The actual situation was somewhat different from what Qin Tian had expected. He had thought it would be easy to find supplies, but after half an hour and nearly two kilometers of walking, he still hadn’t found anything.
The beach was nothing but sand, endless sand. He had been to the shore before, but never seen such a clean stretch of beach, as if it were cut off from the outside world.
The thought sent a chill down Qin Tian’s spine. But with today’s advanced technology, how could there still be undiscovered islands?
Not wanting to dwell on it, Qin Tian continued searching along the coastline. Finally, after an hour, Qin Tian spotted a partially buried plastic bottle on the sand. From its size, it was a 1.5L bottle.
Fixing his gaze tightly on the bottle as if afraid it would run away, Qin Tian hurried over, dropped to his knees, and started digging with his hands. His expression was like he’d found a treasure.
In reality, on a deserted island, this plastic bottle was a treasure. The moment Qin Tian unearthed it, he shouted excitedly.
Before he could fully celebrate, something occurred to him. He glanced at the sky and quickly hurried back.
The time taken to search for supplies had eaten up so much time on the way here. Now, rushing back, Qin Tian took only twenty minutes.
Returning to the spot where he had been earlier, Qin Tian placed the bottle down and began gathering wood from the beach.
The wood, sun-dried for a long time, was completely dry—perfect for making fire.
Without spending too much time, Qin Tian collected enough wood and then picked up dry grass from the edge of the forest to lay on top of the pile.
After finishing this, Qin Tian went to the sea and filled the plastic bottle with seawater.
However, as soon as he lifted it, he noticed a small hole at the bottle’s bottom. The seawater kept leaking out.
When someone is unlucky, even drinking cold water can cause problems. This old saying perfectly described Qin Tian’s situation.
After all the effort to find a bottle, it turned out to be leaking. Qin Tian almost lost his composure.
“Calm down, calm down,” Qin Tian took a deep breath.
Though the bottle was damaged, it was still usable. After all, he wasn’t using it just to hold water. Besides, with the hole at the bottom, he could just use it upside down.
Time was tight. Qin Tian filled the bottle halfway and returned to the woodpile. Half-kneeling beside it, he adjusted the angle of the bottle relative to the sun.
According to incomplete statistics, the world suffers over two hundred thousand forest fires annually, and most are caused by humans. Natural fires account for only about one percent.
Notably, among human-caused fires, excluding those caused by negligence during outdoor cooking or rituals, the largest cause is discarded plastic bottles.
When plastic bottles contain water, at certain angles, the droplets act as magnifying glasses, focusing sunlight onto dry twigs and leaves, igniting fires.
Now, Qin Tian was using the water-filled plastic bottle to focus sunlight.
The process wasn’t easy; it was his first attempt. Qin Tian kept adjusting the angle, needing to be as steady as possible. Any shaking of the water would scatter the light.
Additionally, the sun was already slanting westward. The light wasn’t as strong as at noon, so focusing took longer.
Lying on the ground, Qin Tian barely dared to breathe. Even so, his hand trembled uncontrollably.
Soon, his hand stopped shaking—not because he controlled it, but because holding the bottle so long had numbed his entire arm.
But this was exactly what Qin Tian wanted.
The water’s surface inside the plastic bottle was as smooth as a mirror. Once he found the right angle, Qin Tian remained motionless, as if dead.
Under the water’s focus, the sunlight concentrated into a bright spot, almost too dazzling to look at.
No one knew how long had passed—an hour, maybe two—before Qin Tian’s vision began to blur.
At one moment, his spirit suddenly jolted. A wisp of blue smoke rose, followed by a small flame flickering on the dry grass, which gradually ignited the pile.
He didn’t relax. Qin Tian put the bottle aside and used sticks to carefully build up the firewood until the flames roared.
“YES! YES! YES!”
Even more excited than when he found the bottle, Qin Tian clenched his fists and made the signature gesture Ai’e De often used.
Only now could he truly understand the indescribable feeling Ai’e De had when he succeeded in making fire in the wild.
But it wasn’t time to celebrate. After spending a little more time, Qin Tian gathered more firewood at the edge of the forest.
To better focus the sunlight, Qin Tian started the fire in the middle of the beach. But as the tide could rise and reach the center, he moved the fire pile just in case.
No way was he going to let the fire go out after all that effort. Tonight’s safety depended on it.
By the time Qin Tian finished, the clouds on the horizon were glowing red from the sunset. Night was approaching.
Sitting by the fire, Qin Tian frequently looked into the distance. He and Ye Lin had agreed that no matter what, they would return before sundown, whether or not they found useful supplies.
Although there was still some time before sunset, Qin Tian couldn’t help but worry.
When Ai’e De took on the Deserted Island Survival Sixty Days challenge, he nearly broke down from prolonged solitude.
Humans are social creatures. While one can survive alone, the spirit cannot be satisfied, and over time, psychological problems inevitably arise.
Moreover, having another person meant another pair of hands, making survival easier. For any reason, Qin Tian didn’t want anything to happen to Ye Lin.
Fortunately, before dark, Ye Lin appeared within Qin Tian’s sight—empty-handed.
Clearly, she hadn’t found any supplies. Her face was full of frustration, but when she spotted the fire, she instantly brightened and hurried over, kneeling before the flames.
“How did you do it? Drill fire? With flames, we won’t have to worry tonight.” Watching the brilliant fire, Ye Lin asked herself aloud.
Just seeing the fire swept away Ye Lin’s gloom. The importance of fire to both Qin Tian and Ye Lin needed no explanation.
After a whole day of searching, they could finally rest. For a while, both fell into silence, too tired to speak.
During this time, darkness fell completely, the dim firelight flickering on their expressionless faces.
After a long pause, Qin Tian was the first to break the silence. “Did you see anything today?”
It was a pointless question. If Ye Lin had found useful supplies, she’d have brought them back already. Still, Qin Tian blurted it out without thinking.
No answer came immediately. After a moment, Ye Lin spoke, “Nothing. The beach is clean…”
As she said this, Ye Lin suddenly hugged herself. “How long do you think the Rescue Team will take to find us? Do you think we’ll die here?”
Spending a whole day without finding anything useful crushed Ye Lin’s optimism.
Hearing this, Qin Tian’s heart tightened. If a person gave up hope, it was truly over.
Maintaining a calm expression, Qin Tian said casually, “The Search and Rescue Team won’t find us that quickly. Besides, you said it yourself—they need three days to get here. With the Coconut Palms around, surviving these few days is more than enough.”
“Really?” Ye Lin stared at Qin Tian intently.
“Even if there’s some deviation, it won’t be more than a week,” Qin Tian said with certainty. Even if he was bluffing, first he had to reassure Ye Lin.
Not wanting to continue on this topic, Qin Tian took out the Zhuhua Snake he had caught today. Since killing it, he’d been carrying it with him—it was a rare protein source.
Shy from previous experiences, Ye Lin instinctively stepped back when she saw the snake, relaxing only when she saw it wasn’t moving.
Without a word, Qin Tian silently used his knife to cut off the snake’s head, then skinned and gutted it until clean.
Cut into two halves, Qin Tian skewered the pieces on sticks and placed them beside the fire.
Understanding Qin Tian’s plan, Ye Lin couldn’t hide her discomfort. “You’re not seriously going to eat that, are you?”
Girls always fear snakes and insects, let alone eating them.
Hearing the disdain in Ye Lin’s voice, Qin Tian nodded. “So, are you going to eat it or not?”
“I, Ye Lin, would rather starve or drown here than eat a single bite of your snake meat.” Ye Lin shook her head like a rattle.
Seeing this, Qin Tian chuckled silently. Having meat on the deserted island was a luxury, yet she still complained.
He didn’t try to convince her. The Zhuhua Snake was just over a meter long with little meat. One wouldn’t fill him up. If Ye Lin refused, he’d eat more himself.
More importantly, he didn’t believe Ye Lin would resist for long.
Soon, the snake meat was roasted golden brown, its aroma drifting through the air. The sizzling sound was tantalizing.
Unable to wait any longer, Qin Tian grabbed a piece and bit into it, savoring its deliciousness.
He glanced at Ye Lin, who had already turned her head away, but in the firelight, he could still see her swallowing hard.
Having said what she did, she had no face to speak up now.
Deliberately, Qin Tian chewed loudly. Unable to hold back, Ye Lin finally turned back, grabbed another skewer of snake meat, and wore an expression that said, “So what if I’m eating it?”
After one bite, Ye Lin’s expression was almost blissful.
“Tasty?” Qin Tian suddenly asked.
“Really tasty.” Ye Lin answered without hesitation, only realizing after saying it.
The world is big, but food comes first. Having said it out loud, Ye Lin let herself go.
One snake was never enough. Aside from the head, the rest was all gone—into the two of them.