Island Diaries: My Life with Ten Beauties

Chapter 64

It was so soft and fragrant. I was momentarily stunned, not wanting to move my head away. If Stella hadn't gotten angry, I would have liked this moment to last forever.

But Stella exploded the next second. She screamed and pushed my face away, retreating several steps.

Still lost in the wonderful experience, I found my face being pinched and distorted by Stella. Holding my face, I wailed, "Stella, can't you be gentler? Which man would dare to marry you?"

Stella clutched her chest, her eyes red with anger. "Zack! I'll... I'll fight you!"

Seeing this, I didn't dare provoke her any further. Being a man, I bowed my head in apology quickly. After a while of coaxing, Stella's expression finally softened a bit.

I breathed a sigh of relief and changed the topic. "Anyway, let's focus on surviving on the island for now. The weather on this island changes too quickly. Lately, it's been warming up, which is great for our survival. We should be happy about that."

Just as I finished speaking, I suddenly remembered that Eva had warned me about a bloody disaster in the island's spring.

What did that mean? Reflecting on the various difficulties we've faced on the island, I couldn't help but feel a surge of worry and fear.

However, what I couldn't foresee was that before the revival of spring, a discovery would plunge us into another chaotic and intense vortex!

Our clothes were slowly drying by the bonfire, and the food was ready. I quickly filled my belly and, while the sea was calm, jumped back into the water to collect the supplies floating on the surface.

Due to the strong currents bringing things back to shore, our losses were significantly reduced. However, many items had sunk to the bottom of the sea.

By the afternoon, we had returned to the cave in a terrible state. Looking at the clear spring water and the seal skins by the spring, my mood inevitably took a downturn.

According to my original plan, I should now be diving into the underground river to search for Eva. However, this plan had to be postponed.

'When will I be able to see Eva again?'

Of course, I quickly shook off my low spirits and began inventorying the remaining supplies in the cave, but the result was quite troubling.

All along, we had been using my lighter to start fires. This tool of civilized society had brought us great convenience.

However, my lighter was running out of fuel and would soon be completely useless. During this time, because of the cold weather, someone had always been in charge of adding wood to the fire, even while sleeping. Our bonfire had rarely gone out. Consequently, no one had paid attention to the lighter's condition.

But with the weather gradually warming up, we needed to reduce our firewood consumption. The bonfire couldn't keep burning continuously, and the lighter could fail at any moment.

There were more primitive ways to start a fire, such as using a bow drill, but I had tried that before and couldn't even produce a spark. Moreover, it was too time-consuming. If we had to spend one or two hours daily on fire-making, it would reduce our efficiency significantly in doing other things.

This situation called for something to preserve embers. I remembered a plant called polypore, also known as tinder fungus. Once ignited and covered with soil, it could smolder for several hours or even longer.

When I needed a fire, I could use it to ignite dry grass and wood. I recalled seeing some tinder fungus while patrolling and hunting on the island. But at that time, I hadn't paid attention to it, so I couldn't remember the exact location. In the coming days, I would have to keep an eye out for it while hunting.

The blizzard had finally stopped, and the ice and snow were melting. The streams were starting to rise, and various animals and insects were beginning to reappear. The forest was slowly regaining its vitality, with signs of life everywhere.

What made me even happier was that the melting ice and snow revealed some animal carcasses. Although some had already decayed and become meals for crows and vultures, a few I discovered were still fresh.

I didn't waste any of them and collected them all, adding them to our food reserves.

Overall, we had a decent few days.

Today, I managed to spear a wild chicken with my bamboo spear. Just as I was about to head back, I suddenly noticed some tinder fungus growing in a dense patch of water grass by the river.

I carefully collected the tinder fungus. Just as I was about to leave, I heard faint sounds of a woman talking.

'It sounds like she's calling for help!'

The voice was very close. I looked around and was shocked to find a woman covered in blood, lying not far from me in the grass!

She was wearing a tattered animal hide that only covered her essential parts, and her exposed skin was covered in numerous wounds. There were bruises, whip marks, and even burns. The wounds looked new, as if they had been inflicted recently.

On her shoulder was a more severe wound, a large bleeding gash. I could tell that this woman had fainted from blood loss.

"Why is she wearing animal hide? Could she be an indigenous person?" I muttered to myself, but then shook my head quickly. "But she just spoke English. Could she be from our company?"

I wasn't sure. After all, Japanese and Germans had visited this island before, so it was possible that indigenous people could speak English.

I went over and turned her body. Seeing her face, I breathed a sigh of relief. It was an unfamiliar face.

I noticed a crescent-shaped tattoo on her neck and decided to call her Crescent for now.

Crescent was in a dire state. Her face was as pale as paper, and she had already lost consciousness. Her call for help must have been a subconscious plea driven by a survival instinct. I treated her wounds quickly and then carried her on my back.

'Is Crescent an indigenous person or a shipwreck survivor? What caused the bloody hole in her shoulder?'

I examined Crescent's wound and noticed the cut was clean. It was not from an animal bite. It looked like it was caused by a sharp weapon, possibly an arrow.

Crescent's injuries were shocking, and the bloody hole in her shoulder was especially alarming. I guessed that someone had aimed for her heart but missed slightly.

It troubled me greatly. It seemed there were indeed people on this island who used weapons, and considering they attacked a young girl, they were likely violent thugs.

'Are they indigenous people of the island?'

This thought made me uneasy. Most of our camp consisted of girls with weak combat abilities. Only Mandy and I might barely be able to fight, while the others would likely be too scared to move.

'If we encounter those bad guys, I'm afraid...'

However, there was a silver lining. If this girl had interacted with the island's indigenous people, we might be able to learn more about them through her.

Thinking about this, I made my way back to the cave. When the girls saw me carrying an injured woman, they curiously gathered around. Seeing that Crescent's body was covered in wounds with no intact skin, the girls were heartbroken, nearly crying.

This girl with the crescent tattoo had clearly endured a lot of inhuman torture.

"She must have escaped from the indigenous people. If she wakes up, we might be able to learn more about this island from her," I said, waving the girls over.

They snapped out of their shock and gathered around quickly to care for Crescent.

Zoe gently wiped the blood off Crescent's face with a towel, then suddenly widened her eyes in shock. "I-I know her!"