"Maintaining calm is the most important aspect of wilderness survival at any time. It's okay if you can't remember the path. There's a method: analyze the direction of the mountain terrain and the geographical features to deduce the possible paths that wild animals might take. Sometimes animals think like humans, instinctively seeking a way through the deep mountains and forests. Finding a 'beast' path is finding the path you've taken. Do you know how to look for the traces left by wild animals?" Lan Hai said coldly.

Upon hearing this, Luo Zheng felt it made sense. Animals don't run around blindly once they enter the dense forest; instead, they instinctively head in a safe direction, just like humans. In this instinct, there's no difference between humans and wild animals. Finding the path taken by wild animals can reveal the route humans have taken. It may not be 100% accurate, but it does make some sense.

Finding the route taken by wild animals was not too difficult for Luo Zheng. Trampled grass, broken branches, feces, and so on were all clues. Then he heard Lan Xue's cold voice again: "Whether in the forests obscured by trees or on the slopes covered with thick grass, if you look closely, you can't find any traces of a path. Only by looking from a distance, at something tens of meters away, can you vaguely see the traces of grass stems slightly slanted, grass leaves slightly tilted, and the backs of leaves slightly turned over. Then, by comparing from far to near, from near to far, you can distinguish the path."

Luo Zheng grasped the meaning, realizing that Lan Xue was teaching him skills, and he took careful note. As the two walked and taught, they inadvertently arrived at noon, reaching the place where they had fought last time. Lan Xue had picked some herbs along the way to apply to her wound, which stopped the bleeding and contained the inflammation. This reassured Luo Zheng, who was glad to have successfully found his way back, indicating that the methods Lan Xue taught were effective. After a quick search of the surroundings, he did not find the marching bag, which was likely taken by the enemy, but his machete was still there. Luo Zheng asked Lan Xue to find a place to sit and rest, while he busied himself with a wild chicken he had hunted along the way. Without water nearby, he couldn't clean and pluck the chicken properly, nor could he start a fire, which made him anxious. In the past, when hunting, he always carried a fire starter and didn't have to worry about igniting a fire. Not far away, Lan Xue seemed to see through Luo Zheng's embarrassment and said indifferently, 'Now I will teach you the second trick of wilderness survival, starting a fire from nothing.' 'Oh, great,' Luo Zheng exclaimed with joy, having been interested in the fire Lan Xue had made last time, but he hadn't asked much out of respect for privacy. He didn't expect Lan Xue to offer to teach and listened attentively. 'First, you need to find flammable kindling. Such as dry grass, dead leaves, birch bark, pine needles, pine resin, fine twigs, paper, cotton, etc.' Lan Xue said indifferently, her gaze directed towards an unnamed distance, lost in thought, her cracked lips continuing, 'Next is to gather firewood.'

When selecting kindling, choose dry, unrotted tree trunks or branches, and prefer hardwoods such as pine, oak, chestnut, birch, locust, mountain cherry, or mountain apricot, as they burn longer, produce a larger flame, and yield more charcoal. Do not pick up wood that is close to the ground, as it is damp and difficult to burn, and it produces a lot of smoke that can be irritating.' Luo Zheng saw that Lan Xue was not teaching skills to solve the immediate problem, but rather more comprehensive wilderness survival skills, which would also be useful at the moment, so he quickly took careful note. 'Next is the method of fire drilling. First, find a dry stump, carve a small pit with a knife, place the tinder in the pit—do not use too much, preferably pine needles or tree fluff—and then find a hardwood to hold and rotate with your palm.' Lan Xue glanced at Luo Zheng, noticing his attentive listening without any sign of impatience, which deepened her understanding of him. She then changed the subject and asked, 'Did you remember all that?' 'Yes,' Luo Zheng replied confidently with a nod. Lan Xue did not doubt him. She had been curious about Luo Zheng's various abilities since she met him, especially his ability to conceal himself and shoot wild wolf mercenaries. Lan Xue did not know how Luo Zheng managed to do this, nor did she ask, but she was very clear in her mind that Luo Zheng was very familiar with wilderness survival and had great potential. After some thought, she suddenly said, 'You would make a good sniper.' 'Uh?'

Luo Zheng looked at Lan Xue in amazement. He was just a border guard, not even a scout, let alone close to the mysterious existence of a sniper in the special forces. He gave a wry smile and said, 'I hope so. The high-speed rotation of hard wood generates heat energy, and when the heat energy reaches the boiling point, the kindling will burn. But the kindling is too small after all. If the wind is strong, it can be easily blown out. What should we do next?'

'You're absolutely right,' Lan Xue saw that Luo Zheng was very clear about the problem, and then continued, 'Next, we need to clear a windproof, flat area away from withered grass and dry wood, gently place some fine pine branches and fine dry wood on it, then set up larger and longer logs, and place the lit kindling in the middle, blowing gently.'

Luo Zheng nodded, and Lan Xue continued, 'The arrangement of the bonfire should be adapted to local conditions. It can be designed into a conical shape, star shape, row shape, roof shape, pasture shape, etc. You can also use stones to prop up dry wood or place it under a rock cliff, leaning the dry wood against the rock wall, and light it after placing the kindling underneath. Generally, dig a pit about 1 meter in diameter and about 30 centimeters deep in a sheltered place. If the ground is too hard to dig, you can also pile up some stones into a circle, the size of which depends on the size of the bonfire. Then place the kindling in the middle of the circle, stack some dry wood on top, and the lit kindling will ignite the dry wood to form a bonfire. If the kindling is about to burn out and the dry wood has not yet caught fire, you should continue to add kindling through the gaps in the dry wood until the dry wood is burning, instead of rebuilding the wood and lighting it again.'

'Let me try, you rest.'

Seeing Lan Xue start to cough, Luo Zheng immediately discouraged her, saying that she had just recovered from a fever and her body was still very weak. After walking for half a day, it was not easy for her to hold on. So, following Lan Xue's method, he gathered some stones and dirt to build a ring, then found kindling and dry wood. Finally, he started a fire by drilling wood, ignited the kindling, and gently blew it into a flame before placing it among the dried vegetables. The fire quickly grew vigorous.

Looking at the blazing bonfire, Luo Zheng smiled happily. He could now start a fire out of nothing, and he wouldn't have to worry about surviving in the wilderness. He thanked Lan Xue gratefully, saying, 'Thank you.'

Lan Xue nodded indifferently and closed her eyes to rest. Luo Zheng wrapped the wild chicken in soft mud, dug a hole in the ground, placed the chicken in it, covered it with a thin layer of dirt, and then brought the bonfire over to burn vigorously above the chicken.

After completing all this, Luo Zheng sat down to rest and suddenly heard Lan Xue say, 'Next, I will teach you the third move, silent communication, which is military sign language.'