I watched as a human face vaguely reappeared on the dried corpse. It only lasted for a fleeting moment before vanishing.
Damn it, it's already dead, yet it's still playing tricks on me!
I spat fiercely at the corpse's face and, with a surge of strength, hurled it into the sea.
I'm not someone to be bullied. If you have the guts, come at me one on one.
Finally, after dealing with the corpse, we were temporarily safe. I hadn't felt it before, but now that I relaxed, a wave of exhaustion washed over me.
I was simply too tired. After a perfunctory word or two with the two sisters, I fell asleep.
I slept very soundly, completely oblivious to everything. When I finally woke up, it was already noon. The two sisters and the woman from the company were all standing at the bow of the boat, staring blankly.
Had they all gone mad while I was sleeping?
I was puzzled and quickly got up, following their gaze.
It was... a deserted island!
My heart surged with excitement, and my eyes even welled up a little.
Not far in front of us was the place that had nearly claimed my life countless times. I knew every blade of grass and every tree on this island like the back of my hand.
Damn it, I'm finally back!
If it were just a few months ago when I first landed on the island, I would never have imagined that I would almost shed tears from the sheer joy of returning to this place.
In retrospect, I realized I wasn't happy about the island itself, but rather because Luo Yaqin and Shangguan Yao were there, and they were who I cared about.
However, at that moment, I didn't realize one thing: if people stay in one place for too long, they unconsciously develop a dependence on it.
The high walls of a prison isolate one from the outside world. When a prisoner first enters, they intensely hate the walls that confine them. But after years, even decades, they become accustomed to living within, like the Black old man in "The Shawshank Redemption," eventually becoming a part of the prison itself.
If, at this point, they were to leave the prison, they would be unable to adapt to life outside and would either return or die.
And without realizing it, I had embarked on such a terrifying path...
"We've finally seen land!"
Even though we had spotted the deserted island, there was still a considerable distance to cover. I paddled the oars with all my might. After about half an hour, we finally neared the shore.
The moment my feet touched the ground, the feeling of solid earth beneath me made me want to lie down and greedily inhale the scent of the soil.
Qi Xinxin and Qi Qiaoqiao beside me found my reaction a bit strange. After all, for them, this deserted island was still an unknown place.
But I had already survived on this island for months; it had become half my home.
I took a few deep breaths, barely managing to control my excitement.
"Behave yourself, or you can stay here."
There was still one lingering issue to resolve: the woman from the company.
When I first saw the deserted island, I had entertained the thought of simply killing her and putting an end to it all.
But after much deliberation, I decided to bring her along. My intuition told me that this woman must hold other secrets.
After warning her, I took out a rope and tied her hands together.
Perhaps sensing her predicament, the woman was very compliant.
After dealing with the woman, I found a secluded spot nearby and hid the small boat there.
Although the boat was small, it was still much sturdier than the rafts we had made ourselves.
It would definitely be useful if we needed to go out to sea again in the future.
I looked at the sun to roughly gauge our direction. We were on the southern side of the deserted island, still some distance from our camp.
"Don't be afraid, you two. I used to live on this island. I'll take you to my camp now. There's food and drink. It's very safe..."
People tend to feel anxious when faced with an unfamiliar environment.
The two sisters were feeling exactly that way. Seeing Qi Xinxin like a frightened quail, burying her head deeply in Qi Qiaoqiao's embrace, I couldn't help but find it amusing.
So, I quickly started telling them about the island to distract them.
When the two sisters heard about all the things I had experienced on the island before, they were instantly captivated.
"Uncle Weirdo, I never realized you were so amazing!"
As Qi Xinxin listened, she loosened her tight grip on Qi Qiaoqiao's sleeve. During the more perilous parts, she couldn't help but cover her mouth with her small hands, as if she were there herself.
Qi Qiaoqiao, even more so, would let out gasps from time to time.
With such attentive listeners, I felt even more motivated to boast.
"I encountered a tree with a snake's head in the forest... Stop!"