Live Strong in the Wilderness-Chapter 293: The Possibility of Cooperation

"Luckily, if we ride the reindeer, it takes less than three hours. If we walk, it might take over ten hours." Xu Yi could only estimate the walking time as he hadn’t done it before, unsure of the exact duration.

"Walk straight in that direction, and there will be a stream less than a meter wide. Our campsite is set up beside that stream." Xu Yi knew Lu Yao might want to visit his campsite, so he told her how to get there.

"Once we’ve tamed the wild donkey, we can visit your campsite." Lu Yao shared her thoughts with Xu Yi.

"You’re welcome, though except for rainy and snowy weather, we’re usually not at the campsite during the day." Xu Yi glanced at Lu Yao and then looked away, considering that he was standing and she was squatting, creating an awkward angle.

After putting the meat into the pottery pot to stew, Lu Yao also stood up.

Wang Jin and Lu Yao had crafted quite a bit of pottery, but it seemed somewhat rough, with irregular shapes. In this regard, Lu Ke was quite the expert.

"Have you encountered other groups?" Lu Yao curiously asked Wang Jin and Lu Ke.

"Yes, we’ve met two groups, one of which was Group 403. They are Germans, determined to traverse the entire island. Unfortunately, they were eliminated." Xu Yi remarked.

"Another group was a father and son from Group 313, and they have two horses as well as an iron mine. Moreover, they’re keen to collaborate with us." After speaking, Xu Yi looked at Lu Yao.

"An iron mine, that’s a strategic resource. Did you agree?" Lu Yao was astonished as she looked at Xu Yi since she had also searched for mines but found nothing.

Unexpectedly, a father and son discovered an iron mine.

"Not entirely agreed, but barring any accidents, there’s a high chance of us cooperating with them." Xu Yi didn’t hide his thoughts and directly told Lu Yao.

In this group, Lu Yao was the decision-maker, so discussing this with her was sufficient.

"Of course, we’re also their backup choice; they’ve seen quite a few groups and are quite strong. They even have a military crossbow." Xu Yi added.

If they were to collaborate with Wang Jin and Lu Yao, they would have to cooperate with the Zhou family father and son. Hence, Xu Yi needed to inform Lu Yao about their situation.

"Having an iron mine is certainly worthy of collaboration. However, we must consider their personalities. Poor character could make cooperation troublesome." Lu Yao expressed her concerns, as the conditions and requirements a hundred days later were uncertain, and being unable to separate from eccentric teammates could be a hassle.

"I feel the father and son are quite reliable; otherwise, I wouldn’t consider them. Between strength and character, I emphasize character more." Xu Yi said with a smile.

He noticed three tiger skins and some black scale skins, indicating that Lu Yao and Wang Jin had the ability to hunt tigers. Those scale skins should offer some protection and could be used to make soft armor.

Therefore, Wang Jin and Lu Yao seemed to have made significant progress.

Moreover, Wang Jin could move that large door, indicating that his strength was on par with Lu Ke’s. This suggested that Lu Yao was likely even stronger.

With this in mind, Xu Yi didn’t need to consider changing collaborators.

After all, working with familiar people is the best choice.

"How many points do you have?"

Lu Yao initiated the question, wanting to gauge the gap between herself and Xu Yi’s group.

Xu Yi and Lu Ke had been the first to hit a hundred points, possibly still the top scorers.

"679 points, how about you?" Xu Yi wanted to ask as well but felt it would seem too deliberate if asked immediately.

"That’s so high, we only have 481 points. You’re too strong; Ah Jin and I haven’t spent a single point yet, and it’s still just this much." Lu Yao felt defeated, wondering how there could be such a big disparity.

"We hunted a Lightning Mica creature and scored over 200 points. Otherwise, you’d have more than us." Xu Yi felt more assured now, as Wang Jin and Lu Yao were indeed impressive, achieving nearly 500 points through their own efforts.

Moreover, they were very restrained, not spending a single point. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Once they cooperate, their points would exceed a thousand, allowing for strategic exchanges that ensure they live more comfortably than others.

"Have you encountered the Lightning Mica too? Ah Jin and I used stones to kill one, then many appeared." Lu Yao was quite surprised to glance at Xu Yi, since she and Wang Jin had also encountered them and killed one using stones.

"Yes, killing one splits into 50 creatures; they’re quite frightening. Nonetheless, they’re great for scoring points." Xu Yi was somewhat surprised, hadn’t expected Lu Yao and her group to have killed one as well.

"Splitting into 50 creatures after killing one, so that’s how it is. Thankfully, Ah Jin and I didn’t provoke more; otherwise, we might have been eliminated." Recalling the sudden surge of Lightning Mica, Lu Yao felt somewhat scared.

Despite appearing harmless, they could instantly kill a black bear and drain it. Killing one would mean 100 creatures, and that’s terrifying.

"However, encountering one or two can help score some points. One grants 50 points, and the opportunity is rare. Luckily, they’re slow-moving, with limited attack range." Xu Yi said earnestly, anticipating further encounters with the Lightning Mica.

"Hmm." Lu Yao nodded, realizing that killing one results in 50 creatures, hence it’s an opportunity to eliminate one or two. Many times, it’s tough to earn 50 points in three to five days.

"There are 21 days remaining; let’s gather more points. I believe after a hundred days, the difficulty will multiply. Without points, life might be hard." Xu Yi commented, feeling the points were still insufficient.

Now they had mounts, allowing them to seek suitable hunting targets.

Xu Yi had thought about targeting crocodiles, perceiving them as relatively easy prey. However, due to distance issues, unless a new camp was established near their habitat, it was challenging to travel back and forth within a day.

But now it was feasible; they could reach the large river in about two hours after setting off in the morning.

"Hmm, Ah Jin and I think the same. Xu Yi, it seems we still have a chance to collaborate, right?" Lu Yao asked while turning to look at Xu Yi.

Aside from Xu Yi’s group, they hadn’t encountered members from other groups, limiting their choices.

If Xu Yi declined, Lu Yao genuinely didn’t know who else she could collaborate with.