Chapter 226: Chapter 226: Deserted Island Survival 4

Ronan Kendrick didn’t sleep in. He went back to the coconut tree to haul in the iron cage. Although the temperature had dropped to zero degrees, it didn’t affect him at all. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Since the temperature dropped, king crabs and snow crabs had become more plentiful. He could haul in the cage over ten times a day, dragging up a full load each time.

Evelyn Ford’s storage space was already occupied by all sorts of fish, shrimp, and crabs. She was now, without a doubt, newly rich.

The seawater showed no signs of freezing. ’If it freezes, we could take the opportunity to leave,’ Evelyn Ford thought, looking out the window with a melancholic sigh. ’But if we leave and can’t find land or another island... wouldn’t that be even worse?’

"Evelyn, let me use the Crossbow and the Eagle Claw Hook."

Ronan Kendrick called to her from outside. Evelyn Ford quickly got out of bed and went to him.

"What’s wrong?"

"I spotted some tuna. I’ll shoot one with the Crossbow first, then use the Eagle Claw Hook to drag it in."

Evelyn Ford’s eyes lit up. "I’ll go with you."

"Then dress warmly. It’s very windy outside."

Evelyn Ford hurried back inside to pull on her fleece-lined rain boots and an army coat. Grabbing the Crossbow and Eagle Claw Hook, she jogged back to Ronan Kendrick.

"Okay, let’s go."

Ronan Kendrick reached out and adjusted her hat. He took the Crossbow and Crossbow Arrows from her and led her by the hand over to the coconut tree.

The surface of the sea was churning violently. Evelyn Ford saw three tuna swimming back and forth. Ronan Kendrick raised the Crossbow, aimed at the water, and decisively fired an arrow. As the tuna’s body broke the surface, he threw the Eagle Claw Hook, which securely snagged its gills.

Ronan Kendrick yanked on the rope, pulling with all his might. A moment later, he had dragged a giant tuna onto the shore.

Ronan Kendrick removed the Crossbow Arrow and Eagle Claw Hook, walked a dozen steps to the right, and took aim at the second tuna.

Seeing that the tuna was dead, Evelyn Ford quickly stored it in her space.

The second tuna was quickly hunted down and dragged ashore, but the third one had long since vanished without a trace.

"Let’s go back and rest. Your clothes are soaked."

Evelyn Ford brushed the snowflakes from Ronan Kendrick’s hair. Just then, a few coconuts fell from the tree. Its fronds had withered and yellowed, covered in a thick layer of snow.

Evelyn Ford picked up the coconuts. "Perfect. I’ll make coconut chicken stew for lunch today."

She had plenty of firewood stored in her space. To conserve gasoline, Evelyn Ford rarely used the generator. Back in the cabin, Ronan Kendrick washed his hands and went to the bedroom to change while Evelyn split the coconuts and scooped out the meat.

The two squirrels and two birds were asleep on the plank bed next to the fireplace, which had become their new nest.

The blizzard outside seemed to be intensifying. Evelyn Ford closed the window and boiled a kettle of water.

White smoke billowed from the chimney as a delicious aroma drifted from within the cabin.

"Ronan, dinner’s ready."

"Coming."

They sat in front of the fireplace, the meal already laid out.

"The wind is really strong today. We shouldn’t go out unless it’s necessary."

"Okay."

They chatted idly as the strong wind made the cabin door CREAK. The heavy snow showed no sign of stopping, and it was already knee-deep.

"I’ll replace this door later. It doesn’t feel like it’ll hold up much longer."

Evelyn Ford watched the snow outside when a flash of inspiration struck her. "This snow should be clean. I’m going to store some of it in my space."

Ronan Kendrick nodded. "Okay. I’ll go shovel some later. The pond in the backyard is frozen over. Should I collect the ice?"

"No need to shovel. I’ll lay a tarp in the yard later and let the snow fall on it. Then I can just put the whole thing in my space. Don’t worry about the ice for now. It’s a good thing the chicks haven’t hatched, or they’d freeze to death. I just checked the temperature—it’s minus three degrees Celsius, but the sea still doesn’t seem to be frozen."

After their meal, Evelyn Ford put on a wool hat and a mask and went to spread a large tarp in the yard.

Ronan Kendrick hauled in the iron cage again. There were no small fish these days; everything he caught was a large fish weighing over ten kilograms.

They didn’t bother killing the fish anymore. They just dumped their catch into the snow, and once the fish froze to death, they could be stored in her space.

The daylight hours passed in the blink of an eye. By 3:30 p.m., the sky was already dark. Around eight or nine at night, a storm would start to rage over the sea, with thunder, lightning, and violent winds. Huge waves would crash ashore, and by the next morning, they could go out into the yard to collect fish and shrimp that had been washed up.

Sometimes, they could even find beautiful corals, seashells, and giant two-meter-long Squid and octopuses.

Ronan Kendrick eventually caught the tuna that had escaped. It was twice the size of the other two, weighing over four hundred kilograms.

Evelyn Ford decided it was best to butcher the tuna before storing it. The meat was easy to portion, and every part was edible. After removing the head, gills, and tail, she cut the body into smaller pieces, packed them into foam boxes, and stacked them neatly.

Evelyn Ford wasn’t a neat freak, but she did have some compulsive tendencies. Even the items in her storage space had to be stacked with perfect neatness.

’For some reason, I feel like I’m starting to figure out the pattern of these disasters,’ Evelyn Ford mused. ’Extreme cold is followed by scorching heat, floods are followed by droughts. They always manifest as extremes. Since we’re having a blizzard now, maybe it’ll be followed by temperatures of fifty or sixty degrees Celsius once it’s over.’

That’s why she wanted to collect all the snow. If seawater were drinkable, she would have filled her space with it, too.

Two days later, the sea was suddenly calm. Ronan Kendrick carried their inflatable boat to the water, planning to venture into deeper seas to catch more tuna.

Evelyn Ford stayed home to process their previous hauls of fish and shrimp. She put a pot of ginger soup on to simmer in the kitchen, ready to warm up Ronan Kendrick when he returned.

The snow on the island was very thick. Evelyn Ford collected the first layer from the tarp into her space and started on a second.

The seagulls that usually flew over the sea were gone. Two hours later, a light drizzle began to fall. Worried about Ronan Kendrick, Evelyn Ford took a pair of binoculars and went to the coconut tree to look for him.

Just then, Ronan Kendrick was already on his way back, his boat fully loaded. Two tuna lay in the stern, and he was dragging a fishing net that floated in the water behind him, looking quite full.

When she spotted Ronan Kendrick’s figure, Evelyn Ford waved and shouted his name.

"Ronan! Ronan!"

Ronan Kendrick raised the small flag he had made and waved it in response.

When Ronan Kendrick was back on the island, Evelyn Ford ran to him. "Did you run into any trouble?"

Ronan Kendrick shook his head. "No. The creatures in the water seem to have gotten sluggish since the temperature dropped."

Evelyn Ford burst out laughing and helped him drag the net ashore.

Evelyn Ford then stored the tuna from the inflatable boat in her space.

"Let’s take a break for the next few days. It’s started to rain."

"Okay."

The fish and shrimp in the net weighed over two hundred kilograms and included silver carp and salmon.

Evelyn Ford handed him the ginger soup. Ronan Kendrick frowned but downed it in one gulp.

"I just checked the date. The New Year is in one week."

Ronan Kendrick looked a little surprised. "Already?"

He patted Evelyn Ford’s head and said softly, "Looks like our Evelyn is about to be a year older."