A series of shocks finally converged into a single word in Chuck's bewildered brain.
"Huh?"
"…"
Gu Momo tilted her head towards the rock wall, her small face pouting slightly, seemingly dissatisfied with Chuck's response.
She lowered her head and began tapping quickly on the phone screen with her slender fingers.
A few seconds later, the phone in Chuck's hand vibrated.
He opened the text message window, and a red dot hung over the lonely chat thread.
Momo the Great King: Why are you spaced out? Is your brain not working well?
The contact's name had already been set.
Chuck felt a sense of disorientation looking at the message.
It really can send texts?!
He looked at Gu Momo, visibly shaken. She was still holding her phone, gazing to the side with a calm expression. He sighed.
"This phone… are you sure you want to give it to me?"
Putting everything else aside, Chuck felt awkward about a young girl giving him her phone just to chat with her.
Buzz-buzz—
He looked back at the screen, and a new message arrived.
Momo the Great King: Didn't I just say? The phone is yours as long as you chat with me. You really are a bit dense, aren't you?
Attacked again, Chuck gritted his teeth and stopped talking. He picked up his phone and typed.
[Me]: But why me?
Momo the Great King: Who else? Besides my mom and you, are there other people on this island?
Chuck rubbed his chin.
Well, actually, yes.
Momo the Great King: You're so verbose. So, yes or no?
[Me]: Chatting is fine, but we're facing each other right now. Why aren't you speaking? Also, why do you always look away when I talk to you?
Momo the Great King: Because I want to. Take the phone. I need to go back.
Chuck looked up, only to see Gu Momo turn and leave without looking back, heading towards the beach.
In moments, she vanished from Chuck's sight.
He sighed.
Were the person who just communicated with him via text and the person who stood in front of him the same?
Passing through the rock wall, the familiar jungle, and the watery ground, Chuck finally concluded his exploration and returned to the familiar south beach, still feeling somewhat dazed.
He hadn't expected to encounter something like this just before heading back.
He had checked carefully. The phone Gu Momo gave him seemed to be a waterproof Android model, which explained why it survived longer than his.
Other than that, it had no high-tech features like satellite calling or solar charging.
But despite everything… the battery level truly remained full!
And even when the distance between them increased, the texting feature still worked normally!
Momo the Great King: I'm back. I'll help Mom gather firewood soon. Don't forget you promised to chat with me (Staring.jpg).
Chuck looked up at the sky.
After a moment of contemplation, he let out a long sigh.
A magnetic field?
Alright...
He'd seen his cheat system, the red Flower of the Other Shore, and even a glowing heart.
What was so strange about a "magnetic field" that allowed phones to communicate without signal and stay fully charged?
But speaking of which.
Chuck hadn't expected her to be recognized by the system as a companion.
Gu Momo's age was actually 18?
This must be what they call a legal loli, right?
But on the other hand…
If the loli was legal, how old must her mother, Gu Yitong, be?
Forty?!
Chuck put down his phone, his eyes unfocused. The image of the beautiful woman with the curvy body and alluring face instantly appeared in his mind.
If that was the case, was she just exceptionally well-preserved?
Unable to figure it out, Chuck simply picked up his phone and messaged the source.
[Me]: How old are you this year?
Half a minute later, Chuck received a reply.
Momo the Great King: I'm 18 years old. Why?
Momo the Great King: Don't tell me you're going to say I'm a legal loli?! (Angry.jpg)
Chuck scratched his head.
[Me]: I'm just curious. If you're eighteen, wouldn't your mother be at least forty or older?
Momo the Great King: Mom is my mother, but not my biological mother. Just know that, I don't want to tell you more.
Chuck understood instantly.
That made much more sense.
Chuck continued to chat intermittently with Gu Momo on the phone. The girl's tone was the complete opposite of her in-person communication, carrying a slight tsundere vibe.
In short, she was a keyboard warrior online but self-conscious offline.
He didn't pry further into their mother-daughter relationship, only learning about their experiences over the past few days.
Like Chuck and Julia, the mother and daughter woke up on the beach and were forced into survival mode after confirming they couldn't contact the outside world.
Fortunately, the jungle near the east beach was very safe and had many fruit and coconut trees, providing them with enough water and nutrition—a distinct advantage over the south beach.
According to Gu Momo, her mother, Gu Yitong, had apparently taken part in similar wilderness survival training. She quickly figured out how to make fire and wove several tools from palm leaves. With Gu Momo's help, she also built a palm leaf hut.
This was how the two of them had survived until now and successfully endured the recent heavy rain.
Chuck was a little surprised.
That huge cow has some skills.
Momo the Great King: Mom says rescue will definitely come in a few days, but I think she's just trying to console me.
Chuck smiled at Gu Momo's message, noncommittally.
[Me]: I have things to do. I'll call you tonight.
Momo the Great King: Fine, but don't bail on me, okay?
Chuck put down his phone and gave a wry smile.
This little loli seems a bit clingy?
"I'm back."
"Chuck!"
Returning to the cave, Julia, who was still busy smoking meat, immediately got up from the fire and ran over, enthusiastically wrapping her arms around his neck and standing on her toes for a passionate kiss.
Her two soft, firm mounds instantly acted as cushions, pressing tightly against Chuck's chest. Her smooth, sweet-smelling tongue invaded his mouth, stirring wantonly between his lips and teeth.
The foreign woman had become increasingly passionate and proactive since her relationship with Chuck deepened. Chuck naturally accepted this entirely and enjoyed it. His large hands rudely cupped her perky, rounded butt, kneading it into various shapes.
"Ngh—"
Julia let out a sweet, delicate moan from her nose. Her soft, explosive body instinctively squirmed gently in Chuck's embrace, fanning the flames in his heart.
After a long while, the two, nearly deprived of oxygen, finally separated, leaving trails of sticky, lustful saliva.
"If you keep doing that, I can't guarantee I won't just take you right here."
Chuck lightly touched foreheads with Julia, looking at her jewel-like blue eyes, and said with a grin.
"Heh heh…"
The foreign woman pursed her lips and giggled, her beautiful face showing a captivating allure. She rested her cheek on his chest, but a look of surprise slowly appeared.
She remembered that when she leaned on Chuck's chest, her line of sight should have been level with his collarbone…
But why did it feel lower now?
She lowered her hands and gently wrapped them around Chuck's waist, her surprise deepening.
His back seems broader than before too?
This sudden yet subtle change instantly made Julia's heart race.
"…Chuck, why do I feel like you've become more manly?"
"Ahem, is it because I haven't showered today?"
Chuck scratched his head, feeling a little embarrassed.
He couldn't help it. Living on an island, resources were limited. He wondered if the Workbench could ever synthesize some hygiene products.
But Julia shook her head.
"No, I mean, you seem taller and give me a greater sense of security…"
As she spoke, she raised her light-colored eyelashes, her blue eyes trembling slightly, and her voice wavered, "Is it just my imagination?"
Chuck finally understood and nodded with a smile.
It wasn't an imagination, but a reality.
However, explaining the details of the cause and effect would be too troublesome, and she might not even believe him.
So, after a brief thought, Chuck came up with an excuse.
"Maybe it's because I've been so busy these past two days and have gained some muscle? You might not know this, but Chinese men have a secondary growth spurt after the age of twenty-five."
"Holy cow, a secondary growth spurt? Is that true?"
Julia's eyes widened in amazement.
In that moment, the foreign woman was completely awed by the mysterious powers of the East.
Chuck laughed heartily, then wrapped an arm around her slender waist and sat down beside the fire.
"Instead of that, do you want to hear what I discovered on my exploration trip?"
Even though four people were stranded on an isolated island in the Pacific, struggling to survive, the world seemed to continue as usual. The sun still set.
The third afternoon after the plane crash quietly passed.
East Beach.
On the sand at the edge of the jungle, Gu Yitong slowly put down two freshly picked coconuts and tiredly shuffled in her flip-flops toward the hut.
She bent down and sat on the woven palm-leaf bed inside the hut. Her voluptuous body, encased in the floral dress, slowly relaxed.
Looking at the ocean in the setting sun, a hint of sadness involuntarily appeared on Gu Yitong's face.
Three days.
It had been three days since the plane crash.
Why hadn't rescue arrived?
Or had the outside world already assumed all passengers had perished, giving up on the search?
The thought sent a suffocating despair through Gu Yitong's heart.
A week ago, having just finished a major project, she took two weeks of annual leave to take her daughter, who was about to start university, on an impulsive round-the-world trip.
She chose Ghana as the first stop because of the snow-capped Rocky Mountains there, which she had always wanted to see.
Unexpectedly, she didn't get to see mountains, but she certainly got an overdose of the ocean.
Gu Yitong clenched her jaw, biting her lower lip.
Why didn't I choose Australia? Or New Zealand? Or Jeju Island or Hawaii?
There are beautiful places everywhere else! Why did I have to go to Ghana!
My career was on the rise, and Momo had just been accepted into the best university!
Her eyes welled up with tears, filled with unwillingness and regret.
Just then, a gentle voice sounded behind her.
"Mom… have some coconut."
Gu Yitong quickly raised her hand, wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes, and forced a smile. She turned to see Gu Momo holding a coconut with a freshly poked hole, offering it to her.
"No, Momo. I'm not thirsty. You drink it."
"…"
Gu Momo paused slightly, then shook her head, ignoring her mother's refusal. She slowly placed the coconut in front of her and turned to walk towards the sea.
Watching her daughter's slender figure against the sunset, Gu Yitong slowly picked up the coconut. Her tears finally fell uncontrollably, and she buried her face in her knees, sobbing audibly.
Managing every detail of their limited resources, she knew that although the beach and jungle had an abundance of wild fruits and coconuts, they had already consumed most of it in the past three days.
Especially the coconuts. Even if they started rationing strictly and didn't waste a single drop, they probably wouldn't last another three days.
Gu Yitong cried for a moment, then slowly raised her head and wiped away her tears.
Water…
I must find a way to get water!
I must protect Momo!
Even if she couldn't leave this desolate island, she had to ensure Momo survived!
She looked at her daughter's retreating figure. Her initial sadness and sorrow gradually vanished, replaced only by grim determination.
Gu Momo slowly walked to the water's edge, bent down, and removed her shoes and socks, setting them neatly on the sand.
Then, barefoot, her small, delicate feet lightly touching the waves, she began strolling along the beach.
Over the past few days, she did this every day before sunset—soaking her feet to relax them after a day of walking, and simply unwinding.
But today, Gu Momo's mind was not on the picturesque sunset over the ocean.
She occasionally took her phone out of her pocket, anxiously opened the text message window for a look, and then put it away.
Still no reply.
She slightly tilted her head toward the sea, her small, pale face puffed out, her eyes full of resentment.
He had promised her, but he still bailed.
What a lying jerk.
But just as she was cursing him in her heart, her phone suddenly vibrated persistently.
The incoming call screen displayed the words "Dense Guy."
Gu Momo's heart leaped with joy. She quickly held the phone with both hands, glanced back to confirm she was far enough from her mother, and then carefully pressed the accept button.
The next second, the voice of that naughty guy came through the phone.
"Sorry, sorry, I was just busy with something…"
Hearing Chuck's voice, Gu Momo couldn't help but smile, revealing two adorable dimples.
But just as the long-awaited phone chat began, Chuck, on the other end, suddenly stumbled over his words before finishing his first sentence.
Gu Momo was momentarily confused. Just as she was about to ask, she heard a faint, strange sound that puzzled her.
Smack…
Gulp…