Island Diaries: My Life with Ten Beauties

Chapter 22

I watched them coldly, realizing that Quinn's actions were just an attempt to curry favor with me. But it didn’t work. It only made me see more clearly how disgusting and opportunistic she was.

Quinn noticed my lack of reaction and wanted to say something, but Zoe beat her to it.

"Zack, are you alright?" Zoe asked excitedly, ignoring Leo and rushing over to me.

Mandy also looked at me with concern.

Even Stella, though pretending not to care, was glancing at me secretly.

Hearing their words, I was slightly stunned. The urgency of the situation had left me no time to assess my own condition. I had broken out in a cold sweat. But I noticed all the previous discomfort had vanished completely. In a way, Leo's actions helped me! But without Mandy, I might have been dead by now.

As they chatted, I learned how close I had come to death. I had been unconscious for a day and a night, unable to eat or drink. My body swung between hot and cold, and I convulsed and trembled occasionally.

Seeing this, Zoe couldn't help but tear up, looking pitiful.

"It's okay, don't cry. I'm fine now," I said, wiping her tears away.

"Hmph, it's true that good people don't live long, but disasters last forever," Stella said sourly.

I looked over at her, and she turned her face away quickly. Seeing her like that, I couldn't help but smile. "Why are your eyes swollen? Did you cry worrying about me?" I teased, moving closer to Stella with a cheeky grin.

"Don't flatter yourself! I just got sand in my eyes and rubbed them," Stella stammered, glaring at me.

I just smiled and didn't respond. After all, it wasn't the first time that Stella acted tough but was soft-hearted.

Zoe covered her mouth and giggled beside me.

Quinn watched us, wanting to show concern like the other girls, but I ignored her. She forced a smile awkwardly, worried I would be mad and treat her like Leo. In the end, she retreated to the campfire and sat alone.

After chatting for a while, I began to feel hungry.

Mandy had found a lot of food in the past few days, including some fruits and some salted meat. Zoe was an excellent cook, so I ate heartily.

The girls surrounded me, offering food and water. Mandy, looking very concerned, seemed ready to feed me herself. Although the food was cold, my heart felt warm.

"Once the rescue team arrives, I'll make sure to deal with this b*stard properly. Hang in there, hang in there, hang in there!" I heard Leo muttering to himself in the corner, as if this was the only way he could keep going.

It made me smirk inwardly. 'Hang in there? You won't last long. I don't know when the rescue will come, but you certainly won't see it.'

The rain had stopped, and I could start working on my plan against Leo. If everything went well, Leo wouldn't be able to see tomorrow's sunrise.

After another night's rest, my body had fully recovered. Strangely, I felt even stronger than before, as if the illness had somehow fortified me. Perhaps it was just my imagination.

Early the next morning, I crawled out of bed. The weather was clear, and the food in the cave was gone. It was going to be another busy day. The sudden heavy rains of the past two days had served as a warning; we needed to find more food to stock up.

Besides food, another pressing issue was how to stay warm.

After the recent downpour, the temperature had dropped significantly. Our previous methods of keeping warm were no longer sufficient, so I needed to come up with new ways. I thought about hunting some large furry animals, or at the very least, several smaller ones, to make some fur clothing.

I left the cave quickly.

A few minutes later, I arrived at the shoreline, nearly shouting with joy. The tide was going out! After two days of heavy rain, I feared the sea would rise again.

With the tide receding, good things were happening. The beach was dotted with pools of water left behind, filled with small fish struggling for life. This was the first piece of good news in days!

And there was even better news! With the tide going out, the submerged plane would also be exposed. I had to explore it!

Suppressing my excitement, I surveyed the area carefully. After ensuring there was no danger, I rushed to the water pools and began to gather fish, shrimp, crabs, and even a lobster the size of my arm. I stored them in a bamboo basket, enough to feed us for several days.

I wanted to gather more, but unfortunately, some creatures on the island had also sensed the presence of food. Several large birds arrived there and started to peck at the fish carcasses. I'd call them black eagles; they were huge, nearly as tall as a human. Their beaks were hard and sharp, and they could fly. It would be a foolish decision to provoke them.

I picked up the bamboo basket and planned to sneak away before the black eagles noticed me. But these sharp-eyed birds spotted me as soon as I took a couple of steps. The next second, they took off, circled twice in the air, and then dove straight at me without hesitation.

"Damn!" I shouted, running while firing a shot at the black eagles.

My marksmanship was excellent, but the speed of the black eagles surprised me. I managed to injure the wing of one of them with a shot. The injured black eagle let out a scream, and its large black feathers scattered in the air.

The other black eagles, instead of being frightened, became even more enraged. They tilted their heads back and let out a high-pitched screech that sent shivers down my spine.

I was in despair. I didn't bring many bullets with me, and who knew how many more of those black eagles there were? Was I going to die here?

Suddenly, I saw other wild animals as well. Right in front of me, there were dozens, if not hundreds, of small, long-haired creatures that looked like miniature wolves. They all gathered to fight over the fish. I'd call them furry wolves. Though they were small, about a third the size of a typical wolf, their numbers were overwhelming.

If I encountered them alone, I'd be in serious trouble. But in this crisis, the appearance of furry wolves might save my life. I aimed quickly and fired a shot at the pack of furry wolves.

Startled by the gunshot, the furry wolves stopped feeding, and hundreds of their eerie green eyes started searching the area. I sprinted into the coastal bushes right after firing. The furry wolves didn't see me but noticed the black eagles that were chasing me. The two groups of animals squared off immediately, one in the air and one on the ground.

The largest of the furry wolves let out a howl, and the black eagles, seemingly provoked, forgot about me and attacked them. The two sides clashed fiercely, filling the air with their cries. I had never seen such a bloody scene before, and it gave me goosebumps.

With my objective achieved, I ran back with the food.

As I ran, I thought to myself, 'The fur of these furry wolves looks thick and white, like high-quality pelts. Wouldn't it be perfect for making clothes?'

Before I knew it, I was near the cave entrance. Just as I was about to enter, I heard a woman's scream!

It was Mandy's voice!