Could one coconut boost her Trust Level by five points?
Seeing the prompt, Chuck was surprised.
According to the System, he only needed 50 Trust points to unlock a new crafting queue. Although the coconuts were precious, having the System meant he would soon find a stable way to get water.
So, he looked back at Julia and asked quietly, "Feeling better? If not, there's one more here."
Julia shook her head at his offer.
"Thank you, but I feel much better. This is our last bit of water; we must save it for a critical moment."
She placed her life vest next to Chuck's and spoke earnestly.
Chuck raised an eyebrow, pleased by her maturity.
She was an American girl, but she seemed surprisingly sensible and resourceful.
However, it was clear that boosting the Trust Level wasn't going to be that simple after all.
After resting, Chuck and Julia left the cave.
Earlier, he had used the sun's position to gauge the island's general direction.
The beach where he first woke up was probably on the southern end of the island.
To the north lay a dense, tropical jungle.
Their cave and the reef area where Julia woke up were to the east along the coastline.
The destination for their exploration was naturally the jungle north of the beach.
The two walked single file on the sunlit beach, the slightly salty sea breeze blowing past them.
The blonde woman, walking ahead, wore a ponytail. Her white T-shirt was still slightly damp, faintly revealing the outline of a light purple lace bra.
Below, her tight denim shorts, which looked ready to burst, hugged her curves, and her long, snow-white legs were blindingly bright in the sunlight.
As she walked, she occasionally pinched the front of her shirt with two fingers, fanning herself, making the lace pattern on her back even more visible through the damp fabric.
Chuck admired the view in silence.
Indeed, one must appreciate the foreign scenery.
His mood lightened a little.
But after walking along the coast for a while, Chuck noticed something strange.
He frowned again.
This was a small island in the Pacific Ocean. Logically, there should have been some marine debris like plastic water bottles or soda cans, but the entire coastline was spotless.
He hadn't even found a single piece of the wreckage from the crashed plane.
Yet, both of them had somehow drifted here…
Could the ocean currents have changed?
Chuck pondered for a moment, then shook his head, pushing the cluttered thoughts out of his mind.
While suspicious, he couldn't reach any solid conclusions just by thinking about it. He had to focus on survival first.
Soon, the two arrived at the tropical jungle, littered with dead branches.
They plunged right in.
Pushing aside layers of obstructing vines and leaves, they cautiously moved deeper into the woods.
The constant sounds of insects filled their ears, and in the distance, a faint sound, whether wind or an animal roar, sent chills down his spine.
Poisonous snakes, venomous insects, and wild beasts.
Any one of these emerging from the jungle could easily threaten their lives.
Ordinary humans were so small and fragile in the face of nature.
Fortunately, Chuck had the stone knife, which gave him a slight sense of security.
However, the giant insects that occasionally appeared on nearby trees still startled Chuck from time to time.
What surprised Chuck was that Julia beside him didn't show any fear.
She seemed even calmer than he was.
Perhaps noticing his gaze, Julia, who was pushing vines aside, turned her head to meet his eyes, a confident smile playing on her lips.
"I know what you're thinking, but I'm afraid I'm the kind of girl who can take care of herself."
Chuck raised an eyebrow, speechless, and could only give her a thumbs-up.
After cautiously proceeding for a moment, and carefully navigating through a frustrating patch of dense thorns…
The view ahead finally opened up.
Looking at the scene before them, both Chuck and Julia showed expressions of pleasant surprise.
The soil was damp, scattered puddles of various sizes were visible, and various plants were growing around, many of them bearing fruit.
Indeed, no risk, no reward!
"Oh my god, there's water here! This is great!"
Julia, whose throat was still parched despite the coconut water, cried out in excitement, then dashed forward on her long legs, ready to drink.
"Julia, wait a second!"
Chuck quickly reached out and grabbed her. He went to the puddle first and bent down to examine it.
What he saw was alarming.
The water in the puddle looked clear at first glance, but there were many green algae beneath the surface, and tiny specks were visibly floating on the water.
Frowning, Chuck said in a low voice.
"This water absolutely cannot be drunk directly. You'll get sick."
Hearing him, Julia finally snapped back to reality, and the smile on her face slowly disappeared.
"Shit… I guess you're right. So what should we do?"
What to do?
At this critical moment when fresh water was desperately needed, Chuck didn't have many options.
Either abandon this wet patch and continue deeper into the jungle to find a new water source.
Or, find a way to purify the stagnant water in this wetland.
While Chuck was debating, his eyes suddenly fell upon a small clump of bamboo not far away…
He immediately made a decision.
If they continued deeper into the jungle, even if they found a water source, if it wasn't a running stream or river, they still couldn't drink it directly.
It would be better to collect the fresh water from this wetland first, and then find a way to make a fire and boil it!
He shared his thoughts with Julia, wanting to hear her opinion.
To Chuck's surprise once again, she didn't hesitate at all and nodded immediately.
"I'll follow your lead, Chuck. Just tell me how I can help you!"
To collect the water from the puddles, they first needed a container.
Chuck hadn't forgotten to bring the two halved coconut shells when they left the cave.
Unfortunately, these were essentially just ladles and were inadequate for storing much water.
However, the bamboo growing right next to this clearing offered a perfect natural storage container!
But another problem arose.
How could he turn these dense bamboo stalks into water-carrying tubes?
Cutting them with the small stone knife he had would be too strenuous.
So, the task at hand was clear.
Chuck thought for a moment, then looked up at Julia beside him.
"Julia, from now on, we'll split the work. I'll figure out the water collection. You should gather food nearby and try to collect as much as you can."
In the absence of clean water, various wild fruits would serve as a partial source of hydration and nutrition.
Since Julia was sensible and obedient, Chuck decided to utilize her labor and see if she was as good as her word.
This also served as a way to send her off so he could focus on researching new recipes for the crafting bench.
Hearing Chuck's instructions, Julia nodded seriously.
"Got it. Leave it to me!"
With that, she cautiously stepped around the puddle and went off alone to collect wild fruits.
Left to himself, Chuck eagerly summoned the Workbench and placed the stone knife he was holding onto it.
The familiar crafting prompt immediately appeared on the screen.
[Workbench input: Stone Knife]
[Crafting Hint: This stone knife is sharp enough for cutting, but to make it easier to handle, perhaps you should add something else?]