Humanity Forbidden Island [Complete] - 1

Chapter 1: Life Before Going to Sea

Many horse-drawn carriages returned along this street, their wheels and hooves grinding through the mud, the sound mingling with the crisp ringing of bells, creating the atmosphere of a European town. However, this was an unnamed town in Cambodia. Poor women carried various fruits and vegetables, walking back and forth near each run-down little restaurant.

Their men were either gambling or drunk in the tavern at the end of the street, and I was one of them. Of course, my woman wasn't among those selling plants along the street.

Many familiar faces sat around me, and whenever they were slightly tipsy and hiccuping, they would speak to me. "Zhui Ma, I heard you're of mixed Chinese and Korean descent, is that right?" Zhui Ma was my name; many men liked to talk about my heritage, but weren't interested in their women selling vegetables on the street.

I said yes, my mother was a Korean woman. My father rescued the girl from the enemy during that heroic war; she was my mother. Later, she ran to China and married that soldier, and that's how I came to be. "Oh! Is that so? Then why are you in Cambodia? Don't you go back to your own country?" I smiled and said. I don't have a country or citizenship now, but I've already made this muddy little town my country. "Haha, that's interesting. How did you end up in Cambodia?"

I enjoy talking to them and treating them sincerely because I'm grateful to their women. Many of those women are quite beautiful. Although these drunkards go home and take their pleasure with them, I can use the money I would have spent on vegetables to have such women sleep with me in my room for a while, and afterwards they thank me profusely. So I find this little town endearing, including its poverty and mud.

I continued to answer the curious drunkards, saying that when I was eight years old, I was playing in the mountains on the Sino-Vietnamese border when I encountered a caravan of drug traffickers. They chased me with machetes and shot me. But I didn't die, and I could never return to China. So, during those wandering years, I drifted to Cambodia, drifted to this muddy little town.

"Haha, that's hilarious. When are you going out to sea to chase horses? Are you willing to leave that charming woman in the tailor shop? Her round, plump buttocks are enough to make any man drool." I smiled faintly, knowing they weren't mocking me, just curious about my life. My affair with the widow in the tailor shop had been going on for a long time, a fact known to everyone in the town, especially the men in the tavern.

I often got drunk, my vision blurred, my mind hazy, and then stumbled to her. Every time she saw me staring at her with red, drunken eyes, she would quickly call the customers away from the shop and close the door. Then she would help me to her bed, letting me grovel over her full, alluring body. The townspeople were used to it; no one would eavesdrop or cause trouble. Even in the days that followed, the women remained kind to her.

I was a vagrant in this town, the only difference being that I rarely left the town; only during the sea season did they consider me to be working. I told the person who asked me that I would likely leave within a week.

The hotel owner treated me with exceptional respect, always pouring me a full glass of wine, which made me feel very warm. I didn't know if the owner saw me as the tavern's star attraction, or if I considered the tavern my home. The owner was a small, old man with exaggeratedly upward-rolling eyes when he spoke; his playful demeanor made people willing to answer any awkward question. The owner said to me, "Zhuima, weren't you engaged to the sixteen-year-old daughter of the Zhadawa family? What about the woman from the tailor shop?"

I said, "The woman from the tailor shop knows about this. She feels like an incomplete woman, unable to give me what a young girl should have, so she's happy about my engagement. Her only sadness is whether I'll still see her in the future." "Oh! Will you continue your trysts with her, Zhuima?" I said, "I definitely will. That sixteen-year-old girl is very beautiful and also a prostitute. The Zhadawa family can't afford to support a girl that age, so they want me to take her." The naivety and virginity of a young girl could give me perfect love, while the woman in the tailor shop possessed an irreplaceable flawed beauty. I loved her voluptuous body and the expression on her face that pleased me during our lovemaking; she was my stimulating hell. "Haha..." The drunkards in the hotel laughed.

I told them that I was going to the Crozet Islands this time. I planned to trade some dried fruit and furs for some rare metals on the islands, and if the voyage went smoothly, I would treat everyone to a week's worth of drinks upon my return. Everyone was very happy to hear this, clapping and exchanging pleased glances, as if I had just returned and was already starting to treat them to drinks.

The sky was gradually approaching dusk, and I knew it might rain again tonight. I left the hotel earlier than usual. Horse-drawn carriages still weaved through the streets; cars were impractical here. The pristine nature of this town made any modern means of transportation and communication hesitant.

After walking a few steps along the narrow street, I noticed a woman across the street holding a cucumber, her bright eyes staring at me. She was a dignified woman with high breasts and a round bottom. Last time, I asked her to put the melons in my cozy little attic, paying her double the price for vegetables in exchange for sleeping with me. Seeing that there was suddenly twice the amount of Riel, she happily agreed and enthusiastically became affectionate with me.

I stopped, standing there looking at her in return. She was of lowly status, but I didn't flee from her and her gaze as if avoiding something I considered shameful. I didn't want her to do what I did last time; it was getting late, and she needed to go home to cook for her children and satisfy her man's needs.

The woman carrying the melons walked towards me, smiling awkwardly, and said, "Zhuima, are you going to marry the daughter of the Zadawa family? My daughter is already fourteen; you should marry her too." She lowered her head, staring nervously at the green melons in her arms. I had never seen her daughter, and even suspected she had one. I asked her why she was doing this. She said, “Actually, that’s not what I meant, Zhuima. Look, you marry the daughter of the Zhadawa family, and my daughter can be your second wife or a servant. As long as you can feed her, she’s too old to be raised at home. She can stay with you for life, as long as you make sure she’s well-fed. Is that alright? Or I can go to your attic now.”

Hearing this woman’s words, I felt momentarily at a loss. I imagined this girl must be very dignified, like her mother. But I still felt that the fourteen-year-old girl would make my life too burdensome, so I politely declined.

She seemed unwilling and anxious, saying to me, "Zhui Ma, please have pity on me! My husband gambles all day long. Whenever he loses money, he comes home and torments my daughter and me. I'm really afraid that devil will sell my child one day. Here's what we'll do: I'll call her to your attic later. You can see what she looks like. She actually looks like a young woman. If you're willing, you can take her body. She's still a virgin, just like the daughter of the Zadawa family."

I really didn't want to say anything to refuse her anymore. Although her words were infuriating, she had, after all, worked hard to make love with me, to maintain a struggling family, to be a mother who could feed her children, and to get that double price for vegetables. I shouldn't blame her at all. I said, "Okay, if the rain isn't too heavy, you can call her." The woman's eyes immediately lit up with joy, and she happily said, "I'll definitely send her to your attic tonight, no matter how heavy the rain." Then, like last time, she turned and left with a beaming smile.

Back in the dim attic, I lit the oil lamp and collapsed onto the heavy bed, my alcohol-numbed body recklessly. My eyes were closed, the light of the kerosene lamp filtering through my eyelids into my brain. I thought of the cucumber seller, of the day her full breasts swallowed my face, as if adrift at sea, and of whether her daughter would grow up to have a body exactly like hers. I didn't extinguish the lamp; even with my eyes closed, I still liked the feeling of light in my mind.

In my hazy consciousness, I felt myself falling asleep, unaware of the storm raging outside. The rumbling thunder and the flashes of lightning kept my mind entangled in a deep drowsiness, slowly sliding into a deeper sleep.

Suddenly, a long, dark shadow flashed through my mind, only to be immediately swallowed by darkness. I rolled over alertly, lying on my side under the bed, and pulled out the Swiss Army knife I'd strapped to the bedpost, peering into the attic. There was no movement for a while, then another flash of lightning, and the long, dark shadow was cast back into the room. I quickly determined that the shadow was actually a girl; the shadow exaggeratedly magnified her budding breasts before my eyes.

It suddenly dawned on me that she was likely the daughter of the cucumber-selling woman. I was anxious, but cautiously opened the door. A thin girl stood in the storm, her arms tightly wrapped around herself, her hair and clothes clinging to her face and body like thin gauze. I thought this must be the woman's daughter. Normally, my attic has a roof, so the quiet, vertical rain wouldn't wet the person seeking shelter, but tonight's terrible weather had left the little one thoroughly soaked. I waved to her, signaling her to come inside.

She hesitated for a moment, wanting to move but then stopping. I was anxious, knowing she might be afraid, and waved her in forcefully. The wind, rain, and lightning, as if scolding her for disobeying me, suddenly intensified. Her fear of the wind and rain finally outweighed her fear of me, and she slowly moved closer to me. Just as she was very close, she suddenly stopped, staring tremblingly at my left hand. I then realized that I was still holding the dagger, so I threw it onto the table in the room. With a thud, the knife embedded itself in the corner of the table. I said to her, "Come in. That's my weapon for self-defense; it has nothing to do with you."

Chapter Two: A Rainy Night Visit

She stood in a corner of the room, her head bowed low, water pouring down from her hair and clothes, dripping onto the floor. The cold and panic made her shiver. I tossed her a towel, gesturing for her to dry herself. To ward off the fear brought on by the cold and darkness, I lit a fire in the fireplace. The dry wood quickly ignited, casting a dim, yellowish glow over the small attic in the pitch-black, rainy night.

The girl was indeed shivering and involuntarily took a few steps closer to the fire. Only then, in the orange light, could I see her hazy face. Beneath a pair of large, bright black eyes were thin, upturned lips, and a delicate, prominent nose stood out on her round face.

The girl's body appeared extremely slender in the firelight, her small, developing breasts bobbing beneath her tattered clothes.

I hadn't expected the rain to be so torrential tonight; her mother must have gone to great lengths to force her to come to me. Having found my place, she was timid and at a loss, forced to wait in the rain outside—a wait that temporarily halted her fear yet left her with no certainty of what would happen.

I told her not to be afraid, that I wouldn't hurt her. She seemed distrustful of me, still subconsciously wary of me. I tried talking to her again, but I'd lost all interest and was feeling bored living alone in this room for so long. I asked her, "Can you tell me your name?" The girl's eyes flickered, but she didn't speak. I was getting impatient; she wasn't like her mother at all, speaking to me smoothly.

I suddenly walked over, grabbed her thin arm, and threw her onto the bed. The girl's face was filled with fear, tears welling up in her eyes as she looked at me. I angrily asked her, "Are you mute? You have to talk to me, understand? Otherwise, I'll strip you naked and make you sleep with me."

Hearing my threat, tears streamed down the girl's long eyelashes. I asked her again, in a dull tone, "Your name, how old?" She still cried and didn't speak. I was really angry at her crying, even suspecting she really was mute. I pounced on her, symbolically trying to pull off her clothes. Her panicked appearance and futile resistance almost made me laugh. I saw her wet body wrestling with me, like a thin boy. "Tell me your name!" I almost chuckled. “Thirteen years old, oh! No, almost fifteen.” She finally spoke in a terrified and childish voice.

I thought she must be thirteen; the latter part was clearly a lie her mother had told her to tell. I ripped off her pants, trying to deduce her age from her developing organs.

I had been intimate with many little girls' bodies before, even burying them myself. The images of those naked girls, around ten years old, their bodies draped in strips of cloth, lying haphazardly in ransacked villages, always haunted my nightmares.

She became even more terrified and struggled violently, quickly curling her thin legs to protect that shy organ. I could still see that bare area, like a half-ripe green fruit, visually unappealing and tasteless.

I knew I couldn't violate her; she was still a child. I was going to sea in seven days, and if her genitals were injured, for this suffering family, for that mother holding a cucumber, seeking medical help and buying medicine would be a waste. The little girl would endure the pain, suffering until the wound healed.

I released her, went to the storage cabinet, took out a piece of cured meat and some bread, tossed it to her, and told her to eat. She still stared at me suspiciously. I told her, "Eat it all, and you can leave after dawn."

The girl hesitated for a moment, looked at me, then at the food, and slowly reached out. She took a bite of bread, then a bite of cured meat. The taste of the food combined with her hungry stomach, and she no longer cared about being wary, swallowing it forcefully.

I sat in a chair very close to her, watching her intently. She was the only woman who had come into my house without making love to me. The thunder and rain outside were still rapid and violent, and the flashes of lightning, after shining through the window, were diluted by the roaring fire in the stove, no longer so dazzling. I asked her if she wanted some water, and she shook her head. After

a while, she finished all the food in her hand, curled up on the bed against the corner of the wall, and stared at me without moving. I sensed that she was getting used to it, so I tried to talk to her again, asking her name. Her initial fear and wariness finally subsided, and she began to talk to me.

"My name is Luya, and I have three younger brothers. My mother told me you're a good person and told me to come find you and accept whatever you do to me." After saying this, the girl named Luya cried. I told her, "Don't cry, I won't do anything to you. Go home as soon as it's light." The girl shook her head, sobbing, and said, "I can't go home. If Mr. Zhui Ma doesn't want me, my mother won't want me either."

Listening to the girl's cries, I knew her mother was telling the truth. A woman so poor couldn't possibly support such a large child. I told her, "I have to go to sea in seven days, and I can't take you in. You'll have to go home first thing tomorrow morning."

After I finished speaking, she started crying again, pleading, "Mr. Zhui Ma, take me with you, or I'll have to jump into the sea." I could hear the depth of her grief, but it still wasn't right for me. So I said seriously, "No, I'm going to the Crozet Islands in Africa. The journey is long and dangerous. If we encounter pirates, you'll be in great danger. Besides, the ship is full of men from all over the world, which is a safety hazard for a woman like you." "But I'm still a child! Didn't you just see my body? I'm not interested in men."

I really wanted to laugh, but I held it in and explained, "That's different. In their eyes, there are no children or adults. They'll take any woman they impulsively. It's like treating a live fish—bite it, cut it, and release it back into the sea. As long as they think they can have some fun, they won't consider the consequences for the weak."

The girl seemed frightened by me and stopped talking. We both fell silent. The darkness outside lessened a bit, but the sound of thunder and rain didn't subside. I started to feel sleepy, so I said to her, "I want to sleep."

She immediately shivered, her tired face instantly brightening, and tentatively asked, "Do you want me to lie down with you?" I shook my head and said, "You can get off, or squeeze in with me, because this bed isn't big, and it's the only one."

The girl quickly curled herself up even smaller, pressing herself tightly against the corner of the bed. I knew she was gesturing for me to lie down while she stayed put. After I lay down, I felt completely relaxed, comfortably closed my eyes, and drifted off to sleep. I could feel the dampness and warmth emanating from her body, a sensation that helped me fall asleep even faster.

I woke up around noon, the bright, hot sunlight streaming through the window, stinging my neck. I knew the rain from last night should have mostly dried up. The girl was asleep beside me, her soft, long hair falling around my nose, still carrying the lingering scent of last night's rain. Her slightly parted mouth was drooling, spreading the aroma of bread and cured meat. Her peaceful and adorable sleeping posture gave me a strange feeling, the first such feeling I'd had in five years since waking up alone in the attic.

I left some money on the table, twice as much as I'd given her mother last time, and found a piece of paper, drew a symbol, and gestured for her to go home. After settling everything, I put on my clothes and went back to the tavern for a drink, also asking the owner if the Snore ship in Sihanoukville would arrive on time.

I drank until very late before returning to the attic, and when I opened the door, I was immediately stunned. The girl hadn't left; she was standing naked in the basin beside the fireplace, washing herself. Startled by my sudden appearance, she gasped, hurriedly crouching in the basin, clutching her newly developed breasts, her eyes wide with fear as she looked at me. I ignored her, went inside, and closed the door. Alcohol was burning my brain; I felt the world spinning. I said to her, "Get me a wet towel; my head hurts a little." Then I lay down on the bed, closed my eyes, and tried to sleep.

The sound of running water filled the air; I felt her emerge from the basin, followed by more running water. Just as I was about to drift off, a pair of cool hands touched my forehead, then quickly removed them, and pressed a wet towel against my burning forehead. The headache instantly subsided, and the easing dizziness helped me fall asleep quickly. In the

middle of the night, I woke up to find her crouching by the fireplace, hugging her knees, staring blankly at the leaping flames. The sound of me sitting up startled her; she looked at me, and I looked at her. I asked her, "Have you eaten? Why didn't you take the money?" She didn't answer, but pointed to the table. The money was still there, next to the cured meat and bread from the storage cabinet. I understood; giving her money wouldn't change her mother's mind, nor would it make her abandon her choice to jump into the sea. As for the cured meat and bread, I remembered they were the last bit of food left in the cabinet last night. She wanted to save it for me, having gone hungry all day.

I told her, "You eat it, I'm not hungry now." She gave me a sad look, then lowered her head and shook it. It was clear this girl wanted to save the food for me. I smiled, got up, went to the table, picked up the cured meat and bread, tossed it to her, and told her to eat quickly. She still stubbornly shook her head.

This time I wasn't angry, nor did I want to scare her like last night. Knowing she wouldn't eat because she was afraid I'd drive her away, I said, "You eat it, but there's a secret you must keep." Then I crawled under the bed, opened a wooden panel, and disappeared like an eel falling into a swamp.

This was a secret underground chamber I had set up, stocked with enough food, and of course, weapons. A moment later, I pushed a wooden crate up the stairs. The girl looked at me in surprise. I pried open the sealed crate with my dagger, took out some dried fish slices, tore them open, and gave them to her, urging her to eat. I

then piled some cured meat and nuts in front of her. Only then did the girl take a big bite of the fish in her hand. Seeing her hungry expression, I also felt hungry, and I squatted down with her, chewing on the hard food. The girl looked at me, and we both laughed. I told her, "Speak up. I don't like silence. Talk to me, say whatever comes to mind. It's just the two of us in this house."

The girl lowered her head shyly, composed herself, and said, "My mother said that a woman would be very happy marrying a man like you." I was stunned. Her mention of her mother reminded me of what had happened in this house that day. I asked her why her mother said that. She couldn't answer, and after thinking for a long time, she said, "You have a lot of food."

Chapter 3: Recalling the Bloody Massacre

I was relieved; I had thought her mother had told her daughter about the secret deal they made while buying groceries that day. I asked her if she was afraid of me. She said, "No, my mother said you're a good person. You were very gentle with her that day, you didn't treat her like a lowly woman." It turned out the girl's mother had told her about what happened that day. I asked the girl, "Will you hate me?" The girl shook her head and said, "No, you're a good person. I hate my father. He drinks when he loses gambling, and when he comes home he tortures my mother or beats me." I didn't say anything, but picked up a nut and carved words on it with a dagger.

She suddenly opened her eyes wide and said, "Can you kill my father? He always abuses my mother. Sometimes when he can't pay back his gambling debts, he makes her sleep with those men. My mother refused at first, but later she couldn't take the beatings and gave in." Only then did I understand why the woman holding the cucumber had so many bruises.

"Now strange men often come to my house. My mother is most worried about me, so if I come home again, she would rather strangle me than let those men..." At this point, she choked up, her eyes red but she didn't let the tears fall.

I asked the girl, "Why me?" She finally couldn't hold back and cried. Sobbing, she said, "They say you're a killer, the man who's killed the most people in town." I told the girl I hadn't killed anyone in town. "But you're a good person, they're bad people, and you even gave my mother double the money for groceries."

I put a dried nut in my mouth, chewed it hard, and said bluntly, "That wasn't free. Giving your mother double the money was because I wanted her to sleep with me."

The girl didn't speak, lowered her head again, and just wept. I felt I shouldn't have been so harsh on a poor child, so I softened my tone and said, "I'm not a killer. The men in town fear me because I killed too many people when I was in the army, and I often generously treated them to drinks."

The girl stopped crying, looked up at me, and blinked her big, wet eyes. "Were you a soldier?" Perhaps it was the girl's tear-streaked face that was so touching, her innocent charm, that moved me to pour out my heart.

Outside, just like the night before, the lightning and thunder continued. I told the girl a lot about my past.

I was a wanderer in Vietnam, captured by a mine owner and enslaved, then drifted to Thailand, where at seventeen I joined a mercenary group secretly organized by the local government. Six years passed in the hail of bullets. I killed many terrorists and also carried out missions to kill Western agents.

I always felt those people were terrifying and deserved to die. Until later, the Bangkok Armed Forces Department split into two factions due to political differences. One faction actively strengthened the regular army, while the other secretly formed mercenaries to counter them. The higher-ups used mercenary organizations to eliminate dissidents or carry out dirty political orders. If the operation was exposed, the mercenaries would be labeled terrorists and killed by the regular army.

In one operation, we received orders to clear out terrorists at the border. When we arrived, we learned that they were destroying villages formed by refugees from various countries, and many children your age were murdered. Do you know China? The Japanese soldiers massacred unarmed civilians in Nanjing, committing the same atrocities.

You could stand in the center of the village and fire indiscriminately, shooting at any two-legged creature, as long as the target wasn't wearing the same uniform. The villagers' eyes, throats, hearts, and abdomens were riddled with bloody holes from dagger stabs.

My group had eight men at the time. During the search, we found two ten-year-old girls hiding in a haystack. They stripped them naked, and the seven of them relentlessly raped them. Seeing the horrific scene, I vomited. Two teammates came to pull me away, urging me to rape one of them too. The two girls were bleeding from their genitals, barely alive.

Enrage made my hand instinctively draw a dagger and slit one of the teammates' throats. I then shot three more teammates dead with my pistol. The remaining three tackled me, and we began to fight. I pulled the grenade's trigger from my body, intending to die with them. Seeing this, the three men turned and ran. Two of them, running side-by-side, were killed by the grenade I threw; the third I shot with the pistol I picked up from the ground.

Hearing the explosion, the surrounding soldiers all rushed towards me. I ran for my life into the jungle, gunfire blazing behind me. Bullets whistled past, scattering branches and leaves that stung my arms and face. I felt two bullets hit me, one grazing my ear and the other my shoulder. Had I strayed just two centimeters, I would be dead.

Later, I fled to Cambodia, secretly boarding a coal train from Phnom Penh to Breitmo, then walking to Yesen, and from there to Koh Kong Island. I lived in that small town for five years. There was an underground arms organization in Changalon, and they paid me a lot of riel each time they received a shipment, wanting me to protect the transaction site. But I don't participate in those anymore.

Now, every August, I take a boat to the Crozet Islands to trade with the local natives and earn enough to cover my expenses for the year.

The girl listened, somewhat lost in thought, and I used my dagger to cut off a piece of cured meat and handed it to her. She took it and said, "The cross-shaped scar on your chest, is that from fighting with three teammates?" I nodded and asked if her mother had told her about my strange scar. She nodded too.

I told the girl to go to sleep; I wanted to sit quietly by myself.

The firelight in the fireplace flickered, casting dancing shadows on the wall. I looked at the sleeping Luya, then at the torrential rain outside the window, imagining the scene on this voyage, hoping that there wouldn't be too much bad weather like this during the voyage.

Even now, sitting in this dry and comfortable little house, my heart is heavy. This voyage will take at least five months before I return to the town. After I leave, what will become of the girl in the bed? Sending her home would be tantamount to driving her to despair.

There are ten boxes of dried food stored in the basement, which I intended to give to Zadawa before I went to Sihanoukville. This family, on the verge of starvation, has my young fiancée; I hope they can survive after I'm gone.

A few days before Luya, this poor child, arrived, Zadawa brought his daughter, Yiliang, who was to marry me, to my attic. This Cambodian man in his forties was already hunched over like an old man, while his daughter beside him was graceful and beautiful, her clean skin clearly freshly washed. Although she wore tattered clothes from a poor family, her figure was well-developed, and every gesture exuded a charming young woman's allure.

That day, Zadawa wanted his daughter to stay with me for the night, but I refused. I worried that if we encountered danger at sea and couldn't return safely, leaving my young, pregnant wife behind would only subject her and the child in her womb to the hardships of life.

Although Zadawa was poor and old, and had endured much hardship, he was a kind, honest, and understanding man. He saw that my feelings for Yiliang weren't just lust, but also concern for her future, so he happily wiped away his tears and took his daughter back.

Before leaving, I gave him most of the food in the storage box and told him I would give him more before I went to sea. Zadawa smiled gratefully at me, and Yiliang also raised her pretty little face, looked at me with her clear eyes, and then lowered her head again. That was the first time I truly saw this sixteen-year-old girl; no wonder the townspeople said she was the most beautiful girl in the area—now I believed it.

The day to set sail finally arrived. I gave Zadawa seven boxes of food and left a little over two boxes for Luya. I also instructed Luya to look after the attic and not to go out much. In case of danger, I would hide in the secret room under the bed, where there was a short gun for self-defense.

After loading the large and small packages of goods and necessities for the voyage onto the wagon, I headed towards Sihanoukville. It would take three days to reach the port from this small town, or two days if the weather was good.

The Snorkel ship wouldn't wait for me because I was late, so I hurried along the way. The wagon got stuck in the mud several times and couldn't move forward, so I had to unload all the goods from the wagon, and after pulling the wagon out, I had to carry the goods back onto the wagon piece by piece.

This was far less comfortable than sitting in a tavern, but in order to have enough Riel to enjoy myself at the tavern as usual in the coming year, I had to overcome all difficulties now.

The only advantage of using a wagon was that it didn't require fuel or feed. The jungle was full of dense foliage, and as long as I untied the horse and let it graze for two hours, it would continue pulling me and the luggage towards Sihanoukville.

On the second night, a torrential rainstorm struck. My horse and I had to stop for shelter. I secured the tent I'd prepared to a clump of two-meter-high bushes, then leveled the supplies in the wagon so my weary body could lie down and rest. Outside, lightning flashed and thunder roared, but the horse was quiet inside the tent, slowly chewing on the surrounding plants. I also ate some dried, hard cured meat and nuts, thinking about the feeling of the cabin and wondering if Luya would be afraid alone.

I figured the Snorkel had already docked and would leave port tomorrow night for the Cape of Good Hope in Africa. The natives of the Crozet Islands must be eagerly awaiting my spices and dried fruit.

As dawn broke, the rain showed no signs of letting up. But I couldn't wait any longer, or I'd be late for boarding. I dismantled the tent, wrapped the cargo securely, and drove the wagon at breakneck speed through the rain. When we arrived at Sihanoukville, the Snorkel had just docked. I filled out the forms, moved the cargo into the hold, and slept in a small cabin.

This enormous cargo ship was much more dilapidated than last year, suggesting it had encountered numerous storms and pirates at sea this past year. The massive deck was washed and scrubbed until it resembled a spotted dog's skin. The captain was still the same short, stout old man, leading a crew of sailors composed of fugitives from various regions. I wrapped myself tightly in the sheepskin blanket, trying not to think about them. I needed to rest early; tomorrow I would have to work with these sailors, cleaning the deck and maintaining the masts.

The wind and rain intensified that night, and the entire ship rocked back and forth like a baby in a woman's arms. I hadn't felt this way in a long time; the exhaustion of the past three days quickly lulled me to sleep.

Chapter Four: The Stowaways in the Cargo Hold

I was awakened sometime by the sharp, violent clanging of metal. It was the short, stout Captain Bassadi, angrily banging his black brass pipe against the iron bars above my head. I got up, standing barefoot on the wooden plank under the bed, expressionless, my lazy eyes fixed on him.

"Oh! Haha, Chase Horse? I see you again." I knew he was pretending to recognize me. Because I had signed a second-class boarding contract when I boarded the ship, I had to get up early every day during this voyage to work with the sailors. Basadi was to provide me with two meals a day as required.

"Chasing Horse, you've become even more robust in the year I haven't seen you. Those second-class passengers are too timid and clumsy; we have to make them wash the deck. Only you are suitable for lookout and mast maintenance. To ensure we reach our destination smoothly, you should start working now." This hypocritical little old man, who was only about 160 centimeters tall when standing upright, had his gray eyes rolled upwards as he spoke to me, and his withered nose swayed back and forth against my chest.

I didn't show him any enthusiasm; his hypocrisy and cunning were familiar to me. I put on a thick goatskin vest and went up to the deck. The slippery mast was tall and huge; looking down from below, it seemed to pierce the clouds.

I gripped the rough ropes, climbed barefoot to the lookout position on the mast, and then adjusted the huge sails according to the wind direction. I'm familiar with this kind of work; I did similar tasks on the ship every year when I went to sea. The wind up there is chilly; you can use a vest to keep warm when it gets too cold.

The ship is moving quickly, and the islands behind us are gradually blurring. At dusk, the seawater turns a dark brown, and the surface becomes somewhat somber. The waves aren't high or fierce, but under the hazy mist, they surge and churn ceaselessly.

A dozen or so rough-looking sailors walk back and forth on the deck—their faces are all different, and I can't determine their ethnicity. And they barely pay any attention to me.

I estimate the sailboat has a draft of 150 to 200 tons. It's very wide at the sides, with thick, mottled white masts, and large enough sails to propel it swiftly with the wind.

At the stern, a dark-skinned man is at the helm. His hands grip the wheel handles firmly, keeping the sailboat at full speed to the side.

It's time for dinner; the ship's horn sounds, and a thin, sturdy man stands below, waving and calling to me. I knew they were telling me to go down, so I followed the mast, grabbed the rope with one hand, and quickly reached the deck.

Facing me was a Southeast Asian man; judging from his gestures and indistinct speech, he seemed Malaysian. His chest and calves were hairy, his cheekbones were deeply sunken with crisscrossing scars, and he looked like a mutated monkey.

I returned to my cabin; my dinner was steaming hot, placed diagonally on the bedside table. I was indeed starving, so I threw off my sheepskin vest, grabbed the bag, and stuffed sausage and bread into my mouth simultaneously. Afterward, I lay down in the small, damp hammock and fell asleep.

On the fifth day of the voyage, we found a woman in distress at sea, holding a child. She was Asian, but her skin was unusually pale, perhaps from being at sea for too long, her body excessively eroded by the seawater.

Due to the strong sea winds of the past few days, and the ship sailing with the wind, we had passed the Cocos Islands yesterday. We were now in the middle of the Indian Ocean, heading towards Amsterdam. The ship this woman was on had likely run aground and sunk, or been attacked by pirates, forcing her to jump overboard with her child to escape.

The sailors hurriedly pulled the mother and child aboard, their voices a jumble of languages as they began to gesticulate and discuss the situation. The men were clearly excited, their eyes glued to the woman's wet clothes, revealing her full breasts, a testament to her breastfeeding, and the outline of her sexy bra.

The young woman looked extremely weak, her arms trembling as she held her child. The baby, fed by its mother's milk, had survived on the floating plank. The woman's lips were slightly purple; the seawater must have been icy cold. The sailors helped her down to the deck. I thought this woman needed food, fresh water, and rest more than the child; the hammock in the cabin would be enough for her to rest for a whole day.

I climbed back up the mast and continued my lookout duties. If the woman had jumped overboard because of a shipwreck, then this area must be teeming with reefs. If it was a pirate attack, the pirates must have moved elsewhere, leaving this area.

Just then, a commotion arose below. A blonde woman in a black halter top and heavy makeup rushed onto the deck, screaming at me, "My child is out of the sea! Whoever puts his child out of the sea, whoever commits respect and sexual intercourse!" At that moment, the short, stout captain ran over, grabbed her long hair, and shoved her off the deck. She struggled desperately, but the captain held her wrists tightly, laughing, "Baby, go back to your medicine and sleep." Several fierce-looking sailors rushed up, lifted her away, and she struggled while cursing shrilly.

I learned English when I was a mercenary in Thailand. I understood that this crazy woman's gist was that her child had fallen overboard, and whoever rescued him would have sex with her. I had seen this crazy woman last year; she had also been shipwrecked at sea. I don't know if she was American or European. She later became the captain's wife and went insane within six months.

These past few days, standing on the high mast, I've often seen several male sailors sneaking into the cabin where the crazy woman is held and sexually assaulting her. The short, stout old captain himself often emerged from the ship with his trousers

pulled up. Among the men who had carried the madwoman away was a tall, muscular, bearded man—a French fugitive. The shirtless Malaysian sailors looked like his men. I didn't understand why that lewd old man, Basadi, would hire them; these men rarely went ashore, probably used to the dissolute life at sea.

That night, I lay in my hammock in the cabin. The weather was exceptionally fine. Moonlight spilled onto the damp deck, the sea gleaming with a dark, heavy light, full of mystery.

I thought of my comfortable attic, and of Luya and Yiliang. As I drifted off to sleep, I heard hurried footsteps on deck. I tucked my dagger into my boot, slung a pistol over my shoulder, and followed the flickering kerosene lamp up to the deck. I guessed the pirates had spotted us and were preparing for a fight.

Upon reaching the deck, I discovered they were running towards the cargo hold. I vaguely overheard a Thai sailor saying that stowaways were hiding there, and the sailors rushed in as if they'd discovered gold. The consequences

for stowaways discovered on board are dire. Because they lack visas, if the ship docks and is discovered by local customs, they face hefty fines and administrative disputes. Many ruthless captains will simply order their sailors to throw the stowaways overboard, eliminating any potential trouble. Basadi was known for this.

I followed the chaotic footsteps to see what was going on. The oval-shaped cargo hold was piled high with the signatories' goods, many sacks stacked together like a small mountain. Several sailors held oil lamps overhead, shining them into the back corners of the tall sacks, revealing two dirty little figures huddled together, shivering.

The hairy, monkey-like sailor eagerly rushed inside. They grabbed one of them by the hair and yanked her out, excitedly shouting, "It's a girl, two kids!" My heart sank. These thugs were so excited; they must want to rape them.

A sailor standing outside excitedly replied in Thai, "This is going to be fun! We can have our fill every day. When the ship is almost at shore, we'll throw them overboard to feed the fish. Haha, haha."

Old Basadi stood by without saying a word, but his face was full of lewd grins. A slender little girl, wrapped in a dirty, shiny goatskin coat, was dragged out. The girl struggled desperately, trying to break free from the hands that were hurting her hair.

When I saw those big, watery eyes, I was stunned. Luya! It was Luya! How did she get back on this ship? My blood rushed to my chest. I swung my arms, throwing aside the two sailors standing in front of me, and grabbed the monkey-like sailor by the neck. Two gurgling sounds came from his Adam's apple.

The sailors stared at me in surprise. One of them, whom I had thrown to the ground, yelled and lunged at me. I delivered a side kick to his stomach, sending him flying. He landed on his knees at the warehouse entrance, vomiting profusely. Several sailors rushed to help him up.

The French convict, panting heavily, glared at me, his well-developed chest muscles bulging. Old Bassadi, however, pulled him back, signaling the Frenchman not to act rashly.

"Heh." Basadi chuckled twice, his eyes narrowing menacingly. He said to me, "Mr. Chase, you want to meddle? We're business partners. Don't let two young women ruin our relationship. If you want to play with these girls first, that's fine. But I guarantee I won't let them stay on the ship and tarnish my reputation for abiding by international treaties."

"This girl came to see me, and Chase will take care of her safety. If Mr. Basadi is worried about customs inspection, I can give you half the profits from the goods. You can use the money to buy women and have some fun. How about you do me a favor?" As I spoke, I glanced at the sailors behind me.

Based on my years of experience as a mercenary, vicious villains are always good at attacking from behind. Although Basadi was a shriveled old man, he was very experienced in the ways of the world. He knew that I had killed seven equally skilled crew members in two minutes. Fighting me to the death would come at a high price. He rolled his eyes, considering the conditions I offered.

The sailor I'd grabbed by the throat had released Luya, his eyes rolling back in his head from suffocation. Not wanting to kill him and cause myself more trouble, I pushed him to the ground. Luya, tears welling in her eyes, threw herself into my arms, hugging my waist tightly, sobbing, "Yi Liang, she's in there too." I patted Luya's shoulder, my eyes still wary of the surrounding thugs, and told her to pull Yi Liang out. She immediately wiped away her tears and ran to pull Yi Liang out.

"Mr. Basadi, you see, these two girls are here to see me." I knew this old man was cunning, so I let him name his terms. He could tell the two girls were untouchable. He could only target my cargo. "Heh, Zhui Ma, I know you're a special forces soldier, a ruthless killer. But I have over a dozen men, more than ten muskets. It wouldn't be good to damage our relationship, but my men need to eat, so let's play with women. Give me all the profits from this shipment. I can explain this to everyone." The old man, though small in stature, was ambitious.

Chapter Five: The Woman Tied Up in the Hold

I understood his meaning; he clearly intended to rob me. But even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake, and I also had to consider the safety of the two girls. A fight would be too difficult. So, I generously said to Basadi, "Alright, money is just an external thing; making friends with you all is worthwhile."

Yi Liang, her hair disheveled, looked around in terror, leaning against my back, clinging tightly to me. I glanced at old Basadi, then at the warehouse entrance, signaling them to make way. I let the two girls go out first to the outer deck. I myself remained in a fighting stance as I retreated.

Grabbing the two girls, I ran into my rented cabin. As soon as Lu Ya and Yi Liang entered, they couldn't hold back anymore and hugged me, bursting into tears. I knew they must have suffered a lot these past five days. Luya raised her dirty little face, blinking her tearful eyes as she looked at me and said, "I'm sorry, we shouldn't have come. Now you've lost all your goods."

I smiled and stroked their heads, saying, "Silly girls, if they dared to take even a sack of my goods, I would have smashed their heads open. It's not that I'm breaking my promise; they took advantage of me and tried to blackmail me. They deserved to die. We can't be sure if we're safe yet. Maybe they'll suddenly burst in in the middle of the night. Basadi is cunning and treacherous.

" "In the evening, Yiliang and I hid in the cargo hold and heard a woman crying downstairs. It must be those bad guys doing something terrible." Luya finished speaking and looked at Yiliang. Yiliang nodded at me. I asked Luya if she heard a crazy woman speaking English. Luya shook her head, thought for a moment, and said, "No, it sounded like Japanese. She's probably being hurt or tortured; the crying is heart-wrenching." "

I then remembered the woman with the child I rescued earlier that day; I recalled the child being wrapped in something like a kimono. Those guys must have been tormenting this weak woman. I told them, 'Wait for me here, don't go anywhere. Take this gun, and only open the door when you hear my voice. If there's any danger, shoot them.'

Before leaving town, I had brought three pistols and two rifles, one of which was a long-range Rifle specifically for dealing with pirates. I tucked the two pistols into my waistband, slung a rifle over my shoulder, and stealthily made my way to the lower deck's storage area. Once

on deck, I found the captain's cabin lit, with many figures moving around inside. Perhaps they were discussing what had just happened, or more likely, plotting how to deal with me later.

By the dim moonlight, I quietly returned to the cargo hold. On the central plank, I noticed a wooden crate prominently displayed; I figured the Japanese woman must still be down there. Pushing open the crate, I found a plank that could be lifted. Time was of the essence; I had to hurry."

After opening the door, I crawled inside. Two kerosene lamps hung in the air, and the floor was covered in straw. A naked woman, stripped of her clothes, was tied to a pillar in the corner. Upon seeing me, she immediately became terrified. I leaped forward and covered her mouth, preventing her from crying out. She continued to shake her head frantically, making muffled sounds, her terrified eyes staring at me wildly.

I gestured for her to be quiet. Seeing the weapon on my person, she realized I was there to rescue her, not to rape her. Just then, there was a noise at the entrance. A sailor cursed into the room, "Damn it, got here before me, time for me to have some fun." A foot reached down.

I immediately rolled into a dark corner and hid, as I couldn't be sure how many people were up there. The one who came down was the Malaysian sailor, hairy like a monkey. He leered as he walked towards the naked woman, unzipping his pants as he went. Upon reaching her, he grabbed the woman's breasts and squeezed them hard. The woman cried out in pain.

Her cries only fueled the villain's lust. He pulled out his belt, and his trousers fell to the ground. He struck the woman's thighs twice with the belt, making her screams even louder. He chuckled, spread her white thighs, thrust his hips forward, and began to pound into her.

Now certain he was alone, I crawled behind him, covered his mouth with my left hand, and easily severed his Adam's apple with my Swiss Army knife in my right. To prevent the woman from being splattered with blood, I forcefully pulled down the corpse's head, allowing the blood to flow slowly, then dragged the body into a dark corner.

Just as I turned to untie the woman's ropes, there was another noise at the entrance. I anxiously crouched back in the dark corner and lay in ambush. This time, it was the French fugitive, accompanied by two henchmen. They chatted and laughed, gesturing at the woman. The burly Frenchman, who spoke Thai, told his two henchmen, "The three of us will go at her together. I'll use her mouth, and you two can do her from behind, make sure it's full." The two henchmen seemed overjoyed that the Frenchman wasn't competing with them for their preferred parts, their faces contorted with lewd grins.

Just as the three of them were hastily untying the woman's ropes, I used my right foot to push off the wall behind me, launching myself forward like an arrow. I somersaulted to their side, plunging two daggers into the ribs of the two henchmen. They collapsed without a sound

. I then rose and attacked, aiming a dagger at the Frenchman's heart, but the burly man quickly jumped back to dodge. When I swung my dagger a second time, he kicked at my temple, missing his mark. He then adopted a Chinese Kung Fu stance.

Although I have half-Chinese blood, I'm only familiar with Muay Thai and military combat. After several rounds, I couldn't find an opportunity to stab him. To avoid making a noise and attracting accomplices, I lunged at him and wrestled with him. He was incredibly strong, twisting my wrist and slowly pressing the sharp edge of the dagger I held against my chest.

Just at the critical moment, a loud bang rang out as a thick wooden stick struck the Frenchman on the head. It turned out the Japanese woman had broken free of her ropes and picked up a weapon that even women could use to help me. The blow wasn't strong enough; the Frenchman only shook his head violently to stay conscious.

But this actually helped me greatly. I gathered my strength in my toes, raised my right leg, and kicked the Frenchman hard in the back of the head. He was in excruciating pain, and one hand instinctively reached out to rub the sore spot. I seized the opportunity, flipped him over, pinned him beneath me, and pressed the dagger tip towards his heart.

He struggled with all his might, and fearing that more thugs might come down, I fought him with brute force. After a stalemate of about two minutes, beads of sweat the size of soybeans appeared on the Frenchman's forehead, and I was also drenched in sweat. Because I was on top, a drop of sweat landed in his eye, causing him excruciating pain and forcing him to keep his other eye open for my attacks. I intentionally let the sweat from my face drip into his open eye. However, he was now aware of his eye's condition, making it difficult for me to kill him instantly.

Due to the excessive struggle, my sheepskin vest suddenly ripped open, revealing my hard chest. The Frenchman, upon seeing the cross-shaped scar on my chest, showed extreme panic. In that instant, I felt his strength diminish by half. I lunged forward, the entire dagger plunging into his heart. Then I reversed the hilt, because years of killing experience had taught me that when killing a large enemy, one must increase the force of the blow, otherwise, one might suffer a fatal sneak attack before death.

I pulled out the dagger, wiped the blood from the blade on the corpse's chest, and sheathed it behind my calf. I grabbed the Japanese woman's hand and quickly climbed upwards. Upon reaching the deck, I found many sailors, armed and ready, rushing towards my cabin. They assumed I was sleeping in my hammock, unaware that I was following them with a rifle.

Reaching the side of the ship, in a narrow passageway, I pulled the trigger. All eight sailors perished, either shot or riddled with bullets. But I didn't see the old man, Bassadi.

I told the Japanese woman to crouch in a dark corner, silent and still, until I returned. She cleverly understood and nodded.

I went to the captain's cabin, where Bassadi was calling into a walkie-talkie: "33 degrees South, Captain Sea Demon, please provide backup! That guy is trying to rob our drugs!" I held the window open and accurately shot him dead with a single shot. The serious problem was that I only heard the latitude, not the longitude.

The ship had veered off course when it spotted Luya and Yiliang earlier, and the Sea Demon Ship was an internationally wanted pirate organization. They trafficked drugs, committed arson, murder, rape, and robbery—a ruthless and cruel group. It turned out that Basadi had been colluding with them.

I knew I had to leave this area immediately, or we would be doomed if the pirates came to meet us.

I went back to get the Japanese woman, found her a sheepskin vest, and found her child in the cabin where the madwoman had been locked. The madwoman was dead, seemingly strangled. They thought the Japanese woman would be a replacement. Finding the only miniature rubber raft on the ship, I took Yiliang and Luya, and we quickly moved away from the Snorkel.

We couldn't be sure if we were west or east of Amster Island. To find a landing island in the desolate Indian Ocean as soon as possible, we had to glide westward. Amster Island or the Edward Islands awaited us.

If we didn't find an island in the vast ocean within five days, hunger and thirst would surrender us to the sea. This small rubber raft carries our entire lives, under God's watchful eye and test. If we or God are even slightly negligent, the gate to another world will open, welcoming our unfamiliar souls—

Chapter Six: Drifting Lost

. Just now on the deck, the moonlight offered some visibility. Now, we're crammed into the barely-fitting raft, the surrounding steam thickening, making it difficult to see clearly. When escaping the large ship, I found two small oars, giving one to Luya and Yiliang, keeping the other for myself. The Japanese woman, holding her child, was very weak.

I observed the stars, discerning a general direction, and began paddling vigorously. We had to leave this area as quickly as possible. The Sea Demon was moving very fast; the pirates were likely to catch us. Luya and Yiliang took turns paddling on the left, while I paddled simultaneously on the right, maintaining a consistent motion to maximize the raft's speed.

The icy seawater soaked our arms, and the two girls were drenched in sweat. After rowing for about four or five hours, the Japanese woman raised her pale face, looked at me, then at the two girls beside her, and softly spoke to me. But I wasn't familiar with Japanese and had difficulty understanding her; I could only try to grasp her meaning. Luya and Yiliang were also anxious because they couldn't understand. The Japanese woman's lips were slightly purple; she must have been cold. The child slept peacefully in her arms.

I spoke to the Japanese woman in broken English, hoping she could understand, which would make communication much easier. I said, "Can you understand English?" The Japanese woman shook her head, then suddenly nodded, uttering a "Yes."

I thought her understanding was very limited, only able to comprehend a few common words, but this already made us both happy. Communication, though awkward, was at least the only effective method.

The Japanese woman pointed to her genitals and told me with a single word, "Pain." I thought she must have been injured when the thugs on the ship raped her.

When I served in a Thai mercenary group, I knew that some soldiers kidnapped refugee women to be used as comfort women, raped them, and after they became pregnant, tied them to doors and performed surgery under appalling conditions.

I knew the inhuman Japanese invaders had committed such brutal atrocities. But in the mercenary group, these evil soldiers no longer considered themselves human.

I had once used a red-hot dagger to remove shrapnel from myself, but now I was helpless against this wounded Japanese woman, especially since it was her genitals. The Japanese woman handed her child to Iryo and gestured to me.

She wanted to wash her genitals in the seawater and asked me to hold her upper body. I told her she couldn't, because seawater was different from fresh water and washing the wound would cause infection.

The Japanese woman understood what I meant, but still stubbornly shook her head, wanting me to do it for her. When I rescued her, she was naked, and now she was only covered by a soft sheepskin blanket. The blanket wasn't very big, just enough to cover her chest to her knees.

I put down the wooden paddle I was holding, signaled the Japanese woman not to move, gently held her legs with both hands, lifted her buttocks, and slowly spread them apart. Because of the heavy sea moisture, I struck a match, and only then could I see the injury to her genitals.

Her inner lip was swollen and protruding, exposed to the outside. Fresh blood seeped from the capillaries on both sides of the crease, and a lot of dust and particles clung to it, making it extremely susceptible to infection.

Yi Liang touched my shoulder with her small hand and held out a small leather bag filled with fresh water. She wanted me to use the fresh water to

wash the Japanese woman's wound. I pushed the bag back and told them, "No, we might be adrift for days or even half a month. If we encounter a downpour, we'll drown. This is our only fresh water; we can't risk it."

The Japanese woman understood the meaning of our conversation and disagreed with wasting this precious fresh water, pleading with me to help her wash in the sea.

I knew her wound must be in excruciating pain from the strong irritation from the filth. I told her, "You can't wash with seawater, and the blood in your genitals will attract sharks with its fishy smell. The small rubber raft won't protect you."

The Japanese woman stopped speaking, closing her eyes in pain, growing even weaker. I knew I had to find a way to save her. In my mercenary career, I had experienced countless life-or-death situations and bloodshed. On the battlefield, the methods of self-preservation to survive are unimaginable to ordinary people. Now it was necessary to do the same for her.

I took off my sheepskin vest and covered the Japanese woman with it. I stuffed the collar of the vest into her mouth, making her bite down. Then I had Luya strike a match for light. I spread the Japanese woman's legs, raised her buttocks as high as possible, and lowered my head to lick her wounds, cleaning away the surrounding blood and any potentially infectious substances.

My hands gripped her hip bones, feeling her body convulse violently with the touch of my tongue. She let out moans from her mouth, which was biting down on the sheepskin vest.

The strong smell of blood and the lingering stench of semen assaulted my nose. To thoroughly clean out the filth, I even used my tongue to scrape out the infected material from the crevices, like a hook.

I was very familiar with the taste of human blood; on the battlefield, hunger and the will to survive had forced me to eat the flesh of fallen soldiers. Now, to keep this Japanese woman alive, I had to do this meticulously.

After cleaning the inside and outside of her skin, the Japanese woman's face was covered in sweat. I had her spread her legs apart, not together, to allow air to circulate through the wound.

I wrapped her spread legs tightly with a sheepskin blanket and put my leather vest on her. The Japanese woman's pain lessened considerably, and she fell asleep in the rubber raft. Yi Liang and Lu Ya took turns rowing and carrying the child.

The actions I had just taken had surprised these two naive young girls, and they didn't say anything. But from their uneasy expressions, I could tell they had been frightened and stimulated. I scooped up some seawater to rinse my mouth and then spat it onto my pants, because sharks have a very keen sense of smell, and I had to be careful.

The darkness and moisture began to recede, and I knew the sun was about to rise above the sea, but I wasn't sure how far we were from the Snorkel or whether the rubber raft was heading west. Lu Ya and Yi Liang were also exhausted, and their rowing speed had slowed considerably. I let them rest for a bit, took another paddle, and continued rowing.

When we escaped from the large ship, the Sea Demon was like a ticking time bomb; every second counted. The pirate ship had a vast search area on the sea and moved swiftly, potentially claiming our lives. I didn't even have time to bring enough food and fresh water, and the five of us crammed into the rubber raft were already overloaded.

Finally, the sun came out, and white steam began to rise from the swaying sea. Our spirits lifted somewhat, and I began to feel tired, wanting to stop and rest for a while.

Around eight or nine o'clock, a slight sea breeze began to blow. I was happy because the wind would make paddling easier. At that moment, the Japanese woman was awakened by the baby's cries. I thought the baby must be hungry; her face was still pale, but she seemed a little more alive.

I told her not to move and to check her wounds first. Lifting the blanket from her legs, in the bright sunlight, her thick, fine pubic hair gleamed, tangled and messy, some parts dried with my saliva. Her labia were much less swollen than the night before and were beginning to shrink back. I nodded

to the Japanese woman, telling her her injuries had improved. She blushed, gave a weak smile, and said some Japanese; I only understood her last word of thanks: "Ariyado." She took the baby from Luya's arms, opened the sheepskin vest I was wearing on her, took out one of her fair, full breasts, and put her brown, plump nipple into the crying baby's mouth.

I gave Luya and Yiliang some dried fish slices, and also gave the Japanese woman a piece of cured meat. This Japanese woman was about thirty-four or thirty-five years old, with a pretty face and a full, curvaceous figure; she should belong to the Japanese middle class.

Suddenly, I remembered I had many questions to ask. "Luya, Yiliang, why didn't you wait for me in town? Why did you hide in the cabin of the Snorkel?" Yiliang and Luya looked at each other, tears welling in their eyes.

"Zhuima, as soon as you left, bad guys came to town, killing everyone they saw and stealing food. I ran to the attic to find you, and Luya was there, so we hid in the secret room under the bed. The fire burned all night, and when we crawled out at dawn, there was nothing left, everything was burned. Our parents were also killed." After saying this, the two girls couldn't hold back their tears any longer.

I asked them, "What kind of clothes did those bad guys wear? What weapons did they use?" After all, they were still young and couldn't explain clearly. I told them, "Don't cry. We're all adrift at sea, facing a life-or-death situation. If we're unlucky and don't find an island, we're doomed."

I noticed blisters on their small hands, from the wood pulp. I used a dagger to cut strips of cloth from my trousers and bandaged them.

The Japanese woman handed me back the half-eaten piece of cured meat, telling me in English to eat it. I knew she wanted to conserve food so everyone had a chance to survive. I took the small piece of food, put it back in my bag, and told them I wasn't hungry.

The Japanese woman continued speaking to me in English. From her broken conversation, I learned her name was Xiaoyuchi Haru. She was returning home from visiting her husband in South Africa when she encountered the Red Devils pirates. The passenger ship was sunk. She knew a little about this pirate group, knowing they were notoriously brutal, so she jumped overboard with her child to escape, thus avoiding death. After drifting at sea for a whole day, she was rescued by the Snorkel.

We continued searching for an island, and for the next two days, I paddled alone for most of the time. Luya and Yiliang's hands were too sore to hold anything. The Japanese woman was still the weakest on the raft, but she was improving slightly each day.

By the evening of the third day, they had run out of fresh water and food. When I was a mercenary, I had experienced seven days without food and three days without water. It was under such harsh conditions that I was forced to eat the muscle of the team members who had starved to death beside me on the fourth day.

I tried to save the food and water for these three women, especially Chichun, who needed to provide milk for the baby. White blisters appeared on my lips. In the morning, I moistened my mouth with my own urine to try and regain some strength.

Of course, I had done this many times in my combat experience. I also started having the three of them urinate into their water bags. If they didn't do this in the next two days, someone would surely die.

As night approached, there was still no sign of rain, and I was extremely anxious. I continued paddling, praying that a dark island would appear in the surrounding landscape.

At noon, Chichun offered to take over paddling for me, but I refused. Because this wasn't ordinary physical labor, the exertion of her arms would cause congestion in her lower body, hindering wound healing.

In this harsh environment, healing the wound as quickly as possible was crucial. If a downpour occurred, we would have to go into the sea and cling to the raft to move forward. At that time, the one suffering the most would probably be Chi Chun—

Chapter Seven: An Island Appears on the Edge of Death

. I felt the oars getting heavier and heavier, and most of the blisters on my palms began to bleed. Lu Ya and Yi Liang came over several times to paddle, but I refused each time. Their little hands were already swollen like small steamed buns. Chi Chun leaned closer to me, handed the child in her arms to Yi Liang, and stubbornly pulled on my arm.

I still wouldn't let her paddle. Chi Chun was very anxious; she thought I had reached the limit of my life, and if I continued, I would surely die. In the moment I turned my face, she had already opened her sheepskin vest, taken out a white, full nipple, and held it to my mouth, repeatedly telling me to eat it in English.

The brown nipple that suddenly appeared before my eyes was full and round, with white fluid oozing from several nipple pores. I knew she wanted to moisten my parched lips with her breast milk, to keep me going. I pointed to the baby, indicating she should save it for the child. She stubbornly shook her head, then touched her other breast, trying to tell me she had already properly allocated her milk.

Chi Chun's actions made me realize my importance. If I fainted or died, no one on this raft would survive long. I had to stay awake; I was their hope.

The instant my mouth slightly opened, Chi Chun resolutely shoved her soft nipple into my mouth. At that moment, I felt all my parched internal organs swell, and instinct drove my tongue and lips to desperately suckle.

Chi Chun knelt, her hands tightly holding my head, pressing her breast hard against my face. Perhaps extreme thirst made me lose control of my strength; my mouth was completely out of my control, like a ferocious zombie. The moment the girl's blood touched my lips, greed turned into madness.

My face was buried in Chi Chun's soft breasts, her body occasionally twitching from the pain of my sucking. At that moment, I felt that the most wonderful thing in the world was the sweet milk and the satisfaction that a woman generously gave me.

The milk finally nourished the nerves in my brain, and my consciousness gradually returned. I gently pushed Chi Chun away; her brown nipple, which I had sucked until it was unrecognizable, was pulled from my mouth, sticky with saliva.

Her face was flushed, and her shy expression was so moving and charming. I told her to lie down quickly and take good care of her wound. I picked up the oar again and rowed vigorously. Lu Ya and Yi Liang saw that I was in much better spirits than before, and after looking at Chi Chun lying down, they also felt much more relaxed.

The sunlight shone with the colors of the setting sun, making the vast, undulating sea surface shimmer with gold. Suddenly, two seabirds cried out in the sky. We both looked up at the same time, and I excitedly told them that there was likely an island nearby. However, I couldn't determine the location of the island. If we rowed off course, we would miss the opportunity to land, which would certainly mean certain death.

A sea breeze began to blow across the water, and I could feel the dampness in the air. I was both happy and worried. If it was just a light rain, we'd have fresh water to replenish our supplies, allowing us to last longer.

But if it was a storm, the raft would easily capsize, or be overturned by the waves. At that moment, we were all so small, easily swallowed by the huge, angry sea.

I quickened my rowing pace, hoping to find an island before the rain started. Suddenly, a huge fish leaped out about thirty meters from the raft, startling everyone at first.

After I got a better look, I told them not to worry. It was a giant marlin, also called a large blue marlin, with a pointed, slender mouth and a long, high fin on its back that spread out like a fan. I'd seen these kinds of fish before, but never one this big.

It was chasing and biting a young sea turtle, the humid air making it incredibly excited, constantly leaping out of the water. I was overjoyed. I thought that if we could just chase the marlin away, the injured turtle would be our food.

I put down my paddle and told Chi Chun to cover the baby's ears. Lu Ya and Yi Liang also instinctively covered their ears.

I pulled out the rifle they'd been sitting on, along with a jungle rifle and three pistols—all of which I'd put on safety when I boarded the raft.

In the vast ocean, any misfire could pierce the vessel, and we'd suffer the same fate as the raft. I crouched on the raft, the swaying water making accurate aiming difficult.

If the excited sailfish leaped out of the water again, its massive body would be easily hit. Perhaps God was finally on our side; the arrogant sailfish was preoccupied with biting the wounded turtle, leaping high into the air with obvious enjoyment, completely oblivious to the danger of being shot.

Bang! I pulled the trigger, certain I'd hit it; it stopped leaping. I lowered the gun and quickly paddled the raft towards the wounded turtle. When I got close, the dark green turtle was bleeding profusely; both its hind legs had been bitten off.

I scooped it up with my hands; the turtle was barely alive. I drew my dagger and handed it to Luya, asking her to cut the sea turtle into small pieces and share them. To get them to eat the raw meat, I chewed two pieces first, then told them to chew more so their taste buds could adjust to the fishy smell.

These two pieces of raw sea turtle meat were crucial; they made me swing my oars much faster than before.

At first, the three women looked at each other hesitantly, but hunger quickly won them over. Now, they ate and laughed at each other's painful eating.

This injured sea turtle did bring us some joy and vitality. When the cool rain dripped into our mouths, we would be like mudfish irrigated and nourished, full of life.

I told them to leave this area quickly; the smell of the sea turtle's blood would travel far on the sea breeze. If there were sharks nearby, I hoped they would chase after the bullet-wounded sailfish so we could escape.

God was still displeased with us; dark clouds surged in from nowhere, pressing down on us. Everyone was terrified, knowing a storm was brewing.

When the raft had traveled a kilometer, giant waves crashed against the sea, and the child in Chi Chun's arms cried out in fear. The torrential rain poured down like an overturned basin. I told Chi Chun to hand the child to me, and then we all went into the sea, clinging to the edge of the raft to avoid being swept away by the waves.

I held the child on my head, and we were all submerged up to our shoulders. I glanced at Chi Chun behind me, worried about the pain in her lower body from the seawater. Chi Chun nodded at me with a resolute look. I shouted to Lu Ya and Yi Liang, "No matter how difficult it gets, hold on tight to the raft! Once swept away, it's very difficult to rescue someone in the dark."

They both shouted back, "We will! Take care of the child!" Then we struggled in the sea, battered by giant waves, sea winds, torrential rain, lightning, and the cold.

I yelled at them again, "Hold on tight to the rope, conserve your energy and don't swim! We just need to hold on and get through this terrible weather!"

The children's cries were faint in the storm. I gestured for Chi Chun to wrap her legs around my waist to prevent her from kicking too much in the water and aggravating her wounds. I was still confident I could lead them to survival; the two pieces of turtle meat and the abundant fresh water provided me with a lot of energy.

Although we didn't feel ourselves moving, the giant waves were actually carrying us quite a distance. After about three or four hours, just when we were about to give up, another extremely bright flash of lightning ripped through the darkness.

"An island! It's an island! I see it!" Yi Liang exclaimed in surprise. Her shout immediately roused everyone who was about to give up. I shouted, "Yi Liang, are you sure you saw an island? Are you still conscious? Is it a mirage?"

"No, just a moment after the lightning flashed, I saw dark mountain peaks appearing on the sea. I'm perfectly conscious!" Yi Liang shouted again.

I was ecstatic and shouted even louder, "Don't give up! Cheer up! We're landing! We have hope! Anyone who can't hold on anymore, tell me! Don't give up! We've found an island!"

It seemed God was watching over us; the waves were pushing us closer to the island. As long as we held on tight to the raft, we'd be on the island soon.

In less than an hour, the dark island was right before us. I shouted to them, "Start gently kicking! Watch out

for the reefs below, don't get cut!" When my feet touched the soft sand of the shallow sea, an indescribable joy and sense of victory overwhelmed me again. I desperately pulled on the raft, stumbling and running towards the shore, Chi Chun's weight on my back growing heavier.

I held the child in one hand and supported Chi Chun's bottom with the other, running forward with all my might. I knew there was soft sand ahead, and I wished I could collapse onto it and sleep for three days and three nights.

Luya and Yiliang, pulling their rubber raft, ran just as frantically as I did. They collapsed onto the beach almost simultaneously, too exhausted to stand.

I slowly bent down, laid Chichun on the soft sand, and placed the child in her arms. Suddenly, a wave of dizziness washed over me, and I lost consciousness. Aches and pains coursed through me from head to toe; exhaustion left me too weak even to vomit. My stomach churned, and acid reflux gnawed at my throat.

The women must have been suffering the same pain as me; their bodies writhed on the sand, but they lacked the strength to groan.

The rain continued to pour down on us, but everyone felt an immense sense of peace. None of us had time to express our joy at victory; we all lay motionless on the soft, comforting sand.

Although I had passed out, in those fleeting moments of unconsciousness, these were the only thoughts that crossed my mind. Because I knew the sun would scorch us awake tomorrow, and this island was waiting for us to begin to understand it—

Chapter 8: Entering the Primitive Ecosystem.

The baby's cry startled me from my slumber. The high sun shone down, and the surrounding sand began to radiate heat. Chi Chun was the first to wake up, rocking the baby in her arms to soothe it.

Lu Ya and Yi Liang were still fast asleep. After waking them up, we smiled at each other when we saw that everyone was safe and sound. However, Chi Chun's face had turned as pale as it had been a few days ago.

It must have been from being soaked in the sea last night. The sheepskin blanket had been lost in the ocean, and she was naked, wearing only a sheepskin vest over her upper body. I walked over and reached out to touch Chi Chun's forehead, finding it very hot.

I had Lu Ya take Chi Chun's baby. Chi Chun stared at me without blinking. I gestured for her to lie down, placed my hands on her curled-up knees, and gently parted her legs.

Chi Chun knew I was going to examine her genitals and gently complied. I placed my hands on the inside of her spread thighs, observing the extent of the injury. The downy hairs were tangled and damp, and her small lips were a dark, almost purplish-black color, protruding from the crease.

I told Luya and Yiliang to find some fresh water; we needed to wash Chi Chun. They pulled over the rubber raft, which contained rainwater that had accumulated overnight.

The surrounding area was sand and scattered rocks; there were no tools to hold the water. I tried to cup the water in my hands to wash Chi Chun, but my fingers were too rough. The moment I touched her sensitive private parts, her body convulsed violently, trembling with pain.

Doing so would also waste fresh water, so I had to use the previous method. I bent down to the bottom of the raft, inhaled half a mouthful of fresh water, then brought my mouth to Chi Chun's swollen area, spraying the water on it and using my tongue to clean away any impurities.

I couldn't smell the blood and semen from last time; only a faint seawater scent remained. I thought the seawater had only corroded the wound. Without medicine, bacterial infection was my biggest worry, which could very well kill Chi Chun.

Chi Chun gripped the sand tightly with both hands, enduring the pain. I tried to soften her tongue to ease her suffering. After cleaning, I told Chi Chun to lie still, with her hips spread as wide as possible so the sun could shine on the wound; the strong ultraviolet rays would kill bacteria.

After rinsing our mouths with seawater, I told Yi Liang and Lu Ya to drink as much of the stored fresh water as possible, as the island was very hot and the evaporation rate was much higher than when we were adrift at sea.

Chi Chun was in too much pain to move, so I filled my mouth with fresh water, leaned over her head, and fed her water orally. She was a breastfeeding woman who needed fresh water the most, so I completely filled her stomach with it. Her tongue was very smooth, and it touched mine several times.

I took the baby, dipped my finger in fresh water, and dripped it into his little mouth. This little guy was also dehydrated. Afterward, I drank all the fresh water myself, even though my stomach was very full.

Yi Liang and Lu Ya's little faces were already sunburned red. I looked around and found that the island resembled a continuous mountain range, surrounded by cliffs fifty or sixty meters high.

Getting into the island would indeed be difficult; if we couldn't find a gap along the continuous coastline, we would be forever shut out. I was familiar with many nautical charts, but I had never seen an island like this on any of them. I even wondered if I had entered another world, and this stingy island before me was so exclusive.

The sun had almost dried Chi Chun's damp wounds. I released the gas from the rubber raft and folded it up. Yi Liang and Lu Ya, one carrying weapons and supplies, the other holding the child, walked together. They had barely spoken in the past two days; after all, at such a young age, this was the first time in their lives they had faced such a brutal test of life and death.

Chi Chun might not be able to walk for two or three days, so I had to carry her and lead everyone along the long coastline, searching for a way to reach the island.

After walking for about four or five hours, a wide, open valley suddenly appeared before us. "Great! We can climb up the hill from here!" Everyone cheered at my words and quickened their pace.

Now we could finally see a small part of the island, covered in lush green vegetation. Looking into the distance, the gentle slopes were densely covered with shrubs, like a green spine that had just been sheared.

We excitedly walked towards the island, the glossy leaves of the tropical plants beside us brushing against our bodies. Red and yellow flowers bloomed on them, exceptionally beautiful.

I told everyone that we didn't have to worry anymore. There must be plenty of wild fruits and tender plants on the island to eat. If we were lucky, we might even catch some animals and have some roasted meat.

Everyone laughed happily at my words, the first time they had laughed in days. Yi Liang and Lu Ya playfully asked me, "What if the animals eat us?"

I was amused by them and told them not to worry. Three years ago, I was stranded on a deserted island and stayed there alone for eight months before being found and rescued by the natives. I had some survival experience to share.

Chi Chun understood some of what I said in English, which comforted her considerably. She hugged my neck tighter and pressed her cheek against my ear.

We continued walking. Chi Chun was a delicate and charming woman, less than 160 centimeters tall, which would be considered tall for a Japanese woman. She had a slender waist, and although her breasts and hips were full, they were incredibly supple. She looked quite heavy, but carrying her was surprisingly easy.

I told them that it would be best to find a cave to hide in, and that we could light a fire inside for the night, making it much more comfortable. We crossed two valleys; the terrain wasn't very high, but they were long and vast, and it would take some time to walk from one to the other.

When we reached the top of the third valley, I looked out and realized that the island was larger than I had imagined. Dense tropical vegetation covered everything, making it difficult to find any caves.

We had no choice but to head towards the slopes covered with tall plants. If there was another downpour that night, we could use their large leaves for shelter.

My biggest worry now was Chi Chun; she couldn't afford to get wet any more. I could feel the warmth of her slightly flushed cheeks; she had a low-grade fever and needed to keep her genitals dry and clean.

In the tall trees, it was hard to believe we were on an island; it felt more like a primeval forest.

We didn't have axes or machetes, otherwise we could have cut some branches and built a makeshift shelter. When I was in the army, I mostly fought in jungles, often encountering rain, so I was quite skilled at building makeshift shelters; heavy rain rarely soaked the people underneath.

The only blunt weapons I had were the two Swiss Army knives I'd taken with me when I killed my comrades and fled. They were sharp, but impractical for chopping wood.

Still hoping to find a cave, I continued leading them forward. Birds darted about in the depths of the forest, whether startled by us or trying to scare us, I couldn't tell.

I thought that if we were never going to leave this island, we should build a wooden house in a tall tree; that would be much safer. The island's ecosystem looked very primitive, making it highly susceptible to attacks from wild animals.

Gradually, we heard the sound of water. I glanced back at them; no one spoke, but the joy on their faces was evident.

We quickened our pace, guessing it might be a waterfall or a stream. However, it wasn't what we initially thought. It was a 20-meter-wide ravine, with water flowing down the mountainside from a great height. Even the highest drop was only about 10 meters. Reaching the water source wasn't difficult, but the rocks were too slippery, covered in green moss, and we were extremely tired, so we temporarily abandoned the idea.

We sat down to rest. My back was drenched in sweat from carrying Chi Chun on my back. I looked ahead, about 100 meters away, at the miniature waterfall with the largest drop, and decided to wash myself off.

I gently placed Chi Chun on a flat, dry rock and headed towards the splashing white water. To my utter surprise, God had shown us such grace.

Right next to the small waterfall, in the rock face, was a cave opening two meters high and five meters wide. I rushed over to see for myself. The cave entrance was vertically embedded in the rock wall, about fifteen meters deep.

The inside of the cave was the same size as the entrance, and the ground was flat and dry. I was almost bursting with excitement; nature was truly wonderful.

I followed the clear stream, stepping on the smooth, dark blue stones, back to where they were resting. "Come with me quickly, we have a good place to stay tonight," I said, then pulled Chi Chun up, carried her on my back, and headed towards the excellent cave.

Yi Liang and Lu Ya, carrying the child, followed behind me. I kept turning back to remind them to watch their step and not slip on the stones.

Once we were inside the cave, everyone was happy, their smiles showing satisfaction. I told them to rest first while I went out to gather some dry branches to start a fire.

Leaving the cave alone, I felt much lighter. I broke off many dry, thin branches from the nearby bushes, tied them into large bundles with vines, and carried them back.

On the way, I used my dagger to trim some leafy branches so I could sweep up the pebbles and bird droppings on the ground back at the cave.

The three women were very happy to see me return. Luya and Yiliang took the firewood from me, and I tied the branches together so Yiliang could sweep the ground. Chi Chun was asleep on the deflated rubber raft. I went over and touched her forehead; thankfully, her temperature wasn't high, meaning she wasn't infected.

Yiliang and Luya quickly cleaned the cave floor. Next was figuring out how to start a fire. I went outside the cave and picked up a few stones from the nearby stream. In the center of the cave, I arranged the stones in a small circle, grabbed some small pieces of dry firewood, and piled them up inside.

Then, I took a pistol, removed a bullet, cut out the gunpowder with my dagger, sprinkled it on a flat stone, and placed it next to the small pile of firewood in the center.

I told Lu Ya and Yi Liang, one to plug the child's ears and the other to cover Chi Chun's ears. After loading the magazine back into the pistol, I aimed at the gunpowder on the stone and fired. The bullet ricocheted outside the cave entrance, and the gunpowder on it burst into flames, igniting the pile of dry firewood. This

wasn't the first time I'd done this; I'd used weapons to start fires countless times during my military career. Watching the flames rise, the women all laughed. Especially Chi Chun after she woke up and saw the campfire. Her smiling expression was extremely moving—

Chapter Nine: The Fierce Beast Attacking in the Dead of Night

. "There are fish in the stream; I'll catch a few and have a hot meal." Everyone nodded with smiles after hearing my words; it seemed they were all afraid of the taste of raw turtle meat. On the way back carrying firewood, to avoid getting lost, I walked upstream along the stream.

Along the way, I saw several blue trout swimming upstream in the clear, shallow stream. Before it got dark, if we could catch a few, everyone could sleep with a full stomach, especially Chi Chun, whose health couldn't withstand hunger.

Following the stream, I returned to where I had seen the trout. These four or five dull-witted creatures were still vigorously wagging their tails, trying to swim back to the source.

Ahead was a small waterfall ten meters high, but they didn't understand their fate: as soon as it got dark, they would be swept downstream again, and at dawn, they would begin swimming upstream in groups, day after day, in vain for who knows how long.

To prevent them from turning back and escaping, I piled up many stones at a narrow section of the stream downstream. The water could still pass through, but it was a dead end for the trout. After preparing, I broke off a tree trunk more than two meters long, tiptoed near the trout, and swung it at the largest one.

Because the stream was shallow, the stick easily knocked the fish over. The largest trout was hit; its bluish-black skull and back skin were torn open, and blood seeped from its gills. I figured I must have broken its swim bladder, which helped it maintain its balance. It was floating on its back, drifting downstream.

I ignored it; the piled-up stones would catch it anyway. The other trout, startled, turned tail and swam downstream at a surprisingly fast pace compared to swimming against the current.

I chased after them along the stream. The fleeing trout, seeing the sudden stone wall, thrashed and crashed around frantically, then turned tail and swam upstream again, but at a pitifully slow speed.

I swung my stick and gave them a few more good whacks. These foolish creatures, like the first one, ended up belly-up, squeezing into the gaps in the stone wall.

By then it was dark. I picked them up and headed back. These trout didn't look big in the water, but they felt quite substantial in my hand. I thought tonight must be a feast God had arranged for us.

They were very happy to see me return with so many big fish. The island is hot during the day, but sometimes quite cool at night. I pulled Chi Chun closer to the fire to warm her, and Yi Liang and Lu Ya joined us.

I used my dagger to clean the wooden strips, cutting them into four sections, sharpening one end of each section to skewer the fish for grilling. Yi Liang and Lu Ya each held a large fish, turning them over to grill. I took two, one for Chi Chun.

Every woman was smiling, but no one spoke. I said to them, "The stream is long, there are plenty of fish to eat, and fresh water is no longer a problem. Whether we can return to land is another matter; at least our chances of survival are high now."

They all nodded, exchanged glances, and smiled again. They seemed quite content with their current situation. The fish quickly rendered their fat, sizzling and bubbling on the flames. The aroma of the fish filled the air, and everyone unconsciously swallowed.

Yi Liang and Lu Ya began to eat the fish meat from the wooden skewer with their small hands, looking at each other and laughing like two mischievous children. I told them to grill it a little longer so they wouldn't get an upset stomach. They smiled at me and continued eating.

I was amused by their hungry eating habits. The large, fat trout was almost done grilling, so I handed it to Chi Chun and told her to eat slowly and be careful not to burn herself.

Chi Chun looked at me gently, took the grilled fish, and used her slender, white fingers to pinch off small pieces of fish meat and eat them. I cut the other grilled fish with a dagger to eat, because the fish was too hot to open my mouth to bite, and I wasn't used to eating it by pinching it with my fingers like they did.

I told them that there was a lot of wormwood on the island, and we could cut some tomorrow. If the sun was strong enough, it would dry in half a day, and we could bring it back to use as bedding to make it more comfortable to sleep on.

We quickly finished the grilled fish, and Lu Ya and Yi Liang's little mouths were covered in grime, like tabby cats. Before going to bed, they said they wanted to bathe in the stream, as they were indeed very dirty.

I was worried about their safety, so I went with them. Emerging from the cave, the moon was large and round, hanging high in the sky above the island, offering good visibility. The two girls washed right beside the cave entrance; going too far would mean they couldn't keep an eye on Chi Chun.

Lu Ya's sheepskin coat, worn but shiny, accentuated her fair neck. Yi Liang wore a cotton-padded jacket and trousers; because she had grown so quickly and had no suitable clothes to change into, her limbs appeared exceptionally long.

I sat on a rock by the stream, my rifle resting on my lap. If any ferocious wild animals pounced, I could easily shoot them down and protect these two delicate girls.

At first, the two girls were a little shy, glancing at me, then at each other, and secretly laughing. I told them not to hesitate, to hurry and wash; I didn't yet understand the surrounding environment, whether there were any hidden dangers, or how great those dangers were—all unknowns, so we couldn't be careless.

The two girls obediently began to remove their clothes. I said, "Don't get your clothes wet. Wash them when it's sunny during the day. Just wash yourself now."

Luya unbuttoned her sheepskin coat, revealing her slender, fair back. She was still young, her breasts had only recently developed, and she didn't have any soft clothing like a bra. She wore only thin cotton trousers, the tattered legs too short to cover her straight calves below the knees.

Yi Liang also unbuttoned her top, a white bra tightly wrapped around her proud breasts. Although her breasts were firm and high, they belonged to my fiancée, and her pride felt no superiority over me.

Luya had already taken off her cotton trousers; her round little buttocks hadn't yet developed the alluring contours of a mature woman, appearing white and soft in the moonlight.

Yi Liang held her coat and bra in one hand, and pulled down her trousers with the other. She was three years older than Luya, and her figure was very womanly. Her buttocks were full and round, with soft, clear contours.

The two girls looked at each other, naked, unsure where to put their clothes. "Give me your clothes, don't leave them lying around. Insects and snakes might crawl in and sting you," I said, keeping my voice low as I scanned our surroundings.

I felt like I was back in the jungle battlefield. The two girls hesitantly approached me, their feet carefully wading through the stream. Actually, after witnessing me cleaning Chi Chun's wounds, their girlish reserve had lessened considerably.

Yi Liang stood before me, her naked, white body exposed, her right hand instinctively covering her long, soft pubic hair. The moonlight was hazy, making her flesh appear like solidified white cream, her pert little breasts and pink nipples almost piercing my eyes.

I reached for the clothes she offered, and a wave of her scent assaulted my nostrils—the faint smell of urine emanating from her genitals. A sixteen-year-old girl, in the prime of her physical development, had endured several days of hardship with me, and now she could finally cleanse herself of her shameful, unspeakable secret.

For some reason, the faint smell of urine rushed into my brain, dispelling some of my years of loneliness and solitude on this forgotten island, a call to a man's home.

Luya, mimicking Yiliang, handed me her fur coat and cotton trousers, one small hand sometimes covering her chest, sometimes her private parts, constantly glancing at my gaze upon her.

The moment I took her clothes, I glanced into her eyes. She immediately realized she shouldn't have panicked like that, lowered her slender arms, and pulled Yiliang towards the middle of the stream.

Luya's mother had told me that her daughter looked like a grown woman. Now, thinking back, a wave of pity washed over me for Luya. Her slightly rounded chest, her nipples still childlike, her flat, delicate abdomen under the bright moonlight, her bald mons pubis almost hairless.

The stream gurgled, and the two girls were bending over washing their long hair, their slender, soft necks arching in two curves, their two snow-white buttocks swaying on the water, one large and one small, extremely beautiful.

I continued to scan the surroundings. Wild beasts in the jungle are extremely silent and hidden before attacking. I had to detect them in advance and scare them away.

Otherwise, once they pounced on the two girls, there would be no time to protect them or shoot them. I remembered one of my teammates who, while ambushing in the jungle, didn't notice what was behind him and had his shoulder bitten off by a leopard that suddenly appeared. Although the leopard was eventually killed by the dagger, its arm was completely crippled.

Yi Liang and Lu Ya had already started washing, their right hands submerged in the stream. From the shrugging of their shoulders, I knew they were cleaning their private parts; their expressions and movements were so adorable and earnest.

After a while, the two of them, having washed themselves thoroughly, began to walk towards me. I handed them my clothes and took out my dagger, cutting off two large banana leaves behind me. Chi Chun couldn't walk and was afraid of water in her private parts. I filled the leaves with clear stream water to take back for her to drink or wash her face.

It was clear that the girls loved cleanliness, especially Lu Ya and Yi Liang, who seemed particularly happy after washing, combing their hair around the campfire.

Chi Chun drank some water, then washed her face with both hands, her complexion radiant, her water-drenched face charming and full of mature womanly allure.

The rubber raft was large enough to be laid flat on the rocks, allowing Lu Ya and Yi Liang to sleep on it as well. Chi Chun beckoned to me, gesturing for me to come and sleep with them.

I shook my head, and Chi Chun misunderstood, thinking I was embarrassed to sleep with the women. She then made a hugging gesture, telling me not to be shy.

I knew she was concerned for me; I also desperately wanted to sleep on the soft rubber raft until dawn, but I knew it was dangerous.

I smiled at Chi Chun, patted the jungle rifle I was holding, pointed to the darkness outside the cave, and told her I had to stay by the campfire and rest. If any danger rushed in, I could protect everyone; they could sleep peacefully.

Chi Chun understood, gazed at me for a moment, and then lay down.

I leaned against the campfire, staring at the darkness outside. My thoughts were all jumbled. I had no purpose now, no idea what tomorrow would bring; perhaps we would live on this island forever.

But now, my duty was to protect the three women and the baby. Without them, this place would undoubtedly become a hell for my soul—

Chapter Ten: Food in Peril.

Sitting by the campfire inside the cave, I could see the faint stars outside. The night was mostly over, and the fire warmed me, but my eyes, weary from the heat, squinted shut.

Suddenly, I heard the splashing of water outside. At first, I thought it was just trout foolishly swimming upstream again. But the repeated splashing made me immediately alert.

Perhaps a large animal was playing in the water, or chasing prey. The sound grew louder and closer. I quickly left the campfire, crouched against the rock wall to my right, released the safety of my rifle, and aimed at the cave entrance.

My heart was pounding. If it was a savage from the island, shooting them could easily lead to misunderstandings and hatred. If I didn't shoot, I was also vulnerable to being harmed.

The dim moonlight outside the cave gradually faded, leaving the surrounding rocks completely dark. My heart raced, and my eyes were fixed on the outside. The sound of water reached the cave entrance, and a fleshy, dark shape appeared on my sights. Judging

from its shape, it wasn't a savage; I guessed it was a leopard or a large wild boar. If it dared to come in, I would have shot the reckless creature without hesitation.

But it stopped at the cave entrance, its eyes fixed on the campfire. In the dim light, I saw its silvery-gray eyes gleaming. It swayed its heavy body from side to side, adjusting its posture, the ferocity in its eyes beginning to show.

Finally, I could see clearly—it was a young wild bear. It had probably been hunting for fish in the stream that night, but hadn't found any, and had followed the smell of roasted fish to this cave.

It was already lying on the ground, ready to pounce on the women sleeping beside me. I couldn't give it any chance; bears are very dangerous, and being slapped by its claws or licked by its tongue could be fatal.

I adjusted my aim to the eye it was facing, hoping to drive it away or blind it. This reminded me of a mission I carried out in Thailand, where I shot an American agent in the temple. At that distance of 1000 meters, the bullet successfully entered his ear, killing him.

Now, shooting this wild bear in the eye from ten meters away with a jungle rifle wouldn't be difficult. The bullet ripped open its eye after I pulled the trigger, black blood mixed with silvery-gray eyeball fragments splattering onto the rocks.

It didn't run away; I think the bullet must have directly damaged its brain tissue. It let out a sharp wail, tumbling around the cave entrance, repeatedly hitting the rocks. The three women all sat up in fright, letting out a scream. The baby began to cry, and Chi Chun, knowing the danger had passed, began to comfort the child.

"It's alright, just a young adult wild bear. It probably smelled food, and it's dead now. Don't be afraid." I said, then sat back down by the fire.

Lu Ya and Yi Liang's eyes still flickered with terror; I glanced at them. I added, "It's not dawn yet, go back to sleep. This isn't like a house; it's not surprising to get wild animals here. You'll get used to it."

They went back to sleep, and the wild bear soon stopped breathing, ceasing its howls and convulsions. I didn't try to drag it away because it was too dark, and the area near the cave entrance was still dangerous. It was wise to wait until dawn to see what was going on.

I knew this couldn't go on; keeping watch like this every night was taking a toll on my health. Tomorrow, the women's job was to do laundry, while I needed to gather plenty of dry grass to line the cave, and also figure out how to build a sturdy door.

If anything tried to get in at night, the door would either block it or delay it by making noise.

Soon, the stars disappeared, and the pale dawn in the east cast its light on the cave entrance, and the calls of various birds began again. I came out with my gun and dagger and found it was a bear with silver-gray fur, fat and sturdy. One of its eye sockets had been blown open by a bullet, a black hole, the black, red, and green colors twisted together.

Bear blood had flowed a long way on the ground, merging into the stream. The bear wasn't too heavy; I could barely drag it. After pulling the bear into the stream, I began to skin and butcher it.

The dagger was sharp, and I easily cut off the entire bear skin, washed it clean in the stream, and laid it out on a flat, large rock to dry in the sun.

My hands and arms were covered in scarlet bear blood, which brought back many memories of battlefield carnage. Next came the butchering. I cut off pieces of the bear's plump, meaty parts and spread them out on the rocks to dry, as dried meat doesn't spoil easily. It wasn't

until the sun was high in the sky that I felt my back burning uncomfortably. The surrounding rocks were relatively dry now, making them easy to climb, so I tossed the blood-soaked bear skeleton to the top of the ten-meter-high waterfall and then climbed up myself.

This served two purposes: first, to survey the surrounding terrain, and second, to throw the skeleton, which could attract wild animals, down to the beach below. When I reached the top, I was truly astonished. On the other side of the island lay a vast tropical rainforest. A wide river, like a thick python, snaked through the dense green grass, its end nowhere in sight, and the forest stretched as far as the eye could see.

Behind me lay a deep, rolling valley. It didn't feel like an island; it felt more like the edge of land. We were on the edge of this vast, magnificent rainforest.

After surveying the surrounding terrain and discarding the bear's remains, I climbed back into the cave. Yi Liang and Lu Ya were already standing at the entrance, looking at the animal hides and pieces of meat on the rocks beside them in surprise. "You two can sleep on the bear hide tonight. It's uncomfortable to sleep so close together. I'll go get some dried wormwood to spread in the cave." The two girls looked much better, their faces still bearing the charming weariness of young women.

The two girls looked at me, and Yi Liang spoke: "You should rest. You didn't sleep well last night. Lu Ya and I will go and cut some wormwood."

I said no need. They weren't familiar with the surroundings yet, and it was easy for them to get into danger. We could explore on our own later. "You two stay in the cave to take care of Chi Chun. I'll stay nearby. If anything happens, shout loudly; I can hear you." There was a pistol on the rock wall to the right of the campfire. Remember how to use it? Don't fire indiscriminately; conserve ammunition.

As I spoke to them, I splashed water to wash the rocks, which were covered in animal blood, to prevent the lingering smell from attracting trouble. Yi Liang and Lu Ya also brought branches to help with the washing. I said, "You two take some meat inside to roast, and watch the fire."

After saying that, I turned and walked towards the grassy hillside, my rifle slung across my shoulder, and two daggers strapped to my calves. Lu Ya ran over and grabbed my arm. I turned to look at her, but she didn't speak.

I asked Lu Ya, "What's wrong?" She still didn't speak, her eyes filled with tears. I stroked her head and told her not to be afraid, that I wouldn't go far, and that I wouldn't abandon them. I had weapons, so she shouldn't worry about me. She nodded, seemingly frightened by the bear-killing incident the previous night; after all, she was still young.

The stream two hundred meters from the cave entrance was quite wide, forming a small mudflat around it. Thick wormwood grew on the damp mud. I pulled out my dagger and began cutting the grass. Although it was inconvenient, the sharp blade easily severed the thin stems. In about an hour, I had two tall bundles of grass.

I cut some vines to pack the grass, just like I used to pack my backpack when I was a mercenary. Soon I carried the two large bundles back to the cave entrance. Yi Liang and Lu Ya were roasting meat inside. I could smell the aroma of food even from the cave entrance.

Lu Ya ran out, happy to see me back so quickly. She said, "I'll help you." I said okay. So the two of us spread the wormwood on the sun-baked rocks to dry. Just then, Yi Liang called from inside the cave, "The meat is ready, come in and eat."

Lu Ya and I smiled at each other and went back into the cave together. Chi Chun had already sat up holding the child. I touched her forehead and found that her fever had subsided and her body temperature had returned to normal.

Yi Liang took the child, and I carried Chi Chun outside the cave to the clear stream. Chi Chun was very happy; this was her first time coming out for fresh air since entering the cave. Her soft arms wrapped around my neck, and her fair face shone brightly in the sunlight.

I half-squatted in the middle of the stream, letting Chi Chun lie on her back on my lap so she could wash her hair with her hands. The cool stream water washed over her silky long hair, which swayed in the water. There might be a volcano near this island, so the sulfur content in the air is relatively high, and the rain is mostly acid rain.

Therefore, I carried Chi Chun out to wash away the residual acid from her hair. As Chi Chun washed, she looked at me shyly and smiled. Her lower body was naked, her long, shapely legs dazzlingly white in the sunlight, and the soft, dark hair below her abdomen shimmered, exuding the allure of a mature woman.

Her sheepskin vest was open, and her full, snow-white breasts stood high, swaying in her fragrant embrace. A large, brown nipple, brimming with white fluid and overflowing with a desire to nurture, was generously displayed in the sunlight.

Chi Chun must be a woman who hates getting dirty; she washed her hair for a long time before signaling for me to pick her up. I rubbed my wet feet on a flat rock a few times, because it was a bit hot, and I couldn't place Chi Chun, naked, directly on it.

After my feet felt the temperature was right, I gently placed Chi Chun on the rock and gestured for her to lie down slowly. She obediently lay down gently. I lifted her fair, plump legs, and she curled her calves to meet me. As we slowly separated them, I saw the injured area. Her

pubic hair was fluffy and spread outwards, her labia minora were twisted together, much of them retracted into the gap, and their color had changed from yesterday's dark purple back to a fleshy brown.

At this moment, Chi Chun covered her eyes with her hands, looking at me through her fingers, a flushed, rosy smile on her face. I was about to gently lower her legs when she grabbed my wrist and told me in English to urinate.

Her wound wouldn't heal easily if it got wet, so I had to keep it as dry as possible. I squatted beside her, supporting her legs with my left arm, and carefully parted her plump labia with my right thumb and middle finger, exposing her urethra as much as possible.

I nodded to Chi Chun, telling her it was okay. At that moment, Chi Chun slightly narrowed her eyes, her smooth, delicate abdomen contracted, and a stream of brownish-yellow urine shot out in an arc, the clear stream carrying this unusual color downstream. The unique scent of a woman's private parts and the warm, moist smell of urine filled the air around me, a mature maternal beauty momentarily revealed in the sunlight.

Afterwards, I placed Chi Chun's fair thighs in the stream to wash them. Knowing she liked cleanliness, I splashed some water on them and rubbed off the mud with my palms.

Chi Chun watched every movement I made while washing her with gentle eyes. I helped her take off her sheepskin vest, and her full, round breasts immediately sprang out, swaying a couple of times in front of her pink neck. Even Chi Chun herself felt embarrassed and used her hands to restrain them from swaying.

I leaned Chi Chun back a little, letting her legs spread out on the rocks so that the sun's ultraviolet rays could reach her private parts as strongly as possible to kill bacteria.

I then took the sheepskin vest and vigorously washed it in the middle of the stream. Because the sunlight now could dry any washed clothes quickly. This way, Chi Chun would be much more comfortable when she slept that night—

Chapter Eleven: A Crude and Simple Defense Against

the Sun. After a while, I also finished washing the vest. Chi Chun's skin was too delicate and easily sunburned, so I picked her up and returned to the cave. Yi Liang had already roasted the meat, and everyone was enjoying the meal.

I told them, "This cave entrance is too big. It's dangerous to leave it open in the dark at night; we need to find something to block it. Looking at the surroundings, this is a vast tropical rainforest; getting out is almost impossible. From today onwards, we need to stock up on food and plan for the long term."

Chi Chun glanced at me; I knew she must be very sad. Lu Ya and Yi Liang had no family or loved ones left; wherever they went was home with me. But Chi Chun had a family and a husband, many attachments. If they could never leave this primitive island, she had to try to sever her ties.

After finishing the bear meat, I assigned Lu Ya and Yi Liang tasks: stacking stones near the small waterfall in front of the cave entrance, just like I did yesterday when I was catching fish. The stream had created a pit, so I crawled under the waterfall, braving the current, to scoop out the stones, trying to increase the pit's depth and make it a small pool. After

removing all the stones, the pool was taking shape, with a concave rock surface at the bottom. Next, Yi Liang and Lu Ya followed my instructions, finding flat stones and piling them up to enclose the pit, leaving only gaps for water to pass through.

Lu Ya asked me, "Are we going to use it to bathe?" I looked at her innocent big eyes and said, "If you're not afraid of fish biting, you can bathe in it." Yi Liang chuckled and tugged at Lu Ya's arm. Lu Ya blinked her hesitant big eyes at us. "

It's for catching fish, not for bathing," Yi Liang couldn't help but explain to the innocent little girl. Lu Ya knew I was teasing her, pouted, and then joined Yi Liang in piling up stones.

"You guys make sure the area around the pit is solid, add several layers on the outside. I'll go cut down some tree trunks to make the entrance, and try to finish it before dark." After saying that, she picked up the jungle gun and dagger from the entrance and went down the stream to cut branches a short distance away.

Not far along, I came across a small grove of trees, many as thick as an arm, each about four or five meters tall. If I cut them down and wove them into a fence gate, then secured it with vines, it would be difficult for jungle leopards and bears to break through at night.

I'd need about fifty or sixty of these trunks to make a large enough entrance. To improve my logging efficiency, I put myself in a state of emergency military defense. On this isolated island, it was essentially a life-or-death struggle.

I used my dagger to make notches at the base of each tree; if I continued chopping, the dagger would lose its power. When each tree was reduced to about two-thirds of its circumference, I would retreat ten meters, then take a running start and, like a warrior tearing through an enemy's flesh, launch a flying side kick.

The trees on the island, being tropical plants, generally grow quickly, and their wood is very brittle. Almost every flying kick felled a felled tree. Occasionally, a tree remained standing; I would then use my dagger to make a small cut at the base before launching another flying kick.

In less than three hours, I had collected a considerable amount of wood. Then, I used a dagger to polish the wood, carrying four or five logs at a time on my shoulder, and carried them towards the cave entrance.

Luya and Yiliang had already made the pit sturdy and beautiful, with the stream cascading down from ten meters above, splashing white spray. The two girls were exhausted and sweating profusely, sitting by the stream to rest, smiling at me.

Yiliang said, "Shall we help you move the logs?" Time was actually very tight, so I nodded, telling them to be careful with their fingers and not to cut themselves. They were happy to be able to help me again and followed behind to move the logs.

Although there were only two girls, their presence sped up the work considerably. They each carried a log towards the cave entrance; Yiliang carried the larger ones, and Luya carried the smaller ones.

After all the logs were moved to the entrance, I cut many flexible vines to make ropes for weaving the gate. To make the gate sturdy and not easily breached by wild animals, I carved grooves into each log, allowing them to interlock.

Then, I used vine stems to firmly secure each intersection. After weaving the planks into a screen, I stood it up at the cave entrance, just covering it completely. There was a fist-sized indentation in the rock wall at the cave entrance, and the two ends of the crossbeams at the top of the planks were inserted into it, making the entrance look like a curtain.

Then, with Luya and Yiliang holding it steady, I climbed up the rocky top of the cave entrance and used thick hemp vines to brace the wooden door, securing it to two sturdy trees. This way, the door could be easily opened and closed when people entered or exited without worrying about it falling down.

By the time everything was done, it was getting dark. For safety, the seabirds on the island always returned to their nests early. We also had to go into the cave early, bringing in the dried grass and bear skin we had gathered during the day. Yiliang and Luya began to carefully prepare. I put all the bear meat that had been drying all day into the cave, added some freshly cut wet wood to the fire, and then cut off a large piece with a dagger to roast over the billowing smoke.

This is also a type of smoked meat, and we've eaten it this way many times during jungle warfare. Now, sitting around the campfire, we feel much more at ease.

Thick layers of rock envelop us, and the only exit is blocked by a sturdy tree trunk. After bathing during the day, Chi Chun has been sitting quietly in the cave, holding the child, watching us work and talk at the entrance, which has improved her mood considerably.

The bear meat was quickly roasted, and I cut it into many small pieces with a dagger so they could eat it by hand. Everyone was starving tonight; thankfully, we killed a bear, not a rabbit, or we definitely wouldn't have had enough to eat.

I told them our plan for tomorrow: to catch a lot of trout in the stream and release them into the repaired pond. That way, if there are continuous heavy rains on the island, we'll have food to cope with.

Yi Liang and Lu Ya spread out the dry grass neatly, and the soft bear skin was spread out on top, making it much more comfortable to lie on than last night. They also added an extra thick layer of grass under Chi Chun's rubber raft, so Chi Chun and the child could sleep together, making it both comfortable and spacious.

I sat by the fire, whittling thin strips of wood with my dagger, trying to make a half-open wooden basket to catch fish tomorrow. I couldn't just kill them with a stick like last time; the fresher

the fish I caught, the better. Yi Liang invited me to squeeze in between her and Lu Ya to sleep, but I didn't say anything and continued making the fishing basket. Looking at the heavy wooden door at the cave entrance, I felt much safer, and I remembered how much work I'd done that day, and how exhausted I was.

But I still wanted to finish the basket before going to sleep. Just then, Lu Ya came over, grabbed my arm, and stubbornly insisted that I go to sleep. I told her to go back to sleep first, that the basket would be finished soon.

Lu Ya, like an innocent child, pouted and didn't say anything, continuing to stubbornly pull my arm. I had no choice but to put down the tools I was about to finish and go to sleep on the big bearskin.

When Yi Liang saw me coming, she leaned to the side, and I lay down. Weariness immediately washed over me, and Luya lay down beside me, snuggling close to my chest. She lifted one of my arms and draped it over herself, wanting me to hold her as she slept.

Tonight, she was like a spoiled child, quickly falling asleep in my arms. My arms encircled her, feeling her softness, and countless tender feelings welled up in my heart.

Yiliang also fell asleep against me, her soft, elastic breasts clinging to yet resisting my strong back. I could clearly feel the warmth emanating from the two girls' hips and the scent of every organ in their bodies.

Exhaustion continued to churn in my mind. I looked again at the sturdy door, thinking that wild beasts wouldn't know how to lift it; they would only ram it forward, never able to get inside.

Even if a savage appeared, lifting the door would be difficult. Because I had secured hemp vines to two huge rocks inside the cave, pulling the door tightly inward.

If it were to open, the rolling boulders would be the first to wake me, allowing me to take timely defensive measures. Chi Chun's child had cried once during the night, probably because Chi Chun had gotten up to urinate and woken him.

I've always had a habit of being particularly sensitive to the slightest noise while sleeping. Chi Chun walked barefoot on the rocks, the soft flesh of her feet making a heavy thud against the hard rock.

With my eyes closed, I could feel her lifting her sheepskin vest and squatting down above me, followed by her soft breathing. Chi Chun must have been holding it in for a long time; when the hot urine was expelled from her organs, she let out a soft moan. I figured her wounds couldn't yet adapt to the temperature and the spray.

The expelled liquid continued to cascade over the rock surface in a small area, the smooth gurgling sound unusually loud in the quiet cave. Chi Chun was both afraid of disturbing us and embarrassed herself. During particularly loud moments, she would deliberately contract her organs to abruptly stop the sound, then slowly expel the urine.

The sound disappeared, but Chi Chun didn't move, remaining still in the same spot for a while. She was afraid of affecting the healing of her wounds, letting a drop of urine drip from her damp fur.

Hearing that Chi Chun was alright and that I could urinate without any problems, I felt relieved and drifted off to sleep.

Everything was fine tonight, and I slept very well. This wooden door was truly invaluable.

The calls of various birds began to rise outside the cave; Chi Chun must have been exhausted from caring for the children last night, and was probably just getting some rest. Lu Ya was already awake, her big eyes watching me sleep. Yi Liang had also worked very hard moving stones yesterday and was still sleeping close to my back.

As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw Lu Ya's bright, mischievous eyes staring at me. I stroked her head and quietly asked if she wanted to go fishing with me. Lu Ya didn't speak, but nodded knowingly.

I got up and went to the fire, picked up the wooden basket, and finished the remaining work. Then, with Lu Ya in tow, I quietly pushed open the door and went outside. The air on the island was still a bit damp and cool. Lu Ya carried the fishing basket, and I carried the weapons; we walked along the stream, one after the other.

Yesterday, while I was cutting reeds, I startled a lot of dark blue-green trout of various sizes that darted around in the nearby stream. Now, back in the area, I can still see many trout swimming in groups upstream.

I quickly pulled Luya aside to avoid scaring them away. After analyzing the stream's course, Luya and I quietly circled around to their downstream side and began stacking stones in a relatively narrow section of the stream—

Chapter Twelve: Capturing the Weak.

Soon, we had built a barrier with stones, and after a while, the group of dazed trout would frantically thrash around below. To ensure the fish wouldn't be harmed when caught, Luya and I circled around to the upstream side of the trout. We found another narrow creek opening and stacked stones there as well, blocking their path upstream.

Now the trout could only dart back and forth in short sections of the stream, and I could easily trap them by simply raising the woven wooden basket. The capture began. Luya stood in the stream with her bare, straight, fair legs, holding a thin wooden stick, shooing the fish away.

Only then did the trout notice our presence, their thick tails splashing water as they darted backward. And I, I was already ahead of these silly creatures, waiting for them to come and fall into the net.

With a swift slam, I caught three clumsy fish, while more than ten darted past my crotch, their slippery bodies rubbing against my ankles until they itched. Seeing that I had caught fish, Luya ran over excitedly, squatting in front of the wooden basket and peering inside.

Her large, curious eyes blinked incessantly in front of me. I told Luya to hold the basket steady so the trout wouldn't escape. I then dug a small pit by the stream and put the fish I had caught inside.

Because the trout's skin was very slippery, I carefully lifted it by its gills and tail, placing it gently into the pit. Luya excitedly tried to scare them away, but the frightened trout were huddled together near the rocks downstream. I remained in the middle, holding the basket, ready to catch any trout swimming past in panic.

After several repetitions, we had caught more than twenty trout swimming upstream. They huddled in the small pit, foaming at the mouth, their bright black eyes wide with fear, their grayish-blue tails churning the murky water. Seeing Luya and I approach, it struggled to escape, wagging its tail, but its mouth got full of mud.

Looking at the plentiful catch, Luya was even more excited than I was. "So many fish, how are we going to get them back to the pit at the cave entrance?" This was a question I'd overlooked, and I was at a loss for words. "Then you think of a way," I said. Luya put her little hand to her pouting lips and began to think.

This innocent little girl had no experience in wilderness survival; she thought for a long time without any ideas. Finally, she sighed and looked at me disappointedly. I said, "Put some wormwood at the bottom of the basket, put the trout in, and then cover them with more wet wormwood. That way, the trout won't dry out when we get back to the cave."

Hearing this, Luya clapped her hands and jumped up happily. She began to naturally reveal the innocence of a thirteen-year-old girl, completely different from the girl who had come to my attic that rainy night.

Following my instructions, we put the trout into the wooden basket and started our return to the cave.

Luya walked mischievously ahead of me, shaking the wooden stick she had used to herd the fish, her pink feet occasionally splashing water in the stream, still excited from catching the fish.

I carried the basket of trout and followed behind her. I looked at her long, narrow back and tall figure. She was three years younger than Yiliang, her chest and hips not as mature and full as Yiliang's, but she was almost as tall as Yiliang.

I asked Luya, "Can you sing?" She suddenly slowed down and said, "Yes, but I won't let you hear it." "I asked Luya why she wouldn't sing for me. Luya said, 'It's a song for my lover, my mother taught me.'

It turned out that her innocence concealed a girlish shyness. She mentioned her mother, which reminded me of the small town. I thought of the old tavern, the voluptuous woman in the tailor shop, and the villains who burned down the village.

I said to Luya, 'Sing, just treat me as your lover.' Luya stopped, glanced back at me, then lowered her head and slowly said, 'You are Yiliang's lover, she should sing for you.'

Seeing her suddenly become reserved, she must be recalling her hometown, her suffering mother, and her own background. 'Then who am I to you?' She seemed a little lost, and I seemed to see her past self again, the girl who slept in my attic bed.

'You are my master, my mother gave me to you.' She thought her earlier liveliness had angered me and began to panic. I continued to talk to her: 'Master? What if I asked you to take off your clothes and sleep with me now?'" Luya lowered her head even further, trembling slightly.

"Speak," I asked her, trying to muster some strength. "I, I, I'm so scared," she stammered, her voice hoarse. "Even if you're scared, you have to sleep. Sleep now, hurry up and take it off," I repeated. Luya slowly raised her trembling hand to her collar, hesitating as she unbuttoned her clothes. Tears welled in her large eyes, her long eyelashes fluttering.

"Silly girl, if the trout dies, all our efforts will have been for nothing. Let's go." With that, I picked up the wooden basket and started walking. By the time Luya recovered, I had already walked more than ten steps. The sound of the babbling brook echoed behind us as Luya caught up.

"Are you kidding me?" she asked tentatively. "No one is your master. This is no longer a town. On this island, everyone's soul is afraid of loneliness, so we must treat each other with equality and care." After saying this, I asked her if she understood what I meant, and Luya nodded.

"Don't treat me like your master anymore, or I'll get angry." "I reminded her again. 'Then what do I consider you?' I was a little helpless, regretting that I shouldn't have teased her earlier.

'Family.' I told her in a low voice. She started to think about my words again. I urged her to hurry up, otherwise the trout would really dry up. She then regained her lively nature, said 'Oh,' and chased after me again. 'Luya, do you think I'm better to Yiliang than to you?' Luya shook her head.

I continued to tell her, 'You and Yiliang are both my family. In my heart, neither of you is better or worse. You are three years younger than Yiliang, and I spoil you in many ways.' She seemed to only understand what I meant now, thinking that I was speaking to her very seriously.

'Then, when we sleep at night, can you still hold me?' " Her childlike words startled me. I asked why, and she said she was afraid—afraid that I would abandon her.

My heart sank; I suddenly felt a great responsibility, even fearing that one day I might fail to protect them and lose one. I said we still had a lot to do today, so let's hurry.

When we reached the cave, Luya was still behind me, swaying as she walked. Yiliang had woken up and was squatting by the stream in front of the cave entrance to urinate. Seeing my sudden appearance, she didn't know whether to stand up or squat down.

I continued carrying the wooden basket towards the pit, and Luya... She appeared behind me and saw Yi Liang in the middle of urinating, looking nervous and embarrassed. I made a face at her, teasing her about her shyness.

The trout in the wooden basket were well protected by the damp reeds. As soon as they were poured into the pit, they immediately swung their tails and burrowed to the bottom. The depth of this pit was something they had never experienced in the stream, and they thought they had successfully reached the source by sinking into the rocky bottom. Little did they know that this was the beginning of their fate of filling our stomachs. After

Yi Liang finished urinating, she stood up and came over to look at me and Lu Ya. She saw a dark mass of trout at the bottom of the pit and exclaimed in surprise, "We caught so many!" Lu Ya looked at me, smiled mischievously, and said to Yi Liang, "The trout love to sleep in, so we caught them." "This little one's mischievousness brings us a rare moment of joy on this deserted island."

Yi Liang noticed Lu Ya was laughing at her for waking up later than her, so she smiled and patted Lu Ya's head, calling her a little devil. I asked if Chi Chun was awake yet, and Yi Liang said no. I told Yi Liang to grill a fish for Chi Chun's breakfast, because Chi Chun doesn't exercise much and bear meat is hard to digest; the trout's nutrition would also help her produce plenty of milk.

After saying that, I gave her the fish I had deliberately left in the wooden basket. Yi Liang took the plump trout and, smiling, went into the cave with Lu Ya to grill the food.

There was still some wood left at the cave entrance from yesterday. I picked out some to weave another plank to cover the top of the pit, to prevent the trout from jumping out and escaping, or from being stolen by wild animals in the middle of the night.

Since this plank wasn't as big as yesterday's, it was finished in no time. I lifted it up to cover the pit's opening and then weighed it down with two heavy stones.

Entering the cave, Lu Ya and Yi Liang were grilling food, the aroma of meat filling the air. Chi Chun had also woken up and was combing her hair with her slender fingers. Her hair was long and soft, the loose ends brushing against her fair breasts, exuding the charm of a mature woman.

I knew from last night that she could slowly stand up and try to walk. Chi Chun knew that grilling fish for her was my idea, and her smile towards me was exceptionally sweet. She had just woken up, her face showing a charming weariness.

Chi Chun beckoned to me, gesturing for me to come closer. I went over and gently squatted down in front of her, thinking she had something to say, but she wrapped her arms around my neck, her alluring face and sparkling eyes indicating that I should pick her up. It turned out she needed to go to the toilet.

I put my arm around her shoulder and cupped her plump, soft legs with my right hand. She was still naked from the waist down, wearing only a sheepskin vest. The moment I picked up Chi Chun, the scent of her body after a night's sleep filled my senses. The scent of her beautiful, mature body mingled with the fresh, fishy smell of breast milk and the faint odor of urine from her buttocks; the downy hair on her genitals must still be damp with last night's urine.

I carried Chi Chun out of the cave; the morning air still held some of the damp coolness of the night. I couldn't just place her directly on the cold rocks and make her squat to urinate; she had no shoes or clothes, only the sheepskin vest I had given her, and her body was still very susceptible to the cold.

I had no choice but to press Chi Chun's back against my chest, support her soft, white thighs with my arms, and gently squat down by the stream, helping Chi Chun urinate. Chi Chun grabbed my arm with her right hand to maintain her balance, and reached down to her genitals with her left hand, using her sense of touch to part the tangled pubic hair.

To avoid hurting her genitals, she tentatively separated her two sticky labia with her index and middle fingers. Then she closed her eyes, regulating her excretory nerves and organs. Chi Chun's full body pressed against my chest, my hands resting beneath her soft, smooth thighs, allowing me to fully feel her internal activity.

A stream of yellowish-brown urine spurted out, cascading down her arched breasts into the flowing stream. My face was against the back of Chi Chun's neck, my gaze sliding from her fair, full breasts, along her open cleavage, to the downy hair on her lower abdomen. Our bodies pressed together, I could strongly feel her spasms caused by the sudden outpouring of hot, wet urine.

This time, the sound of the stream cascading into the water didn't stop; it continued. It took a long time for the stream to gradually subside. I thought Chi Chun must have been holding it in. Last night, not wanting to disturb us, she had forced herself to get up and relieve herself in the cave. Now she could finally relax. Chi Chun's left hand was still raised; I thought that by not raising her hand, she meant she wouldn't let me lift her up.

Chi Chun lay motionless in my arms, waiting for the droplets of fluid hanging from her lower body to drip away. I couldn't see where it was, but I could feel her genitals contracting and relaxing. The damp smell of urine and the pungent odor emanating from her open genitals filled my nostrils, making me feel slightly intoxicated and dizzy.

After a while, Chi Chun withdrew her left hand, turned her slightly flushed face, and gave me a gentle look. I knew she was done, so I turned her body around and carried her back to the cave as I had carried her earlier—

Chapter Thirteen: The Bride on the Attic Bed.

The trout was grilled until golden brown and tender, and Chi Chun ate it while laughing happily. I cut the roasted bear meat into small cubes with a dagger so that Lu Ya and Yi Liang could eat it easily. I asked Lu Ya and Yi Liang if their urine was very yellow.

They looked at each other and nodded at the same time. I said, "You can't drink raw water anymore; you need to eat some vegetables and porridge." Yi Liang asked me where I could find a pot for cooking rice. After thinking for a while, I told her we could make one with stone.

After the meal, I found a piece of granite that resembled a pot. I drew a circle on the top with pebbles and started chiseling a hole with a dagger. The military dagger was very sharp, and the rock was very hard. Although the chiseling was slow, it still produced results.

By sunset, the granite had taken shape and looked more like a rough stone basin. Luya and Yiliang found some square stones outside the cave and stacked them around the fire, making sure the stone basin sat stably on top. That's how a pot was made.

We filled banana leaves with water and poured it in, adding firewood underneath. Before long, the stream water began to bubble and boil. To prepare for a long-term stay, I also carved several wooden cups and wooden spoons and forks to maintain our civilized dining habits.

In the evening, I took a trout from the pit and grilled it for Chichun. The bear meat, however, was cooked in the stone pot. I asked Yiliang and Luya how it tasted, and they both shook their heads, saying it wasn't good. I also thought it didn't taste good, although it was much better than roasting it over a wildfire.

It made me miss the smoked beef in the town's tavern and the cured meat in the attic; the taste was so different now.

I said I'd try to find salt and spices tomorrow; it's easy to find spices or substitutes for cooking meat in the tropical island forest.

Luya happily said, "Then let's get up early tomorrow, I'll go with you." I said, "No, you have to stay in the cave to take care of Chichun. Searching for spices is dangerous; we might encounter wild animals. Yiliang and I will go."

After I finished speaking, Luya lowered her eyes and head, expressing her displeasure with silence. I patted her head and said, "Keep an eye on Chichun; I'll take you with me next time we go fishing." She cheered up then.

Seeing Luya's childish temper, Yiliang covered her rosy lips with her delicate hand and laughed.

Although Chichun didn't quite understand our conversation, seeing Luya's eccentric temper, she also smiled charmingly.

After everyone had eaten their fill, they drank some soup using wooden utensils, feeling very comfortable. The firewood was running low; we'd have to get some more tomorrow.

At bedtime, Chi Chun and the child were still on the rubber raft, the thick layer of straw underneath providing both insulation and warmth. I slept between Lu Ya and Yi Liang. I was strong and had a lot of body heat, so when it got cold in the cave at night, they would huddle close to me for warmth.

As usual, Lu Ya, like a child, would pull my arm over before lying down, using one to support her head and the other on her body. Yi Liang only pressed her chest against my back and her hands on my ribs late at night.

That night, the child didn't cry, and Chi Chun didn't get up to urinate. Lu Ya's head rested on my chin, her delicate nose and mouth breathing, her warm, moist breath rhythmically spraying onto my chest.

Thinking of the little girl's intimidated expression and actions during the day, I couldn't help but hug her tighter. She was still a child, unaware of matters between men and women; perhaps she saw making love with me as a minor, non-life-threatening surgery.

If I hadn't made this voyage, Yi Liang would probably be living in my attic. Every night, we'd sleep naked, embracing each other. She was inexperienced and naive about sex, but her desires for me were gentle and submissive.

For some reason, Chi Chun's gaze towards me grew increasingly tender. Those captivating, bright eyes sometimes drew me involuntarily. Our predicament was like that of the trout in the stream, the only difference being that we had given up on the impossible journey back to the source.

The firelight still flickered, shadows leaping on the rock face. Thoughts danced in my mind, my eyelids feeling the light, as if my fireplace were right there, and I were lying on the wooden bed in the attic. This was the first time in days that I had begun to reminisce about the past; the night was already deep.

Suddenly, I heard a disturbance outside the cave, like the trout in the pit realizing their predicament, flapping their tails, trying to leap out. This was something I had already anticipated, which was why I had covered it with planks during the day, creating a prison for the trout.

With a loud crash, it must have been the rocks collapsing. I quickly sat up. Even if the trout worked together, they couldn't possibly topple the thick pile of rocks. Unless something dangerous was causing the disturbance.

The sound of the rocks collapsing and my sudden movement also woke the three women. They looked at the darkness outside the cave with fearful eyes, then at me, awaiting my judgment and action.

I grabbed the jungle rifle I had placed on my head before going to sleep, picked up a still-burning stick from the fire, and threw it towards the cave entrance. The stick rolled a few times and stopped. In the dim light, I could vaguely see a huge object outside, digging into the pit and sticking its head in to eat the trout we had stored.

The stone barrier surrounding the pit had collapsed under its heavy body. More than twenty trout splashed and leaped about, their tails thrashing. The giant bear casually snatched one up, tilted its head back, and swallowed it with a trembling, upward-pointing motion.

While crunching the juicy trout, it nonchalantly glanced at the fire poker in its eyes.

Luya trembled in Yiliang's arms, stammering, "Our fish." I quickly gestured for her to be quiet.

I had never seen such a huge bear before. I figured it must have gone to the stream to catch fish at night, but followed the smell of cooked meat to the cave. Its keen sense of smell had detected the large number of trout gathered in the pit, so it had removed the stones and was shamelessly enjoying what was now our food.

This time, facing this behemoth, I was incredibly nervous. First, the light was too poor; I couldn't hit its vitals with a single shot. Hitting its thick hide might not scare it away; it could very well enrage it and endanger us. The wooden door to the cave entrance, though sturdy, could easily be damaged if this giant rammed into it a few times.

I hoped it would devour the trout, filling its stomach and deterring it from attacking us.

"Yi Liang, throw me the rest of the bear meat, quick!" I commanded her urgently in a low voice. Yi Liang panicked for a moment, then quickly understood. She hurried to the innermost corner of the cave, fetched several large pieces of bear meat, and placed them behind me.

I hung the meat on a long stick and poked it through the crack in the wooden door, using all my strength to push the meat as far as possible to keep the bear away from the entrance.

I managed to poke out thirty or forty pounds of meat in one go. The giant bear outside, its mouth drooling, chewed it up with smacking sounds.

I turned to Chi Chun and gestured for her to soothe the baby and prevent it from crying. Chi Chun nodded firmly, her eyes meeting mine with a mixture of fear and encouragement. I continued to observe the movements outside.

In the darkness, I couldn't make out its appearance, but I could feel the breath it emitted as its body writhed. If this enormous creature were to burst through the door, we would be reduced to blood and gore.

The giant bear seemed quite full; I heard its deep burps. It rubbed its nose against the wooden door of the cave entrance, sniffed it, and then swaggered away.

I figured its stomach must be terribly full to have refrained from attacking us. But bears have an excellent sense of smell and memory. I was afraid it would digest too quickly and return at dawn to eat us for breakfast.

However, my fears were unfounded. The giant bear didn't return, and I didn't know which direction it had headed off the island. My back was soaked with sweat. Lu Ya, Yi Liang, and Chi Chun, who was holding the child, huddled together in a corner behind the cave. They were truly terrified.

None of us spoke, still reeling from the earlier terror. Finally, the clear calls of seabirds returned, and light gradually returned to the cave.

There was no way to make breakfast today; the giant bear had taken all the trout and bear meat. The three women's laughter faded, their faces heavy with sorrow. I told them not to go out. Sensing the danger outside, I carefully lifted the wooden door, grabbed my weapon, and went out. My purpose was twofold:

to confirm the bear's departure and to find some food. I cautiously walked along the stream, hoping to find a few trout. Perhaps the bear had drifted downstream, scaring the trout back downstream.

In the end, I had to find some plants to eat. The tropical island's forests are teeming with diverse plants; one could easily ingest poisonous fungi and fruits. During jungle warfare in Thailand, I once ate poisonous fruit, vomiting and fainting. A medic's timely injection of an antibody saved my life.

Since arriving on this deserted island, I've tried to hunt meat as much as possible to minimize the risk of food poisoning. After searching for a full hour without finding any edible plants, I returned to the cave empty-handed.

They were all happy to see me return safely, and as for the food, they didn't seem disappointed. The hunger they felt now was nothing compared to the days spent adrift at sea.

Luya ran over and rushed into my arms, tightly hugging my lower back and pressing her soft face against my chest. "I'm scared," I said, stroking her head and glancing at Yi Liang and Chi Chun. Their eyes also held a hint of fear.

That giant bear posed a threat, not only to our mental anguish but also to our food shortage. After its feast, the bear would leave, but it would undoubtedly return to harass us, consuming the food we had worked so hard to obtain. It was undoubtedly a robber in our survival.

If one day it became hungry again, and we could no longer provide enough food as we had the night before, then our bodies would suffer—

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