Crossing the wilderness to survive, starting with a broken kitchen knife.

Nothing boosts morale more than a victory.

The negative emotions brought about by the failure of the transit station and the flood attack were dispelled by the joy of victory. The soldiers were in high spirits, and Ge Dalong joked with a smile.

"If the floods never recede and we have to keep exploring the sea, I think we should form a 'Cleaver Pirates'."

Zhang Shi smiled and chatted with Ge Dalong for a while, not taking it seriously. He hadn't expected his listener to be interested. That evening, Wu Qing gathered everyone and personally hung a flag on the mast. It had a skull embroidered on it, with a kitchen knife stuck above it. A closer look revealed it was modeled after Old Duan's.

Zhang Shi didn't expect Wu Qing to take the joke seriously. He didn't know what to do. Just when he was about to encourage her, he didn't expect the system to prompt.

"Ding, survivors forming a sailing team has been detected. The sailing map is now open to team members."

Zhang Shi was stunned, then quickly opened the system panel and found an extra map option below the homepage.

Zhang Shi clicked on it with great anticipation, and a panoramic map suddenly appeared in front of him. This was a map with the ocean as the main body, with only a very small amount of land area scattered on the map. It seemed that after this disaster, the terrain of the wilderness world had undergone earth-shaking changes.

Zhang Shi found the blue light dot representing himself, and with a thought, he enlarged it. Then he was surprised to find that the map was actually real-time, as if a sky eye was looking down at him from high in the sky, and any of his random movements could be captured by the map without any delay.

Zhang Shi was both excited and worried about the function of this map and didn't know what to say.

The other three members of the team also had access to the map function and opened the system to check. Ge Dalong was the most clear-headed. He immediately confirmed his location upon opening the map and began to zoom in on the blue dot. It wasn't long before he was pleasantly surprised to discover an isolated island not far from him. He quickly shared the location with everyone.

Zhang Shi enlarged the panoramic map on a thought, and the topography of the island became visible at a glance. However, when he zoomed in further to check the specific situation, he found that the entire island was shrouded in fog and he could not see anything clearly.

Zhang Shi did not give up and randomly found an island, but the result was the same.

"It seems that this map is not the Sky Eye. It should be the area we have explored that can have the effect of the 'Sky Eye'."

Ge Dalong made a guess based on this situation, and Zhang Shi nodded, thinking that his guess was almost certainly the correct answer.

"Okay, now we have a clear goal. Let's head towards this small island. If the situation on the island is good, that will be our new base!"

The soldiers received the order and immediately opened fire, heading for their target at full speed. Zhao Feng excitedly stood on the deck in the pouring rain, brandishing his axe and performing a series of tricks. In his words, this was the first voyage of the Cleaver Pirates since their establishment, so a sense of ceremony was necessary.

According to Lao Bai's estimation, at the Ark's speed, it would reach its destination by tomorrow morning at the latest. To avoid any accidents, Zhang Shi specially arranged for twice as many soldiers to stand guard overnight, hoping to reach the island smoothly tomorrow.

……

As night fell, the heavy rain that had lasted for several days stopped silently. Zhang Shi was the first to notice the change in the weather. He came to the deck and was surprised to find a sky full of stars.

The giant sunflower dimmed its light for the first time in many days, and the light on the entire ark dimmed but was not dark. The bright moonlight projected onto the sea level, rippling waves, making it exceptionally peaceful and tranquil.

Zhang Shi was astonished by the transformation of the wilderness. The once monotonous night sky suddenly became ablaze with stars. He persistently searched for the familiar Big Dipper in the sky, but after searching in several directions, he couldn't find any trace of it.

"Oh, that's different."

Zhang Shi gave up the search and the glimmer of hope deep in his heart.

"What's different?"

Wu Qing's ethereal voice echoed behind Zhang Shi. Silvery moonlight shone upon her holy robes, illuminating her with a sacred and noble air, like a fairy to be admired from afar, never touched. A gentle sea breeze blew past, revealing her curves, drawing a second glance from Zhang Shi, the career-conscious individual.

Wu Qing saw Zhang Shi staring at her blankly, her face slightly reddened. She was about to open her mouth to scold him but could not bear to break the beauty of this moment. She could only stand there shyly and remain silent. The shyness of the beauty was embellished even more intoxicatingly under the starry sky.

"Wu Qing's face is ripe, redder than the tumors on the mutant zombies."

Zhang Shi didn't know what was going on, but his abnormal brain circuit made him think of the zombies that were a real nuisance, and his thoughts suddenly broke away from that subtle atmosphere.

"It's the stars in the sky that are different from our world."

"Oh, you're looking at the stars?"

Wu Qing gathered her hair that was blown away by the sea breeze by her ears, covering her blushing face just right.

"Yeah, looking at the stars."

Zhang Shi softly responded, his gaze once again directed towards the boundless night sky, a strange ripple stirring within him. He tried to find any trace of resemblance to the world he had known before, but he had to admit that every star here was strange and brilliant, as if it were a gem custom-made by nature for this desolate world, each one shining with a unique brilliance.

Wu Qing slowly walked to Zhang Shi's side, and the two stood side by side, looking up at the starry sky that did not belong to them.

The gentle sea breeze, carrying the unique salty aroma of the sea and the coolness of the night, is refreshing and invigorating. In such moments, it seems as if time is gently stretched, making people forget the fatigue of the day and the hardships of battle.

"You know, I've never seen such a beautiful starry sky."

Wu Qing's voice was soft, with a subtle tremor, as if she were revealing a long-hidden secret. Her gaze drifted among the stars, and each flicker seemed to touch a chord deep within her heart.

Zhang Shi turned his head to look at Wu Qing. In the moonlight, her face was no longer cold, but soft and charming. The glint in her eyes echoed with the stars in the night sky, a beauty that was breathtaking. An indescribable emotion welled up in him. In this world full of uncertainty and danger, she was not only his comrade, but also slowly became a pure land in his heart.

"Yes, it's breathtakingly beautiful."

Zhang Shi responded softly, his voice filled with tenderness and emotion. He reached out and gently placed his hand on Wu Qing's shoulder. It was a silent comfort, and also a silent promise—no matter how difficult the road ahead, he would be by her side, facing it together.

Wu Qing felt Zhang Shi's warmth and shivered slightly, then a wave of warmth flowed through her heart. She looked up and met Zhang Shi's gaze. Their eyes met in that moment, and without words, their feelings were fully understood. This tacit understanding, this empathy, was deeper and more precious than any words could express.

As the night deepened, the stars still shone brightly. The ark slowly moved forward across the calm sea, heading towards an unknown island. But beneath this starry sky, two hearts were already tightly connected, guarding each other's dreams and hopes. This bond, like the brightest star in the night sky, guided their path forward and illuminated their worlds.

Wu Qing looked up at the night sky: "Actually, the stars are not important."

Zhang Shi smiled slightly and said softly, "I know."

He held Wu Qing's hand tightly, his tone full of determination, as if he was telling her in this way that he and she were in tune with each other.