Chapter 106: Shelter

After strolling around to show the livestream audience the harsh environment he was in, Qin Yun turned and walked to the location of the parachute.

As he cut with his dagger, he explained to the drone: "In desert regions, the temperature difference between day and night is extreme—I must plan for shelter at night, so adapting to local conditions and repurposing waste is essential. If these materials can form a suitable shelter, they'll keep me warm."

In a short while, he collected pieces of parachute material.

"Parachute material is primarily nylon. Though not a high-insulation fiber, its windproof, waterproof, air-trapping, and lightweight properties make it highly effective for passive warmth and cold resistance outdoors."

"Damn, Qin Ye knows so much—he seems to know everything."

"Who'd dare wander around if they didn't understand?"

"Only someone like Qin Ye can conquer nature."

Qin Yun glanced at the comments and smiled faintly: "It's about five-thirty PM now. Based on the sun's position, I estimate sunset will be around seven—so we have an hour and a half left."

"In extreme environments, the top priority is always shelter," Qin Yun said seriously to the camera. "So I must build a shelter before dark—one that resists wind, cold, and danger."

After packing all the parachute material into his backpack, Qin Yun took a sip of water into his mouth but didn't swallow immediately; he waited until his mouth was sufficiently moistened before swallowing.

He didn't wander aimlessly; his eyes quickly scanned for targets.

"Ebo Liang appears lifeless but hides dangers—depressions in the yardangs may harbor desert lizards, venomous snakes, or even desert wolves," Qin Yun waved his dagger and chuckled bitterly. "Though I have a weapon, I still need a ranged one."

"Haha, is Qin Ye going to make a bow and arrow again?"

"Qin Ye will once again demonstrate his flawless accuracy."

"666, what materials can you even use to make a bow here? This isn't a primeval forest full of usable resources."

Qin Yun replied to the comments: "Heh, though materials are scarce in the desert, plants that survive here are actually suitable for temporary bows—like saxaul wood. It's hard and drought-resistant."

"There are many materials for bow staves, but for the bowstring, I must turn to living creatures—there are no suitable vines here."

As he spoke, a gray-black shadow suddenly shot out from a crevice to his left, moving at high speed toward Qin Yun's arm.

The livestream comments exploded instantly.

"!!! What is that?"

"Snake—it's a desert viper, highly venomous."

"We're done, getting one-shot right at the start."

At the last possible moment, Qin Yun's expression didn't change; his body sidestepped as if anticipating the attack, while his right hand lifted the dagger lightly upward.

'Ssshh—!'

The dagger struck precisely under the viper's jaw. Qin Yun pushed hard—the force pierced through its body, impaling it completely. He then flicked his wrist, flinging the dagger to the ground, along with the dead snake.

The entire sequence—sidestepping, dagger thrust, and instant kill—took less than a second, fluid and seamless.

"!!!!!!"

"I'm stunned—what reaction speed is that?"

"Does Qin Ye know martial arts?"

"Too fast—he killed it instantly."

"Qin Ye definitely knows martial arts—holy crap, that's insane."

"Qin Ye: In my presence, ambushes don't exist."

"Viper: I just reincarnated from the Greater Khingan Range—why am I dying again in this guy's hands? I'll come back."

Qin Yun walked forward slowly; the camera focused on the still-twitching viper. Actually, the snake was already dead—its muscles were merely spasming from residual nerve activity.

He crouched down and said: "Desert viper—a common highly venomous snake in Qaidam. It has extreme heat sensitivity and actively attacks heat sources. Look: its head is triangular, its body has blotched patterns. Don't panic if you see one—keep distance and strike the vital points precisely. Also, after removing its skin and organs, its meat is edible and a high-quality protein source in the wild."

He grinned: "Most importantly, we now have our bowstring."

"Viper: Damn, I should've checked the almanac today—I ran into the ancestral master."

"666, Qin Ye can have a late-night snack."

"Did you hear that? Don't panic—just strike the vital points. Learn it yet?"

"Can't learn it. Can't learn it."

Confirming the viper was motionless, Qin Yun made a light cut about one centimeter below its neck—only through the skin, not into the flesh. Then, like pulling off a sock, he peeled off the entire snake skin intact.

Next, he cut it on-site, slicing the belly skin into strips about one centimeter wide—three strips total.

"In ancient China, there are records of using snake skin for bowstrings, so don't be surprised," Qin Yun said, tossing the strips onto the sand beside him and rubbing them repeatedly. "Rubbing removes oil and moisture, making the already tough strips more flexible and less likely to snap."

After repeated rubbing, Qin Yun looked up at the sun: "Still sunlight. Still time."

He placed a stone on one end, pulled the other end taut, and secured it under direct sunlight.

"November sunlight isn't strong, but the air here is dry—half an hour should be enough to set the strips into strong, resilient cords."

He looked toward the distance, where several saxaul trees grew stubbornly.

"I need to hurry," Qin Yun said, running toward them with his dagger, speaking as he ran. "Once the sun sets, the temperature will drop fast. My clothes are thin—I must find shelter quickly."

"In desert areas, building shelter has three core requirements: wind-sheltered, sun-shielded, and collapse-proof. Ebo Liang's yardangs are sedimentary rock—loose in texture, prone to rockfalls in high winds—so never choose spots beneath tall rocks."

He quickly reached the saxaul trees, measured with his palm, and selected a piece of wood one point five meters long. In moments, he stripped the bark, straightened it, preserving its thick middle and tapered ends. Then he carved seven or eight arrows, sharpening one end and leaving them otherwise unprocessed.

With bow, arrows, and string ready, the rest was simple.

Once the snake skin was sufficiently dried and confirmed set, he quickly twisted all strips into a single cord, twisting and braiding them tightly.

After finishing, he packed everything into his backpack, walked several hundred meters forward, and stopped at a partially recessed, wind-sheltered yardang. Three sides were surrounded by earthen walls; only one faced northeast, perfectly avoiding the northwest's gales. The top was flat, free of loose rocks; the ground was dry and hard.

"This is it," Qin Yun said, satisfied. "A natural semi-enclosed space—maximizes wind resistance. The ideal shelter location in the wild."

He unslung his backpack and pulled out the cut parachute fabric: "Now, I need to secure the fabric."

He anchored the four corners of the parachute cloth with heavy salt-alkali stones, erecting a simple windbreak. The shelter was spacious enough to even fit a small fire.

After enclosing the shelter with the parachute fabric, Qin Yun crawled out and began gathering fuel for the fire.

"The bow stave, arrows, and bowstring all need to be roasted over fire. And at night, fire will keep me warm—most importantly, with fire, I can eat that viper."

Though barren, this region still had combustibles like camel thorn and red willow roots.

Without much effort, relying on his expert botany knowledge, he quickly found several clumps of dried camel thorn.

"Camel thorn is the most resilient plant in the Qaidam Basin; its roots extend over ten meters deep, and even when dried, its branches remain hard and burn for a long time, making it excellent kindling. Look—its branches are thorny; be careful not to cut yourself when collecting them."

As he explained, he swiftly gathered dried branches, his movements efficient, with not a single unnecessary motion.

After collecting them, he returned to the shelter and surrounded it with stones, digging a shallow trench.

"What is Brother Qin doing?"

"Is this some kind of 'drawing a prison on the ground' technique?"

"Learning from Monkey King."

Seeing these comments, Qin Yun couldn't help but laugh and sigh: "Survival in the wild—details determine life or death. This trench blocks crawling venomous insects at night, traps a little heat, and prevents the shelter from being buried."

"666, Brother Qin knows so much."

"It feels like there's nothing Brother Qin doesn't know. Honestly, what does Brother Qin do for a living?"

"So far, everything Brother Qin has shown seems to be something he can do."

Time slowly passed; the sun sank toward the horizon, painting the Yadan landforms in brilliant gold and crimson, while temperatures plummeted rapidly—the cold wind bit like knives against the face.

Qin Yun pulled his neck in and opened several more ventilation gaps, to avoid poisoning himself when the fire started.

Although he hadn't yet made arrows, having a bow and string made the bow-drill method for fire-starting the easiest option.

Soon, he easily ignited the fire.

Once the fire was lit, he didn't immediately handle the snake meat; instead, he began the final step of roasting the bow to complete its shaping.

Though the conditions were crude and the result predictable, he didn't need anything impressive—just something functional and deadly.

As he roasted the arrow shafts, an unexpected change occurred.

"Woo—hoo—!"

From deep within the desert came a low, guttural beast roar—hoarse and vicious, echoing across the empty wasteland, sending chills down the spine.

The livestream instantly fell silent, then the comment section exploded with rapid-fire updates.

"Sounds like a wolf to me."

"Are there wolf packs in Ebo Liang? Does Brother Qin have a grudge with wolves—he runs into them even out here?"

"Holy shit, Brother Qin, run! It's dark now—wolves are out hunting."

"Oh no, first night and we're facing a wolf pack? This is too intense."

"Pfft, obviously scripted. What are the odds? You'll see—it's just for scare tactics, probably just a sound effect."

"Sorry, my psychotic son let this out by accident. Please ignore—I'm taking him back. Apologies."

"No problem, lock him up tighter so he doesn't annoy people."

"Don't worry—we won't waste time on idiots."

"Fucking—"

The user soon realized he could no longer comment—he had been banned.

Su Huan sneered: "Trash."

Qin Yun's breathing slowed as he pulled back the tarp to look outside.

But he saw nothing—only utter darkness, save for a faint glow of the Milky Way, cold and sterile.

He quickly returned to the fire trench, glanced at the bow stave drying nearby, then swiftly reattached the bowstring.

"It's probably a desert wolf—the apex predator of the Qaidam no-man's-land. They travel in packs, have an acute sense of smell, and can detect human scent from kilometers away."

Qin Yun's voice remained utterly calm, without a trace of panic.

"Without doubt, the desert wolves have spotted me. While I'm not afraid of three or five wolves, I don't want to fight them head-on now. Wisdom, not brute force, is the true essence of survival."

"Brother Qin is so calm—true man."

"So manly, I love it. Brother Qin, I'm waiting for you in Chengdu."

"Dead faggot, get lost."

"What's Brother Qin going to do?"