Fighting to be Kind in a Cultivation World

Chapter 158: Protein Shake

Chapter 158: Protein Shake

With the helpful reminder that the majority of my team requires food and water to survive, I suggest to everyone that we set up camp ourselves. Mei Lin and the others gather firewood and are setting setup in what appears to have been a previously used camp area.

All along this path are remnants of where previous groups camped for the first night. If you could get to this area, you can establish a safe and warm zone for yourself. If not, youre in a pretty bad situation blue.

Another one of the reasons that people die on this trip is due to not having proper shelter. After overworking themselves, they lay on the cold stone for the first night. While the trip up the mountain is it tiny bit chilly, the movement it takes to go up it heats the body enough to be comfortable.

However, during the night, when it grows much colder and theres no movement, people arent able to sleep well and succumb to hypothermia. These were usually people who already were in a desperate situation trying to make it day by day. Undernourished, underdressed, and with little strength to change their situation.

That thought gives me pause, as I think of all the people that are just exhausted, out on the stairs down below, unable to move further.

It makes me wonder if Im really able to just allow all of those people to suffer, leading to an eventual death. My nave hope was that those people would go back down the stairs. But if Im being honest with myself, I know they wouldnt do that. And even if they could, they may not have the strength to complete the journey back.

Once again, I already know the answer to this.

Im OK with them failing. Im not OK with them dying in the attempt to make it up the mountain.

And while they dont save everyone that is going to die on the trip, before the time limit is up. If theres no real risk, everyone will try it and it would devalue the purpose of the trial.

But thats not my problem. Ultimately, Im being selfish about this.

I refuse to let them die when Im able to do something about it.

To that end, I first set up everything needed for my group to make it through the night. And then some.

Over the course of a half an hour, I find an extremely large and furry, bear-like animal a few kilometers away on the mountain, which I quickly kill and skin. They are typically non-hostile and avoid the mountain stairs. They will run away if provoked, but fearsome to fight if cornered.

I just moved so fast, that I stabbed my entire arm into its eye socket, and then whirring my arm at high speeds like a blender. This is what killed it instantly.

Right after, I then sped through all the campsites and dropped off portions of meat to every campfire area.

I made it through three campsites before I realized my error.

On this first night, having all these campfires in a row is both an opportunity and a threat to those who are well off. Almost every group that will have started on this journey will camp at this site.

Something that won't happen again on this trip.

The people who are well off will probably have food, shelter, and have already gotten a campfire going. This is an opportunity for people to get into those groups. To bring something to the table. It's also an opportunity to get things stolen from you or have perceived slights avenged.

Especially now that it's getting dark.

On my side, because of my enhanced vision, I don't notice the dark and other people do.

Even in the dead of night, I can still somewhat see. And this is in a world where light isn't as prevalent as it was on earth. Night truly is pitch black here.

While it isn't nighttime yet, it would definitely be scary if you saw a person covered in black rushing towards your campfire at speeds you can't hope to match.

So, while the first three campsites were surprised and unable to react, the fourth one had just enough time to raise Weapons at me.

Which I obviously easily dodged.

However, I slowed down and apologize to them for scaring them. From that point, I moved a lot slower and obviously, to allow them to see me coming. Not that they really needed the warning, from the general happy noises coming from every campsite and mounds of meat on my shoulders.

It gives me an excellent chance to connect with the shining people I had spied on earlier and to help others grow to trust me as well. There are plenty who dont trust the food I bring, but do their own tests to see if it is safe to eat.

Overall, a net positive.

With some connections made and that meat distributed, I turn my attention to the weak and helpless.

Its not night yet, but I still have a lot of work to do.