“First, you need to find flammable tinder, such as dry grass, dead leaves, birch bark, pine needles, pine resin, small twigs, paper, cotton, and so on.” Sarah Lane said calmly, her gaze drifting toward some unknown distance, lost in thought. Her chapped lips continued, “Next, you need to gather firewood. The firewood should be dry, unrotted trunks or branches. If possible, choose hardwoods like pine, oak, chestnut, birch, locust, wild cherry, or wild apricot. These burn longer, produce a bigger fire, and yield more charcoal. Don’t pick wood that’s close to the ground, as it’s usually damp, hard to ignite, and produces a lot of smoke.”

Andrew Clark realized that what Sarah Lane was teaching wasn’t just a solution to their immediate problem, but a comprehensive set of wilderness survival skills. Still, it was useful for their current situation, so he made sure to remember everything carefully.

“Next is making fire by friction. First, find a dry tree stump and use a knife to dig a small hole. Put the tinder into the hole—not too much, preferably pine needles or tree fluff. Then find a piece of hardwood, grip it with your palms, and spin it.” Sarah Lane glanced at Andrew Clark calmly. Seeing that Andrew Clark had sat down to listen attentively, showing no impatience, she gained a deeper understanding of him. Changing the subject, she asked, “Did you get all that?”

“Yeah.” Andrew Clark nodded confidently in response.

Sarah Lane didn’t doubt him. Since they’d met, Andrew Clark’s various actions had made Sarah Lane very curious—especially the fact that Andrew Clark had managed to stealthily kill the wolf mercenary. Sarah Lane didn’t know how Andrew Clark had done it, nor did she ask, but she was certain that this Andrew Clark was very familiar with wilderness survival and had great potential. After thinking for a moment, she suddenly said, “You’d make a good sniper.”

“Huh?” Andrew Clark looked at Sarah Lane in surprise. He was just a border guard, not even a scout, and the role of sniper in special forces was unimaginably far from his own. He gave a wry smile and said, “I hope so. When hardwood spins rapidly, it generates heat. Once the heat reaches the ignition point, the tinder will catch fire. But the tinder is small, and if it’s windy, it can easily be blown out. What should I do then?”

“You’re absolutely right.” Sarah Lane saw that Andrew Clark understood the problem and continued, “Next, you need to clear a wind-sheltered, flat area away from dry grass and firewood. Place thin pine branches and small dry sticks on top, then stack larger, longer logs above that. Put the lit tinder in the middle and blow on it gently.”

Andrew Clark nodded, so Sarah Lane went on, “The structure of the fire should be adapted to the environment. It can be cone-shaped, star-shaped, parallel, roof-shaped, ranch-style, and so on. You can also use stones to support the firewood or lean it against a rock wall, placing the tinder underneath and lighting it. Usually, you dig a pit about one meter in diameter and thirty centimeters deep in a sheltered spot. If the ground is too hard to dig, you can use stones to make a circle, the size depending on your fire. Put the tinder in the center, stack dry wood on top, and light the tinder to ignite the firewood. If the tinder is about to burn out before the firewood catches, keep adding more tinder through the gaps in the firewood until it ignites, rather than rebuilding the fire from scratch.”

“Let me try. You take a break.” Andrew Clark saw that Sarah Lane was starting to cough and quickly intervened. She had just recovered from a fever and was still weak, and after walking half a day, it was impressive she’d made it this far. Following Sarah Lane’s instructions, he gathered stones and dirt to make a circle, found tinder and dry wood, then used the fire-by-friction method to ignite the tinder. He gently blew on the flame to make it grow, then placed it among the dry kindling, and soon the fire was burning brightly.

Looking at the blazing campfire, Andrew Clark smiled happily. Now he could make fire from scratch, and wouldn’t have to worry about wilderness survival anymore. Gratefully, he said to Sarah Lane, “Thank you.”

Sarah Lane nodded noncommittally and closed her eyes to rest. Andrew Clark found some soft clay to wrap around the wild chicken, dug a pit in the ground, placed the chicken inside, covered it with a thin layer of dirt, then moved the campfire over to roast it on top.

After finishing all this, Andrew Clark sat down to rest, when Sarah Lane suddenly said, “Next, I’ll teach you the third skill: silent communication, which is military hand signals.”

Chapter 14: Affection Begins to Grow

Andrew Clark expressed his gratitude and listened intently. These were all life-saving skills on the battlefield, said to be taught only to special forces. It was a rare opportunity, and Andrew Clark wasn’t about to miss it. He studied carefully, and after half an hour, Sarah Lane was so tired she could barely speak. Andrew Clark gratefully urged her, “Take a break. The food should be ready now. Too bad we don’t have any seasoning, but just make do and eat a little.” As he spoke, he moved aside the campfire, dug out the wild chicken, broke off the clay, and tore off a drumstick to hand over.

Sarah Lane accepted it without fuss and started eating. In no time, the plump wild chicken was reduced to a pile of bones. Both of them were half full but extremely thirsty. Andrew Clark planned to look for some water, but there was none nearby. At that moment, Sarah Lane suddenly said, “I’m tired. I’ll tell you how to find water later. See those grapevines? The water inside is rich in vitamins. Go get a few of those.”