Stranded On A Desert Island—Only I Have No System!

Chapter 5: Created First Fire On Deserted Island!

After wrestling with it for about ten minutes, Ethan finally managed to strip off all the husk. Looking at the clean coconut shell, he felt a sense of accomplishment. He had rarely eaten old coconuts before, mainly cracking them open to eat the coconut sprout once the old coconuts started to germinate inside. He actually preferred young, tender coconuts, soft and cool.

Next, he turned the coconut around, located the three small white dots, and stabbed the tip of his knife into one. This was the softest part of the coconut, so with such a small tool, making a hole was the easiest task.

As soon as he pulled out the knife, cool coconut water began to flow out. At this moment, its simple, rare flavor was nothing short of a blessing.

He took a sip to quench his thirst, then waved to Lucy, who was still collecting firewood in the distance:

“Come here, let’s have some coconut.”

Hearing that, Lucy immediately ran over. She was so hungry she felt faint, but wanting to maintain her image, she didn’t dare complain. Just now, one bite of the sour apple had already made her stomach growl with hunger.

“You’re amazing! Even with such a hard coconut, you still managed to c***k it open.”

Ethan only smiled without replying, handing the coconut to Lucy so she could drink. She finished it in one long gulp. It wasn’t that she was greedy, it was just that there wasn’t much coconut water inside, and she was too thirsty.

After a moment, she lowered her head and mumbled:

“I’m sorry… I drank all of yours.”

“It’s all right. There’s plenty more.”

With that, Ethan took the coconut back from Lucy and picked up a rock larger than his hand that was lying nearby. He pressed it against the holes he’d just made and brought it down hard. Because the holes were already there, this was now the weakest spot on the coconut, and with just a little force, it could be split open. Sure enough, after two or three heavy strikes, the coconut cracked, and he easily split it into two halves.

He used his knife to cut out the coconut meat. Since the coconut was old, the flesh was quite hard, but compared to the wild apples, this was much more delicious.

He sliced off a piece as big as his palm and handed it to Lucy, who immediately began devouring it.

“Slow down. No one’s going to take it from you.”

Ethan chuckled, and the dimple in his cheek deepened attractively, making Lucy even more embarrassed, her heart pounding. This man really was handsome, even his tanned skin couldn’t diminish his charm. It was a quiet, understated kind of beauty.

“It’s just that I’m starving. I’ve been awake for five or six hours now, wandering around without finding anyone, and there was nothing to eat. I could only drink seawater to hold on.”

“Pfft!”

Ethan suddenly burst out laughing, leaving Lucy even more flustered. She scolded,

“What are you laughing at? Is it that funny?”

“No, I just think you’re a bit silly. Who drinks seawater to quench their thirst? There are so many big rocks around here, rainwater collects in them, you could have drunk that.”

“I didn’t think of that.”

Lucy continued gnawing on the coconut meat while Ethan moved on to prepare the next coconut. He didn’t tease her anymore. After all, anyone in this situation would be disoriented, not knowing what to do.

But thinking about it, Lucy had woken up several hours before he did and had wandered around, probably traveling quite a distance before ending up here and meeting him. Could it be that there was no one else besides the two of them who had washed up on the island?

“I wonder how many days it will be before the rescue team finds us.”

Lucy sighed again. She was only twenty-one, not yet graduated from university. She was only interning to earn credits for school and never expected to encounter a shipwreck. If she’d known, she would have listened to her mother and not gone on the trip. Her mother had said that as an intern, there was no need to show off. But she’d stubbornly ignored that advice, wanting to experience new things, and ended up like this.

Now she missed her mother terribly, wanting to see her right away. But she knew that was impossible.

“Go ahead and eat, I’m going to go light a fire and grill the snake.”

Lucy nodded. She would eat coconuts and leave the snake for Ethan. Not that she was being picky, she was just afraid. She had never eaten snake meat before, and the very thought made her a bit queasy.

“You really know how to make a fire? Let me help.”

“No need. You’ve already been gathering firewood in the sun for a while, you must be tired. Besides, isn’t it true that girls are always afraid of getting tanned?”

Ethan’s words had a hint of teasing. Back then, Emily had spent who knows how much of his money on cosmetics and beauty products and was always afraid of the sun, so he always paid for her to take taxis everywhere, a costly habit.

But he couldn’t blame her for that; loving and caring for your partner is a responsibility. He only resented and was angry at her for using him and betraying his feelings.

“Who cares about getting tanned at a time like this? We don’t even know how many days we’ll survive, whether my skin is light or dark when I’m dead makes no difference.”

Lucy pouted. Her words made him smile unconsciously. She was very fair-skinned, clearly had invested a lot to maintain it, and now she was willing to give it up just like that.

“Besides, I also want to see how you make a fire.”

Ethan nodded and walked over to the pile of dry firewood and leaves Lucy had gathered earlier, grabbing the cotton pads that had been set out to dry as well. Because they were thin, they dried quickly. He also grabbed a handful of coconut fiber for easy ignition.

Since he’d started dealing with the coconuts, more than an hour had passed. Judging by the sun, it was probably around eleven thirty.

Normally, the optimal time for making fire is twelve o'clock or just after, but since he had cleansing oil, which is flammable, he didn’t need to wait for the perfect time.

Luckily, earlier he’d had the presence of mind to pour a little cleansing oil onto the cotton pads, so now that they were dry, a little heat would be enough to ignite them.

Ethan asked Lucy for her mirror, then angled it carefully to catch the sunlight.

By now, the sun had risen high above the coconut trees, bright but not yet at its harshest. Ethan adjusted the mirror with careful precision, tilting it back and forth to focus the sun’s rays into the smallest possible point on the cotton. He narrowed his eyes, sweat beading on his brow from both tension and the reflected light.

Time passed slowly, broken only by the sound of waves and Lucy’s quiet breathing. After a while, he saw the cotton pad begin to turn brown, then a thin wisp of smoke rose from it.

“There’s smoke!”

Lucy gaped, eyes wide and unblinking, barely able to believe she was witnessing a scene of primitive fire-making right before her eyes.

Ethan patiently held the focal point steady, gently blowing on the smoking spot. A faint hissing arose. The smoke thickened, then suddenly, a tiny orange flame flickered to life, catching on the coconut fiber and spreading to the dry leaves. All the flammable materials gathered there suddenly burst into a fierce blaze.

“It’s burning! It’s really burning!”

Lucy cried out in delight, while Ethan’s face showed no emotion at all; this had all been within his expectations.