The next morning, after a hasty breakfast, I arrived beside the company's camp.
"Great!"
Fortunately, I arrived in time. The company's people had already packed up their camp.
From the looks of it, they were about to set sail.
I estimated that it would take them at least an hour to leave.
So, without a moment's delay, I hurried back to the cave.
"Xin Xin, Qiao Qiao, it's time for us to leave!"
Seeing me rush back into the cave so urgently, Qi Qiaoqiao was first stunned, then upon hearing my words, she couldn't help but be overjoyed. Qi Xinxin was even happier, jumping up and down.
Watching the two of them so excited, I suddenly felt a pang of reluctance.
Because, before this, to give them hope of survival, I had only told them that we would leave this island.
But I hadn't said anything about returning to the outside world.
One reason was the urgency of time; I didn't have the leisure to persuade them individually. The other was that I didn't know how to explain the strangeness of the deserted island to them.
So, this matter had been postponed.
If we could really follow the company's people and reach the deserted island this time, it wouldn't be too late to explain it to them then.
Although I had something on my mind, my hands didn't slacken.
At this moment, we were racing against time.
The company's people wouldn't wait for us. If we were late, we might be trapped on this island forever.
On the way, I found Qi Xinxin too slow, so I simply held her in my arms. The little girl seemed a bit shy, her ears turning red, and she buried her face in my chest bashfully.
We arrived at the place where we had hidden the small boat.
I first had Qi Xinxin and Qi Qiaoqiao get into the boat, then pushed off with force from behind and jumped onto the boat myself.
I had prepared two thick branches beforehand, sharpened them, and used them as oars.
At this point, the company's people had already departed. Fortunately, I had brought a telescope with me.
Otherwise, we might have truly been left behind.
But as time passed, I grew anxious.
There was only myself who could row the boat; Qi Xinxin and Qi Qiaoqiao were of no help.
The company's people were mostly young and strong.
Even though I rowed with all my might, I couldn't avoid them widening the distance.
This wasn't the hardest part.
Because we were currently at sea, I had to constantly ensure the distance between myself and the boat ahead. Being too close could easily lead to them discovering us, while being too far would mean being left behind.
So, I had to constantly observe the distance between us with the telescope while rowing hard, a task that was quite grueling.
I followed them from a distance, sometimes closing in, sometimes falling back.
Soon, I noticed their actions becoming unusual.
Despite having so many people in their group, only two of them were rowing, while the others were busy.
Some were using instruments to measure the wind direction, and some even unfurled a large fishing net and cast it into the sea.
What were they searching for in the sea?
With their full gear, it was unlikely they lacked food. Therefore, it must be related to their mission!
Upon noticing their speed slowing down, I quickly reduced our speed as well.
Perhaps these people never expected anyone to be following them out to sea, so they didn't pay attention to what was behind them, allowing us to remain hidden for the time being.
I kept a close watch on the situation there. Suddenly, I saw someone in full gear plunge into the sea with a splash.
A moment later, the person surfaced, excitedly displaying what they held in their hand.
What had this guy found in the water?