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On a sunny day, in a small wooden cabin, Luo Yu sat at the door, stretching comfortably in the warm sunlight. She reached for the Steel Saw Blade standing beside her on a stool, dipped a cloth in some water, and gently wiped away the dried blood on the blade. Her gaze wandered, lost in thought. Since leaving the Land, she had hardly used a knife. With the island approaching and the future uncertain, she knew she couldn't neglect her preparations. She took out the oilstone that had been soaking in a basin of water for a long time, bent down, and held the saw blade at an angle against its surface, moving her arm to perform the monotonous task of sharpening.
This knife had been with Luo Yu for a long time; the countless tiny nicks along its edge bore witness to its glorious achievements. Whether it was a Zombie or a Living Person, anyone wounded by this sharp blade would rarely escape alive.
Luo Yu was actually quite sentimental. Jiao Ziqian had suggested many times that she should get a new knife, but she always refused, insisting that this one felt just right and didn't need replacing. Jiao Ziqian understood her nature well; since Luo Yu was unwilling, he stopped pushing her and would occasionally help sharpen the knife, apply some oil, and perform maintenance.
The Steel Saw Blade was standard equipment from Song Jiu's former team. At that time, they had no way to acquire firearms, relying solely on their blades for protection. Jiao Ziqian happened to be quite skilled at sharpening knives.
During one relocation of their camp, their team encountered a horde of Zombies head-on. In the heat of battle, Song Jiu's watermelon knife accidentally shattered, nearly costing him his life due to poor-quality equipment. Since then, Song Jiu had been pondering where to find better tools. Weapons were essential for self-defense; many knives found on the streets were unreliable—while they might look intimidating, they could easily fail when facing off against Zombies due to quality issues.
Later on, they managed to seize a steel processing factory. Inside the factory, there was no food or drink—only mountains of steel materials. Faced with various processing resources, Jiao Ziqian's mechanical heart began to burn with excitement. Under his guidance, Song Jiu led his team to open the Boiler Room, exterminating the Zombies sealed inside and reigniting the furnace. Thick smoke billowed once more from the large chimney as their entire team moved from their forest camp to the factory, welding shut both front and back doors.
"I've seen some good people," he remarked thoughtfully as if recalling something.
"I heard you have a few friends over at The Establishment," Chef Jia said curiously. Back when they were at Riverside Camp, some Zombies had mentioned this organization too; however, it was all vague information without any fresh insights.
"Yeah, two girls," Luci replied while fiddling with her chopsticks. She tilted her head in thought and smiled lightly. "I wonder how they're doing now."
"Probably better than us; it's nice to have big trees for shade," Pockmarked Girl chimed in with a mischievous grin. "Unlike us, who are just following Master Jiu through life and death."
Chef Jia playfully tapped her hand and joked, "Then I'll let Jiu Jiu know that you don't want to leave with everyone else and want to stay here."
"Sure," Pockmarked Girl replied defiantly with an air of indifference. "Just let Old Wu stay here with me."
The others at the table burst into laughter at her words. With Pockmarked Girl's thick skin and carefree attitude, teasing her held little weight; compared to others, her strength lay in her mindset—no matter what faced her, she seemed utterly unconcerned. She ate when hungry and drank when thirsty; although her self-preservation skills were somewhat lacking, she lived freely and unrestrained.
As they were joking around, Dai Wei, sitting across from them, suddenly froze, his gaze shifting behind the group. He whispered, "They're here."
Luo Yu and the others turned their heads to see Song Jiu and her companions walking through the Mangrove, heading toward the Saddle Vine path. Song Jiu was at the front with a young man in military pants, while the others followed behind, chatting as they walked. From a distance, their expressions were not visible.
Luci bit her chopsticks, a hint of worry crossing her features as she murmured, "I'll go ask what's going on." With that, she set down her bowl and utensils and stood up from the table.
Luo Yu had intended to go as well but seeing her take the lead, he decided against it and continued focusing on his food.
"It's good to chat for a few more days; we can get some more peaceful sleep," Pockmarked Girl sniffled and chuckled foolishly.
Instead of heading to the open-air Cafeteria for a meal, Song Jiu and her group went straight to the Coast. They climbed up the gangway and boarded the fishing boat that Xiao Zhuang and his crew had taken.
The young man named Xiao Xu seemed to be the chief engineer. He led everyone from the deck down to the engine room, introducing them to the current state of the vessel along the way. They finally stopped at the fuel tank area, where he pointed at the fuel gauge and said, "After the engine broke down, we cut off the fuel supply. We've been drifting without power since then, so there's still plenty of fuel left." He then looked at Song Jiu and added, "Didn't you say there are technicians on the island? Bring one over; I’ll see if I can fix the engine."
"Not necessary," Song Jiu replied with a glance at the fuel gauge. "We have a boat; just transfer this ship's fuel over."
Xiao Xu's eyes flashed with a hint of sarcasm as he sneered, "It's a long way from here to our island. Under normal circumstances, it would take at least four or five days. That yacht has shallow draft issues; what if something goes wrong?"
"We have ways to handle situations," Song Jiu said nonchalantly. She shot a cold smile back at Xiao Zhuang, who remained silent. "At least we made it through the storm on that yacht without running aground or hitting any reefs."
Xiao Xu's face showed signs of anger, but he couldn't afford to express it too openly. He turned his gaze away toward Sun Youth beside him.
"Just do as he says," Sun Youth said flatly, dismissing Xiao Xu with a simple sentence. He yawned and turned to leave the engine room.
The remaining few stood still, an awkward atmosphere hanging in the air.
After a long moment, Fang Fei lifted her head and looked at the dazed Xiao Zhuang. She spoke softly, "Let's go. I'll take you to see Akin."
"Okay." Xiao Zhuang nodded silently. He took a few steps forward, then turned back to glance at Song Jiu and Wu Wentao. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "You're Jin Bo's friend, so I’m willing to consider you a friend as well. I know trust takes time, but I also need to create a space for trust. I hope you understand."
"Likewise," Song Jiu replied with a smirk. Reluctantly, he nodded in deference to Fang Fei.
"Also, you should change your attitude. I can understand that it’s your personality, but the situation on the island is tense right now. You need to be mindful of your words and actions," Xiao Zhuang stepped forward, his expression serious. "Since you’re the leader here now, I hope you can take this cooperation seriously. And remember, we are not your enemies."
"As you said, we are just cooperating. My words and actions only represent myself and have nothing to do with anyone else," Song Jiu scoffed. After their lengthy discussion at the Stilt House earlier, he was thoroughly disappointed with The Establishment and felt that Jin Bo had chosen poorly.
"That's normal; everyone has their blind spots," Song Jiu was never one for banter, but today he was genuinely frustrated and unable to act out physically. He resorted to using his words instead. Seeing that this guy was still trying to argue with him made Song Jiu feel somewhat bored. He shook his head and walked past him without looking back.
Wu Wentao exchanged glances with Song Yao and sighed in unison. Meanwhile, the captain and the Surveyor remained silent throughout, seemingly lost in their own thoughts.
Wu Wentao approached Xiao Zhuang and patted him on the shoulder, taking on an unusually serious tone. "We've reached an agreement between us; let's let our actions and facts speak for themselves. Trust can be built, and misunderstandings can be resolved, right?"
"Exactly." Xiao Zhuang exhaled deeply, feeling relieved that there was at least one reasonable person here. He nodded emphatically, "You're right."
Wu Wentao smiled kindly at him while secretly cursing him as a fool.
The group made their way back to the Coast one after another. Song Jiu went ahead first, disappearing into the distance while the others followed Fang Fei toward the Cafeteria. Song Yao lagged behind, deep in thought when she suddenly felt warmth beside her. A glance revealed that Sun Houqi had come closer.
Noticing Song Yao's slightly furrowed brow, Sun Houqi felt a bit awkward. He chuckled sheepishly and spoke up, "Don't misunderstand; I just wanted to say a couple of things to you."
Song Yao remained silent, pondering his intentions. In fact, she had initially planned to approach him first but hadn’t expected him to beat her to it.
"Maybe it's just my imagination," Sun Houqi said, scratching his nose as he slowed his pace to walk alongside Song Yao. He looked puzzled. "It seems like ever since we arrived on the island, you've been observing me."
Song Yao remained composed, replying lightly, "It's just your imagination."
"Haha." Sun Houqi didn't take offense. He lowered his gaze to the fine sand beneath his feet, fell silent for a moment, and then said, "I feel like I've seen you before. Have we met?"
Song Yao paused at his words, narrowing her eyes as she regarded the tall, lean young man. She was quite surprised: he also thought she looked familiar—could it be that they had indeed met?
"I'm not sure," Song Yao shook her head. "I don't have any impression of your name."
"Then, could you tell me your name?" Sun Houqi stopped walking as well, his expression growing more curious. He tentatively added, "Maybe I do remember."
Song Yao pressed her lips together and replied softly, "Song Yao."
"Song Yao." Sun Houqi's eyelids drooped as he repeated the name, seemingly recalling something. He turned to look at the distant mangrove trees, a myriad of fragmented memories flashing in his eyes.
"Perhaps I mistook you for someone else; I have a common face," Song Yao smiled lightly. Fang Fei and the others had already walked quite far ahead and were waiting for them in the distance.
"Song Yao!" Sun Houqi suddenly gasped, whipping his head around with wide eyes fixed on her in astonishment. "You are Song Yao!"
Startled by his sudden reaction, Song Yao furrowed her brow slightly. Seeing that he didn't seem to be pretending, she hesitantly nodded. "Yes, do you know me?"
"Oh my god, it's really you! How could I have forgotten you?" Sun Houqi's demeanor shifted dramatically; he became animated and excited, completely contrasting with the calm and composed young man he had been moments before.
Song Yao felt increasingly confused as she watched him laugh and reminisce. She couldn't help but feel a bit displeased, wondering if he was making fun of her.
"You don't remember me?" Sun Houqi's tense expression melted away into a broad smile as he pointed at his own face earnestly and asked, "Not even a little bit?"
"I’m not sure," Song Yao said, still unable to recall, feeling a sense of familiarity but unable to match it with anyone she knew.
Sun Houqi smiled wryly, shaking his head. "That's normal. Given the circumstances back then, it's understandable that you wouldn't remember me."
"What do you mean?" Song Yao asked, furrowing her brow.
"I didn't expect to run into you here, and I certainly didn't think you would actually wake up."
"Mm," Song Yao paused, vaguely recalling something.
"When I parted ways with Ginger River, you were still unconscious."
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