Chapter 36 Settlement on the Eighth Day
Looking at the crucian carp with its gills still throbbing at the harpy eagle's feet, the fish was clearly freshly caught from the river.
Qin Ziwen's voice turned stern: "Didn't I tell you to come straight back? Why did you go to the river to catch a fish? What if you accidentally got bitten by a crocodile?"
Hearing the displeasure in its master's tone, the harpy eagle shrank its neck, trying to tiptoe away.
Then it was grabbed by the neck and made to stand still.
"Stand still."
The harpy eagle let out a soft howl, trying to awaken its master's fatherly love.
Qin Ziwen stared at it for a while, then his tone softened, and he rubbed its fluffy head. "Never mind, you just arrived, it's normal that you didn't understand what I meant. As long as you came back safely, that's good. You did well in the battle tonight, this fish will be your meal tomorrow."
"Remember, hunting is catching fish. Eat, eat, with your mouth." Qin Ziwen pointed to its beak, then to the fish, patiently teaching it the commands.
The harpy eagle seemed bewildered, sometimes shaking its head, sometimes gently stepping on the fish with its claws. It was unclear whether it understood, like a hyperactive child.
The fish was wrapped in a plastic bag and placed in the cellar.
Qin Ziwen went to the living room. The gray sweet potato plant he had brought back during the day had been planted in a plastic cylindrical stool.
The wild vegetables that had originally grown inside had been pulled up, and the sweet potato had been buried.
He had deliberately placed it near the spring; it was too conspicuous on the balcony, and this was the safest place.
He planned to dig more soil and gather some stones tomorrow to build a simple "earthen platform."
As night fell, Qin Ziwen prepared to sleep. The harpy eagle, not wanting to sleep in the living room, sneaked into the bedroom.
The bedroom was empty, the floor smooth and clean, and it felt restless standing on it.
It shifted several times, but none of the positions seemed comfortable.
Qin Ziwen then gathered a pile of firewood he had accumulated from the kitchen and piled it into a simple nest shape, then laid some of his own unwanted clothes on top.
The harpy eagle cautiously moved inside, its claws hooking onto the wooden stick. It shifted its position slightly, finding the atmosphere reassuring. Slowly, it crouched down, folded its wings, and lay prone in the nest, closing its eyes.
In the middle of the night, the harpy eagle opened its eyes a crack,
looking towards the door.
After a short while, as the sounds in the hallway faded, the harpy eagle slowly closed its eyes again.
In the morning, upon waking, Qin Ziwen's first action was to check the results.
"You have successfully survived safely in the wilderness for eight days. Today you harvested two traps, caught four fish, raised a group of rabbits, eliminated those who coveted the traps, discovered wild sweet potatoes and transplanted them home, and your harpy eagle caught a crucian carp. Overall score: 31 points."
"Rewards: [Expansion Card] Blank Expansion Card (Micro) *1, [Resource Card] Level 1 Spring *1, Bag of Salt *1"
Thirty-one points!
Qin Ziwen thought to himself.
Sure enough, as long as there are more positive feedback actions each day, even without events like hunting large wild beasts like crocodiles, a high score can still be obtained.
Moreover, from the settlement perspective, the income of recruited units is also included in the scoring criteria.
Going to the restroom, Qin Ziwen used a blank expansion card on an empty space, and a large new area expanded outwards.
Two more cards, and he'd have enough area to build farmland.
Taking out a Level 1 Spring Card, he received feedback from his homestead the moment he received the card.
Two resources with the same name could be merged into a higher-level resource; of course, he could also choose to build a second Level 1 Spring in another area of his homestead.
Without much hesitation, Qin Ziwen directly chose the former.
His homestead wasn't very large yet, so there was no need to build two springs, and he was also curious about what a Level 2 resource would look like.
The Level 1 Spring Card transformed into light and merged with a spring that had already been built not far away.
When the light dissipated,
the appearance and size of the spring remained unchanged.
He approached with curiosity.
He noticed the difference at a glance; the water surface was rippling, clearly a result of the spring's increased flow rate, a stark contrast to its previous state.
He'd find out the exact flow rate by checking the water level when he returned at noon or in the evening.
He scooped up two handfuls of clear spring water and drank it; it was sweet and refreshing.
He then added grass, rabbit pellets, and water to the rabbits in their cages.
After several days of confinement, the rabbits were no longer afraid of people. Seeing Qin Ziwen enter, it stopped hiding and just stared at him blankly.
Reaching the cellar, it first took out the crucian carp the harpy eagle had caught the day before and tossed it to the eagle.
"Eat well, then work hard, understand?"
The harpy eagle ate happily, letting out a few soft hums.
Suddenly, a banging sound came from outside the stairwell.
"Bang bang bang!"
"Bang bang bang!"
The harpy eagle was startled, its head sharply looking towards the door, adopting a defensive posture.
"It's okay, keep eating, it's not looking for us." Qin Ziwen gently patted its head, signaling it to continue eating.
He had already realized the banging wasn't from his own house, but from across the street.
"Open the door! You bitch, open the door! You dare to steal but don't
dare open the door, huh!" "You'd rather be a prostitute than a decent person."
"You filthy bitch, open the door for me, or I'll throw manure at your door! I'll let everyone in the whole neighborhood know what kind of person you are!"
A middle-aged woman shouted loudly in the stairwell.
It seems Wang Xiaoli's hidden profession has been discovered.
Qin Ziwen didn't comment on this; in the current environment, whatever one does is a personal choice, as long as it doesn't affect him.
"Bang, bang, bang."
He frowned, because this time it was his own door being knocked on.
"Hey, don't get excited, this is another neighbor's house." A man's voice came from outside.
"Shut up, I'll deal with you when we get back." The middle-aged woman scolded him, but her knocking was much lighter. "Is anyone home? Is anyone home in 502?" His
younger brother, who was burning firewood on the balcony to prepare breakfast, stood up, a wood-chopping knife in hand.
Having a previous incident where Xie Jun's brothers broke into his house, Ziwu was particularly wary of this.
Qin Ziwen frowned. He locked the eagle in the bedroom, went behind the door, and looked through the peephole. He saw two people outside, a man and a woman.
The woman was tall and strong, probably weighing 160 or 170 pounds, while the man was thin and short, like a bamboo pole.
Qin Ziwen's tone was indifferent: "What do you want?"
Hearing someone inside, the woman outside said, "Oh, someone's here. Can I come in for a bit? The house across the street isn't open, so I'd like to use your balcony."
"No, it's not convenient,"
Qin Ziwen refused outright.
The woman's voice rose two decibels: "Hey, how can you be like this—"
Her words were abruptly cut off.
The door was suddenly flung open, and Qin Ziwu, his face fierce, held a machete level, pointing it at the two of them. "If you raise your voice at my brother again, believe me, I'll kill you! You've got some nerve!"
The woman's face paled, her eyes filled with panic.
She had only said a few words; why was this man pulling out a knife? People hadn't acted like this when she argued with others before.
The man behind her walked over, apologizing profusely, his hands clasped together, "I'm so sorry, my wife is straightforward and sometimes speaks without thinking. I apologize on her behalf."
Qin Ziwen coldly said, "Your private affairs are none of my business. But don't disturb the other neighbors. Also, no throwing feces in the hallway, or I'll make you lick it clean."
At this moment, the neighbors from apartment 601 upstairs and the fourth floor downstairs came out to watch the commotion, and they all spoke up.
"You should resolve your own conflict. Throwing feces is going too far. In this hot weather, the stench will be unbearable, and we neighbors will be the ones cleaning up afterward."
"Miss, if you ask me, you should keep a closer eye on your husband. It takes two to tango."
The neighbors chimed in.
The couple standing in the hallway turned pale and then red.
Finally, the woman stormed off downstairs, and the man hurriedly chased after her.
(End of Chapter)