They rowed the boat to the distant shore, where a small forest separated them from the mudflats where the savages lived. After landing, they towed the small boat into the dense forest and hid it, then found a small cave that was barely enough to shelter them in to rest.
Everyone was exhausted, not only physically but also mentally. Anyone who had seen the apocalyptic scene and escaped from a life-or-death situation would be mentally and physically drained. Even Hanran lay on the rock at the cave entrance like a dead dog, drying its wet and matted fur in the sparse sunlight of the forest.
Only the Crow hopped around, sometimes landing on Qingmu's head, sometimes on a rock, kicking the Hanran's fat rear end. " Guagua, caw, are you dead?"
Hanran over soundly and let out a weak meow.
The Boss Coal, finding it boring, jumped back to Petru's side, looked at the gun on his body, and said, " Guagua, you almost lost your life, and you're still carrying such a heavy thing. I think your tiredness is all an act!"
Qingmu had the same question. When he saw Petru carrying Mrs. Larry, he was indeed at his last gasp, but the guy refused to throw away the gun he was carrying.
He carried more than one gun. Besides the AK that had run out of bullets from the savages and the sniper rifle he had abandoned because it was inconvenient, he now had a submachine gun, two pistols, and more than a dozen magazines, and several hand grenades on his waist. All of this stuff was quite heavy.
Seeing everyone staring at him, Petru smiled sheepishly, took the gun off his body, shook off the water, and began to disassemble it.
"My Mental Power isn't as strong as yours. Without this thing, I don't feel safe." He skillfully disassembled the gun into parts and lined them up. "Hey, give me your guns. We need to find a way to dry them, otherwise they're unusable and will explode."
Qingmu no longer had a gun; he and Su Huilan had given their pistols to Anderson, but they still had two grenades in their pockets. Su Huilan also had two grenades and was carrying a submachine gun. They handed all their weapons to Petru, letting him tinker with them.
Anderson took out his pistol and, just as skillfully as Petru, disassembled it and placed it on the ground.
Petru said, "Hey buddy, not bad. Were you in the army?"
Anderson said, "Yes, but I don't like this stuff. Fishing is much more fun than shooting."
Petru glanced at his leg and said, "Alright, buddy, let me handle this. Be careful with your leg. You'd better start a fire or something; waterlogged wounds aren't fun."
When it came to starting a fire, Qingmu took out the matches and cigarettes, but they were all soaked in water and unusable, so he tossed them aside in frustration.
He emptied his wet backpack, and several packs of cigarettes and a lighter fell out, along with a willow branch that also landed on the ground.
His bag didn't have much to begin with. When Petru and Su Huilan came to the island, they tried to pick out practical weapons and tools, only bringing a small amount of compressed biscuits. But considering that he was also bringing two foodies, he stuffed a lot of food into his bag. However, he took out all the food in the cave. Apart from eating some, he left most of it for Alice and Anderson, who are probably floating in the flood right now.
Qingmu tried the lighter, but it wouldn't light, so he threw it together with his cigarettes and matches. He then took out his phone, threw it on the ground without even looking at it, and stood up, saying:
"I'm going over there to see what those savages are doing. Boss Coal, come with me."
Su Huilan said, "I'll go with you."
Qingmu looked at her soaking wet clothes and said, "You should stay here and try to start a fire to dry your clothes, otherwise you'll catch a cold."
Su Huilan said, "Then you don't need to dry it?"
Qingmu said, "No need," and then walked away with the Crow, clattering away.
Su Huilan called out from behind, "Watch out for the traps on the road!"
There were indeed some traps along the way, but not many. Qingmu quickly passed through the woods and climbed a small hill. He saw many savages busy on the riverbank, but he couldn't tell if these savages were the same ones who had escaped with them.
The savages split into two groups. One group, mostly women and children, built rafts on the riverbank. The other group was in the forest above, where it seemed that strong laborers were cutting down trees.
What puzzled Qingmu was, were these people building rafts to go back? But their homes were surely destroyed, and it was uncertain whether that island even existed anymore. So where could they possibly go back to?
He crept closer and discovered that the savages in the forest weren't simply logging; they were building makeshift houses. They had chosen an excellent location, with a wide lake behind them, providing fresh water and ample sunshine, while the ancient trees in the forest provided shelter from the wind and rain. With the wooden stakes and beams they had built, as well as the windproof walls made of vines, stones, branches, and mud, the basic structure of their houses was already visible.
Their organizational structure and division of labor demonstrate their proficiency in this work, leading one to suspect that they frequently experience disasters that require the entire clan to relocate to avoid.
Besides building houses, some people were carving wooden spears and making bows and arrows; others were pulling vines and hanging wooden stakes in the distant woodlands and hillsides, seemingly setting traps or building simple defensive fortifications.
As Qingmu approached, he saw the savage shaman holding a wooden staff. He was directing his people to bend two large trees, then tie a net woven from vines between the bent trees, the net holding pebbles and a large log. Judging from the size of the two trees, the force with which the net was launched and the area it covered must have been considerable.
The savage shaman glanced in the direction of Qingmu, then turned back to directing the work, whether he didn't notice Qingmu or simply didn't have time for him.
Qingmu didn't intend to provoke these savages for the time being; he was somewhat wary of the Divine Wooden Staff in the shaman's hand. This staff could communicate with the island's Mental Power Field. Although he didn't know if this was the same island as before, he decided not to take the risk for now.
He returned to the camp, Petru had somehow started a fire, and Anderson was with him cleaning gun parts. Both of them were shirtless, their clothes hanging on a rack made of branches next to the fire.
Qingmu saw firelight flickering on the other side of the mountain wall, knowing that several women were hiding there drying clothes, but he ignored them and sat down by the fire.
Seeing the flickering flames, his craving for a cigarette kicked in, so he picked up the cigarette from the ground and examined it. He found it was still wet and mushy, and figured it wouldn't be smokeable without drying it out for a couple of days.
Sparse sunlight shone through the trees, creating a charming contrast with the red flames.
He saw a half-broken willow branch lying on the ground. Whether it was from the sunlight or from being soaked in water, it looked exceptionally lush and green, with a few tiny new shoots sprouting from it—a green miracle.
He picked up the willow branch.
In that instant, he suddenly felt a strange life force, as if he were holding not a small twig, but a sturdy tree.
This feeling impacted his consciousness.
He remembered the old willow tree in Liuying Lane. For a time, he had felt similar mental fluctuations in the willow tree. He once suspected that the tree could dream and tried to enter the tree's dream, but he was unsuccessful.
Then at that moment, he clearly sensed the Mental Power emanating from the willow branch. This energy connected to a vast space, like a dream.
But Qingmu knew this wasn't a dream; it was the island's Mental Power Field.