At first, Zhang Heng counted the days to see how many days were left until his return.
But later, he found that doing so did nothing but frustrate him. The more you stared at time, the slower it seemed to move.
So Zhang Heng simply stopped keeping track of the dates. When he had harvested the potatoes for the fourth time, he finally received a long-awaited notification.
[Archery skill upgraded from Lv.1 to Lv.2. Go to the character panel to view the relevant information …]
Zhang Heng quickly walked back to his tile-roofed house and dug out the starfish he had buried in the corner. After putting it on, he realized that he had been on this deserted island for a total of 385 days, more than a year.
Although it was not comparable to the famous Robinson Crusoe, it was incredible enough for a city dweller.
In fact, Zhang Heng had now fully adapted to life in the wild.
To make his life more comfortable, his tile-roofed house and vegetable garden had undergone two rounds of expansion. The former had changed from a single room to three bedrooms and a living room, and he had also added floor heating. The output of the vegetable garden had now exceeded his consumption. Zhang Heng cut the extra potatoes into pieces with a stone knife and dried them under the sun to obtain 100% natural baked potato chips.
In addition, he found onions in the woods and transplanted them into his small vegetable garden. After doing all this, he spent time building a fish pond, a bath, and a breeding garden next to the hut.
The fish pond was filled with fish and crabs that he could not finish, and the "pheasant" with its head stuck in the fence had gloriously become the first resident of the breeding garden.
Zhang Heng had been shooting at it for a month and a half, and it had already left a shadow in its heart. It had changed from a big chicken tyrant that said, "I'm not afraid of anyone. If you have the ability, then give me a good time" to an empty nest old man with lifeless eyes.
Zhang Heng also felt a little guilty. He resisted the urge to eat it, and instead, he kept it in captivity, thinking that he might be able to harvest some eggs to eat. However, this dream was shattered one day when he found out that it seemed to be a male.
Forget it, he would just keep it as a pet. Zhang Heng named the "pheasant" Mickey Mouse.
Compared to fish, birds, and crabs, at least this thing had a higher IQ, and it could interact with each other after a long time.
Zhang Heng's accuracy had reached 80% within 10 meters, and 50% within 30 meters. When he received the notification that his archery skill had reached Lv.2, he knew it was time to move.
So he spent ten days preparing food for the two of them and a month's worth of food for Mickey Mouse. After that, he chose the toughest wood to make two spears as melee weapons.
On the 401st day, the explorer floated back from the sea. Zhang Heng paddled his self-made raft to the man's side.
"Thank you, my friend. Are you a native of this island? The boat I was on sank in a strong typhoon. I was the only one who swam here, but I'm also exhausted. If it weren't for your help, I'm afraid I would've been dead. "
"…"
Zhang Heng was speechless. How did I look like a native?
He lowered his head and looked at his reflection in the sea. Well, he did look like a typical native. He had stayed on this island for too long, and other than his watch, most of his belongings were broken.
But no matter what, it was always good to see his own kind. Zhang Heng hadn't spoken to anyone for almost a year, and he was excited to see the explorer. He handed him a wooden bucket filled with fresh water.
"My name is Zhang Heng. I'm not a native here. Like you, I encountered a shipwreck. But that was a year ago."
The explorer looked much better after drinking the water. At first, he was worried that Zhang Heng might have saved him to prepare dinner. Now that he knew Zhang Heng was a civilized person, his face lit up.
"My name is Bell, Butley. Boutley, once served in the British 21st Airborne Special Forces, climbed Mount Everest, and finally chose to become a host, explorer, and author … You said you've lived on the island for a year? That's amazing. "
"Strictly speaking, I had two companions, but they didn't make it." Zhang Heng paused and tried to ask again, "Do you remember the two people who fell into the sea with you?"
"What people who fell into the sea with me?" Bell didn't look like he was lying. "When the accident happened, I wanted to save them, but a big wave came and knocked me out. When I opened my eyes, I saw this island."
"…"
Zhang Heng wasn't surprised by this answer, but he felt a little sorry. Since Bell had no memory of Ed and the guy in shorts, he probably wouldn't remember him floating in the sea for a year.
He was curious how the game would fix this bug, but he just played dumb and got away with it.
After rowing the raft to the shore, Zhang Heng brought Bell to his hut.
"Did you build all this yourself?" Bell couldn't help but exclaim when he saw the house with a 180-degree view of the sea, the vibrant vegetable garden, and the pond filled with fish and shrimp. "I don't think I have anything to teach you anymore. Even I can't do better than you."
As he spoke, his gaze fell on Mickey Mouse, who was sighing and lamenting about life's hardships in the breeding garden. He was stunned.
Zhang Heng thought that Mickey Mouse's appearance had successfully made another person cry, and was about to introduce them to each other when Bell suddenly exclaimed, "Oh my god, what did I just see?! The dodo bird! There's a living dodo bird in this world!!! "
This time, it was Zhang Heng's turn to be stunned.
He was no stranger to the dodo bird. According to records, this bird had been living well on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean until it met a group of European colonists. As a result, disaster befell them, and they went extinct in a short span of two hundred years. Until now, not even a complete specimen was left.
Zhang Heng didn't expect to eat the national bird of Mauritius at a random place.
But since they were in a game, it wouldn't be too surprising if something like this happened.
Seeing Zhang Heng's calm expression, Bell was a little surprised, and so he kindly explained to Zhang Heng, "The dodo bird went completely extinct in 1681. There are many different theories about the cause of its extinction. Some say that the European colonists ate them all, some say that the colonists brought animals with them, and some say that it was because of the change in the ecological environment … But no matter what, they have disappeared from the earth. In 16 years, a dodo bird skeleton was auctioned for a high price of 500,000 pounds. Your discovery on this island will shock the whole world."
Unfortunately, this was just a game world, and the script outside of the island was a complete blank … Zhang Heng added in his heart. But he couldn't explain it to Bell like that. After thinking about it, he changed to a more acceptable explanation. "Bell, even if this really is a dodo bird, we have to find a way to leave this island before we show it to the world."
"You're right." Bell agreed. "Having a dodo bird on this island isn't good news for us. It means that no one has ever landed here before, and I'm afraid this place isn't on any of the shipping routes."
"I've been on the island for more than a year now, and I'm pretty familiar with the periphery. Next, I want to go to the center of the island … Hmm, maybe I can find a way back."
"Then let me go with you. I think I can still be of help when it comes to exploring." Bell was very straightforward. "When are we leaving? Tomorrow?"
"No, no … let's wait for two more days. Let your body fully recover, and also … chat with me." Zhang Heng looked at the explorer longingly.
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