Chapter 107: Ice Island Melting

Chapter 107: Chapter 107: Ice Island Melting

The three of them left, heading toward the area behind the cave.

After they were a good distance from the cave, Wang Peng hemmed and hawed for a while before finally blurting out what was on his mind.

He lowered his voice, whispering to Jiang Yuxing, "Brother Nan, that’s the first time I’ve ever seen Sister Zhile be so polite and talk to someone so calmly."

"Usually, she just gives everyone the cold shoulder."

Jiang Yuxing grunted in agreement and whispered back, "Academician Wen... you can think of him as a Ph.D. from our world. He’s respected for his contributions."

Wang Peng: "Being respected is one thing, but getting Sister Zhile to completely drop her guard is another."

He glanced at Shi Zhile, his voice dropping even lower. "Back where we’re from, even though Ph.D.s are respected, we’re still very wary of them. And we only have two factions. These people here are from many different countries."

Shi Zhile stopped in her tracks and whipped her head around to look at Wang Peng.

Wang Peng froze, coughed awkwardly twice, and scratched his head as he looked at Jiang Yuxing.

Before Jiang Yuxing could speak, Shi Zhile looked at them with a grave expression. "You don’t understand how united we Huaxians are. The older generation has been through too much—so much that they hate foreigners even more than we do. They would never betray their country."

Wang Peng lowered his head and nodded slowly.

Shi Zhile’s tone shifted. "Brother Peng, where is ’back where we’re from’? Where are you guys from?"

Wang Peng’s head snapped up. He stammered, "Just... just... same... as you, haha."

"From the interstellar?"

Wang Peng fell silent. He didn’t know how to respond; anything he said could be a mistake.

Just as Jiang Yuxing was about to speak, Shi Zhile clamped a hand over his mouth.

"If you don’t say anything, I’ll take that as a yes."

Wang Peng: "I didn’t!"

He looked at Jiang Yuxing, who took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

Shi Zhile immediately covered his eyes with her other hand.

"Getting so worked up... looks like you really are aliens."

Wang Peng: "I’m not!"

"Your reaction is too obvious. It shows you have a guilty conscience."

Jiang Yuxing helplessly pulled Shi Zhile’s hands away. "You’ve said it all, good and bad. It’s getting dark. We should hurry and get the ice to avoid any Sea Monsters."

The glacier was thick in a shaded area. After confirming that this spot wouldn’t affect the cave up ahead, Shi Zhile took out an ax and started hacking at another part of the ice.

CRASH! A large chunk of ice fell to the ground, and Shi Zhile stored it in her backpack.

Wang Peng, afraid of getting tricked into talking, didn’t dare get too close to Shi Zhile. He chose another spot, with Jiang Yuxing between them, and started breaking off ice.

Shadows began to creep across the sky. Making use of the remaining light, the three of them picked up their pace.

Another hour passed, and the sky turned completely dark. Only then did they start their return journey.

The temperature on Ice Island was too low, and the three of them didn’t have enough cold-weather gear. Detouring south before heading to Stone Island would be too far, so they decided to go directly to Stone Island.

Just as they were about to leave, Shi Zhile received a message from Mr. Wen.

[There’s another cave under the second glacier to the north. It has stored hay and dry firewood. If it gets too late, you can spend the night there.]

Shi Zhile relayed the message to Jiang Yuxing. "We’re collecting ice to cool things down. The ice we just gathered will only last a few days at most. We don’t know when the extreme heat will end. Should we stay and gather more?"

’I should gather more ice,’ she thought. ’For one, these glaciers will likely be gone after the extreme heat.’

’Second, the demand for ice is indeed high. If this ice is free of impurities and viruses, it could be used to water plants once it melts.’

Wang Peng thought about the daytime heatwave and the brutal sun, nodding in agreement.

"As soon as the sun rises tomorrow, the temperature will shoot up again. We should make the most of this low temperature. I agree, let’s stay."

Jiang Yuxing: "Stone Island can move. Aren’t you afraid someone else will get to it first?"

Shi Zhile: "They won’t! I’m the only one who can move Stone Island. Without my consent, no one can even think about moving it."

Jiang Yuxing nodded. "In that case, let’s stay. We’ll check out the cave Elder Wen mentioned first."

He had reminded them earlier to bring enough food. If not for the fear of someone seizing the island, he would have stopped them when they were preparing to head back.

Shi Zhile started a video call with Mr. Wen. Once the call connected, she told him their location.

After confirming their position, Mr. Wen gave them directions.

"Keep going. It’s just past the glacier ahead. The temperature is even lower there, and there’s only one thick quilt. You might need to build a couple of extra fires tonight."

Shi Zhile was wearing thermal Soft armor under a military greatcoat, so she didn’t feel cold in the approximately minus-ten-degree weather.

After hanging up, the three of them found the cave.

The cave wasn’t large, and it was a bit cramped for three people, but the mountain peaks in this area were much higher than those in the south.

Breaking off just one piece of the glacier would be enough to last several days.

Shi Zhile took out some beef and gave two portions to Jiang Yuxing and Wang Peng.

"This place is near the sea, so it’s dangerous if monsters come ashore. Plus, the hiding space is too small. To be safe, we’ll rest in the space tonight." ℴℴ𝘮

After finishing her beef and making sure there was nothing else in the cave, she swung her ax fiercely at the ice outside the cave entrance.

With that single strike, a section of the glacier nearly two stories high came crashing down. It shattered on the frozen ground, breaking into ice blocks of all sizes.

Shi Zhile collected them all into her backpack, regardless of size.

Seeing Shi Zhile hammering away at the glacier with increasing vigor, Wang Peng also entered looting mode.

After 11 o’clock, the three of them entered the space.

At dawn the next day, the glaciers were melting even faster.

The trio headed toward Mr. Wen’s cave, collecting ice blocks as they went.

It was nearly noon by the time they officially reached the cave.

Mr. Wen had already packed his supplies and was waiting at the cave entrance. He was also smashing ice blocks with a hammer in his hand.

After regrouping, the party officially set off for Wang Stone Island.

At the edge of Ice Island, large and small chunks of ice were melting off under the scorching sun.

Yesterday, Stone Island had been right next to Ice Island. But in just one night and a morning, the distance between the two islands had increased by nearly 100 meters.

It wasn’t that the islands were moving; Ice Island was just melting rapidly.

The edge was too dangerous. Jiang Yuxing summoned his sailboat and ferried the group toward Stone Island.

The moment they set foot on Stone Island, the temperature soared due to the blistering sun.

Everyone quickly shed their heavy clothes and followed Shi Zhile toward the shelter.

「Inside the shelter.」

Jiang Yuxing was the first to speak. "Zhile, you’re out of rooms here. Have Mr. Wen come to my island to rest."

As long as a Summon Order wasn’t used, the Teleportation Gate was still usable.

Previously, because Wang Peng and Chuyi often visited Jiang Yuxing’s island, he had built two more treehouses near the banyan tree for their convenience.

The treehouses were spaced far apart, whereas Shi Zhile’s shelter had very little living space.

It was fine during the day, but having men and women together at night was inconvenient.

As a young woman, she needed more privacy.