A line of small, golden, translucent text hovered above the rock.
[Ordinary rock: Surface covered with a few barnacles. Edible, but rough in texture. A red-shelled crab is hidden behind it. Danger level: 0.]
Lin Fan froze.
He rubbed his eyes hard.
The words were still there, perfectly clear, shifting slightly to stay in his line of sight as he moved.
A hallucination?
A concussion?
He turned his head toward a broken coconut tree on his right.
[Broken coconut tree: The trunk holds roughly 200 ml of fresh water, safe to drink as is. Beneath the bark are two longhorn beetle larvae. Their protein content is six times that of beef.]
Lin Fan’s heart began to pound violently.
This wasn’t a hallucination.
This was… a cheat ability?
As a longtime web novel reader, he understood instantly.
An omniscient prompt.
He could see the hidden properties of everything.
“Cough… water… is there any water…?”
A faint groan came from not far away.
Lin Fan followed the sound.
It was Zhao Na.
She was in a miserable state.
Her bikini had been torn, exposing large patches of bruised skin. Her once-smooth long hair was tangled like dry grass, caked with sand and seaweed.
She lay sprawled on the beach, her eyes unfocused.
When she saw Lin Fan sit up, a flicker of light crossed her eyes.
“Lin Fan… water… get me water…”
Even now, her tone was still an order.
That superiority was carved into her bones.
Lin Fan looked at her coldly.
The sea wind, salty and sharp, scraped across his wounds like coarse salt rubbed into raw skin. It burned.
Seeing that Lin Fan hadn’t moved, Zhao Na’s temper flared.
Back at the company, all she had to do was frown, and which of those low-level employees wouldn’t bow and scrape?
“Lin Fan! Are you deaf? I told you to find water!”
She tried to push herself upright, but the movement pulled at the bruise on her waist, and she winced in pain.
With that sharp movement, the already scant red bikini gave out. One thin strap snapped with a sharp pop.
The pale skin it had been holding in place suddenly lost its restraint and spilled free into the open air.
In the deep hollow between them, a few grains of sand shifted gently with each breath she took.
It was the kind of sight that would make any normal man’s blood run hot.
Lin Fan’s gaze swept over that startling expanse of white before he could stop himself, and his Adam’s apple bobbed.
Her personality might be terrible, but her body was undeniably first-rate.
Zhao Na caught him staring and gasped, instinctively moving to cover herself. Then her eyes shifted, as if a thought had struck her.
Instead of pulling her top back into place, she straightened her back, pressed her arms inward, and pushed her chest out further, deepening the curve.
Her voice turned coquettish, with a condescending edge, as if she were bestowing a favor. “What are you looking at? Does it look good? Then hurry up and find me water. If you do well, I won’t forget you when we’re back at the company.”
Lin Fan looked at her — arrogant even while she was reduced to selling her looks — and laughed coldly to himself.
An empty promise. She just wanted free labor.
His mind was clear, though. If he wanted to get back, he would still need Su Qingxue. He couldn’t afford to offend any of them now.
Even stranded, he was still the bottom-rung workhorse.
And if he ever made it home, this new ability might be worth a fortune.
“All right, Sister Na, just wait. I’ll go find some now.”
Lin Fan pulled his gaze away, his tone falling back into its usual obedience, and turned toward the broken coconut tree.
He focused on it, and the golden words appeared again.
[Broken coconut tree: The green coconut holds roughly 200 ml of fresh water. Tap the back lightly — it cracks open easily. Sweet and refreshing.]
Without hesitation, Lin Fan picked up a stone from beside him.
Thump! Thump!
A few hard strikes, and the shell split. Clear liquid spilled from the crack.
Lin Fan lifted it to his mouth and drank deeply from the opening.
Sweet. Cool.
The liquid slid down his parched throat like rain after a long drought.
Not far away, Zhao Na stared, dumbfounded.
She unconsciously licked her cracked, bleeding lips, her throat working as she swallowed hard. It was the lure of water. Pure survival instinct.
“Water… that’s water…”
She stopped caring about scolding him, and stopped caring about modesty, too. She crawled toward him on hands and knees, her chest shaking with every movement, leaving a messy, indecent trail across the sand.
“Lin Fan! Give it to me! Give it to me now!”
Lin Fan drank his fill — about three-quarters of it — then wiped his mouth.
He looked down at Zhao Na, who had crawled to his feet. From this angle, the deep hollow below him was almost dizzying to look at.
The goddess who had once treated him like a dog was now begging at his feet like a hungry pug.
He had to admit, it felt pretty good.
“Give it to me! I want a drink!” Zhao Na reached out to snatch it.
Lin Fan didn’t tease her any further. He simply handed her what was left.
“Slow down, Sister Na.”
Zhao Na grabbed it and tilted her head back, gulping wildly without any regard for appearances. Water ran from the corner of her mouth, down her long neck, and disappeared into the hollow of her chest.
“Cough, cough…” She choked repeatedly, but her eyes softened slightly. She still looked down on Lin Fan, but at least she’d stopped cursing at him.
Just then, a commotion came from farther down the beach.
“Ms. Su! Careful! Watch your step!”
Wang Qiang’s voice was as recognizable as ever. Even hoarse, it couldn’t hide that servile tone.
Lin Fan looked over to see Wang Qiang supporting Su Qingxue, picking his way across the beach toward the flatter ground.
A group followed behind them. Few men, many women, all of them injured.
Liu Feifei trailed at the back. Her sheer cover-up was soaked through and clung tightly to her body, the purple bikini beneath it faintly visible.
The sea wind made her shiver, and her long, pale legs brushed together as she walked, every step seeming to catch the eye.
And Su Qingxue was striking even in her disheveled state.
Her white one-piece was conservative, but soaked with water, it had turned semi-transparent, clinging to her exaggerated hourglass figure. The full curve of her hips shifted softly as she walked, impossible to ignore.
She pushed Wang Qiang away and, forcing herself to ignore the sharp pain of her twisted ankle, stood up straight. Her hair was a mess, but the icy, commanding aura of a CEO who was used to being in charge hadn’t left her at all.
Her gaze swept over everyone present. “Listen to me.”
“Crying won’t help. Shouting won’t help. Since we’re alive, we need to find a way to stay alive.”
The crowd quieted a little.
“My satellite phone activated its automatic distress mode before we went into the water.” Su Qingxue held up the black-screened phone, her expression unchanged. “The company’s rescue team is on standby around the clock. Once they lock onto our location, a helicopter can reach us by midnight tonight at the latest.”
Sure enough.
At her words, everyone’s eyes lit up.
It was hope, dragging them back from hell to heaven.
“Really, Ms. Su? We’re saved?” Wang Qiang was so excited he nearly dropped to his knees, tears and snot running down his face. “I knew following Ms. Su was the right choice! Ms. Su is our savior!”
“From now on, we’ll work even harder for the company and for Ms. Su!”
“I never make empty promises,” Su Qingxue said coldly, slipping straight into her executive role. “Now, everyone follows my orders. The men will go collect supplies nearby, especially fresh water and food. The women will go to the edge of the woods and gather branches for a fire.”
“Wang Qiang, you’re in charge of counting heads and supplies.”
“Yes, Ms. Su.”
Since rescue could come as soon as tonight, currying favor now was an investment in future promotion!
“Quick, quick, quick! Move! Don’t just stand there!”
“Hey! Lin Fan! Are you deaf?” Seeing Lin Fan still standing there, Wang Qiang immediately puffed himself up on borrowed authority, rushed over, and pointed a finger at Lin Fan’s nose. “Ms. Su told you to work. Who do you think you are? Believe me, when we get back, I’ll have you fired.”
Lin Fan looked at Su Qingxue, as if he hadn’t heard a word Wang Qiang said.
Su Qingxue was sitting on a rock to rest, clutching the water-damaged satellite phone tightly in her hand.
A line of golden text, visible only to Lin Fan, faintly appeared above that phone.