Chapter 22: Island Survival 3
Day 5 on the island, 5:00 AM.
Chu Yun and her teammates woke up to pack their things and prepare to flee. The group moved rapidly, taking everything that could be carried. They didn’t even leave the unused firewood behind; they only left a few items needed for immediate use in their backpacks and stuffed the rest into the storage ring.
Chu Yun carried a black canvas bag containing only a piece of dry bread and a repackaged 500ml bottle of mineral water. A spiked mace was tucked upside down in the backpack’s outer pocket, her bow and arrows were strapped to the pack, and her quiver was clipped to her waist.
Just as they were about to set off, a sudden wave from the sea violently crashed inward. After being obstructed by the beach and the small bushes, the wave lost most of its impact force, and by the time it reached the camp, it merely extended weakly to their feet.
The problem was…
The sea level, which hadn’t even reached the bushes yesterday, had risen by over ten meters overnight. Their camp had been chosen at a spot not far from the forest, yet even it was now submerged. What about the players who had set up camp right at the edge of the beach just to easily gather seafood?
Sure enough, shouting and cursing echoed from not far away.
“Quick, quick, quick! Get the hell up! You’re going to drown without even knowing it if you keep sleeping!”
“Fuck, I was wondering why I dreamed I was choking on water.”
“Ah! My seafood was all washed away! Motherfucker!”
“This piece-of-shit game is a total scam!”
Ignoring the players who were still salvaging their supplies in the seawater, Chu Yun and her two teammates quietly walked into the inner depths of the forest.
Only after they were completely clear of the rising seawater and could no longer hear the players’ curses did the group gradually slow their pace.
“It’s kind of a pity. The camp we stayed at for several days is just gone like that.”
Xu Dongdong really liked that leisurely state.
“It’s fine, we’ll just find another suitable camp,” Yu Wenhao comforted him rare form. After two days of treatment and rest, his injured leg had fully healed.
At 8:00 AM, the system voice rang out.
[All players have entered the instance. Total players in this round: 5,000.]
[Survival supply packs for this round: 10/10. Airdrop deployment in progress. 5—4—3—2—1]
[Attention: The supplies for this round contain a rare Land Item Card.]
The moment the voice dropped, the roaring vroom vroom of a helicopter echoed overhead.
Hearing the mention of an airdrop, the group tilted their heads to look at the sky. The inexplicably appearing helicopter bypassed them overhead, turning into a tiny speck a few seconds later. However, they could still clearly see it drop several supply packs along its designated flight path, most of them landing close to the mountain peak.
It seemed the game was intentionally drawing players into the inner depths of the island.
Chu Yun held her compass. “Let’s go. We need to grab a few supply packs.”
A rare item—and it was the exact Land Item Card she wanted! She currently possessed only one Land Item Card, and the system required five to synthesize a personal instance. Now that the opportunity was right before her eyes, she had to fight for it.
She had mentioned having Happy Farm to Xu Dongdong and Yu Wenhao, and the two knew her intentions, so they rapidly advanced deeper into the island.
Passing by the traps they had set earlier, Chu Yun caught another wild pheasant, giving her two pheasants now. She affectionately stroked the listless head of the chicken that had starved for a day, casting a regretful glance at the traps they had worked so hard to dig; they wouldn’t be passing through here again.
Rather than calling this an island, it felt more like a primitive jungle—the further inside they went, the deeper that impression became.
Everywhere were towering, bizarrely shaped trees that blotted out the sky. Dense fallen leaves covered the ground like a green blanket, shielding them from the direct sunlight, making the dappled light hitting them look soft and mysterious.
Various low plants climbed the tree trunks like vines, intertwining haphazardly. Insects and small animals hid within the diverse plant communities; the vegetation was abundant, the air was crisp, and the birds chirped amidst fragrant flowers.
It looked like a paradise on earth, but beneath its mysterious veil hid unknown risks. It was like a vampire beauty hiding behind a screen of smoke, ready to take your life when you least expected it.
The three of them wrapped themselves tightly from head to toe, leaving not a single patch of skin exposed to the air. Chu Yun held her spiked mace to clear the path ahead, Xu Dongdong followed in second, and Yu Wenhao brought up the rear.
Maintaining this formation, the group walked continuously for eleven hours until 7:00 PM, yet they still hadn’t seen even a shadow of the mountain’s foot. They had only grabbed a casual bite to eat midway. Back at the beach camp, they had turned the ten sea fish caught from the ocean into roasted fish, dried fish, or fish soup and stored them in the storage ring, precisely so they could replenish their energy at any time when there was no time to cook on the road.
There was no water source or suitable shelter nearby. The group managed to find a relatively wide flat clearing with great difficulty. With the sky already dark, continuing forward would be very dangerous, so they could only make do and rest here tonight.
Surrounded by woods, firewood was abundant. After lighting a fire, the group extravagantly opened two packs of instant noodles, pairing the remaining broth with bread. Only after eating a large piece of bread each did their stomachs finally feel somewhat satisfied.
After eating, those on watch took their posts while the others went to sleep. Walking all day had been truly exhausting, and none of them had the energy left to talk.
Day 6 on the island.
The night was cold, and even the constantly burning fire couldn’t drive away the chill; wrapping all their clothes around themselves proved completely futile. During the day, it was sweltering, yet they were forced to wrap themselves tightly to prevent insect bites. The extreme temperature difference between day and night made for a highly uncomfortable experience.
There was still a long distance to the foot of the mountain, and dark paths were everywhere, requiring them to blaze their own trails. If it weren’t for the compass, they would have easily lost their heading.
Today’s itinerary was heavily loaded. Yu Wenhao, who was on watch, woke everyone up early and handed each a cup of warm water. Chu Yun took the water and sipped it gently; the hot water traveling down her stomach dispelled the morning chill, finally making her feel a bit better.
After consuming the fish soup prepared in advance inside the storage ring, the three set off. They were likely the earliest squad to depart, and coupled with their relentless pace, no players caught up from behind, nor were there any traces of players having appeared ahead.
Day 7 on the island.
Xu Dongdong was bitten by a venomous snake.
At the time, the group was navigating through the jungle, with Chu Yun leading the path ahead and Xu Dongdong falling slightly behind. Suddenly, Xu Dongdong felt a branch to his side looked a bit strange—the bark of the trunk was wrinkled yet exceptionally vibrant in color.
Finding it novel, he stared at it for a few extra glances. He hadn’t expected this single glance would nearly claim his life; the venomous snake camouflaged itself remarkably well, blending perfectly with the surrounding trees, making it indistinguishable without a close look.
By the time he reacted, the snake had already darted its head out and bitten him, and as unluckily as it could get, it struck right on the patch of his neck exposed to the air.
Xu Dongdong let out a reflexive shriek of pain. When Chu Yun turned her head back, Yu Wenhao, who was following behind him, had already drawn his machete and aimed it at the snake.
The snake was incredibly fast; after biting Xu Dongdong, it zipped through the brush and vanished into the jungle. Yu Wenhao pursued the snake to search for it, while Chu Yun squatted by Xu Dongdong’s side to inspect him.
She pulled open the clothes at Xu Dongdong’s neck to squeeze the blood from the wound, and the squeezed blood had turned completely black. Xu Dongdong’s lips had already turned pale, and cold sweat poured from his body. He hadn’t expected the snake venom to be this potent; within a matter of seconds, the toxin had completely spread.
Chu Yun immediately used a medical bandage on Xu Dongdong, but the bandage only stopped the bleeding without neutralizing the poison. She crushed several detoxifying herbs she had picked earlier and applied them to Xu Dongdong’s wound, but it was still useless; the negative impact didn’t decrease.
“It got away,” Yu Wenhao returned shortly, his expression filled with disappointment. Failing to catch the snake meant they didn’t know what kind of venom it was, leaving them clueless on how to detoxify it.
By now, Xu Dongdong’s nerves were paralyzed, and his mouth trembled so much he could barely speak, yet he still forced himself to say, “Don’t… don’t worry about me. I’ll just exit the game in a bit. It’s a pity I can’t clear the stage with you guys.”
Chu Yun cut off Xu Dongdong as he prepared to exit the game. “Don’t panic, I have a Universal Antidote Pill.”
She recalled the reward she had obtained from killing the king cobra in the first instance. A lot of time had passed since then and she had almost forgotten it. She retrieved the antidote pill and fed it to Xu Dongdong.
After swallowing the pill, Xu Dongdong’s nerve paralysis symptoms improved significantly, but his complexion remained very pale, and movement was highly difficult. Thus, the group decided to find a place to rest today, setting out tomorrow after the residual venom in Xu Dongdong’s body was completely cleared.
Towering trees surrounded the area, the ground was blanketed with decomposing leaves, and countless insects hid beneath the surface. Though some insects were small, they carried potent venom—especially those clusters of ants; one careless bite would instantly cause a massive welt on the skin.
With Xu Dongdong unable to move, Yu Wenhao had to carry him on his back to continue forward. Yu Wenhao had trained in the military for years; though their speed was slightly slower, his stamina was completely fine. After walking for two hours, the group finally located a suitable spot to pitch a shelter. The terrain was elevated, flat, and open, with no footprints of large animals nearby.
Yu Wenhao set Xu Dongdong on the ground and went to gather firewood nearby, while Chu Yun cleared away the dry branches and leaves on the ground. A portion of the wormwood leaves she had picked earlier remained, so she took some out and lit them to smoke away the little insects on the ground.
With Xu Dongdong’s body weak today, he needed some nutritional replenishment. Thus, Chu Yun extravagantly retrieved a wild pheasant to prep. It was the usual stewed chicken with mushrooms; the mushrooms were the very last small handful, and once eaten, they would be gone. The staple was three packs of instant noodles tossed into the broth, and she saved the noodle seasoning packets to store inside her space.
After drinking a small half-bowl of chicken soup, Xu Dongdong’s condition improved significantly, leaving them to set off as soon as dawn broke tomorrow.
By now, the three could faintly make out the mountain peaks. Barring any accidents, they would reach the foot of the mountain tomorrow.
Day 8 on the island.
The group hastily ate a plain white mantou to stave off hunger and hurriedly hit the road. Xu Dongdong’s injury yesterday had delayed their itinerary for an entire afternoon, and there were only ten survival supply packs—meaning only the first few squads to arrive could obtain them. The fact that they hadn’t encountered other players on their side didn’t mean squads from other directions weren’t rushing ahead of them; after all, this island was massive, and even the single coastline where Chu Yun had landed stretched out of sight.
By evening, the group finally reached the foot of the mountain, but a river blocked their path ahead.
The river water was formed by a waterfall converging from the mountain. The waterfall sat on high terrain, making the gravitational acceleration of the crashing water immense. Their current spot wasn’t far from the waterfall, and the current was turbulent.
The river was roughly thirty meters wide, stretching out in a straight line before them into the distance. The surface of the water was completely empty, with no wooden bridge or stepping stones, yet if they wanted to climb to the mountain peak, they had to cross the river before them. The river water was crystal clear, and standing at the edge, one could see the pebbles at the bottom of the river a few meters away.
“So? Our only choice is to swim across?” Yu Wenhao inspected the surroundings and reluctantly drew this conclusion.
“Yes, there is no better way,” Chu Yun couldn’t help but grit her teeth and say. If the wooden raft from the sea were still here, they would have another method, but the raft had already sunk to the seabed when they encountered the marine whirlpool. Going to chop trees to construct a raft now was too late, so the most efficient method was to swim across—the only point of concern was the unknown creatures in the water.
On the surface, the river looked calm and peaceful, appearing very safe, but in this cutthroat game, safety was only temporary. Just peering beneath the surface, one would discover the riverbed was filled with all sorts of dangers, catching people off guard, so they needed to maintain their vigilance at all times.
The two life jackets from their raft survival days were still inside Chu Yun’s storage ring. Chu Yun fished them out, giving one to Xu Dongdong and keeping one for herself. Since there were only two sets, and Xu Dongdong’s body was weak while Chu Yun was a girl, the physically strong Yu Wenhao proactively gave his up.
Aside from their self-defense weapons, all supplies were placed into the storage ring. Chu Yun led the charge as usual, Xu Dongdong ranked second, and Yu Wenhao brought up the rear.
Gripping the rope, Chu Yun stepped into the river water. The pebbles at the bottom of the river were covered in moss, making it very easy to slip. She tested the waters carefully, warning Xu Dongdong behind her as she walked.
Xu Dongdong stepped into the river five meters behind her, and Yu Wenhao was five meters behind Xu Dongdong—a spacing that was just right, not too far to lose track of each other, yet not too close that the rear wouldn’t have time to react if danger was discovered ahead.
Worried that the turbulent current would wash them away, they used the rope to bind themselves together.
Chu Yun tested the depth of the riverbed; the water gradually submerged her calves, then her thighs, and before she even reached the middle of the river, it had already risen to her neck. Chu Yun felt that footing had become a massive hindrance, and she would soon lose her footing entirely, leaving her with no choice but to swim across.
She stroked her arms, parting the river water by her side like a free fish. Her speed was very fast, and within a matter of seconds, she swam across the deep-water zone. When her feet could step onto the riverbed again, she stopped and turned her head to wait for her companions.
Xu Dongdong was slow, falling a large section behind. He struggled forward in the turbulent river water, and by now, he had drifted off course under the impact of the current.
Suddenly…
“Quick! Danger! Swim to the shore!” Chu Yun, who had been constantly observing the river surface, saw a school of greenish-tortoise-colored fish swimming down from the upper reaches of the river. They possessed a row of razor-sharp teeth, and though modest in size, their numbers were massive.
Piranhas could reduce an animal that accidentally entered the water to bare bones within a short window. They ate nothing but meat, and naturally, that included human flesh.
