The outskirts of the forest were filled with many low shrubs, their branches and leaves thick and dense. As they brushed against the skin, although no blood was drawn, they still left behind white marks that stung painfully.
Though anxious in his heart, Qin Tian had no choice but to slow his pace and carefully make his way through.
He knew that in this jungle, any injury could easily become infected with bacteria. Without medicine, such infections could prove fatal.
Fortunately, these shrubs were mostly concentrated along the forest’s edge. After moving a bit deeper, Qin Tian could see mostly tall trees, making it much easier to walk.
He quickened his pace.
The source of the sound wasn’t far from the beach. After walking less than a hundred meters, Qin Tian spotted a woman sitting on the ground in the distance.
Getting closer, he realized that the woman was none other than Ye Lin, the School Flower from their school.
He didn’t know what Ye Lin was doing in the forest, but even from a distance, Qin Tian could see that she was only wearing a set of underwear, clutching a simple dress in front of her.
Despite this, large areas of Ye Lin’s snow-white skin and her smooth, slender legs were still clearly visible.
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that she was the most beautiful sight on this deserted island, but Qin Tian had no time to admire.
In front of Ye Lin, a fully red snake was flicking its scarlet tongue. Just one glance made Qin Tian recall the information he knew about this snake.
Zhuhua Snake: A mildly venomous snake belonging to the genus Zhuhua in the family of natricine snakes. It is a small to medium-sized snake with an oval-shaped head and a blunt, rounded snout. The head and neck are clearly differentiated, and the body is stout. It lives in mountainous areas, ponds, paddy fields, and creek valleys, and is also found in muddy environments…
Clearly terrified, Ye Lin’s face was filled with panic. Facing the advancing Zhuhua Snake, her mind went blank, and she was nearly in tears.
Unable to hold back any longer, Ye Lin shouted loudly, “Help! Somebody save me!”
Before her voice even faded, Qin Tian suddenly leapt out from the nearby grass, grabbing the tail of the Zhuhua Snake and swinging it wildly against the ground like a windmill.
The snake’s hissing abruptly stopped. Ye Lin stared blankly at Qin Tian, forgetting all fear.
In contrast, Qin Tian’s heart was uneasy. Although he knew the Zhuhua Snake’s venom wasn’t deadly, it was still mildly toxic, and a bite would certainly cause him great suffering.
Thinking of this, Qin Tian felt a bit exasperated with himself.
In his panic just now, fearing any accidents, he hadn’t thought twice before grabbing the snake with his bare hands.
Normally, even knowing the Zhuhua Snake’s venom wasn’t fatal, he would never catch one barehanded. At the very least, he would use a wooden stick. But now the snake was already in his grasp, and it was too late to back down.
Putting in extra strength, Qin Tian slammed the snake down hard several more times on the ground before stopping and looking up.
The Zhuhua Snake’s head was already crushed beyond recognition and motionless.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Qin Tian was about to turn around and pull Ye Lin up when something made him freeze in place.
Without any warning, Qin Tian grabbed the Zhuhua Snake and turned to walk away.
Only then did Ye Lin come to her senses and hurriedly stood up. “Wait for me!”
She had thought she was the only survivor of the shipwreck, but now that she had seen someone else, the fear of being alone in an unfamiliar place drove her to quickly follow.
Qin Tian didn’t stop or look back, saying only, “Put your clothes on first, then we’ll talk.”
Hearing this, Ye Lin immediately realized what he meant and blushed, screaming as she crouched down, “Don’t you dare look!”
Receiving no response, Ye Lin looked up only to see Qin Tian’s figure already far ahead.
Watching him walk away, Ye Lin felt a twinge of shame. He never tried to take advantage of her, only kindly reminded her, yet she had warned him off.
This was the classic case of suspecting others with a petty mind when they were actually being sincere.
Feeling both ashamed and a little disappointed, Ye Lin thought: She was the School Flower, after all. Could it be that her beauty held no appeal? He had walked away so decisively, not even glancing once.
Warning someone off while simultaneously feeling let down by their bluntness—women were probably just naturally contradictory creatures.
Not wanting to dwell on it, Ye Lin pulled the dress she held up and put it on.
When she was stranded on this deserted island, she had been soaking wet and extremely uncomfortable. That was why she had entered the forest, intending to dry the dress.
Walking toward Qin Tian’s direction, Ye Lin soon reached the forest’s edge and saw a figure standing there like a guardian.
Her shame deepened at once, but she could also tell the man before her was of upright character.
With an apologetic expression, Ye Lin approached Qin Tian. “I’m sorry, I was rude just now.”
Only when she was sure Ye Lin had put on her clothes did Qin Tian turn around, his tone calm. “Any girl would react like that; it’s perfectly normal. You’re okay, and that’s what matters.”
“Oh, I’m Ye Lin.” Seeing Qin Tian didn’t seem to mind, Ye Lin relaxed and introduced herself. “Are you a Guang Da student, too?”
“Qin Tian.” Qin Tian nodded. “Also a Guang Da student.”
Since she had noticed Qin Tian was about her age, Ye Lin had her suspicions. Now confirmed, a smile lit her face, feeling closer to him.
Although they had never interacted before, being fellow students at Guang Da was an added bond.
Remembering she hadn’t thanked him earlier, Ye Lin said, “Thank you so much for what you did just now. If not for you…”
“If it were someone else, they would have done the same,” Qin Tian waved his hand and started walking toward the shade of the trees.
The hurried chase had drained all of Qin Tian’s little remaining energy. Now, he just wanted to rest properly.
Girls naturally had less stamina than boys, and Ye Lin was also very tired, so she didn’t continue speaking but followed behind Qin Tian.
Under the shade, Ye Lin noticed some nearby coconut palms and swallowed hard.
Like Qin Tian, she hadn’t had a sip of water in a long time.
Seeing this, Qin Tian quietly took a coconut, used his Survival Knife to cut an opening, and handed it over.
“Thank you.” Without hesitation, Ye Lin took it and sat on the sand, raising the coconut to drink without any airs of being the School Flower.
Knowing one coconut wouldn’t be enough, Qin Tian quickly prepared another.
By the time Ye Lin finished, he handed her the next one.
While she drank, Qin Tian watched her expression—it was quite calm. It seemed she had accepted the reality of the shipwreck and had already settled down mentally.
They say women are made of water, and that proved true. After eight coconuts, only one remained, more than Qin Tian had drunk himself.
Qin Tian wondered if Ye Lin left one unfinished out of modesty.
Once Ye Lin was satisfied, Qin Tian spoke at the right moment. “Is your phone still with you?”
“When I woke up, all my belongings were gone,” Ye Lin shook her head.
Hearing this, Qin Tian felt a bit disappointed but had expected the answer.
Just like Ye Lin, except for his Survival Knife, his phone, keys, and other items were long lost.
“But the cruise ship disaster affected over a thousand people. The National Government will definitely send out a Rescue Team. We’ll be found within three days,” Ye Lin said.
Surprised that her thoughts matched his own, Qin Tian felt a rare admiration for a girl who could stay optimistic in such a situation.
“It’s been a while since the accident. The Search and Rescue Team has probably already started searching,” Qin Tian agreed, though his words were mostly to keep Ye Lin’s spirits up.
When the cruise ship went down, it had already been a day since it left port. Even if helicopters had been sent, it would still take a full day.
At best, by the time the Rescue Team arrived, at least a day would have passed. After counting survivors and missing persons, they would then send out the Search and Rescue Team.
With luck, they might be found within two days; without luck, it could be indefinitely delayed. If that happened, they would have long perished before anyone found them.
But Qin Tian refused to leave things to chance. From the moment he woke up on this deserted island, he had prepared for the worst.
Now, the sun was already slanting west, and in four or five hours, it would set.
Glancing at the sky, Qin Tian said, “I don’t know when the Search and Rescue Team will find us. Just in case, we should prepare a fire for the night to keep wild animals away.”
At the thought of the Zhuhua Snake in the forest, a chill ran down Ye Lin’s back. She immediately stood up. “I’ll go gather firewood.”
Concerned for her own safety, Ye Lin was eager to help.
“Don’t rush,” Qin Tian gestured for her to stay calm.
“Is there a problem?” Ye Lin asked, confused. Since Qin Tian had saved her, she had unconsciously come to rely on him.
Qin Tian pointed toward the distant beach but said nothing.
“Later, you go this way, and I’ll go the opposite direction.”
“Let’s look along the beach for useful items like lighters. The cruise ship should have had supplies, and they must have been washed ashore like us.”
With nothing at hand, starting a fire would mean rubbing sticks together—an option requiring luck even for survival experts like Bear Grylls or Eldad Hagar.
Qin Tian had never tried it, and he doubted he could succeed in one night. So the best plan was to find other tools.
With little time left and tasks assigned, the two immediately began searching along the coastline.
Qin Tian first returned to where he had initially woken up. If any supplies had washed ashore, it would most likely be near here.
But a quick glance revealed the beach was empty, even the marks he had left earlier had been completely erased by the tide.
Resigned, Qin Tian had no choice but to stick to the plan and continue searching.
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