CH 23.3

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… 

Lu Liran rummaged through the trap again, hoping to find another giant scale earthworm; they came in pairs.

It’s a pity that there was only one unlucky worm in Ke Ji’s trap, Lu Liran sighed, and had to get up and said: “It seems that there are no other worms, I have to find something else to eat.”

[Why did I hear a hint of disappointment…]

[Is the anchor a devil? Isn’t one earthworm enough to eat?!] 

[Enough is impossible, but I beg Brother Lu to eat something good]

[For the first time, I hope there is a script for this live broadcast, so arrange a delicious meal for Brother Lu!]

Lu Liran walked to a small frozen river, his eyes were slightly bright, and he immediately lay down on the ground, brushing away the snow on the river surface, exposing the frozen river surface about ten centimeters thick.

“Great, we can fish, though it depends on luck, but…it doesn’t hurt to try.” He said.

Lu Liran used an outdoor knife to cut off a small piece of the scale earthworm, threaded it on the only remaining jumping sheep bent horn, then tied the rope to the jumping sheep horn. A heavier stone was tied a little below the rope, and a simple bait and fishing rod were made.

Lu Liran dug a small hole in the frozen river, immediately gurgled into the hole. He then put the jumping sheep horn into the river hole, and the stone tied to the other end of the rope dragged the little sheep’s horn to sink.

Lu Liran broke off a few more branches, then pulled off a bunch of leaves, and stuffed them in the river hole.

After he finished all this, he rubbed his icy palms to keep warm, and explained: “The branches and leaves are to prevent the hard-won hole from freezing back again in no time. In that case, everything we did was in vain.” 

He stared at the river hole for a while, then got up and said: “Let’s do this for now, anyway, this small river is on the road we had to travel afterwards. Let’s check it back later to see the harvest.”

He stared at the river hole for a while, then got up and said: “Let’s Lu Liran return the same way, just like Ke Ji did the day before, picking up a lot of pine shoots and pine roots.

“Compared to the snowy mountains, there are more edible things in the forest area.” Lu Liran said, and he soon found another target, which was a rotten tree lying in the forest.

It was unknown how long this tree has been here, the recumbent trunk was covered with a thick layer of soft moss and decaying mud of fallen leaves. 

Everyone in the live broadcast room saw Lu Liran striding over eagerly, and those who didn’t know thought he would pick up some dead beasts again in front.

Lu Liran scraped away a layer of mud on the rotten wood, and when the camera ball came to focus. Lu Liran pointed out with great interest: “This is an ant nest, if there are ant eggs in it, it’s a profit.”

[?]

[I really shouldn’t have much hope for the food Brother Lu is interested in] 

[Come to think of it, Brother Lu’s target food has been weird from the very beginning. What ferns in the cracks of the rocks…the jumping sheep were just picked up and were not in Brother Lu’s recipe at all]

[Brother Lu’s steel stomach is really awe-inspiring]

Lu Liran ignored the live broadcast room and focused on looking for his ant eggs.

“I’m not pursuing exotic food, but in the wild, the way to survive is to spend the least energy cost to get the most food return.” While cleaning up the ant nest, he said,  “Of course I can hunt, but following the tracks of prey and fighting with only an outdoor knife, this kind of quality-price ratio is terribly low, and often the calories consumed by hunting are not as good as the food supplies returned from hunting.” 

“Looking for ant eggs like this consumes trivial amounts of energy, and once the ant eggs are harvested, it’s a great harvest.”

“Ant eggs are rich in amino acids and protein. Its protein content is 16 times that of milk and 38 times that of eggs. The heat generated is 6 times higher than that of fish, meat, and poultry eggs.”

“So ant eggs are a good thing.” Lu Liran took a breath, and a faint unpleasant smell lingered at the tip of his nose.

In the end, he really managed to dig out a large group of elongated pale yellow ant eggs, which were only about one centimeter in size and looked like rice grains. 

This time the day was hot, a group of sour ants all came out. Lu Liran quickly took out a bag of ant eggs with quick hands and feet, stuffed them into his backpack along with a dozen sour ants on it, and left.

He gently patted off a single ant hanging on his hair on the back of his hand, he exhaled and said: “Actually, the best time to dig out ant nest is early in the morning, when the sun is not out, these ants are not that active, even if the eggs are pulled out, they will not crawl out, and will not easily bite the enemy.”

“Not like now, everyone looks like a fighter.” He said, “But since I took a lot of eggs from others, it’s understandable.”

[23333, they were just guarding their home and defending their country!] 

[When Brother Lu was bitten, no little ant was innocent]

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Alone, he took out the “food” in the backpack one by one, and the meat and vegetables were evenly mixed. 

Vegetables include pine roots and shoots, while the meat includes earthworm and ant eggs. From the perspective of calories and protein that can be obtained, it is very rich.

Since there is a fire, there is no need to eat it raw. Lu Liran found a large leaf, then put the giant scale earthworm and a nest of ant eggs on it, and roasted it over the campfire.

The shoots are like popcorn, casually thrown into the mouth and chewed, while the roots are still boiled for drinking.

Soon, a strange smell came from the leaves. 

No matter how much Ke Ji tried to pretend to be asleep, he couldn’t go on pretending to be asleep. The corner of his mouth twitched, he pretended to be dazed, and he opened his eyes: “What is burning?”

Lu Liran let out an “ah”, He met Ke Ji’s steel-blue eyes, and unexpectedly thought of what happened last night.

He twisted the corners of his mouth awkwardly, then pointed to the smoky food in the leaves, and said: “Breakfast and lunch.”

When Ke Ji smelled the scent, an ominous premonition surged in his heart. After a few seconds of mental preparation, he looked over. 

Ke Ji: “……”

Lu Liran looked at him as sincerely as possible: “It’s high in protein and calories, and you’ll need those for the rest of the hike.”

“…I see.” Ke Ji replied dryly.

However, even Lu Liran felt that the food on the leaves looked like some kind of deliberate revenge. 

He touched the tip of his nose, he waited until the things were cooked, and then used two branches to separate the scale earthworm that had shrunk to half its original length.

“This is yours.” Lu Liran said to Ke Ji, then paused, “Perhaps if you hold your breath while eating, it won’t seem unpalatable.”

Ke Ji took it over, while Lu Liran was amused with his not afraid of dying expression.

He coughed lightly, then he put his fist against his lips to cover up his smile, and added a word of experience: “Don’t breathe out in your abdomen after swallowing, as that tends to bring the aftertaste back.” 

Ke Ji: “……”

[Laughing to death hahaha. I really want to know how many times Brother Lu has eaten this kind of exotic food. How come he always has so much experience to tell!]

[Brother Lu should have started the live broadcast earlier! We missed too many strange recipes of Brother Lu]

[The face of the beauty has changed hahaha, I pity him for a second] 

[Brother Lu, can you let the beauty describe the taste after eating it!]

Lu Liran raised his eyebrows and asked: “Why do you need him to describe it? I could have just told you guys.”

[Brother Lu’s description is too boring]

[No hope +1] 

Lu Liran draws the corners of his mouth, not convinced.

“It’s like the smell of baked plastic, it smells like this, and it tastes like this too.” Lu Liran rushed to reply.

Ke Ji closed his eyes and stuffed everything into his mouth.

Lu Liran was obviously stunned when he saw it, and made a soft “hiss”. He didn’t expect that the other party would readily bite, otherwise, he would have given another line of experience. 

Ke Ji only felt that the thing in his mouth could not be chewed. The more he chews, the stronger the taste becomes, and the more unbearable it is. Lu Liran’s breath-holding remedies obviously do not apply here.

Ke Ji didn’t know how he swallowed it in the end.

He looked at Lu Liran, and saw Lu Liran’s slightly wrinkled facial features. He came to pay attention to him with a look that couldn’t bear to look directly, and still held the military canteen in his hand, which seemed to be prepared for him.

“Well, rinse your mouth.” Lu Liran stuffed the canteen into Ke Ji’s hand. 

Ke Ji did not refuse, he really needed drinking water to dilute the strange taste in his mouth.

Lu Liran said in a low voice: “The scale of the earthworm will stick tightly to the skin and flesh at high temperature, so the overall meat texture will become more resilient. Usually it will be divided into small pieces, just chew a few bites and swallow, it’s very satiating and pads your hunger.”

Ke Ji:“……”

[Pfft, brother Lu is promising, and this time he also talked about the taste!] 

[Ke Meiren is really miserable hahahaha, every time he miss the practical experience]

[I only represent a personal suspicion that Brother Lu did it on purpose]

Lu Liran swears to the sky that he wants to reconcile with Ke Ji and break the ice, and he never intends to play pranks or revenge.

“Are you okay?” Seeing that Ke Ji had finished drinking the water, Lu Liran expressed concern. 

Ke Ji let out a long breath, and looked at Lu Liran: “For a while, I don’t know whether to say it tastes worse or the eyeball is worse.”

[Hahahahahahahahahahaha, one world, one idea]

[Ke Meiren, I believe in you! You can definitely describe it!]

Lu Liran thought for a while, and discussed: “I think the eyeballs are more disgusting, after all, they will explode.” 

Ke Ji: “……” I don’t really want to discuss it.

But he was still led astray by Lu Liran, and asked: “What did you feed me?”

“Giant scale earthworm.”

“It tastes like moldy plastic, but the tongue can feel the soft texture of the meat, and the sticky and slippery skin, which seems to be covered with a layer of mucus. It’s very incredible that it didn’t get dried out by the fire.” 

Ke Ji recalled it for a while, and added: “Not only does it taste moldy plastic, probably also a bloated plastic that has been soaked in mud and water.”

Lu Liran slightly pulled the corner of his mouth: “You seem to be enjoying it, you look like you’re having so much fun.”

“No, I just want your live broadcast room to know what terrible things you did to me.” Ke Ji said.

Lu Liran: “……” 

[Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha, fuck. The beauty really lived up to expectations]

[But in this case though, I still think that liquid explosion left more shadow, and its taste is a little more disgusting]

[I’ll award the most miserable Omega of all time to Ke Meiren, no one would object, right?]

Lu Liran made up for it, and brought the remaining ant eggs in front of Ke Ji: “This one will taste better.” 

“Ant eggs?” Ke Ji recognized it, he didn’t expect him to find such a nest.

Lu Liran nodded, he was bitten twice, but the sour ants are not poisonous, just a little painful.

If this were placed in the Interstellar Hotel, Ant Eggs would even be an expensive and high-end dish.

But it was carefully cooked, and the effect of simple cooking on Lu Liran’s side cannot be generalized. 

Ke Ji picked up a few cooked ant eggs that were brown and yellow like rice grains, he stuffed them into his mouth, his brows were slightly frowned, but it was not that painful.

“It tastes good, right?” Lu Liran also grabbed a handful and put it in his mouth, looking at Ke Ji while eating.

“It’s a bit sour and astringent, but it tastes like corn kernels.” Ke Ji said.

He met Lu Liran’s eyes, somehow he actually saw a little pride in them, as if to say—— see, I did not lie to you, still found a good taste of wild game. 

The corner of Ke Ji’s mouth twitched.

“Let’s search along the road, maybe there are more.” Lu Liran said.

[Brother Lu’s eyes were locked!]

[Ant eggs may become the best food in the wild] 

[Run Ants!]

[The ants in the conservation forest moved overnight 23333]

After the two finished eating all the food, they stomped out the bonfire, cleaned up and got back on the road.

The route of travel is still in the direction of the Barents Sea in the south. 

Ke Ji walked through the forest where he smelled the Omega last night, then suddenly remembered, and asked Lu Liran as if confirming: “Did you notice the Omega pheromones last night? It was like near our cave, around this forest.”

Lu Liran paused slightly without a trace, and then said lightly: “Omega pheromones? Is it not you?”

Ke Ji: “…” That’s true, but he did not exude so strong.

He coughed lightly, and said: “Besides me, there should be another Omega here. I’m worried that something might happen to the other party.” 

“Hey, you can’t even protect yourself as an Omega, and you still have the heart to worry about others?” Lu Liran laughed unceremoniously.

“…maybe we can pay attention on the way?” Ke Ji still asked with a good temper.

Lu Liran glanced at him, the smell of Omega pheromone that Ke Ji mentioned was the smell from his out-of-control inhibitor last night, how could he find a second Omega?

advantage” of different attributes and incomparable perceptual acuity, he snorted softly: “I don’t feel any pheromone smell as an Alpha, but you are more sensitive than me as an Omega?” 

Ke Ji paused slightly when he heard his words, then he lowered his eyes to get rid of his momentary doubts.

——He noticed the smell of Omega’s pheromone, firstly because the piece of pheromone was so hot that it seemed that an Omega had entered estrus here, and secondly because he was an Alpha.

But Lu Liran, who is also an Alpha, didn’t respond? Did Lu Liran deliberately hide something, or did he have other secrets?

Ke Ji vaguely felt that he had found a corner of the secret, which was connected with the abnormality of the Alpha pheromone last night, which seemed to suggest something to him. 

He frowned slightly, thinking to himself.

Seeing that Ke Ji stopped talking, Lu Liran couldn’t help but reflect on whether what he said just now was too much.

He curled his lips, he had to ease up a bit and said: “If there is really an Omega here, then I will pay attention.”

Ke Ji looked up at him, he knew that Lu Liran was not a person who would do nothing to save him, he was just hard-spoken and soft-hearted. 

But he still didn’t understand why Lu Liran deliberately denied the existence of another Omega. Or, he couldn’t smell that Omega at all?

“Good, ah.” He smiled a little, like a pure and innocent rabbit, without showing any doubts and scrutiny in his heart.

The author has something to say:

Ke Ji: My brother Lu’s cooking skills are so good, I want to cry XD 

Sunnyshies: This is unedited…I’m being attack by laziness again, and now I’m stuck with ch 26 for a long time…fortunately I have stockpile…hahaha. I’ll edit it…tom…|(・ω・) |・ω・) |ω・)ノ |・)ノ | )…

BTW, counting time, it was only three or four days in the novel! Man, I see many reviews hating Ke Ji for being incompetent and dumb for not missing clues that Lu Liran is Lu Liran…it happened in many readers in jjwxc too. But really, the author already planted many seeds of doubts in Ke Ji’s heart, and he actually just denied it, because he needed more concrete proof and evidence, I agree with @Fuchou’s review in NU too. 

This is a slow-burn novel!! They won’t get together so quickly…and although the chapters are long, the timeline is slow. 20 chapters here is like two or three days, and 60 chapters are like months or so…please be patient!