Endless Ocean: Escape Starting from a Canoe

Chapter 5 The Eye of Intelligence: There is a canoe on the island
Unable to confirm, Shi Ming could only put the idea aside for the time being.

He will complete the tasks assigned by the system one by one.

He calmed his doubts and began to observe his surroundings.

The coastline consisted of nothing but sand and rocks, devoid of any life, not even seashells. In the distance, a dense, verdant forest blocked all view; one had to venture deep into it to uncover the secrets of the island's interior.

This is a small island that looks ordinary yet is somewhat unusual.

But for others, everything on land seemed novel and exciting.

However, this novelty was suppressed by the fear of the unknown. The slaves who landed on the island looked at each other and stayed where they were, none of them willing to be the first to set foot in the unknown area.

"Don't just stand there dazed. Don't forget, the captain's binoculars are still pointed at you! They're watching your every move."

Shi Ming gave a reminder and then walked into the island on his own.

Seeing this, the others remembered the captain's ruthless methods and helplessly scattered in twos and threes.

……

Shi Ming took a detour and did not venture deep into the island.

It would be unwise to explore rashly at this moment. He needs to test his newly acquired "eye of intelligence" in an unmonitored area. Only with intelligence can he develop a targeted detection plan.

For those who carry out missions year-round, intelligence is more precious than gold, and some unnecessary sacrifices are made precisely because of a lack of intelligence.

"The Eye of Intelligence, to Gather Intelligence."

[Beep~ Beep~]

[Intelligence being compiled...]

[Searching. Host's detailed coordinates confirmed... Search successful, intelligence summary in progress... Intelligence generated: 1341 meters ahead on the shore, lies a long-buried dugout canoe. You might discover some buried secrets within it.]

canoe?
Did anyone actually set foot on this island?

Relying solely on a single canoe?

Shi Ming weaved through the reefs, carefully observing and remaining vigilant along the coastline while keeping an eye on the situation on the shore.

He hadn't gone far when he made a discovery.

Sure enough, a small canoe was stranded on the rocks not far from the coastline.

The canoe looked like it had been there for a very long time, with most of it buried deep in the sand. But its material was very special; there were no signs of decay. Judging from the depth of its burial and the salt deposits, it had been there for at least a few years, or perhaps longer.

Shi Ming gripped the edge of the wooden boat with one hand and dug it out with a forceful pull.

It's still usable.

However, it's only usable to a certain extent; it's clearly impossible to escape by canoe while adrift in this endless ocean.

Ten deaths and no life.

Shi Ming searched carefully and suddenly noticed a small wooden box inside the deck of the dugout canoe. Thanks to the unique material of the wood, it had not suffered much damage from the sea breeze and the humid environment.

Shi Ming skillfully opened the wooden box. Inside was a pen and a notebook.

The pen is a very common fountain pen, and the notebook's material feels like lambskin.

Shi Ming opened his notebook.

Fortunately, the wooden box was well-sealed. Over the years, the handwriting in the notebook has faded somewhat, but it is still legible. The notes were written in the language Shi Ming was most familiar with. However, for him, any language was fine. He was fluent in seven languages, and he could understand almost anything except for some obscure languages ​​from remote small countries.

He opened his notebook.

April 5th marked our 66th day trapped in the floodwaters. The food in the research institute was almost gone, and the floodwaters still hadn't receded. Everyone was pessimistic. Never before in history has such a severe flood been recorded. This is a human catastrophe.

On May 9th, another torrential rain fell, and a rainbow appeared. The Western Book of Genesis recounts that when the world-ending flood receded, God said, "When I send clouds to cover the earth, a rainbow will appear in the clouds." Where is this rainbow in the face of this catastrophe?

……

[On June 13th, since there are no gods in the world, humanity will become its own. Humanity begins building the "Ark," and not only that, other countries and organizations also begin large-scale shipbuilding projects. Ha! Humanity didn't start the "Wandering Earth" project, but instead started the "Drifting Earth" project. Is this a funny joke?]

……

Shi Ming quickly flipped through the pages.

The owner of this notebook is a researcher at a research institute, and he seems to hold a fairly high position.

He lived through the time of the Great Flood and recorded humanity's struggles and redemption in his notebooks.

Shi Ming quickly and cursorily flipped through the notebook. For a long time afterward, the notebook's owner recorded the turmoil and changes of the times. The continent gradually sank, and humanity truly launched the "Drifting Earth" plan, naming all the refugee ships "Drifting Ships."

It is worth noting that the researcher specifically mentioned that a total of 100001 drifting ships have been built worldwide, which is a limit, and the number of drifting ships will not increase in the future, but will only decrease due to wear and tear.

100001 ships?
Does this number have any special significance?
Regarding this, Shi Ming could only guess that the construction of the drifting ship might have used some kind of non-renewable and extremely rare resource.

On September 2nd, less than one-tenth of Earth's landmass remained, forcing humanity into an era of constant displacement. Fortunately, satellite technology kept humanity firmly connected, allowing us to work together and prevent the loss of civilization. The drifting ships, utilizing ██ technology, were able to temporarily meet humanity's basic needs.

"Satellite radio wave technology? It seems that such technology no longer exists. Satellites have fallen, and different drifting ships can only communicate using ordinary radio waves, and the distance coverage is very limited."

"And what's with this XX Technology? This place is completely ruined?"

Shi Ming continued flipping through the pages.

On October 7th, news broke that a soldier, after slaying a sea monster and bathing in its blood, gained a miraculous ability: he inherited the monster's power while retaining his humanity and even superpowers. This is not only unscientific but utterly inconceivable. If proven true, not only would physics cease to exist, but biology itself would also be obsolete.

On December 9th, more and more humans began planning to hunt sea monsters, but how many would succeed?

On January 3rd, I changed my research focus. Awakening—it sounds so alluring.

……

[May 2nd, I couldn't just sit and wait to die. I heard that a sea beast resembling "Xuanwu" had been discovered near certain coordinates. This might be my last chance. I took the weapons I had researched and piloted my drifting boat in pursuit... Xuanwu, that's a legendary divine beast! If I could bathe in its blood, I would definitely awaken at least an A-level superpower!!!]

……

(End of this chapter)