Chapter 48: The Canoe
Jeon Ho sped up his paddle, landed near the canoe, and picked up a speargun to take a look.
There was nothing in the canoe. The workmanship of the two boats was so rough that there was nowhere to go for the burrs. As the outer shell is eroded by seawater for a long time, it is black. Some parts of the hull were cracked due to lack of maintenance. It's hard to imagine any creature that could drive it across the ocean.
But it is an indisputable fact that the two boats ran aground on an island far from the Big 6. Quan Hao didn't find any traces of footprints nearby, and he didn't know where they came from. He checked his hut and stored supplies again, and nothing was missing. The island is still the same, but there are two more canoes of unknown origin.
He circled and circled around the two boats, but still couldn't let go. He used to think that the island was a good place to spend his vacation, and most of the time he was in a relaxed mood. Fishing, shrimp catching, and dolphin watching are all fun. Even if it is work such as repairing tree sheds and building rafts, he also enjoys it with a playful attitude. Now, everything has changed. He felt that this place was full of crises, and the reason was these two ships of unknown origin. If he can't figure out the truth of the matter, Quan Hao feels that he can't settle down to do anything. He decided to climb to the commanding heights of the island. He can see the farthest from there, and if he stands on it, he can feel a little at ease for a while, and if he is present, maybe he can reorient the world.
Standing on the top of the mountain, Quan Hao saw a scene that surprised him even more. In the sky and sea to the north, he appeared a small black dot that seemed familiar. From a distance, there are more than a dozen of these small black dots, as if they are standing motionless on the horizon. But he did not dare to slack off, the canoe had no sails or oars, and could only go with the flow. Eventually, they will be sent to his island by ocean currents. No one can guarantee that they will be as empty as the first two. Quan Hao will not pin his safety on unwarranted extravagant hopes, and he is now worried about more realistic problems. When a dozen canoes landed, it was a human who was about the same as himself, or an orc with a blue face and fangs, or something more bizarre.
Luckily, the canoe was still far away, and Jeon Hao judged that they would not be able to get close to the range of the twin islands until at least tomorrow morning. It's not okay to sit back and wait, you have to hurry up and act. He hurried back to the camp, gathered together what he thought was important, and carried it to the Granite Palace in two parts. What was left behind was some food, drinking water, building materials and other bulky things, which were not a pity to be snatched away. The shed was dismantled, and the roof of the shed was closed and laid flat on the ground. It is the only man-made structure on the island that would expose his existence. While it's unlikely that a canoe will arrive early, sleeping on an open sand beach at night is still not a wise choice. Quan Hao decided to camp at the Granite Palace, where the terrain was difficult to see, and he could be safer in the larger distance. The most important thing is the boat, if the situation is urgent, it is all about escaping. So be sure to hide it. Quan Hao loaded the ship with some fresh water, drove to the Southern Peninsula and hid behind the boundary mountain. In this way, he has three supply points, which can be attacked, retreated, and escaped if the situation is not good. The options are greatly increased.
At night, Quan Hao didn't even dare to light a bonfire, and ate salted dried fish and canned food. He was afraid that the light on the island would be visible and arouse the alarm of the canoe, so he only lit a candle in the cave. He slept badly that night. Because there was no overheating, it was damp in the cave. Jeon Ho tosses and turns, often waking up from nightmares. Without exception, all the dreams were killed by the enemy into the cave, and the bloody tip of the knife slashed at his neck. Later, he simply opened his eyes.
Before dawn, Quan Hao got up and dressed neatly. He hurriedly ate some canned meat and drank a few more sips of water. The cold mountain spring water entered his stomach, and he shivered a few times in a row. But he didn't care too much about the details, filled his stomach Quan Hao pinned two daggers to his waist, the speargun was on his back, and went out to put the stones he had prepared before at the entrance of the cave. After some covering, the hole was even more inconspicuous, and if he didn't pay attention to it, no one would be able to show it. Only then did I walk to the beach in the dark.
The two canoes were not in their original positions, and the rising tide carried them more than twenty meters to shore. In the rushing water, the rickety bow of the ship made new marks on the beach again and again, and was filled by the surging waves again and again.
Jeon Ho decided it would be better to let them go with the flow, and began patrolling back and forth on the beach. As long as there is no strong wind or rain at dawn, the island will be covered with thick fog. Today's fog is unusually thick, with visibility of less than five meters. At such a close distance, the eye almost loses its function. Quan Hao could only prick up his ears and replace his vision with hearing. It was quiet all around, except for the waves, only his own creaking footsteps. It's quiet and dark, and the foggy beach brings invisible pressure, as if monsters are ready to sphem at any moment. Although he knew that he was just suspicious, Quan Hao still felt very depressed. If it is usual, he can release negative feelings by shouting loudly. But at the moment he could only say nothing. Even walking lifted his legs lightly, for fear of being hidden behind the dense fog and hearing the movement. The feeling of depression became heavier and heavier, and Quan Hao couldn't help but think of a movie he had watched, "Silent Hill". The hero is in much the same situation.
He walked closest to the sea, and the footprints behind him were quickly washed away by the tide. Because he couldn't see far, and the beach was so similar, he couldn't even figure out how far he had walked, he could only count his steps. Take the position of the canoe as the starting point, and turn back every time you count to a thousand. Go back to the starting point and go in the other direction. The first patrol Quan Hao was the most cautious. The stride was small, and the speargun was clutched tightly in his hand. At the slightest disturbance, he tensed his body. Although it turned out to be a false alarm, he only relaxed slightly. The body is always leaning forward, ready to stab the speargun. After walking like this, there was no ghost, but Quan Hao felt more tired than doing a whole day's work. In particular, I was extremely tired mentally because I was constantly highly stressed. It will not work like this, if he does not make changes, the enemy will not come, and he himself will be dragged down by tension and exhaustion.
So the next few times Quan Hao tried to take it easy. Because the sky is a little brighter, the eyes can do their job. You no longer need to prick up your ears intently to check the situation, and you don't have to spend so much energy. But after walking seven or eight times, Quan Hao was still too tired to do it, so he had to sit on the beach and rest. After half a day of useless work, he was a little frustrated. He also felt that blindly defending was too passive, and he would never be able to take care of such a large beach by himself. Just like the Normandy 6 at the end of World War II, the Allies could choose any point along the French coast to attack, but the Germans had to defend the entire coastline. And this foggy sky, Quan Hao has never hated a certain weather phenomenon as much as he did today. If it weren't for it, he wouldn't have had to run around the shore like a headless fly, hiding behind coconut trees to keep an eye on the entire beach.
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