【Bamboo: Versatile, can be harvested using axe-type tools.】
“Hmm?” An Ling looked curiously at the ring on her right hand.
Although its function was disabled, the initial resource hints still appeared.
“As expected, just like the survival building games I played before, ordinary wood and bamboo require an axe to be cut down.”
Luckily, An Ling had prudently brought both tools with her, or else where would she find scrap iron here to craft one?
Knowing that this first batch of materials would definitely be useful later, she immediately took out the axe and began chopping.
The process wasn’t exactly like in real life, but it still seemed somewhat related to personal strength.
Each strike of the axe on the bamboo displayed a health bar; the amount it decreased varied depending on the force of each swing.
When the health bar was fully depleted, a bamboo stalk toppled to the ground with a crash, ready to be disassembled—very convenient.
Thankfully, she had the Determined Spirit blessing active today, or else chopping these bamboo stalks would have exhausted her.
【Obtained Materials: Bamboo *50, Bamboo Shoots *4】
“Not bad, not too little or too much—just one bundle of bamboo.”
After finishing that bundle, An Ling planned to stop and go after the coconuts.
As for how to get coconuts from the coconut trees, it was even simpler—just cut down the entire tree.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
After another half hour of physical labor, three coconut trees were felled, yielding a total of nine coconuts and twelve pieces of wood.
An Ling used two pieces of chopped wood as makeshift stools, sitting under the shade to open her backpack and prepare today’s lunch.
A steamed bun, a whole wheat bread, and a bottle of water—simple, but enough to fill her stomach.
After eating, she began to rest.
The sun hung directly overhead, and the chaotic, confusing surroundings offered no clear paths. She couldn’t remember the way back.
She had to wait until afternoon to choose another route back, and besides that, she also had to consider where to rest at night.
Judging by the current distance, there was no way she would reach the manor at the island’s center before dark.
The first night would be spent outdoors, which was extremely dangerous on this unknown island.
But she had already taken the wrong path and had no other options.
After resting, An Ling continued forward without returning the same way—this was to increase her chances of finding other resources on the way back.
Soon, she arrived back at the place where she initially woke up, but oddly, she hadn’t encountered any resources along the way.
This didn’t match the system’s description at all.
This time, she deliberately traveled along higher ground and quickly climbed a small hill. It was only a modest mound, really, but at this height, her view was level with the distant forest, which blocked her sight.
After careful observation, An Ling realized that to proceed further, she would have to traverse the dense forest not far ahead.
Her brows furrowed—this was not a good sign. It was easy to lose one’s way in such a dense forest.
But it seemed there was no other way to reach the island’s center. As for detours?
Who knew if this forest completely surrounded the manor?
“Could it be that all the resources are at the island’s core? It feels like they’re forcing all survivors to enter there.”
After a moment of thought, An Ling decisively set out. Her backpack carried all the food she had left—ten days’ worth, which was obviously not enough. Staying on the outskirts meant certain death.
As she entered the forest, her entire being became alert. The trees were tall and straight, and the thick foliage overhead completely blocked out the sky.
An Ling placed her hand on a tree trunk and immediately a message appeared.
【White Birch Tree: Can be cut with an axe-type tool, wood is hard, highly resistant to moisture.】
“White birch? Isn’t that a tree native to cold regions? How does it appear on a tropical island?”
All these baffling phenomena seemed beyond her understanding. But then again, she had traveled through dimensions—what was there to be surprised about?
Using her axe, An Ling left a mark on every tree trunk she touched. Although time-consuming and laborious, this was the dumbest but only way to avoid getting lost here.
The terrain in the forest was uneven, very unfriendly to someone wearing casual shoes like her.
The ground was overgrown with weeds and buzzing with mosquitoes, with the occasional sighting of giant unidentified insects.
Other than the fresh air, this place had no advantages.
As she walked, suddenly the path ended—a steep slope plunged downward, and at the bottom flowed a small river.
The river seemed to bisect the forest, making it impossible to cross.
An Ling scanned the steep slope left and right, looking for a way around. Being trapped here by the river would be disastrous.
Soon, she noticed a cave not far on the opposite riverbank, faint light flickering inside.
Someone!
It must be another survivor. Following the steep slope on the cave’s side, she found a large broken tree trunk stretching across, acting as a natural bridge.
The trunk was massive—at least three people would be needed to encircle it—and hollow inside. It had long since rotted and had likely been broken here for many years.
Walking on it, it creaked ominously as if it might snap at any moment, but fortunately, nothing happened, and An Ling safely reached the opposite bank.
At that moment, someone emerged from the cave, perhaps drawn by the noise she had just made.
A middle-aged man with a buzz cut, somewhat stout, wearing blue work overalls.
He was waving at An Ling.
“Hey! Over here!”
So it really was a survivor—great news.
An Ling responded and headed toward the cave. Originally, she hadn’t wanted to team up with a stranger, but this island was far too unusual.
If danger arose, it would be hard for a girl alone like her to survive.
“Sir.”
An Ling wasn’t good at small talk but courteously greeted him to show politeness.
“Little girl, are you trapped here too?” The man seemed very excited—probably the relief of meeting someone else in this godforsaken place.
“Yes. The prompts kept saying to head toward the island’s center. There’s nothing on the outskirts, so I had to risk entering this forest.”
She briefly explained her situation. The man’s expression grew puzzled.
“Prompts? What prompts?”
“You mean you’re planning to go to that manor? I barely escaped from there!”
At those words, the man seemed to recall some terrifying experience, his face paling slightly with fear.