Chapter 78: Setting Up Camp
I had no idea what I was doing or even where I should be going. I tried to think about what I knew about the pit vipers that I was supposed to be looking for, but even what I knew didn’t help all that much. I had read that they preferred the lowlands around 600 m until they didn’t and preferred the higher elevations, anywhere from 1,200 m to 1,300 m. They were found in tropical rainforests but could also be found in deserts and human homes.
They were typically between 20 cm and 30 cm long unless they grew to between 5 feet and 7 feet. They were gray and brown in color with black diamonds along their bodies unless they had yellow markings under their chin. They preferred the forest floor to dwell on; unless you managed to find them in the trees. The complete contradiction of the information in my head was not helping at all, and it wasn’t like I could just ask Google right now.
I debated asking Jun Li if he had any additional information that I could go on, but he hadn’t been helpful thus far, and I was enjoying my radio silence.
It looked like I was going to have to try tracking these things with my nonexistent tracking skills and hope that I found one in the 20-cm range rather than the 7-foot range.
I found a somewhat clear trail to follow and decided to take an easier path for a while. The path was fairly small, only about 2 feet wide or so, but the earth had been compacted down a lot, making for a much smoother surface than I had been walking on since I got here.
"Warning, sun will be setting soon. Recommendation is to set up camp. Recommendation is to choose a location not on ground level to avoid nocturnal predators." My helmet (the actual helmet and not Sha Shou) started to send out a warning. I was startled because I was not wearing my helmet, but then I realized that the voice was coming from the choker. What an amazing multi-functional tool. I looked up, trying to see the sky, only to remember that it was next to impossible to do with the giant trees blocking the sun.
Well, I would take the sound advice since I don’t have any other ideas at the moment. Not wanting to stray too far from the path that I found, I took one step off of it before looking up at the trees around me, trying to find one that would do me for the night. It took a bit of time, but I managed to find a tree whose trunk was in the shape of a ’Y.’ I could use the top two thick branches to set up my hammock and sleep in there for a night. I had a sleeping blanket, too, just in case the nighttime temperatures dropped.
I knew that in a lot of forests, it was a very common experience, but I didn’t know what to expect here. After all, I was using Earth standards and applying them to an alien planet. But I would have to go with what I knew until I knew better.
I grabbed the lowest branch and pulled myself up on it before using the same method to climb up high enough into the tree where I felt I was safe enough from predators but still able to use the hammock. I cut off a few of the smaller branches to make a better clearing between the two thicker ones to be better able to sleep.
I didn’t need branches sticking into me at night.
I sighed when I looked at the makeshift camp. I was not a happy camper. Excuse the pun. The hammock looked more than a little flimsy, and I had watched videos about how hard they were to get into. I had never so much as seen a hammock in real life, so the idea of trying to climb into one for the first time 18 feet in the air was a little daunting.
Then again, so was the idea of being tortured by an alien lizard species for almost six years, and I handled that just fine. I could handle this just fine too. Taking a breath, I held onto one end of my bed for the night and tried to climb in.
I was well aware that this was not the ideal method of trying to get into the thing, but I did have it suspended over nothing by air, so it wasn’t like I could just go to the middle and hop in. As soon as I applied pressure on one end, the other end started to spin uncontrollably. I debated the idea of just diving into it, but with all my luck, I would be spun in circles before being dumped out. And then fall to my death.
Just to be clear, anything that resulted in my death was a no-go for me. I was going to be very firm about that line.
Trying to think things through, I realized that there was no way for me to crawl from one end to the other.
I slid down the right branch until I was cradled in the center of the two and then climbed up the left side. The other side didn’t look much better than the first side. Debating my options, I reached up to activate my armor. At least this way, if I missed and ended up crashing to the ground, the armor would be able to keep me safe.
I gripped the branch with one arm as I reached around and activated the anti-gravitational setting on my suit. Learning my lesson the first time, I only gently tapped the lowest section of the bar. I could feel myself getting lighter, but not so much that I was shot into the air like a rocket.
When I felt like I had a good grasp on the setting, I slowly let go of the branch and breathed a sigh of relief when I just floated in the air where I stood. I took a hesitant step forward and then a second one until I was hovering in the air right in front of the middle of the hammock. I slowly climbed into my bed for the night and, when I was feeling just a little secure, took off my armor.
Not willing to risk so much as a twitch, I started cursing Jun Li in my head as I forced myself to sleep. Tomorrow would come soon enough, and I needed to be ready.
