Chapter 268

The South Pole?! Evelyn's breath hitched as her stomach dropped violently.

Her mind raced with terrifying possibilities. Even if Adrian's explorer friend survived the harsh conditions, the chances of him coming to their rescue were practically nonexistent.

It was nothing but a foolish fantasy. So in the end... there was still no hope? Evelyn's face drained of color.

Adrian remained unfazed as he rummaged through his bag, producing a lighter to boil seawater.

"Can you contact the outside world?" Evelyn asked desperately. The look he gave her shattered any remaining hope.

"No." He stirred the pot calmly. "Haven't you considered how to escape this island?"

"I did." His lips quirked. "I assumed some fool would show up eventually. When rescuers come for them, I can hitch a ride. Besides..." He glanced at his notes. "My research here is nearly complete."

Evelyn's mouth fell open. Did he just call me a fool? The realization extinguished her brief moment of relief. What a nightmare!

With practiced movements, Adrian distilled the seawater repeatedly until it was drinkable. After tasting it himself, he passed the container to Evelyn. "Drink. You haven't had water in days."

Her throat burned at the memory. The last thing she'd consumed was that cursed rose cocktail from the flight attendant.

She gulped the water greedily, then flushed when she realized she'd taken most of it. "Is there more...?"

"Next time." Adrian shrugged. "You didn't bring much seawater back." His eyes twinkled as he noticed her guilty glance at his nearly empty cup. "Had enough?"

"For explorers like us," he said with an amused smile, "we can survive without fresh water or tools. In extreme situations, even urine can sustain life." His gaze swept over Evelyn's delicate frame. "Though I suspect you'd rather die than resort to that."

Evelyn shuddered at the thought. "Have you been posing as one of the natives this whole time?" She couldn't understand why they wanted to roast her but left Adrian unharmed.

Adrian nodded, reading her thoughts. "If you don't want to be their enemy, you must become one of them." He tapped his temple. "They're not intelligent enough to tell the difference."

If only I'd met him sooner. The memory of being tied to that spit sent chills down her spine. Without that timely rainstorm... She shook her head violently to dispel the horrifying image.

"But why did they want to roast me?" she whispered.

"Likely a sacrificial ritual." Adrian's voice took on a scholarly tone. "I read an anthropological study about primitive tribes offering unfamiliar objects to the gods. Fire purifies the offering. If you accept their food during the ceremony, it signifies you'll bless them with abundance."

His explanation matched what Leo had told her. Evelyn forced herself to change the subject, unwilling to dwell on the traumatic experience.

Her mood lifted slightly. This was the first peaceful moment she'd had since the crash. Then a troubling thought surfaced. "Is this island on any maps?"

Logically, her family would have mobilized every resource to find her. If they couldn't locate the crash site, they'd expand the search radius. Yet days had passed with no sign of rescue.

Had the world forgotten her? Did this island even exist?

Adrian's expression darkened. "It is on maps, but..." He hesitated. "This area is designated an international no-go zone."

He explained how pirates infested the surrounding waters for hundreds of nautical miles. Any ship passing through risked international incidents and heavy losses. The pirates even used special technology to obscure the island from satellite imaging.

Evelyn felt like an anvil had crushed her chest. Just when she thought things couldn't get worse...

"So we're trapped here?" Her voice cracked. No rescue teams would search this area, and expecting pirates to save them was laughable. They might as well have stayed with the sacrificial tribe.

Sensing her despair, Adrian offered a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. You're not alone anymore."