Xiao Qing smiled faintly, her eyes bright: "Don't forget, your skills are far inferior to mine. If you can go, why can't I?"
And so, Chen Xiao and Xiao Qing left the tool shed. Before leaving, Ya Ya seemed to finally sense something was amiss: "Chen Xiao...you..."
"Stay here." Chen Xiao smiled gently, hugged Ya Ya lightly, and stroked her hair. "I'm going out to find something. You have to be good and listen to Xiao Xu and Bai Cai, okay?"
As he spoke, he leaned close to Ya Ya's ear and whispered, "If you encounter any danger... use electricity!"
"Where are we going?" After leaving the tool shed and walking back down the corridor to the villa's lobby, Xiao Qing followed behind Chen Xiao and suddenly asked this question.
"Go back to your room first, I need to get a few things."
In Chen Xiao's room, he quickly took out his suitcase. Under Xiao Qing's curious gaze, Chen Xiao changed into a pair of black leather boots, put on a headset and a pair of glasses, and wore a leather jacket.
"What a pity, a counterfeit suit. No offensive weapons." Chen Xiao was a little annoyed, and glanced at Xiao Qing: "There must be a kitchen here, let's go find a knife."
"A knife? No need." Xiao Qing suddenly turned around, grabbed the belt buckle at her waist, and pulled it forcefully...
Whoosh!
A flash of cold light appeared, and Xiao Qing held a slender sword in his hand! The sword's metal seemed to be some kind of soft steel, as thin as a sheet of paper!
"A soft sword?" Chen Xiao was taken aback.
"I always carry it with me at all times," Xiao Qing said, seemingly unwilling to elaborate.
Chen Xiao glanced at Xiao Qing twice, asked nothing more, and took out the map and spread it out.
“Look, I’ve been thinking that since there are large wild animals on this island, there must be their dens! But we’ve been so focused on finding the missing people that we haven’t paid attention to that. I’ve looked at the map carefully; there is indeed a cave under that hillside on the island, but it’s very small. It’s marked on the map. During development, the cave was modified and is now used as a wine cellar for the resort…”
"A wine cellar?" Xiao Qing frowned. "Did we look at that place when we were searching earlier?"
“We didn’t go, but other staff members went there to look for the missing person and said they didn’t find them… But the problem is, I always feel that if there are wild animal dens on the island, then this place seems to be the best choice—for the wild animals.”
Xiao Qing was silent for a moment, then said, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go."
The two had just stepped out of the room when they suddenly heard a "crash" sound!
The two men's expressions changed slightly! It was clearly the sound of shattering glass, and the sound was coming from upstairs!
"It seems those wild beasts finally couldn't hold out any longer," Chen Xiao said quickly. "The lights won't scare them off for long! They've started forcing their way into the villa!"
"Like hunting?" Xiao Qing sneered.
The two rushed to the stairwell and ran back to the lobby, only to find the glass door shattered and some muddy footprints on the floor. The footprints were large, with about three toes.
"They're in! Let's go!" Chen Xiao said, grabbing Xiao Qing's hand. The two rushed out the door and to the barbecue grill. Suddenly, Chen Xiao had an idea. He pulled a lighter from his pocket and quickly tossed it into the grill...
boom!
Flames quickly shot out, and Chen Xiao picked up a pile of barbecue charcoal from the ground and threw it all in. As the flames grew stronger, he bent down, grabbed the base of the barbecue grill, and lifted the grill up!
"Let's go! This thing is perfect as a torch, and it can also scare away wild animals." Chen Xiao smiled.
"I'm afraid it will only attract those wild beasts," Xiao Qing sighed.
Chen Xiao stopped and said very seriously, "I really think you should go back! It's such a dangerous thing..."
"So you really were trying to lure those things away on purpose, weren't you?" Xiao Qing smiled slightly, but shook her head: "Let's go. Now that I've come out with you, I won't go back. Besides... a few wild beasts, I'm not afraid!"
Chen Xiao saw that Xiao Qingdi's eyes remained unwavering. He could only sigh and say, "Let's go. We can't go into the woods. Let's walk along the lake."
He knew very well that with so many wild animals around, entering the forest was too dangerous. It was better to walk along the lake, where the terrain was more open and he could see clearly if any wild animals attacked. Otherwise... no human being in the jungle knew how to use the environment better than wild animals.
The barbecue grill in his hand weighed several kilograms. However, for Chen Xiao's C-level strength ability, although he could no longer overturn a car, carrying such a thing was still very easy.
The lakeside was a shallow beach about ten meters from the woods. The two walked carefully along the shore for about five minutes...
"You felt it, didn't you?" Xiao Qing suddenly spoke.
"Hmm..." Chen Xiao nodded.
Just over ten meters away in the woods, amidst the rustling of leaves, Chen Xiao vaguely sensed several dark figures darting past.
“Five of them.” Xiao Qing frowned. “They seem to have been following us the whole time, but they’re probably afraid of the furnace in your hand, so they don’t dare to attack.”
Chen Xiao held the stove in one hand and gripped the shovel tightly in the other.
Although a handful of charcoal had been thrown into the stove, the fire couldn't be kept burning forever. Fortunately, they soon reached the bottom of the hillside.
The cave is located on the side facing away from the lake and is not difficult to find.
The cave was renovated during development, leaving an oval wooden door at the entrance, supposedly to effectively prevent moisture seepage. The interior was also relaid with wooden planks, creating a shaded space—perfect for storing food and wine—essentially a natural vault. After all, the island's electricity comes from generators, so this is likely more energy-efficient than setting up an electric cold storage facility.
The cellar door wasn't locked; the bolt was pulled back, and it was gently pushed open. The heavy wooden door creaked open slowly. A faint chill wafted out from inside, along with a strange, peculiar smell.
"Can you smell it? It seems... a bit smelly?" Chen Xiao frowned. "Could the food inside have gone bad?"
The two had barely walked half a meter into the cave when they suddenly heard a loud "bang" from inside!
That sounds like the sound of a glass bottle shattering!
The two exchanged a glance. At the same time, they ran inside...
The cellar wasn't deep; after running a dozen steps, it led to a circular space. The walls were treated to prevent moisture, and the floor was covered with a layer of wood for moisture protection. Inside the cave, the scene before me was:
A row of liquor shelves had been overturned, and the ground was littered with broken bottles. All the liquor had spilled. The air was thick with the pungent smell of alcohol… and besides that… “Where did that fishy, foul smell come from?” Chen Xiao frowned, shaking the stove as he searched around by its light.
At that moment, he suddenly felt Xiao Qing behind him hold her breath and gently tap his shoulder.