Chapter 21 (1/2)

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Bell’s English was excellent, probably because he was English.

…

The first thing they di upon their return from their expedition to the center of the island was to plant the seeds they collected in the vegetable garden. Zhang Heng went back and forth, eventually deciding on giving up on the idea of making a skirt. It was mostly because he still would not be able to cosplay as Monkey King without the staff.

In the end, Bell conjoined the two pieces of jaguar pelt into carpets. Not long after, the breeding garden was full of animals the explorer brought back from his hunts.

Mickey Mouse seemed slightly taken aback by the sudden increase of neighbors. Zhang Heng even found the dodo bird’s wife allowing the two people on the island to enjoy some eggs at last.

Finally, Zhang Heng had this feeling that he had conquered nature. He had eaten more than 20 varieties of vegetables, added two more seasonings to his pantry, owned a pond full of seafood, which he could take from whenever he liked and ate meat every day. Most importantly, he eventually found someone he could talk with.

That feeling was just like when Robinson met Friday.

Well… alright. From the student-teacher perspective, probably more like Friday.

For 4 hours every day, Zhang Heng would be learning English from Bell, which included listening, speaking, reading, and writing. On top of that, he continued his archery practices, although he’d already achieved his goal. Over the course of the year, it had now become a habit. The only thing was, that he no longer spent as much time on it as he used to. As an added bonus, Bell taught him some defensive moves.

His time on the island was coming to an end. On the 520th morning, a rescue vessel pa.s.sing by spotted the signal fire by the beach and sent a lifeboat to the island. Before the boat could even reach the sh.o.r.e, a woman jumped off the vessel and came running towards the men in tears.

“My wife, Kaya!” The explorer dropped the homemade fis.h.i.+ng rod in his hand and stood up abruptly.

The relieved couple embraced each other.

Bell then removed the blade he stowed across his waist and placed it in Zhang Heng’s hand.

“As per our agreement previously, this belongs to you now. I’ve been to many dangerous places all over the world… the polar regions, deserts, highlands… but this was the first time I’ve been marooned on a desert island. It has been an incredibly unforgettable and valuable experience. You are my forever friend. Of all our days here, it’s not just you who was the one learning. I’ve also learned a lot from you – I learned for the first time that there’s such a thing as grammar in the English language.”

“…”

“Let’s go, my friend. We should go home.”

Zhang Heng followed the Butre couple onto the lifeboat, surprised to see that there were reporters from several TV stations on board. Everyone roared into claps and applause the moment they caught a glimpse of the explorer who had returned safely.

On the s.h.i.+p, Zhang Heng took a long, hot bath and changed into clothes the sailors had provided. Finally, that feeling of returning to a civilized society dawned upon him. Instead of joining the celebration, however, Zhang Heng found himself a secluded and quiet corner on the s.h.i.+p that no one would take notice of. He was almost two hours away from leaving this virtual world.

It felt like the longest two hours of his life.

Zhang Heng was wondering what the return process was going to be like when suddenly, darkness enveloped everything around him, and a familiar voice spoke in his ear.

[Arrived at the return deadline. Task completion confirmed…]

[Beginner’s edition of Desert Island Survival successfully completed. The first round of the game is over. Returning to reality…]