16: Green tea or black tea? The intrigue by the lake.

The mindsets of these campus belles and goddesses had long since undergone a change.

Even with only a few leaves hanging on their bodies, they no longer had that coy, secretive bashfulness.

After all, there was only one man on this deserted island, and he was the captain who held the power of life and death over them.

Things that should be seen and things that shouldn't have long since been seen by that guy Chen Du.

Being overly sensitive now would only seem affected.

"Hey! Captain! Turn around and keep watch for us!"

"It's a deal, no peeking!"

Several girls shouted at Chen Du symbolically, even with a hint of coquettishness.

Before Chen Du could even respond, they one by one impatiently jumped into the lake.

Plop, plop—

Stirring up layers of ripples.

Several more fair and graceful bodies appeared on the surface of the lake.

On the shore.

Chen Du did not enter the water.

As the only male, he had to maintain restraint and vigilance—

Of course, this didn't stop him from turning this lookout post into the best VIP viewing platform in the house.

He dangled a piece of foxtail grass in his mouth, his gaze open and unbridled.

This was the territory he had earned with his own skills; what was wrong with taking a few extra looks?

"Captain~~!"

A call so sultry it could melt one's bones came from the shallow water near the shore.

Zhou Qian had swum to the shore at some point.

The leaves on her body were positioned exceptionally low, soaked with water and clinging tightly to her skin.

They were almost transparent.

She lay prone on a huge pebble, looking at Chen Du with eyes full of desire,

Even deliberately puffing out the staggering burden on her chest, looking just like a snake in heat.

"The water is a bit cold, and I have a cramp in my leg... Can you give me a hand?"

It had to be said that while this woman was a 'green tea bitch', her figure was indeed top-tier.

Especially those legs, which looked exceptionally long, fair, and tender under the refraction of the water.

"A cramp?"

Chen Du spat out the grass in his mouth and looked at her with a half-smile. "A cramp is easy to fix. I have an ancestral folk remedy."

He picked up a dry branch from nearby and handed it into the water.

"Grab it, I'll drag you up."

"Oh right! Don't move around! This branch is a bit sharp. If it punctures your silicone, I won't be paying for it."

The seductive smile on Zhou Qian's face instantly froze.

Looking at that gnarled piece of deadwood full of burrs, the corners of her mouth twitched.

This dense, insensitive man! He deserved to be single for ten thousand years!

"I want help too!"

Just then, a playful voice rang out.

Splash—

Xia Lai emerged from the water, shaking her wet, shoulder-length short hair.

She lay openly on the rock at Chen Du's feet, displaying her beautiful back to him.

The lines of her back were smooth and elegant, but there was a glob of tree resin stuck near her shoulder blade.

No matter how she washed, it wouldn't come off.

"Captain, help me out?"

Xia Lai looked back and blew Chen Du a wink. "I got some on me while moving things earlier, and I can't reach it. You're the captain; you wouldn't refuse such a small favor, would you?"

Now this was a high-level play!

There was none of Zhou Qian's deliberate fawning; instead, it carried a sort of camaraderie-based flirtatiousness.

Chen Du raised an eyebrow.

"Sure, for a fee."

"Tch! Put it on my tab. I'll make you a new axe later."

"Deal!"

Chen Du didn't stand on ceremony.

He casually plucked a palm leaf.

"Bear with it! This is for exfoliating."

Scrape—

The rough leaf rubbed forcefully against that smooth, beautiful back.

"Ow—! Chen Du, you bastard! Gentler! I want a back scrub, not to be skinned alive!"

Xia Lai was so pained she was like a cat with its fur standing on end, nearly jumping off the rock!

Her back immediately turned red in a large patch!

The tree resin was rubbed off, but a layer of skin was almost scrubbed off with it.

"This is called deep exfoliation. High-end SPAs all use this technique."

Chen Du threw the leaf away with a mischievous grin, his gaze lingering on Xia Lai's back for a moment with lingering interest.

Mm, the feel... and the visual effect were indeed both top-notch.

On the water not far away, two other beautiful figures were entangling with each other.

As the eldest sister, Xia Xin usually didn't have much of an opinion, but she was more playful than anyone.

Relying on her [Archer] talent, her aim was excellent.

She scooped up a handful of water and splashed it onto the back of the third sister Xia Mo's neck.

"Ah!" Xia Mo cried out in surprise, instinctively turning around.

This turn wouldn't have mattered, but she happened to collide with Chen Du's gaze on the shore.

The man was shirtless, watching this side with great interest.

Xia Mo's face instantly turned ripe red.

She shrank her body and dove into the water with a gurgle.

Only a string of panicked bubbles remained on the water's surface.

"Oh, chickening out already?"

Xia Xin dove down with a mischievous grin and poked her sister's waist under the water.

"Why do you turn into a shrinking turtle as soon as you see the captain?"

Xia Mo emerged from the water.

Wiping the water droplets from her face, she glared at her eldest sister in embarrassment and annoyance. "Eldest Sister, what nonsense are you talking about! I was just... practicing holding my breath underwater!"

"Holding your breath? I think you're holding back a heart full of spring fever!"

Xia Xin leaned into her ear and whispered to stir the pot, "If you don't take the initiative soon, Chen Du is going to be eaten up by that female hooligan, the second sister. Look at her; her skin's been scrubbed red and she still has a look of enjoyment..."

"Second Sister wouldn't!" Xia Mo retorted righteously. "Second Sister... her orientation isn't men."

"She's only interested in pretty young ladies; it's not like you don't know."

"Tch! That's not a given. This is apocalypse survival; it's normal for tastes to change."

"And..."

Xia Xin's eyes darted around. "Since Second Sister isn't a competitor, then you should hurry up and show off your assets even more!"

Before her voice had even faded.

The two plantain leaves fixed in front of Xia Mo's chest were ripped off by Xia Xin!

"Ah!!!"

At that moment, all cover vanished.

Under the sunlight, a breathtaking flash of snowy white was dazzling.

Water droplets slid down that perfect curve, crystal clear.

It had to be said that the physical quality of an S-rank powerhouse was indeed different; the bounciness released in that instant was simply astonishing.

Chen Du instinctively looked up when he heard the commotion.

In the next second, his retinas were hit with a critical strike!

Is this the pressure of an S-rank talent powerhouse?

Truly terrifying!

"Eldest Sister! Do you want to die?!"

Xia Mo snapped to her senses and let out a scream.

She hurriedly crossed her arms over her chest and sank back into the water.

Only a pair of eyes, so red they were about to drip blood, remained visible, staring fixedly at the perpetrator.

"Xia Xin! I'm going to kill you!!"

Xia Xin had already swum away laughing, waving the two pieces of spoils she had captured from her sister in her hand.

Chen Du silently gave a thumbs-up in his heart.

This eldest sister is a keeper!

He'd give her the good equipment first in the future!

"Brute!"

Li Yaozhi spat in a low voice when she saw this scene.

Though she cursed with her mouth, the tips of her ears felt inexplicably hot.

She instinctively pulled the leaves on her chest up a bit, fearing some sneaky person would do the same to her.

The playful sounds continued.

This seemed to be the most relaxed moment for the women since they entered this bizarre world.

However.

Chen Du's gaze froze for a moment as it swept across the muddy ground by the shore.

There was a row of footprints there.

Very fresh.

The mud was still slightly springing back, indicating that the owner of the footprints had left less than two minutes ago.

They might even... still be nearby, staring at this group of fair-skinned 'all-you-can-eat' buffet.

Chen Du slowly crouched down and quietly approached.

He measured the edge of a footprint with his finger.

This footprint was only about half the size of a human's.

But the front end wasn't toes; it was three holes dug deep into the mud.

Bipedal, with claws.

Small build, good at hiding.

The image of that smoothly severed thigh bone from before surfaced in Chen Du's mind.

That was a master of the blade.

Or... a monster that was born with blades.

A chill washed away the intoxicating beauty before his eyes.

This group of people was like ingredients washed clean and waiting to be put in the pot!

"Stop playing!"

Chen Du stood up, his voice cold and sharp. "Everyone get to shore! Now! Immediately!"

The girls who were having a water fight were stunned by this roar.

"What's wrong?"

"We haven't finished washing yet..."

"If you don't want to die, get the hell up here!" Chen Du grabbed the fire axe, his muscles tensed.

His eyes stared fixedly at the deep, dark forest on the opposite shore.

That feeling of being watched was getting stronger and stronger.

It was the gaze of a predator staring at its prey.

Just as everyone was scrambling onto the shore in a panic.

No one noticed.

Zhao Mengmeng, who always lacked presence and whose brain was always a step behind, was currently standing by the edge of the woods in a daze.

"So cute..."

Zhao Mengmeng stared at a flash of snowy white in the bushes.

It was a "rabbit" with long ears.

Fluffy, with red eyes as beautiful as gems.

It seemed to be injured.

It limped toward the depths of the forest, occasionally looking back at Zhao Mengmeng.

"Don't run... let me bandage you up..."

Zhao Mengmeng, her 'holy mother' heart overflowing, completely forgot Chen Du's warning.

Or rather.

In her view, what bad intentions could such a cute little animal have?

Zhao Mengmeng lifted her somewhat loose plantain leaf skirt and chased after the "rabbit" step by step.

She walked into the dark and damp depths of the forest.

And behind her.

That "rabbit" did not leave plum-blossom-shaped footprints on the ground.

Instead, there were sharp, deep three-toed claw marks in the mud.