Chapter 288 - 288 One hundred forty-five

Words : 1412 Updated : Oct 1st, 2025

288: One hundred forty-five. Renovating the windbreak area 288: One hundred forty-five. Renovating the windbreak area With the water source temporarily secured, Lu Li shifted his attention to other matters. There were plenty of dry firewood in the forest, hardly scarce; the surface moisture could be dried off for sufficient burning. Lu Li picked up some branches as thick as fingers and pulled some dry weeds to use as tinder, brought them back outside Windbreak Point, and spread them on the dry sandy beach to dissipate as much moisture as possible. While waiting, Lu Li arranged the stones he had collected around the edge of Windbreak Point into a circle, building a small fire the size of a human head. He took the half-buried can in the sand, shook off the grit, and began puncturing an opening with the sharp edge of a rock. Hiss— The sound of air rushing in came from the gap, the can bulging slightly more than before. Using a shard, he chipped along the opening, creating a semi-circular edge, and pried the lid open. The can’s liquid had evaporated to half, revealing mushy meat chunks and beans. A can of pork and pea soup. As the meaty broth quivered, the odor mingled with the smell of preservatives snaked into his nose; no one would associate this can with food. But this made Lu Li think it might be edible. Setting the can aside, Lu Li emerged from Windbreak Point, retrieved the barely dried tinder and branches, and returned to the fire to strike a match. Hiss— The faint flame reached the tinder below, and the weeds began to emit thick smoke, bursting into flame after a moment. Once the flame grew large enough, Lu Li set it down, broke the branches into pieces, and placed them on the tinder. More intense smoke billowed, drifting out of the hollow pit at the top of the rock face and carried away by the breeze coming from the side, not lingering in Windbreak Point. As long as the breeze didn’t blow straight on, Windbreak Point would not be troubled by smoke. Should the wind direction change—he would need the sand wall he intended to build later on. The fire under the branches grew steadily and stabilized. Lu Li placed the can on the edge stone, left Windbreak Point, and brought the sun-dried branches from the beach to the edge of the fire to dry further, stuffing some more branches in. The burning branches crackled occasionally; there were still over a dozen matches left, enough to ensure the fire kept burning. Taking advantage of the can not yet boiling, Lu Li shuttled between the tree line and the beach, piling up a large stack of branches by Windbreak Point. After about fifteen minutes, the can started to bubble, releasing steam. Lu Li ducked back into Windbreak Point, where the cool sand pit was now getting warm, a good sign. He sat down by the fire, used two branches to pick up the can, and placed it aside to cool down. Casually tossing the branches into the burning fire, Lu Li chose two branches of similar length and sturdiness from the dried ones to serve as chopsticks, reached into the can to pinch a piece of gelatin-like mushy pork, and brought it to his mouth. The long storage time and excessive preservatives made the food taste indescribable, the mushy lean pork tasting like a brownish-red candle soaked in salt water. Really tasteless and really salty. Lu Li silently finished eating, set down the branches, and temporarily closed the lid. Not because of the taste, but because it was too salty, which was unbearable for Lu Li, who was already thirsty. He needed to eat slowly and observe his body’s reaction; if there was any abnormality, it would be very slight. On this deserted island, food poisoning could be as severe as dehydration, especially since Lu Li had no paper, and considering the poor environmental conditions of the world. The gradually warming sandpit chased away the chill in his body, fatigue, and exhaustion climbed up Lu Li’s spine, making it hard to concentrate as his eyelids grew heavier and heavier... “I’m watching you...” Just as he was dozing off, a secretive whisper suddenly rang out in his ear. Lu Li awoke with a start, his dark pupils constricting to pinpoints. He looked around, but apart from the fire exuding warmth, there was nothing in the sandpit. Another illusion... He climbed out of the windbreak to find the cool sea breeze helped to clear his mind. The waves frothed white as they rolled onto the beach, the sky remained overcast and grew darker than before, and the air carried a hint of heaviness. It looked like rain was coming. He hoped the rain wouldn’t be heavy; otherwise, he’d have to abandon this place and head to the eerie cabin on the cliff. After adding some branches to the fire, Lu Li went to check on the water. In just ten minutes, a finger’s width of clear water had collected at the bottom of the container. He pursed his lips, fighting the thirst, and returned to outside the windbreak to start building a sand wall. There wasn’t much skill involved; it was just time-consuming. What Lu Li needed to do was to dig up moist sand and stack it in front of the windbreak on both sides, leaving space to create a wall over one meter high that wouldn’t collapse under wind and rain. Leaving gaps on both sides that could be passed through, Lu Li traced a long line about seventy centimeters away from the windbreak, shielding it behind him. If a sea breeze were to blow in from the ocean, it would be blocked by the sand wall. He went into the forest to find several sturdy branches, spacing them out and driving them into the line as a framework, then squatted beside it, scooping up the surrounding sand onto the line. This task was boring and time-consuming, but it was perfect for someone who was too tired and weary to think because it didn’t require brainpower. After half an hour, the height of the sand wall was only as tall as his lower leg, and correspondingly, there was a similarly deep trench around the outside of the wall. Another half hour was spent piling the trench and wall up to half a meter in height and depth. Then, Lu Li moved to the sides, starting to dig out the sand there. Sitting on the beach digging sand, this simple enjoyment dissolved after an hour of tedious repetition. He slapped the excavated sand onto the wall, adding branches every fifteen minutes or so, repeating the cycle for another hour until finally coming to an end. A wall, as thick as a forearm and about 1.2 meters high, stood in front of the windbreak. There was also a trench about half a meter deep and equally wide encircling the windbreak within. If some sufficiently clumsy creature approached Lu Li’s windbreak, it would fall into the trench. Unfortunately, without leaves, Lu Li couldn’t disguise the trench as a trap. Lu Li walked towards the sea to wash the mud from his nails, palms, and arms, then headed to the water collection spot. Water had almost filled eight-tenths of the container under the watermark. He picked up the container, stepped over the trench, and climbed into the warm refuge of the windbreak, placing the container on the rock. Then he grabbed a can of pork and peas. This time, he ate half of it in one go without allowing the food to linger in his mouth. Even so, having consumed too much salt, Lu Li felt a strong thirst. He resisted the urge and took the moments while the water was boiling to gather more branches from the edge of the forest. Glug glug glug glug— The steam rose, and the boiling sound from the container reminded Lu Li of the strange whispers from the creatures aboard the ship. He waited quietly for nearly two minutes as the boiling water bubbled before he took it off the rock. Once the temperature cooled down slightly, he cupped his hands and sipped it slowly. A can of warm water at just the right temperature, easing the thirst and warming him inside and out. Now, only two more tasks remained for Lu Li to do.

Chapter 288 - 288 One hundred forty-five

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