After lunch, they emerged from the apartment building.
Qin Ziwen saw a young man in a gray jacket pasting something on the wall. He looked somewhat familiar, and after a moment of recollection, Qin Ziwen remembered—it was the person who had been accompanying the Old Traditional Chinese Medicine Doctor.
After finishing pasting the materials, the young man in the gray jacket directly turned and headed toward Building 7 across the way.
Qin Ziwen walked over to where the young man had just been standing and discovered that what was pasted on the wall was a hand-drawn page of medicinal plant illustrations.
It listed several types of herbs commonly found in the surrounding area, along with annotations detailing their uses and processing methods. For example, some could treat wind-cold flu, while others could repel mosquitoes, insects, snakes, and ants. It included not only text but also hand-drawn illustrations of the herbs made with watercolor pens.
At the very bottom, a line of text was written: If there are any illnesses that cannot be resolved, come to Building 9, Unit 1, 4th Floor.
Although this could be considered a form of advertising, Qin Ziwen didn't find this approach off-putting.
They passed by Building 9 on their way, and at the entrance of a unit on the 9th floor, another piece of paper was posted.
Approaching to look, the paper listed several herbs for treating wind-heat flu and relieving itching from insect bites. Surprisingly, the content was different from what was posted downstairs in their building.
Deng Guang sighed with emotion, "This elderly master truly has medical ethics and a benevolent heart. In the past, knowledge like this would have been considered a treasured legacy."
Zhao Pu nodded in agreement, "Many of the elderly doctors I know are genuinely good people."
Exiting through the residential complex's east gate, they saw that the previously scattered and disorderly cars from yesterday had now been sorted and organized.
Some car doors and hoods had been removed.
Others had even had their engines dismantled and taken away as well.
Passing through the parking lot, they entered the forest.
The forest was muddy everywhere, with standing water in some areas.
Walking through it, their shoes quickly became caked with mud.
Deng Guang slapped a leech off the back of his hand, stopping to catch his breath. "This path is even harder to traverse than before."
Qin Ziwen halted and waved toward the sky above.
The Crowned Eagle descended from the sky.
Qin Ziwen took out his phone and reviewed the recorded video footage.
They had three main objectives for this afternoon.
First, to find a suitable route up the mountain. The mountainside cave was located on the slope northeast of the residential complex. Using the Crowned Eagle's flight capability, they would scout from high altitude to locate a feasible ascent point.
Second, to incidentally check the cave and see if they could snag any cards that had respawned at the Altar at the foot of the mountain.
Third, to retrieve the Fish Trap.
Zhao Pu, who had joined them for the outing, naturally saw the Crowned Eagle too. He didn't ask why the eagle was so obedient, but privately marveled that joining Qin Ziwen's team had indeed been the right decision.
"Here's a cliff face—probably difficult to climb. There's a slope here, let me see... this should work." Qin Ziwen nodded, having finally found a route that looked feasible. However, from the aerial view, the tree canopy was dense, and he could only judge the general terrain by the varying heights of the trees.
Four hours later, they finally reached their destination.
The stream's flow had increased significantly compared to previous days, with rushing currents crashing against the bluestones, creating splashing sounds.
Climbing up to the cave, before even entering, Qin Ziwen saw messy footprints on the ground, and a sense of foreboding rose in his heart.
Shining his flashlight inside confirmed his fears—the Altar was empty. Today's respawned cards had already been taken.
Though disappointing, he had anticipated this possibility.
Walking downstream along the stream, after a short distance, they soon saw the Fish Trap in the middle of the watercourse.
Originally placed at the stream's edge, the trap had been shifted because the heavy rain increased upstream water volume, widening the stream.
Qin Ziwen prepared to go down, but his younger brother stepped forward first, planting one foot firmly on a bluestone, steadying himself while holding onto a tree trunk, then grabbing the rope beside the trunk and pulling it back.
Qin Ziwen said, "Be careful, don't fall in."
Qin Ziwu replied, "Don't worry."
As he pulled, the cage was dragged back.
When the heavy cage was lifted from the water, it made a splashing sound, filled with countless brown crustaceans crowded together, with pincers and claws sticking out through the trap's mesh openings.
Deng Guang couldn't help exclaiming, "So many crabs!"
Zhao Pu's expression froze momentarily, "Are the resources here really this abundant?"
The Fish Trap was densely packed with stream crabs.
Qin Ziwu exerted strength, untied the rope, and pulled the trap toward the bank. Qin Ziwen took over, and together with Deng Guang and Zhao Pu, the three of them hauled the Fish Trap out of the stream.
"Quick, put them in the buckets."
While emptying the trap, some leftover shrimp claws and shell fragments also fell out.
They filled two full buckets with stream crabs.
After being placed inside, the crabs continuously tried to climb out. They added some water and covered the top with aquatic plants.
Only then did the stream crabs gradually calm down.
Retrieving the Fish Trap, the four began their return journey.
He wouldn't be coming back to this area for now, as his main focus would be on the cave up on the mountainside.
Therefore, there was no immediate need to set the trap here either—the distance between the two locations was too great. A round trip would essentially consume half a day's worth of mobility.
Thinking about the two other intact Fish Traps at home, Qin Ziwen felt he might not have fully utilized their true potential yet.
Perhaps the best approach would be to sublease them out, taking a daily harvest percentage as his share.
This way, the daily catch could be converted into points, indirectly enhancing rewards.
Based on his estimates, a building card probably required around 10 points, while a Micro Blank Expansion Card needed approximately 20 points.
Of course, some rarer structures might require even higher point values.
A Fish Trap likely only required 1-2 points. In the daily reward pool, aside from cards, most physical items didn't demand high point values.
Qin Ziwen pondered—Xiao Meixue and Deng Wen usually stayed within the residential complex. Zhao Pu had a son who, judging by his height, wasn't much smaller than Zhao Pu himself.
That made three people, but the number was still somewhat small—one woman and two minors. If someone tried to rob them, it would be difficult to deter others.
They really needed to add a few more people...
He thought of Li Yue, and Wei Zhaohua's family who sold seedlings—that would be two households totaling five people. Added to Xiao Meixue's three, that would make an eight-person team.
Wei Zhaohua focused on growing seedlings and didn't seem to have joined any exploration teams. His household included one woman and two elderly people. If there was work that allowed stable food acquisition near the residential complex without venturing far, he probably wouldn't refuse.
Plus, there was Li Tieshan forging metal at home—he could step in during critical moments.
Considering this, Qin Ziwen shared his thoughts with Deng Guang and Zhao Pu.
"What? You have several more Fish Traps at home? Do you run a fishing gear shop?" Deng Guang exclaimed in astonishment.
Qin Ziwen explained, "I bought them for a friend back then, but before I could give them to him, we got transported here."
Zhao Pu felt tempted but worried about his son's young age, "With only three people, wouldn't we be too few? If conflicts arise with others, we might end up at a disadvantage."
"I have two other potential partners in mind." Before Qin Ziwen could finish his sentence, the Crowned Eagle above suddenly let out a warning cry!
"Screech!"
"Oink, oink."
On the slope ahead, a mud-covered wild boar exuding fierce aura looked down upon the group from its elevated position.
...