Wilderness Survival with Druid System

Chapter 784 - 126: Psychological Fear

"Damn! Where did they go?!"A flash of panic crossed Chen Wen’s face.

This is so freaking bizarre!

Walking along, and then they’re just gone?

This isn’t some fantasy world, this is the real world!

Chen Wen’s forehead was sweating, momentarily unsure of how to deal with this.

But soon, Chen Wen forced himself to calm down.

He suddenly realized that his team members might have been affected by the claustrophobic environment!

And because of this, they got separated from the team, or even passed out on the previous path.

And this probability is quite high!

Chen Wen took a deep breath and stopped moving forward.

Instead, he retraced his steps, looking back.

After walking for about ten minutes, Chen Wen quickly found four people sitting by the roadside resting.

Seeing them, he immediately walked over quickly: "How are you guys?"

Embarrassment flickered across their faces when they saw Chen Wen returning.

Hua Yun said, "I’m okay, rested for a bit, and my head’s not spinning anymore."

Adam, wide-eyed, rubbed his face hard: "Something’s wrong with this place, we were just walking along, and suddenly we lost all strength, and our bodies collapsed to the ground involuntarily."

Upon hearing this, Chen Wen immediately came to their side and shared his hypothesis.

Psychological fear caused by a claustrophobic environment?

Chen Wen’s bold guess made them hesitate a bit.

Could it really be this issue?

Adam hesitated and voiced his guess: "I feel like there’s a buildup of carbon dioxide in the forest, causing us to lack oxygen while walking, that’s why we got dizzy."

Dennis had his own perspective: "I think it’s because we’re too exhausted, which led to the dizziness."

Hua Yun’s guess was bolder: "I think there might be some plants in the forest we’re not familiar with. Their scent, or our contact with them, might be causing the dizziness."

Fred didn’t really speculate; he just calmly stated the fact: "I fainted because I got heatstroke again."

The others fell silent after hearing Fred’s words.

This guy really isn’t suited for survival in tropical areas!

Chen Wen kindly reminded him: "Heat Extreme Challenge, Sahara Desert, you’d better come with me."

Fred shook his head: "Nah, the Eight Extremes Challenge doesn’t have to be completed, after I return, I plan to get prepared for the Forest Extreme Challenge and Arctic Challenge, surviving in my own element is the wise choice!"

Hearing this, Chen Wen nodded slightly.

Recognizing one’s shortcomings and ceasing to pursue perfection is also a form of strength.

"Speaking of which."

Chen Wen said, "Next, let’s try something. Hua Yun, blindfold yourself and follow behind me, and see if moving forward with your vision blocked works any better. Also, as the temperature rises, the plants will photosynthesize, releasing oxygen. If Adam’s guess is correct, we’ll feel much better soon."

"As for Dennis’s guess about exhaustion and Hua Yun’s plant issue, let’s not consider those, they’re the least likely problems."

Hearing this, Hua Yun nodded, also feeling her guess was a bit far-fetched.

If there really were such plants, the predecessors who attempted the Desert Extreme Challenge would have found them by now.

Why would there still be no news about them?

After a brief chat, Hua Yun, as the control group, used her clothes to blindfold herself, grabbed onto Chen Wen’s clothes, and followed him.

The others proceeded as normal.

...

After adopting the new way of moving forward.

In less than ten minutes of walking.

Dennis called for a halt, his face turning pale, gesturing for everyone to stop: "I can’t go on, I’m dizzy, very dizzy!"

Adam and Fred nodded in agreement: "Right, we’re definitely feeling dizzy."

At this moment, Hua Yun removed her blindfold and sighed: "Chen Wen was right, the vegetation is too dense, causing a lot of psychological pressure. I feel great now, not dizzy at all."

Everyone exchanged looks; they’d never encountered this kind of situation before.

"What should we do now?"

Adam glanced at Chen Wen, showing a questioning look.

Chen Wen scratched his head and said, "Since we’ve determined the issue is caused by the environment, the best solution is to move forward with your eyes closed. But here, it’s impractical to close our eyes. The surrounding environment is unfamiliar, so we need to be constantly aware of risks while ensuring we’re headed in the right direction."

"So, it’s a dead end. Unless we move quickly through this area, we’ll be subject to environmental impacts constantly."

Upon hearing that not even Chen Wen had a solution, a sense of retreat began to grow among the team.

If faced with treacherous terrain, they could bypass it; if with dangerous beasts, they could hunt them down; if with adverse weather, they could overcome it.

But this bizarre environmental influence left them unsure how to respond.

Moreover, seeing their unequivocal leader Chen Wen have no solution made them even more anxious.

"So what should we do? Just push forward?"

Dennis’s eyes showed fear.

Adam felt the same, unable to help saying: "Or should we take a detour? A detour may waste time, but it’s much safer!"

Fred remained silent, but stood still, not daring to move forward.

After all, they’d only covered less than a third of the distance.

No telling if the environmental influence would worsen or if new dangers would arise later.

With fear of the unknown, Fred thought retracing their steps might be better.

Chen Wen looked at the three, not saying much, then glanced at Hua Yun: "What do you think? Should we keep moving or turn back?"

Hua Yun glanced at the three struggling members, then at Chen Wen, who didn’t seem keen on turning back.

After a moment of hesitation, Hua Yun said: "I think it depends on you; you’re the guide. If you feel we can keep going, then let’s continue. If you feel it’s too much pressure, then let’s turn back."

Hearing this, Chen Wen considered the current situation comprehensively.

He took a deep breath and said: "Guys, I feel now that we’ve come this far, we shouldn’t turn back. The road ahead, while dangerous, is one I’ll guide us through—no need to worry about that from anyone."

Though not said with grandiosity, everyone felt a sense of strength in Chen Wen’s words.

All along this journey, Chen Wen’s capability had been evident.

Thus, the fear in their eyes significantly diminished.

At this moment, Chen Wen continued: "Everyone, if you trust me, let’s keep moving forward. I’ll lead the way. You don’t need to stay on guard, just focus on walking head down and keeping direction."

"As for vigilance, the whistling birds are there, and I’ll have the Taipan Snake assist us. It can detect potentially present animals through pheromones, and if it finds anything, it’ll alert us, ensuring safety is not a concern. What’s your take?"

Seeing Chen Wen present a plan, they contemplated and decided: "Let’s follow your lead!"