It is the ocean after all, which always makes people feel uneasy.
This is probably what infinite roots are all about.
Twenty minutes later, the three rafts slowly approached the yellow buoy.
“This is a buoy.” Su Xi’s eyes widened with curiosity.
Song Xiaoyou nodded. She had only seen it in books before, but after thinking about it just now, she felt that it must be a buoy.
"The text on this is actually written in Chinese." Lu Wuyai saw four red characters written on the yellow buoy.
"Driving is strictly prohibited."
Lu Wuyai thought for a moment, then jumped off the raft and swam in the sea. He discovered a large group of rocks nearby. If a ship were to sail here, it would likely run aground.
Fortunately, they were on a raft and couldn't reach the underwater rocks.
Soon, they left that place and continued driving forward.
Every night, everyone would stop on the shore and prop the rafts up on nearby rocks to prevent them from getting wet in the rain all night and affecting the quality of the timber.
Behind the sandy area was a grassland, just as I had imagined. After a hazy day, the trees were no longer visible, and most of the vegetation was grass.
No one brought a tent on this trip, but everyone brought a sleeping bag.
The thin layer of fabric not only ensures safety but also prevents the body from losing moisture overnight.
Lu Wuyai was on night watch. The unfamiliar surroundings always made him a little worried.
While on night watch, Lu Wuyai controlled the drone, flying it into the grassland. After all, the grass was overgrown at the time, and night vision alone might not be enough to determine the danger.
And so, another silent night began.
The next morning at eight o'clock, the group set off again, boarded the raft, and sped along the coast.
It must be said that sailing is more efficient than driving, and the complex terrain on shore, coupled with the need to consume fuel and electricity, makes it highly unsuitable.
The second day, the third day... until the fifth day, the raft came to rest at the foot of a cliff by the sea.
Everyone gathered together and looked at the map in Song Xiaoyou's hand.
I remember last time, Lu Wuyai got a map from a mercenary. It described some details of the deserted island, but many things were not drawn.
For example, this cliff should now be the last place recorded on that map.
“It’s still a deserted island until we move on. We should fill in the rest of the map,” Lu Wuyai said.
Song Xiaoyou nodded, her eyes full of wisdom, and said, "I will draw it in detail."
Lu Wuyai stood there. As he looked ahead, he could still see wisps of mist faintly shrouding the deserted island.
"Keep going."
That night, Lu Wuyai and the others arrived at the foot of a huge black mountain. They felt that their vision was blocked by it, and they couldn't even see the sky.
A huge black mountain stands on the seashore, looking extremely strange.
“The terrain was really strange that day,” Yu Mengrou said.
From the start of the day, the first thing they saw was a canyon where the seawater surged upstream, rushing towards the deserted island. The scene was like a wild horse crossing the Milky Way—a spectacular and unbelievable sight.
In addition, there is a desert. Although it is not large, it does exist. It is at least the size of dozens of football fields.
Finally, this black mountain came into being. Its shape resembles a giant hand, supporting the sky.
“Let’s not rest tonight, let’s continue on our way,” Lu Wuyai said. He instructed the women to tie the rafts together so that those who were awake could row together.
And so, the raft kept drifting forward, and people were so tired that they could sleep and rest whenever they wanted.
Only Song Xiaoyou didn't take a nap until dawn the next day.
On the sixth day at noon, the raft came to rest in a green forest.
Yes, on the fifth day, they discovered that there was a forest on the deserted island, and it was quite large, not small at all.
“You all get some rest. We’ll set off after dark,” Lu Wuyai said.
Those women didn't look too good. This journey had taken a heavy toll on their energy and spirit. More importantly, there was an endless coastline ahead.
On Song Xiaoyou's map, the route still leads in an unknown direction. No one knows the deepest secret of this deserted island.
Lu Wuyai sat on the shore, gazing at the distant sea and sky where they met, lost in thought.
Soon, the woman resting under the shade of the tree began to drift off to sleep, and for a moment, the forest became exceptionally quiet.
Before we knew it, dusk had fallen.
In the forest on the beach, apart from Lu Wuyai, the other women had not yet woken up.
"Hey, I'll let you sleep a little longer." Lu Wuyai patted himself down and got up from the ground, opening a duffel bag containing a small amount of marching rations.
After gathering some dry firewood nearby, Lu Wuyai started a fire on the spot and began boiling water to cook.
Tomorrow is the last day. Whatever happens, they must return, as they have little food and fresh water left. And along the way, they have only sailed at sea, so they haven't found any water source or anything else that could replace it.
While the water was boiling, Lu Wuyai controlled the drone, patrolling the nearby forest. He was curious about how the forests here had survived the crisis during those hazy years when life was on the verge of extinction.
It's not just the forests on the beach. From the drone's perspective, the mountains ahead, shrouded in moisture, are a verdant landscape.
"There's a lot of water vapor here." Lu Wuyai discovered that many places deep inside this deserted island were filled with water vapor, making it difficult to see clearly.
The water on the campfire hadn't boiled yet, so Lu Wuyai continued to control the drone, which flew down from the sky and found a sparse grove of trees, slowly traversing ahead.
The soil quality in this forest is no different from that near the rocky mountain, except that it looks cleaner.
“Absolutely no volcanic ash.” Lu Wuyai was secretly surprised. The ash in the hazy sky was completely invisible here. Of course, the strong winds had probably blown away those impurities.
After flying for about half an hour, Lu Wuyai began to have doubts, as he had not seen any animals along the way.
However, on the way back, the drone took off and saw many towering rock peaks along the coastline from which they had come. Most of these peaks were majestic and imposing, like a natural rift separating the deserted island from south to north.
In the end, the drone returned to Lu Wuyai's hands, bringing this expedition to an end.
Not long after, the water in the aluminum pot began to boil. Lu Wuyai gradually woke up the sleeping women, making sure they were fully awake before they ate.
The setting sun shone through the dense foliage on the beach, making the place exceptionally quiet.
Lu Wuyai put the crushed military rations into boiling water and stirred it continuously until it formed a thick paste that looked unappetizing but was very filling.
"After we finish eating, we'll be on our way," Lu Wuyai called out.
It's getting late; they should be on their way back by this time tomorrow, so they won't rest from tonight until tomorrow. Even if they can't see the whole island, they must uncover its secrets further.
Such a large deserted island probably wouldn't have been discovered by anyone before.
In fact, apart from the survivors, Lu Wuyai and the others did not see anyone else.
Half an hour later, when the timber fell completely, the three rafts tied together continued to move forward.
That evening, Lu Wuyai sat at the front of the raft. They were now only ten meters from the shore. The weather was calm, and there was no danger.
In the nearshore area, you can also see the ultimate dolphins swimming towards them, their soft calls acting as a kind of signal.
Lu Wuyai smiled, reached out, and gently touched the dolphin that was raising its head towards him.
Despite the coldness of the touch, everyone felt a strange sense of familiarity with this creature.
After a sharp cry, the dolphins dived into the water and disappeared instantly. Lu Wuyai subconsciously looked towards the sea and noticed that, sometime during the day, several green eyes had appeared in the woods along the shore, disappearing into the water. On the grass, even with night vision goggles, it was still difficult to see clearly.
"With green eyes, he must be a wolf," Lu Wuyai said, and everyone was very curious. This was the first animal they had encountered since the start of their voyage.
Su Xi and the others weren't afraid. After all, wolves wouldn't cross the river to kill them. Even if they did come, they would be armed and wouldn't hesitate to kill them.
But to everyone's surprise, the wolves disappeared one by one, and the air was filled with the smell of blood.
"A sense of unfamiliarity." Lu Wuyai took a breath. The forest was too dense; many things were invisible.
Song Xiaoyou said, "If we have nothing else, let's eat wild wolves."
"Is that a tiger?" Su Xi asked curiously.
"No, not exactly." Song Xiaoyou was silent for a moment, then said, "It seems to be something bigger than a tiger."
It's bigger than a tiger.
After hearing Song Xiaoyou's words, everyone felt that the other party had misjudged the situation.
“Don’t worry, keep driving,” Lu Wuyai said.
Soon, the group continued forward, and this time, until the early hours of the morning, a body suddenly fell from the sky and crashed directly onto the water.
The loud noise startled everyone.
"What happened?" Lu Wuyai stared at the washing water, his scalp tingling. This sudden scene was indeed terrifying.
Soon, everyone saw the carcass of a wolf floating on the water.
Seeing that the other person was about to sink to the bottom of the water again, Lu Wuyai quickly picked up the oar and pulled the other person out of the water.
Upon closer inspection, they discovered a row of serrated wounds on the wolf's belly. From largest to smallest, it was clear the wolf had been killed by something. Furthermore, the predator's mouth was enormous, seemingly capable of swallowing the wolf whole.
"Oh shit."
After hearing Gu Yuxin's analysis, Lu Wuyai and the other women felt a chill run down their spines. What could it possibly eat? Its huge mouth could devour an entire wolf.
"The wolf's carcass was clearly dead recently, which means that what killed it is probably in this forest now." Lu Wuyai looked at the dense forest nearby and subconsciously slid the raft away from the beach.
Lu Wuyai stopped rowing when he had walked about twenty meters away, and let out a long breath.
"Don't stay here too long, the smell of wolf blood will attract sharks," Yu Mengrou warned.
Soon, the raft continued to glide forward, and in the darkness, the scenery on the beach along the way was just like daytime.
As dawn broke, Lu Wuyai rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things, then paddled the raft and moored it in the nearshore area.
"What's wrong."
Feeling the raft rocking, the women rubbed their eyes.
“Footprints, there are footprints on the beach.” Lu Wuyai’s eyes widened, the whites of his eyes bloodshot from staying up all night.
At this point, there was a noticeable indentation in the sand. Upon closer inspection, it was an animal footprint, but the area was too large.
Lu Wuyai carefully observed the surrounding area and only came out of the water after confirming that there was no danger.
When he got close to the footprints, Lu Wuyai squatted down, measured them with a tape measure, noted down the data, and then returned to the raft.
Lu Wuyai handed the measured data to Gu Yuxin and the others, and was also very surprised.
"With such a large area, it's hard to imagine who its owner might be."
Lu Wuyai felt that this footprint somewhat overturned his understanding. This footprint was even larger than an elephant's footprint.
In fact, it was not only huge, but the footprints looked extremely fierce.
Finally, everyone slid off their rackets and left the area.
On the way, Gu Yuxin deduced from the footprint data that the other person was at least 5 meters tall. But in reality, does such an animal really exist?
“Of course, we can’t rule out the possibility that these footprints were just an accident,” Gu Yuxin said. “Perhaps they aren’t footprints at all, but rather traces of some kind of accidental occurrence.”
After saying this, Lu Wuyai suddenly realized. No wonder there was only one such footprint on the beach before.
"Perhaps it was an accident," Lu Wuyai thought to himself.
On the raft, Su Xi asked, "How is the wild wolf that was abandoned last night?"
"uncertain."
Everyone shook their heads. If Su Xi hadn't reminded them, they would have long forgotten what happened last night.
But thinking about it carefully, it's really incredible.
Around midday, they arrived at a stretch of sea covered with black rocks. For thousands of meters, they could almost see chunks of black rock rising from the water. Not even a raft could pass, let alone a small boat.
Lu Wuyai glanced at the time and suggested, "How about you walk the rest of the way yourself?"
No one objected. After the raft reached the shore, they packed their things, shouldered their bags, and continued walking upstream along the beach.
This was a completely different journey than before, and everyone was very careful.
Because the roads in Yanbian are lined with many trees with lush foliage, one can occasionally see venomous snakes and wild beasts hiding in the crevices between the sand and gravel.
The density of this forest exceeded everyone's expectations.
"Is there anything that feels off?" Lu Wuyai asked.
"What's wrong."
“Even if the beach used to have a lot of vegetation, predators wouldn’t have appeared so frequently.” Lu Wuyai’s face was not good, and there was a bloody smell in the air.
"On the way here, we were attacked three times in total, including by a golden cat, a wolf, and a leopard."
During his speech, Lu Wuyai raised his hand again, and a bullet shot out from the air, immediately hitting a hidden leopard.
Seeing the fallen beast, the women followed closely behind, their eyes constantly scanning the nearby woods.
Generally, these carnivores mostly roam in forests far from the beach, where they have more opportunities to hunt wild animals.
But now, that's not the case.
Roar!
Suddenly, a roaring sound came from the forest, followed by a stench that made people feel suffocated.
"Wait a minute," Lu Wuyai called out.
In fact, before he could say anything, the team members immediately stopped and stared into the depths of the dense forest. It was midday, but the light was terrifyingly dim.
Suddenly, a tiger rushed out, baring its teeth and claws at the crowd.
After several gunshots, the tiger fell into a pool of blood, barely alive.
Lu Wuyai and the others did not deal with the tiger's carcass, but instead sped up and successfully left the dense forest half an hour later.
Just then, a majestic mountain appeared before them. Its foothills stretched all the way to the sea, appearing extremely green and mysterious.
"Look at that hillside." Lu Wuyai spotted a creature.
"What's wrong."
"I think I'm seeing things." Lu Wuyai rubbed his eyes. He felt like he had just seen a saber-toothed tiger, a carnivore that shouldn't exist.
Looking at the towering mountain again, Lu Wuyai realized he had made a mistake.
“Let’s go see the mountaintop over there, and then we’ll go home,” Su Xi said.
So, for the next two hours, everyone was exhausted on the rugged mountain road.
The green mountain had fresh air, lush vegetation, and thick water vapor rising from its waist. Lu Wuyai and the others even discovered a small stream.
"I never expected we'd actually find a water source." Lu Wuyai caught some water in his hand and took a sip. It felt incredibly cool, even a little sweet.
This is a mountain spring. At the end of the stream is a small pool, only about half a meter deep. It is crystal clear, and you can see some small fish along the way.
"If you fill your cup to the brim, you can last for two more days."
With this water source, Lu Wuyai and his group decided not to rush back to Shiqiu.
Here, Song Xiaoyou carefully marked the water source on the map. All water sources are of paramount importance.
After filling their water cups, the group climbed to the top of the mountain.
Only then did they realize that the mountain range beneath their feet was only part of the distant hills, and there was another huge crack that could not be seen from north to south.
The rugged mountain road was just the beginning; eagles soared in the distance, letting out loud cries.
"Alright. Alright." Su Xi suddenly pointed to the opposite mountain, which was on the other side of the canyon, and shouted.
Just then, on the steep rock, a terrifying creature grinned at them.
Lu Wuyai took a breath. He had thought he was seeing things, but now, a live saber-toothed tiger stood before him. Its two downward-pointing fangs could easily tear open the throat of its prey.
Creatures from millions of years ago are now alive before them. Among the crowd, Gu Yuxin is probably the only one who is somewhat excited.
Roar!
A clear roar came from the foot of the mountain. Everyone was terrified and planned to leave before dawn.
"Did you hear the sound of water?" Lu Wuyai suddenly asked.
"The sound of water. Isn't there a stream here?"
Lu Wuyai shook his head. He heard a loud splash. There must be a large water source nearby.
At this moment, no one intended to investigate further, and they left as quickly as possible.
On their way back to the beach, Lu Wuyai and the others discovered that the carcasses of the animals they had hunted were gone. At the same time, there were obvious drag marks on the ground, as well as footprints of other predators.
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