With everything settled, Chuck stood exactly where he was. While waiting for the recall skill to activate, he calmed his mind and carefully reviewed the entire incident.
Then, with the benefit of hindsight, he finally figured some things out.
First, why would there be a situation where two fierce beasts existed simultaneously in the same area?
The reason the giant bird placed its nest in the stone cave by the summit lake was presumably a deliberate arrangement by this fucking deserted island. It wanted the crocodile to act as the giant bird's bodyguard on stormy days, preventing Chuck from using this obvious opportunity to "skip the boss."
In fact, Chuck had indeed paid the price for his opportunism.
Previously, he had used an "invisible wall" and "bleeding" to slowly grind that giant tiger to death, succeeding entirely by luck. But this time, it was obvious he had triggered the world's pre-arranged "anti-cheat" mechanism.
So from the perspective of the fucking deserted island, he should have been dead for sure.
But this "?" used some method to revive him. Although it added a 100-day restriction, it also took the opportunity to convey some crucial information to him.
What did this mean?
Obviously, this "?" that saved his life and gave him a chance to start over wasn't the creator of this survival game-like world, but an "observer" possessing some kind of extraordinary ability.
And based on the voice he heard in a haze, Chuck could roughly determine that the other party was female.
He just didn't know if she was human? Or a god?
Or perhaps some ancient AI technology?
Anyway, this observer—who could temporarily be called "Question Mark Woman"—saved his life even when he "cheated," meaning she was highly likely on the same side as Chuck, and had been observing him through some method all along.
Thinking of this, Chuck subconsciously reached between his legs and touched his little brother.
In that blurry memory of "dying," he still retained a strange sensation.
It was as if something was toying with his little brother. The touch was ice-cold, yet inexplicably comfortable.
But he didn't know if it was an illusion or a dream.
As his thoughts gradually cleared, the recall skill button also lit up.
When Chuck, covered in rainwater and bloodstains, returned to the stone slope platform with a Flying Thunder God (teleportation) and stepped through the door covered in dust...
Unsurprisingly, he was instantly surrounded by a bevy of beauties.
The blonde mare, as usual, hung on his neck like an octopus. The mature woman duo, one on each side, served him by taking off his soaking wet clothes and pants, then started checking him all over with their hands. Valentina, whose nerves were always taut and ready to go out looking for him at any moment, stepped forward, punched him in the chest, and then pursed her lips and returned to the room to rest.
Chuck comforted them one by one, his large hands caressing pairs of softness. After all the women's emotions calmed down, he briefly recounted the spoils of his trip.
Then, in a relaxed and happy atmosphere, they once again began a physical carnival of splashing water and erotic passion.
Only this time, amidst every pile-driving thrust and fierce pound, Chuck's attention would occasionally be drawn to the red countdown in the corner of his vision.
One hundred days. Although the time wasn't short—after all, fully counted, Chuck had been here for barely two hundred days—it ultimately added a sense of tension to his heart.
It seemed he could only slowly adapt to it in the time to come and try to ignore its existence.
...
...
Not everyone can build a harem, nor can everyone live to possess the experience of death.
After that resurrection in the storm, although Chuck's previous "death ending" was frozen by that mysterious question mark, there were no other changes besides the inconspicuous countdown added to his vision.
His body was completely normal, and his cheat was completely normal.
Life, of course, was also normal.
Before hunting the giant bird, the increasingly urgent water issue Chuck faced, as well as the relocation issue of the women in the island north settlement, were both nearing resolution with this desperate gamble in the storm.
Regarding relocation, he only needed to wait for this storm to stop. The volcanic zone, which was originally shrouded in fatal danger at all times, would be completely safe and freely passable except for the summit lake area.
At that time, he just needed to make a trip. Carefully avoiding Big Bear in the northern river valley jungle on the way, he could bring the Lee sisters and the rest of the island north women home, temporarily arranging for them to sleep in the artificial cave.
Chuck's subsequent plan was to temporarily build a small heating stone stove in the artificial cave, and then try to excavate and expand the cave deeper and wider. Later, when the second-floor expansion of the deserted island villa was completed and there was extra space in the residence, he could let these women move into the empty rooms as well.
It would also be convenient for him to occasionally exercise the lord's "right of the first night" or something...
Of course, if there was someone Chuck particularly favored, he could naturally also consider letting her move into his bedroom, sharing that spacious circular large bed, becoming a new corner in Chuck's spinning-around-the-edge routine...
With accommodation settled, food was nothing more than adding a few extra bowls and chopsticks. With Chuck's current farm sheds and livestock sheds, he could totally handle it.
And what came with it was a massive amount of extra labor!
From now on, there would be people to help out with the dirty and tiring chores at home. Julia and Janet, as well as Yitong who was in charge of housework, would clearly have an easier time with their work. Subsequently, Chuck could also consider adding an extra stove and an iron pot to the kitchen, and could also start working on the upgrade blueprints for the farm sheds and livestock sheds, making his deserted island farm larger in scale and more abundant in yield.
What a beautiful thing that would be.
Of course, it was still the same old story. The arrival of new members, the subsequent expansion of farm and livestock sheds, and the expansion of breeding and planting would inevitably cause the already difficult water issue to turn into a complete shortage. But fortunately, with the death of the giant bird, Chuck had also successfully pinpointed the source of the volcano's water.
Although the summit volcanic lake was still the giant crocodile's territory, there were several streams near the hot spring platform, flowing in different directions, but mainly towards the north and west.
Obviously, these two streams were the respective upstream sources for the western part of the island—from the tropical jungle, southwest bay all the way to the lake plains—and the northern river valley.
Considering the ecology of the entire deserted island, Chuck didn't plan to dam or divert these two upstream streams.
What he selected was the only stream flowing south, which also had the slowest flow rate and smallest volume...
Exactly the water source of those volcanic hot springs.
The hot springs were good, but ultimately couldn't compare to the importance of water usage. Moreover, Chuck's plan wasn't to dam it completely, but to only take a small portion and divert it all the way to the stone slope platform. It might affect the scale of the hot springs, but it certainly wouldn't make them disappear.
This way, the water flow didn't need to be too large; as long as it was continuous, it could satisfy all the needs of the household.
The location for diverting the river water was finally finalized, and the risks had been neutralized. The only remaining problem was the method of diversion.
Chuck pondered for a long time, and ultimately, between excavating an artificial river channel and erecting an ultra-long water intake pipe, he chose the latter.
Excavating a river channel, although it didn't require any materials and sounded much simpler at first, would certainly encounter numerous obstacles in implementation. Especially since it needed to be excavated all the way from the volcano to the stone slope platform, passing through who knows how many zones along the way, with varying terrain and elevation differences.
Even if Chuck could excavate a temporary river channel, a storm or a minor terrain change could cause the channel to alter and the flow to stop.
And the formation of a stable river channel is inherently the best solution ultimately determined by nature through repeated course changes. For Chuck to complete this optimal solution relying on human trial and error, the difficulty could be imagined.
Therefore, in comparison, directly erecting a water intake pipe was actually more convenient.
Of course, this would undoubtedly still be a massive project, requiring a huge amount of time, metal ores, and fuel.
But once completed, it would solve the household's water intake and usage problem once and for all. It would allow Chuck to completely shift his energy away from basic survival needs like food, drink, and shelter, and focus on the final 100-day BOSS speedrun ultimate challenge.
It was a difficult problem that had to be conquered.
...
This storm finally stopped on a peaceful afternoon after lasting for nearly three days.
Regarding the fact that the settlement would soon welcome a large batch of new companions, Chuck had long informed the women in the house in advance. The harem had no objections to this, but instead actively cooperated and helped, making some preparations in advance for the upcoming events.
Fresh water might face a shortage for a period of time. Drinking and eating wouldn't be a problem, but doing laundry and bathing would probably become difficult. So, taking advantage of the storm before it stopped, the women in the house stored as much rainwater as possible.
Julia even dug out the coconut shells from the storage room that were used for storing water in the ancient times...
In her words, although they weren't of much fucking use, it was better than nothing. To this, Chuck could only shake his head and sigh.
After the rain stopped, it was time to clean the cave where people were about to live and lay out the beds. Although there weren't many blankets that could be spared, laying a thick layer of dry grass mats on the wooden beds, then covering them with a layer of fiber cloth, could be considered comfortable to lie on.
At least in Chuck's view, it was much better than the straw mats he slept on that night.
While the women in the house were busy running around organizing, Chuck alone stepped onto the steep slope again, heading towards the north of the island.
To be honest, his mood was more or less somewhat expectant and excited.
After all, having tossed about for so long, first playing mind games with people, acting out a play, then tossing back and forth trip after trip, and taking out so much food for relief.
Until today, he could finally take down this Lee So-yeon.
Towards what he said to women, Chuck always practiced what he preached. The promises he made were all as real as real could be.
Since he said that day that when he took them back, he would fuck her sister right in front of Lee Na-eun, then Chuck would definitely fuck her.
And he would definitely do it as described then. Not only would he fuck her, but he would fuck her ruthlessly, fuck her until she screamed crazily, fuck her until her lower body could never close again... in short, he would absolutely wreck her pussy.
Thinking this, just walking on the road, Chuck felt his crotch a bit tight, so he couldn't help but quicken his pace a bit.
At 2 PM, the northern island jungle still retained the dampness after the rain, the soil underfoot slightly moist.
Chuck stepped over the small trees crushed by the storm, stepped onto the still-wet sand of the northern beach, and walked slowly towards the direction of the cave.
No different from every time he arrived before, the cave entrance still emitted some cooking smoke from time to time, blurred firelight swaying deep inside.
Chuck approached all the way, finally stepping into the cave at 2 PM.
Looking up, he immediately saw the Lee sisters, Wang Xinrui, He Xiaoyu, Sofia, and Tang Yumo, etc., eight women in total. Not one more, not one less than when he left a few days ago. Right now, they were all sitting around the fire, silent with complicated expressions.
And with Chuck's arrival, their gazes lifted one after another, converging on him immediately.
Then, like students being called on, they got up flusteredly one by one. Actually tacitly, none of them took the initiative to speak, but like waiting for an imperial decree, they looked at Chuck with expressions containing a trace of nervousness within expectation, and a trace of timidity within hope.
Looking around, Chuck noticed that besides the Lee sisters, the complexions of the remaining six women were somewhat healthier than before, with color in their faces and cheeks no longer sunken.
Similarly, in the corners around the cave, a lot of firewood and wild fruits were piled up. Even the food he brought before had a little left over. That steel axe was also carefully wrapped in a clean cloth, placed on the neatly stacked firewood.
It seemed that in the few days he was away, these women's lives had indeed improved as he expected.
Only the Lee sisters alone, for obvious reasons, not only hadn't improved their complexions, but instead became a bit more haggard, like two ice flowers that would shatter at a touch.
But no matter how haggard they were, it wouldn't change what Chuck was about to do.
Chuck unapologetically swept a predator-like gaze over Lee So-yeon's slender body and long legs. The latter seemed to notice, so her already pale face grew even paler, her body subconsciously hiding behind Tang Yumo next to her.
Lee Na-eun beside her also clenched her fists tightly, her despairing expression carrying a trace of confusion.
Seeing this, Chuck smiled, didn't dawdle, and raised his hand, waving amidst those gazes that were either pleasantly surprised, complicated, or fearful.
Then he casually dropped a sentence.
"Everyone, come with me."