Shane Freak
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Chapter 647: Wilderness Survival Epic Fail (Part 2)
🕑 Added 2023-10-12 12:12:12 +0000 UTCIn DC World With Marvel Chat Group : Table of Content/Chapter List
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In the sprawling wilderness, Arthur stood at the pinnacle of a cliff, pulling on a rope to hoist a basket brimming with succulent sea fish up the cliff using a pulley system. Once the basket reached the top, Hal, standing nearby, took charge of processing the fresh catch.
Scales were scraped off, innards removed, and after thorough cleaning, the fish were gutted, flattened, and rubbed repeatedly with the previously obtained table salt. Finally, they were hung on the newly erected drying racks.
Four rows of racks were now laden with their bounty. Salted fish, preserved meat, half-dried fiber hemp ropes, and some woven fabrics all swayed gently in the island's dusty breeze.
Schiller, standing on a platform, looked up just as he saw Hal, who had been fine-tuning the pulley mechanism, lower his head to peer down. "Hi, Professor, good morning," Hal greeted.
Schiller was about to respond when he heard the sound of gears turning. He turned his head to find Bruce seated in a wooden crate resembling a cable car, which had ascended from below to the platform.
Surveying Bruce, Schiller inquired, "What have you been up to? How did this place transform into an agricultural society overnight?"
Bruce responded, "No, we haven't started farming yet, but I found some crop seeds over there. From what I observed, the fruits from these seeds' bushes are edible, and there's a milky substance that can be extracted, similar to glue. If we start cultivating now, it might come in handy later."
Schiller shifted his gaze to the contraption that brought Bruce up. Bruce had come from a lower area, while the cave platform was higher up. Clearly, gravity wasn't the driving force. So, Schiller asked, "Where did you get the power for this?"
Bruce nonchalantly explained, "If you follow this path and turn a corner, there's a small waterfall on the cliff's side. It's perfect for a waterwheel. While it doesn't provide enough power for everything, it's sufficient to transport goods between cable cars."
Schiller sighed, hands on hips, looking into the distance. The wild, primitive scenery was no longer so innocent. At least, the haphazard pulley lines indicated that they had moved beyond the Stone Age and into a small-scale agricultural era.
"Oh, by the way, last night, we built a hang glider. You can give it a try. We also worked on the salt pans and crystallization pools again and made a few large pots specifically for salt extraction."
"During the first half of the night, we took all the fish from the traps, collecting about 6 kilograms of sea fish, along with some shellfish and crabs. Hal worked through the night to turn it into sauce and stored it."
"In the latter half of the night, we designed a pulley system powered by a waterwheel to transport goods over uneven terrain. Although we have to change lines and load each time, it saves manpower."
"This morning, we've already prepared the salted meat and fish for drying. Additionally, I plan to extract oil from the fish fat for use as a lubricant."
"As for the pedal-powered freight cart, I've completed half of it. Next, we'll level the ground and start building the track."
From the crate he used to transport himself, Bruce retrieved another basket of fish and continued, "Next, I plan to fully automate food acquisition, from fishing to refined processing and categorization, all powered by the waterwheel."
"It might require a bit more wood, as a simple wooden transmission structure may need complex components, but that's not a problem. I discovered traces of minerals in the rocks on the east side of the island. If all goes well, we'll soon be able to start smelting iron..."
Schiller covered his forehead with his hand, took a deep breath, and looked at the pulley lines weaving through the forest and the extensive area of tropical rainforest that Bruce had cleared. He sighed deeply.
Schiller wanted to tap into Bruce's emotional side through nature, not to have him climb the ladder of science and technology.
People often said that Batman and Green Arrow shared some similarities, but Batman had another characteristic that Green Arrow didn't: the ability to develop from scratch in even the harshest environments, creating groundbreaking science and technology devices.
In this regard, Iron Man and Batman were more alike, cobbling together cutting-edge armor from outdated and obsolete equipment. Shouldn't this be a fundamental skill of a genius?
Just as Schiller was thinking about this, Bruce interjected, "By the way, I heard from Arthur that you've been attacked by Mexican drug traffickers. If that's the case, I think it's necessary to set up some defenses on the island..."
"Wait, don't..."
"This morning, I explored the entire island and found the wreckage of a plane crash. I used the parts from there to assemble a defense robot. It should be operational by now. If any enemies approach..."
At that moment, Arthur's voice echoed from above. He exclaimed, "Oh no! I heard Killer Whale say that a ship seems to be approaching us. They seem aggressive and might be looking for trouble..."
Oliver, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, still had a slightly pale face. He spoke gravely, "It might be the same gang of drug traffickers that attacked me. They are extremely ruthless and wiped out an entire village on this island a long time ago..."
"While I was observing them from hiding, they heard some noise, and their immediate reaction was to open fire. If I hadn't hidden quickly, I would probably be dead by now."
Hal fixed his gaze on Oliver's shoulder and, upon hearing Oliver mention the drug traffickers, furrowed his brows, his expression growing even more somber.
Among these people, Hal had the healthiest lifestyle. As a pilot, he needed to maintain excellent physical condition, and his mind had to be sharp at all times. Even though he was no longer a test pilot, he retained this habit.
Therefore, apart from being drug-free, Hal had no use for cigarettes and alcohol. He strongly disliked addictive substances, believing they would control his mind and lead to mistakes when he needed to focus.
When Oliver mentioned that these drug traffickers had massacred an entire village, Hal felt anger rising within him. He watched the ship and the armed traffickers on board and instinctively took flight, intending to confront them.
However, halfway into the air, he witnessed a dark robot emerging from the forest, opening fire on the underside of the ship. The vessel began to descend slowly, and the panicking traffickers on board started jumping into the water.
The program Bruce had set for the robot naturally avoided lethal force, but when these drug traffickers hit the water, they were met with an unexpected sight.
The figures, alternating between black and white, swiftly charged toward them. When the leader of the group recognized the shadow of the approaching whale, he actually breathed a sigh of relief because he knew it was Killer Whale, and Killer Whale typically didn't attack humans.
However, he was soon bitten in half by Killer Whale.
As Arthur gazed at the red tint on the surface of the sea, he closed his eyes, trying to focus. He could hear Killer Whale's deep rumbling.
His expression grew somber, and he turned to Schiller, saying, "Do you remember what I said earlier? Killer Whales usually appear in pairs or groups, but the one that brought you here is alone. That's peculiar..."
Seeing the scene on the ocean, Schiller began to understand. Killer Whales cruising in the Gulf of Mexico were likely to encounter these teams of drug traffickers. While the traffickers made a living from drug smuggling, it was also possible they engaged in whaling, which was highly profitable.
Indeed, Arthur spoke with a touch of sorrow, "He's a young male Killer Whale, just about to leave his mother and live on his own. But as they were about to part ways, they encountered a whaling ship..."
"His mother was killed by humans, and according to him, that whaling ship was escorted by this group of drug traffickers..."
Bruce remarked dryly, "Revenge."
Though he didn't kill humans, he had no obligation to save the whalers who fell into the water. So, he simply commented and turned back into the cave.
Hal returned, his mood somewhat heavy. Even though he couldn't communicate with fish, he could hear the mournful cries of the Killer Whale.
After landing, he sighed and said, "Back in Coastal City, I heard legends of whalers. People called them heroes, believing they had conquered the mightiest sea giants in the world..."
Hal shook his head and sighed, evidently disapproving and disappointed about such behavior. At this moment, Schiller walked up and patted his shoulder. Hal thought Schiller was going to console him, but Schiller spoke, "You used your superpowers first, so you lost."
Hal covered his eyes, how could he forget that? It seemed that when he used the Green Lantern ring too smoothly, this happened.
Just as he was about to accept the result dejectedly, Bruce, who had already reached Oliver's side, spoke from inside the cave, "Your recovery speed is quite impressive. Is the wound almost healed?"
Oliver responded, "Yes, it's strange. Just last night, it hurt like hell. I even thought I might have passed out from the pain. But when I checked this morning..."
Oliver lifted the sleeve of his shirt, his expression puzzled, as the wound on his shoulder had almost healed. Apart from the skin not fully regenerating yet, the pellet's impact pit, as well as the part previously infected and rotting, had completely disappeared.
Hal turned his head and cast a less-than-friendly look at Schiller. Schiller calmly stated, "Perhaps Oliver has superpowers, rapid healing abilities. Isn't that rare? Don't you have them too?"
Hal glanced at Oliver, whose color had returned, and snorted, "Fine, you win this time, Doctor."
With that said, he also entered the cave to inquire about the specifics of the drug traffickers.
After finishing breakfast, Arthur and Schiller went fishing by the sea. Despite knowing that their wilderness survival vacation had likely turned into a far-fetched dream, thanks to Bruce's interventions, they could still enjoy the peace of these final moments. It was also their last attempt to see if they could catch any fish.
Arriving at the shore, the two found a rock in the water. They used the fishing rod Arthur had crafted and the fishing line Bruce had rigged, using small fish innards as bait.
Schiller had just cast his line when suddenly, a shark's head appeared on the surface of the water. Both of them standing on the rock froze. Arthur paused for a moment, then said, "Don't worry; I have the ability to communicate with fish. Let me sense what this shark is thinking... Oh, it wants to take a bite out of you."
"Do I really need to sense that?"
Fuming, Schiller picked up the fishing rod and turned to leave. However, at that moment, he noticed a dark shape appearing in the distance on the horizon. It looked like an airplane.
As the plane approached, Schiller realized there was a tiny figure below it, waving and holding the aircraft.
Not only did Schiller spot the airplane's shadow, but Bruce, who was outside chopping wood, also saw it. Bruce calculated the flight path and landing point of the plane and quickly headed in that direction.
When the plane landed, Schiller and Hal had arrived as well. Clark gently placed the plane on the ground. Seeing everyone's gaze fixed on him, Clark looked around the surroundings, rubbed his hands, and said, "Don't look at me; I'm just a delivery guy..."
Suddenly, Bruce had a bad feeling. He took a slight step back, and then a dark shadow "whooshed" and pounced on him.
The entire island was startled by the uproar of seabirds taking flight, and a piercing scream pierced the sky:
"Dad! Daddy!"
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Next Chapter>>Chapter 648: The Mysterious Night on the West Coast (Part 1)
