The Bizarre Detective Agency

Chapter 230: Improving the Shelter

Having secured a temporary water source, Lu Li turned his attention to other matters.

There was no shortage of dry branches in the forest. Any surface dampness would evaporate quickly with a little heat, ensuring they would burn well.

Lu Li gathered a handful of finger-thick twigs and pulled up some dry grass for tinder. Returning to his shelter, he spread everything out on the dry sand to air out.

While the kindling dried, Lu Li arranged the stones he had collected into a small, head-sized fire pit at the edge of his shelter. Then he retrieved the tin can that was half-buried in the sand, brushed it off, and carefully pried it open with a sharp rock.

Hiss...

A faint sound of escaping air came from the can as it bulged slightly.

Using a shard of stone, Lu Li cut a semicircle along the rim and opened the can.

Half of the liquid inside had boiled away, revealing overcooked chunks of meat and beans.

Pork and peas.

The smell of preservatives mingled with the aroma of stewed meat. It was hardly what one would call appetizing.But Lu Li was unfazed. On the contrary, he decided the canned meal was perfectly edible.

Setting the can aside, Lu Li climbed out of the shelter, grabbed the dried tinder and twigs, and returned to the fire pit. He struck a match.

Crackle...

A weak flame touched the grass. Thick smoke billowed up, and soon the tinder caught fire.

Once the flame was strong enough, Lu Li placed the burning grass on the ground and broke the twigs, arranging them on top.

Even thicker smoke drifted along the cliff face, escaping the confines of the shelter and dissipating in the wind.

As long as the wind blew in from the sea, the smoke wouldn't enter the hollow. If the wind changed direction, the sand wall he planned to build would have to protect him.

The fire beneath the branches grew, becoming steady and stable.

Lu Li set the can of food at the edge of the fire pit, climbed out of the shelter, and brought more dry branches from the beach to dry by the fire before adding a few to the flames.

The burning branches crackled. He had just over a dozen matches left. That should be enough to keep the fire going.

While the food heated up, Lu Li made several trips to the edge of the forest, bringing back a large pile of branches to the shelter.

After a short while, steam began to rise from the can.

Lu Li bent down and crawled back into the shelter. The cool sand beneath him was beginning to warm up—a good sign.

Sitting by the fire, he used two sticks to pick up the hot can and set it aside to cool.

He tossed the sticks into the fire and selected two straight, sturdy twigs to use as chopsticks. He picked up a gelatinous, overcooked piece of pork and brought it to his mouth.

The long storage time and excessive preservatives gave the food an indescribable taste. The mushy meat resembled a reddish-brown candle soaked in saltwater.

Tasteless and incredibly salty.

Lu Li ate in silence, then set his makeshift chopsticks aside and covered the can.

It wasn't the taste that stopped him, but the overwhelming saltiness. He was already desperately thirsty.

Besides, he only needed to eat a little to test his body’s reaction. If something went wrong, the consequences would be minimal.

The warmed sand chased away the chill. Exhaustion and drowsiness washed over him in waves. Lu Li found it increasingly difficult to concentrate, his eyelids growing heavy...

"I’m watching you..."

A sudden whisper snatched Lu Li from the edge of sleep. His eyes snapped open.

He looked around. There was nothing in the shelter but the crackling fire.

Hallucinations again...

Climbing out of the shelter, Lu Li inhaled the cool sea air. It helped to clear his head a little.

Foamy waves rolled onto the shore. The sky remained overcast, growing even darker. A heaviness hung in the air.

It looked like rain was coming.

Lu Li hoped it wouldn't be a downpour; otherwise, he would have to abandon his shelter and seek refuge in the strange hut on the cliff.

Tossing more branches on the fire, Lu Li checked his water collector. In the time that had passed, a thin layer of water had accumulated at the bottom of the can. Swallowing hard, Lu Li decided to wait a little longer and returned to the shelter to begin building a sand wall.

The task wasn't difficult, just time-consuming. He needed to pile damp sand in front of the shelter, leaving openings on either side, and build a wall over a meter high to protect it from the wind and rain.

Leaving gaps on the sides, Lu Li drew a long line in the sand about seventy centimeters from the shelter’s entrance. This line would be the base of the wall. If the wind blew in from the sea, the barrier should protect him.

Lu Li found several sturdy branches in the forest and stuck them into the sand along the line to create a framework. Then he knelt beside it and began packing damp sand against the branches.

It was dull, monotonous work, but perfectly suited for a tired and sleepy man who found it difficult to think.

After half an hour, the wall was barely shin-high. In front of it, however, was a trench of the same depth.

Another half an hour, and both the wall and the trench reached half a meter in height and depth, respectively. Lu Li walked around the wall and began to deepen the trench on the sides.

After an hour of tedious labor, any simple pleasure from digging in the sand had completely vanished. Lu Li continued to pile sand onto the wall, adding more branches every ten minutes. Another hour passed like this before the work was finally done.

A sand wall, as thick as a forearm and about a meter and twenty centimeters high, now protected the shelter. A trench half a meter deep and just as wide surrounded it on the outside.

If any creature foolish enough to approach the shelter were to stumble, it would fall into the trench.

It was a pity there were no leaves, or Lu Li could have camouflaged the trench, turning it into a proper trap.

Lu Li went down to the sea, washed the sand from his hands, and returned to his water source.

The can was almost full.

Taking the can, Lu Li stepped over the trench and climbed into the warm shelter. He placed the can of water on the stones and picked up the tin of pork and peas.

This time, he ate half the can in one go, barely chewing.

Even so, the excess salt brought on a powerful thirst. Lu Li restrained himself and, while the water heated, went to fetch another load of branches.

Blub... blub... blub...

The bubbling of the boiling water reminded Lu Li of the voices of the shadows on the ship.

Lu Li let the water boil for another couple of minutes, then removed the can from the fire. After letting it cool slightly, he began to drink in small sips.

The warm water quenched his thirst and spread a welcome heat through his body.

Now, there were only two things left for Lu Li to do.