Lu Zhe recalled Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea. Every fisherman who caught a shark would receive the admiration and respect of the whole village! Using ancient drop-line fishing techniques, one had to engage in long tug-of-war battles with the sharks in the sea. Each shark caught meant facing tremendous danger and ordeal! Only the most seasoned sailors would dare to casually attempt this.
But what about Jiang Yao?
She made it look like child's play.
She didn't seem to use any force at all, yet still managed to haul the fish onto shore. No, she didn't haul it up, it was more like the fish conveniently beached itself.
Lu Zhe patted the shark's back and nodded, "In ancient times there was the Hanging Goat and the Confused Crab, now I'd like to call you the Beached Shark!"
Of course, he was just teasing!
After Lu Zhe examined the shark, he discovered that it had not taken the bait. Instead, the fish hook had snagged onto its gills. It had drifted with the ocean current and Jiang Yao's dragging motion, beaching itself on the island.
By now, it was extremely weak, even on the verge of death.
Was this a shark death caused by the El Niño phenomenon?
Lu Zhe didn't know.
Jiang Yao said helplessly, "What should we do with this thing?"
Tang Xiaoguo nodded, "Judging by its sincere gaze, it clearly hopes to be eaten by cute people like us!"
Shen Bing frowned, "I heard this stuff doesn't taste good!"
Tang Xiaoguo said, "Shark fin soup is an exception!"
"Hmm!" Lu Zhe nodded, then added, "Shark fin is rich in collagen and cartilage, and does have a much better texture. But it's very cruel. Shark finners cut off the fins then throw the sharks back into the sea. Unable to swim without fins, and unable to get enough oxygen through their gills, the sharks suffocate to death at the bottom of the sea!"
"That miserable?"
"So I've decided to stun it first, then cut off the fins!"
That's right, this way it won't suffer!
Lu Zhe grabbed a rock and killed the shark, then skillfully sliced off its fins.
A lunchbox full of shark fins, as fine as vermicelli, pearly white and translucent, with a pleasant texture.
This was Lu Zhe's first time realizing shark fins could also fill one's stomach.
3 AM on August 26th!
Stranded on this deserted island for 78 days, Friday!
The four maneuvered their bamboo raft away from the reef and returned to the plane crash site!
Red and white buoys bobbed up and down with the waves.
"Hopefully we can harvest even better things today!"
Lu Zhe put on his diving goggles and submerged into the water again.
Compared to last time, the water was murkier, not knowing if it was from corpse decomposition or more leaked oil.
Nonetheless, he continued diving downward!
Reaching the seabed again, he opened the cargo hold and sent up two suitcases and two backpacks.
Tang Xiaoguo excitedly discovered her own luggage!
Opening it, she found her lace clothes had all spoiled, leaving only some cartoon hoodies, sweatpants, and a big strawberry bear!
At this moment, the soaked bear no longer smelled of strawberries.
Shen Bing said, "Remove the cotton filling to dry it, then stuff it back in. It can serve as a pillow."
Next, they found Jiang Yao's luggage.
The blankets, summer quilt were all completely drenched, not knowing if they could still be used after bringing them back!
At least her skincare products, sunscreen, and sheet masks remained undamaged.
Then Ning Shu, Qian Qian, Lu Zhe, and Shen Bing's packages arrived one by one.
Ning Shu's Lao Gan Ma and Paojiao Phoenix Claws were also undamaged.
Qian Qian's tablet was broken but her sanitary pads did not leak.
The rest of the suitcases' contents were left unopened!
Keeping everything sealed to prevent spoiling.
Only after transporting them to Volcano Island could they be soaked in lemon water and used.
But to Lu Zhe's regret, he still hadn't found the tools he cared about most.
Nor the ideal solar charging device!
Oh well,
First transport this batch back to the reef, then retrieve the rest.
Soon, over twenty packages piled up the bamboo hut.
Haul another batch back to Volcano Island.
Also bring back lots of bamboo to expand the hut, then collect more supplies.
Repeat this process back and forth.
Three days later, Lu Zhe had emptied all the boxes and bags from the cargo hold, and brought up the small packages too, still unopened, to be transported to Volcano Island before unpacking.
Finally, only four large packages of the same size remained.
If nothing unexpected, these four big parcels most likely contained four extremely realistic silicone dolls.
Was it still worth the effort to lug them up?
Lu Zhe deliberated for three seconds before deciding to bring them up!
Regardless if the silicone had any use, just one maid costume from inside would be worth salvaging.
After hauling up the cargo hold's last package, Lu Zhe decided to check the plane again for anything missed.
The cargo hold was empty!
He pondered, then swam towards first class.
Just then, in his peripheral vision, was the plane's cockpit.
Presumably after days of water flow exchange between interior and exterior, the foggy sight had cleared up.
The cockpit's interior became visible.
At this moment, countless bodies sat in the seats.
Equally pale skin, equally tattered clothes, equally stiff expressions, equally bloated bodies, made them seem like mannequins at first glance.
Some fish the size of palms and all sizes of crabs swam around them, occasionally nibbling at the flesh on the deceased's lips.
Some people's lips were already completely gnawed off, baring ghastly white teeth.
Lu Zhe felt uncomfortable in his chest, and quickly added 20 more points to Constitution.
His lungs felt more comfortable, but his heart remained uneasy.
If not for sitting in first class, he and his five lovers would likely be one of them now.
He shook his head and swam towards the front of the plane again!
As expected, the captain's body was also soaked limp like a mannequin. The other co-pilot still had his back facing him, floating in the cockpit, features unclear.
Same as last time.
However, this time, Lu Zhe thought a bit further - why was he facing away?
Strong curiosity made him plaster himself against the glass to peer inside.
It looked like he was holding something!
Tools?
Was he facing away because he wanted to go out?
Did he want to take tools to fix the plane's malfunction?
No way!
That huge hole couldn't be repaired!
Lu Zhe scrutinized carefully, but the visible details were too small to discern what he was holding!
Should he go inside and take a look?
Lu Zhe swam to first class, but the door was locked!
Shen Bing had said, to prevent terrorist attacks, the cockpit door was the only one that needed opening from the inside. It could not be accessed externally no matter what.
Not even explosives could blast it open!
He tugged at the door, but a door that even explosives couldn't blast obviously wasn't something ten men's strength could pry open.
Lu Zhe decided to try another direction.
He swam to the front of the plane again and used rocks to smash the glass!
But the cockpit glass was extremely sturdy. Lu Zhe was also unable to generate enough acceleration for the rocks underwater. It wasn't just about strength. After smashing over ten times, he couldn't inflict the slightest damage on the reinforced glass!
Looks like he'd have to think of another way!