How did he do it?
That, naturally, was a trade secret, not to be revealed.
"More importantly, let's get the water boiling. You must be terribly thirsty too."
Chuck simply and abruptly changed the subject. He picked up two water-filled bamboo tubes from the corner and placed them over the fire to heat.
Then, he found a large palm leaf, used it as a cushion, and sat down next to Julia, facing the fire.
The mud wrapped around the bottom of the bamboo tubes gradually hardened under the heat, and white impurities slowly began to emerge from the water inside.
The burning branches crackled, the remnant sunset outside the cave intensified, and the sea surface became unusually calm.
"Chuck, you worked so hard today."
Julia spoke first, breaking the slightly awkward silence.
She sat with her legs together, placing her small feet near the fire, hugging her knees as she spoke softly.
"You too, Julia."
Chuck sat cross-legged, with the wild fruits and bananas Julia collected that afternoon resting on his lap, replenishing his nutrition in large bites.
"It has been a crazy day…"
Julia said, her blue eyes trembling slightly, like jewels in the firelight.
"Honestly, when the plane started gliding down, I thought my life was over."
"Same here."
Chuck nodded, the terrifying scene from not long ago flashing back into his mind.
Everyone around him was screaming in despair. The sense of weightlessness and hopelessness completely overwhelmed them. His body was paralyzed, forcing him to squeeze his eyes shut against the fierce wind rushing in from the hole in the cabin.
When a person realizes they are about to die, the most agonizing part is the period spent waiting for death.
But who could have guessed that he would not only survive the disaster but, just half a day later, would be temporarily residing in this deserted island cave with a young, beautiful blonde woman, having even awakened the legendary System?
Life is a drama, buddy.
While the two were lost in their thoughts, the water in the bamboo tubes finally began to bubble. The rising steam indicated that the fresh water inside was fully boiled.
Although there were still many impurities, the water was at least safe to drink now.
Having only quenched their thirst with wild fruits and coconut water all day, both of them eagerly grabbed a bamboo tube. They didn't even care that it was scalding hot, blowing air over it in large breaths while slowly drinking every last drop in the tube.
"Ah—"
Putting down the bamboo tubes, Chuck and Julia sighed in unison.
Refreshing.
The last time drinking water felt this good was during Chuck's university military training, when he stood under the scorching sun for a whole day and bought a cold bottle of Sprite on the way back to the dorm.
The condition of the bamboo tube was as Chuck had predicted. Even with the protection of the mud, just one round of boiling caused severe charring visible from the inside of the tube bottom.
It was essentially at the point where a second use would cause it to leak.
He tossed the used bamboo tubes out of the cave. Chuck didn't put the remaining six water-filled tubes back on the fire. Since the tubes were fragile, it could wait until they needed to drink again.
These six tubes would be enough for them to last through all of tomorrow.
As for the day after?
He would worry about that tomorrow.
The sky outside the cave had completely darkened. Scattered stars emerged in the night sky, and only a faint thread of dark red sunset lingered on the horizon.
Having replenished his water and satisfied his hunger with wild fruits and bananas, Chuck, despite a hard day's work, still couldn't feel sleepiness setting in.
Julia, sitting beside the fire, looked tired, but her eyes were wide open.
The reason was simple—jet lag.
They had only woken up shortly before the plane crashed, and less than half a day had passed since then.
If the plane had arrived in Toronto as scheduled, it would be landing around this time. It would be the middle of the night there, and they would both likely check into a hotel near the airport, take a sleeping pill to force themselves to sleep, and adjust to the time difference.
But unfortunately, there were no sleeping pills on this deserted island, and their plane hadn't made it to Toronto.
So, full and wide awake, Chuck could only focus on practicing his English in thought.
His gaze subtly shifted to the side, lingering on Julia's snow-white, straight long legs.
The genetic advantages of a white woman were fully displayed on her body. Her skin was smooth and delicate, white with a hint of pink. Her legs were perfectly proportioned, and she likely maintained good exercise habits, as they were slender yet had a taut, toned definition.
And her small feet, resting on the palm leaf, were truly exquisite—a full arch, beautiful shape, rounded toes, and pink nails with a healthy sheen.
The more he looked at this foreign woman, the more he felt there wasn't an unflattering part on her body.
She truly deserved the 9.9 rating from his System.
Yet, while Chuck was unabashedly admiring her legs, Julia seemed completely unaware. She continued to hug her knees, gazing at the orange flames dancing in the fire pit.
Her expression suddenly turned sad, and she spoke softly.
"Chuck, did I tell you before that I was a foreign exchange student studying in China?"
Recalling their conversation when they first met at noon, Chuck nodded.
"Yes, you did. Why bring that up now?"
"I'm sorry, I lied to you."
Hearing this, Chuck was momentarily surprised, then scratched his head. "Then how is your Chinese so good?"
"I lived here for a while when I was a child, but that was a long time ago."
As Julia spoke, it seemed she had opened up her heart.
"I came to China this time because I had a huge fight with my mom. I heard about the short-term visa waiver in China, so I bought a ticket and came here alone to travel."
"Before I left, just to make her angry, I said some really harsh things… and I blocked her number."
As Julia continued, her jewel-like eyes gradually became watery, and her eyes reddened.
"Shit… I really regret it now."
With that, large tears streamed down the foreign woman's face like a broken dam.
Seeing her cry, Chuck sighed helplessly.
Although the foreign woman seemed strong and capable, she was, in reality, just a college student in her early twenties.
She was too focused during the day to think too much, but now that night had fallen, the sadness and fear finally caught up to her.
Honestly, Chuck couldn't laugh at her.
Even with the System awakened, he still felt a sense of pressure about the deserted island survival that lay ahead.
All he could do was offer quiet reassurance: "Try to look on the bright side. As long as we hold on, we'll get back one day."
Despite having no basis in fact, his words acted like a tranquilizer, allowing Julia's mood to return to calm and composure.
She wiped the tear tracks from her face with the back of her hand, then looked at Chuck and offered a gentle smile.
"Thank you, Chuck. I don't know what I would do without you."
[Julia's Trust Level in you has increased by 5 points. Current Trust Level: 21 (Friendly)]
Seeing the sudden Trust Level increase notification, Chuck's mood brightened considerably.
It seemed he was not far from unlocking the extra crafting queue.
He raised his hand and patted Julia on the shoulder.
"Don't mention it, little crybaby."
Hearing this, the foreign woman's face instantly flushed. She raised a bare, white long leg and playfully kicked out towards Chuck.
"Hey! I wasn't crying! I just had sand in my eyes!"
Since it was just playful banter, she didn't put any force into the kick.
Chuck instinctively raised his hand and easily caught the soft, delicate foot.