Apocalypse: Last Traveler

The old turtle... eats people?!

Lu Xi'an was instantly astonished.

The "old turtle" that Hu Xiaodong mentioned should undoubtedly be the one they caught earlier. The situation Hu Xiaodong described completely matches what happened before.

The problem is that when they were cleaning the barnacles off the sea turtle earlier, it behaved very obediently. After being kicked back into the water by Lu Xi'an, it even voluntarily brought back a bag full of medals, as if to show its gratitude.

How could such a thing possibly eat people?

...

Wait!

Perhaps... that's precisely evidence that the turtle eats people!

Otherwise, how could a sea turtle have gotten hold of such a bag?

And the fact that it would voluntarily bring the bag back shows that it understands the value of the bag or at least knows it should belong to humans.

So, it must have encountered humans before and is smart enough. Is it possible that it recognized the good intentions of Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei, and perceived the prowess of the Neo-Humans, thus behaving so obediently at the time?

So, after all this time, did I rescue a man-eating sea turtle, inadvertently giving a new life to a creature that poses endless threats to people on East Island, and release it back into the sea?

As for why that sea turtle can be so bizarre, intelligent, and capable of eating people, Lu Xi'an finds nothing strange about it.

In this world, both animals and plants are more or less affected by the X-17 Strain.

There are corn plants that mature fast, trees that are cold-resistant, hyenas with strong jaws, brown bears that are twice as tall, and fish that people can ride.

What's impossible about a sea turtle that is smart and can eat people?

Upon careful reflection, the turtle initially dragged down by barnacles showed no peculiar characteristics.

However, after the barnacles were completely cleaned off by Yao Wei and himself, its speed indeed increased significantly in the water, and it became much more agile.

At that time, both he and Yao Wei were immersed in the decompression and satisfaction of removing the barnacles and hadn't noticed this at all.

In his heart, he sighed at the thought of his own wrongdoing, but that was all he could do.

The event has already happened, and the situation is as it is. The vast ocean makes it impossible for him to find the turtle and kill it. What could he do about it?

"You all have to be more careful in the future then."

Lu Xi'an said thusly.

Hu Xiaodong sighed and said, "Yeah, what else can we do?

"But with this sail on our ship now, we travel so fast, there's probably nothing to worry about, right?

"Thanks to you two, that old turtle surely can't catch up with us. Don't you agree?"

He seemed to be seeking confirmation from Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei, or maybe just seeking comfort. Lu Xi'an could only say, "I hope so."

Hu Xiaodong then cautiously and nervously said, "I'm really sorry about one thing: the sail you two made got damaged by the sea water. We barely made it to East Island; it couldn't be used anymore.

"We had no choice but to replace it with this one. Please don't mind..."

Lu Xi'an waved his hand indifferently and said, "Don't worry, we don't mind. When we installed that sail on your ship, I already knew it wouldn't last long.

"You've modified the sail like this, doing a great job. It's much better than what we did."

Upon hearing Lu Xi'an speak this way, Hu Xiaodong and Hu Dong finally felt relieved. Hu Xiaodong then began to explain to Lu Xi'an how the sail was made.

He described how they bought food and suitable fabric and explained how they cut it, applied animal grease for waterproofing, and replaced the old sail with the new one.

After patiently listening, Lu Xi'an proceeded to accept the goods on the ship.

The four barrels were filled to the brim. The potatoes were large and plump, the long eggplants were smooth and sleek, and the barley had a golden hue, filling each barrel completely and looking comforting.

Lu Xi'an thought it was no wonder that Hu Xiaodong and Hu Dong didn't quite look like other ordinary people; they didn't seem so old, didn't have as many wrinkles, and were somewhat taller.

Although they still paled in comparison to Neo-Humans like Yao Wei and him, they were already much stronger than ordinary people.

The reasons for the generally low lifespan and poor appearance of ordinary people in this world are mainly because of not being well-fed and clothed, along with regression in civilization, and a lack of medical supplies and methods.

With their basic needs met, these two people were already better off than most.

It turned out that East Island was so abundant in resources. Outside of the ocean, there was a hidden utopia.

Lu Xi'an thought that perhaps the 923 Base would gradually see such changes too?

After all, they now have Shu and seeds, have started planting things, and even raise chickens for eggs. Their condition is gradually improving.

Yao Wei's eyes were already wide open, her attention fully on those four barrels. Seeing that the topic had finally turned to the trade, she didn't even need Hu Xiaodong and Hu Dong to move; she immediately jumped to action, lifting the barrels down.

Hu Xiaodong and Hu Dong also widened their eyes in amazement in their hearts, thinking, "Neo-Humans truly live up to their name. This skinny and beautiful woman can lift things as effortlessly as picking up a chick, incredible!"

Lu Xi'an stepped forward, quickly overtaking Hu Xiaodong and Hu Dong, took down two barrels, and then handed over the complete Fish Mouth District medal to Hu Xiaodong.

Hu Xiaodong was overjoyed, nodding and bowing repeatedly along with Hu Dong, expressing his gratitude profusely.

"Thank you! Thank you! You two have no idea, this time buying so much food has truly drained us dry, we didn't even have money left to buy cloth, had to get it on credit!"

While bowing and nodding, Hu Xiaodong said, "If you two didn't give us this Big Coin, us father and son would really have no way to explain when we go back, the family couldn't even survive!"

As he spoke, he introduced the four barrels of food, "Rest assured, these potatoes, barley, and eggplants are definitely delicious and can be stored for a long time.

"My grandpa's grandpa said that these things were not like this originally, they couldn't be grown in this world, and even if they were grown, the storage time was limited.

"Barley would grow mold, eggplants would wilt, and potatoes would sprout.

"But those who migrated to our East Island, an incredible person researched and cultivated seeds for a long time, giving up on many other edible things, choosing these three to cultivate well, only then did they grow to be like this today.

"These three things are grown on our island, they're not afraid of weather changes, and once grown, they can be stored for a long time, one or even two years no problem, rest assured!"

That truly puts the mind at ease!

This way, there's no need to worry about food spoiling while stored in the vehicle; they can use it as reserve rations and first consume those that might spoil.

Lu Xi'an smiled immediately and said, "Good!"

Yao Wei looked at the contents of the barrels as if they were treasures.

Lu Xi'an said, "Wait here. We'll borrow your barrels, empty them, and return them to you."

Hu Xiaodong and Hu Dong quickly nodded and said, "You use them! You use them!"

Previously, Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei had already borrowed their barrels once, filled them with water, and returned them, so they weren't worried that these two Neo-Humans would keep their barrels.

These two Neo-Humans are truly great people!

This thought had deeply taken root in the hearts of these two islanders from East Island.

Lu Xi'an and Yao Wei each took two barrels, went to the car, opened the car door, and poured out the potatoes and eggplants, stacking them in the car's cabinet.

Luckily, this camper is large, with ample storage space and many cabinets; otherwise, these two things really would have no place to be stored, only piled up on the ground.

However, the barley was not as easy to pour out; the grains were too small and would scatter when poured into the cabinet, not only wasting it but also making it troublesome to clean up.

Fortunately, when they left the 923 Base, they had more than one barrel in the car, allowing them to pour the water in the barrel into the camper's water tank, then pour the barley into their own barrel.

After completing these tasks, Lu Xi'an thought for a moment, took another Big Coin from the turtle-given pouch, and said to Yao Wei, "Let's go return these barrels."

Yao Wei nodded, and together with Lu Xi'an, carrying the two empty barrels back, she asked on the way, "Is that Big Coin for them?"

"Yes."

Lu Xi'an responded, "For them, the purchasing power of this Big Coin must be quite strong; otherwise, they wouldn't exchange so many supplies for the Big Coin from us.

"Their claim of being broke is likely an exaggeration, but not entirely untrue—at least buying those supplies must have cost them quite a bit.

"We give them an extra coin so they can live comfortably and won't have to risk crossing the sea again, in case that turtle eats them. After all, it was us who cleared the barnacles off the turtle.

Of course, he was just trying to express his goodwill, giving an extra Big Coin and offering a bit of advice.

Whether they would still take the risk of going to sea was unknown. People die for wealth as birds die for food. He had done his utmost; if they continued to risk their lives for wealth, who could be blamed?

Originally, he also considered filling these four empty barrels with water again for them, but considering the heavy load would slow down their boat, possibly making it more dangerous, he decided against it.

"Hmm."

Upon hearing this, Yao Wei nodded, saying, "You really are a good person!"

Lu Xi'an: "..."

Handed another good person card.

By Yao Wei again.

"What about the rest?"

Yao Wei asked again.

Lu Xi'an said, "Let's bury the rest. Later, we'll contact Luo Ping to see if they want to come over and trade with East Island.

"East Island is so prosperous, with those funds, they should be able to buy quite a lot. Then we can bring some seeds back to plant, and the 923 area would have quite the boost."

"Hmm."

Yao Wei nodded, agreeing with Lu Xi'an.

The two continued walking, but hadn't reached the seashore when they seemed to hear some commotion, quickly exchanging a glance and picking up their pace.

Upon reaching the shore, they saw Hu Xiaodong and Hu Dong retreating in a panic, while a fairly large turtle was lingering by the coast, reluctant to leave.

Wasn't it the very same one from which they had removed the barnacles earlier?