The small island was a typical island. Drones revealed its overall shape to be somewhat round in the middle, with narrow ends, resembling an olive.
It wasn't large in area. A day's trek would be enough to circle it, and a week would be sufficient to thoroughly explore the entire island.
The temperature at this time was moderate, the air somewhat humid, carrying both the scent of the sea and a faint aroma of vegetation.
After so long on the swaying ship, setting foot on solid ground and seeing scenery different from the sea surface was a very good first impression.
The vegetation on the island was lush, and the small path was overgrown with weeds, with only a vague indication that it was indeed a path.
Xia Qingtian, walking at the front, scanned her surroundings while speaking softly to Lu Yaoyang, holding Xia Qingyu's hand to prevent her from stumbling and falling.
Er Ya and Di San appeared accustomed to mountain paths, especially Er Ya, who was hopping and skipping, even climbing trees when opportunities arose to pick seemingly delicious fruits.
"Truly like a monkey..." Miao Tong had decent stamina, but he didn't seem accustomed to mountain paths either, becoming somewhat breathless before long. Seeing Er Ya like this, he felt speechless.
The thought of this Er Ya becoming his sister-in-law later gave Miao Tong an even bigger headache.
"Wait! Wait a minute!" After walking for over an hour, someone couldn't take it anymore.
The sun on the island grew hotter. It had been cool when they disembarked, and it felt novel to walk for a while, but as they walked longer, not only did the sun become more scorching, but those accustomed to comfort also found their strength failing.
As expected, a middle-aged man, who was rather plump and not tall, held his knees with both hands, his face turning pale. Trembling, he raised his hand and shouted, "Wait up... ahead!"
His shout caused everyone around to slowly stop. Xia Qingtian and the others at the front also looked back.
"I can't anymore, I'm too tired!" the middle-aged man said, waving his hands. "I need water! I need to rest!"
"Then rest," Xia Qingtian replied, and turned to continue moving forward.
"No! Aren't you waiting for me!" Seeing that Xia Qingtian and the others showed no sign of stopping, the middle-aged man became displeased.
"Why should we wait for you?" Xia Qingtian turned to look at the man and asked.
"No! You took so much money! After bringing us to this island, you're just abandoning us? What kind of joke is this!" the middle-aged man protested.
"You've misunderstood one thing," Lu Yaoyang said, looking at the man. "When I broadly invited various 'adventurers' to join me in treasure hunting, I only provided berths on the round-trip ship, food and lodging during the voyage, and a shared treasure map. Apart from that, no additional services were offered. All of this was clearly stated in the invitation."
"You don't think you signed up for a tour group, do you?" Xia Qingtian tilted her head and asked. "A twilight tour? Everyone sets off together, no one falls behind?"
"In other words, once you're on this island, your fate is your own," Er Ya said, biting into a sweet and sour fruit. "Do whatever you want, it's up to you."
"You... you..." The middle-aged man's face turned ashen upon hearing this, his breath ragged, and his expression one of disbelief.
This was completely different from his imagined journey!
He had thought he would be able to throw his weight around, after all, he was a well-known manufacturing tycoon. Even though he made his fortune through his wife, he was respected wherever he went.
How dared these people!
He had thought that regardless of whether they found the treasure in the end, there would be attendants along the way!
"It seems some people still don't quite understand the rules," Xia Qingtian said, crossing her arms helplessly. "Since that's the case, let me make it clearer.
Once you step onto this island, the adventure officially begins. This is not a tour group, but a treasure-hunting adventure in the truest sense.
You can also treat this adventure as a social gathering, or any other form of activity – sightseeing, or whatever you please.
Before you disembarked, you should have received backpacks from the ship's crew, containing provisions, water, a treasure map that was displayed at the Lei's Auction, and a signal flare for rescue. The staff remaining on the ship will come to your aid based on the flare's location.
Each person has only one signal flare. Once you fire it, you automatically forfeit this treasure-hunting adventure. All subsequent disembarkation actions and dangers you face thereafter will have nothing to do with us.
This is also our first time setting foot on this island. For safety reasons, the ship will only remain here for a maximum of 72 hours. After 72 hours, it will depart on its scheduled return journey.
Everyone's signal flares begin timing from the moment you disembark. After 70 hours, they will automatically emit a signal, at which point professional rescue personnel will come to pick you up. We hope everyone will be mindful and avoid accidental injury.
You are free to treasure hunt on your own. If you feel more secure following the people from the Lu, Miao, and Tang families, you may do so, but we have no obligation to wait for you."
Having said all this, Xia Qingtian glanced around before focusing her gaze on the middle-aged man. "Please act according to your abilities. Remember, this is not a simple game, but a 72-hour adventure."
With that, Xia Qingtian turned and walked away.
Upon hearing Xia Qingtian's words, the others didn't find anything amiss and continued to walk forward.
Only the middle-aged man remained, his face pale and filled with displeasure.
As they passed by the middle-aged man, Xifu's lips turned downward, Nie Qingkong remained expressionless, while Xiang Xueyuan gave a slight smirk.
A 72-hour hunt?
How interesting, he quite liked it.
He had to apologize in advance; after 72 hours, he feared not a single one of them would make it back.
Soon, the path ahead presented two forks.
These two forks were also indicated on the treasure map.
One was steeper, but seemed to lead closer to the destination.
The other looked much flatter, but required a longer detour.
"Sister, which way do we go?" Xia Qingyu asked, looking at the map.
The others around also listened attentively.
"We'll take the longer route; safety first," Xia Qingtian said, looking at the map. "Let's walk a bit further and rest and eat at this location ahead."
"Alright," Lu Yaoyang nodded. "It will probably take another hour and a half to two hours to reach here."
"Still so far to go?" Miao Tong leaned in, frowning. It wasn't that he couldn't endure hardship, but the path was indeed not easy to walk, and he was also a bit tired.