The next morning, Zhao Feng excitedly pushed open Zhang Shi's door, only to see Zhang Shi and Wu Qing snuggling in bed. His eyes widened in shock. After confirming he wasn't mistaken, he belatedly realized what had happened, quickly turned and left the room, making sure to close the door behind him.
"You two come to the command room when you're done. Old Ge has something to say."
Wu Qing was so embarrassed that she wanted to disappear into the ground. She quickly covered her head with the blanket, while Zhang Shi smiled calmly and patted her back.
"We're all friends, we'll have to face it eventually, there's nothing to be ashamed of."
...
After a long period of gloom, the sun finally came out, and the silt brought by the flood settled down. The surroundings were a clear blue, and many soldiers who had some free time chose to come out to bask in the sun and enjoy the sea breeze. The ark was full of vitality.
Zhang Shi got a novel gadget from signing in.
[Magic Hot Air Balloon (Green) x1: A primitive flying machine that can maintain flight for a long time with very little magic consumption, making it an essential tool for travel and exploration.]
Zhang Shi checked the capacity of the hot air balloon; it could easily accommodate more than a dozen people. Once they landed on the island, they could use it to explore the area from the air.
Twenty minutes later, when all four had gathered, Zhang Shi was quite satisfied with himself.
Ge Dalong opened the panoramic map, pointed to the location of the small island, and said with a smile.
"I estimate we'll see the island in half an hour at the latest; any later and the Ark will be docked."
Zhang Shi zoomed in on the map and found that the fog had not yet dissipated, so he discussed matters after landing on the island with the others.
In less than half an hour, a verdant island appeared before everyone's eyes. It could be said that this island did not overlap with the image of the isolated island in Zhang Shi's mind at all.
There were no reefs or beaches on the shore, but a pile of rubble, with some broken branches and all kinds of garbage, all covered with mud, looking dirty and messy. Further back was a dense jungle. The island had a very steep slope. Zhang Shi guessed that this was originally a high mountain. After the water level rose, the main part of the mountain was submerged, and the exposed part formed this so-called "island".
The absence of the reef was good news. Zhang Shi launched two landing craft, and Zhao Feng led a team of soldiers ashore to survey the island's general condition. As for him, he took Wu Qing and Ge Dalong aboard a hot air balloon, intending to tour the island from the air.
Zhao Feng's team was very efficient. After landing, they found a relatively flat area and cleared it out to use as a temporary camp. The soldiers also transported supplies to the island in trip after trip. Zhao Feng even started to build a warehouse to store the supplies first.
Zhang Shi observed the panoramic map from the air and found that as their exploration deepened, the fog over the entire island on the map was slowly dissipating. Zhang Shi saw mountains and water sources on the map, and even saw many wild animals moving around. It seemed that they were not the only lucky ones; many other lives had tenaciously survived the flood.
Zhang Shi zoomed in on the map and, with the help of an aerial view, discovered that although the island appeared rather desolate at first glance, careful exploration revealed abundant resources and potential for development.
The first thing that catches the eye is the dense jungle, the island's most precious ecological resource. Using the zoom function on the panoramic map, Zhang Shi carefully observed the distribution of vegetation within the jungle. He discovered that in addition to common trees such as oak and pine, there were also some unusual plants. These plants had broad leaves and plump fruits, clearly rich in nutrients. He guessed that these might be plant species unique to the wilderness, perhaps possessing medicinal or edible value.
In addition, the jungle is home to a variety of wild animals. The moving dots on the map suggest the presence of deer, rabbits, and possibly even more ferocious predators such as lions or tigers. The presence of these animals not only adds vitality to the island but also reflects the existence of a complete food chain on this small island.
On the other side of the island lay a wide meadow dotted with wildflowers, and in the distance, a clear lake could be seen, its waters shimmering brilliantly in the sunlight. Lush reeds grew around the lake, a habitat for fish and waterbirds. Zhang Shi's heart stirred; he realized this might be an excellent location to establish a fishing ground and for grazing livestock.
After determining the distribution of resources on the island, Zhang Shi, Zhao Feng, and others gathered together and quickly formulated a plan for infrastructure construction.
They decided to first establish a stable camp on the south shore of the island as a future command center and living area. The terrain there was flat and backed by mountains, making it the best location to build the camp.
Zhao Feng led his soldiers to cut down trees and build simple stone and wooden houses. They also dug a drainage ditch to prevent rainwater from accumulating and causing flooding. Zhang Shi built a wall around the shelter, demarcating its boundaries. Although no dangers were found on the island yet, the wilderness world was all about surprises, and Zhang Shi had developed a cautious nature.
To ensure food supply, Zhang Shi also decided to clear a farmland on the edge of the jungle, sow high-quality soil, and plant crop seeds brought from the Ark. Wu Qing was still in charge of this work.
At the same time, Zhao Feng also organized a hunting team to regularly enter the jungle to capture wild animals, which would then be kept in captivity to provide meat for the team.
On the eastern coast of the island, they chose a relatively flat beach as a dock for ships to moor and for supplies to be unloaded. Zhang Shi directed his soldiers to build a simple dock facility using stones and wood to ensure the ark could safely dock and establish a stable supply transport channel between the ark and the island. After all, their geographical location was now extremely advantageous, and if the opportunity arose, going out to sea to fish regularly was also a feasible solution to the food problem.
The lake area was another key focus for them. Zhang Shi decided to establish a fish farm on the lakeshore, utilizing the lake's abundant water resources to raise fish. They made simple fishing tools, such as fishing nets and rods, and assigned several soldiers to be responsible for the daily management and maintenance of the fish farm. In addition, they planned to plant some aquatic plants around the lake, such as lotus roots and water chestnuts, to increase the diversity of their food sources.
Meanwhile, Zhang Shi made full use of the panoramic map, personally conducting a comprehensive survey of the island. He not only drew a more detailed map of the island but also discovered several potential resource points. For example, basic resources such as stones and timber were readily available on the island, and it would be a shame not to collect them.
Once the soldiers had cleared the road, Zhang Shi planned to use his resource generation cards to acquire some high-level resources. Always mindful of potential dangers, Zhang Shi hadn't slept well without gunpowder. Now that he'd landed, his first thought was development. After all, he ultimately wanted to pursue a path of domination, and conflict was inevitable. Developing sooner meant accumulating advantages sooner. Moreover, he had promised the soldiers he'd avenge the arrow that struck at the transit station; he dared not rest for a moment.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com