When Zhang Heng woke up, he saw Bell really roasting the python that almost swallowed him last night.
"…………"
"Zhang, you're awake, just in time for breakfast." The explorer used the twig in his hand to stir the campfire, adjust the flame, and then pointed to the bloody thing on the side, "Snake skin, I just peeled it off , after cleaning it, you can use it to make a water bladder or something, which is much better sealed than a wooden barrel, or you can also use it to make a piece of clothing, which has a cooling effect when the weather is hot. "
"Thank you for last night." Zhang Heng sat up from the ground and thanked Bell first. He could still see the red mark on his arm.
"Hey, you're welcome. You also saved me at sea. If you want to survive in the wilderness, you have to help each other, right?" Bell handed Zhang Heng a piece of grilled snake steak threaded with branches.
The latter originally wanted to refuse, but then he thought that this might be the only opportunity in his life to eat a python without having to sit through the bottom of the prison, so he took it.
I took a bite out of curiosity and found that the taste was actually quite good. The fishy smell was not strong. It was a bit like chicken, but more chewy than chicken.
Remembering that this thing almost killed him last night, Zhang Heng decisively decided to get two more pieces.
…………
After breakfast, the two hit the road again.
Bell continued to play the role of a qualified guide, using a knife to clear the way in front while explaining to Zhang Heng the various creatures he encountered along the way.
"The python we encountered last night was not the only hunter in this forest, because when eating, pythons usually choose to swallow their prey whole from the head on. Their eyesight is not good, and sometimes they appear The prey is too big and their stomachs burst alive. However, snakes have very powerful digestive abilities. They can often digest even the meat and bones together. Among the several animal skeletons we encountered before, some of them are relatively preserved. Complete, not like he died in its hands.”
Zhang Heng silently memorized these trivial knowledge. Many things may seem useless at ordinary times, but they may come in handy at some point.
For example, Ed and the guy in shorts did not teach him how to use seawater to make salt, but he used a short video he saw on a barrage website to obtain relatively pure edible salt by heating crystallization and repeated filtration. , which makes the food delicious.
Speaking of which, when Zhang Heng was in elementary school, he went to Xishuangbanna with his grandfather, and the forest park there left a deep impression on him.
However, it is artificially developed after all. Considering safety, only a small part is open to tourists. This is the first time Zhang Heng has seen such an absolutely natural tropical rainforest, and according to Bell, the biological community here is very rich. This also opened Zhang Heng's eyes.
For example, he once saw a small frog with translucent abdominal skin on the roadside. The body was only 1-2 centimeters long. Its heart, liver and digestive tract could be clearly seen from below, which was very magical.
"Glass frogs generally live in the tropical rainforests of Central and South America. There are currently 134 known species of glass frogs in the world, 60 of which are on the verge of extinction." The explorer said while carefully placing the small thing in his hand. Back to the leaves.
"What about this one?" Zhang Heng pointed to the raised tumor-like part of a banyan tree, with new branches growing on it.
"Oh, staghorn fern is an epiphyte of the family Staghorn Fern. It is light green when new and turns light brown when mature. They usually grow on the trunks or branches of other trees. They are quite common in tropical rainforests."
In addition, Zhang Heng also saw a cat and monkey, but this thing was neither a cat nor a monkey. It had bat-like wings that covered its neck, limbs and tail. When unfolded, it could It glides in the air and seems to be very playful; the Kipling Bagheera jumping spider is the only vegetarian spider in the world that feeds on leaf buds. This name is so difficult to pronounce that Zhang Heng and Bell confirmed it three times. I can’t believe it; the bird of paradise, also called the bird of paradise, has a cry that sounds like a gunshot. It scared Zhang Heng when he first heard it, but it looks very beautiful, especially the tail feathers and the color gradient...
Bell couldn't help but sigh, "This place is simply a biological paradise. It's the first time I've seen so many tropical animals and plants from different regions gathered together. It's incredible. Biologists would love this place if they knew it." Of land.”
At this moment, Zhang Heng seemed to have stepped on something. He bent down and picked up a tooth from an unknown animal. There was a round hole at the bottom.
"This thing seems to be hand-made, and the naturally formed holes are usually not so regular." Bell took the tooth, looked at it carefully and said, "I know that some indigenous people use the teeth of their prey to make jewelry. on their necks to show off their strength. The more powerful the prey, the more powerful they are. This makes it easier for them to choose their favorite partner when choosing a partner. I have a friend who, in order to marry the most powerful person in their tribe, The beautiful woman went to the grassland to hunt lions alone, but she didn’t come back.”
"…………"
There is indeed a reason why there are so few foreigners. Zhang Heng did not comment on the wisdom of this behavior. In contrast, he was more concerned about another question, "So there are still indigenous people living on this island? They can't be cannibals." Bar."
Bell shook his head, "It's unlikely. The area of this island itself can't be considered large. You said you have been living on it for more than a year. If there are other people on the island, it makes no sense for you not to have them yet." We met...and this thing looks a bit old."
"So there were indeed indigenous people living here before?" Zhang Heng was also shocked and broke into a cold sweat. If those indigenous people were still alive now, maybe he and Ed would have been captured by the other party to make soup on the first day they arrived on the island.
"Well, let's go down and have a look."
Bell also became interested. He was an explorer himself. Lost civilizations like this had an indescribable attraction for him. He even forgot that he was here to find a way to leave the island and return to the civilized world. The two of them continued towards the center of the island. go ahead.
So far, they have walked half of the journey, and as they go deeper, they have discovered more and more traces of human existence.
Bell looked at the shabby huts that had completely decayed and the stone tools that covered the green towers. He was certain that an indigenous tribe had lived here in the distant past.
What happened to them, and why have they all disappeared today? The explorer becomes increasingly curious.
