4468 The Other Side 437
Before he could finish, Gong Jie heard a growl coming from the actor’s stomach.
He looked at the actor, who was instantly embarrassed. “Well…”
“Hungry?”
“Yeah.”
“You haven’t been eating well these past few days, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“There!” The man took out a bag of dry rations from his backpack, but the actor took it with some misgivings.
“What about you? Do you have any more rations?”
“That’s all. These are compressed rations. They should be able to give you some energy.”
“If I ate it all, what would you have?”
Gong Jie didn’t seem worried. “We’ll take it one step at a time. I can hold up for a bit, it’s not an issue. But if you can’t, I’ll have to carry you on my back. Then both of us will be done for.”
Then, he said, “Let’s see if we can hunt some living creatures tonight.”
“Living creatures?”
“Yeah, like wild rabbits, wild deer… roast them.”
“Oh… you know how to hunt?”
“Yeah, this is the basics of wilderness survival.”
The actor caught up with Gong Jie and silently nibbled on his dry rations, but his heart was warmed. Although Gong Jie did not seem to be a meticulous person, the more dangerous the situation was, all the more his concern comforted and encouraged the actor! At the same time, he gave Hua Jin an inexplicable sense of security. Although the actor was in dire straits, Gong Jie’s presence gave him a feeling that no matter how dangerous it was, it was nothing!
…
In the evening, Gong Jie found a natural cave in the mountains.
It gradually turned cold as night fell. The wind was strong, but it was very warm in the cave. The actor brought some firewood over and Gong Jie used the flint he always carried with him to light a fire.
“Stay here by the fire and don’t move around. I’ll be right back.”
“Where are you going?”
Gong Jie replied, “I’ll go look for something to eat.” With that, he left the cave.
Hua Jin guarded the fire as he was told. He wrapped himself in the military coat, and gradually dozed off. When he woke up in a daze, he was surprised that Gong Jie had returned. At the same time, he smelled blood.
Curious, he stood up and walked over. Gong Jie heard his movements.
“You’re awake?”
“Yeah.” Hua Jin walked to his side and saw that he had caught a small deer.
“Where did this deer come from?”
Gong Jie explained, “It broke away from the herd. I saw her at the bottom of a hill. I think she broke her leg.”
“Ah, the poor thing…”
“Well, if it weren’t for me, it might have been devoured by the wolves.”
The actor was greatly amused at that. “Wouldn’t it be devoured all the same, being brought back by you?”
“Better to be eaten by me than by wolves.”
“Wild wolves may leave some skeletons behind after eating. But you… you may leave nothing behind.”
The man looked at him unhappily. “You seem to enjoy disagreeing with me?”
“Uh… it’s boring out here anyway.” The actor sat down beside him and watched him skillfully skin the dead animal. He could not help lamenting, “Those who don’t know better would think that you were born a butcher.”
“Get lost!”
“There’s no need to be so fierce.” Hua Jin felt wronged. “How are we going to relieve boredom if we don’t chat?”
“You do have the energy to talk.” Gong Jie snorted. “I’m exhausted, so don’t bother me.”
He quickly cleaned up the deer and roasted it.
