The Rise of a Primitive Civilization

The deceased leader's body lay in the clearing outside the cave, hastily covered with grass. In Luo Chong's memory, the tribe typically cremated their dead. Burying had proven ineffective in the past, as shallow graves often led to bodies being exhumed and devoured by wild animals. Burning was cleaner and safer. However, the funeral would have to wait for evening when all tribe members could gather. Meanwhile, two adults had already gone out to collect firewood for the ceremony.

With no immediate tasks, the children were still marveling at the terror bird, while the women deliberated on how to butcher such a large prey, something they had never dealt with before. Luo Chong advised them to simply skin the bird as they lacked a pot large enough for scalding it like a chicken. He also asked them to save the feathers for him; not for decorative purposes but potentially for making arrows later on. For now, he was just stockpiling whatever materials he could—it was about learning to be resourceful in dire times.

With the immediate threat eliminated, everyone resumed their activities. The curious observed, the busy returned to their chores, and Luo Chong continued weaving his baskets.

Time seemed to crawl in this place, and although only midday, Luo Chong felt as if an entire day's worth of events had unfolded. Accustomed to the rigid scheduling of military life, his internal clock was unusually sensitive. "Maybe this isn't even Earth," he muttered to himself, pondering the different passage of time, "Who knows what kind of place this is."

Pushing aside these thoughts, Luo Chong focused on his task. Food storage was his priority; he was determined not to endure meals spaced days apart again. After about an hour, he had completed two baskets and twisted some grass into rope using the plants the children had pulled up. His baskets, designed for fishing, had large gaps, reducing the amount of material needed.

Using the offal from the terror bird as bait, Luo Chong headed to the river, planning to discard everything but the heart and liver. The intestines, after cleaning and drying, could be used as rope. The rest he would use to lure fish.

A woman saw him heading toward the river alone and, concerned, insisted on accompanying him. She brought the tribe's only stone basin, worn smooth from years of use. If they were going to the river, they might as well fetch water for the evening.

At the riverbank, after observing the aquatic life for a moment, Luo Chong was impressed yet wary; he remembered a lesson from his middle school textbook: "The fish I desire also desires me, but we cannot have both." This wasn't the exact quote, but his observation of carnivorous fish swiftly devouring smaller ones underscored the peril. If he fell in, he might not be the predator but the prey.

Despite the poverty of his surroundings, Luo Chong had to admit the ecological richness of the area. The river was clear, and though not teeming with fish, there were enough visible within any random glance—more, perhaps, than in the Amazon River.

He prepared his newly crafted baskets, smashing the bird's viscera for bait before submerging the baskets in the river. Tied with grass ropes that merged into a single pull cord, this setup allowed for easy retrieval.

The woman, initially puzzled by Luo Chong's actions, eventually stopped interfering, deciding to just observe. Once Luo Chong threw the baited baskets into the water, the scent of blood quickly attracted a frenzy of fish. The first to arrive were about five 40-centimeter-long fish that swam into the baskets and began to fight over the scraps, muddying the water inside the trap.

With swift reflexes, Luo Chong pulled the rope, lifting the basket out of the water. Four fish remained caught while one escaped—still a substantial catch. The remaining fish in the river continued to swarm around the bait, oblivious to their peers' fate, much to Luo Chong's amusement. "Are these fish brainless? Such a simple trap and they fall for it!" he laughed, reveling in the surreal simplicity of the situation.

The two boys and the adult woman were astonished by how effectively Luo Chong captured the fish without entering the water. They still didn't understand the purpose of this exercise, though.

After laying the fish out on the riverbank, Luo Chong used a sharp stone to swiftly scale, gut, and clean them—an expert display despite it being his first time performing these tasks in this life. He even sampled some raw slices on the spot, demonstrating to the onlookers that fish was indeed edible.

Cutting slices for each of them, Luo Chong watched as they tentatively tasted the fish, their enjoyment evident despite the lack of seasoning. Their standards were not high; they had eaten tree roots out of desperation before, so unseasoned fish was a delicacy in comparison.

Through this demonstration, Luo Chong not only alleviated their fear of the river's resources but also introduced a viable new food source, expanding their dietary options and reinforcing his emerging role as a leader and innovator within the tribe.