Desert Island Survival: A Hundredfold Improvement After Having a Baby?

These four words caused their expressions to change drastically. Zhang Tao seemed to be deep in thought, while Zhou Kai moved a heavy stone weighing several tens of kilograms next to him closer to his feet.

Chen Jian looked at the reactions of the two people above him and a tiny smile appeared on his lips.

He continued speaking, trying to break down their psychological defenses.

"I know you are different from Lin Fan. Lin Fan is a madman. He is a beast who doesn't value human life. But you are not."

"You're all just ordinary people, you all want to go home alive, right?"

Chen Jian pointed to himself, then to Wang Qiang and the others behind him.

"So are we."

"So I brought people up here not to fight, we're here to negotiate."

Chen Jian adjusted his glasses.

"The conditions are very simple."

"Give us half of the supplies in the cave, and split the fresh water in half."

"You continue to live in that big cave up there, and we'll stay on the beach down here. Let's not invade each other's space and hold out until the search and rescue team arrives."

"President Su has promised that she will compensate the family of the person you killed with stones, and that they will not cause you any trouble after you return. What do you say?"

Above the cave.

Zhang Tao turned his head and looked into the cave.

Case after case of bottled water, piles of self-heating rice, instant noodles, and sausages.

That's the hard currency of this deserted island; that's the capital that allows you to survive on this island.

His lips trembled violently, and his hands wrung nervously at his sides.

If we agree to Chen Jian's request and hand over half of the supplies, everyone will be fine.

If they don't agree, Lin Fan will die, and how can he and Zhou Kai possibly stop the pack of starving wolves below?

Zhang Tao's eyes were filled with struggle. He looked at Zhou Kai, his voice hoarse and barely audible: "Zhou Kai... how about..."

"If you do the math, it's already the sixth day. The rescue team should be here soon, right? Giving away half of the supplies isn't a loss. It'll bring peace, and once the helicopters arrive, everything will be easier to handle."

Zhang Tao found the argument increasingly reasonable and began to speak faster.

"Besides, who is Su Qingxue? She's a female boss with billions in assets. If she says she'll compensate us, then she will. It's easier for Sheng Tang Group to hire a legal team than for us to hire a moving company. As long as she gets involved, the family can definitely be settled."

"This is an opportunity, Zhou Kai."

"We killed someone with stones, that's a fact. If no one covers for us when we get back, at the very least we'll get ten years in prison, and at worst, it'll be execution for intentional homicide."

"Besides Su Qingxue, who else can cover for this?"

Zhang Tao stared into Zhou Kai's eyes and asked, word by word, "Don't you want to go back? Do you want to live like a savage on this wretched island for the rest of your life?"

Zhou Kai did not answer immediately.

He rested his elbows on his knees, his gaze sweeping over the edge of the platform to the distant gray-blue sea.

There was nothing at the horizon where the sea met the sky.

There were no boats, no airplanes, and not even a seabird in sight.

"Zhang Tao".

Zhou Kai looked away, his voice deep.

Have you ever thought about this question?

"What?"

"This island is abnormal."

Zhang Tao was taken aback.

Zhou Kai pointed to the jungle in the distance.

"Komodo dragons normally grow to a maximum length of three meters. The ones that rushed out of the forest yesterday were over four meters long, not counting their tails. When I was running for my life, I saw them clearly; their scales were like sheet metal, and their teeth were thicker than my fingers."

"And that python, a ferocious snake weighing several hundred pounds."

"These things shouldn't exist."

Zhang Tao's mouth opened slightly, but he didn't say anything.

Zhou Kai continued, "Do you remember that plane that disappeared from radar? They searched for two years and couldn't even find a single piece of wreckage?"

"370?"

"right."

Zhou Kai stood up and looked at Zhang Tao.

"What if the island is located in an area where search and rescue signals cannot reach? What if helicopters and search and rescue boats cannot even scan this area?"

"You won't wait until the seventh day, nor until the seventeenth day. By the seventieth day, you won't even have the strength to wait anymore."

Zhang Tao's expression changed little by little.

"At that time, whoever has the supplies will be the one who stands in the end."

Zhou Kai pointed to the pile of cardboard boxes deep inside the cave.

"These things belong to Lin Fan. But if Lin Fan really dies, these things will be our lives."

"Give half to the people below? Do you know what that means? It means that you could have lived for thirty days, but now you can only live for fifteen."

Zhou Kai stared at him. "Are you willing to risk your life on a single word from Su Qingxue?"

Zhang Tao felt a chill run down his spine from what he said, and his lips trembled a few times: "But... what if Lin Fan is really gone? How can the two of us stop them?"

"And those ferocious beasts."

"If you can't stop them, fight them; if you can't beat them, fight to the death."

Zhou Kai turned his head and glanced at the pile of dry firewood beside the fire, then looked at the fist-sized pebbles on the edge of the platform.

"This terrain is impregnable. They can only come up the slope. If you and I take turns smashing it, neither of us can get up."

"Besides..." Zhou Kai paused, "Do you really think Su Qingxue keeps her word?"

Zhang Tao didn't respond to that.

Zhou Kai didn't wait for him to answer.

"Su Qingxue is a capitalist. What capitalists promise is discounted and then divided by half."

"She's saying she'll help you settle things with your family now because she needs your supplies. Once she gets the supplies and returns to civilized society, she'll have plenty of lawyers around who will sell you out and you'll still be counting the money for her."

Zhang Tao fell silent.

Chen Jian waited for a full five minutes at the bottom of the cliff, but there was still no response from above.

Wang Qiang, standing behind him, was already impatient. "Chen Jian, why waste time talking to two lowly beasts? They were screaming so pitifully in the woods earlier; Lin Fan must have been chewed up by the monster. There are only two of them; let's charge straight up!"

Wang Qiang's only thought was to send others to their deaths. Chen Jian turned around and gave him a cold look.

Wang Qiang immediately shut his mouth and shrank his neck.

After observing for several days, he discovered that Chen Jian, this "gold digger," was full of poison in his belly.

Chen Jian turned around and pushed up the broken glasses on his nose.

He looked up again, his voice a little louder than before, "Zhang Tao, Zhou Kai, my patience is limited, and the patience of the brothers below is also limited."

"This is your only chance to return to civilized society with dignity. Put down the water and food, and we'll sign a written agreement, personally guaranteed by President Su. If you don't cooperate, things will be different once we rush in."

Above the cave, Zhang Tao listened to the oppressive shouts, and his mental defenses completely collapsed.

"No... give them some water first." Zhang Tao turned around, rushed towards the supply area, and reached for a cardboard box full of mineral water. "Keep them calm first, then we'll discuss it further."

"Bang!"

Zhang Tao's hand had barely touched the cardboard box when he was kicked hard in the stomach.