Chapter 117: Arriving at the Island

Chapter 117: Chapter 117: Arriving at the Island

Jiang Jing laughed. "We’re the only ones dishing it out. How could we possibly be the ones taking it?"

Shi Zhile took a black voice recorder out of her backpack.

During her conversation with Chuyi, she hadn’t trusted the system’s recording function, so she had specifically used a Wish Drifting Bottle to obtain it.

"Elder Wen, I have something to discuss with you. I don’t know if this is true or not yet, but it’s a matter of life and death for all of us. As a precaution, I feel you need to know."

Her expression was so grave that Elder Wen put down his three-toothed hoe, walked to the side, and sat down. He took a sip of water. "Alright. If you’re not sure, we’ll discuss it together."

Jiang Jing sat on a stool as Shi Zhile played the recording.

After a few moments of silence, a voice emerged from the recorder.

"The three of us traveled to this time and space through a wormhole. In our era, Earth exploded. All plants and animals on Earth were wiped out in that explosion."

...

"You... There’s no point in talking to you!"

The half-hour-long conversation ended there.

Jiang Jing and Mr. Wen were silent for a long moment. Their expressions were grave, their brows knitted tightly together.

Mr. Wen tapped the hoe beside him. "Do you believe him?"

Shi Zhile said, "I believe they’re from an interstellar civilization, and I also believe there are two factions. But I’m skeptical about the claim that ’the game was created by the Peace Faction’."

"A mix of truth and lies is the easiest to believe. I’ll admit, I believed everything he said at the time. But after thinking it over, I realized his story is full of holes."

Jiang Jing added, "His attempt to sow discord is too obvious. He claims to be part of the Peace Faction, yet every word he speaks is filled with contempt and disdain. It doesn’t seem like he wants you to remember the Peace Faction fondly; it’s more like he’s deliberately trying to make you despise them."

"Rather than being from the Peace Faction, he sounds more like he belongs to the War Faction."

Shi Zhile agreed with him.

Mr. Wen tapped his hoe again, drawing their attention.

"We still don’t know who created the game, and for now, we can’t concern ourselves with interstellar politics."

"Miss Shi is right. Their original intentions don’t matter. What’s important is that everything they’re doing is depleting our numbers."

"We don’t know what lies at the end of this game. People are dying in droves. If this continues, we won’t even have the strength to take them down with us in the end."

Shi Zhile said, "So... Elder Wen, we need to get to Huaxia Base and do everything we can to help it grow."

Mr. Wen’s eyes lit up. ’So Miss Shi has finally decided to head for Huaxia Base.’

For a month, their journey had been full of stops and starts. She had been traveling at an unhurried pace. Even though he knew they were heading toward Huaxia Base, he was frantic with impatience, but he hadn’t contributed much and didn’t feel right urging her on.

Mr. Wen spat into his palms, grabbed his hoe, and got up to continue tilling the earth.

"We’ll deal with the rest later. Your job is to get this old man out of this instance alive. Now hurry up and get back on the road."

"What do you want for lunch? My treat."

Jiang Jing answered without hesitation, "Greens."

Mr. Wen faltered. "This old man has none!"

Jiang Jing said, "White rice!"

"Don’t have that either!"

Jiang Jing asked, "Well, what do you have, old-timer?"

"I’ve got fish! Real saltwater fish, caught straight from the sea. One hundred percent authentic."

Jiang Jing heaved a deep sigh. "Fine. At least it’s something to eat."

Shi Zhile couldn’t help but laugh at their little act. It was obvious they were both after her greens and yellow millet, but they still had to put on a whole performance.

"I don’t have any white rice, that’s true, but I’ve got plenty of greens and sweet potatoes. Elder Wen, I’ll have three roasted sweet potatoes."

"I want roasted sweet potatoes too, and some stir-fried greens. Old-timer, I remember you have some improved rice seeds. If you go to the trouble of planting some rice for Zhile, maybe I can get in on it too."

Mr. Wen cursed at them good-naturedly but agreed nonetheless.

The sky remained overcast, and the sea was deceptively calm—the quiet before a storm.

It was an unnerving silence.

The two of them gripped their oars, rowing without a moment’s rest.

An hour later, their sampan was only 300 meters from the island.

At 8:30 in the morning, a loud RUMBLE echoed across the water, and raindrops the size of soybeans began hammering the sampan.

In an instant, a mist rose from the sea’s surface. The rain fell harder and faster, obscuring the path ahead.

The once-calm sea surface instantly turned turbulent. Overlapping waves, laden with rain, crashed about violently. The small sampan was like a willow leaf in the wind, tossed relentlessly from side to side.

But that wasn’t the worst of it. Seawater, mixed with rain, flooded the boat’s cabin, and a pool of water collected in moments.

The stove tipped over, and the fire was instantly doused by the seawater. As water continued to pour in, the sampan began to sink.

Another crack of thunder sounded as a great gust of wind blew from the shore. Rain lashed their faces at an angle, making it impossible to get their bearings.

The island, whose silhouette had been visible just moments before, vanished completely into the mist.

A massive wave slammed into the side of the boat. The hull tilted violently, instantly flinging the two of them overboard.

Icy seawater swallowed them whole. Wave after wave crashed over them. They bobbed on the surface for a moment before the churning water pulled them under, and they vanished.

Just as the boat was about to capsize, Jiang Jing had already wrapped his arms around Shi Zhile’s waist. As it overturned, she clung tightly to his arm.

He didn’t know how long they struggled in the water. Just as his strength was fading, Jiang Jing’s back slammed hard against a reef.

He sucked in a sharp breath from the pain. When he came to his senses, he quickly turned his head, and his eyes instantly brightened.

"COUGH... It’s the island! The island is behind us!"

Another wave crashed down, throwing them directly onto the shore.

His body slammed against the reef, and the pain drained all the color from Jiang Jing’s face.

It wasn’t the first time Shi Zhile had been thrown by the waves. Compared to her first ordeal at sea, at least this time she had a human cushion.

A sharp pain shot through her arm. She immediately got up to check on Jiang Jing’s injuries.

Jiang Jing sat up. The back of his white undershirt was stained red with blood.

The rain was still pouring. Amid the roar of the waves, she could faintly hear weak cries for help.

Shi Zhile pulled Jiang Jing to his feet and headed inland without a backward glance.

Of all the players, they had been the closest to the island, making them the first to land. Others would surely follow. They had to find a place to take shelter before anyone else arrived.

Jiang Jing pointed to a small hill to the side. "I scouted the island before dark yesterday. There’s a cave halfway up that hill. We can take shelter from the rain there. Let’s go check it out."

Braving the rain, the two pressed on without stopping.

About half an hour later, they finally reached the cave.

The mouth of the cave was half-obscured by a tangle of vines; one could easily miss it without looking closely.

Weapons in hand, they entered.

The cave was small, its back wall visible from the entrance. It was empty save for some loose stones.

Shi Zhile took Elder Wen’s fire starter from her Planting Space and built a fire to dry and warm the cave. Then, she entered her Breeding Space, retrieved some stones, and used them to completely block the cave entrance.

Only after all that was done did Shi Zhile finally have time to change her clothes.