Chapter 233: Encountering a Small Island
Before the three approached the shoreline, they were already noticed. On the opposite coast, dozens of people were fishing. Not far from shore, a small fishing boat had just cast its net, several men shirtless. Nearby, a few women held various buckets.
Their first reaction upon seeing the motorboat and its passengers was stunned, then a woman ran toward them, crying out, “Are you here to rescue us? Are you here to save us?”
Xu Sa stopped the motorboat silently, sizing up the group before him.
“Pull hard!” A burly man on the boat shouted loudly. The others regained focus and together dragged a net full of fish out of the water.
The woman kept questioning frantically. Compared to the other women who looked dark and thin, she appeared very fair-skinned, with a well-proportioned figure, simple but intact clothing, neatly combed hair, and delicate hands.
No one on shore paid attention, and Lu Weiyi’s group didn’t speak either.
After the net was fully hauled in, the fishing boat docked. The man jumped down, then walked toward them, pushing the woman ashore.
“My wife isn’t well mentally. She hasn’t seen people for over a year. Where are you from?” The man’s face was expressionless as he stared at them.
“Just passing through,” Xu Sa smiled. “Brother, may I ask, where is this place?”
“…Several islands have merged together. It used to be called the Shishan Archipelago,” the man said, looking back at the islands behind him with a barely noticeable flash of confusion that quickly passed.
This was a very famous oil island, located half a country away from where they were.
Lu Weiyi and Xu Sa shared the same baffled expression. Lu Weiyi even secretly opened a map to confirm he wasn’t mistaken.
“You must be lost, right? What happened to the country?” the man asked bluntly. “My name is Dong Hongyuan, a native of Shishan. Mind coming down to chat? We haven’t seen outsiders in a year.”
The three were silent for a moment. Xu Sa glanced at Lu Weiyi to check if he had weapons.
Lu Weiyi nodded slightly.
“To be honest, brother, we really are lost,” Xu Sa said, signaling Liu Rui to bring the motorboat closer. Lu Weiyi took the chance to pull out some supplies.
The three jumped off the motorboat, and Lu Weiyi quietly took away most of the gasoline.
Dong Hongyuan kept a distance—not too close or far—looking cold and indifferent. “Get someone to carry it up. The wind and waves get rough at night, and if left out, who knows where it might drift.”
With a nod, several capable-looking men immediately stepped forward. Xu Sa pushed Lu Weiyi back, signaling him to stay alert, while he and Liu Rui moved closer, apologizing, “My brother’s health is poor. Thanks so much.”
Dong Hongyuan gave no response. He went ahead and lifted one side himself, showing great strength.
“No problem. Where are you from?”
“Did something happen to the country? All contact is cut off?”
“Do you know the way out?”
Several men asked questions all at once. Xu Sa listened, occasionally showing surprise: “You haven’t contacted outsiders for a year?” “How do you live here?” “Have you never gone out?”
None of the questions were answered. Instead, Xu Sa sent all the questions back. The conversation seemed lively but it was really Xu Sa gathering information.
The men carried the motorboat and their small fishing boat up to shore and placed them in a corner.
The group walked inland. The woman who had gone crazy before approached again, but Xu Sa quickly blocked her before Lu Weiyi.
“I’m not causing trouble, I’m not causing trouble,” the woman said with unnaturally bright eyes, raising both hands in a pledge. She stared at the three. “Where are you from? My name’s He Mei. I’m a student from the Capital. There was an earthquake here, an earthquake—you know that? Does the country know? Why is no one coming to rescue us?”
Suddenly, without warning, she snapped and roared, “We’re waiting for rescue!”
Xu Sa was startled.
Lu Weiyi looked normal and asked Dong Hongyuan quietly, “What’s wrong with her?”
“When the earthquake happened, she saw her teacher die. Then there were… zombies… something like that. Her classmates all died,” Dong Hongyuan said.
“That’s nonsense, you’re lying!” He Mei shouted angrily. “They’re fine! They’re totally fine! You killed them! You’re a murderer! You’re a rapist! I’m calling the police to arrest you! You’re all criminals…”
The information was heavy and shocking; none of them knew how to respond.
He Mei muttered to herself, clearly unwell. The others seemed used to her behavior; a few women even looked slightly annoyed.
Dong Hongyuan expressionlessly held He Mei’s hand. The others carried their freshly caught fish and walked ahead.
Xu Sa kept quietly extracting more information, and Dong Hongyuan didn’t stop him.
Once ashore, they saw large white buildings in a row.
“Those are oil storage tanks. This place used to be a major oil extraction site—much bigger than now. Now only these five tanks remain intact,” a middle-aged man introduced himself as he noticed Lu Weiyi looking around. “My name’s Liu Run, an engineer here. What’s your name, young man?”
“Lu Weiyi.” Lu Weiyi examined the facilities. “Is it still operational?”
Liu Run shook his head. “They need to test the underground oil and check if the equipment can be used. It’s a major project requiring manpower and resources.”
Before he could continue asking, Dong Hongyuan led them into a courtyard.
It was a damaged and rebuilt courtyard. The bricks on the walls looked like they had been taken from elsewhere. Men and women came and went, busy with their own tasks. At a glance, one word came to mind: poor.
When some people saw them enter, they called out “Brother Dong!” and scrutinized the three newcomers. Soon they dropped their work and pointed at the trio.
It felt like being monkeys in a zoo.
Opposite them was a torn-down tall building, only three floors left, looking like an old dormitory. The outside hallway was uniform, with railings where a man and a woman were talking. They noticed the commotion and looked over.
“Whoa, handsome brother!” The woman called out, then flipped off the third floor railing, climbed down with a few swift moves, and walked a few steps to Xu Sa. Wearing a simple tank top and tight jeans, her figure was highlighted in all the right places. Her phoenix-eye-shaped eyes were sharp and very assertive. The neck bore fading marks that made her look even more suggestive.
Liu Rui instinctively blocked her, eyes glaring like a wolf facing prey.
Xu Sa laughed at his rare sensitivity, wrapped an arm around his shoulder like leashing a dog, pulling him back.
“Damn, damn gay,” the woman rolled her eyes at them, then looked at Lu Weiyi and brightened again. Before she could speak, Xu Sa said, “Hey beautiful, my brother has a husband.”
The woman stopped mid-step and turned to leave.
The men around laughed loudly, someone shouted, “Qin Yu, come check out this handsome brother.”
“Get lost, ugly,” Qin Yu cursed back with a smile. No one got angry; instead, everyone laughed and continued their crude jokes.
A man upstairs jumped down. After hearing about the three’s situation, he approached, “Hello, I’m Eric Antonio. You can call me Eric.”
He was a typical foreigner—blond hair, blue eyes, with sharper Western features than Dean’s youthful dark eyes. Even speaking politely, he gave off a strong air of authority and the control one usually finds in those accustomed to high positions.
As soon as the name was mentioned, all three tensed up. The most impatient Liu Rui blurted out to Xu Sa, “He, he…”
“Yes, he’s a foreigner,” Xu Sa grabbed his hand and smiled, explaining, “Sorry, the kid has never seen a foreigner before.”
“This is the person in charge here,” Dong Hongyuan helped introduce, then turned and pulled He Mei away.
“Let go of me, let go!” He Mei struggled, crying out to the group, “Save me, please save me!”
“What’s this?” Xu Sa looked at Eric.
“Oh, marital intimacy,” Eric shrugged and smiled amicably.
Xu Sa withdrew his gaze. Eric immediately called for some stools, and they all sat down in the courtyard and started talking.
Apart from a few people cooking nearby, the rest gathered around, listening to their conversation and occasionally asking questions, like at a tea party.
Lu Weiyi sat bored at the back door, scanning Eric’s face but found no resemblance to Antonio. He then spread out his spiritual energy to probe the surroundings.
The people in the courtyard talked openly and quietly discussed whether the three could leave or not.
This place really seemed completely isolated from the world.
Further out, aside from this residential area, everything else had been completely rebuilt. Houses were crushed ruins mixed with asphalt roads; underground geology intertwined with reinforced concrete. The uneven ground made standing difficult, and some people were still rummaging through debris.
According to Eric, there were just over 300 people here. At the beginning of the earthquake, a tsunami hit, shifting several nearby islands and the adjacent mainland. When the waters calmed, this place was already isolated on the sea. Few survived, then there was a zombie outbreak that killed many. Now, the survivors all lived here.
Lu Weiyi thought surviving all that was lucky.
Xu Sa briefly explained the situation outside. Learning that it was the same nationwide, Eric was silent for a moment, showing no surprise. The others, however, looked quite alarmed.
“Looks like I’m the unlucky one,” Eric shook his head and sighed. “I originally heard news about my brother and wanted to see him, but I ended up trapped in this country.”
Liu Rui had silently hinted before but remained silent now. Lu Weiyi didn’t care either. After Xu Sa agreed it was indeed unlucky, he turned to ask the others what they usually ate, cutting Eric off before he could say anything.
That night, the group ate dinner together—various kinds of fish cooked in different ways.
With incomplete seasonings, the food still smelled fishy.
The locals seemed used to it, joking among themselves while eating heartily.
Qin Yu took two bites, then threw the food aside and complained painfully, “When will this miserable life end?”
She glanced at the three’s backpacks, blinking eagerly. “Hey boys, got anything to eat? I can play games with you tonight.”
“Only grown-ups play those games,” Xu Sa said with a smirk.
