Survival Arena

"This..."

Xiao Poor Thing stared at the two stones on the ground, her expression one of shock.

How had Xiao Hero managed to snatch these two stones from under the claws of Emperor Luosheng?

Chu Ge and Gu Tianjiao exchanged a glance, similarly startled.

Arno stretched out a paw and shook one of the stones, asking curiously, "Is this unconventional survival material eaten raw?"

Gu Tianjiao nodded and said, "That's right, do you want to try it?"

Arno's eyes were filled with anticipation, yet he hesitated.

Swallowing a stone the size of a fist—could it kill someone?

No, a dead Honey Badger.

"Let's wait for Xiao Hero to come back and consume it together, it was he who brought it after all, and he has the right to distribute," Chu Ge spoke with a smile.

He didn't dare to swallow it whole either.

If really to eat it, it still needed to be ground down.

With one swipe of his paw, he wondered if he could smash the stone.

The smaller the stone, the harder it was to smash.

Because the area subjected to force was smaller, it might backfire and hurt him.

The four of them crouched on the ground, examining the two Deep Blue Stones.

As they scrutinized the stones, they chatted idly.

Time continued to pass.

Half an hour later.

Xiao Hero returned, his claws clutching two stones and another held in his mouth.

He landed swiftly and then exhaled deeply.

Arno promptly asked, "How did you do it? Emperor Luosheng didn't stop you?"

Xiao Hero replied, "Stones were everywhere, and he was busy digesting unconventional survival material, he had no time to bother with me. Not only me but some other Survivors also took the chance to pick them up."

The four exchanged looks, their expressions peculiar.

"So, these stones have become common goods?" Arno asked.

Xiao Hero glanced at him and asked, "Common goods, do you want to eat them?"

Arno nodded, his expression somewhat sheepish.

He couldn't resist the allure of the unconventional survival material.

Chu Ge pressed one of the stones down with a paw, grinding hard.

Crack…

The sound of the stone breaking arose, but it didn't shatter completely; only its edges were worn away by the ground.

He continued to smack it several more times, until his claws ached from the endeavour.

Gu Tianjiao, Xiao Poor Thing, and Arno swallowed nervously.

How would such a hard stone affect them if swallowed?

Xiao Hero also fell into silence.

For a moment, their eyes lingered on those five stones, their gazes intricate.

"Arno, you try,"

Gu Tianjiao looked at Arno and suggested.

With his strongest defensive power, if Arno couldn't withstand it, the others stood no chance.

Though Arno hesitated, his teammates had made a request, and he would not back down.

Chu Ge shook his head, saying, "Let me do it. If there is a problem, I will raise my body temperature and burn it."

Gu Tianjiao hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement.

This was the responsibility of a leader.

She couldn't be disheartened.

Chu Ge licked the stone fragments into his throat first.

There was no feeling.

He crouched on the ground, gripping the stone as he started to gnaw at it.

Crack!

Under the full force of his bite, the stone began to split.

His Biting Force might not be as strong as his limb strength, but his fangs were sharp, concentrating more force on the bitten area than a direct slap would.

He bit off a piece and swallowed it.

There was still no sensation.

He continued to gnaw.

Gu Tianjiao, Arno, Xiao Poor Thing, and Xiao Hero watched anxiously, fearing for his safety.

Ten minutes later, Chu Ge had swallowed the whole stone.

"I don't feel anything, could it just be an ordinary stone?"

Chu Ge expressed his frustration; all that excitement had been for nothing.

Gu Tianjiao speculated, "It might not have taken effect yet. It was so large before, and now it's been reduced like this, its effect must be significantly weakened."

Upon hearing this, Chu Ge felt it made sense and could only wait patiently.

"Shall we eat?" Xiao Poor Thing asked.

Chu Ge pondered, "Carry it with you; first, let's see how I react."

The others thought about it and agreed it made sense.

After that, Chu Ge led them away.

Evening was approaching fast, and they needed to find a place to settle down.

The sun slowly descended towards the horizon in the sky.

...

Late at night.

In a cave.

Chu Ge lay on the ground, shivering.

Gu Tianjiao, Xiao Hero, and Xiao Poor Thing stood by, while Arno kept watch at the entrance.

"Are you okay?" Gu Tianjiao asked anxiously.

Chu Ge said helplessly, "I feel awful, I need to go to the bathroom..."

After becoming an animal, he rarely experienced diarrhea, which had only occurred previously on the grasslands surrounded by other animals, so he felt no psychological burden.

But now...

He wanted to get up and leave but was in such severe pain that he couldn't stand.

"Do you need us to leave?" Gu Tianjiao asked.

Xiao Poor Thing and Xiao Hero stared intently at Chu Ge, making him wish he could just vanish into the ground.

Clasping his teeth, he said, "Yes..."

Immediately, the three turned and left.

They didn't mock Chu Ge; after all, he was the one who tried the stone first for their sake.

Soon, they would also experience this kind of embarrassment.

As they exited the cave, Arno asked, "How is he doing?"

Gu Tianjiao shook her head, "It doesn't look good. Let him get it out of his system. We should stay back to spare him the embarrassment."

Arno nodded, and they walked toward the bottom of the slope.

Located on the middle of a hillside, they could still guard the cave entrance from below.

In the cover of night, a series of rumbling sounds came from the cave.

After more than half an hour, Chu Ge slowly crawled out of the cave entrance.

He appeared drained, moving slowly as if he might collapse at any moment.

Just as he stepped out, he stumbled, tumbling down the slope.

In the end, he landed awkwardly on the ground.

Gu Tianjiao and the others gathered around to inquire about his condition.

"Feeling much better... but my stomach feels empty... I need to rest..." Chu Ge said weakly, suddenly regretting eating that stone.

It was too uncomfortable.

He had never experienced such painful diarrhea before.

It felt like his stomach was twisted into knots.

Indeed, Gu Tianjiao had been right all along.

Nonconventional survival materials were not always helpful; some could be poisonous.

Gu Tianjiao frowned and sighed, "It seems this stone won't help us become stronger."

Xiao Hero's eyes were filled with disappointment.

Just then.

Chu Ge suddenly felt the discomfort in his stomach quickly fade away. A strange heat rolled around inside his belly and spread into his bloodstream.

Here it comes!

His eyes widened, and he began to breathe rapidly.

Suppressing his excitement, he said, "I feel it now!"

"What feeling?" Gu Tianjiao asked excitedly.

"It's comfortable!"

"Really?"

"Really!"

Gu Tianjiao, Xiao Poor Thing, Arno, and Xiao Hero all became excited.

Xiao Hero laughed smugly, "See, my effort wasn't wasted!"

Xiao Poor Thing pouted, "No one said it was."

Arno scrubbed the ground with his paw, eagerly asking, "Can I eat now?"

"Not yet, let the team leader recover his fighting power first, then we can all eat in succession," Gu Tianjiao quickly cautioned.

Arno could only contain his impatience and wait.

The strange heat source within Chu Ge became stronger and stronger, seeping into every part of his body, exceedingly warm and comfortable.