Chapter 9: Crafting the Tools

Many of Shi Youyou’s stream viewers had already turned in for the night, but they were jolted wide awake by her sharp, piercing scream.

【What’s going on? What happened to Youyou?】
【Why are there so many snakes? Were there really this many snakes on ancient Earth?】
【Wow, these things look terrifying. Why are their eyes glowing?】
【Oh my god, run! You need to run!】
【Heh, Shi Nianqing was right after all. You got played.】
【Where are all those people who were flaming me yesterday? Talk about a slap in the face.】

Aside from those worried about Shi Youyou, the viewers who had been mocked the day before remained, meticulously recording every single person who had insulted them. They tagged them one by one, ensuring everyone would see the receipts. It was a satisfying bit of payback. Once they were finished, they headed straight to Shi Nianqing’s channel.

Shi Nianqing was still asleep, waking up only occasionally to swat at mosquitoes.

【Gift: Heart x 500】
【Gift: Carnival x 20】
【Gift: Rocket x 10】

Shi Nianqing’s stream, which had dipped to around 2,000 viewers because she was sleeping, was suddenly stunned by the barrage of gifts. Still fast asleep, Shi Nianqing had no idea what was happening until a notification from the system chimed in her mind:

【Congratulations, Host, your popularity has reached 20,000.】
【Congratulations, Host, your popularity has reached 21,000.】
【Congratulations, Host, your popularity has reached 22,000.】
【Congratulations, Host...】

The sound of the system jolted Shi Nianqing awake. What happened? Why did her numbers spike so much while she was sleeping? Did she pick her nose in her sleep or something? She couldn't see the chat, where the viewers were equally baffled.

【What’s up with that guy above?】
【Why is he suddenly spending so much on gifts?】
【This guy is crazy—wait, why does he look so familiar?】
【Isn't that a top fan of Shi Youyou? What is he doing? Is this a "praise-to-kill" tactic?】
【What on earth is happening? It feels like so much has gone down in just one night.】

Soon, the truth surfaced. The generous donor had once been a high-ranking fan of Shi Youyou, the "filthy rich" kind. After being mocked by other fans in the channel, he had defected and turned against her.

When Shi Nianqing woke up the next morning, she still couldn’t figure out what had happened the night before. Had it been so long since she slept near anyone that her sleeping habits had deteriorated? She climbed out of bed, self-conscious, with several mosquito bites on her skin that somehow looked inadvertently suggestive. Deciding not to dwell on it, she grabbed her few belongings and headed toward the stream.

She walked upstream, searching for something. "In a wilderness survival situation, tools are the most important thing. We don't have any tools on hand, which makes everything inconvenient, so we'll be searching along the riverbank this morning."

The banks were scattered with large, hard stones polished by the current. Shi Nianqing quickly found a flat, pointed rock. She held it up to the camera to show the audience. "A stone like this has a good base shape; with a little processing, it can become a sharp tool."

As she spoke, she began working on the stone against another surface, and soon, greyish-white stone dust began to fall away. Within an hour, a relatively perfect stone knife was revealed. Shi Nianqing proudly displayed it to the camera from all angles, clearly satisfied with her handiwork. She then found a straight branch and used the knife to cut a section of it.

Returning to the spot where she had been fishing yesterday, she saw a few small fish caught in her net, but that wasn't her priority. She retrieved the vines she had gathered and began weaving them with dried grass. Soon, she had a long, sturdy rope. Using the rope to bind the stone blade to the branch, she fashioned a functional axe right before the audience's eyes.

The viewers were stunned.

【Is this an axe from the ancient era? She just made a tool that easily?】
【She just ground it down and tied it to a branch, and now it's a basic tool?】
【I'm shocked. It's only the second day and she's already making tools. What does that make those 'survival experts' who brought their own gear?】
【How is Shi Nianqing this skilled? Why didn't anyone know about this?】
【Maybe it's because there's no need for wilderness survival in the Interstellar Era!】

【Gift: Carnival x 1】
【Gift: Little Star x 100】
【Gift: Heart x 666】

With her tools ready, Shi Nianqing’s face brightened. Just as she picked up the stone axe, she heard a sound in the distance—the roar of a large animal. Her smile vanished instantly. She hadn't expected large predators near the coast, but given the density of the jungle, she supposed she shouldn't be surprised.

She immediately headed in the opposite direction, deeper into the jungle, leaving markers along the way so she wouldn't get lost. The path was grueling, and she eventually reached a sheer, cliff-like drop that looked as if it had been sliced by a knife.

In the stream, the chat was frantic:
【What was that animal sound just now?】
【That was terrifying. My heart is racing.】
【Judging by the sound, that’s a tiger, the legendary King of the Forest.】
【No way, there are tigers here? They actually programmed tigers into this?】
【Is the technology really that advanced?】
【Tigers are kings of the jungle. Shi Nianqing is in trouble.】

Shi Nianqing scanned the edge of the cliff, looking for a way down. The roaring grew louder and closer. "Roar..." She wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but the sound seemed to carry a hint of desperation. She frowned. Even if the sound felt strange, she couldn't afford to gamble with her life. If she died here, it was over. She had survived a cutthroat world to get here; she wasn't going to treat her life like a joke now.

Spotting a massive, tall tree, she scrambled up it in seconds. After waiting for a while, the roars grew deafeningly close, and she held her breath. Suddenly, a massive shadow bolted past, followed by a pack of wolves. It appeared the wolves were hunting the tiger.

Wolves hunting a tiger? Shi Nianqing’s eyes widened in utter disbelief.