At noon, the heavy rain was still pouring.
The light outside the cave brightened a bit, but it was still incredibly gloomy, with bone-chilling cold winds blowing in from time to time.
Only inside the cave, the single burning fire released heat, allowing people to catch their breath.
About two hours had passed since Chuck left the cave without another word. The remaining women had somewhat complex feelings, either discussing with each other or holding it in and thinking alone.
Even lunch was somewhat tasteless.
As lunchtime ended, although the women, including Lee So-yeon and Lee Na-eun, were cold and tired, and hadn't eaten their fill, there was nothing they could do right now besides rest.
Just like last night, the women lay down in a circle around the fire. The straw mat originally belonging to Chuck had been removed, and they gathered closer to each other.
But despite this, for some reason, after Chuck left, even though it was daytime, the women lying by the fire felt even colder than last night.
The drowsiness after lunch barely countered the chill, and just as the women's breathing became steady...
"No!!!!"
A sudden scream abruptly sounded among them.
The next second, everyone got up from their straw mats in terror, looking towards the source of the sound.
They saw the Spanish woman Sofia—who was pressed against the corner wall deep in the cave by Chuck late last night, and fucked into a puddle of mush, rolling her eyes and sticking out her tongue—actually sit up straight right now, her originally dazed face full of terror and disbelief.
After she screamed, her whole body trembled slightly for a while. It wasn't until her brain gradually cleared that she finally understood it was already the next day.
"Sofia, my God, are you okay? You've slept for over twelve hours."
Lee So-yeon stood up immediately and went to her companion's side with concern. But unexpectedly, Sofia just stared blankly at the fire in front of her. The terror on her exotic, three-dimensional features gradually disappeared, and a strange smile actually emerged slowly.
Those light brown pupils gradually revealed a hint of pink, and an uncontrollable excitement surfaced deep in her eyes.
She ignored Lee So-yeon's concern. Instead, under the latter's surprised gaze, she quickly unzipped her pants, then looked down and observed for a while, followed by an exclamation carrying a hint of a smile.
"¡Dios mío (My God)... my pussy is swollen like a hot dog! Haha!"
"???"
It must be said, worthy of a blonde mare from Spain. Her level of openness made even the experienced and knowledgeable Lee So-yeon blush a little. She subconsciously glanced at Sofia's unzipped pants, and the lower body that was indeed red and swollen as she described. Feeling both ashamed and horrified, she helplessly turned her head away, raised her hand, and gently patted her shoulder.
"Hey... stop looking, eat something first."
"Where is that man? Chuck? Where is he?"
Sofia looked around but didn't see the figure she hoped for in her heart, and the smile on her face froze subsequently.
And beside her, Lee So-yeon's frown deepened.
Clearly having not eaten for nearly a day, the first thing Sofia asked upon waking up wasn't where the food or water was... but where Chuck was.
What exactly was she thinking?
"He already left before lunch, said he wanted to go back early."
He Xiaoyu, who had also come over, answered truthfully. Just as she finished speaking, she saw the frozen smile on Sofia's face instantly turn into anxiety.
"Left?? Didn't he say he would stay until after the rain stopped?"
Sofia turned her head to look at He Xiaoyu, her face actually revealing a bit of panic and reluctance.
"When he left... didn't he have anything to say to me?"
"..."
Looking at her companion's expression, Lee So-yeon fell silent for a moment. Then she subconsciously turned her head, exchanged a glance with her sister behind her, and they both shook their heads in unison. Only then did she turn back, look at Sofia, and helplessly relay the words Chuck left before departing.
As Lee So-yeon finished conveying Chuck's words word by word, she could see the expression on Sofia's face visibly change from depression to joy, and finally to excitement.
"Good! That's great! Then I just have to wait for him to come over next time, right???"
"...Mmh."
Looking at the uncontrollably excited Sofia, Lee So-yeon's tightly furrowed brows actually gradually relaxed. A trace of sadness surfaced in her eyes, but she still smiled and nodded.
Compared to the desolation brought by a companion's resolute departure, the opportunity for her companion to gain a stable life from now on actually relieved her, and she felt genuinely happy for her.
And right now, the gazes of the women gathered around the fire also converged on Sofia. Watching her look so excited, they all had mixed feelings, both envious and worried in their hearts.
But after the excitement passed, Sofia finally realized that acting like this might be somewhat letting down Lee So-yeon, who had always done her utmost. She then looked up dazedly at her again, frowned, and spoke softly with a slightly guilty expression.
"Sister So-yeon, I..."
"It's okay, no need to say more."
Before the apology could be uttered, Lee So-yeon shook her head, cutting off the second half of her sentence.
"I already made my stance clear to everyone yesterday. From the very beginning when I was chosen by everyone as the leader, my only purpose has been to let everyone survive on this deserted island. Now that you have a chance to start over, how could I stop you?"
"...Mmh."
The Spanish girl was passionate and naturally quite emotional. One second she was cheering for her luck, the next she was shedding tears over leaving her companions. In her heart, Lee So-yeon was undoubtedly a flawless leader, but this deserted island was so cruel, she really had no choice.
"But Sofia, if you want to leave, I won't stop you, but could you please promise me one thing?"
"What is it, tell me Sister So-yeon."
Looking at Sofia's resolute gaze, the corners of Lee So-yeon's lips finally curled into a smile, and only then did she speak all her thoughts.
This was also the first time Lee So-yeon had brought the matter of "leaving here to join Chuck" to the table in front of all her companions. She did this as a compromise out of helplessness, and also to prevent her companions from privately harboring bad thoughts and acting on their own like Sofia did last night.
"To be fair, everyone here is considered a woman with some charm. Wanting to rely on that man to live a stable life from now on, one can only rely on one's own ability."
While Lee So-yeon spoke, her gaze intentionally or unintentionally turned to her sister beside her, and Tang Yumo with her head down on the other side.
"But where there are those who can leave, there are those who are unwilling to leave, and those who are not chosen. We've been companions. Even if you are leaving, please fight for some more ways to survive for the remaining sisters. So-yeon thanks everyone here."
After speaking all the words in her heart, Lee So-yeon took half a step back, leaned forward, lowered her head, and performed a deep bow to all the companions in front of her.
"Sister So-yeon!"
The Black women and blondes from Europe and America just looked at her in confusion, but the few women from East Asia understood the weight of this gesture, and stepped forward one after another to help Lee So-yeon up.
"Sister So-yeon, you don't need to thank us, we should be thanking you."
"Yes, everyone being able to survive until now is all thanks to Sister So-yeon."
"No matter what, Sister So-yeon will always be our companion."
Without wasting much breath, Lee So-yeon's proposal reached a consensus among the women. Those who wanted to leave must try their best in this process to help Lee So-yeon strive for supplies from Chuck for the remaining companions, as the fee for "selling themselves."
In the "trade" with Chuck, quickly realizing that her side had absolutely no possibility of holding the initiative, within a short period of less than twenty-four hours, Lee So-yeon decisively shifted her strategy.
In this way, Chuck could indeed easily get a portion of them, but wanting to conquer all the women here completely...
Would probably be as difficult as ascending to heaven.
...
Thus, after the interlude following the noon rest ended, the female survivors in the settlement in the north of the deserted island split into two factions.
One was the "Dedication Faction," including Sofia, He Xiaoyu, Wang Xinrui, Nicole, and Matsuzaka Emi, five people in total, who were also the five who took the initiative to strike up a conversation with Chuck when he first arrived yesterday.
The other faction was the "Stay-behind Faction," led by Lee So-yeon's sister Lee Na-eun, and composed of a South American woman and two dark-skinned Black women.
Besides these, Tang Yumo might also belong to the Stay-behind Faction, but she belonged to the "Dedication Faction Losers" who was actively rejected by Chuck. So her already poor popularity further declined. Right now, besides Lee So-yeon who would still talk to her, the rest of the women all avoided her.
As for Lee So-yeon herself, her heart naturally leaned towards the Stay-behind Faction where her sister was, but after all, she had to balance the relationship between her companions, so she didn't publicly take a side.
The subsequent situation also became clear. During the period when Chuck continued to come and trade, the five members of the Dedication Faction should successively be "bought" or "given up" by Chuck. Until all five had a result, the remaining Stay-behind Faction would be able to obtain a generous amount of resources.
"By then, when we have supplies and can alleviate the current difficult situation, we must find a way to become self-sufficient. Like Tang said before, we also have to be like that Chuck, find a way to make tools, reclaim wasteland, and plant crops."
"As long as we can rely on our own efforts and completely break free from the need to exchange supplies with him, we can directly cut off contact with him from then on! So before that, we must make plans for subsequent development early!"
After the afternoon interlude, the women were no longer sleepy, each finding things to do or chatting to pass the time. So naturally, the women of the two factions gathered on their respective sides of the fire, discussing their subsequent plans.
Lee Na-eun, who had just recovered from a severe illness, held a half-burnt wooden stick in her hand, talking while using the charred end to draw on the ground.
"Here is the cave, here is the beach, here is our jungle base, but these few places have almost been fully explored by us. If we want to further make more convenient tools and collect more resources that can be used to build and develop the base, we cannot continue to confine ourselves to this jungle!"
"...What are you trying to say?"
Listening to her sister's lengthy speech, a trace of a bad premonition gradually emerged in Lee So-yeon's heart.
Sure enough, Lee Na-eun smiled and tapped the wooden stick in her hand on the top of the pattern.
"We need to explore deeper into the jungle!"
"Yah! Neo michyeosseo (Are you crazy)?!"
Lee So-yeon almost broke her defense on the spot, raising a hand and angrily hitting her sister's shoulder, putting one hand on her hip and scolding her exasperatedly in their hometown dialect: "Don't you know there's a monster in that forest? We had a companion die there! Shibal! Shibal!"
"I know... oh Sister, don't hit me, don't get mad first, hear me out!"
Lee Na-eun dodged and blocked, begging for mercy while hurriedly explaining.
"So I'm saying, we couldn't do anything about that monster before, but it's different now..."
"That Chuck, I've been observing him from last night until today. That guy is absolutely not an ordinary person!"
"Do I need you to tell me that?"
Lee So-yeon glared at her sister crossly, then withdrew her hand and sat back down.
Let that man... eliminate that monster in the jungle?
Not to mention whether he would agree and what reward he would demand, no matter how powerful he was, he was ultimately just a mortal of flesh and blood...
Thinking of this, Lee So-yeon's brows furrowed tightly again.
She understood her sister's meaning. Let the two tigers fight. It would be best if Chuck could eliminate that thing. Even if he failed, there would be no loss to them.
But that man was no fool; he wouldn't go throw his life away knowing he was no match.
Her thoughts gradually became chaotic. Lee So-yeon sat cross-legged, lowering her head and pondering for a moment. She didn't make a decision immediately, but turned her gaze to Tang Yumo beside her, blinked, and asked softly.
"Tang, what do you think?"
...
"By the way, do you guys still remember his size? My God... being stuffed with that thing down there, I can't even imagine what it would feel like!"
"...Sofia, aren't you afraid?"
"Why should I be afraid? It felt amazing."
"You were fucked into that state! That is also called pleasure??"
"It really hurt too, but the feeling of pleasure was even stronger, fuck... it's hard to describe in words."
Compared to the heaviness and seriousness of the Stay-behind Faction, the atmosphere on the Dedication Faction's side was obviously much more relaxed.
"Rely on one's own ability," "must be accepted by Chuck to leave with him." Despite saying so, the women present, whether sharp or dull, all had an idea about some obvious things.
The reason Tang Yumo was rejected so ruthlessly by Chuck was because she had done something to let Chuck down in the past, not because of any hard conditions.
Yesterday, when the women gathered around Chuck to chat, everyone had an idea of Chuck's attitude towards them—his attitude towards them was no different from his attitude towards Sofia.
In other words, if the person who proactively offered themselves last night was replaced by anyone present, the result would probably be the same.
Not to mention, before leaving, Chuck had plainly extended an invitation to Wang Xinrui.
"Xinrui, have you decided?"
Gently poking Wang Xinrui's arm, He Xiaoyu tilted her head and asked carefully.