It took over another hour to cut all four pieces of Light Wood in half. He chopped off the thinner tops, leaving sections that were at least fifteen centimeters in diameter at their narrowest.

Any thinner, and he worried they wouldn’t be able to support the weight of a second floor.

Using his bamboo knife, he carved two grooves on opposite sides of the top third of each Light Wood log. Then, he patiently cleared out the wood between them, creating a U-shaped notch.

He then slightly sharpened the bottoms of the four posts and drove them into the deep holes left by the old cabin. After that, he filled in the surrounding dirt and stamped it down firmly to ensure the posts wouldn’t wobble.

Once all four posts were standing, the simple frame of a house began to take shape.

All that was left was to cut some bamboo, haul it over, lay down the floor for the second level, and then start building the roof.

While it was still light out, he sat on the thickest log. He made a vertical cut in the bark with his military knife, then slid the tip of the blade under the bark and began to pry it open before grabbing the edge with his hand and pulling.

The technique for removing tree bark was actually quite similar to skinning an animal. The only difference was the texture of the bark varied from tree to tree. Fresher, more pliable bark could be ripped off in one whole sheet with brute force.

Drier bark, however, had to be peeled off slowly and patiently.

After stripping the bark, he still needed to cut the logs into one-meter lengths. Planks that were too long wouldn’t be sturdy, nor would they be easy to work with.

Just as he finished cutting the first log, the crimson-gold sunlight was already dyeing the western clouds red.

’Is it evening already?’

He pounded his sore, aching lower back and arms. He stood up, stretched languidly, and did a few stretching exercises. Only then did his stiff body feel much better.

’I’ll deal with the rest tomorrow. I’ll get some bamboo then and give it a try first.’

Bamboo was a genuine, high-density building material. Despite being hollow, it was quite exhausting to carry. Thankfully, he could save some energy by dragging it.

Instead of going back the way he came, he headed down from the pineapple field to the reef, hoping to pick up something for dinner along the way.

The tide hadn’t started to recede yet, so the reef was covered in a shallow layer of seawater.

In the lingering light of the sunset, he could clearly see many colorful little fish darting about the area. He even spotted a Devil Fish gliding gracefully across the surface of the reef.

’If only I was good at throwing. I could take a bamboo spear and bring that big guy home!’

He had never eaten a Devil Fish, but he’d seen them on many variety shows. It was known to be a rather popular and unique delicacy.

As he walked, his back basket gradually filled with familiar shellfish and sea snails.

He still had pineapples and bananas back at the shelter. With these additions, he theoretically had enough protein, but he wasn’t in the habit of eating fruit as a main course.

’If I don’t have any carbs, I should at least eat my fill of meat, right?’

The sky grew darker bit by bit, and the sound of the waves seemed to grow louder.

The temperature by the sea dropped quickly in the evening. After just a short while, he could already feel a slight chill.

Just as he bent over to pick up another sea snail the size of a ping-pong ball, a white, translucent object suddenly floated into view on the water’s surface a few meters away.

He glanced at it instinctively. After all, anyone would take a second look at something so conspicuously white on the clear surface of the sea.

When he got a clear look at its outline, Lin Chen’s face lit up with elation. Without a second thought about getting his feet wet, he stepped into the water and instantly stabbed at the white object with his bamboo knife.

SQUIRT

A jet of black ink shot out from the water. Having anticipated this, he took a half-step to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack.

He lifted the bamboo knife. Impaled on its tip was a squid as long as his palm, its body a translucent white with many black ink spots dotting its surface.

Even held high in the air, the little guy’s whole body was still writhing nonstop. It would occasionally spurt a small puff of ink, but it no longer had the force of the initial jet.

"Hey everyone, see this? Live squid are translucent like this. If you make a cut at their neck or give it a sharp chop with the side of your hand, their bodies will instantly change color."

"This is because the nerve center that controls their body is located here. Once it’s severed, they lose control of their body and, consequently, their camouflage ability to be translucent."

He dipped the squid back into the seawater, swishing it around a few times to wash the ink off its body. Then, he brought the side of his hand down hard on its neck, right below its two large eyes.

Almost instantly, its translucent color vanished, replaced by its normal white hue.

"Squid is great stuff—high in protein and nutrients. You can eat it raw or cooked. It’s suitable for pan-frying, deep-frying, boiling, stir-frying, hot pot, or grilling—you name it."

With this prize in hand, he no longer needed to linger and headed straight back to the shelter.

"You usually need to peel off the squid’s outer skin, as it affects the texture. You also need to clean out its guts and ’bone’."

[Fresh squid actually looks like that?]

[I knew watching this show would be educational. I never knew live squid weren’t white and even had skin.]

[Squid have bones? How come I’ve never seen one?]

[Me too. I always thought squid just naturally came in the shape of calamari rings.]

It wasn’t just the viewers who rarely cooked; even Lin Chen himself had been completely shocked the first time he saw a live squid.