**Date: July 2, 8 Years After Crossing**

  Exploring the island has proven to be more challenging than I 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 merely physical; they are far more bizarre and unfathomable than humans can comprehend. I never could have imagined that monsters could manipulate human memories.

  But I won’t give up. No matter how difficult it gets, I will see the sun again.

  Fortunately, I am not alone on the way home—

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

  “How many times have I told you not to disturb me while I’m writing in my diary?” Charles casually nudged the foot aside.

  “Tsk, back in elementary school during summer vacation, the teacher had you write in a diary every day, and you copied mine! Now that you’re stuck in this wretched place, you’ve suddenly become so eager to learn?”

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

  That was Anna, the ship's doctor. Her curvaceous figure made her lying sideways on the bed a striking visual, and her every move exuded a mature charm that could ignite endless fantasies in men.

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

  Hearing Charles's question, Anna's smile widened. She tugged at her shoulder strap, letting it slide down, and her left hand slowly glided up her porcelain thigh.

  “Come on~ let’s have some fun~ after all, we have~ plenty of time~~”

  Looking at his former partner, a faint smile appeared on Charles's face. “Can you let me catch a break? We just escaped! After running around on that island, aren't you tired?”

  Anna’s expression instantly dropped. She lightly kicked Charles with her foot and complained in a sulky tone, “Back when we first arrived, you were always dragging me into the cabin whenever you had the chance. What’s this? Is it the seven-year itch? Are you starting to find me annoying? You scoundrel!”

  Charles sighed softly and went over to hug her, gently patting her back. “Come on, have some empathy. There’s no field that hasn’t been plowed, only cows that have died from exhaustion.”

  “If you don’t pay your dues today, don’t even think about touching me this month!”

  As Anna continued her complaints, the oil lamp in the room slowly dimmed.

  The diary on the table turned a few pages due to inertia, revealing the previous day's entry.

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  “They have companions, but what about me? Why was I the only one who crossed over? Being alone is truly lonely. I wish I had a companion.”

  The next day, when Charles awoke, he naturally leaned over to plant a kiss on Anna’s smooth cheek. “I’m going to take the helm.”

  Still half-asleep, Anna pushed Charles’s face away impatiently. “Go away, go away! Don’t kiss me if you haven’t shaved; it’s prickly!”

  Charles chuckled and pecked her cheek again before getting out of bed and dressing.

  Once he was bright and alert, Charles entered the cockpit to find Bandage diligently steering the ship.

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

  After surviving together, Charles had completely lowered his guard against Bandage. If it weren’t for Bandage escaping from that strange tree, he might not have found the others.

  Bandage appeared mysterious, but at least he didn’t seem to harbor any ill intentions.

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

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

  As usual, Bandage performed a gesture of respect from the Fortan faith before leaving the cockpit.

  Charles felt in good spirits as he steered the ship. Although the outside was pitch black with no scenery in sight, he hadn’t felt this happy in a long time. His mood lifted considerably.

  Suddenly, the door swung open, and a pouting Deep stormed in, looking disgruntled.

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

  “It’s just a bunch of rats. Do we really need to argue over this? Maybe they ran off on their own,” Charles replied, feeling a headache coming on. As captain, he had to mediate conflicts among the crew.

  “Impossible! I searched everywhere; the rats couldn’t have jumped overboard!”

  Just then, Walter, the sailor in question, rushed in, excitedly defending himself, insisting that the rats had indeed vanished and it wasn’t his fault.

  The two began to bicker around Charles, and he finally pulled out the reward for this voyage to distract them.

  Charles thought the matter would end there, but things took a turn for the worse—this time, it was a person.

  “Captain, Walter is missing!!”

  Hearing this from his first mate, Charles furrowed his brow. Sailors weren’t rats; the ship was small enough that someone couldn’t just disappear without a trace.

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

  The joy and relief they had felt after completing their tasks evaporated. At dinner that evening, a shadow hung over everyone’s faces as they ate tasteless food.

  Watching the expressions of his crew, Charles knew he had to come up with a plan. If a sea creature had dragged the sailor overboard, that would be the best-case scenario. What worried him was that this could just be the beginning, and more crew members might vanish.

  “From now on, everyone must act in pairs, even for the restroom. Also, everyone must carry firearms at all times.”

  “Yes, Captain.”

  “Understood, Captain.”

  With a serious expression, Charles lowered his head to eat, when suddenly a pale hand reached over and gently tapped his arm.

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

  Charles’s anxious feelings eased slightly, and he forced a smile at Anna, who was sitting beside him. “No need to comfort me; it’s just a small issue. Just don’t wander off, and always stay close to me.”

  “Sure, just don’t complain about me being annoying later.” Anna wiped her finger, which had crumbs from the bread, on Charles’s face and then popped her finger into her mouth.

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

  “Why aren’t you eating?”

  “I had some snacks earlier, so I’m not hungry at all right now.”

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

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