By the time Chen Jian brought back Xu Wei and Liu Jiaojiao, Xiao Qiang had already disappeared.

Wang Xiaoxiao looked guilty: "It's my fault. I shouldn't have paid attention to her. After all, everyone in the company knows what kind of person she is. Go and coax her back."

I also feel that what I just said was a bit harsh.

But if we lower ourselves to appease her now, given Xiao Qiang's personality, she'll probably only become more and more unreasonable in the future.

"Let her calm down. She's timid and won't go too far. We'll talk about it after we finish nailing the table. Anyway, there's still plenty of time."

Xu Wei and Liu Jiaojiao knew they had just had a fight, so they didn't say anything and silently helped Wang Xiaoxiao tidy up the cave.

Chen Jian came back and helped me nail the table back together.

I did it step by step, slowly, and then I told him how to make the wedge.

Chen Jian studied very diligently and worked for more than two hours before finally nailing together a table and five somewhat rough stools.

But Xiao Qiang still did not return.

Wang Xiaoxiao was getting restless, and I also started to worry.

I never expected Xiao Qiang to have such a bad temper. I thought she would come back on her own after I went to look for her.

It turned out that this trip took so long.

It was getting dark, which was really a headache.

"Brother Zhao, why don't we go look for her together? What can a girl like her do if Secretary Xiao really encounters some wild animal?"

This was the first time Liu Jiaojiao had looked at me and given me her opinion.

I nodded; naturally, she didn't need to tell me I was going anyway.

Chen Jian volunteered to go with me.

The women eventually decided to let me stay in the cave.

I asked Wang Xiaoxiao to tidy up the rest of the things, then bundle up all the firewood at the door, put it neatly inside the cave, and cook the meal. Chen Jian and I went to find Xiao Qiang and will be right back.

Wang Xiaoxiao nodded: "It's my fault for sighing. I shouldn't have said such harsh words back then. I'll apologize to her when she comes back."

Wang Xiaoxiao's understanding nature only made me feel more uncomfortable.

I patted her on the shoulder to reassure her.

Then I took the revolver with me and gave Chen Jian a very thick wooden stick before we went down the mountain.

Chen Jian was very surprised to see the gun in my hand, but he quickly realized that it must have been found on the ship.

He leaned close to me and said that Bai Wei and his gang were actually still very dissatisfied with me, but now that I had a gun, I no longer had to be afraid of them.

I was skeptical of what Chen Jian said, since we hadn't had much contact. Now that he was on this deserted island and needed my help, he would naturally be much more respectful to me.

However, since we didn't have any major disagreements, our mutually beneficial relationship became more stable.

Chen Jian and I went down to the nearest woods at the foot of the mountain and called out to Xiao Qiang for a long time, but no one answered.

The shouts startled the birds perched on the branches, causing them to fly away haphazardly and stirring up a flurry of falling leaves.

The woods were too deep for either of us to go, and I doubt Xiao Qiang would dare to go either.

After shouting for a while, I decided to walk a little further ahead.

By the time we emerged from the woods, the sun had completely set.

We didn't even bring torches, and Chen Jian was a little scared.

"Brother Zhao, there are too many wild animals around here. Do you think Secretary Xiao might have already gone back?"

I'm not entirely sure either, but since we're already out here, let's look around some more. If we really can't find Xiao Qiang, we can pick some fruit and take some wild vegetables back with us.

Chen Jian had no objections, and the two of us continued searching forward.

They searched for another half hour, and the moon was already high in the sky. But they still couldn't find Xiao Qiang.

I'm getting more and more anxious. When a woman gets angry, she's capable of anything. Xiao Qiang was in a fit of rage when she left, and I don't know where she ran off to in a fit of pique.

But it was already so dark, and neither of us dared to go any further. Although I had a gun, if we really encountered a pack of wolves, how many wolves could I take down with just a few bullets?

Besides, Chen Jian and I came out on empty stomachs, and now our stomachs are growling loudly, and we have no energy left.

"Let's stand on the beach and call out a couple more times. If we still can't reach her, then there's nothing we can do."

Chen Jian's suggestion made my heart sink. I knew that if we couldn't find Xiao Qiang by this late hour, she was likely in grave danger tonight.

I was so regretful I almost beat my chest in despair, but it was too late to say anything now.

Chen Jian and I stood on the beach and called out many more times, but we still couldn't see Xiao Qiang anywhere.

We've now walked about ten miles from that hilltop.

"Let's go back. She might have really gone back to the cave."

I can only helplessly hope that Xiao Qiang is someone who can take things in stride.

After all, in a place where life is constantly threatened, what does face even matter?

When Chen Jian heard that I was going back, he immediately became happy. He grabbed his stick and followed behind me, telling me about the disputes between Bai Wei and his gang these past few days. He also told me that he had learned how to make wooden tables today, and that if Bai Wei and his gang agreed when we got back, he would make a few wooden tables and dry fish.

I also told him about jicama, which made Chen Jian even happier. After all, jicama is similar to potatoes, and eating it roasted is better than going hungry on an empty stomach.

We talked as we kept a watchful eye on our surroundings and quickly made our way toward the cave.

After walking for about a few miles, Chen Jian decided to run to the beach to **.

I nodded and stood on the beach waiting for him.

Just as Chen Jiancai reached the beach, he suddenly screamed, pulled his pants down halfway, and ran back to me.

I was startled and immediately turned around to pull out my gun to see what was wrong with him.

Chen Jian staggered towards me, and I was completely stunned.

He quickly asked him what had happened.

Chen Jian pointed to the seaside, his tongue practically tied in knots.

"Brother Zhao, there are two big footprints on the beach! Not two, but a series! They're on the way to the woods?"

Upon hearing about the footprints, a very bad premonition suddenly welled up in my heart.

I gripped the gun and carefully pulled Chen Jian toward the footprints he had just seen.

As I got closer and used the moonlight, I realized it was a very large footprint, wide, but with five toes, like a human's, probably size 46 or 47. The footprints were a series, and it really did follow the path of the woods.

But none of us in this group had feet that big. Then I suddenly remembered the strange figure I saw that rainy night, and I was startled.

Turning around, Chen Jian whispered, "Run!"

Chen Jian reacted faster than me. He grabbed the stick and jumped in front of me like Sun Wukong, then ran forward as fast as he could.

I followed closely behind her, and the two of us ran for several miles in one breath. But as we ran, I was worried that we couldn't go on. Where did Xiao Qiang go? Could she have been grabbed by that big-footed thing?