Luo Jun spent the morning cutting a large amount of bamboo. The sound of bamboo being chopped didn't carry too far within the dense forest, but if the surroundings were hilly, the sound could travel five to six hundred meters.
Despite this, the sound of chopping bamboo still made Luo Jun uneasy.
Therefore, whenever he managed to cut a bamboo, Luo Jun tried to use as few strikes as possible.
After preparing enough bamboo, Luo Jun decided to create a large number of pit-style traps. There were two types of pit traps: deep pits that would make it difficult for animals to climb out, and shallow pits that were only ten to thirty centimeters deep.
The former was impossible for Luo Jun to accomplish since he didn't have a hoe or a shovel, but the latter was feasible.
Many people didn't know how to make shallow pit traps, but it was actually quite simple. Luo Jun had set up many of them during his missions in the Middle East.
First, dig a shallow pit on the ground with a diameter of thirty-five centimeters and a depth of ten centimeters. Then, drive six or seven bamboo stakes into the inner wall of the pit, with the pointed ends facing upward.
This way, when an enemy stepped into the shallow pit, the bamboo stakes would avoid their shoes and pierce their ankles and lower legs.
Although this trap couldn't kill the enemy, once they were hit, they would have to retreat for treatment. They would be unable to engage in combat or work for a long time and would consume a significant amount of resources, undoubtedly causing great trouble for the enemy.
Of course, it would be even better if there were iron nails available, as it would be simpler and more convenient.
But Luo Jun no longer had those good things, and he had very few ropes. He didn't want to easily consume them.
Therefore, making these shallow pit traps was the best choice.
Of course, arrow traps and spike traps couldn't be missing either.
To prevent the women from getting injured while cutting firewood, Luo Jun would set them up three hundred meters away from the shelter.
Luo Jun was busy for quite a while, and the women also woke up.
They didn't expect Luo Jun to be up and busy so early, and they were quite surprised.
Lorna brought bamboo liquid and handed it to Luo Jun. "Mr. Luo, don't you want to rest for a while?"
Lorna saw the bamboo and the sharpened bamboo stakes around Luo Jun and was amazed. She didn't even know when Luo Jun had gotten up and started working.
"It's fine. We'll have plenty of time to rest in the evening. In winter, the days are short and the nights are long. We can't waste time."
Luo Jun took a sip of water and continued, "Do whatever you think needs to be done. Just be careful and don't go outside later. I'm going to set up traps, and they'll be within a three-hundred-meter radius. Stay inside."
Lorna looked at the pile of sharpened stakes and felt a bit uneasy.
"Are there many enemies on the island?"
"There's definitely no shortage of them. Regardless, we need to be prepared before I finish scouting the island. It wouldn't hurt to be more prepared."
Luo Jun said as he glanced at Lorna's shirt, and a mischievous smile appeared on his face.
"Hasn't that one inside dried yet?"
Lorna turned her head and looked at Li Shi and Jenny washing up by the water pool. Seeing that they wouldn't come over, she smiled happily and hugged Luo Jun's neck.
"Aren't you tired? Take a break."
And she buried Luo Jun's face in her chest.
Luo Jun thoroughly enjoyed Lorna's free-spirited and generous nature. The kind of connection between a man and a woman was something Luo Jun had no need to hide, and Lorna, being a typical Westerner, had no inclination to conceal it either.
The physical pleasure one experienced could trigger the release of a large amount of dopamine in the brain, increasing one's motivation to work.
"Alright, behaving like this will affect my work progress," Luo Jun smirked and kissed Lorna's neck. Lorna beamed with happiness, revealing her perfectly aligned, white teeth.
"Do you have energy for tonight?" she asked.
"Let's discuss that later," Luo Jun replied.
He picked up a dagger and continued sharpening the tip of his bamboo stake. Lorna could only leave disappointed.
Luo Jun gazed at Lorna's graceful figure and shook his head. He was the kind of person who didn't develop any emotional attachment to women. At least, he hadn't fallen in love with any woman so far.
Lorna was the same. They were merely using each other to fulfill their respective needs.
However, being a man accustomed to the life of a mercenary, Luo Jun naturally didn't reject this kind of arrangement. He did yearn for genuine love, but he considered it unrealistic.
Even somewhat childish.
After Li Shi and Jenny finished washing up, Li Shi supported Jenny and they returned to the shelter.
Seeing Jenny in her current state exhausted the others, so Luo Jun set aside the sharpened stake and went into the woods to cut a Y-shaped tree branch, crafting it into a makeshift crutch.
He arrived at the entrance of the shelter, holding the crutch in his hand.
"Jenny, try this," Luo Jun handed her the crutch. Jenny was surprised to see it and felt that Luo Jun was truly considerate.
Recalling the harsh words Luo Jun had said to her before, she was no longer afraid. Instead, she understood that Luo Jun did everything to make her stronger.
She took a few steps with the support of the crutch and had no issues at all.
Her face blossomed into a smile, and she turned back to express her gratitude to Luo Jun. He simply waved his hand and returned to prepare the traps.
As a young girl, Li Shi was also stirred by Luo Jun's thoughtful gesture.
Luo Jun would be amazed if he knew what these women thought of him. He certainly felt speechless. All his actions were not intended to please women but rather to maximize everyone's chances of survival.
Luo Jun gathered the prepared items and prepared to leave the shelter to set up the traps.
"Lorna, Li Shi, don't venture beyond three hundred meters. I estimate I'll only be back by noon. If it's not too cold, you can skip making a fire to save firewood," Luo Jun instructed before heading north.
He was skilled at setting traps, knowing which routes were more likely to be stepped on and which ones were not.
He began by driving the pointed stakes into the ground, marking the locations of a dozen or so shallow pits he intended to dig.
Then, he started digging them one by one. Since he lacked tools, it would be an enormous undertaking, so Luo Jun had to do it bit by bit. He decided to dig seven or eight pits each morning. Eventually, the entire area would be filled with traps as time went on.
Of course, they would have to move and operate outside the trap area in the future. Therefore, Luo Jun made discreet markings near the traps that only he could recognize.
After a whole morning's work, Luo Jun had only managed to dig eight shallow pits.
If it weren't for the calluses that had built up on his hands, layer by layer, digging so many shallow pits with a bamboo shovel would have been quite a challenge.
As he returned to the vicinity of the shelter, Luo Jun caught a whiff of the fragrant aroma of fish soup. The women had really surprised him.
They were tired of eating grilled fish, so they used their helmets to make fish soup instead.
They also picked some Spring Beauty grass by the creek and added it to the soup. Spring Beauty grass is rich in vitamins A and C, and its roots and tender leaves can be used as wild vegetables, although they are not tasty in other regions.
"How did you know this grass is edible?"
Luo Jun was curious. He hadn't expected any of these women to have some knowledge.
Li Shi raised her hand as if she had just received praise from a teacher.
"My grandfather is a Chinese traditional medicine practitioner, so I learned about some basic herbs and know which ones are edible and which ones aren't."
"But aren't you Korean?"
Luo Jun had mistakenly taken her for a Chinese because she spoke fluent Mandarin.
"My grandfather is Chinese. I grew up in China with my mother, so my Korean is not as fluent as my Chinese."
Hearing Li Shi's explanation, Luo Jun felt somewhat relieved. It seemed she was almost half Chinese, so it wasn't wrong to consider her a compatriot.
"That's good. I don't know much about traditional medicine, but please don't pretend to know and end up poisoning us with toxic plants."
Although Luo Jun was surprised by Li Shi, he still had to give her a reminder. Wilderness survival was not something to be taken lightly, especially on this deserted island where many plants might be unfamiliar.
"That's fine. My life is at stake here too!"
Li Shi replied.