Island Survival: Starts by chopping a tree-Chapter 41 Making A Bomb is Actually possible?
Ariana scooped up a handful of the material from the riverbed and held it up to the sunlight.
The substance was unlike the sand and pebbles they were used to; it was smooth and pliable, with a distinct earthy aroma.
Seeing Ariana’s curiosity, Jessica and Layla waded closer, creating ripples in the water with each step.
"What did you find?" Jessica asked as they approached.
"Look!" Ariana exclaimed, holding up the dark, gray material.
The substance was slightly gritty to the touch but still moldable, like dough. It left a residue on her fingers, making her wonder what it could be.
"What is that?" Layla questioned, peering closely at the material in Ariana’s hands.
Jessica extended her hand, eager to feel what she was holding. As she squeezed it, she noticed how unusually pliable it was, unlike any mud she had ever encountered.
"It feels like mud," she remarked, feeling perplexed by its texture.
Ariana squeezed the material, watching as it held its shape before slowly returning to its original form.
"It’s so smooth and sticky," she noted, rubbing her fingers together to remove the residue.
Layla took a bit of the material and pressed it between her palms.
"It’s got some grit to it, but it’s not rough. It’s like...a special kind of mud," she said, her brow furrowing in thought.
They all examined the material more closely, fascinated by its peculiar qualities. The rich, dark gray color contrasted sharply with the lighter sand and pebbles around them.
"Maybe it’s really some kind of river mud that we haven’t seen before," Jessica suggested, rolling a small piece of it into a ball and watching it hold its shape."
Curious, the other girls joined in, feeling the riverbed with their toes and hands. They gathered more of that mud, shaping it into small balls and marveling at its flexibility.
The so called mud was dense and cool to the touch, a stark contrast to the warm water surrounding them.
Charlotte, whose eyes were closed, opened them up, hearing the commotion.
Seeing that they were in a circle and mumbling from time to time, she stood from where she was seated. Her plump breasts heaved up and down as she walked towards the three.
"What are you three doing? Did you find something good?" she asked as she arrived behind Layla.
Looking back, Layla, who was a bit shorter, her eyes were at the same height as Charlotte’s breasts, making her dumbfounded.
She could even see the red mark on Charlotte’s breast from their early playing. But, hearing her words, she smiled as she showed her what she found. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
Charlotte, seeing Layla’s hand extended towards her in a bowl gesture, asked, "Can I hold it for a moment?" Her curiosity was piqued.
Layla just nodded her head and carefully transferred the dark gray substance into Charlotte’s hands.
The moment Charlotte touched it, she felt its unique texture - slightly gritty but smooth and easily moldable. It was literally not mud at all.
The material was cool to the touch and left a residue on her fingers.
She squeezed it gently, feeling it conform to the shape of her hand. The pliability and consistency were there.
Charlotte then remembered a conversation she had with an artisan during a business trip.
The artisan had explained the different types of natural materials used in crafting, and one particular discussion about this so-called mud she had just remember.
"Wait a second," she murmured, her eyes widening with realization.
"This isn’t just mud." she stated.
Jessica and Layla watched her intently, curious about her conclusion.
"What do you mean, big sister?" Ariana asked, feeling baffled since she was the first to notice that this wasn’t mud at all.
Charlotte’s face lit up with excitement. "I think this is clay!" she exclaimed.
"We can use this to make pots and other items."
Layla hearing this looked at the substance in her hands, filled with awe. "Really? A clay?" she repeated, her voice filled with wonder.
The other two were no exception. Charlotte then nodded, her mind racing with possibilities.
"Yes, its texture, the way it maintains form, and its malleability... I’m certain. This has all the characteristics of clay," she replied.
Hearing this the three were very happy, since they accidentally found a treasure.
"So, big sister, if you have an idea about it, doesn’t that mean you know how to make pottery?" Jessica asked, her was excited yet curious.
However, Charlotte shook her head, "I don’t know how. Let’s just gather some of this clay so that the kid can take a look. With his skills, I wouldn’t be surprised if he could make pottery too," she replied.
Suddenly, two delicate hands appeared behind Charlotte. Those hands grasped her breasts, making her jump in fright.
The hands began to knead it, making Charlotte blushed deeply with a mix of embarrassment and anger as she quickly pulled away.
Turning around, she saw Emma’s mischievous grin, Charlotte eyes then began to glow red with a predatory gleam, as if she were about to pounce.
The look that Emma was giving her right now, seems to say. ’You let your guard down,"
"You damn vixen! If you ever do that again, I’ll kill you!" Charlotte shouted furiously, storming off to put on her clothes.
If she were to fight here, her reputation as a mature woman would be ruined in the presence of the three girls.
With her back turned, Emma seemed completely unfazed by Charlotte’s anger. She looked at Layla, whose palm she was now inspecting with a smile.
"Little sister, what did you find?" Emma asked, her voice sweet but laced with amusement.
The others, still recovering from the shock of what had just happened, were snapped back to reality when Emma spoke.
They exchanged some glances but remained silent, uncertain of how to react.
"Big sister Emma, according to big sister Charlotte it’s called a clay, and it’s good for pottery. She told us to take some back and show it to the captain," Layla explained.
"Oh," Emma nodded, her gaze lowering as she examined the clay in front of her.
"Then let’s head back right now. We’ve already been here for a while" Emma said, handing the clay back to Layla.
The three girls nodded in agreement and began putting on their clothes. Once they were done, they made their way back to the camp.
As they arrived, they found Jeff meditating once again. They didn’t want to disturb him, but with his keen senses, Jeff opened his eyes, aware of their presence.
[67/500 exp. Remains to unlock a skill.]
Seeing the progress bar, Jeff nodded in satisfaction. When the girls finally arrived, he felt a sense of excitement.
Emma, noticing the water filter was completed and that there were now an extra 15 bamboo containers, she was surprised.
"This kid really doesn’t know what the word ’taking a break’ means," Emma thought to herself.
While they had spent hours at the river, Jeff had been busy with tasks, making her a little ashamed. Not just Emma, but the rest of the girls as well.
"Captain, did you make all of this?" Layla asked, picking up one of the bamboo containers.
"What’s it for?" she finished.
Hearing this, Jeff just smiled as he stood up from the ground, "It’s a container for water, of course. I’m planning to use it for pottery. I’m heading to the river to hunt some clay. Do you all want to come?"
Now that they were done, he was very much in haste to look for it. The girls hearing his words just exchanged glances, amazed at how everything seemed to align.
"This kid really knows how to make pottery," Charlotte said, shaking her head with a smile.
"I’m not even surprised anymore." She finished
Charlotte could not help but admire him more and more, this is the first time she saw a man so capable in everything.
When she meant everything, literally everything.
"Young captain, you are really amazing. If you told us you can make a bomb, we will believe it." Emma said with stars in her eyes.
What she said is only a joke, but Jeff took it literally.
"A bomb, huh?" he muttered, rubbing his chin.
Searching through his memories, about a bunch of books concerning Chemistry, Physics, Engineering, and Military tactics.
Observing him in deep thought, Emma paused for a moment, considering a possibility. Was she thinking the same as what the other girls right now?
"Wait, don’t tell me—" Charlotte began, but Jeff cut her off with a calm nod.
Jeff’s calm nod took the group aback. "Sure, I can make one. It wouldn’t be anything fancy, though—just something simple using what’s available."
Emma’s joking smile froze, her eyes wide awake. "Wait... you’re serious?"
Jeff did not say at first as he crouched by the ground again and began sketching in the sand.
"First, let’s keep it basic," he started, his tone almost like a teacher’s.
"We’ll need something for the explosion itself. On this island, you can mix charcoal from burned wood, sulfur from certain rocks, and saltpeter, which you can find in bat guano or soil in damp caves. Combine these in roughly a 15:3:2 ratio. That makes black powder—basic but effective."
Charlotte frowned, from what she heard. "Okay, but how would you even... detonate it?" she asked.
Jeff just grinned, picking up a piece of bark. "You make a crude fuse. Twist dried plant fibers into a cord, soak it in something like oil from coconuts or animal fat, and let it dry. Light one end, and you’ve got yourself a slow-burning ignition line."
He looked up, scanning their reactions. Emma stared at him like he was a wizard.
"And the container?" Jessica asked, unable to help herself.
"Anything that can hold the powder tightly," Jeff explained, holding up his hands to gesture.
"A hollowed-out coconut shell or even tightly packed bamboo. Pack it too loosely, and it just fizzles. Too tight, and you could hurt yourself."
Charlotte crossed her arms, trying to hide her unease, "So... you’re telling us you could whip up an island bomb right now?"
Jeff just shrugged his shoulders and responded, "If we really needed to. But like I said, it’d be low-quality. Not exactly reliable, and definitely not for big tasks. Something like this would be more of a last resort."
Emma listening to him, began to lean closer, with stars in her eyes once more. "You’re incredible, young captain. You even know how to blow things up with coconuts!"
"Well speaking of blowing coconuts, why don’t you show the young captain. What you girls found in the river," Charlotte who already move in the far side. Spoke to the three girls.
She addressed Jeff as "Young Captain" once again, rather than "young kid."
Hearing this, Layla, Ariana, and Jessica were reminded about the clay, as their captain seemed to be looking for some right now.
Jessica, who had been holding something tightly in her palms, opened them and stepped closer to Jeff.
"Captain, why don’t you take a look?" she said with a big smile, revealing what she had in her hands.
