"July 1, Year 8 of the Crossing.

  Exploring the island has proven to be far more difficult than I had imagined. I initially thought that uncharted territories would only harbor some formidable monsters, but yesterday’s events taught me a harsh lesson.

  The dangers of the island are not just physical; they are far more bizarre than humans can fathom. I never imagined that monsters could alter human memories.

  But I will not give up. No matter how hard it gets, I will see the sun again.

  Fortunately, I am not alone on this journey home—"

  Just as Charles was about to continue writing, a delicate, pale foot landed on his back.

  “I’ve told you so many times not to disturb me when I’m writing in my diary.” Charles naturally pushed the foot away.

  “Tsk, back in elementary school during summer vacation, when the teacher asked you to write a diary every day, you copied mine! Now that we’re in this godforsaken place, you’re suddenly so diligent?”

  Charles turned around, looking helplessly at the woman lying on the bed.

  She was Dr. Anna, her curvaceous figure making her an absolute visual delight as she lay on her side, exuding a mature charm that could ignite a man’s imagination.

  But to Charles, this was nothing new. “What do you want now?”

  Hearing Charles's inquiry, Anna's smile grew even brighter. She tugged at the strap of her dress, letting it fall off her shoulder, while her left hand slowly slid up her smooth, pale thigh.

  “Come on~ Let’s have some fun~ We have~ plenty of time~~”

  Looking at his former companion, Charles couldn’t help but smile wryly. “Can you let me rest for a bit? We just escaped, and after running around that island, aren’t you tired?”

  Anna’s expression immediately turned sulky, and she lightly kicked Charles with her foot, complaining in a mournful tone, “When we first came here, you were so eager to drag me into rooms whenever you had a chance. What’s this? Is it the seven-year itch? Now you’re starting to find me annoying? What a scumbag!”

  Charles sighed softly, walking over to embrace her gently. “Come on, have some compassion. There’s no such thing as a field that can’t be cultivated, only cows that die from exhaustion.”

  “If you don’t pay your dues today, don’t expect to touch me this month!”

  With Anna’s complaints, the oil lamp in the room slowly dimmed.

  The diary on the table flipped over due to inertia, revealing the previous day’s entry.

  “They have companions, but what about me? Why was I the only one who crossed over? It’s so lonely being alone; I wish I had a companion.”

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  The next day, as Charles woke up, he naturally leaned over to kiss Anna’s smooth cheek. “I’m going to take the helm.”

  Without even opening her eyes, Anna impatiently pushed Charles's face away. “Go away, go away! Don’t kiss me if you haven’t shaved; it’s prickly!”

  Charles chuckled, giving her another peck on the cheek before getting dressed.

  Once he was invigorated and made his way to the helm, he saw Bandage diligently steering the ship.

  He patted Bandage on the shoulder. “How’s it going? Any abnormalities?”

  After going through life-and-death experiences together, Charles had completely let his guard down around Bandage. If Bandage hadn’t escaped from that monstrous tree, he might not have found the others.

  Bandage looked mysterious, but at least he didn’t seem to have any bad intentions.

  “None…” Bandage showed no reaction to Charles’s friendly gesture.

  “Alright, you can go rest. I’ll take over.” Charles took the helm.

  As usual, Bandage offered a calm salute to Charles before leaving the cockpit.

  Charles felt good steering the ship. Although it was pitch black outside and there was no scenery to see, he felt happier than he had in a long time, his mood considerably lifted.

  “Bang!” The door was pushed open, and a pouting Deep walked in, looking disgruntled.

  “Captain! That guy Walter is totally unfit for the ship!! I propose we kick him off! He was in charge of the rats, and now they’re gone!”

  “It’s just a bunch of rats. Is it really worth arguing with a crewmate over that? Maybe they just ran away,” Charles said, feeling a bit of a headache. As captain, he had to deal with crew conflicts too.

  “Impossible! I’ve searched everywhere; the rats couldn’t have just jumped into the sea!”

  Just then, the sailor named Walter rushed in, excitedly defending himself, claiming that the rats had indeed disappeared and it wasn’t his fault.

  The two began to argue around Charles, and in the end, he had to bring out the reward for this voyage to divert their attention.

  Originally, Charles thought things would just blow over, but events took a turn for the worse—this time, it was a person.

  “Captain, Walter is missing!!”

  Hearing this from his first mate, Charles frowned slightly. Crew members weren’t rats; the ship was so small, how could someone just go missing without a trace?

  Charles ordered all crew members to start searching for the missing sailor, but they turned the entire Rat Ship upside down and still couldn’t find him.

  The joy and relief from completing their earlier task had vanished, and during dinner at six that evening, a shadow loomed over everyone’s faces as they ate their meals in silence.

  Seeing the crew’s expressions, Charles understood that as captain, he had to come up with a plan. If some sea creature had dragged the sailor into the water, that would be the best outcome. What he feared was that this incident was just the beginning, and more crew members might go missing.

  “From now on, everyone must pair up, even when going to the restroom. Also, everyone must carry their firearms at all times.”

  “Yes, Captain.”

  “Understood, Captain.”

  With a serious expression, Charles lowered his head to eat his food. Just then, a delicate hand reached over and gently tapped his arm.

  A soft voice whispered in his ear. “Don’t worry; we’ve gotten through so much together. We’ll be fine this time too.”

  Charles felt his anxious heart ease a bit, forcing a reluctant smile at Anna sitting beside him. “No need to comfort me; this is just a small problem. You should stay close to me and not wander around.”

  “Sure, just don’t complain when I’m around,” Anna said, playfully rubbing her finger along Charles’s cheek before popping her finger, which had crumbs on it, into her mouth.

  After taking a couple of bites, Charles noticed Anna resting her chin on her hand, staring intently at him.

  “Why aren’t you eating?”

  “I just had a snack, so I’m not hungry at all right now.”

  “Where did the snacks on the ship come from? You’re not dieting again, are you? You’re not even overweight; starving yourself isn’t good for your health.”

  “Alright, alright, just take care of your own business, big captain. If I’m hungry, I’ll find something to eat myself.”

  ---