Chuck instinctively flinched, rolling sideways to create distance.
He gripped his Tusk Spear defensively, but when he looked up, he froze again.
The person who had spoken from behind him was a cute girl wearing denim overalls.
She wore a straw hat, carried a palm basket filled with wild fruit, and had shoulder-length light brown hair braided into pigtails. A pair of modest black-rimmed glasses rested on her small nose, and her round, oval face looked so soft it seemed like water could be squeezed from it.
She looked young, perhaps still a student?
Damn, she's quite cute.
But the moment Chuck looked up at her, those bright, innocent eyes staring at him instantly shifted away, focusing on the side.
It didn't seem like shyness.
Chuck hesitated for a moment, then explained softly, "I'm sorry, I was just passing through."
"Then… why were you secretly watching my mom pee?"
Mom?
So that was it—they were a mother and daughter.
Chuck realized, but felt somewhat speechless and could only stick to his story.
"I wasn't watching. I really was just passing by."
Chuck slowly stood up, brushed the dust off his pants, and casually glanced into the distance.
The woman was currently huddled inside the palm hut, seemingly organizing things. It looked like she hadn't noticed them.
As his gaze shifted, the girl's bright eyes looked back at him. After observing him for a moment, she nodded her small head.
"Okay, I don't think you're a bad person…"
With that, she walked up to Chuck, grabbed a small handful of wild fruit from her basket, and offered it to him.
"Are you hungry? Here, eat this."
Chuck was initially stunned.
On this island where water and food were extremely precious, she was offering food to a stranger she'd just met?
Looking down at her, the girl still avoided his gaze while handing him the fruit.
Chuck couldn't help but feel moved.
He had met countless calculating people in modern society, but now, stranded on a deserted island, the people he encountered were surprisingly naive and kind. It was ironic.
Chuck felt a warmth in his heart and didn't bother with false politeness. He took the fruit and smiled.
"Thank you. I'm Chuck. What's your name, little sister?"
"Gu Momo."
The girl answered calmly, appearing somewhat distracted.
Her name was cute, too.
And her timidness was endearing.
Chuck smiled, about to reach out and playfully ruffle the girl's hair, when a sharp shout suddenly rang out beside him.
"Hey! Stop that!"
Chuck jumped in surprise, turning to see the curvy woman he had seen earlier. She was looking at them with a nervous expression, holding a stick she'd found somewhere, pointing it directly at Chuck.
This time, Chuck finally saw her face clearly.
She looked around thirty years old, with seductive, peach-blossom eyes and delicate willow eyebrows. Her features were exquisite, resembling a famous actress, but with added mature allure.
Combined with her voluptuous, webtoon-worthy figure, she was absolutely stunning and made one's mouth dry just looking at her.
What a gem.
But then a thought crossed his mind.
Although the woman was incredibly alluring, wasn't she a little too young to be Gu Momo's mother?
The beautiful woman was now staring at Chuck with intense vigilance, as if facing a great threat, and shouted, "Who are you? Don't touch our Momo!"
Chuck's face darkened.
Seriously, do I look like a kidnapper?
"Momo, come here, quickly!"
Hearing the beautiful woman's call, Gu Momo slightly turned her head, nodded at Chuck, and dutifully jogged over with her basket.
The beautiful woman, still clutching the stick, watched nervously until Gu Momo reached her side, then abruptly pulled her behind her.
Her large breasts trembled with the movement.
Fortunately, Gu Momo spoke up in time, defending Chuck.
"Mom, I was the one who spoke to him first."
Hearing this, the beautiful woman's hostility slightly decreased, but she still questioned Chuck, "Who are you!"
Chuck had no choice but to explain. "Don't be nervous. I was also a passenger on Flight XXX. I drifted to this island after the plane crash."
Hearing this, the beautiful woman still looked at Chuck with suspicion. "If you drifted here too, why haven't I seen you in the past few days?"
Chuck pointed to the jungle behind him and answered truthfully.
"There's a fissure in the rock wall to the west. If you go through it, you reach the southern part of the island. There's another beach there, and that's where I came from."
At this, the beautiful woman suddenly retorted, "Nonsense! The mud pool behind that rock wall is occupied by a fierce wild boar! I know you're lying!"
Hearing the beautiful woman's challenge, Chuck was exasperated.
If I wasn't a passenger on the plane, am I a native of the island?
Can't you just lower your guard and talk like a normal person?
Chuck raised his spear, pointing to the tusk tip which still had traces of blood.
"Then what do you think this is?"
"…"
The beautiful woman's expression slowly shifted from vigilance to disbelief.
She looked at Chuck and stammered, "You actually killed that wild boar?"
"I set a trap. Pure luck, really."
Chuck shrugged, not exaggerating or boasting.
The beautiful woman pondered this, silent for a long moment, then finally nodded.
"I see… it appears I was mistaken. I truly apologize."
As she spoke, the beautiful woman's face abruptly switched to a slightly apologetic smile, and she offered a genuine apology.
Chuck, seeing this, waved his hand dismissively.
"It's fine. The important thing is that the misunderstanding is cleared up."
The beautiful woman nodded, then spoke again, her tone full of formal politeness.
"Let me introduce myself. I am Gu Yitong, and I work for the Yunchang Group. This is my daughter, Gu Momo. May I ask your name, young man?"
This sudden change in demeanor surprised Chuck.
The Yunchang Group was a well-known property developer in his city. Despite the general market collapse in recent years, they had remained stable, making them a famous local enterprise.
So, she's a corporate power woman?
No wonder her attitude was so aggressive and she could change her expression so quickly.
But the question is, we're on a deserted island. Who cares where you work?
It's utterly bizarre.
Chuck completely ignored the professional context, nodding calmly.
"Chuck."
"Ah, so it's little Chuck."
Gu Yitong smiled and nodded, but the way she addressed him made Chuck's mouth twitch.
Lady, are we even acquainted?
But before Chuck could retaliate, Gu Yitong abruptly changed the subject.
"I'm truly sorry, but little Chuck, could I ask you to leave this beach?"
Her smile remained formal. Looking at Chuck, she said, "I was indeed overly tense just now, but since it's just my daughter and me living here, it's really inconvenient to have a man around. I hope you can understand, all right?"
Chuck's expression immediately turned cold.
Honestly, he wasn't short of food or water now, and he wasn't particularly coveting the resources on this beach.
But her attitude irritated him; she sounded exactly like a superior giving orders to a subordinate.
He didn't hold back, directly retorting, "What if I don't?"
Sensing the displeasure in Chuck's tone, Gu Yitong's face subtly changed. She glanced warily at the spear in Chuck's hand, and her voice softened slightly again.
"Little Chuck, please don't misunderstand, I'm not trying to force you… How about this!"
She suddenly clapped her hands and suggested to Chuck, "Every two days, we can meet at that rock wall at noon to exchange information and supplies, and otherwise, we'll leave each other alone. How does that sound?"
"No need."
Chuck's voice was utterly cold. He turned and walked away with his spear.
"Since Miss Gu finds it inconvenient, I won't bother you any further. Goodbye."
Not all women were as easygoing and sensible as Julia.
Especially those from his own culture.
This woman named Gu Yitong was clearly arrogant and didn't want to be involved with him, yet she was wary of his ability to kill the wild boar and didn't want to make an enemy of him.
If that was the case, then there was no need to get involved at all.
In fact, this suited Chuck even better.
He was actually curious to see what choice this corporate power woman would make when the resources on this beach were depleted and she found herself completely desperate.
Thinking this, a dark smile crept onto Chuck's face.
Those with good attitudes deserved genuine kindness.
Those with bad attitudes, he knew how to manage.
Watching his retreating figure, Gu Yitong raised a hand to her chest, slowly letting out a sigh of relief.
She turned to her side, looking at Gu Momo with a hint of reproach, and gently scolded, "Momo, I told you that dangers are everywhere here. Why would you initiate conversation with a strange man like that?"
"It was nothing…"
"Sigh, you child… You must be careful from now on, understand?"
"Mhm."
Listening to her, Gu Momo clutched the strap of her overalls, still looking distracted.
Her bright eyes, however, were fixed on Chuck's retreating back, and they shimmered with a bright light.
Returning the way he came, Chuck arrived back at the rock fissure, but instead of immediately passing through to the southern area, he turned to slowly ascend the western slope.
Since he had made the trip, he might as well explore everything that needed exploring.
The slope wasn't long. After a short walk, the view suddenly opened up.
Above the slope was a surprisingly spacious plateau!
Chuck was stunned, looking around.
The entire plateau was about half the size of a football field. Although the general terrain was flat, the ground was uneven, covered in scattered rocks, and the dry soil was overlaid with large patches of weeds.
There were no signs of food or water resources whatsoever.
The north side of the plateau was a steep rock face, and the south side offered a view overlooking the southern jungle that Chuck had walked through.
Beyond the plateau, a new stone path appeared, steeper and narrower, winding and disappearing into the cliff.
Continuing forward would likely lead into the truly mountainous regions of the island.
Chuck considered it but decided not to proceed further for now.
The answer to whether to continue exploring was certainly yes, but upon seeing this flat area, a thought that had been circling in his mind for a long time finally came to the forefront.
The cave on the south beach was good, but was it truly suitable for long-term dwelling?
Chuck had completely given up hope for rescue, especially since the island had so many anomalies. He even suspected he was caught up in some supernatural event.
With the intent to live on this deserted island long-term, the answer was obvious.
While the cave was decent, it was just a cave. It was always drafty, and in case of high tides or storms, it wasn't particularly safe.
So, he ultimately needed to find a suitable location to build a real "shelter."
He needed to start "building a home" from scratch!
The first step of building a home was choosing the location.
And this spacious plateau… was the perfect spot!
The terrain was flat, the elevation was moderate, it was backed by a cliff, a quick slope down led to the jungle and wetlands, it wasn't far from either beach, and to the east, it led to the island's interior.
The more Chuck looked, the more perfect it seemed.
After careful thought, he decided to go back and discuss it thoroughly with Julia. After all, they were companions sharing hardship, and the foreign woman's opinion was necessary.
But as he hurried down the stone slope, an unexpected figure suddenly blocked his path.
The cute girl named Gu Momo had appeared at the bottom of the slope sometime earlier. She was standing quietly, seemingly waiting for him.
Chuck was surprised.
Did she follow him?
Although her mother had a somewhat arrogant attitude, Chuck couldn't dislike this simple and adorable girl.
He slowly walked up to her.
"What's wrong? Did you want to talk to me?"
Seeing him appear, Gu Momo slightly tilted her head. The moment her eyes met Chuck's, they shifted away again.
The girl reached into the pocket of her overalls, suddenly pulled out something Chuck hadn't expected, and placed it in his hand.
"Here… for you."
Chuck looked down at his palm in astonishment.
It was a mobile phone.
He had one too, but he had thrown it away after it got water damaged.
As the girl gently pressed the power button, the screen lit up abruptly, and Chuck's expression was utterly shocked.
It still works?!
Chuck immediately swiped the screen to look at the icon in the top right corner, but the red 'X' on the signal bar instantly extinguished the hope that had just flared up.
But then, a scene that shocked Chuck even more appeared.
Gu Momo reached into her pocket again and pulled out a second mobile phone!
"My phone has been fully charged ever since we got to the island. Mom says it might be because of a magnetic anomaly on the island, but anyway… this phone is one I secretly kept to read novels; Mom doesn't know about it."
"I've tried it. Although there's no signal to contact the outside world, these two phones… can call and text each other."
Gu Momo's soft words struck Chuck like bolts of lightning from the sky, leaving him completely flabbergasted and petrified.
Ignoring Chuck's shock, Gu Momo's gaze remained unfocused, looking toward the rock fissure as she spoke softly to Chuck.
"It's a gift. In exchange, could you… chat with me?"
[Notification: Detected that you have gained a female companion. Checking… Check complete!]
[Name: Gu Momo]
[Age: 18]
[Metrics: Appearance Score 9.5, Bust/Waist/Hips 81/52/86, Emotional History 0]
[Overall Rating: 9.8!]
[Perfectly meets the standard! Trust Level detection feature activated!]
[Current Trust Level: 22 (Friendly)]