Chapter 89: Do You Know These Plants?

Lily Rhodes closed her eyes. A moment later, she opened them, a trace of confusion in her gaze.

"There’s nothing."

She had just been listening closely to see if there were any other animals lurking within the Star Grass. After all, this was the center of the island, and the Star Grass was clearly extraordinary. It would be completely normal for a Guardian Beast to be present.

Yet, she hadn’t heard a single thing.

Not even the sound of breathing. There was truly nothing here but a field of Star Grass.

If that was the case...

Lily took out a large planting box and began transplanting the entire field of Star Grass from the ground into it.

About ten minutes later, a furious roar suddenly echoed in the distance, followed closely by screams and the clash of battle. The screams didn’t sound like they came from beasts; they sounded distinctly human.

Based on the volume of the noise, Lily judged that the group wasn’t too far away, though they weren’t exactly close either.

Although she didn’t know what they were fighting, it meant she had to speed up.

With this in mind, Lily’s movements became rougher. She no longer cared whether the leaves remained intact, as long as the root systems were complete.

While yanking the Star Grass from the soil, the dirt beneath was overturned, revealing a silver Treasure Chest adorned with star patterns right in front of her.

She had anticipated that there might be a Treasure Chest here, but she never expected it to be buried in the dirt. Furthermore, there was more than one.

As the amount of Star Grass Lily collected increased, she dug more and more Treasure Chests out of the dirt.

A long while later, another furious roar sounded from afar. It was the cry of a beast, brimming with resentment. Clearly, it had been defeated.

Dividing the spoils would likely take them some time. Her work here was almost done anyway, making it the perfect opportunity to leave.

Violently yanking out the last patch of Star Grass, Lily turned and left without a shred of hesitation.

After walking some distance, she suddenly realized something. She stopped and looked down at her feet.

Beneath her boots was a patch of moss that clearly displayed her footprints. The crushed grass around her also served as evidence that she had passed through. Seeing this, Lily glanced at a nearby tree.

Taking a deep breath, she leaped up, gripping the trunk tightly with both hands, and pulled herself up using her arm strength.

The trees in this area grew densely together. With her current physical capabilities, moving through the canopy wasn’t a difficult task.

This way, no one would be able to track her using the trail she left behind.

It was still early. Although she had just harvested a massive amount of Star Grass, she had no intention of heading back just yet.

She definitely had to thoroughly explore an island so rich in resources.

Just as she was about to move on, she suddenly felt a sticky sensation on her palm, as if it had gotten glued to something.

Looking down at her right hand, she noticed a layer of yellowish-brown gel plastered over it. It was sticky, and its adhesiveness seemed to increase as time passed.

Since she was wearing gloves, Lily didn’t pay the substance much mind, merely finding it slightly restrictive to her movements. She rubbed her palm against the rough bark of an adjacent tree until all the gel was scraped off, then flexed her hand in satisfaction.

Next, she checked the rest of her body and discovered that other parts of her Soft armor had also been stained with the same viscous gel.

At this point, Lily realized something wasn’t quite right.

However, her Soft armor covered her entire body without leaving a single gap. Even though she sensed something amiss, the substance hadn’t caused her any harm, so she still didn’t take it too seriously.

Nevertheless, she collected some of the gel in passing, planning to study it carefully once she returned. For now, she had to continue exploring the island.

Gathering usable medicinal herbs was only one part of her plan. As for the wild chickens she had caught earlier, while the larger ones were dead, the eggs could still be salvaged. She intended to diversify the species in her breeding zone.

With her deliberate searching, Lily soon reaped a bountiful harvest. She captured a few wild chickens, over a dozen wild eggs, and two dens of rabbits, rounding them all up in one fell swoop.

Rabbits were notoriously prolific breeders. The ones she had caught previously had just given birth to a litter a few days ago. Unfortunately, her current abilities could only accelerate plant growth; animals still had to mature at their natural pace.

Neither the Treasure Chests nor the spatial storage on her wrist could hold living creatures. Thus, Lily temporarily traded these captured animals to Mimi Bishop, planning to have them returned when she got back.

Meanwhile, Mimi Bishop was still thrilled to be of help to Lily. Not long ago, her vehicle had finally upgraded from Level 3 to Level 4, significantly expanding her living space.

But her joy didn’t last long.

Following the initial wave of rabbits, wild chickens, and eggs, deer actually began to appear. Even though they were just a few fawns, the sight still gave Mimi a fright.

"Good heavens, where exactly did the boss go? There are even deer!" Mimi thought to herself as she corralled everything Lily had sent over into cages.

The boss obviously wanted to start a breeding farm. If they were kept tied up, the animals could easily injure themselves—especially the fawns, which were clearly already spooked.

After daybreak, Lily stored the adult buck she had just killed into a Treasure Chest. She then took off her Protective Goggles, replacing them with the golden glasses that allowed her to view plant information.

Lily washed the bloodstains off her body with water, then departed from the area.

After she had covered some distance, the slow sound of footsteps suddenly rustled through the grass ahead.

Lily didn’t hide, as she already knew exactly who was approaching.

She didn’t know if someone had leaked the island’s coordinates or if the System had done it deliberately, but as soon as the sun rose today, several large ships arrived nearby and completed their landings.

Right now, the number of people on the island had exceeded a hundred.

After all, once day broke, the outside temperature would skyrocket. Going ashore to escape the heat was the best strategy.

With so many people, as long as they were all on the island, running into each other was only a matter of time.

The remaining Survivors had already reached a tacit understanding: they would not easily attack one another, especially during the day. After all, everyone’s primary goal was simply to stay alive.

From the other side of the tall grass, a fully armed woman stepped out. Upon seeing Lily, the woman didn’t immediately launch an attack.

The woman watched Lily gathering herbs from the ground and asked, "Do you recognize these plants?"