Volume One, Chapter 16: A New Gathering Place

Amidst a sparsely wooded area, several apple trees stood scattered here and there, hidden among the forest. If it weren’t for the conspicuous bright red fruit hanging from the branches, Lin Yuyu might not have even recognized them as apple trees.

Originally, seeing the fruit should have brought some joy to the famished Lin Yuyu. Yet, since they were apples, she couldn't muster any happiness.

Apples...

One of the fruits Lin Yuyu disliked the most.

But her growling stomach reminded her sharply: having something to eat was a blessing; there was no room for pickiness.

So, despite her lack of enthusiasm for apples, Lin Yuyu still set to work.

She imitated an older woman ahead of her, selecting an unattended apple tree and climbing up. Standing on the trunk, she began inspecting the apples.

However, while others had already examined several trees, Lin Yuyu had only finished with one.

Even after climbing up and down a few more trees, she came away empty-handed.

Lin Yuyu sighed.

Sure enough, with her streak of bad luck, it was fortunate enough that nothing worse had happened. Expecting to scavenge leftovers by following others was just wishful thinking.

Glancing around, she noticed the worried expressions of those nearby. Only then did she relax slightly.

If everyone was struggling to find anything, then at least she wasn’t alone in her misfortune.

One’s sense of happiness often arose from such contrasts.

After hours of fruitless searching, Lin Yuyu planned to sneak off to a different spot to gather.

Earlier, while up in the tree, she had vaguely noticed a nearby thicket dotted with fruit, though the small berries were scattered sparsely among dense bushes, making them difficult to see clearly.

Perhaps that was why no one had discovered or ventured there yet.

Untrodden places might offer better luck. Maybe she could try over there?

Rather than hesitate, she acted.

Lin Yuyu was already at the edge of the wild apple gathering area, and her small frame was easily concealed by leaves.

From slipping stealthily down the tree to dashing to the outskirts of the orchard and then entering the thicket, no one had noticed her movements.

Thus, no one knew that beside the bustling gathering site lay this hidden patch.

Once inside the bushes, Lin Yuyu realized they towered above her, their leaves thick and tall. Among them hung various small fruits, each nearly half the size of her fist.

Gazing at these sweet-smelling berries, she swallowed involuntarily.

Yet…

Most of these fruits were unfamiliar to her, leaving her uncertain where to begin.

Lin Yuyu hesitated, wondering if the berries might be poisonous or safe to eat.

Her basic scanner could only detect high radiation levels in objects but could not analyze the fruits’ specific qualities. It seemed she needed to acquire a more advanced device; otherwise, she would remain clueless each time she ventured out.

Rubbing her hands together, she scanned the fruits for a long while until she finally spotted one that looked familiar among a cluster of deep red and black berries.

It was a type of berry composed of many tiny drupelets, resembling raspberries and mulberries from her memories.

The size was akin to an upgraded version from Earth, which explained her initial failure to recognize it.

Turning her head to survey her surroundings, Lin Yuyu pressed a button on the side of the personal terminal strapped to her wrist.

A small circular sensor—the primary radiation detector—popped out from the device’s right side. Only then did she pick a wild berry.

Carefully squeezing the fruit’s skin, she extracted a drop of juice and placed it onto the sensor.

“Beep! Edible!”

A promising start! Wonderful!

Lin Yuyu’s spirits lifted; finally, she saw a glimmer of hope.

She glanced around cautiously. Seeing no one nearby, she lowered the detector’s volume and resumed testing.

The beeping sounds echoed repeatedly through the thicket.

Soon, she had scanned all the raspberry-like berries growing there.

Unfortunately, the harvest was meager.

Out of all the tests, Lin Yuyu found only three or four edible berries.

Tucking the handful into her pockets, she turned her attention to the other unfamiliar fruits.

Lin Yuyu thought, since I’m here, why not test them all?

Without hesitation, she removed the cloth wrapped around her head, tore off two long strips, and bound them tightly around her hands. Then she rewrapped the remaining cloth around her head.

Prepared, she reached out to pluck a fruit and began testing once more.

The “beep beep beep” sounds resumed in quick succession.

Suddenly, amidst the steady beeping, a different sound caught her attention.

“Beep beep beep!”

Looking down, she saw glaring red letters flashing on the terminal screen:

[Attention: A storm is imminent! All islanders not yet home, please seek nearby shelter immediately!]

[Attention: A storm is imminent! Please—]

Simultaneously, a wailing siren sounded in her ears.

The island’s storm surge warning! The storm was coming!?

This was far too sudden!

Before Lin Yuyu could even react, a commotion arose nearby.

People rushed past her in a panic, hastily fleeing in all directions.

Upon closer inspection, their apparent disorder was deceptive; each person ran purposefully toward a nearby refuge.

Only Lin Yuyu was truly frantic.

Her mind raced with the thought, "I’m going to die, I’m going to die, I’m going to die..."

Outwardly, she stood still, calmly and quickly plucking fruit and placing them into a large leaf.

Inwardly, she was lost, desperately screaming inside, “Ah! Lin Youyu, please tell me, where should I run?”

Whether it was her hysterical plea or fate, several images suddenly flashed through her mind.

A dark cave.

A rugged trail.

The sunset at ten o’clock.

She understood!

Head south, then west, follow a rugged path, cross a patch of wild grass, and there would be a hidden little cave!

Salvation!

Uh… but which direction was south? And west?

It was an overcast day—no sun in sight! Ah!

The siren’s wailing continued relentlessly.

No matter. She would rely on instinct!