"Don't be scared, come sit down. This blonde isn't a bad person."
Chuck waved at Gu Momo, then pointed to the spot beside him and smiled.
Gu Momo, eyes full of wariness, skirted widely around the overly enthusiastic foreign woman before finally settling down next to Chuck, crossing her legs.
Chuck then placed the prepared water and wild boar meat in front of her.
"Eat."
"…"
Looking at the roasted meat Chuck offered—a piece of pork belly with a good mix of fat and lean meat—the aroma of the caramelized fat and protein immediately delighted Gu Momo's sense of smell, which had been dulled by wild fruits. Her mouth watered intensely, and her expression was momentarily one of utter bliss.
But despite her hunger, she still didn't immediately start eating. She swallowed hard, then cautiously spoke.
"Are you really going to give this to me? I… don't have anything to give back."
"You already gave me a phone; what's one meal? Don't be shy."
This wasn't just an excuse. The phone with infinite battery power, besides remote communication with Gu Momo, could take pictures, keep time, take notes, and more, greatly aiding his daily organization.
Hearing this, Gu Momo finally gave in to her hunger. She picked up the fragrant roasted pork with her fingers and began eating.
In just a moment, one piece of meat was gone. Chuck had anticipated this and simply placed a bamboo tube full of smoked meat in front of her.
It was practically an all-you-can-eat buffet.
Gu Momo devoured it bite after bite, utterly intoxicated by the flavor.
Although she ate quickly, her table manners were not messy. Her plump, rosy cheeks swelled like little hills, and she chewed rapidly, like a hamster.
She looked like she had very good teeth.
Julia, watching her, even forgot to eat her own food. Her eyes were wide, staring intently at Gu Momo as if watching her own little pet.
After a while, Gu Momo finished the lemongrass tea in the bowl, put down the clay pot, and softly burped. She looked down at her round little belly.
She quickly turned her head away in embarrassment.
"Had enough?"
Chuck asked with a grin.
"Mmm… thank you."
Gu Momo whispered her thanks, pursing her small lips.
She had been picking wild fruits in the jungle when she suddenly received Chuck's text, thinking he needed help with something. She hadn't expected to be treated to a feast.
Chuck looked at Gu Momo and spoke again: "We don't lack food or water here, and we're even starting to improve our living conditions."
Hearing Chuck's words, Gu Momo turned her head slightly in the direction he was pointing, catching sight of the half-finished kiln built from mud bricks beneath the cliff. A hint of awe appeared in her eyes.
"That's amazing…"
"But as you saw yesterday, your mother still seems wary of me."
Chuck spoke, a look of regret on his face.
"But we're acquainted now. So if she's willing, we can still become companions at any time. With my help, water and food will no longer be problems threatening your survival."
He paused briefly, then added: "But the condition is that you must follow my instructions."
"…Instructions?"
Gu Momo was first surprised, then blinked in confusion.
"This is a deserted island, after all. If we want everyone to survive together, no one can be a freeloader. Just follow my command and do the work you're responsible for every day, just like her."
Chuck said, gesturing to the foreign woman beside him.
Julia nodded in agreement, smiling sweetly at Gu Momo: "Chuck is a very capable man, smart and strong. With him around, you don't have to worry about anything!"
She finished speaking and leaned forward, extending her predatory hands to rub Gu Momo's head.
The latter shuddered and quickly backed away to a safe distance.
She then looked at Chuck, hesitated for a moment, and nodded.
"I'll go back and talk to Mom. I'll… contact you later."
"No problem."
Chuck nodded, his gentle smile returning.
Not until Gu Momo's figure disappeared down the slope did Julia turn back to Chuck.
"Chuck, I have a feeling you're plotting something. Is that my imagination?"
Chuck chuckled, noncommittal, and got up to walk down the slope.
It was just a matter of going with the flow. What eventually happened depended on them.
Chuck had simply predicted the outcome in advance.
After lunch, the two rested for a while before returning to work.
Finally, as the sky grew dim, the last mud brick was synthesized.
Both Chuck and the foreign woman were completely exhausted, their steps wobbly.
"…My back, f-ck, I can't do this anymore."
Julia lay sprawled by the mud pool, her T-shirt soaked with mud and sweat.
Yet, it didn't look dirty; instead, it held a strange, enticing appeal.
Chuck couldn't resist reaching out and giving her a firm squeeze. The touch was still soft, elastic, and tender.
The foreign woman let out a soft moan, but without any shyness. She only gave him a coy look and smacked his wandering hand away in an affectionate rebuke.
"Let me rest a little… Chuck."
Seeing her miserable state, Chuck couldn't help but laugh, and he didn't torment her further.
Despite her excellent physical fitness, she was still just a woman.
Holding the last mud brick, Chuck crossed the rock wall and returned to the platform.
Within the build zone he had chosen, an almost-finished kiln stood quietly.
It was the masterpiece the two of them had completed over a full day.
An indescribable sense of accomplishment swelled in Chuck's heart. He couldn't wait to put the last mud brick into the Workbench.
As the last white light dot on the top of the kiln was replaced by the brick, new information finally appeared on the light screen.
[Current Construction Progress: 100%]
[Simple Kiln—Construction Complete! Upgrade Blueprint Added!]
[Blueprint Name: Advanced Kiln Description: Tier 2 Upgrade Blueprint Function: Expands the internal structure of the original Simple Kiln and improves ventilation and insulation. Suitable for firing large pottery, molds, etc. Can reach temperatures up to 1000°C. Materials Required for Upgrade: Mud Bricks × 20, Clay × 20, Charcoal × 10, Lime Powder × 15]
An upgrade blueprint indeed!
Chuck was greatly pleased.
The kiln was finished, and it could be expanded later to increase the internal space and raise the firing temperature.
If this rule applied to all basic structures…
Then the other blueprint, the Simple Shelter, could also be upgraded?
Shelter upgrading to a wooden cabin, the cabin upgrading to a stone house…
Could they eventually build a seaside villa?!
Chuck's heart raced at the thought.
But it was getting late. The construction of the shelter would have to wait until tomorrow.
Just then, a sudden angry shout interrupted Chuck's thoughts.
"Chuck!"
He was startled, then turned around at the sound, and immediately felt amused.
Coming up the slope was the well-built career woman, Gu Yitong, leading her daughter. She was walking furiously, her full, shapely legs stomping in her flip-flops toward him.
Chuck's expression was calm. He dusted off his hands and walked forward to meet her.
"Ms. Gu, is there something I can help you with?"
"Did you personally say those things my Momo told me?"
Gu Yitong, as expected of a corporate executive, went straight to the point. Although her tone was hostile, her face betrayed no immediate emotion.
Unfortunately, her corporate posturing held no sway over Chuck.
"I did."
Chuck answered calmly, as if discussing the most ordinary matter.
Seeing his composure, Gu Yitong's composure instantly cracked. Her voice trembled with rage.
"So you think my daughter and I will willingly let you order us around, just for a little water and a single meal???"
Gu Yitong's eye twitched, her gaze filled with deep contempt: "Wouldn't that be a little too self-important?"
"I didn't say that. I merely proposed an option. Whether you accept is entirely up to you."
Chuck shrugged, then put on an indifferent expression: "After all, I'm not the one struggling right now."
"You!"
This undisguised sarcasm finally made Gu Yitong completely lose control.
Her face turned crimson. She raised her finger, pointing at Chuck's face, her curvy body trembling with anger.
"A low-life nobody from the bottom of society, what utter delusion!"
From the moment she first saw Chuck, Gu Yitong had perceived him as just an average person, an unsuccessful man you could find anywhere on the street.
In the past, she wouldn't have even glanced at Chuck. Now, to be so insulted by him nearly made Gu Yitong explode with rage.
But angry as she was, she couldn't actually do anything to Chuck. She could only glare at him intensely.
"From now on, we'll stay out of each other's way. I advise you to stay away from my daughter from now on, or don't blame me for what happens!"
With that, she grabbed her daughter's hand and angrily turned away, storming off.
Chuck, listening to her string of disrespectful insults and threats, felt no anger at all.
His gaze swept over the generous buttocks beneath the dress. He slowly raised his hand and waved to Gu Momo, who had turned back to give him an apologetic look.
He felt an inexplicable urge to laugh.
After all, the development was exactly as he had foreseen.
The brief appearance of the Gu mother and daughter was just a small interlude before the end of the day.
Now that the kiln was built, it was time to try firing more pottery to prepare for the next rain.
Half an hour later, the sky was stained red by the sunset. Inside the kiln, the first flicker of fire appeared.
Chuck fanned the flames with a palm leaf while continuously feeding wood into the kiln.
In front of him, a small light screen displayed the real-time temperature inside the kiln.
The heating process wasn't instantaneous, but fortunately, the kiln was spacious enough. While waiting, they could place the food they brought near the outer wall of the kiln, using the escaping heat to warm it up—no different from roasting meat over the campfire in the cave.
"I'm so tired."
The foreign woman tightly held Chuck's arm, resting her head wearily on his shoulder, staring blankly at the firelight in the kiln.
Both their bodies and faces were covered in mud, dust, and sweat, but neither seemed to mind.
"Just a little longer, it'll be ready soon."
Chuck gently soothed her, turning his head to give her soft, tender lips a light kiss.
Julia had put in a lot of effort building the kiln today. At least half of the mud bricks in the kiln were thanks to her.
"Mmm~"
Julia responded softly, her soft, smooth body pressing tightly against Chuck's. She closed her eyes, full of sweet and secure contentment.
Just as she had told Gu Momo today, as long as she was near Chuck, she didn't have to think about anything.
She just needed to listen to him obediently, and leave everything else to him.
"But I still can't believe we built this in one day…"
To this day, Julia still didn't know about Chuck's Workbench cheat system.
From her perspective, Chuck hadn't done anything truly out of the ordinary, but the results were always shocking, leading her to conclude only that Chuck was an extraordinary man.
Chuck merely smiled at this.
"That means we worked very hard today."
He was determined never to tell anyone about his cheat system.
Finally, as the kiln finished heating up, Chuck carefully placed a pre-synthesized clay pot blank into it.
Just as he thought he would have to continuously guard the fire to control the heat, as he had done with the campfire-fired clay bowls, an unexpected light screen appeared before him again.
[Tip: Construction facilities built using a Blueprint can also occupy a Workbench Synthesis Queue for item crafting, but the facility must be operational during the crafting process.]
[Detected item in "Simple Kiln" facility: Unfired Clay Pot Blank]
[Kiln temperature has reached firing standard. Estimated Firing Time: 5 hours. Start Crafting?]
The crafting button glowed as usual, and Chuck nodded in admiration.
The cheat system was thorough indeed.
He pressed the button without hesitation. The ball of light that used to appear on the Workbench now slowly floated into the smoking kiln.
The five-hour countdown officially began.
Chuck checked the Workbench queue; it was indeed occupied by the kiln.
It seemed the number of work queues was even more important than he thought.
He wondered when the third one would be unlocked.
Just as he was thinking this, his phone vibrated in his pocket. Chuck pulled it out and saw a message from Gu Momo.
[Momo the Great King]: I'm so sorry about today. I don't know why Mom got so angry. I apologize on her behalf.
[Momo the Great King]: I'll try to talk Mom into it later.
The foreign woman next to him leaned in immediately.
But as she read the text on the phone screen, her expression froze. After a moment, she turned to Chuck and muttered.
"Shit… Chuck."
"I think I know what you're planning…"
Chuck finally showed a knowing smile at her realization.
She was right.
For a woman like Gu Yitong, overt humiliation or coercion, whether through force or bribery, were ultimately inferior methods.
Chuck might be able to humiliate her, or even easily kill her. But to make her lower that proud head and willingly become his slut just to survive?
It would be extremely difficult.
But what if… it wasn't for herself?
"People value what their weakness is, that's a very simple truth, Julia."
Chuck spoke slowly, sending a brief reply to Gu Momo.
[Me]: I have a proposal. We'll discuss it on the phone when you're free.
Putting down the phone, Chuck looked at the firelight in the kiln.
The image of that sensual body in various shameful, submissive poses couldn't help but surface in his mind.
Low-life nobody?
A bum?
Now he really wanted to see what kind of expression that beautiful, arrogant woman would make when he ground her high-and-mighty head fiercely with his foot.