Stranded on a Deserted Island—They All Started Plotting Against Me - Chapter 24 - Chapter 24

“Why are you making that face?” Anya, still unaware of Qin Ruoshuang’s thoughts, asked in confusion, “My red tracksuit won’t turn see-through and sweaty.”

“Um…” Qin Ruoshuang’s expression was painfully awkward. She merely crossed her arms over her chest, and under that pressure, the soft, plush mounds became even more visibly defined.

Anya fell silent when she noticed that even without a bra, Qin Ruoshuang’s chest still held its shape.

Only then did she begin to understand why Qin Ruoshuang had looked embarrassed yet polite at her suggestion to swap bras.

Sometimes, conversations between girls could be that simple and unspoken.

“I’ll go wait for Zhang Liu down below. You do you.” Like a dog with its tail between its legs, Anya quickly climbed down the slope beside them. She didn’t even have the nerve to glance back at Qin Ruoshuang’s chest.

Meanwhile, Zhang Liu had returned to the cave area with a bundle of dry firewood and began thinking about why his fire-starting attempt had failed earlier.

The main problem seemed to be not drilling long enough.

According to survival videos, drilling wood to start a fire doesn’t directly create flames. Instead, it generates heat, which turns the wood shavings into something resembling burning embers. Then, placing those embers with kindling and blowing lightly can ignite the fire.

The theoretical knowledge seemed sound.

Zhang Liu carefully studied the piece of wood he was using as the fire base. A small hole had been made in the flat surface, and black charred shavings were scattered around it.

He stared at it for a while but couldn’t think of any improvements to the tool.

He had no choice but to continue!

He glanced up at the sun, which had now moved directly overhead, took a deep breath, and wrapped the smoothed stick around his belt, preparing to drill again.

He placed a shell against his left palm for support and prepared to move his other hand back and forth. But then, he paused.

Zhang Liu recalled the final step in the fire-starting process: placing the ashes on combustible material and supplying oxygen…

Could it be that the hole he made was too small, which prevented oxygen from entering?

Grabbing a metal piece from the ground, he decided to carve a shallow incision near the hole where the first fire attempt had failed.

Maybe this would allow more oxygen to get in?

With a glimmer of hope, Zhang Liu took a deep breath and began his second attempt.

“Screech, screech…”

The sounds of the bow drill echoed out, reaching Anya’s ears as she was gathering sticks nearby. At once, she scooped up a bundle of twigs and dashed back toward the cave.

Inside the cave, Qin Ruoshuang hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to come out. Then, with cautious movements, she began to climb down the side as well.

She lowered the arm she’d been using to shield her chest and slowly walked over to where Zhang Liu was fully focused on the fire drill.

Qin Ruoshuang had already made up her mind.

If no external help arrives, she and Zhang Liu would have to survive in this wilderness until they were rescued.

Clothes would get torn, and their bodies would be exposed—it was only a matter of time.

It was better to let Zhang Liu get used to it now with this semi-transparent exposure…

At the same time, she felt a bit helpless.

Because Qin Ruoshuang knew: whether he adapted or started having indecent thoughts—that was something only Zhang Liu himself would know.

Zhang Liu could hear footsteps approaching but didn’t have the energy to pay attention.

This second attempt at fire-starting was clearly more effective than the first.

After just a few dozen rotations, the tip of the stick and the wooden base began to emit smoke—an effect that had taken at least a hundred rotations to achieve earlier.

“Sizzle… sizzle…”

With the smoke thickening, Anya and Qin Ruoshuang, standing nearby, dared not even breathe too loudly.

Zhang Liu knew that this process wouldn’t immediately produce flames from the tip of his stick, but he didn’t know how long he needed to continue before the ember-generating point would occur.

The burning sensation in his arms returned, but this time, Zhang Liu refused to give up. Instead, he adjusted his position.

He had been squatting while pulling the bow, but now he knelt on the sand, using one leg to support himself and the other knee pressing onto the wood. His right hand moved rapidly back and forth, now using his body more effectively.

“Ha!” With a heavy breath, Zhang Liu threw the bow aside and picked up the smoking wooden base, pouring its contents onto the prepared pile of “old man’s beard.”

The black wood shavings mixed with wisps of smoke, all settling on the fluffy white material.

“There’s a spark!” Unlike Qin Ruoshuang, who was still distracted by her situation, Anya had her eyes glued to the fire-making attempt.

She clearly saw a faint red glow like glowing coals among the black wood shavings.

This discovery thrilled and excited Anya.

There was no time to waste or hesitate.

Sore arms be damned. Zhang Liu scooped up the fluffy white “old man’s beard” and began mimicking the actions seen in survival videos, gently blowing.

“Whoo…”

He knelt on the ground, blowing carefully, his expression intense.

The term “slash-and-burn agriculture” is how modern humans describe a stage of primitive civilization. But to Zhang Liu, starting a fire successfully meant he had gained the fundamental ability to survive in the wild.

It meant no more nights of complete darkness.

No more eating cold, sticky food.

No more freezing every morning upon waking.

All these thoughts flashed through his mind as he continued to blow gently.

This same thought was also flashing through the minds of Qin Ruoshuang and Anya.

Anya had already dumped all the firewood she’d gathered at her feet, waiting for Zhang Liu to ignite it.

“Whoosh…”

With the tenth, twentieth, thirtieth breath…

The old man’s beard kindling started shifting from merely producing wisps of smoke to generating a thicker, bluish-white vapor.

This was a sign of it being lit, Zhang Liu understood.

But he didn’t stop blowing. Instead, he took deeper breaths and continued to blow.

He extended each breath longer, but reduced the force with which he blew.

The smoke entering his airways wasn’t important as long as it would ignite the fire—what was a little irritation compared to that?

Zhang Liu could clearly feel the temperature of the old man’s beard in his hands rising drastically, even to the point of being too hot to touch.

Come on, burn already!

Zhang Liu was already struggling to catch his breath.

As though answering his prayer, the first flicker of flame began to appear from the smoke.

Then, a vigorous burning effect began, and the entire top half of the old man’s beard was ignited.

“Ah!” Zhang Liu was momentarily stunned as he held the burning mass.

Though he had been hoping, he didn’t expect to succeed on the second try. After repeatedly blowing with no success, Zhang Liu had even mentally prepared for the third attempt the next day.

“We have fire!” Anya squealed, turning to throw her arms around Qin Ruoshuang. Her cheek squished firmly into Ruoshuang’s chest as she rubbed it joyfully, unable to stop cheering.

Though her chest was being squashed, Qin Ruoshuang didn’t mind and was also full of joy.

They still didn’t have a clear idea of how to make the best use of the fire, but one thing was certain: at the very least, she, Anya, and Zhang Liu would be able to stay warm now.

“So hot!” After the fire had burned for about two seconds in his hand, Zhang Liu realized and hurriedly placed the flame on a dry branch he had prepared earlier.

Then he stood up and started furiously patting his hands together, trying to get rid of the hot ash and ease the burning sensation.

Just then, Qin Ruoshuang’s anxious voice came from the side: “Zhang Liu, the fire is about to go out!”