Bright Sword Chapter - Establishment

The Second Night on the Isolated Island

Zhi acted alone once again, for what he was doing now could not be known even to his companions. To ensure the success of this plan, Zhi could only trust himself. This was an exhausting path—far more difficult than being honest or even lying. If there had been any other way, no one would choose this road.

In the same location as last night, the underground burrow was now basically complete, leaving only Zhi's final step. Directly above the burrow, besides the ventilation shaft, one more thing was needed: a corpse. It would be best if it were one of those who had died on the plane for whatever reason.

"Wait, if the plane landed suddenly, how did those people die? No, that's not right!" Zhi suddenly realized something. He immediately dropped his tools and ran toward the spot where he had buried the bodies. That area was far from the beach, and at this hour, no one should be there. Zhi was extremely tense, sweat pouring from his body as if the sun, rather than the moon, were hanging in the sky.

Zhi darted through the forest, moving with the precision of a beast that had locked onto its prey.

Reaching his destination, Zhi saw that the ground had not been disturbed; the soil was still fresh. He had to follow through with his plan. If any of those bodies were still alive, or perhaps in a state of suspended animation, Zhi would have to use the weapon in his hand to turn that false death into a real one. He did not want to disturb souls that had already found rest, but for the sake of survival, he had no choice. If everyone had painful memories, then tonight was destined to become the most agonizing memory of Zhi's life—and not just one of many.

At daybreak, Zhi changed his clothes because his previous set was ruined; it carried a certain scent and had to be thoroughly washed before it could be worn again. By now, he had no desire for sleep, nor even an appetite. One had to understand how difficult it was for a normal person to inflict a fatal wound on the chests of corpses—excluding the infant's. After confirming that none of the bodies showed any abnormalities, Zhi dug up the corpse of an elderly person and brought it to the burrow at top speed.

All of this was accomplished in the dark of night, unknown to anyone. Even Zhi himself found it hard to believe he could go to such lengths. It was a testament to how strong the human instinct for survival could be; if it meant his own survival, killing everyone on this island would not be a difficult task.

The others were busy discussing how to find food, but Zhi had no intention of joining them. Even without relying on those people, he could find food on his own. Especially on this island, the fewer the people, the longer one could survive. Since they wanted to venture into the forest, Zhi had no reason to stop them. If they found humans or a large supply of food, that would naturally be a good thing, and Zhi would not lose out. If someone sacrificed themselves during the adventure, that would be even better; it would not only reduce the population but also conserve the island's natural resources. Regardless of which outcome occurred, Zhi would be pleased—ideally, both would happen at once.

At this moment, Zhi stood by the sea, opening his mouth to let the wind rush in. For Zhi, this sensation was wonderful, even though the air carried a fishy stench.

About an hour later, the expedition team of eighty-three people set off, including individuals with various necessary skills. Although the group was a bit large, they figured that if they really discovered food or a water source, they would be able to bring more back. At least, that was what the team members thought. The beach was left with only a few people wandering about. As the time agreed upon with Ellis approached, Zhi looked around and stepped into the forest.

Five minutes later, at the meeting spot, Ellis was waiting with three people who might become their companions, just as Zhi had requested.

Seeing Zhi approach, Ellis said to the other three in English, "He is our leader. To survive, you just need to listen to him." Zhi could not understand what Ellis said; he simply continued walking toward them. The other three looked at Zhi with curiosity, which made him feel a bit awkward, but he held his ground.

Zhi stood beside Ellis and asked, "Have you confirmed their identities? Are you sure they aren't spies for those people?" In reality, Zhi was just asking casually, as he did not yet trust Ellis. Regardless of whether Ellis had verified them, he would complete this screening himself.

Ellis smiled and said, "Yes, I have confirmed it in my own way. If you want to verify it again, you are welcome to. They have already agreed. Furthermore, they trust you because you are Chinese. China is an ancient and magical country; to them, fighting alongside you is a great honor. How about it? Shall we let them join?"

Zhi was surprised; he hadn't expected Ellis to say that, and it made it difficult for him to refuse. Zhi nodded and asked, "Do they know the arrangements for our activities? Do you think they have the patience to complete the things I've planned?"

Ellis nodded and replied, "Yes, I have explained the basic plan to them, and they have all indicated they can stick with it. However, they have some questions about your plan that they hope you can answer. If they are satisfied with the answers, they will follow your plan exactly."

Zhi chuckled. This was the Western way—saying what they meant and doing what they promised, provided it met their requirements.

"Let them introduce themselves, then state their questions. Only then can we become true partners!" This was Zhi's reply to Ellis, meant to make Ellis fully trust the leader before him.

Soon, Ellis introduced them in Chinese: "On the left is Parker, a young man from London, England; in the middle is Freya, a college student from Manhattan, USA; and on the right is Lundes, an athlete from California, USA." Ellis introduced the three well in Chinese, giving Zhi time to prepare his response. Zhi smiled at each of them and extended his right hand in a gesture of friendship. After shaking hands, Zhi said to Ellis, "Let them speak. Any questions are welcome."

The first question came from Parker: "If the enemy really is a demon or an alien, will a base be of any use? They could just disappear and reappear to wipe us out!"

Zhi smiled and replied, "Yes, it is exactly as you say. But why haven't the demons or aliens appeared before us yet? Why did they bring us to this island? In fact, you can think of it this way: what if the aliens or demons are unable to deal with us directly due to some kind of restriction? If they could truly deal with us directly, we would have been wiped out long ago. But that is not the case; we are still alive and free to choose our path. Therefore, I believe that even if they are aliens or demons, they won't strike us directly. They will use other things on this island—humans or other creatures—to deal with us. However, don't get your hopes up too high; there is another possibility. Perhaps they are just waiting for us to be prepared before they appear. Doesn't that fit their intentions better? Watching humans struggle in vain? We are building a base for two reasons: first, to protect ourselves from normal creatures, and second, to struggle—to struggle for survival and increase our chances of staying alive."

Ellis translated everything Zhi said to Parker. Parker's mood was slightly unstable, but he recovered quickly and nodded in agreement.

The second question was raised by Lundes: "What you say makes sense, but what if we are rescued one day? What if nothing else happens at all?"

Zhi felt this was a foolish question, but to show his sincerity, he had to answer: "Let's just assume we played a real-life deduction game and lost in the end. Wouldn't that be fine? In any case, the experience will remain in our memories. Even if we are rescued, this experience will be quite helpful for our future lives. I don't think everyone gets the chance to have an experience of fighting against demons and aliens, right?"

Ellis translated Zhi's words again. Lundes's reaction was different from Parker's; he looked very excited and nodded, saying he had no problem with that. Now, only Freya's question remained.