Falling into the Cretaceous

The fat man sat on a stone next to the stainless steel pot, constantly kneading the white pith with both hands, like kneading dough. It was not very sticky and would easily fall apart. He added some water and then placed it directly on the iron plate to fry.

Lin Ruochu was also helping out.

The sheet metal was coated with a layer of grease beforehand; it was one of the few greases on the Deinonychus's body.

The fat man applied the tree pith paste directly with his hands, and soon a fragrance wafted out, allowing those around him to smell the long-lost aroma of pancakes.

The prepared pancakes will be placed on the metal sheet next to them.

The survivors were already starving, and their mouths watered as they looked at the pancakes.

In the survivors' previous lives, they wouldn't even glance at these foods, because they were used to eating delicacies, and these were just starch pancakes.

But now, hunger has lowered their expectations for food, and they've returned to their most primal desires.

Hunger also lowers their threshold for happiness.

In the past, they might have needed to eat a pufferfish sashimi prepared by a Michelin-starred chef to feel a slight sense of pleasure, but now they can be satisfied for most of the day with just a pancake that has no oil or salt.

This sense of happiness is built on a solid foundation, not on vanity or a sense of novelty.

When Zhang Qiming saw Shen Ye walk out of the cabin, he walked over. He had already noticed that Shen Ye was in a bad mood.

He doesn't need to care if others are in a bad mood, but he can't care about Shen Ye, because Shen Ye is the spiritual core of the entire team. If something happens to him, the others can forget about living.

"Brother Ye, you seem to have something on your mind. Why don't you tell me? Even if I can't help, at least you can relax a bit by talking about it," Zhang Qiming asked tentatively as he approached.

Shen Ye glanced at Zhang Qiming.

He thought that if Ah K were still alive, at least he would have someone to talk to. Now, apart from Zhang Qiming, it seemed that he had no one to talk to.

Because as a leader, there are many things that cannot be told to others.

If a general shows vulnerability to his soldiers, it will cause them to lose confidence, triggering the biological instinct of "leader selection mechanism" (evolutionary psychology), making the soldiers believe that the general is incapable of protecting the group, which in turn leads to a significant drop in morale and the general's prestige.

This loss of image is almost irreparable for the group, who initially placed their lives on the "idol," not on a person.

Shen Ye has been building his image as a leader since yesterday, and he certainly can't afford to ruin it easily.

In psychology, this is called absolute role expectation and dehumanization. It's not that they don't see Shen Ye as a human being, but after becoming a leader, they subconsciously gravitate towards that, automatically putting a filter on the leader they trust. The longer it goes on, the more they deify him. This is a psychological behavior that is almost unavoidable.

"Brother Zhang, there is indeed something I need to discuss with you," Shen Ye said.

"Then let's discuss this inside the cabin," Zhang Qiming nodded and said. Shen Ye hesitated for a moment, but still went into the cabin.

Zhang Qiming followed him inside.

The two sat in the nose of the plane, where Ah K had died. His blood was still there, but it had turned into a black stain.

"Brother Ye, tell me, what is it that even you can't solve?" Zhang Qiming asked with a smile.

"Don't say that. I'm a complete novice. I get nervous when I see savages and dinosaurs," Shen Ye said with a wry smile, touching his nose.

"I know, but you can't show it in front of other people," Zhang Qiming said, patting Shen Ye's arm lightly.

Shen Ye nodded; of course he knew that.

"Tell me, what is it?" Zhang Qiming asked, getting straight to the point.

Shen Ye took a cigarette out of his pocket.

He put it in his mouth, but nothing lit it, so he clipped it to his ear.

"The plane that disappeared three months ago did indeed travel to this world, but I'm not sure if they've been here for three months. Modern time and time here aren't necessarily equal," Shen Ye said.

"I understand. In modern times, they disappeared three months ago, but they may have traveled back in time three days ago, or they may have traveled back three months ago," Zhang Qiming said.

Shen Ye nodded.

"That's right, but that's not what I want to discuss with you. What I want to discuss is whether or not we should go to the savage tribe to rescue the survivors."

Shen Ye's words made Zhang Qiming pause for a moment.

Shen Ye didn't say "occupy the camp," but used a more friendly term instead.

"Whether you're struggling with a moral issue or have other reasons, as the leader, I think you should prioritize the survival and interests of the entire team," Zhang Qiming said incisively.

He didn't want Shen Ye to go and save people.

But I can't say it directly.

Upon hearing this, Shen Ye's mind instantly cleared up.

Yes, I'm still not used to being the leader, which is why I was caught in a moral dilemma just now.

"Brother Zhang, you're right. I need to consider the survival interests of the entire team. I shouldn't be thinking about whether or not to save people, but rather how to drive away those savages!"

Shen Ye nodded.

"Wait, I don't understand what you mean." Zhang Qiming was a little confused.

"We definitely need to scout out the savage tribe, but not now. Instead, we should wait until they come to attack us again. Once we understand their situation, we can better formulate a response!" Shen Ye said.

Zhang Qiming frowned.

"You mean we should take the initiative?" Zhang Qiming asked, his eyes wide.

"Pretty much. The savage tribe should have solved the problems of drinking water and salt. If we can take over their tribe, we will not only no longer have to worry about being attacked, but we can also expand our living area," Shen Ye said.

"That's acceptable."

Zhang Qiming nodded; he felt something was off.

It took me a while to understand.

"No, isn't this just a different way of saying the same thing as saving someone? Is this any different from the rhetoric of 'I like someone else's wife' versus 'The person I like became someone else's wife'? You... you originally wanted to save someone, but you just wanted me to be the catalyst!?"

Zhang Qiming reacted and said.

"I never said we were rescuing people. We're going to raid the camp and eliminate future threats. As the saying goes, two tigers cannot share one mountain. This area has our camp and a savage tribe. If we don't eliminate them, they will eliminate us!"

Shen Ye said with great certainty.

"Okay...that's how it is, but we don't know how many survivors they have!" Zhang Qiming said.

"Thirty-five! Twenty-three women and twelve men, all able-bodied men," Shen Ye said.

"How did you know?" Zhang Qiming asked in surprise.

"The knot told me."

Shen Ye pointed to the rope at the hatch and said.

"..."

Shen Ye wasn't looking for an excuse to rescue people; rather, he considered these issues from the perspective of the camp's interests. Even if no survivors were captured by the savages, they would still launch an attack.