang’s shoulders and hung them on a dead tree at the edge of the rock face.
“Start digging. The surface layer is already cracked; clear it out, and I’ll make another layer for you.”
“Okay, got it,” Pangpang replied and started working.
Using both its claws and beak, Pangpang soon removed the top layer of cracked rock.
Tu Ran kicked the debris away and activated [Mountain Collapse and Earth Crack] on the next layer.
After digging through ten-centimeter-thick rock layers each time, and making about fifteen trips back and forth, they finally created a cave large enough for one person and one ball to stay temporarily.
It was cramped, but manageable.
By now, it was completely dark outside. Pangpang was already asleep in the cave, and Tu Ran, having napped in the afternoon, wasn’t tired at all.
As she looked up at the pitch-black sky without a single star, Tu Ran contemplated what to do next.
Today was the eleventh day Tu Ran had spent in the Threshold, and it wouldn’t be long before the Threshold gate opened.
She had already dealt with the issues surrounding the recording bracelet, and she could leave at any moment.
But if she left, what would happen to Pangpang?
It was a problem.
Pangpang had no combat ability and the inner part of the dense forest was filled with aliens, making it extremely dangerous. Leaving it behind would be like dropping a piece of unclaimed meat in a predator’s lair—anyone could come and take a bite.
Yet she couldn’t take it to the Federation either.
As an alien, even if Pangpang was harmless and cute, it would be taken to a research institute for study.
In her ear, Pangpang’s snoring grew louder.
Tu Ran turned and glared at it.
She was here, trying to figure out what to do next, while it was sleeping so soundly.
Unable to resist, Tu Ran gave it a gentle nudge.
Pangpang’s snoring stopped for a moment as it turned over and continued sleeping.
Tu Ran rolled her eyes.
She decided to give up on expecting anything from it.
With a plan forming in her mind, she closed her eyes and forced herself to sleep.
The next morning, at seven o’clock Federation time.
Tu Ran woke up.
It was still pitch dark outside.
She was surprised by how long the night was this time.
Standing at the cave entrance, she looked out but saw nothing but darkness—no light at all, and she couldn’t see her hand in front of her face.
This was the night in the Threshold, where human vision was almost blind.
The Federation’s primary advice to pioneers was to fear the darkness within the Threshold and to find a safe place before nightfall, traveling only after dawn.
Tu Ran sat back down. They would have to wait until it got light to set out, so she didn’t wake the still-sleeping Pangpang.
She fumbled in the dark to organize her equipment.
She still had plenty of weapons left; most of the various explosives she brought were still unused, half of her handgun ammunition remained, but her machine gun ammo was down to a quarter.
