Bai Mu lay hidden in the bushes, staring intently at the wild bird not far away.
It was clearly a flightless bird. Its wings had degenerated, becoming so short and small that flight was impossible. Its feathers were entirely grayish-brown, it was significantly larger than a domestic chicken, and its legs were strong and powerful.
This was high-quality food. As long as he hunted one, he wouldn't need to search for more calorie-rich food for the rest of today, or even tomorrow.
Only with enough food to fill his stomach could he work with peace of mind. That was why his first priority had been to hunt this unknown island bird.
Looking at the dull color of this fowl, he was absolutely certain it was edible, and there was a high probability it tasted quite good.
Based on what he had observed from a high vantage point earlier, these birds sat at the very top of the island's food chain. There were no creatures larger than them. Roughly fifteen to twenty of these wild birds were scattered across various corners of the island.
If he could hunt just one a day, he would easily make it through most of his thirty-day Deserted Island survival. In fact, if he rationed his portions, surviving the full thirty days wouldn't be difficult at all.
He couldn't help but sigh in amazement. The resources here were incredibly abundant. There were coconuts for freshwater, and wild fowl, ocean fish, and shellfish for food. Ever since the world he knew had lost its order, this was the first time he had survived in such a resource-rich environment.
Compared to that shattered world teeming with monsters, this isolated little island in the middle of the ocean was as beautiful as paradise.
However, even in "paradise," he still had to solve the problem of tonight's dinner first.
Bai Mu held his breath and concentrated, drawing a stone spear from his waist.
The wild bird remained completely oblivious to Bai Mu's arrival, still foolishly keeping its head down to peck at insects.
It had zero sense of danger. On this island, it was the apex predator; no other creature had ever threatened its status.
It failed to realize that an invasive species had arrived in its beautiful homeland and marked it as dinner.
In a blind spot the bird couldn't see, Bai Mu crouched slightly, his muscles pulling taut.
He resembled a drawn longbow ready to fire, his arms acting as the limbs of the bow. Tremendous power gathered within his seemingly unremarkable body.
After checking the wind direction, Bai Mu took a step forward and hurled the stone spear.
The stone spear vibrated violently, its shaft trembling rapidly in the air as it shot forward like a bolt of lightning.
In the very next instant, the spear tip nailed the wild bird's neck, carrying its half-meter-tall body forward with crushing momentum.
The bird did not even have time to let out a cry of sorrow. Its long neck was snapped by the sheer force, its head lolling to the side as it collapsed onto the yellowish-brown dirt.
Its muscles were still twitching, and its legs thrashed wildly against the ground, but its neck was already pinned to the soil by the stone spear. It was dead beyond dead.
Bai Mu emerged from the bushes. The stone spear had shattered, and the stone tip was riddled with cracks. Rather than saying this wild bird had been stabbed to death, it was more accurate to say it had been smashed to death by a rock.
Bai Mu grabbed the wild bird by the neck and hoisted it up. As he examined it closely, text popped up once again.
[Name: Dead Guam Rail]
[Type: Avian]
[Quality: Normal]
[Note: The tragedy of the Guam Rail was not directly caused by human hunting, but rather by an invasive species. A snake known as the brown tree snake arrived in Guam via cargo shipments. Without natural predators, they multiplied rapidly and devoured all the Guam Rail eggs. Surprisingly, on this isolated island far from the human world, a small population of Guam Rails continues to live a happy and fulfilling life.]
Bai Mu was absolutely certain that before today, he knew nothing about the Guam Rail. Yet, after successfully hunting one, he had acquired incredibly comprehensive intelligence.
"This ability is really quite good."
"However, the description for this chicken seems a bit more detailed. Is it because it serves as an important resource in this survival game?"
Bai Mu used dirt to cover up the traces of his hunt, then carried his prey toward the shelter location he had previously selected.
"After all, not every item in a game gets a description. Usually, only useful things have detailed profiles. Since this is a survival game, it makes perfect sense that the Guam Rails, which can be used as food on this island, have an extensive background setting."
Bai Mu carefully pondered the rules. He didn't dwell too much on inconsequential matters. Rather than philosophizing about where he came from and where he was going, it was far better to figure out what he was eating for dinner and where he was sleeping tonight.
With the problems of food and freshwater solved, his most pressing task now was undeniably to prepare a safe place to spend the night.
For a human to survive, only two conditions needed to be met: eating well and sleeping well.
He absolutely needed a shelter where he could rest with peace of mind and recover his stamina, or at the very least, a secure place to sleep.
He was no novice when it came to wilderness survival. He knew exactly what he needed.
When the apocalypse first hit, he had been trapped in a densely populated university town.
In order to return to his hometown, he had fought his way out of a city crawling with Zombies and had even personally modified an imported off-road vehicle. He had experienced a great deal on that journey home. Surviving all alone in a post-apocalyptic world was infinitely more difficult than surviving on a Deserted Island.
———
The shelter location Bai Mu had chosen for himself was a clearing near a coconut grove. Behind it was a small rocky hill, to the west lay the coconut trees, and to the east was a thicket of bushes.
The open terrain helped with getting sunlight and observing the ocean surface, while simultaneously keeping him close to both timber and beach resources.
The spot he chose was far from the tide line. He had previously observed the position of the tidal debris on the beach to ensure he wouldn't be submerged during high tide.
In truth, the best shelter would have been a natural cave, but he hadn't found such a sturdy location. As a compromise, he settled on this clearing.
The coconut grove and the bushes could both help shield him from storms, and he could easily spot any ships passing by on the ocean.
Deep down, he was hoping a ship would pass by. According to the Script summary he had received, he was supposed to have been vacationing on a cruise ship before becoming stranded on this Deserted Island. This suggested that he was currently in a normal world, one without Zombies or an apocalypse.
Of course, he couldn't rule out the possibility that it was all just background lore. He might simply be trapped in a closed box containing nothing but this Deserted Island and a vast expanse of ocean. After all, everything felt far too much like a pre-programmed, canned game.
If he tried to build a wooden raft and float out to sea, he might run into an invisible wall just a few hundred meters out, touching the very edge of the world.
Who knew?
Bai Mu had already seen far too many unbelievable and unpredictable things.
Having survived in the apocalypse for ten years, nothing surprised him anymore. All he knew was that he was alive once again.
Finding a way to keep living—that was what he had been doing all along.