Hassan's diary, May X+2, 2025:
"Right after the assembly, I decided to take a walk along the beach. On one side, it is a lagoon, with crystal-clear seawater, the waves are far calmer than the ones we saw on the vessel; while on the side, the stratovolcano is lying in the middle of the jungle. The peak is peaceful, with neither magma nor pyroclastic flows, even no smoke is visible. The vegetation looks well-growed, and the summit is covered with grass. It is hard for me to relate it to Vulcan, but instead Pax. Beneath the mountain, heavy jungles take over the rest of the islands, with small inclines sprinkled all over the place. It seems like it is possible to climb up the mountain in a straight path. However, we have no idea what is beneath the peaceful appearance of this island."
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Hassan: "I have some idea about what we should do next."
Justin: "So, what is your plan?"
Hassan: "I think it would be reasonable for us to split into halves. Justin, Nick, and I will get into the jungle to gather more information about the island. While the three ladies would stay around the lagoon."
Nikolay: "Hey, what would happen if there is some kind of monsters attacking the girls? They need a person like me to protect them."
Catharina: "And it seems like you are a very unreliable protector, as I saw you in the morning. Hassan, just carries on him, do not worry about us. I will take care of Emily."
(Both are arguing)
Justin: "Hey, how about this? All of us just come together, and it seems like there is only a slim chance that the rescue team would reach us since we are just far away from any known lands."
Hassan: (Calls Justin aside): "The reason I want to do this is to keep Nick away from all these women, includes my wife. He has a lousy reputation when it comes to women. How can you make sure he would not harm or insult them?"
Justin: "Don't worry." (take the stone out of the pocket) "I just found this stone on the beach. It is sharp enough to create scars while not kill. I will keep an eye on him."
(While on the beach)
Angioletta: (Took the phone out of the pocket, then turning it on). "Ah, it still works."
Emily: "I don't realize you brought the phone to here. You are so lucky."
Justin: (turned back) "Hey guys, I think we finally came up with a good plan. All of us will come together. As long as we lit the fire at the top of the mountain, everything will be fine."
Catharina: "Yeah, I think we can go with you "。
(Meanwhile, on the other end of the beach, Jack and his fellows are planning for their next step)
Jack: "Here is my plan. Food security is our priority. Therefore, we will scoot around the island, and we will get to know about the island and find the finest hunting spot. Does anyone here know how to hunt?"
Vera: "What makes you think we know how to hunt? Most of us are grown up in cities."
Scientist 1: "But he gets the point. If we have no idea about how to hunt, we will quickly run out of food."
Vera: "But do we have to hunt ourselves? Do we have to explore this island in such a hurry? I mean, humans can also be sustainable by only eat plants and grains. In case we need proteins, we can simply get into the lagoon, and I bet the seafood supply is in abundance. If you want to hunt, why not set up the settlement and fire in the first place? Without shelter, how could we survive the storm, like the one we experienced on the vessel?"
(The survivors start murmuring, gasping, and showing doubt about Jack's plan)
Jack:" Are you just a bunch of wanderers that lost their minds? Shelters? Sure, we will do it after we find the spot. Fires? Sure, it's on the checklist. But for me, hunting is not only for food but also a way to learn how to defend yourselves. Do you know why do we end up on this island? It's because we have no idea what is inside the ocean. If we keep ignoring the danger within our surroundings and continue behaving like a naive, three-month-old infant, we will soon be doomed. "(The crowd gasps)
Scientist 2: "So what should we do now?"
Jack: "I think all the people should be at least somewhat familiar with the Darwinian Evolutionary Theory. 'Survival of the fittest,' that's the fundamental idea of his theory. In this world of madness, we have to adapt the savagery in order to become the predator of this mad world." (Jack pointed at Vera, then point his finger toward the ocean) "You said you could get food from the ocean. Sure, I will let you go. But I bet you wanted to be like your colleagues, who end up in the belly of some giant unknown creature."
Vera: "But what if the rescue team find us while we are looking for the perfect hunting spot? That's the time we are fully doomed."
Jack: "Well, first, who the hell would come to this place? I mean, honestly, I haven't any single sign of human activity around the ocean. There is no single piece of plastic or trash around the island. What makes you think the rescue team would come here?"
Scientist 1: "He's right. It had been a couple of days since the shipwreck, I assumed, yet no one had picked the lifeboat. If there was any sign of a rescue team, we could have returned to our home."
Vera: "But-"
Scientist 2: "Come on, why should we waste all valuable time here on such an issue? I think both sides get their own points. How about this? If we don't want to work together, just split the team. Anyone who wants to stay around the beach, then stay around the beach; if anyone wants to hunt, just go hunting with Jack."
Jack: "That is better. Anyone who wants to find a better life on this island follows me; anyone who wants to settle up here, I will not stop you. However, don't regret what decision you had made."
(The crowd started murmuring)
Mechanist 1: "I had heard everything both of you had talked, but I think we need a strong leader to survive here. It seems like Jack is the right choice. We should go with him."
(Most of the crowd nodded, and follows Jack; while two survivors, Percival and Sophia, had followed Vera)
(Meanwhile, Hassan's group had been into the deep jungle)
Justin: "Hey, guys, I found something interesting."
Catharina: "What is it? Did you find something useful? "
Justin: (Picked up the red stone inside the pocket and placed on the hand palm) "Look, no matter what direction my palm placed, the tip of the stone is always pointing at a certain direction."
Angioletta: "Does it mean the whole stone can be used as a compass?"
Catharina: "Or it could mean that there is a strong magnetic field on this island."
Hassan: (pointing at the peak that can be seen through the jungle) "I think our effort is not wasted. We are getting closer to the peak. Everyone, just keep going, we're almost there."
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Hassan's diary, May X+2, 2025:
"As we were travelling through the jungle, we started to figure out the beauty of the island. The whole island looks like a fully enclosed environment from the rest of the world. The trees are the pillars, while the sky is the ceiling. The lives on the island are in harmony, and the lifecycle is delicately balanced. For example, there is a special kind of ants that I had not seen before other than here. They ate decomposed plants and animals as food. In comparison, they are also the food of another bird, probably parrots. The birds, meanwhile, can also be the source of other unfamiliar species. The environment reminds of the ones before the ice ages. By the end, we had fully embraced by the surrounding. I questioned myself, is this the Garden of Eden that was described in the Bible? However, it was unreasonable for me to lower my guard. Was it just the same as ancient Indian's hypothesis on the astrology, which the earth held by animals that are invisible to human, I think there must be something hidden beneath this. The mountain shaped like a stratovolcano, with a sharp summit and steady bottom. The surface is rocky, with slim layers of bushes and grass. There was a narrow trail, probably an animal footpath that leads to the summit. However, it is safe enough to pass if we use the path one by one. As we step on the trail, everything below the mountain becomes smaller and smaller. The view from the trail is fantastic. On one side of the path, the topaz ocean hugs the jade jungle, with the coral-like cliff lying in front of us. On the other side of us, the cliff stretches to the top, like endless walls. The sky was clear as we climbed up the mountain, with little cloud.
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As we arrived at the summit, we had a better view of a complete image of this island - this is an island, neither a peninsula nor an archipelago. The island shapes like an oval, with sandy shores on the south end and rocky cliffs on the north end. The ocean on the edge of the sight is The beach we landed on was on the south end. It belongs to a lagoon with sandy reefs on the outskirt. The red lifeboat is visible even from a far distance. The ocean on the southern cliff is raging like a madman, even there is no wind. The jungle beneath becomes thicker and thicker as it approach us. There is a small pound beneath the summit, with water coming from the fall draining the pound.
We
Justin: “So anyone here has any idea about how we use the summit?”
Catharina: “Maybe we can set up some stone SOS signs here, so any rescuers come from the air would see our presence.”
Hassan: “Or we can set up fires at the top.”
Emily: “Why don’t we do both? I think sometimes people would not see the sign clearly when far up in the air.”
Justin: “I think Emily gets the best idea. So, Nick, do you have any outdoor experience?”
Nick: “Sure. I do camp and hike quite often. I think I will collect some firewood and leaves. But I think it would be handier if there is a helper. Angela, I think you also engaged in outdoor activities, right?”
Angioletta: “Yes, but -“ (hesitating)
Catharina: “I think we don’t have other choices. Since none of us would have the same experience as both of them, I think it would be better to hand the task to the professionals."
Justin: "I think that makes sense." (while calling Angioletta and whisper to her) “Don’t worry, I will give you something to defense yourself in case of humiliation.” (while handing the red stone to her) “Just feel free to use it if he wants to hurt you. The stone won’t cause any injury. but is good enough for distraction.”
Angioletta: (whispered back) “Thank you. I will take care of myself.”
Justin: “So I just told her about our objectives. Nick, make sure you come back around noon.”
Nick: “For sure.” (And Both Angioletta and him left)
Hassan: “How could you make sure she will not be humiliated?”
Justin: “There’s no need to overthink about that. Even though Angioletta is not a tough girl, I think she is good enough to handle any type of situation.”
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