Su Chen was slowly beginning to accept this strange idea: in this world, only he remembered Er Bao's existence.
He wasn't sure whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.
At least now, Jun Ma wouldn't blame him for anything related to Er Bao, since she no longer even remembered Er Bao's existence. But deep down, Su Chen still felt a strong sense of loss.
It seemed this was a secret he would have to carry alone — something he could never talk about.
The rules of this world were quite clever: if someone was killed or died accidentally, the memories of them would be erased from the minds of the surviving players. That way, there would be no acts of revenge.
Everything was about fairness — everyone fought for their own survival.
After learning this painful lesson, Su Chen realized he could never again let his pets act alone. If he wasn't around to protect them, tragedy could strike at any time.
Still, life had to go on — that was an undeniable truth.
Su Chen thanked Er Bao silently for its brief but loyal companionship. It wasn't truly gone; it was just staying with him in a different way now, watching over his every move. He couldn't let it down.
Armed with his new flamethrower, Su Chen decided it was time to head out for some wild cooking. It had been way too long since he'd treated himself to a proper meal. Today, he was determined to live a little.
The current area, while nice enough, didn't have rivers or mountains — not ideal for a picnic. To truly enjoy the experience, he needed somewhere with both water and scenery.
Restarting his vehicle, Su Chen pressed forward. After all, moving constantly in search of supplies was the key to survival here.
Looking at it now, the second round of the survival game wasn't as difficult as he'd originally thought. The monsters were stronger than those in the first round, sure, and they appeared far more unpredictably. During the first round, at least, monsters mostly came out at night; daytime was relatively safe.
But Su Chen wasn't too worried. As long as he stayed alert, he had enough skills to deal with the occasional strange beast during daylight hours.
The highway stretched endlessly into the horizon, just like in the first round. But by now, Su Chen had adapted to life here.
His sense of direction had improved a lot — he could more or less tell where rivers, deserts, and other terrains lay.
Since today's mission was a picnic, he needed a spot with picturesque scenery. Ideally, somewhere with mountains and water, not just endless, open plains.
If he tried to eat out on the wide grasslands, anyone could see him from far away. What if a bunch of people showed up halfway through his meal? There would be no privacy at all.
Besides, if any sharp-eyed survivors recognized him, rumors would inevitably spread. Su Chen hated those kinds of baseless, ridiculous rumors.
If a bunch of survivors came asking for food, he wouldn't have the heart to refuse. And just like that, he'd end up becoming a human vending machine — grilling for everyone while they feasted.
No way was he letting that happen.
After about half an hour of driving, Su Chen found a promising spot — a small bamboo grove hidden away from the main road. Perfect.
Better yet, when he walked in to take a closer look, he spotted a lake nearby.
"Whoa, there's even a lake?" Su Chen exclaimed in disbelief.
This place was absolutely ideal for a picnic.
Having picked his location, it was time to prep the ingredients.
Su Chen pulled out his long-forgotten barbecue grill. Grilling was a lot of hassle, which was why he'd only bothered to do it once before. Skewering meat onto sticks was a whole tedious affair.
If he wasn't in such a good mood today, he probably would have just whipped up a simple meal instead.
But with his new flamethrower, starting a fire wouldn't be a problem at all — no more struggling to get a flame going.
Since he wasn't planning on skewering food this time, he could just lay everything directly on the grill.
It had been ages since Su Chen had enjoyed a proper feast. The last time he'd eaten like this was when he'd caught a ton of seafood.
He drooled just thinking about the bamboo rice from his hometown — the rich aroma, the fluffy texture...
Gathering some firewood, he stacked it neatly.
Time to test out this flamethrower.
Su Chen fired up the device and aimed it at the woodpile. Within seconds, the firewood burst into flames.
"Awesome!" he grinned.
Next up: bamboo. Time to bring out his trusty hoe — his very first weapon when he arrived here.
Swinging the hoe deftly, he chopped down several stalks of bamboo.
Today's main dish would be bamboo rice. But just rice wouldn't be enough — he needed some meat to go with it. He hadn't built this fire just to waste it.
Fortunately, he still had plenty of meat stored at home.
Today, he decided, he would grill a tiger steak. He wasn't sure what tiger meat tasted like — he'd certainly never heard of anyone eating it before — but why not give it a try?
Oh, and he almost forgot — roasted sweet potatoes!
He'd been craving that flavor for ages.
It looked like today's feast would take a while to prepare, but it would definitely be worth the effort.
Su Chen planned to go all out, using his best ingredients. He'd never made bamboo rice before, but it should be simple: wash the rice, stuff it into the bamboo tubes, and cook it until tender, letting the bamboo impart its fragrance into the grains.
Just thinking about it made his mouth water.
He gave the tiger steak a quick rinse, then placed it on the grill.
Expensive ingredients often didn't need fancy techniques — simple roasting with a sprinkle of salt would bring out the best flavors.
He tossed some greens onto the grill too, along with slices of meat that he could wrap in fresh lettuce leaves. That way, he could enjoy both grilled meat and steak together.
Of course, rice alone wasn't enough to fill his stomach. That's where the bamboo rice came in.
After about half an hour of cooking, the sweet, mouthwatering aroma of bamboo rice began to fill the air.
Su Chen closed his eyes and breathed it in deeply, savoring the smell.
It was pure bliss.
Meanwhile, the meat sizzled on the grill, juices dripping onto the coals below, and the sweet potatoes tucked into the fire were probably just about done too.
Preparing this feast took Su Chen over an hour, but it was worth every second.
While the rest of the world raced against time, Su Chen sat peacefully by the lake, enjoying his fragrant dinner, watching little birds flutter by.
Moments like this were rare, and they couldn't be an everyday luxury — life out here was still about survival, after all.
Still, it was nice to treat himself once in a while.
On regular days, he'd have to stick to simpler meals to conserve resources.
After all, he wasn't here just to enjoy life — survival was the primary goal.
At times, even Su Chen nearly forgot that.
Maybe to the other survivors, living was enough.
But Su Chen wanted more.
He was greedy — he wanted to stockpile supplies and carve out a better life for himself here.
"Burp—"
Satisfied and full, Su Chen leaned back. His appetite had been growing lately, and he was definitely starting to put on some weight.
"Awooo—"
Suddenly, a chilling howl pierced the air.
Su Chen immediately tensed.
He knew that sound — it was wolves.
And not just one wolf, but likely an entire pack.
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