Island Diaries: My Life with Ten Beauties

Chapter 20

Mandy stepped forward quickly and grabbed my hand, comforting me softly, "Zack, I think it's enough. Don't kill this b*stard. It wouldn't be worth it to go to jail for someone like him."

"Yeah, Zack, you don't need to carry a murder charge," Zoe said, hugging my other arm.

I took a few deep breaths, the smell of blood helping me calm down. I tossed the shovel aside. I had already weighed the pros and cons earlier, but Leo's actions towards Mandy had made me lose my cool. I wouldn't let Leo off the hook, but it had to be handled quietly.

Seeing that I had stopped, Zoe checked if Leo was still alive. Finding that he was still breathing, she sighed in relief and started to tend to his wounds. I knew she wasn't doing it out of sympathy, but because she didn't want me to get into trouble for killing him.

I glanced at Mandy, who had spoken up for me, and at Stella, who looked concerned despite her tough words. My mood eased a bit.

With the situation settled, the women couldn't help but ask where I got the items I had. They had been dying to know since I was holding a gun!

I recounted everything that had happened and what I had seen. Zoe and Quinn were a bit frightened, and Stella, though silent, looked visibly shaken.

"It seems we'll need to be more cautious when we go out. No one should wander too far from the cave, and try not to go out alone," Mandy said worriedly.

Seeing the heavy atmosphere, I smiled and said, "Don't be so scared. We just need to be careful. We've been in this cave for so long without any major dangers. My thoughts were just speculation." As I spoke, I waved the katana and the gun.

"With these weapons, we'll have more confidence and convenience in whatever we do."

With that, I dropped the military coat quickly, revealing some other supplies inside. There was a canteen, a helmet, and a shovel.

"Hmm? Can I use this helmet to make a pot? Zack, I think we might have some good food soon!" Zoe said excitedly upon seeing the helmet. Without hesitation, I handed the helmet to her.

Stella and Quinn began examining the military canteen. Mandy took a sip from the small bottle of wine, and her face turned slightly red. "It's pretty good. It warms you up with just one sip!"

Seeing these supplies lifted everyone's spirits.

I took the gun and went into the woods. Ever since I retired from the military, I hadn't handled a gun. Back in the army, I was the best marksman in my squad. It had been a long time, so I decided to practice to avoid being rusty in a dangerous situation.

I aimed the gun, and the muscle memory came flooding back. I fired a few shots at a large tree outside the cave. After several shots, a few leaves fell from the tree, each with a bullet hole and burn marks from the gunpowder in the center.

I smiled confidently, realizing I hadn't lost my shooting skills. A surge of confidence and strength filled my mind. With a gun, I felt ready to face any danger.

However, later, I would understand how naive those thoughts were.

That noon, Zoe cleaned the helmet and used it to cook for us. When a pot of chicken soup was brought out, its aroma and the sight of oil floating on top made our mouths water. We were all delighted.

After taking a few bites, we all gave Zoe a thumbs up.

The chicken was tender and tasty, and with the star anise and other spices Zoe found nearby, the stewed chicken tasted like a restaurant dish! This meal was exceptionally delicious in my memory.

Except for Leo, who had woken up and was sulking in the corner, the atmosphere was incredibly harmonious.

But our good luck didn't last. After our meal, while we were lying contentedly in the cave, a cold wind suddenly blew outside. Soon it began to pour.

Along with the rain came a bone-chilling cold. We shut the bamboo gate and layered it with more straw, but we still felt cold.

We were dressed lightly, so we had no choice but to sit around the campfire in silence. The temperature was low, but with the fire and the bamboo gate, it was bearable. Our biggest challenge now was that with the heavy rain, we couldn't go out to search for food.

"It looks like we'll have to eat our reserve salted meat tonight," I said helplessly. "I'll go out to find something to eat when the rain stops." I hadn't expected the food we preserved with sea salt to come in handy so soon.

That afternoon, with nothing to do, we sat around the fire, chatting and dozing off, which was quite enjoyable. I joined in, sharing many funny stories from my childhood. The day passed leisurely.

However, when we woke up the next morning, the rain hadn't stopped! It was pouring even harder, and from the cave entrance, all we could see was a curtain of rain, as if the entire world was being submerged.

Although we had some reserve food, it would be gone by lunchtime. Even our firewood was running low. It was too cold to be without a fire, and if we ran out of wood, the loss of body heat could be fatal!

After lunch, I finally made up my mind. "We can't wait any longer. Who knows when this damned rain will stop? I have to go out and find some food and firewood."

"It's raining so heavily. You shouldn't go. What if you get sick or hurt?" Zoe and Mandy looked at me with concern.

"Yeah, maybe wait a bit longer. If you get sick, who will take care of you? Don't drag us down!" Stella warned, glancing at me.

I sighed, feeling a mix of determination and helplessness. Taking the hot meat soup Zoe handed me, I drank a large gulp, then put the Japanese steel helmet on my head. It was to keep the heavy rain from pouring directly on my head and making it impossible to open my eyes.

I waved to the girls, smiled, and stepped out into the heavy rain.

Even with the helmet, the rain poured down like someone was dumping water on my head, forming a thick curtain of water that blurred my vision.

Without an umbrella, I was soon soaked through.The cold seeped into my bones. The ground beneath my feet had become muddy and slippery from the relentless downpour.

I decided to head to the beach. Finding food there should be easier than wandering aimlessly in the forest.

The rain was torrential, and my clothes were drenched and heavy. Usually, it took less than ten minutes to walk this path, but this time, it took me a full thirty minutes.

Fate seemed to be on my side again. After swimming in the sea for a short while, I caught two large fish!

I threw them onto the shore and smashed them with a stone to make sure they were dead. Then I headed back excitedly.

As I walked back, I picked some fruits and gathered a lot of firewood. Finding food made me feel relaxed, and despite being loaded with supplies, I returned to the cave much faster than I had left.

"Zack, you're back?!" Zoe screamed in surprise.

"Great! I thought you were going to die out there!" Stella looked relieved.

Seeing me return with so many supplies, the girls cheered excitedly.

With their help, I dropped everything quickly and hurried to the campfire, stripping off my clothes as I went. I was shivering with cold and couldn't care less about the presence of girls.

The girls shrieked and scattered when I threw off my clothes suddenly.

"Pervert, I knew you were no good," Stella muttered, but she just turned her head away without saying more. She knew my situation was urgent; otherwise, with her temper, she would have been pointing at me and scolding me for this.

Zoe screamed and covered her face with her hands, but amusingly, she was peeking through her fingers.

Mandy, blushing a little, handed me a dry piece of clothing and helped me wipe the water off gently.

Looking at Mandy's pretty face so close to mine, my heart started to race.