Stranded on a Deserted Island—They All Started Plotting Against Me - Chapter 18 - Chapter 18

It wasn’t until Zhang Liu personally experienced the oysters’ firm attachment to the rock that he deeply understood why ancient people used them as bridge piers.

But at the end of the day, it was just calcium carbonate making up the shell.

Wielding a stone like an upright ape, Zhang Liu unleashed his primal instincts.

Soon, the coconut shell he used as a container was half-filled with oyster meat.

Looking at the sun, which had already dipped below half of the horizon, Zhang Liu didn’t hesitate and turned to leave.

He had specifically checked how long it would take for night to fall the previous evening.

Without a proper way to count, Zhang Liu relied on his internal clock and some rough knowledge, estimating he had about an hour and a half before complete darkness.

Satisfied with the oysters in the coconut shell, he wasn’t sure if Qin Ruoshuang and Anya could accept this food, but at least he could.

That was enough for him.

Zhang Liu understood one thing clearly.

In this wilderness, as the strongest among them, it was his responsibility to take care of the weaker Qin Ruoshuang and Anya.

But more importantly, he needed to take care of himself.

Only by ensuring his own safety could he better protect the two girls.

Food intake was one form of protection.

Carrying the oyster meat to the cave entrance, Zhang Liu noticed that the sky had darkened further.

Only the central point around the setting sun still emitted light, while the clouds farther away had long since been tinged with black, creeping toward the fading light.

The scene was majestic. Under different circumstances, if he were enjoying some leisure time, watching this might have inspired a sense of grandeur.

But for Zhang Liu, who couldn’t even manage his own patch of land, it felt more like a countdown, urging him to finish his tasks for the day.

Standing below the cave entrance, Zhang Liu didn’t climb right up but called out, “Anya, Qin Ruoshuang, is it okay for me to come up now?”

He didn’t want to climb up and accidentally walk in on something awkward, like the two of them changing clothes.

Inside the cave, Anya was carefully sharpening a rusty metal shard against a flat stone, completely focused. She didn’t respond, but Qin Ruoshuang, who was beside her cutting coconut meat, answered, “Zhang Liu, you can come up.”

“Okay!” After securing the coconut shell, Zhang Liu stepped on the nearby stones and climbed up into the cave.

He was immediately impressed by the newly arranged cave.

“How is it?” Qin Ruoshuang stopped peeling the coconut meat and smiled at Zhang Liu.

“It’s really good,” Zhang Liu nodded, approving, then remarked, “You must be really tired, right?”

“… ” Anya, who was grinding the metal piece, looked up after hearing this but then went back to her work.

The comment unexpectedly stirred something inside her.

“It’s fine,” Qin Ruoshuang pointed to the foam board nearby and said, “You can sleep here tonight, is that okay?”

“Sure, no problem,” Zhang Liu replied. “By the way, I went to the beach and got some oyster meat for dinner. Oh, Anya, what are you grinding?” The outside light was still bright, but it was getting darker inside the cave.

For a moment, Zhang Liu only heard the creaking sound and saw Anya’s up-and-down movements. He didn’t know what she was doing.

“Anya said she knows how to maintain tools, so she’s removing the rust from the metal piece you picked up…” Qin Ruoshuang stood up and moved forward to take the coconut shell from Zhang Liu, while explaining Anya’s actions.

“It’s not rust removal…” Just then, Anya, who had been focused on her work, suddenly loudly refuted Qin Ruoshuang’s explanation.

Then she looked up at Zhang Liu and softly explained, “At the seaside, metal is very prone to rusting if it’s not oiled or treated with any rust prevention methods. I’m just sharpening it a bit.”

Qin Ruoshuang turned to look at Anya. She could tell the tone was directed at her, but she couldn’t understand why.

Hadn’t they just been talking and laughing earlier? Anya had even said she would prepare weapons so Zhang Liu wouldn’t have to protect them when difficulties arose. Was something wrong?

Qin Ruoshuang glanced at Anya, whose head had drooped lower than before, and noticed that her earlobes seemed to have an unusually deep color…

After thinking for a moment, Qin Ruoshuang suddenly had a guess.

“Oh, sharpening it is good too, it’ll definitely come in handy later.” Zhang Liu didn’t notice the tension between the two girls. He just nodded, sat down to rest, and started surveying the cave that had been simply swept clean.

Soon, his gaze fell on the bottle of bottled water, filled with clear liquid.

Just as he was about to speak, Qin Ruoshuang, who was picking up an oyster meat to eat, spoke up: “Zhang Liu, I tested the water this afternoon. It should be fine.”

“You tested it?” Zhang Liu turned to look at her with concern. He had planned to test it himself tomorrow, but she was saying she had already tested it?

“Yeah, it seems fine to me.” Qin Ruoshuang nodded and then pointed to the bottle. “We both drank it. Do you want some?”

“Sure!” Zhang Liu reached for the bottle, unscrewed the cap, and was about to take a sip, but he noticed that both Anya and Qin Ruoshuang were looking at him.

“You… want to drink too?” Zhang Liu asked, confused.

“No need, you drink it.”

“I’ve had some already.”

Qin Ruoshuang and Anya answered at the same time, both wearing a calm expression, but their eyes showed a hint of unease.

“Oh!” Zhang Liu nodded and was about to take a sip, but suddenly realized the two girls were staring at him intently, almost like they were observing a rare animal.

A chill ran down his spine.

At the same time, his mind began to wander.

Could it be that the rescue team had arrived, and that Qin Ruoshuang and Anya were poisoning the water to cover up something, like the times he had touched their chest or butt, preparing to silence him?

Although the thought was far-fetched, it suddenly occurred to Zhang Liu.

“Drink up. W–Why aren’t you drinking?” Anya was so focused she didn’t even bother sharpening the metal shard anymore. She stared intently at the mouth of the bottle she had just drunk from, and the words “indirect kiss” suddenly floated through her mind.

“Yeah, Zhang Liu, drink it.” Qin Ruoshuang also urged.

Same logic as Anya—even though the fact that he was about to drink from the same spot she had just used made her feel a bit awkward. But in this situation, if it were Zhang Liu, she wouldn’t really mind.

“Are you both… okay?” Zhang Liu, feeling uneasy under the intense gaze, turned his eyes around and casually asked, “By the way, has anyone come for rescue?”

He then studied their expressions intently, determined to detect any signs of lying.

“Uh… no.” Qin Ruoshuang and Anya sighed at the same time and shook their heads.

Qin Ruoshuang, who was usually more gentle, even had tears in her eyes.

Seeing this, Zhang Liu felt a sudden sense of relief.

That genuine reaction… it probably meant his theory about being poisoned and silenced after rescue had arrived was just paranoid nonsense.

But as soon as he raised the bottle, both girls continued to look at him with a focused gaze.

“I am suddenly not thirsty.” Zhang Liu shook his head and put the bottle down.

Instead, he grabbed a Jabuticaba fruit from nearby and popped it into his mouth, skin and all.

Given the strange situation, he would rather test the fruit for toxins than drink the water.