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墨書 Inktalez
Time always seems to fly for those in love. Sweet whispers and occasional moments of intimacy pass by quietly.
Before long, several hours had slipped away. Zhao Jun, holding Tang Hao'er close in a sheltered spot, noticed that the sound of the waves crashing against the shore seemed to have receded significantly. He raised his wrist to check his watch and gently shook the lazy cat-like Tang Hao'er in his arms, saying softly, "Hao'er, it's almost dawn. It sounds like the tide has gone out; I'm going to the beach to see if I can find something to eat."
Tang Hao'er perked up and sat up straight. "I'll go with you."
Zhao Jun hugged Tang Hao'er and replied gently, "Dawn is when people are most relaxed, so we need to be cautious of any bandit attacks. You stay here and keep watch. If anything happens, shoot a warning and hide first. I'll come back immediately. Remember to protect yourself and don't take any risks."
Tang Hao'er nodded, holding her AUG as she looked at Zhao Jun. "I understand. Just be careful."
Zhao Jun squeezed Tang Hao'er's hand, slung his AK over his shoulder, emptied a canvas backpack in the cave, and strode toward the coastline with the empty bag in hand.
The coastline of Fortune Island was quite complex, with hardly a decent beach in sight; it was filled with oddly shaped rocks. Due to the steep terrain, the sound of waves crashing against the shore was much more spectacular than in other places.
However, it was now low tide, and the shoreline had receded by more than ten meters, exposing many dark brown rocks and leaving behind pools of water between them.
Having grown up by the sea, Zhao Jun knew that low tide was the best time for gathering seafood. He often accompanied his father to the beach during such times, and on lucky days they would find plenty of good things—sometimes even catching lobsters weighing a couple of pounds. Once, he and his father had even caught a large fish weighing fifty or sixty pounds in one of those pools.
Currently, food was their greatest scarcity; last night they had shared two portions of Combat Ration among five people. If they couldn't solve their food problem soon, they might not last long enough for the bandits to find them.
Zhao Jun now hoped that the sea would provide them with some food. Without proper fishing tools, gathering seafood was undoubtedly their best option.
He carefully navigated down the steep rocks to the beach. It was the darkest moment just before dawn, but this didn't faze Zhao Jun, who was experienced in gathering seafood. He knew exactly where to look for nature's bounty when the tide went out.
Listening intently to his surroundings, Zhao Jun crouched down among several rocks under the faint starlight. As he reached into a crevice beneath one of the rocks, a large crab startled him and quickly scuttled out with its claws raised defensively.
Zhao Jun's heart leaped with joy as he swiftly pressed his other hand down on top of the crab's shell, lifting it triumphantly from the pool of water.
What a catch! This crab weighed nearly a pound—enough for one person to have a hearty meal.
Zhao Jun stuffed the struggling crab into his canvas backpack and continued to lower his head in search of the next target.
No, this area was far from the fishing grounds, and the seafood was abundant. By the time the eastern sky began to lighten, Zhao Jun had already gathered a large haul of seafood. Among them, shellfish were particularly plentiful; he had caught over a dozen fist-sized Abalone and even found two Sea Cucumbers weighing more than half a pound each. This food would be enough for them for a day or two.
Zhao Jun lifted his now heavy canvas backpack and glanced up at the surroundings, preparing to head back. At that moment, he noticed a dark cave mouth protruding from a nearby cliff.
Earlier, it had been too dark for Zhao Jun to see this cave entrance, but now that it was brighter, it came into view.
Seeing the cave entrance sparked an idea in Zhao Jun's mind. Since they would eventually need to find a more concealed hiding place, why not check if this cave could serve as a suitable campsite?
He slung the backpack onto his back and strode toward the cave with his AK in hand.
As he approached, Zhao Jun's heart sank slightly.
It should be low tide now, yet only about half of the cave entrance was exposed. Judging by the waterline on the rocks at the entrance, when the tide came in, this cave would almost be completely submerged. While such a cave might be hidden well enough, it was hardly suitable for shelter if it would be nearly filled with seawater during high tide.
Would they have to sit in seawater while hiding in the cave when the tide came in?
Zhao Jun shook his head with a wry smile, ready to give up on this cave. Just then, a larger wave surged forward and crashed into the cave. Originally turning away, Zhao Jun heard an echoing sound of waves from several meters above on the cliff. With his experience in tide pooling, his expression changed as he quickly turned back to look at the cliff.
On the cliff grew several dark trees, but he couldn't see where the sound of the waves was coming from.
However, that didn't matter; since the sound of waves came from above, it meant there must be an opening connecting to the cave below.
If there was a connection between them, it implied that part of this cave would remain dry even when the sea rose during high tide.
Zhao Jun's heart raced with excitement. If that section of the cave was spacious enough for them to take refuge in, then this cave could very well be their best hiding spot.
When the tide rose, the entrance of the cave was submerged, and the bandits would never have imagined that they were hiding in a cave engulfed by the sea.
Zhao Jun no longer hesitated. He strode toward the entrance, wading through waist-deep water while bracing himself against the cave wall as he made his way inside.
The cave was narrow, and the current was swift, but Zhao Jun couldn't help but smile. He could clearly feel the ground rising beneath his feet; after just a dozen meters into the cave, the water had already receded to knee height.
After feeling his way forward for another seven or eight meters, Zhao Jun suddenly saw a glimmer of light ahead.
This light wasn't true brightness but rather a dim glow that replaced the pitch-black darkness of the cave. At that moment, Zhao Jun's feet were no longer in water; he stepped down and found that the ground beneath him was rough with sand and stone.
He pulled out a lighter from his pocket and struck a flame. In its faint glow, Zhao Jun realized he was in a relatively spacious cavern, about one or two hundred square meters in size. A hazy light filtered down from somewhere above, illuminating the cave enough to dispel some of its darkness.
Zhao Jun quickly walked up to where the water line ended and discovered a platform about two or three meters above it, roughly one hundred eighty square meters in size. He reached down to touch the surface of the platform and found it surprisingly dry.
Unable to contain his laughter, Zhao Jun exclaimed joyfully. This truly was a refuge bestowed upon him by fate; hiding here for even a year would guarantee that no one would find him.
He didn't have time to thoroughly explore the cave. He quickly took off his backpack and set it down on the ground before turning back to retrace his steps. It would soon be bright; he needed to hurry and call Tang Hao'er and the others to take shelter in this hidden cave.
Wading through the rushing water as he exited the cave, Zhao Jun glanced back at the water line on the rocky entrance and couldn't help but smile.
It seemed that fate was beginning to tilt in their favor. With this hiding place, Zhao Jun felt confident that he could slowly outmaneuver those bandits.
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