Lu Wuyai looked at it and then leaned his head into the cold water pool. He felt that the temperature here was probably already at its lowest point.

“These felines are drinking water from the cold pool,” Lu Wuyai guessed, because the cat carcasses near the beach all had their tongues sticking out.

Lu Wuyai thought for a while, then took out a pistol from his pocket, removed the magazine, took out a bullet, and threw it into the cold pool.

As it was nearly thrown, the bullet's metal casing instantly became coated with ice, and it finally fell into the water with a splash.

As a result, Lu Wuyai was too close, and a drop of water landed on the back of his hand. It felt like being branded with an iron rod, and he screamed in pain.

The pain felt like something was flowing along his meridians and blood vessels, instantly spreading throughout Lu Wuyai's entire body, until he fainted on the spot.

......

When Lu Wuyai woke up again, he found himself in a cave and felt a severe numbness throughout his body.

Recalling what had happened before, Lu Wuyai suddenly felt terrified. A single drop of water flowing from the icy pool made him feel as if he were dead.

After lying alone in bed for a while, Lu Wuyai felt the sensation in his limbs slowly returning, and soon he would be able to stretch his body freely, so he got out of bed.

"Really?" Lu Wuyai suddenly had a strange feeling that his body had become lighter, just for a moment.

Shaking his head, Lu Wuyai took the watch from the bed. The time displayed was five o'clock.

"It should be around five o'clock in the afternoon," Lu Wuyai murmured. He wouldn't fall into a coma until the next day.

When he entered the living room and heard the women's sweet snoring, Lu Wuyai smiled bitterly. He had indeed been unconscious for nearly twenty hours.

Thinking of the water droplets in the cold pool again, Lu Wuyai couldn't help but shiver again. However, he found that the temperature inside the cave was actually cooler today, not hot at all.

At this moment, seeing that the lights in the laboratory were still on, Lu Wuyai walked over and found that Gu Yuxin was still working, with a large pile of things on the table.

But to Lu Wuyai's surprise, the temperature in the laboratory instantly gave him goosebumps. It was too cold.

If you look closely, you'll see Gu Yuxin wearing a down jacket and playing with a machine.

"Lu Wuyai." Gu Yuxin heard footsteps, turned around, saw Lu Wuyai, and suddenly smiled.

"Why is your lab so cold?" Lu Wuyai rubbed his arms. It was summer, but the lab felt like the cold winter of December.

Gu Yuxin pointed to a corner of the laboratory. Lu Wuyai glanced at it with suspicion, then suddenly couldn't contain himself.

"You moved all the cold water pools out of the cave." Lu Wuyai's eyes widened.

All he saw was that in the corner of the laboratory, where there used to be piles of machines, there was now a puddle of water. Recognizing the familiar feeling, Lu Wuyai instantly knew it was the cold water pool in the cave.

"I need to put on some clothes first." Lu Wuyai was frozen stiff; it was too cold.

After putting on the down jacket, Lu Wuyai returned to the laboratory and felt a sense of warmth and comfort.

However, everything near the cold pool was covered in frost, indicating that the weather was extremely cold.

Lu Wuyai couldn't help but ask, "How exactly did you move this Hantan?"

Gu Yuxin stepped forward, drew a circle around the cold pool with a shovel, and said, "We dug around the cold pool yesterday and found that the liquid inside is stored in a large rock bowl, and the rock is not cold at all, completely blocking the invasion of cold air."

"Then, we drilled some casters into a piece of iron. Then, we used all our skills to move the stone onto the iron block and pushed it out directly with the casters."

Gu Yuxin's words sounded easy, but Lu Wuyai knew that just lifting the stone was extremely difficult.

“Nothing happened,” Lu Wuyai asked.

Gu Yuxin shook her head and said, "No, when we saw you, we realized there was something wrong with the cold water pool. Fortunately, you were just unconscious and didn't freeze to death."

Speaking of this, Lu Wuyai was also puzzled. What was the liquid in the cold pool? Although it was only a drop of liquid, it caused him so much pain that he lost consciousness and slept for more than 20 hours.

“I’m also researching it, but I haven’t gotten any results yet. Not all containers can hold this liquid,” Gu Yuxin said helplessly.

However, she also guessed that the golden cat's change must be related to the cold pool. Perhaps it had drunk water from the cold pool, causing this change.

"Why don't you try again?" Gu Yuxin said, looking at Lu Wuyai.

Upon hearing this, Lu Wuyai's face darkened. He beat himself up, not wanting to try such a strange thing. The previous drop had already caused him immense suffering; if he drank any more, he would definitely turn into one of those golden cat corpses in the caves.

Gu Yuxin stuck out her tongue. She was just joking, but she didn't actually let Lu Wuyai eat that kind of thing.

Although the function of the liquid in the cold water pool is currently unknown, placing it in the cave greatly reduces the impact of hot weather.

Nowadays, even at midday, the temperature inside the cave remains at ten degrees Celsius. In this kind of weather, apart from walking around the cowshed at dusk, no one is too lazy to go out.

For several days in a row, the sun shone brightly, and the weeds on the grass grew wildly again.

So, herds of cattle and sheep roamed the hills, grazing on tender and juicy wild grass, leisurely and extremely carefree.

However, the appearance of these cattle and sheep in the context of patients with conjunctivitis made Lu Wuyai and his group somewhat uneasy.

Occasionally, they might spot some frenzied cattle and sheep that constantly attack their own kind, or even actively provoke predators.

“The animals infected with the virus are really crazy.” Lu Wuyai shook his head, raised his hunting rifle, and killed the beasts one by one.

The body was cremated naturally.

In just three days, Lu Wuyai and others killed a total of 20 goats and 52 cows. The infection rate was not bad.

“If this continues, things will probably get worse.” Lu Wuyai said, frowning as he spoke.

This summer has been anything but peaceful.

In the evening, after cleaning up the carcasses of the infected animals, Lu Wuyai was preparing to take the woman home when he suddenly heard a rustling sound coming from the bushes beside him.

The sound was very loud; even if it wasn't Lu Wuyai, everyone else could hear it clearly.

Suddenly, everyone quickly left the meadow and stood far away on the slope near the cowshed.

"Everyone, pick up your guns," Lu Wuyai said, pointing his gun at the trembling grass.

Soon, a figure rushed down, laughing like a blood-drinking beast.

"It's an infected person. Shoot quickly!" Lu Wuyai was startled. Although there was only one person, the grass was still trembling.

Without any hesitation, gunshots rang out across the grassland. Inside the cattle shed, the cattle and sheep squealed uneasily, clearly frightened.

Less than a minute later, several more infected people ran out of the bushes and rushed towards Lu Wuyai and the others.

Fortunately, the two sides had already severed ties, and these people did not cause them any harm, but they were still very uneasy.

Su Xi looked at the corpse lying at her feet, her face still deathly pale.

Seeing that she looked upset, Lu Wuyai reached out and patted her shoulder, which reassured her a lot.

"It's alright," Lu Wuyai comforted him, but a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes when he looked at the corpse.

The first person to notice something was wrong was Song Xiaoyou. She walked up to a corpse and turned it over. Her face suddenly turned pale.

"What happened?" several women asked, walking over as well. The moment they saw the body, their expressions changed.

Seeing this, Lu Wuyai gasped for breath, his heart sinking. He remembered the corpse's name: a young man named Dai Xiaobao.

"How could it be him?" Yuri covered her mouth, surprised and saddened.

They had just met a little over ten days ago, and then gave up their chance to leave the deserted island, watching them go.

But he never expected that when he saw the other person again, he would find that the person was a corpse, infected with the virus, and had completely lost the consciousness that a human being should have.

Lu Wuyai walked past the corpses one by one and confirmed that they were all the original survivors.

“It seems that something special happened to them after we left, causing them to be infected. But why did they return to the deserted island?” Lu Wuyai sighed.

Later, these bodies were cremated, and the bones that couldn't be burned were discarded in the grass and fertile soil.

......

Early that morning, Lu Wuyai drove the women to the beach.

When we arrived at the beach, we didn't see what we had expected.

“I didn’t even see a glimpse of the ship,” Su Xi complained.

Lu Wuyai thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps it's not in this area. It's still early. Let's go look elsewhere."

Soon, Lu Wuyai and the others drove to a nearby beach to look for the ship.

It wasn't until the afternoon that they discovered the wreckage of half a ship in a huge reef.

"So it was that ship, but I didn't expect it to have broken into two pieces." Seeing this scene confirmed their previous guesses. Dai Xiaobao and the others had actually encountered a shipwreck, then contracted a virus for some unknown reason, and finally returned to this deserted island.

Everyone sighed, remained silent for a moment, and then walked towards the boat.

Although the ship is now a ruin, some items on board are still usable.

This coral reef is enormous, with countless undercurrents beneath it. It's absolutely impossible for a person to pass through; one can only wait for the tide to recede.

“I’m going fishing. I think I’ll have to wait until the tide goes out at dusk,” Lu Wuyai said.

Luckily, I brought some military rations with me when I went out, so I won't go hungry.

It's 3 PM now, and the wind is strong at the beach, so everyone doesn't feel that hot; in fact, they feel quite comfortable.

However, things weren't as relaxed as they had imagined. They kept a close watch on the nearby coconut trees, fearing that something might suddenly attack them.

Too many animals have been infected lately. If they hadn't met Dai Xiaobao, they would never have come out to investigate.

Lu Wuyai also took some drones from the trunk. After starting them, he handed them to the women patrolling nearby. He took a crossbow for himself, tied it to a piece of wood with his shoelace, and used it temporarily for hunting. (He also had tools for fishing.)

In the blink of an eye, Lu Wuyai plunged into the water, searching for his prey.

This is a sea area far from the reefs. The water is quite clear, and you can see a lot of things just by opening your eyes.

Half an hour later, Lu Wuyai killed a grouper, which weighed about five kilograms. It was a huge haul. However, there were too many people, and the grouper clearly wouldn't have enough to eat.

Lu Wuyai threw the fish onto the beach and turned to continue searching for his target in the sea.

Unlike hunting on land, fishing at sea is extremely difficult. Not only is visibility poor, but aiming is also very challenging in other aspects.

Five years ago, Lu Wuyai caught a total of five groupers, the smallest of which weighed 3 kilograms.

In addition, as the tide receded, a large amount of seafood was exposed on the sea surface, resulting in a very good harvest for Su Xi and her companions.

"This time, I can eat my fill again!" Su Xi was as happy as a child, giggling as she ran to the coconut grove to start gathering firewood.

Other women were either piling stones to build stone kilns or flying drones to monitor the surrounding area.

Soon, Lu Wuyai also retreated to the beach. He had just gone to the Great Barrier Reef and discovered many corpses, including animals and humans. This place was likely a forbidden zone on the deserted island. At high tide, nine out of ten people would die.

The boat was still anchored on the rocks not far away. Although it was low tide, the terrain here was low and the water was still quite deep.

Lu Wuyai and the others weren't in a hurry at all. They planned to fill their stomachs first, and then take a look inside the spaceship.

Ten minutes later, a bonfire was lit in the stone kiln. Lu Wuyai placed the grouper on the fire to roast and eat. Before long, the aroma filled the air, making one's mouth water.

Near the stone kiln, there was a bonfire where clams were being roasted, because Lu Wuyai had found a thin, flat stone in the coconut grove, which was perfect for roasting over the fire.

There was salt in the car, which was sprinkled on the clam meat. The clam meat was a delightful combination of umami and saltiness, creating an exceptional taste experience.

After finishing their meal, it began to get dark. Lu Wuyai and the others extinguished the campfire and started walking towards the half-boat.

The wreckage here is the stern section of the ship, with two-thirds of the cockpit still on it. Many containers are scattered nearby, and it looks extremely quiet.

Lu Wuyai and the others did not immediately collect supplies, but instead planned to go into the cabin to see if there were any survivors.

Although the chances were slim, they had at least seen Dai Xiaobao and the others. If anyone was still alive, they naturally wouldn't ignore death.

The boat is wedged into the rocks, so it won't tilt. Climbing up is still a bit difficult.

"How do we get up there?" The women stared at the high point of the ship, unable to do anything for a moment.

Lu Wuyai thought for a while and then came to the side of the ship that was broken.

“You should be able to get up here,” Lu Wuyai said, pointing to one side of the ship. The cracks on it appeared to be unevenly layered. In fact, if you looked closely, they looked like a ladder, but each ladder had a rather large span.

"no problem."

“We can go up from here.” The women looked around and immediately agreed to Lu Wuyai’s decision.

Su Xi was the first to climb up, while Lu Wuyai brought up the rear to prevent accidents from happening to those climbing in the middle.

Ten minutes later, everyone stood on the deck, looking at the blood-stained ground, imagining the tragedy that had occurred there.

In fact, half of the ship's area was quite large. After searching around, Lu Wuyai and the others began to enter the cabin, being extremely careful along the way.

Unfortunately, they found no survivors or other infected individuals.

“Go check the containers up there and see if there’s anything you need,” Lu Wuyai said.

There were plenty of supplies on the ship. When Dai Xiaobao and the others left, they even offered to give Lu Wuyai and the others some things, but they were refused on the spot.

The reason is simple. Dai Xiaobao only prepared food for Lu Wuyai and the others. As for the other items, they were all consumables, and they themselves didn't have much left.

Now that the ship's owner has disappeared, the contents of the container naturally belong to Lu Wuyai and his group.

Soon, under the moonlight, a group of people began to open the containers, searching for what they needed.

However, after all, Dai Xiaobao and his group had been adrift at sea for more than two years, and many of the containers were already empty of supplies.

Some shipping containers have even been transformed into lush green vegetable gardens.

“Actually, barring any unforeseen circumstances, this ship is also a deserted island where you can wander around freely.” Lu Wuyai couldn’t help but be infected by this sentiment.

On their last boarding of the cruise ship, they found it well-equipped and with plenty of food. They figured they could use it for decades to come, as long as they did nothing.

But now, who could have imagined that it would end like this?

Finally, Lu Wuyai opened a container and found several large water purifiers inside, which were specifically designed to purify seawater.

"This is a good thing." Lu Wuyai and the others' eyes lit up; they hadn't expected to find such a machine.

Soon, everyone started tying ropes to the side of the boat and trying to throw the machines off the deck.

In addition, Su Xi and several others drove back to Shiqiu and parked all the other cars on the beach.

On the deck, after more than an hour of arduous work, the three water purifiers finally reached the surface of the sea safely. Lu Wuyai looked at his hands, which were bleeding from the ropes, and could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

For the next few hours, the women continued searching for supplies, while Lu Wuyai stood at the stern, piloting a drone to survey the surrounding area in the twilight.

And so it wasn't until dawn that everyone returned to the seaside. After a short rest, they drove around, continuously transporting supplies to the cave.

By this time, the beach was piled high with goods. Besides three water purifiers, there were also some daily necessities. Unfortunately, the solar panels that Gu Yuxin had been eagerly anticipating did not appear.

By noon, all the supplies had been delivered. Lu Wuyai and the others looked at the ship again, feeling extremely grateful for their initial decision.

"I don't know where the other half of the spaceship is," Kim Seok-rok said with emotion.

The ship had limited supplies. To be precise, most of the items were unnecessary for them, and very little of them were usable.

At two o'clock, everyone gathered in the tomb chamber to summarize their findings.

Lu Wuyai had some free time, so he went to the laboratory. Looking at the cold pool of water in the corner, he couldn't help but shiver.

After a while, Lu Wuyai took a bottle of red wine from the cellar, then went back to the cold water pool and tapped the bottle against the surface. A layer of ice instantly froze on the glass and moved visibly into the icy water, spreading across Lu Wuyai's fingers.