By the time Aoyama returned to the shelter, the moon had already moved above the canopy.
The dark red embers glowed faintly, illuminating Kasumigaoka Utaha’s figure as she sat on the straw bedding.
“Who’s there?!” She snapped her head up the moment she heard footsteps.
Her crimson pupils shone with startling intensity in the darkness.
The tension and worry on her face instantly relaxed after she saw who it was.
Yet, her fingers still gripped the flare gun tightly.
“Aoyama-kun, are you alright?” Her voice was kept extremely low, but the urgency nearly overflowed from every word.
“I’m fine.” Aoyama placed the compound bow and machete beside the fire before sitting down.
“Three men were resting by the stream.
They were killed by a dinosaur-like creature.” Kasumigaoka Utaha’s voice paused noticeably.
“A dinosaur?” Aoyama stirred the embers with his hand, his tone calm.
“It was likely some kind of raptor-type creature.
About two meters tall, with astonishingly fast movements.” “Those three men were armed, but they were almost completely defenseless against that thing.” “The entire hunt took less than a minute.” Kasumigaoka Utaha’s fingers instinctively tightened around the flare gun.
She fell silent for a moment, her gaze fixed on the compound bow and the machete.
“Those weapons…
were they the three men’s?” “Yeah.
That thing dragged away the bodies and a whole backpack, but the weapons were left by the stream.” Aoyama turned his head to look at her.
“I circled around several times before returning to make sure I wasn’t being followed.” Kasumigaoka Utaha quietly processed the information.
Her breathing, which had been ragged, gradually steadied.
Her crimson pupils shimmered with a complex mix of emotions in the firelight—fear and lingering dread, but also a profound sense of relief now that Aoyama was safe.
“Aoyama-kun,” she said softly.
“Hmm?” “Please, you must stay safe!” “I know you’re strong, but a creature like that…
what if you can’t get away in time?” Aoyama looked at her.
The firelight flickered across her profile, illuminating her slightly furrowed brow and the traces of lingering fear in her eyes.
Sensing her mood, Aoyama smiled.
“I will.
And besides, I’m strong.” Kasumigaoka Utaha let out a soft breath, as if she had received a promise that finally put her mind at ease.
She loosened her grip on the flare gun, returned it to the side pocket of her backpack, and leaned closer to the fire, sitting next to Aoyama until her shoulder almost touched his arm.
“It’s getting more and more dangerous here.
What are your plans for tomorrow?” Aoyama said, “Tomorrow, we’re going to the shipwreck.” He picked up the compound bow and checked the condition of the string.
“But we have to be even more careful.
The problems on this island aren’t just between humans.” Kasumigaoka Utaha nodded, her gaze falling on the brand-new compound bow.
After a few seconds of silence, a smile suddenly touched her lips.
“Still…
with this thing, you should be able to deal with that dinosaur, right?” Aoyama drew the bowstring, feeling its tension.
His gaze darkened slightly.
“If I can get a good shot…
I’ll have a chance.” “But that thing is too fast.
I need to find the right angle and distance first.” “Then you can practice your aim on the way tomorrow.” Aoyama nodded.
“Let’s sleep.
We have a long journey tomorrow.” “Mm.” Kasumigaoka Utaha slowly closed her eyes.
Listening to the faint chirping of insects in the distant forest, her breathing gradually steadied.
Aoyama sat by the fire, the compound bow resting across his lap.
His gaze pierced through the shelter’s entrance, staring out at the moonlight-shrouded forest.
The silhouette of that dark creature flashed through his mind.
“I have to be ready.” The next morning, they both woke up early.
Aoyama re-checked his gear.
The rebar and machete were tucked into the side straps of his backpack, the long sword hung from his waist, the compound bow was slung across his back, and eight arrows were neatly arranged in his quiver.
Kasumigaoka Utaha carried her own pack, containing the remaining smoked alligator meat, a few packs of compressed biscuits, two bottles of water, a first-aid kit, and the signal gun.
“Let’s go.” Aoyama pushed aside the vines at the shelter’s entrance.
The morning light streamed in, illuminating the stone overhang with a bright, warm glow.
They followed the stream, heading downstream.
The shipwreck was located near the coastline on the northern side of the island.
From their shelter, it was a long trek.
Aoyama deliberately avoided the area where the stream had curved yesterday, choosing a slightly longer but more open route.
They didn’t encounter the dinosaur creature on the way.
However, as they passed through a dense thicket, a snake about two meters long dropped from the treetops.
Its triangular head, flicking a crimson tongue, probed toward Kasumigaoka Utaha.
“Watch out—!” Before Aoyama had even finished speaking, his long sword was out of its sheath.
A flash of steel, and the snake’s head was severed from its body.
The snake’s body twisted as it fell from the branch, twitching twice in the leaf litter before going still.
“…” Kasumigaoka Utaha took a half-step back, her heart still racing.
She tapped her chest, then watched as Aoyama deftly used the tip of his sword to push the snake’s body aside.
“Aoyama-kun, thank goodness you reacted so quickly.” “Snakes are common in tropical rainforests.
You’ll get used to it,” Aoyama said, wiping his blade clean on some grass.
“Let’s keep moving.” Utaha nodded and followed him, her gaze fixed on his back.
After about three hours of walking, the trees began to thin.
The soft, humus-rich soil beneath their feet gradually gave way to sand and gravel, and the salty tang in the air grew stronger.
“Aoyama-kun, do you hear that?” Utaha stopped abruptly.
Aoyama halted as well.
Whoosh…
whoosh…
A rhythmic sound echoed from the distance, steady and continuous.
“That’s the sound of waves hitting the beach…” They exchanged a glance and quickened their pace in unison.
As they pushed through the last patch of sparse scrub, the view suddenly opened up.
“We’re here!” The beach stretched out under the sunlight, its fine white sand extending all the way to the water’s edge.
The sea shifted through various shades of blue, clear and pale green near the shore, deepening into a profound indigo further out.
A sea breeze swept past, instantly washing away the exhaustion from their journey.
In the distance, several hundred meters from the beach, a ship lay tilted in the water.
Its upper structure protruded three or four meters above the surface, the angle of its lean making it look like a whale slowly sinking to the ocean floor.
Kasumigaoka Utaha stood at the edge of the beach, her black hair whipped across her cheeks by the wind.
She stared at the shipwreck, her lips parting slightly as if to speak, before she seemed to swallow her words.
“…It’s bigger than I imagined,” she finally said.
Aoyama stood beside her, gazing at the same wreck, his eyes shifting back and forth between the hull and the sea surface.
He estimated the distance to be around two or three hundred meters.
The water between them and the ship was a deeper shade, indicating a depth of at least ten meters.
Swimming over wasn’t impossible, but if they ran out of strength halfway or encountered some aquatic creature, the consequences would be unthinkable.