Finding a New Source of Fresh Water

"Open your eyes wide and take a good look. This is good stuff!"

Ning Shu asked nervously, "Wh-what is that?"

"Seeds. Strawberry seeds!"

"Huh? Seeds??"

"That's right!"

Lu Zhe calmly explained:

"Stranded on a deserted island, we have to collect every usable resource we can. Some of the fruit we ate before boarding the plane had seeds that went into our stomachs and came to the island with us. Seeds contain antioxidant enzymes, so they aren't completely digested! With these seeds, we can clear land, cultivate fields, and grow fruit. Even if we're rescued a little later, at least life won't be too miserable!"

At Lu Zhe's explanation, the two girls exchanged a look. It did seem to make a lot of sense!

"I understand the reasoning..."

Lin Qianqian asked timidly, "But just how bizarre does your thinking have to be to come up with looking for seeds in your female classmates' poop?"

Ning Shu said, "Come to think of it, even Master Bear and Lord De haven't done anything this perverted, have they?"

Lu Zhe shrugged. "When Lord De was starving, he roasted the incompletely digested beans in his own feces and ate them again. Master Bear has squeezed water out of elephant dung to drink, too. Compared to that, what we're doing is nothing, right?"

Ning Shu gagged. "It's still plenty perverted!"

A crucial question occurred to Lu Zhe. "Right, what did you two eat before boarding the plane? Any fruit?"

Lin Qianqian frowned in outright refusal. "I'm not telling you!"

Ning Shu planted her hands on her hips, too. "Hmph, don't even think about finding out!"

Lu Zhe smiled. "It's fine if you don't tell me. But if we aren't rescued, then a few months from now, it'll be either gnawing bark and eating kelp or eating all kinds of fruit. Your choice!"

Hearing him put it that way, both girls wavered a little.

Ning Shu whispered to Lin Qianqian, "You know, he does have a point!"

Lin Qianqian blushed. "But we still can't let a boy rummage through our... that stuff. We'd die of embarrassment!"

"Oh, right..."

Just then, Tang Xiaoguo's feeble call came from nearby. "Class monitor, Qianqian, Lu Zhe, where did you all go...?"

"Coming!"

Playing with poop would have to wait.

Back at camp, they found Tang Xiaoguo's face ashen, her body feverish, and her breathing somewhat labored!

Lu Zhe knew that a small amount of snake venom had reached Tang Xiaoguo's heart and lungs after all.

There was no antidote, and unripe wild persimmons were themselves toxic, so she couldn't eat too many. All she could do now was drink more water to speed up fluid metabolism and flush out the toxins!

He hurried to check the stills!

More than four hours had passed, and each of the three stills had distilled around 10 ml of fresh water, for a total of roughly 30 ml-just a small mouthful!

Though there was little water, it still gave Lu Zhe 1 Potential Point.

He hurriedly gave it to Tang Xiaoguo to drink.

As for the two girls' misunderstanding about him "stroking poop," he would just let time slowly fade it away!

Lu Zhe checked his watch. It was already past four in the afternoon, and it would be dark in a few more hours!

He understood that they couldn't rely on distillation alone to survive. He had to get more fresh water before nightfall!

He decided to head back into the woods to search.

This time, he had Ning Shu and Lin Qianqian look after Tang Xiaoguo and Jiang Yao while he entered the woods alone!

Since he was alone, he climbed into the northern woods from a relatively steep spot!

The vegetation here was clearly denser than in the south, and the calls of unidentified insects surrounded him!

He searched cautiously!

By a tremendous stroke of luck, he found a small clump of fish mint beneath a tree!

He carefully pulled it up, getting a small handful.

He had obtained another new source of carbohydrates and gained another Potential Point!

It had a rather distinctive flavor and was rich in nutrients, providing the body with vitamins and carbohydrates. It was an excellent wild vegetable resource!

More importantly, it also had detoxifying properties, though the effect wasn't particularly good!

Finding one clump meant this species existed on the island. If he searched carefully, there should be more!

He was delighted.

But he had picked nearly all the fish mint in the area.

He kept searching, and effort did not fail a determined heart.

At last, he found fresh water at the foot of a small slope.

It was a pool.

The pool was small, probably holding only about 2 L of water.

It was probably water that had dripped down from the hillside and gathered here into a pool!

He dipped a finger in and tasted it!

It had no taste!

Fresh water. It was fresh water!

Ding! Congratulations, host. You have discovered a new source of fresh water. Potential Points +1!

This was truly worth celebrating!

Unfortunately, the water was rather murky.

He would need something with a finer weave to filter it.

He checked the system manual for suggestions!

"Overly murky water can be filtered using the cotton padding from a bra."