While others seek survival, I engage in flirtation Chapter 73: The Mysterious Box

The crates looked like they'd been sitting here forever, covered in dusty old clothes. I yanked off the coverings and gave them a good shake, sending a cloud of dust into the air that made both Moon and me cough.

"Looks like these folks have been gone a long time," Moon said, brushing the dust off her fingers. "But they must've planned to settle on this island for the long haul."

"Clearing land for farming is no small task," I replied as we started opening the crates to check out what was inside.

We found all sorts of supplies, including some ceramic dishes.

"These clothes are pretty nice," I said, pulling out some women's clothing from one of the crates. They were all stylish, with short shorts, skirts, and low-cut tops.

I wasn't sure why these clothes were here, but I figured the girls would appreciate them. Since we got to this deserted island, we hadn't had any decent clothes. Most of the girls' original outfits had been used as makeshift torches.

Now, they either wore rough, oversized homemade clothes or tattered tank tops and shorts, looking pretty disheveled.

It was natural for girls to love beautiful clothes; I couldn't imagine any of them not liking these.

"These crates must be from different ships," Moon observed, nodding as she looked around. "They vary in size and condition."

"Different ships? You mean these crates were salvaged from shipwrecks?" I asked, growing more puzzled as I examined the crates.

She was right—the crates were all unique. If they really came from various wrecks, there had to be more survivors out here. But in all the time we'd been on this island, aside from my classmates and Assad's group, we hadn't run into anyone else.

Where was everyone else?

Moon and I fell silent, sensing that there were more secrets hidden on this island.

For now, we needed to get these supplies back. Our camp was starting to take shape, and we didn't need to carry everything at once. Moon and I could only carry so much.

I gathered the most useful items and packed them into empty crates, then had Moon help tie them up with rope.

I hoisted the crates onto my back, ready to head back to camp.

Just as we were about to leave, I heard a familiar howl.

The sound was sharp and piercing, not like a wolf. If I wasn't mistaken, it was the baboons.

"Looks like we won't be able to leave without dealing with these crazy baboons," Moon said, tying her hair up and pulling out a fruit knife.

I set down the crates and gripped my short knife.

The baboons were numerous but not very strong. As long as we were careful, they wouldn't be much of a threat to Moon and me.

We stepped out of the building, weapons in hand, and saw a few baboons watching us from a distance.

These baboons were different from the ones we had seen before. Their fur was dark red instead of brown, and they looked way more aggressive. One of them started chucking rocks at us as soon as it spotted us.

According to Moon, these baboons had the intelligence of a three- or four-year-old child, making them smarter than most animals in the wild.

We couldn't let them have their way. Moon and I charged at the baboons, who immediately turned and ran.

But something was off. They weren't running aimlessly; they seemed to be leading us somewhere.

We trailed the baboons through the forest until we reached some ruins—a wrecked camp of several buildings, all in shambles.

The ground was littered with mutilated animal carcasses, just like the ones we had seen at the farm, with "Red Nightingale" tags on them.

"This must be the wolves' den," Moon said, pointing to the overlapping wolf tracks on the ground.

The stench of decay hung heavy in the air, and the varying states of the bodies' decomposition made it clear there had been multiple battles here.

Moon and I searched through the bodies, confirming there were no humans, before starting our exploration.

The buildings were in ruins, with many of the facilities destroyed—far worse than the other two sites we had found.

Despite the camp's layout and drainage system being ideal for a base, the extensive damage made it impractical to repair. Rebuilding the fences and walls would require significant resources.

Given our current situation, this place wasn't a no-go. I preferred the first building we found or the warehouse near the farm.

However, the warehouse was too cramped for housing or storing much gear. Plus, once we had seeds, the farm would likely attract all kinds of critters and bugs, making it a poor long-term solution.

Most of the supplies here were destroyed, and there wasn't much we could take.

After a quick search, Moon and I left the ruins. The scene suggested that another brutal animal fight could break out at any moment, and we didn't want to get caught in it.

We moved quickly, heading back to camp. After about ten minutes, Charlie suddenly slowed down, looking alert.

His gaze fixed on something behind a tree.

Charlie only reacted this way when he sensed something unusual.

I stopped immediately, and Moon followed suit.

"What did he find?" Moon asked, moving ahead to pet Charlie's head.

I joined them, and the three of us crouched behind some bushes, watching intently.

Sure enough, Charlie's nose never let us down.