After Transmigrating into a Book, I Ended Up with My Dream Omega - Chapter 15

The six large clams on the ground seemed to glow with a golden light, tempting everyone to devour them immediately.

“Eat the clams first, then we can use the shells to scoop the soup,” Xia Xiangzhen said as she handed out several wooden skewers she had whittled from branches.

She tested the temperature of a shell with her hand; finding it no longer scalding, she picked one up and handed it to Yin Xiaowei before distributing the rest to the others.

“Thank you,” Yin Xiaowei said with a smile.

After dividing the clams, Xia Xiangzhen picked up her own. With a flick of the wooden skewer, she popped the large piece of clam meat into her mouth.

She spoke while chewing, “Eat up, then use the shells to drink plenty of seaweed soup. We all sweated a lot today; eat more to replenish your iodine and potassium.”

They had scavenged a lot of seaweed during the low tide. Since they found so much in one go, it meant this area of the sea was abundant with it. Picking more during the next low tide shouldn’t be a problem.

Xia Xiangzhen had originally considered making a simple sea-salt filter, as the human body can’t function without those minerals, but with the seaweed available, that hassle was no longer necessary.

With Xia Xiangzhen leading the way, the others began to dig in.

“This is delicious. The clam meat is so tender.”

“As expected, it’s best when eaten fresh. It’s great even without seasoning.”

Although the clams were large, the portion was still just a “teeth-cleanser” for them. One piece of succulent meat wasn’t enough to fill stomachs that had been empty for so long; instead, it only served to awaken their hunger further.

The octopus meat on the fire had deepened in color, and waves of fragrance were slowly drifting through the shelter.

“It smells incredible. It must taste even better,” Yu Yayue said expectantly.

“Charcoal-grilled octopus—fresh seafood, original flavor,” Xia Xiangzhen joked, reciting a street vendor’s pitch as she watched the meat darken. “Customers, current production is limited. Each person is restricted to one skewer. Would you like one?”

Nobody paid attention to her quips; their focus was entirely on getting a skewer.

“Is it ready to eat?” Chen Shengze asked.

“It’s ready!”

In truth, Xia Xiangzhen wasn’t entirely sure if it was done. She figured that since octopus can be eaten raw anyway, she might as well speak with absolute certainty. She handed out the skewers to the eager group and took a bite herself to “test for poison.”

The octopus meat was bouncy and chewy, the flavor incredibly fresh.

“It’s good! Eat up!”

Seeing Xia Xiangzhen chewing heartily and enjoying it so much, the others followed suit.

“So fragrant! This is too good. How can it be this delicious? I’ve never had octopus this good in my life,” Yu Yayue’s eyes widened after the first bite.

“Are we sure we didn’t add any seasoning? Was it really just grilled?” He Zixi asked, eating as fast as she could while still trying to maintain her dignity.

“Indeed,” even Wei Lan managed to squeeze out two words while eating.

Xia Xiangzhen spoke the plain truth: “It’s mostly because when you’re hungry, everything tastes good. But the quality of the meat is a factor too.”

【They look like they’re enjoying it so much. Is it really that good?】

【The survival show has turned into a mukbang. It’s dinner time back home; watching them eat while I eat my own dinner is actually a great appetite booster.】

【This is psychological warfare. I wasn’t going to eat, but now I’m going to make some instant noodles.】

【I’m different. I just finished eating. Watching them now, my heart is as still as a lake.】

Meat is quite filling. With one tentacle each, some people couldn’t even finish theirs. The seaweed soup in the pot, however, was nearly gone. After a satisfying meal, the group sat by the fire, planning to chat for a bit before getting back to work.

“We can have these tentacles for breakfast tomorrow, plus all those shellfish and seaweed,” Chen Shengze said, now harboring beautiful fantasies about the coming days on the island.

“How about we dice the meat tomorrow and boil it with the seaweed to make a thick soup?” Xia Xiangzhen asked. “It would be more convenient, and we have bowls now.”

The “bowls” she referred to were the large clam shells they had collected.

“That works. It’ll be delicious that way too,” Yin Xiaowei nodded. “I’ll make breakfast tomorrow morning. You guys are doing the heavy lifting, so get some rest.”

“I’ll help you tomorrow morning,” He Zixi added. “We Omegas might be a bit weaker than you Alphas, but we aren’t so fragile that we can’t even make breakfast.”

With that settled, no one argued further. Yu Yayue patted her stomach. “It seems the crew isn’t trying to kill us in the first episode. If we work hard during low tide, we can stay full.”

“It seems so. If we can maintain this for five days, it’ll be great,” Xia Xiangzhen agreed.

The guests with more variety show experience remained silent, casting subtle glances toward the production crew. Even if ingredients were plentiful, the crew wouldn’t let them have it that easy. Otherwise, where would the ratings come from?

【Naive. There are so many variables in the wild. No matter how well they plan, the crew has a way of ruining it.】

【The crew is watching them like hawks. If they see them having it too easy, a ‘mission’ will be coming their way!】

【Forgive those two; Yu Yayue and Xia Xiangzhen aren’t professional entertainers.】

After chatting for a while, Xia Xiangzhen stood up. “I’m going to get another pot of water. I’ll also set a rabbit trap in the woods. If we’re lucky, we might have rabbit meat tomorrow.”

“You know how to make traps?” He Zixi asked.

“I’m just going to give it a try,” Xia Xiangzhen said with a faint, modest smile.

The scene went quiet for a second before Yu Yayue started clapping vigorously. “You’re amazing!”

“What’s the point of your praise?” He Zixi teased. “You think she’s waiting for your compliment? She’s clearly waiting for Xiaowei’s.”

“But Xiaowei isn’t paying attention to her! If I don’t acknowledge her, she’ll look so pitiful. After all, she finally showed off a unique skill and no one cheered,” Yu Yayue said with feigned innocence, but her tone was clearly mocking Xia Xiangzhen.

Xia Xiangzhen’s lip twitched. “I really… thank you both.”

She looked over at Yin Xiaowei, who had her head down weaving a vine basket, seemingly oblivious to the banter. She wanted to call her name but decided against it. Instead, she looked at her longingly and said, “Wei Lan and I cut plenty of wood; you guys start building. I’m going to get water.”

Yin Xiaowei didn’t react.

Xia Xiangzhen picked up a large clam shell, several sharpened sticks, and the big iron pot. She prepared to set off “pitifully” and “alone” on the path to the water hole. The others watched this performance and then fixed their eyes on Yin Xiaowei.

Yin Xiaowei was actually waiting for someone else to offer to go with Xia Xiangzhen. After all, they couldn’t let her go into the forest at night alone. But she waited and waited, and no one spoke. She looked up only to find everyone staring at her.

“You guys…” she said hesitantly.

“We have work to do,” Yu Yayue said, grabbing Wei Lan. “You cut the wood with Xiangzhen; you need to tell us how to put it together. Come on, let’s move the timber.”

Seeing Yu Yayue drag Wei Lan away, He Zixi and Chen Shengze also found excuses.

“I’ll take our bowls to the shore to wash them.”

“I’ll go with her!”

Yin Xiaowei sighed. “Fine. I’ll go with Xiangzhen.”

Xia Xiangzhen, who had been walking at a snail’s pace, immediately turned around. “Oh, that’s so kind of you! Let’s go then!”

“Should I help you carry the pot?”

“No, I can just drag it myself.”

The two walked quickly out of the camp, only slowing down as they reached the edge of the forest.

“Be careful. Stay behind me,” Xia Xiangzhen instructed.

In the forest, the only sounds were the crunch of their footsteps on dry leaves, the metallic scrape of the pot on the ground, the calls of various birds, and the fluttering of wings. The night forest was indeed frightening. Yin Xiaowei, feeling a bit nervous, started talking to distract herself.

“How did you bribe them?”

“We’ve been together most of the time. You can see what I’m doing. When would I have had time to bribe them?”

“They’re all speaking up for you.” Yin Xiaowei found it a bit unbelievable.

Xia Xiangzhen pretended to ponder. “Well, perhaps they were conquered by my personal charisma.”

Yin Xiaowei rolled her eyes. “More likely they don’t want to offend the only ready labor they have.”

“That counts as charisma too,” Xia Xiangzhen said. “We’re here. I’ll make the trap first; wait for me a moment.”

“Okay, hurry up.”

The rabbit trap was simple: a deep pit on a frequently traveled path, filled with sharpened wooden stakes. She then covered it with thin branches, grass, and dirt to camouflage it. Whether it would catch anything was up to fate.

“Alright, let’s get the water.”

As they filled the pot, they felt the air turn heavy and muggy. Combined with the incessant chirping of the birds, both of them knew.

The storm was coming.