Chapter 27: Scavenging for Supplies

He swept his sharp gaze over the three of them. "Luke, your 'Analyzer' is responsible for scanning the environment and material composition. Mo Yu, your crow and your senses are the beacons that will guide our way. Su Su..."

He looked at Su Liu. "You are fast and the most agile when facing danger; ensure you coordinate well!"

"Understood!" Su Liu nodded immediately.

She knew full well that scavenging for supplies was the only hope for repairs right now. The little creature, Tuanzi, hopped onto her shoulder, its tail curled up in vigilance.

"Aya, Lorin, you two come with me to clear the silt from the breach and collect all usable ship wreckage and metal fragments! Xiao Yue, keep an eye on treating the wounds that Zhizhi and Aya might have sustained from corrosion. Lorin, keep an eye on the lamp oil—use it sparingly!"

Chen Wu’s voice rang out behind them, leaving no room for argument.

On the other side, Mo Yu had already jumped off the ship’s side, landing on the slick, viscous mossy ground with almost no sound.

Luke followed closely behind, his movements slightly clumsy but his eyes focused. His mechanical spider, "Analyzer," landed steadily on his shoulder, its compound eyes flickering with scanning light.

Su Liu also leaped down gracefully, her pink sweatpants instantly stained with the deep green sap of the moss.

"Follow me, stay within ten meters."

Mo Yu’s voice came from ahead. Without extra words, he pointed directly toward a relatively sparse gap in the fern thickets.

"The crow says that beneath the edge of that darker fern forest three hundred meters away, there is a faint energy and metal signature. It looks like the remains of something wrapped or buried by plants."

Luke’s spider immediately pointed in the same direction: "Target confirmed! Localized faint metal reflection detected; analyzing composition..."

"Interference is severe. It contains iron, unknown high-density elements, and... organic corrosion decomposition residues? There is also a faint, overlapping geological energy fluctuation; it’s hard to classify."

"Geological energy fluctuation?" Su Liu frowned, associating it with Mo Yu’s mention of a "living island." A sense of foreboding deepened in her heart.

The three of them wove cautiously through the humid, dimly lit forest of giant ferns.

The thick moss beneath their feet absorbed most of the sound of their footsteps, leaving only the rustling of the dense canopy above being stirred by the wind, and the deep, muffled "thud... thud..." that echoed from time to time, as if a heartbeat were pulsing through the earth.

"We’re here."

Mo Yu stopped suddenly and raised an arm. Ahead lay a slightly sunken area where massive, root-like fern stems were intertwined, coiled around a pile of irregular objects about two meters high, covered in vines and thick moss.

Parts that were exposed revealed a dull metallic color, along with some shattered planks resembling oak.

"Analyzer! Focus scan!" Luke commanded.

The mechanical spider’s red light converged into a beam, sweeping over the pile.

[Analyzing... High percentage of refined iron detected, with traces of mithril alloy. Structural integrity is extremely high; presumed to be the keel of a large ship or the chassis wreckage of a massive vehicle.]

[High-intensity biological mucus residue detected; possesses anti-corrosive and waterproof properties, partially weathered, origin unknown!]

[Warning: Highly active spore colonies present inside the wreckage!]

[Warning: An unknown cavity detected beneath the wreckage, connecting to deeper crustal fissures! It is one of the source points of the geological energy fluctuations!]

"Refined iron keel wreckage! And... waterproof mucus?" Luke’s voice carried both excitement and vigilance. "There are corrosive spores, but that mucus... if we could strip or replicate that composition..."

"Great opportunity!" Su Liu’s eyes lit up. "The refined iron keel can be cut out to patch the main breach, and that mucus might just be a natural, high-strength waterproof adhesive!"

"The spore corrosion is weak but persistent," Mo Yu added calmly. "The crow can see something sleeping beneath the cavity... the aura is ancient and currently dormant. We must move quickly."

Luke manipulated the "Analyzer" to precisely map out the most valuable, relatively intact sections of the refined iron keel, while simultaneously performing a deep analysis of the mucus samples, attempting to find a replication method or clues to its ingredients.

Meanwhile, Mo Yu stood guard toward the direction of the underground cavity, his crow circling at low altitude, pushing his senses to the limit to ensure any unusual activity could be warned of in advance.

He silently drew a slender, black short sword from his waist.

Su Liu took a deep breath and focused her intent.

Tuanzi leaped from her shoulder, its silver eyes glowing, its fluffy tail moving without a breeze.

"Tuanzi, cut the target! Maximum precision, [Void Mark]!"

Su Liu pointed to the first U-shaped section of the refined iron keel, about a meter long, which Luke had marked. With Tuanzi’s current level, large-scale cutting would consume too much energy, so she had to be calculated.

"Ying—!"

Following Tuanzi’s soft cry, a jet-black [Void Mark], only two fingers wide but immensely concentrated, appeared silently at the weakest key point where the refined iron keel connected to the tree roots and vines!

The air seemed to be torn open like a cold wound!

*Rip!*

The tough vines snapped at the sound, and the covering of thick moss, along with a small piece of rock beneath it, was cut away cleanly, revealing the smooth cross-section of the refined iron keel below!

"First piece!"

Su Liu stepped forward quickly. After Mo Yu nodded slightly to indicate it was safe, she used both hands to place the heavy, cold chunk of iron into her spatial storage. She wasn't worried about others discovering her space, as she could simply claim she put it in her backpack.

Tuanzi, on her shoulder, was breathing noticeably faster; the psionic consumption was significant.

Then came the second piece, the third...

The cutting process required extreme focus. Every time a spatial cut was triggered, Tuanzi required a brief moment of energy gathering and cooldown recovery. Su Liu kept pulling small pieces of spirit beast jerky she had previously obtained from her storage to feed it, replenishing its energy to maintain cutting efficiency.

While Tuanzi rested, Su Liu herself used her bare hands or a dagger to cut away some scattered but useful wooden planks or metal reinforcement parts. Though the efficiency was low, it was better than nothing.

Time passed in high tension. The muffled thudding remained rhythmic, and the cavity remained calm.

Luke, however, had sweat on his brow, the data stream from his analyzer jumping frantically before his eyes.

"The mucus analysis results are in! The core is a semi-plant, semi-fungal secretion with strong film-forming and adhesive properties... It requires several specific components."

"High-density plant oil, deep-layer humus essence, and... the chitin powder of some large arthropod? Damn it, where are we supposed to find that?"

"The oil and essence might be on the island, but the chitin..."

Luke’s voice stopped abruptly because he noticed Mo Yu’s gaze had suddenly turned razor-sharp, snapping toward the area beneath where Su Liu was cutting!

"Fall back! Now!" Mo Yu shouted fiercely!

Just as Su Liu had Tuanzi use [Void Mark] to cut the connection point of the final target iron piece, the mossy ground beneath her feet suddenly began to writhe violently!

It wasn't an earthquake; it was some massive living thing beneath the moss turning over!

At the same time, from deep within the cavity Mo Yu was guarding, came an extremely heavy, slow sound, like the grinding of enormous stones!

An indescribable, ancient aura, a mix of decay and fresh soil, suddenly flooded the air!

"THUD!!"

The heartbeat that pulsed through the entire island suddenly intensified for a moment!

The "Sleeper" of the island had been disturbed!