The crowd followed her, half-doubting.
The beach was the lowest point on the island; in a depression not far from the beach grew a type of tree with a huge canopy and broad leaves, yet it was relatively short and stocky.
Compared to the towering trees in the jungle that were often tens of meters tall, this tree was practically a dwarf.
But its branches were covered with oval-shaped fruits, the size of soccer balls, with rough, green skins.
"Is this a breadfruit tree?"
A botany enthusiast in the crowd with broken glasses exclaimed, immediately naming the tree.
"That's right, a breadfruit tree."
Alice walked over, patted the trunk, and pointed to the fruits.
"These are breadfruits, rich in starch and vitamins. As long as you roast them over a fire, the taste and texture are very similar to bread. One fruit is enough to fill up an adult."
The person who had recognized the breadfruit tree immediately chimed in, "I've read about it in books too. I heard that during the colonial era in the 18th century, the British solved the famine problems of countless slaves and the poor by widely planting breadfruit trees in their colonies. This is truly a good thing known as the Tree of Life."
Upon hearing that this stuff was edible and called breadfruit, everyone's eyes lit up again.
Although it was a bit lacking compared to roasted meat, it had the advantage of being safe and readily available, without needing to risk their lives against Beasts.
"What are we waiting for? Climb up."
"Hurry, hurry, I'm about to faint from hunger."
The tense hunting atmosphere instantly dissolved, and everyone became highly enthusiastic, scrambling to climb the trees and pick the fruit.
Even Hughes put down his bow and arrow to help Annie catch the fruit.
Alice stood under the tree, watching this scene, and silently breathed a sigh of relief.
At least tonight, this group wouldn't be feeding the dinosaurs.
Evening arrived.
The setting sun was like blood, casting its final golden light, dyeing the sea surface a trembling purple-red.
As night fell, the island's temperature began to drop; the previously noisy bird calls gradually faded, replaced by a deeper, mysterious, and unsettling silence.
The occasional long howl of an unknown Beast from the deep mountains made one's hair stand on end.
On the beach, the survivors lit piles of bonfires.
The orange-red flames dispelled the darkness and cold, bringing a false sense of security.
Over the bonfires, slices of breadfruit skewered on branches were being roasted.
As they roasted over the flames, the white flesh gradually turned an enticing golden yellow, and a scent mixing the charred aroma of starch and a faint fruity fragrance wafted through the air.
"Mmm, smells so good!"
Curly-haired Banner held a piece of freshly roasted breadfruit in his hands, not afraid of the heat, and took a huge, ravenous bite.
That soft, dense texture with a slight sweetness instantly conquered his shriveled stomach.
"Alice, if it weren't for you, we might have gone hungry for several meals, or gotten poisoned from eating wild fruits indiscriminately."
Banner chewed while speaking indistinctly, his face full of happiness.
"This is simply food gifted by God."
"Sweet and sour, soft and delicious, the texture is between a potato and bread. It would be even more perfect if there were some butter."
Strange also held a piece in his hand, but he ate very elegantly, chewing slowly as if savoring an appetizer at a Michelin restaurant.
Suddenly, his nose twitched, as if he had smelled something extraordinary.
He leaned his head toward Barton, who was lying on a stretcher, and sniffed hard.
"Huh, wait."
Strange narrowed his eyes, looking at the breadfruit in Barton's hand, which was clearly darker and brighter in color than everyone else's.
"I seem to smell the fragrance of honey on your breadfruit?"
"Do I?" Barton was stunned for a moment, picked up the breadfruit in his hand, and sniffed it.
"It does seem a bit sweet."
"Your breadfruit was just roasted and brought to you by Alice."
Strange turned his head, staring at Alice, who was sitting by the fire adding wood, with a look that saw through everything, and said with certainty.
"I bet with my keen sense of smell that Alice definitely added something extra to your breadfruit."
"Barton is the most severely injured and has lost a lot of blood, so he needs to replenish more high-calorie nutrition."
Alice replied matter-of-factly without raising her head, while quietly hiding a small bamboo tube behind her back.
"So, you really put additives in his breadfruit?"
Strange's eyes widened.
"Unfair, I'm a casualty too; I mean my soul has been traumatized."
"I just brushed on some syrup."
Alice admitted helplessly.
"My God, syrup?!"
Even Banner was shocked this time.
On this deserted island, finding water and breadfruit was already a miracle; to think there was a luxury item like syrup?
"How do you have syrup? Did you open a supermarket?"
Strange asked in disbelief.
"It was collected from a sugar palm tree."
Alice sighed and pointed to the darkness in the distance.
"Deep in the island grows a type of sugar-producing palm tree called the sugar palm tree. As long as you cut open its inflorescence, a sap with a very high sugar content will flow out. After boiling it, it becomes high-quality black syrup."
"That's great, take us to get some tomorrow."
Hughes shouted excitedly from over there.
"If you don't want to die, you'd better not go."
Alice coldly interrupted his fantasy.
"Near the sugar palm trees lives a bear that likes sweets and can climb trees; I call it the Sugar Palm Bear. This type of bear isn't large in size, but its temperament is extremely fierce. To protect its food, it dares to fight any Beast that wants to mess with the sugar palm trees, including tigers."
She wasn't lying.
That day, even with the blessing of Kato Megumi's [Super Weak Presence], when she approached the sugar palm forest, she was still detected by that irritable bear with its pervertedly sensitive sense of smell.
Although the bear couldn't see her, its violent appearance as it roared wildly at the air and waved its claws to shred tree bark almost gave Alice a heart attack.
It was only by chance, while the Sugar Palm Bear went to the river to drink water, that she mustered the courage to sneak in and collect that little bit.
This little bit of syrup, she usually couldn't bear to eat, only licking a drop when her low blood sugar was unbearable.
It was only today, seeing that Barton was an iron-willed man and had lost too much blood, that she was generous for once.
By today, there wasn't much left in that little bamboo tube.
After hearing Alice's description of the Sugar Palm Bear, everyone fell silent.
It really wasn't worth risking their lives against a bear for some sugar.
"Cunning Alice, so you are the true wilderness survival expert among us, a little master of the food chain."
Strange praised, his eyes holding a hint of re-evaluation.
This little girl seemed to hide more secrets than that jungle itself.
Then, he suddenly leaned in, lowered his voice, and said to her in a seductive tone, "Hey, Alice, quietly tell your long-faced uncle, what other good things are hidden in that Doraemon pocket of yours? Maybe a piece of chocolate, or a pack of salt? How about I trade you my portable player? It has thousands of out-of-print golden oldies in it."
Alice rolled her eyes and was about to refuse.
"Dr. Strange, I must remind you of something."
Curly-haired Banner, who had been honestly chewing on his breadfruit, suddenly cleared his throat and interjected seriously.
"Although that portable player was found by you, from a legal standpoint, it belongs to the estate of some victim, or counts as evidence. It is not your personal legal property, you have no right to distribute it, and certainly cannot use it to trade for syrup."
Strange froze.
He turned his head, looked at the righteous and even slightly stubborn Banner, and his mouth twitched.
"Bruce, you really are the kind of person who would insist on giving tickets to zombies during the apocalypse, right?"
"Pfft."
Barton couldn't help but laugh out loud, which affected his wound and made him wince in pain.