National Survival: I Supported the Dragon Nation by Hunting Dinosaurs

Thirty minutes later.

In the old town of Z city in Henan Province, there is a small red brick courtyard that has stood for many years.

This is Wang Qiang's home. Although the walls are peeling, the yard is spotless, and there are several pots of green ivy struggling to survive the acid rain in the corner.

"Knock knock knock".

The knocking was very soft, with a cautiousness that seemed afraid of disturbing the dream.

With a creak, the iron gate opened.

The person who opened the door was an elderly man with gray hair, wearing a faded Zhongshan suit, followed by a kind-looking old lady.

They had deep worries in their eyes, but their backs were ramrod straight.

"Uncle Wang, Aunt Wang." The leading officer gave a crisp military salute, his voice low, careful not to wake the sleeping children inside.

"This meat is for the children; it was specially approved by the authorities so that the children can get some nourishment."

The soldiers behind him quickly carried the insulated box into the yard.

Grandpa Wang's withered hand trembled slightly as he looked at the fresh meat.

In this day and age, what do these hundreds of kilograms of fresh meat mean?

"Where...where did this come from?"

Grandpa Wang was so anxious that he tried to push the box away.

"No, this won't do! It's too valuable! The country is also short of resources, take it back immediately!"

The officer's eyes were slightly red as he took the old man's hand.

"Sir, please accept this. This is from Squad Leader Wang... This is what Qiangzi pieced back for the children at the dinosaur world!"

The old man froze.

His cloudy eyes welled up with tears, his lips trembled, and it took him a long time to squeeze out a sentence.

"Qiangzi...is he brave over there?"

The old man didn't know how to use those holographic projection and live streaming equipment, and he didn't dare to watch them.

He was afraid to see blood, afraid to see that familiar figure fall.

"Brave!" The officer's voice was strong and resolute, carrying an unquestionable determination.

"Squad Leader Wang is a great soldier! He's now rejoined our main force from China and is perfectly safe! He's a hero!"

"Oh...oh! That's good, that's good..."

The old man smiled, tears streaming down his face.

He didn't care about resources; he only cared about whether his son had brought shame to the military.

After several refusals, the elderly couple finally accepted this weighty "family letter".

Before leaving, the officer saluted again.

"Uncle Wang, please contact us anytime if you encounter any difficulties. The organization has said that we must not let our heroes shed blood and tears."

Watching the taillights of the convoy disappear into the distance, Grandpa Wang stood in the cold wind, not returning home for a long time.

He gazed at the hazy sky, as if he could see that figure wielding a sword in the wild world.

"My son, live..."

……

While most of the contestants were still dreaming, Zhang Li had already opened his eyes.

Outside the cave, it was pitch black, with only the chirping of unknown insects rising and falling in the grass.

"woke up?"

Hearing the noise, Huang Xiaoying, who was sitting at the entrance of the cave, turned around.

She held a crossbow in her hand; although she looked somewhat haggard, her eyes were bright.

"Hmm." Zhang Li got up and stretched his stiff neck. "You've worked hard. Go get some sleep. I'll keep watch for the rest of the time."

Huang Xiaoying shook her head: "I can't sleep, I'll make breakfast."

Just then, a light footstep sound came from behind.

Wang Qiang also woke up.

This veteran scout had a keen intuition.

He glanced at Zhang Li, but didn't ask any questions. He simply walked over silently and picked up a thick vine.

"Getting up so early, are you planning to set off already?" Wang Qiang asked in a low voice.

Zhang Li nodded, took out a dagger from his storage space, and trimmed the barbs off several vines.

"We can't leave the water and saltpeter behind. This cave is deeper than we thought, and the terrain is complicated. We can't just walk; we need safety ropes."

"Understood."

Wang Qiang grinned.

Zhang Li was responsible for dealing with the toughness of the vines, using the [All-Seeing Eye] to remove the rotten waste inside;

Wang Qiang was in charge of weaving, twisting three strands together and coiling five strands together, forming standard "double figure-eight knots" and "Prussian knots" in his hands.

In the live broadcast room, He Jiong had just sat back down in the commentary booth while yawning when he was stunned by the scene in front of him.

"It's only four o'clock... and Zhang Li and Wang Qiang are already working?"

The comments were sparse, but those who remained were die-hard fans.

"That's why they're number one on the leaderboard, and I'm just a loser."

"That knot was tied so beautifully! Textbook style!"

A user with the verified ID "Pei Ye," who identifies himself as a "Director of the International Cave Exploration Association," suddenly posted a striking comment:

Incredible! They're creating a high-strength static rope alternative. This weaving technique maximizes the tensile strength of the plant fibers!

Two hours later.

Three dark green vines, each one hundred meters long and as thick as a thumb, coiled on the ground...

At this moment, the sky was just beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn.

Li Yue woke up rubbing her sleepy eyes, and a rich, fresh aroma wafted into her nostrils.

"It smells so good..."

"Eat up, then you can get back to work." Zhang Lisheng handed her a bowl of milky white lungfish soup.

After drinking the hot soup, my whole body felt warm.

After breakfast, Zhang Li's expression turned serious.

"Li Yue, you stay at the cave entrance. This is our escape route; someone needs to meet us."

Zhang Li tightly tied one end of the vine to the stalactite pillar at the cave entrance, while holding the other end in his hand.

"Set off."

Huang Xiaoying led the way, holding a torch.

The further you go in, the more damp and cold the air becomes.

The jagged stalactites resemble upside-down fangs, casting menacing shadows in the firelight.

The ground was extremely slippery, and black mud seeped out with every step.

I walked about seventy meters.

Within Zhang Li's omniscient vision, the surrounding rock walls gleamed with a strange, faint light.

"Right here," Huang Xiaoying pointed to a rock face chasm on the left.

Zhang Li leaned closer to the torch and saw clusters of crystals resembling white frost growing in the crevices of the rocks.

"It's saltpeter!"

"And it's very pure! With a little purification, it'll definitely be usable!"

A smile appeared on Zhang Li's lips. The next step was to find a water source!

"Xiaoying, you stay here and tie the rope to the stalagmite over there as a relay point."

Zhang Li looked into the deep, dark distance ahead, where the wind seemed to have picked up even more.

"Brother Qiang, shall we probe further ahead and see what's going on?"

Wang Qiang agreed without hesitation.

The two of them continued deeper, holding onto one end of another vine.

As the distance increased, the surrounding space became increasingly eerie.

The originally narrow passage began to widen, but this widening was even more unsettling in the darkness.

The surroundings were eerily quiet, with only the sound of their breathing and the dripping of water on the rocks.

This place is like the Earth's intestines, with countless forks in the road like a maze.

"Whoosh—whoosh—"

A low, rumbling sound came from ahead.

"Watch out, the terrain has changed ahead." Zhang Li suddenly stopped and grabbed Wang Qiang.

"What's wrong?" Wang Qiang held up the torch and peered forward.

The next second, this seasoned veteran was instantly drenched in cold sweat.

The road ended less than ten centimeters from his toes.

The ground ahead was no longer rocky, but a bottomless, pitch-black void.

The torchlight seemed so small here that it couldn't reach the opposite bank or the bottom.

This is a massive underground fault!

"Hiss..." Wang Qiang gasped.

At this moment, the viewers in the live stream also felt a sense of suffocation.

The oppressive feeling brought by the darkness can be transmitted into everyone's nerves even through the screen.

"All-seeing eye, scan."

Zhang Li stood on the edge of the cliff, his eyes slightly narrowed.

In his mind, countless lines began to outline the contours of this space.

This is a huge underground cavity, over 100 meters high, and its width... is beyond the detection range.

And below, at a vertical distance of about twenty meters.

[A large amount of liquid flow has been detected...]

[Preliminary assessment: Underground river.]

Wherever there is a flowing water source, there is the possibility of establishing a permanent base.

but……

[Warning: Due to its underground location, our all-seeing eye is limited and cannot determine whether the water is drinkable.]

The prehistoric world, especially underground rivers near volcanic geology, may have contained harmful substances.

"There's water down there. But I don't know if the water is drinkable!" Zhang Li turned to Wang Qiang and said.

Wang Qiang was taken aback: "Then what should we do?"

"Brother Qiang, secure the rope to that stone pillar."

Zhang Li tied one end of the last vine around his waist; it was a standard rappelling buckle.

Wang Qiang was taken aback: "You're going down? The situation down there is unclear..."