Chapter 52
Morning of the Ninth Day
How could it be Zi’ai?
Did she transmigrate again?
It’s really a wonderful fate to drift to the same island… Wait, now is not the time to ponder these things leisurely!
She had clearly drowned and fainted!
“Hey! Zi’ai! Wake up! Zi’ai!”
I knelt beside Zi’ai, pushed her shoulder, and shouted her name loudly.
Zi’ai’s eyes remained tightly closed, her hair was covered with seaweed and sand, her lips were slightly purple, and her palms were wrinkled from being submerged in seawater.
She didn’t respond to my calls, and when I reached out to check her nose… Oh no!
I immediately became anxious. Unlike me, Zi’ai was just an ordinary person!
It was already very lucky to be washed ashore after such a big storm!
I quickly began to perform CPR on her; I learned the simple first aid techniques from my dad.
I unbuttoned Zi’ai’s collar, tilted her chin to open her airway, performed artificial respiration, and then pressed her chest with my hands overlapping. I maintained a rhythm, exhaling into her mouth after four or five compressions… The compression rate was about 60 to 100 times per minute, with moderate force and a depth of about four centimeters.
Because I had practiced a few times before, even though it was the first time performing CPR on a living person, I quickly got the hang of it, praying in my heart for Zi’ai to recover. “Please… you must wake up… wake up!”
I don’t know if it was the CPR that worked or if my prayers were answered, but it actually worked!
“…Cough! Cough!”
Zi’ai suddenly coughed and spat out several mouthfuls of water. Seeing her complexion turn rosy and her breathing return to normal, I finally sat down on the beach, relieved.
Zi’ai didn’t seem to wake up, but her body instinctively curled into a ball. After all, she was wearing a swimsuit that provided almost no warmth, and her top was gone. She must be very cold… She’ll catch a cold. I should start a fire to warm her body.
First, I took off all my clothes. After wringing them dry until not a drop of water could be squeezed out, I put on my shorts again and used my jacket to wrap around Zi’ai before picking her up.
Relying on my night vision, I left the beach and explored the interior of the island on foot. Fortunately, I found a cave by a tall rock face. The dark cave had no smell of wild beasts, only a bit cold and damp. I decided to make it my temporary shelter, as it was still relatively close to the beach.
After taking off my short-sleeved shirt and tearing it to lay on the ground, I placed Zi’ai on it. I quickly went out to collect some flammable branches and large leaves to spread on the ground.
Using the strips of fabric I tore from my short-sleeved shirt, I made a rudimentary fire starter and began the oldest human method of starting a fire—friction.
My current state of mind was perfect for this kind of mechanical work—my movements were precise and error-free due to intense concentration. The drill bit was at the right point, so before long, with a wisp of smoke slowly rising, I successfully started a fire.
After carrying Zi’ai to the campfire, I first roasted my jacket. When it was almost dry, I removed Zi’ai’s swimsuit, dried her body, and checked her wounds.
Finding no major injuries, I then covered her with my jacket.
It’s strange, I can remove a girl’s clothes so calmly (even though only her bikini bottom is left). I don’t feel shy when I see certain parts, and I can even wipe her without hesitation.
Is it because I’m no longer a virgin? Or is it because I don’t feel anything when it comes to Zi’ai?
… But in the current situation, not having those thoughts is a good thing. Thinking about such things now would only cause unnecessary trouble.
Seeing that her body was no longer trembling and her furrowed brow had relaxed, I began to think about other things.
First, there’s the issue of survival. I need fresh water and food…
Zi’ai is just an ordinary person. Food and water are essential to ensure her survival.
Besides, I also need to eat meat. If I go more than eight hours without eating meat, I’ll lose my mind.
As for fresh water, I saw coconut trees just now. The resources on this island are still quite abundant.
So, the most important thing is food, or rather… meat!
Compared to physiological needs, suppressing the virus is the top priority.
But I can’t leave Zi’ai’s side right now, at least not until she wakes up. I can’t leave an unconscious Zi’ai alone in the cave for a long time.
I’ll just wait… Thinking this, I gazed at the blazing fire, occasionally adding more firewood to keep it burning.
“Ah…”
Speaking of which, I saw a flame in that vortex before I lost consciousness.
What kind of fire can burn in seawater? Was it just my hallucination?
More than an hour later, Zi’ai woke up and said weakly.
“…Where is this?”
Zi’ai coughed a few times, her voice weak. Her messy hair stuck to her face, and she looked a bit disheveled. Beneath her long eyelashes, her eyes held a tired expression.
“I don’t know where this is either, but it looks like a deserted island.”
She slowly turned her head when she heard my voice.
“…Juncheng.”
“Yes, it’s me.”
“This… isn’t a dream?”
“Of course not. Touch me if you don’t believe me.”
I extended my hand to her, and she extended hers as well.
Our outstretched palms met, our movements in sync, as if looking into a mirror.
“So… it is Juncheng. Your hands are ice-cold, even colder than mine.”
“You’re judging based on that?”
“Hey, if your body temperature wasn’t this low,”
“I already hugged you earlier. How do you think I carried you from the beach here? I also touched and saw you when I was helping you with your clothes earlier, so… could you pull the jacket up?”
I turned my head and scratched my cheek, pointing to my jacket that had fallen off her.
Zi’ai lowered her head and saw her naked body, but she made no move to cover herself. She just looked at the jacket covering her legs and then looked up at me and asked.
“…You took it off for me?”
“Yeah, ah, your bikini bottom is drying over there. It should be dry by now. But you don’t have a top, it was probably washed away, so you…”
“Thank you. This jacket is yours, too. And this short-sleeved shirt you used as a mat… Are you an idiot? You didn’t have to tear it.”
“I also wanted to make a fire starter—trying to make fire by friction with bare hands, I’m afraid I’d still be trying by morning. The rest, I think it’s better for you to use. I don’t need it anyway. If necessary, you can have these pants too.”
“Because you’re a zombie?”
“Because I’m a zombie.”
“…You really are an idiot.”
I rolled my eyes, letting her say whatever she wanted.
As a result, there was no touching reunion, nor any ambiguous atmosphere. It was as calm and natural as our last encounter.
It felt like the current conversation was like asking every day, “What do you want to eat tonight?” → “What do you want to eat?” → “Whatever.”
“Then let’s not eat.”
“Hey, hey, we still need to eat.”
“Since you’re awake, I should be going now.”
I pushed myself up by my knees. Although I didn’t know the time, I had to find some food before dawn.
Zi’ai grabbed my hand, her expression anxious, and asked.
“Where are you going?”
The words “Don’t leave me” were written all over her face. Her expression clearly conveyed that meaning… Still anxious? That’s understandable, she’s a girl after all…
“Just going to find some food. I have to find something to eat now, otherwise, at daybreak, you’ll be all alone on the island.”
“Let me tell you first, if you turn into a zombie, the first thing I’ll do is bite you.”
You want to bite me on your own accord? Are you crazy?
However, I didn’t retort like that. I just shrugged and replied.
“What you do then is none of my business. But to prevent you from drooling and rolling your eyes in distress, I’ve decided to go find something. You must be thirsty too, right? I’ll find some water while I’m at it.”
“…Hurry back.”
Zi’ai nodded and finally let go of my hand, putting on my jacket and zipping it all the way up.
She looked much better than her exposed state earlier, but her thighs were still completely exposed. Since she was my height, the jacket couldn’t possibly function as a skirt.
Back at the beach, I gathered some edible oysters and clams, and caught a few crabs. I also collected some coconuts. There seemed to be quite a few coconut trees, so water shouldn’t be a problem for now.
I just don’t know how long this bit of meat will last…
And the most urgent matter right now is that it’s almost dawn, and the antidote’s effect will wear off. I’ll have to be much more careful with my every move then.
Upon returning to the cave, Zi’ai greeted me with joy. She must have been very scared alone, after all, she’s a girl.
The shellfish I found couldn’t be eaten raw, but they could be roasted over a fire.
I threw the shells directly into the fire. They sizzled as they were scorched, and soon a burnt smell filled the air. When I felt they were ready, I took the blackened oysters out of the fire, cracked open the shells, and swallowed the meat inside.
I felt my stomach contracting. As a culinary enthusiast, I can say this is the worst food I’ve ever made.
“Is it delicious?”
“Completely… You’d better not eat it. I’ll open a coconut for you. Drink some coconut juice first.”
“Okay.”
I helped her crack open a coconut and watched her drink the juice before asking.
“So, we’ve been stranded, haven’t we?”
“Yes. A sudden storm… I was actually at the hotel entrance, but I was blown away. I thought I was definitely going to die this time, but I didn’t expect you to save me…”
“I didn’t expect to meet you either. Speaking of which, why did you come here?”
“Huh? What do you mean ‘why’? If you’re here, why can’t I be here?”
“No, during the exam, weren’t you taking it for me? So, in your original world, you wouldn’t be there. If you missed the exam, you wouldn’t be able to participate in this summer camp, right?”
“Yes, that’s true. When I went back, it was already the second day of the exam… However, I seem to have participated in the first day’s exam.”
“Yes, I always found it strange… Later, I had a guess.”
“Let me hear it.”
“Juncheng, I think when I came to this world, someone else took my place… and went to my original world.”
As she said this, her unfocused gaze rested on me.
It was almost like she was telling a horror story.
