As the island appeared, a thick fog rolled in at sea.
One corner of the island peeks out from the sea fog, like a monster's claw. The coastline is winding and twisting, its distant end shrouded in mist, obscuring the island's size. However, judging from the scene before us, it is certainly not a small islet.
"Is this the island you saw?" Qingmu asked.
Petru shook his head. "I don't know, but it certainly wasn't from this location last time."
Was it foggy like this last time too?
"Yes, it's foggy, and visibility is very low."
Qingmu suddenly remembered Captain Church's diary; one day they had also encountered a thick fog at sea and then lost their way.
He glanced at Su Huilan and noticed that Su Huilan was also looking at him; they were probably thinking about the same thing.
Su Huilan asked, " Petru, did you measure the area of this island last time?"
Petru said, "No, but the island isn't big. I remember it's about a two-hour walk from there to the central hot springs."
The fog at sea is very unstable, swirling and billowing with the wind, sometimes thick, sometimes thin, with sunlight filtering through the gaps, creating a very strange weather phenomenon.
"What do we do?" Petru asked.
Qingmu said, "Of course we'll go to the island! We've been searching for so many days, and it's finally appeared. We can't just give up now."
Petru said, "I don't care, you can go if you want."
He went to the mast, lowered all the sails, then returned to the wheelhouse and skillfully maneuvered the boat closer to the island, searching for a suitable spot to dock based on the shape of the coastline.
Finally, the boat anchored in a creek. Fearing it would run aground, and with the boat still several dozen meters from the shore, they launched two inflatable rafts.
Before disembarking, Su Huilan went back to her cabin to change into a jungle camouflage outfit and tied her hair up, looking quite dashing. Her impressive figure was not hidden by the military camouflage at all; on the contrary, it accentuated her unique charm.
The Crow Guagua twice in surprise, then feigned disdain and flew to the mast, whispering to the distant sky, " Ruhua, you're in danger again!"
When Qingmu called it down, it whispered in Qingmu's ear, "Let me tell you, the boss's wife looks way hotter than her!"
Then, remembering Bi Shenghua's flat chest, I felt my choice of words was a bit off. I tilted my head and thought for a moment, "Um... 'explosion' might be a little difficult, but the energy is definitely enough!"
Su Huilan finished tying her military jungle boots and suddenly noticed Qingmu's slippers. She asked, "Do you want to change your clothes? The environment on this uninhabited island isn't very pleasant."
Qingmu said, "Never mind, I'm still used to what I wear."
Su Huilan shook her head helplessly.
Petru also felt that Qingmu's shoes were really unsuitable for trekking through the jungle, but when he recalled the scene of Aoki sprinting up the rugged hillside when he was sniped by him, he gave up the idea of persuading him.
"Let's bring some weapons, who knows what's on the island!" Petru hesitated for a moment but still reminded them, although he also felt that with Qingmu and Su Huilan's abilities, carrying guns would be a burden.
Qingmu wasn't arrogant enough to think he wouldn't need firearms under any circumstances, so he didn't refuse. He slung an automatic rifle over his shoulder, along with three magazines of ammunition and two hand grenades. Of course, his pistol and dagger were also in his trench coat pocket.
Seeing the clattering pile of stuff hanging inside his trench coat, Crow cawed, "Quick, have a cigarette, light one with a banknote, and you'll be Brother Mark!"
His shout really triggered Qingmu's craving for a cigarette, so he took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it, using a match instead of a banknote.
Su Huilan laughed loudly, "How many movies has your bird watched?"
Qingmu said, "You'll have to ask it; it's seen more than I have."
The Crow cawed, "Is it too much? No, it's not!"
Su Huilan looked at Qingmu: "We're still missing a pair of sunglasses."
Qingmu said, "Alright, alright, I'm not going to be some kind of 'Brother Mark known for his cunning and ambition), I'd get riddled with bullets."
Petru, puzzled, asked, "Who is Brother Mark?" Finding no one to answer him, he walked away, bored, to organize his own weapons.
Su Huilan disliked heavy weapons, so she only chose a submachine gun and a pistol, along with a few magazines.
She noticed that Petru was carrying a lot of stuff, as if he were going to war, and asked warily, " Petru, you've been to the island before, why are you carrying so many weapons? Are you hiding something from us?"
Petru said, "What can I hide? Wild animals."
Su Huilan said, "Wild beasts? What wild beasts could there be on such a deserted island?"
Petru said, "It's always safer to carry more weapons."
Su Huilan said, "I know, you must have encountered something last time you went to the island, which is why you left in such a hurry, right? You were able to walk through the entire sea area, and even found a dead Tapu like Rapa Island. This Tapu's Mental Power is so strong, how could you leave in such a hurry, not even remembering the shape of the coastline? You clearly encountered an accident!"
Petru stammered, "It was a little unexpected."
"Stop talking nonsense and just explain yourself," Qingmu said.
Petru suddenly felt a powerful Mental Power rushing towards him, knowing it was a warning, and quickly waved his hand:
"No, no, no, I did go to the island, but the situation there was a bit strange. I didn't land here; there was a beach there. The island was shrouded in fog, and I couldn't see anything. My Mental Power isn't as strong as yours, but I could still sense the spiritual fluctuations on the island. I was certain there was a very powerful Tapu on this island, so I followed the guidance of my Mental Power until I climbed up a high slope and saw a small lake, which is the hot spring I told you about. At that time, I didn't know that the Mental Power was coming from that lake, but since my boat needed to replenish fresh water, I went straight to that lake."
"The fog on the island was strange; it was thick in some places and thinner in others. As I passed through a thick fog, I heard people talking, but they were speaking a language I had never heard before, even more difficult to understand than Chinese. At first, I thought I was hallucinating and didn't pay attention, but the voices got closer and closer, and I knew something was wrong. I quickly found a place to hide, and then I vaguely saw the shadows of some people, chattering away, as if they were looking for someone, perhaps hunting."
"Did you get a good look at what kind of person he was?" Su Huilan asked.
"The fog was so thick, you couldn't see anything at all," Petru said. "And I'm still not sure if it was my imagination. Do you know what it feels like to walk for two or three hours in fog with visibility of less than two meters? I almost broke down, thinking I'd never get out."
Su Huilan said, "The low visibility will make you go in circles, and the jungle trails are difficult to navigate. It's normal to walk for two or three hours. But you've participated in jungle warfare, so you should have the ability to orient yourself. Surely you can adapt to that?"
Petru said, "I have a compass, but it seems to be malfunctioning; the needle is pointing randomly. The plants on the island grow erratically, the fog is thick, and we can't see the Sun. I can't find any way to orient myself. Overall, this island is unlike any other place we've ever been."
"That's really strange!" Su Huilan frowned. "And then?"
"Later, it seemed like those people had gone far away, so I went out and continued walking. But I hadn't walked for long when I heard people talking again, this time in Russian."
"Russian?"
"That's right, it's Russian. I've had special training and know a little Russian. I heard someone say, ' Ivan, we think we're trapped!' Another guy said, 'Don't talk, Boris, I feel like they haven't gone far.'"