355: Lone Island Jungle

Yang Qi still felt a deep sense of revulsion toward people who mindlessly tossed trash into the ocean.

Wood and bamboo were somewhat acceptable, but industrial products like plastic, foam, and glass wouldn't decompose for hundreds of years. That kind of pollution was truly disgusting.

The 'setting sail' and 'harvest' always carried several snakeskin bags whenever they went out to sea, specifically for collecting this kind of trash.

Not only would they bag their own trash to bring back to shore, but they would also pick up whatever they encountered along the way whenever possible.

He knew he couldn't stop others from littering, but he could ensure that his own people would never do such a thing.

Seeing so much trash in a corner of such a beautiful island, Yang Qi felt as unpleasant as could be.

It was unrealistic to pick up all this trash and take it back to shore. After a quick thought, he made a decision.

"Pick it all up and burn it!"

Yang Qi acted immediately, picking up his entrenching shovel and starting a fire using nearby wood and bamboo.

Then, he gathered plastic bottles, broken fishing nets, old flip-flops, and other items to begin the incineration.

He walked back to the canopy, grabbed a snakeskin bag, and put in glass bottles and other non-combustible items he found.

Bai Xue and the other two women, noticing the activity, hurried over. Seeing Yang Qi's actions, they joined in one after another.

"Here, these aluminum beverage cans don't burn well; we need to pack them up."

"Oh my god! There's even a bra here. People really just throw anything away; I'm speechless."

“Wow, this plastic smells terrible when it burns!”

The three women chatted away while they worked.

With four people, the pace was much faster than him working alone. The smell of the burning trash was indeed foul, and thick black smoke billowed from the bonfire, with black soot drifting everywhere.

"Sigh! This is also a form of pollution!"

"It's better than leaving it here. The pollution from burning is only temporary."

Yang Qi carried two snakeskin bags of glass bottles and led the three women back to the canopy.

It was indeed too smelly to stay by the fire. Fortunately, the bonfire was right beneath a cliff with no greenery nearby, so there was no need to worry about causing a wildfire.

Half an hour later, Yang Qi checked the bonfire again. He pushed some unburned plastic bottles into the center, threw in more dry wood, and let it continue burning.

Going west was a no-go, so he decided to check out the east side.

When he reached the foot of the eastern cliff, the seawater rhythmically slapped against the rock face, sending up bursts of white spray.

Yang Qi could faintly see many things clinging to the cliff face within the water; it turned out to be a large patch of plump Goose Barnacles.

However, it seemed difficult to get to. The waves were too strong for a person to stand steadily. One careless move and the waves could slam someone against the cliff, causing certain injury.

Using his ability to look over, he found a large area of Goose Barnacles suctioned into the crevices of the cliff rocks, both above and below the water surface.

On the cliff walls in deeper water, there were even massive Abalone—the rare 'one-head' Abalone.

There were also many large Sea snail on the seabed. These precious seafood items made Yang Qi's mouth water.

Such a dangerous place was clearly a sanctuary for these seafood delicacies. Only in a place like this could they live longer and grow larger.

Yang Qi considered it and decided he had to get them. But not now; he would wait until the waves calmed down at night.

Even if the Goose Barnacles were too dangerous to get, he definitely couldn't miss those giant Abalone and giant Sea snail. Otherwise, it would be an affront to heaven!

Having made his decision, Yang Qi turned back to the canopy and saw the three girls starting to discuss their plans for night foraging.

"We'll take the inflatable boat over. Once we have a large harvest, we'll put the seafood inside. You two shouldn't stray too far; if you get tired, come back and rest for a bit."

Bai Xue began to give instructions.

"Maybe you should change into wetsuits. Visibility is poor at night, and I'm afraid you might get injured by scraping against the reefs."

Yang Qi walked over and suggested.

"Uh... okay! That way we can stay submerged longer."

Yao Shanshan looked at Yang Qi and nodded. She remembered the experience of Yang Qi helping her last time; otherwise, she really wouldn't be able to keep up with Bai Xue's pace.

"Alright then!"

Wang Yan didn't know the full extent of Yang Qi and Bai Xue's abilities, but she knew her own diving skills weren't as good as Yao Shanshan's.

"Then we'll go to the ship to change into wetsuits together in a bit. I'll help you."

Yao Shanshan nodded to Wang Yan. She had to go to the ship to change; because her figure was too prominent, she couldn't wear a bra under the suit. She couldn't very well change her clothes here in front of Yang Qi.

Soon the sun began to set, the orange-red sun dyeing the clouds at the horizon and turning the sea into a golden-red hue.

"Let's go, let's go, back to the ship to change. What a waste of sentiment."

Yao Shanshan stood up and called out to Bai Xue and Wang Yan.

Originally, they had planned to enjoy the sunset on the beach. They had just forgotten that this island ran east-to-west, and the beach they were on was on the south side, with relatively low terrain.

They couldn't see the entire sunset process, making their earlier anticipation a waste. So, she somewhat irritably called for them to return to the 'setting sail' to change.

Yang Qi also laughed; he hadn't considered this either.

He didn't worry about the three of them and dove alone toward the eastern cliff. As night fell, more marine life appeared among the coral reefs.

Along the way, he casually pried off a few Second-grade Abalone. He selectively ignored several Crabs and Lobsters peeking out from the reef crevices.

Only as he slowly approached the area near the cliff did First-grade Abalone begin to appear, along with several Large Whelk, and of course, even larger Crabs, Lobsters, and even Grouper.

It seemed all creatures knew which places were safer.

Yang Qi tried to get closer to the cliff and suddenly felt a very powerful force pushing him toward the rock wall. Just as he kicked hard to swim outward and barely managed to break free...

...another force immediately swirled and pushed him upward.

He knew clearly that this was the power of the waves. If he were on the surface, he would 100% be slammed against the cliff face by this force.

Yang Qi could only dive toward the seabed. Finally escaping this force, he gave up on the Goose Barnacles and large Abalone on the cliff face.

A wise man knows when to retreat!

He would just pick up some nearby Abalone and seafood; there was no need to be stubborn to the end!

At that moment, he saw the seabed before him was covered with Sea snail. There were Coconut Shell Snails larger than his head, Large Whelk, Pagoda Snails, and so on.

These things were great, but they took up too much space. After just a short while of picking, the three large mesh bags he brought were full.

"Sigh! Better go back and drop these off first!"