Navigator: I have a double six-story house

Su Qing's statement was not a question, but an affirmative statement.

Lin An's lips twitched, and he lowered his head to look at his toes, not daring to look Su Qing in the eye.

"Last night you kept staring at the center of the island, checking it every three to four minutes," Su Qing said softly and calmly. "Do you know what that blue light source is?"

The air was still for a few seconds.

Lin An's shoulders slumped, not out of fear, but out of a sense of dejection after being exposed.

"I'm sorry, I lied, but how about we move away from the center of the island first?"

"I will tell you everything."

"Also, brother, could you please not point your shield at me? I'm a little scared."

Wang Yao didn't immediately put down the shield he was about to smear Lin An's face, but instead looked at Su Qing.

After Su Qing nodded, Wang Yao gave up his idea of ​​smashing Lin An's face with his shield.

The four retreated back to the beach, their hunger somewhat relieved.

"My name is Lin An, and I'm an adventurer."

He leaned against a coconut tree trunk, his voice revealing a hint of helplessness.

"Independent explorers who specialize in searching for rare resources."

"My coming to this island was not accidental; I came here of my own accord."

Wang Yao peered through the gaps in his faceplate, glancing back and forth between Su Qing and Lin An twice.

"At the center of this island lies a meteorite; that is the purpose of my visit."

Selena's eyes lit up for a moment when she uttered the word, but she quickly concealed it.

Lin An didn't notice Selena's gaze, but Su Qing did.

He knew that this young lady from the Wind Breeze Merchant Guild must have some information, but now was not the time to ask.

Lin An continued speaking.

"As an adventurer, I heard about the meteorite crash at the port and came here directly."

"I thought I could make a fortune by taking advantage of the meteorite's reputation and its high price."

"Then... I discovered that this meteorite wasn't as simple as I thought."

He glanced at Su Qing.

"That's the source of that hunger. Meteorite fragments release force fields that drain the life energy of those who get close, the closer the better."

"I tried to push through," Lin An rubbed his fingers. "I wasn't even halfway there when I got so hungry I couldn't even stand up. I almost died on the way."

After listening, Wang Yao accurately summarized: "So, the question is, can you even touch a stone before you starve to death?"

Lin An smiled wryly, "More or less."

Su Qing didn't ask any more questions. He had already obtained the core information he needed, and the remaining details could be pieced together slowly.

Su Qing sat on the reef and stared at the sea for five minutes, while the others were sent to find food.

After a while, Selena and Wang Yao returned first with food.

Su Qing noticed that Lin An hadn't returned yet and spoke up.

"The condition for passing the level is that meteorite."

Selena looked at him, her eyes shining.

"Even if it's not a requirement for passing the mission, Captain, you must find a way to get your hands on that meteorite."

Looking at Selena's shining eyes, Su Qing realized that the meteorite was definitely not simple.

This is something that could make the young lady of the Wind Breath Merchant Guild care so much.

He was just about to ask what exactly that meteorite was when Lin An returned.

Su Qing had no choice but to steer clear of the topic and begin planning and deploying her strategy.

"Spend two days stocking up on food, the more the better, and set off early on the third day to head straight for the heart of the island."

Su Qing drew several lines on the sand with her toes.

"After going inside, the four of us take turns: two are on guard duty, and the other two eat and replenish their energy."

"If you encounter a battle that drains your stamina, replenish it immediately with food. Keep the route as short as possible, fight as quickly as possible, and don't stop in between."

Selena pulled out a small purse from behind her back, found a twig, and squatted down to fill in Su Qing's scribbled lines on the sand.

With a few strokes, a simple topographic map with annotations appeared.

The basic skills that Fengxi Chamber of Commerce started learning at the age of six are perfectly applicable here.

Wang Yao stared at the map that Selena had carefully marked, feeling that he didn't quite understand it.

"What is this drawing?"

"Anyway, I'll just follow along and that's it, right?"

Su Qing patted him on the shoulder without saying anything.

For the next two days, the entire team entered "beachcombing mode".

Selena handled both plant harvesting and food processing.

Smoke rose from the makeshift stove from morning till night as she smoked fish caught from the reef area, wrapped in coconut leaves, humming a tune as she prepared food for everyone.

Wang Yao squatted in the rocky area, having temporarily removed his plate armor.

At that moment, he was picking at a seashell with one hand and swatting away a crab that was pinching his fingers with the other, all the while cursing under his breath.

"Let go! Will you let go or not! Believe me, I'll roast you too!"

Lin An was weaving a rattan basket a little further away. His fingers were nimble.

The knotting technique was clean and efficient; four knots were made in one afternoon, which were used to hold the smoked dried fish and preserved fruit.

Su Qing leaned against the reef and watched him weave.

It was fast, but the movements were very steady.

After finishing work in the evening, Selena moved closer to Su Qing.

"Captain," she said in a low voice.

Su Qing tilted her head slightly.

"I've been observing him for two days." Selena's gaze fell on Lin An's back as he sat alone in the distance.

"His skin is indeed dry and cracked, and his lips are peeling, but..."

She paused for a moment.

"His nails and hair are not right. A person who has been starving for fourteen days should have brittle and thin nails, and his hair should be falling out in clumps."

"But his nails are of normal hardness, and his hair doesn't look like he's suffering from severe nutrient loss."

Su Qing hummed in agreement.

Selena tilted her head to look at him. "Captain, you already knew?"

"When he walks, he always keeps his body close to cover, and when he rests, he leans against a hard object and faces an open area." Su Qing said calmly, "This is an unconscious habit that only people who have undergone systematic combat training have."

"Ordinary adventurers don't have this kind of muscle memory."

Selena raised an eyebrow. "So who exactly is he?"

"I don't know." Su Qing looked away. "But he needs us right now. As long as he needs us, he won't do anything reckless."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Just keep an eye on it."

On the last night before departure, the sky was pitch black, and there was no moon.

A campfire burned on the beach, and outside the circle of light was an impenetrable darkness.

Deep within the dense forest came low, guttural roars, one after another, but nothing emerged from the woods.

The only constant presence was that faint blue light in the direction of the island's center.

It beats brightly and dimly, like a heart beating rhythmically.

Su Qing leaned against the reef, closed her eyes, and breathed evenly.

He was not asleep.

At midnight, a faint rustling sound began.

It's Lin An.

Su Qing's eyelids remained still, her ears locked onto the sound source.

The footsteps moved toward the bushes, growing fainter and fainter until they disappeared into the rustling of the leaves.

Su Qing silently opened her eyes, got up and followed.

At the end of the bushes was a sheltered rock. Su Qing went around to the other side and looked through the gaps in the sparse branches and leaves.

The moonlight was dim, but his eyes had already adjusted to the darkness.

Lin An squatted behind the rock and took something out of his pocket.

The fist-sized, round, metallic-looking shell was cracked in half.

It was a broken compass.

The pointer spun wildly, finally settling on the direction of the island's center, trembling and ceasing to move.

Lin An stared at the trembling needle on the compass, squeezing out a few words.

"It'll be soon... Once we get the fragment, we can go back."

On the other side of the rock, Su Qing silently retreated back to the camp.

He leaned back against the rock and closed his eyes.

An adventurer, carrying a compass locked by a special force field, goes to the island alone.

He showed signs of combat training, and his physical exertion did not match his self-reported level.

The words he uttered were not "leave here," but "go back."

These two words have completely different meanings.