Shen Feng slipped into the kitchen searching for food, only to find two cabbages left, along with two bowls of crispy rice.
"Damn, why didn't they cook more? How can anyone get full with so little?" Shen Feng muttered to himself. He then bagged the crispy rice, grabbed the two cabbages, and left through the window.
The kitchen used a wood-fired stove, so controlling the heat was crucial when cooking. If the heat wasn't managed properly, the food in the pot would easily burn. Burnt rice was inedible, but crispy rice could still be eaten.
"Swish..." Shen Feng forgot to close the window when he left. Soon, someone noticed the problem, as the sound of rain in the kitchen seemed rather loud.
"Yilin, go check the kitchen. Did you forget to close the window?" The leader was a sallow-faced man sitting at the head of the dining table. After he spoke, a woman quickly stood up and walked towards the kitchen.
Yilin arrived in the kitchen and found that the crispy rice was gone. Furthermore, the two cabbages had also disappeared, and the window was still open, with rain drifting in from outside. Looking out, she could only see a dim forest, with nothing within it.
"Brother, it's possible that monkeys from the forest came in and stole my remaining crispy rice and cabbages," Yilin said helplessly.
The elder brother looked at Yilin and said, "Since it's been stolen, let it go. But from now on, you must be careful. The window must always be closed. It's fortunate we encountered monkeys this time; if we encounter enemies next time, it will be a big problem!"
Yilin quickly nodded and sat down.
Suddenly, someone asked, "Brother, why are we out here during the rainy season instead of staying at the base?"
The elder brother shoveled a few mouthfuls of rice into his mouth and explained, "There's no need to hide this. It's because word came down from above. It's estimated that Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi will arrive soon. All evolved individuals must leave the base and disperse across the island to find them."
"That's not right. Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi aren't part of our group. Why are we looking for them?" someone asked, confused.
The elder brother shrugged and said, "You ask me, who do I ask? In short, the mission assigned from above must be completed. As long as the mission is completed, and the higher-ups are pleased, the rewards will be unexpectedly generous!"
It turned out that everyone in the house was a subordinate of Wang Ao Ye. Wang Ao Ye had people keeping a close watch on Shen Feng's movements in Southeast Asia, and his subordinates naturally wouldn't dare disobey orders. They had to search for Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi even during the rainy season. As soon as they were found, they were to report to their superiors immediately.
Shen Feng returned to the boat cabin with the crispy rice and cabbages, intending to fill his stomach a little. The sky was already dim, and it would soon be dark. It was better to wait until the next day to find food and just get through the night.
However, when Shen Feng returned to the boat, he waited and waited for Yue Hengyi, but he never showed up. The sky had already darkened, and night was approaching. Shen Feng became puzzled. Had Yue Hengyi not found food and kept walking forward?
Helplessly, Shen Feng put on his raincoat and headed east. The forest here was particularly dense, with footprints on the ground. He walked deeper into the forest with his flashlight, calling out, "Little Yue, where are you?"
After walking five hundred meters, Shen Feng heard Yue Hengyi's reply, "Brother Feng, I'm over here! Hurry and save me!"
Hearing the reply, Shen Feng quickly sped up, dodging many branches, and moved towards the direction of the voice.
When Shen Feng approached the area where Yue Hengyi was, he was greatly shocked. Yue Hengyi was naked, hugging a large tree. His clothes and pants were hung aside, and the only clothing he had on was his shorts and socks. Yue Hengyi was still convulsing as he hugged the tree.
"Good grief, Little Yue, aren't you too impatient? Even if you can't find someone to vent on, you can't have impure thoughts about this tree! I've never heard of anyone so vigorous that they can 'fuck' a tree!" Shen Feng felt his worldview being challenged. He couldn't imagine Yue Hengyi being this kind of person, actually getting aroused by a tree. Even with youthful vigor, he shouldn't be so indiscriminate!
At that moment, a Thai pit viper emerged from the grass. Perhaps it hadn't eaten in a long time and saw a heat source in front of it, so it opened its mouth and bit.
Shen Feng's eyes were quick, and he instantly unleashed a wind blade, cutting the viper in half. Yue Hengyi was stunned by this scene, never expecting such danger in the grass.
Shen Feng looked at Yue Hengyi still hugging the tree and couldn't help but ask, "Uh, have you developed feelings for this tree? Aren't you going to let go?"
Yue Hengyi said helplessly, "If I could let go, I would have done so long ago. I'm forced into this. There's glue on this tree. Once touched, it's hard to separate. All my clothes got stuck to it, so I had to take them off. Then, I accidentally slipped while walking and grabbed onto the tree. Now I can't move."
Hearing this explanation, Shen Feng finally understood. No wonder Yue Hengyi was in this posture; he had misunderstood him. It turned out there was glue on the tree.
Shen Feng shone his flashlight around and discovered that mice and insects were also stuck to the tree. Some animals were reduced to skeletons, while others were still struggling.
With Yue Hengyi's trial and error, Shen Feng became much more cautious, vowing not to touch any surrounding trees, lest he get stuck too.
Shen Feng approached Yue Hengyi and looked at the severed venomous snake on the ground, saying, "Fortunately, I came early. If you had been bitten by this snake, you wouldn't have a happy life for the rest of your days. Your kidneys would fail, and you wouldn't be able to have anything with Qin Kewei!"
Yue Hengyi said, "Help me quickly! I'm still stuck. If it starts thundering now, I'm doomed!"
Yue Hengyi's biggest worry was lightning. He had received nine years of compulsory education and knew that one shouldn't hide under a tree during a rainstorm. But this was no longer about whether he could hide under a tree; he was stuck to it. If it thundered now, it would be a truly unjust death.
Shen Feng quickly observed Yue Hengyi's surroundings and found that one of Yue Hengyi's hands was not stuck by the glue. He grabbed this hand and pulled it outwards.
"Shh," Shen Feng exerted force, and a layer of skin was immediately torn from Yue Hengyi. Yue Hengyi couldn't help but cry out, "Ah, be gentle! I can't take it anymore! Don't be so violent!"
Yue Hengyi's arm was freed, but at the cost of a layer of skin. Blood seeped from the torn skin. Although humans have five layers of skin, that's under microscopic conditions. Now, with a layer of skin torn off, Yue Hengyi's skin receptors were constantly sending pain signals.
"I thought a good pull would get it off. Sorry, I'll think of another way!" Shen Feng quickly apologized.
Yue Hengyi said impatiently, "If it could be torn off with force, I would have gotten off long ago. Don't I know how to use force? Think of another way, don't just brute force it!"
Shen Feng looked at the tree. Its diameter was about fifty centimeters, making it quite tall in the rainforest. The glue secreted by its trunk was incredibly sticky. Even humans stuck to it would be unable to move unless they were willing to have a layer of skin torn off.
"If Hou Xiaohua encountered this tree, he wouldn't have to worry. His skin is very thick!" Shen Feng muttered to himself.
"Enough, Hou Xiaohua has been gone for almost three months. His abilities can't transfer to me!" Yue Hengyi was speechless.
Shen Feng suddenly thought of a solution and said quickly, "I've got it! Listen to me. I'll cut down this tree in a moment, leaving the section you're hugging. You can hug this section of the trunk to the beach and soak it in seawater. Perhaps it will dissolve the glue."
"Will that work?" Yue Hengyi felt it was unreliable.
"Then the only remaining option is for you to endure the pain and tear off this layer of skin. You choose between these two options," Shen Feng spread his hands, indicating his helplessness.
"Cut the tree, cut the tree! Let's soak it in seawater first!" Yue Hengyi had no choice but to choose the option of cutting the tree. He was really unlucky to encounter such a predicament while searching for food.
Shen Feng immediately used "Rage Wind" to cut a notch in the glue tree. The tree then fell, and Shen Feng also cut off the roots. Yue Hengyi stood up, hugging the trunk, finally able to move.
Next, Shen Feng took Yue Hengyi back to the beach. Without a word, Yue Hengyi began soaking in the seawater. He dared not immerse the arm where his skin had been torn in seawater, as the moment it entered the water, it caused a piercing pain. It was like the feeling of salt being sprinkled on a wound!
Fortunately, after an hour of soaking, the glue on the trunk softened. Yue Hengyi struggled with all his might and finally detached himself from the trunk. His skin was all wrinkled.
"Alright, come and eat the crispy rice. I saved half for you. There's also hot water here," Shen Feng said to Yue Hengyi.
Yue Hengyi was also very hungry and grabbed the crispy rice to chew. The crispy rice was very hard and should have been softened in hot water before eating. But Yue Hengyi didn't know this. Being from the north, he ate crispy rice less often. He gnawed on it while drinking water, managing to fill his stomach.
Afterward, Yue Hengyi changed into clean clothes and fell asleep in a corner of the boat cabin.
However, the next morning, when Shen Feng woke up and intended to call Yue Hengyi to set off, he touched Yue Hengyi's forehead and found it burning hot. He had a fever.
"Good grief, are you even an evolved individual? You caught a cold and got a fever after soaking in the sea for an hour?" Shen Feng found it incredible. All the evolved individuals he had seen were robust and strong. And now, what was he seeing? An evolved individual who easily caught a cold!
Yue Hengyi opened his eyes, feeling weak all over, and said, "Brother Feng, I'll go find food later. Don't rush me."
"Forget it. You stay here honestly. I'll go find food!" Shen Feng said helplessly. "If I can find any medicine, I'll bring some back for you."
After all, he was a subordinate who had been following him for a long time. Shen Feng couldn't bear to see him act while sick and had to continue taking care of him.
However, at this moment, Shen Feng noticed some red skin on Yue Hengyi. When Yue Hengyi was burned before, he had taken more than ten days to recover, but the skin on his body was different from before. It was red and swollen, and often itchy.
"Perhaps this guy often gets sick because the defensive ability of his skin has decreased. After all, he was burned, and the newly grown skin naturally doesn't have enough resistance to viruses and bacteria!" Shen Feng thought to himself.
Next, Shen Feng had an additional task: to find medicine to treat Yue Hengyi.
Shen Feng put on his raincoat, covered Yue Hengyi with a blanket, and then rushed north. Finally, after half an hour, he arrived outside a base fifty kilometers away. This base was built on a plain and had walls for defense. Soldiers were patrolling on the city walls.
Shen Feng entered smoothly. The people here looked very similar to Chinese people. After all, many people in Southeast Asia have Chinese ancestry. Judging solely by their appearance, it was impossible to distinguish which country they were from.
After entering, Shen Feng began looking for a pharmacy, but he couldn't find one after searching for a long time. When he tried to ask others, they didn't understand Chinese. They just scratched their heads as Shen Feng spoke.