Starting from Robinson Crusoe-Chapter 85 - 31: The Third Mysterious Reward (Part 2)
Or perhaps capture the movements of the Time Travel Administration Bureau staff and observe what aliens really look like.
The answers to these questions are unknown, and Chen Zhou doesn't plan to risk being silenced just to peek at the true appearance of "aliens."
Besides, since they can alter time and space, they've probably long abandoned the obsolete manual delivery method and adopted some faster, more efficient means to send out the mysterious rewards.
Even if his curiosity is overwhelming and he stays at the beach all night to observe, it's likely to be a wasted effort.
Don't do meaningless things, don't waste energy in vain.
Before the sun rose over the sea, Chen Zhou arrived at the beach.
Since the start of the dry season, the days on the island have become increasingly hot, and clouds are rare in the sky.
In this climate, traveling in the early morning or night is relatively easier.
Thanks to the cloudless sky, the starlight and moonlight can shine on the earth unhindered.
Everything on the beach was exceptionally clear; Chen Zhou saw the mysterious reward lying in its usual spot from a distance, motionless.
This time, the reward packaging was slightly smaller than the previous two times, and the cardboard had changed from corrugated paper to patterned colored cardboard.
Coming closer, seeing the patterns printed on the cardboard made Chen Zhou even more puzzled about what this reward might be.
It was a cartoon old monk dressed in a blue kasaya, sitting upright on the ground with a Wooden Fish in front of him, and some short sentences resembling a Buddhist Scripture written beside it.
"Dharma Artifact? Or scripture?"
"This thing is useless to me; the island isn't haunted. Are they trying to persuade me to convert to Buddhism?"
Chen Zhou felt quite speechless and quickly opened the paper box.
The box wasn't large, and not even taped; upon opening the lid, there was a classic second layer of packaging and a thin plastic tray inside.
Clearly, the manufacturer intended for the product to look high-end in this way.
But everyone knows that no amount of gold foil can change the essence of trash.
The second layer of packaging was semi-transparent, with two lines of text printed on it—"Knock the Electronic Wooden Fish, accumulate cyber merits."
Tearing open this layer of plastic packaging, inside was a Wooden Fish connected to a base and a small hammer for striking the Wooden Fish, with a red button at the end of the hammer that said "Merit +1."
Seeing this, Chen Zhou realized this thing was probably less useful than a silicone phone case, yet he still took out the Electronic Wooden Fish.
Under the base, there was a battery compartment, with two AA batteries included in the box.
Inserting the batteries, a press of the red button caused the small hammer to strike the Wooden Fish, making a "dong dong dong" sound.
Of course, this sound wasn't actually made by the Wooden Fish, as it was plastic and couldn't produce such an ethereal sound.
The "dong dong dong" sound came from the speaker inside the Wooden Fish, sounding three times with each button press, and more presses would result in chanting Buddhist scriptures.
Pressing a few more times, Chen Zhou became increasingly certain that this thing was useless, so he removed the batteries, and returned to the cave with the Electronic Wooden Fish and his newly accumulated cyber merits.
On the way back, he couldn't help but grumble again.
This abnormal little toy made Chen Zhou's expectations for the next reward lower.
If the reward pool includes all items under ten yuan, he'd have a one in ten thousand chance of drawing a lighter.
Not to mention, just the cheap goods produced in Yiwu could take ten years to draw through.
The only usable parts from the Electronic Wooden Fish were the internal motor, speaker components, and battery.
However, AA batteries aren't long-lasting, and the motor is too small, only able to make a few-gram plastic hammer move up and down; replacing it with an iron nail might not work.
No matter how he thought about it, he couldn't figure out a useful scenario for it.
"Just consider it as accumulating luck; mysterious rewards don't come without a few misses to reach a guaranteed one."
Comforting himself, Chen Zhou resumed his work according to the schedule.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was November 23 from November 13.
After over ten days of brewing, the vinegar barrel had a distinct sour smell, and the diluted rum had turned cloudy, with some sediment emerging at the bottom.
Judging by the smell, the vinegar brewing seemed on track, but from the color, something seemed off.
Chen Zhou had no experience and only started vinegar brewing based on hearsay, unsure whether the reaction was problematic, so he could only let nature take its course.
The progress of excavating the cave remained stable as usual, roughly opening up two square meters of indoor space every three days.
Since starting on November 5, the newly excavated cave had a total area of 13 square meters, just enough to hold a bed and some odds and ends.
The newly made pickaxe and wooden shovel were already damaged, causing a halt in work progress, so Chen Zhou had to make new tools.
Plus, as he dug deeper, the rock content increased, and the wear and tear would speed up.
Sitting on the bed, he took out the pineapple ink, paper, and pen.
He did some calculations: at 20 square meters per month, it would take about 16 months to finish the excavation, including the kitchen, living room, and bedroom.
Adding the time for making tools, cutting trees for support, laying flooring, installing wall panels, building walls, and moving furniture, the whole project could take up to three years.
Moreover, he also had to farm and herd during the excavation process.
Calculating this way, relying solely on his simple tools and calloused hands, it would certainly take eight or nine years to complete the entire Shelter.
"Eight or nine years..."
He almost gritted out this number, put down the feather pen in his hand, and fell into contemplation, staring at the purplish-pink ink.
Now, the original plan is too lengthy, and he must choose compromise, risk, or change.
Compromise is simple: lower the requirements for the Shelter, from an intended total area of 320 square meters to 100 square meters, reduce the cave height from 3 meters to 2 meters.
Change the stone-built walls to wooden ones, skip the flooring, minimize structural support, and don't bother bringing large furniture from the ship ashore. Learn from Robinson and live the simplest primitive life without seeking comfort.
As for taking risks, that's using black gunpowder for blasting.
The matchlock gun's match cord can serve as a fuse, and by maintaining distance, safety can be somewhat assured.
The only concern is an unstable mountain structure, triggering landslides in the underlying sand and rock layers, burying both the Shelter and himself alive.
Change involves improving tools and altering excavation methods.
For instance, using thermal expansion and contraction to break rocks, burning them with fire, then dousing with water to cause cracks.
Or finding a way to manufacture pure metal pickaxes and shovels, saving the time spent on making tools, and speeding up progress.
Or increasing the workforce...
With December approaching, if natives really come to the island for a cannibal feast, he could find a way to strike it big, capturing two strong laborers to double the work rate.
Of course, he could also choose to abandon cave digging and build a wooden house.
Previously, he thought digging caves was faster, but after some practice, building a wooden house seemed more convenient.
There were enough leftover planks at the camp to build a simple wooden house—this is the final option, called giving up.
After intense mental debate, Chen Zhou ultimately couldn't choose to give up.
In modern society, he had been conservative too many times for safety and missed too many opportunities.
This time, he wanted to be more radical.
"Metal tools can't be made, so try fire-setting first; if it works, continue burning; if not, resort to blasting.
There are several barrels of gunpowder; use it judiciously, gradually gaining experience.
Elongate the fuse, and if it doesn't detonate, wait a day before checking again from a different cave to ensure safety and survival."
"If blasting fails or causes landslide, focus fully on transforming the matchlock gun.
By mid-December, a functional flintlock gun should be built.
With this, I'll have leverage to at least capture a native, tame him to help with work, and then slowly take more natives."
Compared to complex and thoughtful conservative plans, violence always seems so simple, powerful, and direct.
Scribbling in the notebook, Chen Zhou quickly conceived the future strategy.
Imagining the narrow and cramped Shelter as it is now, he resolved to build it into his dream within a year.
Finishing the last line, he heavily drew a period.
Laying down the purplish-pink feather pen.
Thinking of the possibility of killing, staining with the blood of his kind, Chen Zhou showed a helpless yet carefree smile, retrieved the long-untouched Electronic Wooden Fish from the bedside drawer, inserted the batteries, and gently pressed the button a few times.
Dong dong dong~
Dong dong dong~
