Jiang Yao let out a scream when she saw the bones of a sheep, but Lu Zhe was actually quite pleased.
"This is so frightening, what is this thing..."
"Why are you scared?" Lu Zhe chuckled lightly and said in a deep voice, "There are sheep on this island, shouldn't you be happy?"
"With so many wild animals, should I really care about this bit of protein? The problem is, it turned into a pile of bones, which is not very friendly."
Lu Zhe sighed helplessly, "What kind of twisted mindset does this sheep have to kill itself just to scare people?"
"How did it die then?"
Lu Zhe examined it carefully and said, "There are no bite marks on the bones, so it wasn't preyed upon. Perhaps it died of natural causes, or maybe its neck got entangled in wild grass and it couldn't free itself."
"Even if it's decomposing, animals would still bite into it, right?"
Lu Zhe nodded, "Unless its flesh is no longer suitable for consumption."
Lu Zhe squatted down and tore off a piece of meat with his hand, sniffing it. Surprisingly, there was a faint smell of sulfur!
What kind of sheep would die from a sulfur attack?
Although the meat couldn't be eaten, it provided Lu Zhe with a new idea for returning to the island.
Lu Zhe said, "Until now, we haven't found any bamboo on this island. Maybe there is no bamboo here at all! Without bamboo, the difficulty of making a raft will increase, unless..."
"Unless we can use the sheep's body!" Jiang Yao blurted out, and Lu Zhe unexpectedly nodded, "I don't know if you really understand this, but using the sheep's body can indeed make a raft, and it will be more durable than a bamboo raft!"
Jiang Yao thought for a moment and suddenly realized, "You're talking about a sheepskin raft, right?"
"Exactly!"
Lu Zhe snapped his fingers, saying, "I told you, having a big chest doesn't necessarily mean being brainless!"
"Tch, whatever..."
Lu Zhe felt that although there weren't many types of animals and plants to search for, it wasn't advisable to go too far on the first search, or else Qian Qian and Guo Er would be worried.
"Let's go back!"
Before leaving, Lu Zhe caught some butterfly larvae to roast and eat, which frightened Jiang Yao and made her scream again.
Although the conditions were tough when they first arrived on this island, fortunately, the resources were quite abundant. As long as they didn't do anything foolish, it seemed not too difficult to survive.
Back at the camp, they roasted the insects and cooked the wild vegetables. Lu Zhe and Qian Qian searched around the beach.
They collected a large pile of empty bottles, torn clothes, and aluminum cans.
Then they started distilling fresh water.
In the afternoon, Lu Zhe and Guo Er entered the valley from the other side, ready to search for the highest point of the island and see if they could find any traces of goats.
They climbed up a hill with an elevation of over 100 meters, only to discover that there were more than ten smaller mountains taller than it.
In the distance, a large expanse of karst land, with over a dozen peaks towering like swords, and several places on the surface emitting white mist, making the peaks appear as if they were situated in a shroud of fog.
This made the place seem incredibly mysterious and eerie.
Lu Zhe roughly estimated that the area of this small island was probably smaller than Volcano Island, but the number of species was no less!
And this wisps of sulfur smoke gave him an ominous feeling, as if beneath this island lay tremendous energy that could destroy this small island at any moment.
Just then, in the distance, there was a loud "bang," and a surge of black rocks erupted, followed by gushing orange magma. Before long, the smell of sulfur filled the air, and even Lu Zhe, hundreds of meters away, could feel the ground trembling.
It was a miniature volcanic eruption!
It lasted only a few seconds before subsiding, turning into a plume of smoke, indistinguishable from the other fumes.
Several girls were frightened, but it seemed that the local animals were accustomed to such phenomena.
On the rocky mountain, a few sheep glanced at the spot where the volcano erupted and continued their oblivious grazing.
This further strengthened Lu Zhe's determination to leave this island.
"What's going on, Lu Zhe?"
"I have a feeling this island is on the verge of destruction! There is tremendous energy beneath it. One day, an earthquake could trigger a volcanic eruption, and the whole island will be gone!"
"But it seems like the species on this island have been around for a long time!"
"Indeed! They haven't gone extinct, but in recent years, geological activity has intensified. They may be able to adapt to the initial geological changes, but they might not survive a major volcanic eruption!"
"What should we do?"
"In the next few days, it's unlikely. Let's get some insect repellent and start figuring out how to leave the island tomorrow!"
Another day passed!
It was now September 14, the 97th day stranded on this deserted island, a Wednesday, known as Insect Island!
It had been two days since Lu Zhe lost contact with Sister Bing and Ning Shu.
Lu Zhe decided to search for another day. If he still couldn't find bamboo to make a raft, he would venture into the mountains and try to catch some island mountain goats.
And on this day...
Lu Zhe made a new discovery!
Equipped with a fire starter and insect repellent, Lu Zhe led three girls around the northern side of the island.
They searched for bamboo and set traps in suitable locations along the way.
The four of them spent the whole morning, but they couldn't find a single piece of bamboo.
At noon, they arrived at the foot of a cliff!
Lu Zhe attempted to climb it, not because he couldn't climb up, but because it was the paradise of the island goats. Catching those crafty goats would be like a pipe dream!
But Lu Zhe had a plan!
He climbed to a height of twenty meters and took out a salt cake, rubbing it on the rocks, from top to bottom, creating a salty trail.
Then, he crushed the salt cake and scattered it on the ground, right beside a tree!
Afterward, Lu Zhe made traps using branches and ropes!
Unfortunately, this method could only catch one goat at a time. If he wanted to catch more, he would have to make tree cages!
It was a time-consuming and laborious task, but luckily, the three girls took care of basic supplies such as food and fresh water. Lu Zhe could focus on making the tree cages. However, after a whole day of hard work, he still couldn't finish making them.
They set up camp, made a fire in the woods, and rested for the night. They would continue tomorrow!
But in the middle of the night, Lu Zhe suddenly woke up!
A goat had triggered a trap, bleating loudly, and a strange creature pounced on its neck while it was feeding.