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

Chapter 9: Meeting My Ex-Lover And Her New Man.

After finishing his considerations, Ethan braided a rope to tie the empty one-and-a-half-liter water bottle to his waist and also brought along a small coconut water bottle in case of thirst.

He was certain that there was a stream nearby, less than a kilometer away, but he wasn’t sure in which direction. Because he didn’t know exactly where to head, even a single kilometer felt very far. Moreover, this was dense forest, and even at the forest edge, the terrain was quite difficult to traverse.

To be safe, he picked up a large rock the size of a human head and threw it against other rocks scattered around, each as big as a tent. He continued until the smaller rock cracked apart into two or three pieces, some with sharp points, others with edges sharp as a knife. After that, he used one of these rocks to chop down a branch as thick as an arm.

Then, he attached part of the sharp stone to the branch, creating something resembling a spear, both pointed and suitable for chopping.

With this, he could clear a path, no longer concerned about rough terrain, and he could also defend himself against snakes or small animals. He even hoped to encounter some edible wild animals, such as jungle chickens or rabbits.

Meanwhile, Lucy had been standing nearby observing without daring to interrupt. She had already recognized Ethan’s extraordinary skills, this man was truly talented. She had the impression that there was nothing Ethan couldn’t do.

“What was your position in the company? It must have been very high, right? I see you know everything, and you do it all so smoothly.”

Hearing this, Ethan unconsciously laughed. A high position? Indeed, the position was quite high, but it belonged to Emily and Eric, not him.

Emily worked under Eric. Whenever there was a tough project, Eric would assign it to her, and she would then hand it off to Ethan. Each time this happened, she and Eric conveniently got promotions and raises, while he remained just a lowly employee.

He accepted this arrangement, even felt happy seeing Emily promoted. He didn’t have any other aspirations either. Though his position wasn’t high, he had the qualifications and skills, so his salary and benefits were quite good. The only thing was that he never got promoted.

“What are you laughing at?”

Lucy didn’t understand why Ethan was smiling. Had she said something wrong? She genuinely felt that he was talented.

Then Ethan replied:

“Nothing. I’m just a little more diligent than others, always curious and eager to learn. These things aren’t particularly useful for my professional role.”

“Really? So, what department did you work in?”

“Geological research.”

Lucy nodded. She wasn’t sure what exactly Ethan’s job entailed, but she clearly knew he was exceptionally skilled. Unlike her, who was still just an errand-runner not yet assigned to any department in the company.

“Let’s go.”

Ethan ended the conversation. He went ahead, using the handmade spear to clear the path, small bushes and vines easily fell beneath the sharp stone, quickly creating a trail.

Now, since both of them were barefoot, they had to move more cautiously to avoid stepping on the sharp stumps left behind.

However, it was difficult to accidentally step on them because the bushes didn’t grow densely together. Each bush was at least 15 to 20 centimeters apart, an ideal spacing to walk through. Only the particularly large bushes and tough vines that human bodies couldn’t break through required tools.

They continued along the path Ethan had cleared. Inside the forest, the air was humid, with the smell of damp earth and vegetation assaulting Lucy’s nose, making her feel nauseous. Ethan, having grown up near forests, was already accustomed and had no reaction.

The deeper they went, the more the gloomy sounds of the forest surrounded them. Though they hadn’t traveled very far yet, forests weren’t places one could simply wander into casually. If Ethan hadn’t been familiar with terrain like this since childhood, he wouldn’t have dared to take the risk.

Firstly, this was a forest he’d never set foot in, so he didn’t know about the conditions for plants and animals to thrive here, nor could he predict where dangerous creatures might lurk.

After traveling about four hundred meters westward, Ethan heard the sound of flowing water. This alone was enough to bring him relief.

His guess had been correct, this was indeed the best direction to find water. Regardless of the mountain, water generally flowed downward from the highest point. With the sea to the east, naturally, the source would lie to the west.

Of course, nothing was absolute, but earlier he’d run to the shore to observe and saw that the highest peak on this island was toward the west. This was the primary reason he chose this direction.

Judging from the sound of water flow, he estimated they would reach it within about another hundred meters. The water’s sound wasn’t loud, resembling a waterfall, but clearly not very tall. He guessed it was no more than two meters high, and the stream wasn’t wide.

After another fifty meters, Lucy suddenly exclaimed:

“I think I hear flowing water.”

“I heard it from fifty meters back.”

Ethan smirked slightly. He couldn’t blame this city girl. She had neither experience nor sharp senses, and she didn’t know anything.

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

Ethan merely shook his head quietly in response:

“It’s not like you could fly there, just take it slow.”

His words were half-serious and half-teasing. Lucy understood his intent, so she remained silent, a faint, awkward smile lingering on her lips.

After advancing another forty or fifty meters, just as Ethan had predicted, they encountered a waterfall flowing into a small pool about three meters in diameter.

Lucy, following behind, immediately cried out upon seeing it:

“It’s really freshwater! Ethan, you’re amazing!”

Ethan silently accepted Lucy’s compliment, then glanced around, quickly noticing a cluster of over a dozen banana trees nearby. Among them was a tree with a large bunch of bananas, some already ripe.

“There’s ripe bananas over there. Do you want bananas first, or water?”

Ethan pointed toward the banana tree with ripe fruit. But before he finished asking, Lucy had already dashed toward the water. She bent down, splashed water onto her face, and then cupped handful after handful into her mouth, gulping down every drop.

Watching this, Ethan could only shake his head. He walked over to the banana tree, took out his knife, cut down a few ripe bananas, and began peeling and eating them himself. He planned to bring some back for Lucy, and afterward would cut down the entire bunch to store for later.

But before he had finished his second banana, he heard a voice coming from afar, a voice he was extremely familiar with.

“Look over there! Water! There’s water!”

Ethan turned to look. At that moment, he felt as though he’d turned to stone. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t happy, he still had feelings for that person, so seeing her alive naturally made him extremely glad.

However, that joy immediately disappeared as soon as it arose. That person was Emily, his ex-girlfriend, accompanied by her lover, Eric, and followed by another pair of male and female colleagues.

No matter what the situation, he was never Emily’s choice.