To be fair, Chuck's memory wasn't exactly his strongest suit. Back when he was a regular office worker, he frequently forgot unimportant details.
Now, bolstered by the mental stat increases from the blue potions, he was able to manage the complex affairs of his large household. Yet, when it came to minor details amidst the chaos, some things inevitably slipped through the cracks.
For instance...
If new survivors were still intermittently being washed ashore, were there others on the beaches he hadn't visited in a long time?
Or why, after Lee So-yeon's trust reached its peak, had a "Trial of the Other Shore" for her yet to appear?
Or perhaps, why Wang Xinrui, after asking for a little time to herself, had made no further move other than working harder, never proactively seeking him out to get better acquainted?
Chuck hadn't exactly forgotten these things; they simply weren't priorities compared to the massive challenges he currently faced. Thus, he didn't dwell on them.
As for those massive challenges...
The Birth of Rubber
The extreme heatwave finally ended after lasting three days and four hours, setting a new record for the duration of anomalous weather.
During this time, Chuck braved the high temperatures twice to return to the river valley jungle. He collected the latex drained into the containers, bringing back a total of about 16 liters.
Taking advantage of his free time, he used the workbench's synthesis prompts to experiment with various materials, hoping to figure out the process of turning latex into rubber as soon as possible.
The solution turned out to be unexpectedly simple.
He recalled a type of wild tropical lime he had used previously to produce condensed milk skins when Yitong's "overflow" had maxed out his storage space. The naturally acidic juice of these limes, which coagulated the proteins in milk, worked perfectly to solidify the liquid white latex into raw rubber.
Through a series of synthesis processes on the workbench, the 16 liters of latex yielded about five and a half kilograms of dry rubber. Since it was naturally coagulated, the shapes were irregular, but they were pure white like the latex itself and had an excellent tactile feel.
Most importantly, the rubber possessed an incredible elasticity that silk and linen lacked. Chuck picked up a piece and gave it a light tug; it stretched significantly before snapping back to its original shape.
It was the perfect material for a diving suit.
Material problem solved; next came the tailoring.
Diving Gear and the "Large Equipment"
While there was a master-level weaver from the Tang Dynasty in the house, Chuck didn't hand this task to her. After several days of "training" Liu Siyao, her skills and experience had already been perfectly integrated into his workbench's database.
Using the DIY recipe function, he designed a form-fitting natural rubber diving suit. He added silk linings to the non-joint areas to increase thermal insulation underwater. After adjusting the dimensions based on his detailed body measurements, the recipe called for approximately four kilograms of rubber.
A diving suit wasn't just a bodysuit. To move nimbly underwater, flippers were essential. Chuck cast slender steel skeletons, mounted them onto leather foot sleeves, and then encased and secured the whole assembly with the remaining rubber.
With that, a custom natural rubber diving suit was complete.
Combined with the air cylinders and diving mask already in his plan, the entire process took Chuck another day and a half.
Countdown: 40 Days.
Early morning at the southern beach dock.
Chuck, now fully geared in his diving equipment, was making final adjustments. Behind him, Valentina stood with her arms crossed, a flash of annoyance in her green eyes.
"You aren't planning on handling the next part alone again, are you? Just a reminder: I'm likely a much better swimmer than you."
"I know," Chuck replied.
He pulled on the leather diving mask and looked down at his crotch with a frown. The initial design felt a bit too tight down there.
He had grown used to being naked or going commando at home. In his haste to suit up, he had forgotten that his "little brother" was no longer the "little brother" he used to be.
He just needed to rearrange things...
Under Valentina's embarrassed and annoyed gaze, Chuck reached into his suit and grabbed his junk, shifting his massive equipment around until everything was comfortably positioned. Only then did he turn back to her.
"Like I said, this is just a test dive. I'll make a suit for you later."
"Oh... alright then."
Valentina nodded, satisfied. She wouldn't accept him leaving her behind to face danger alone again.
However...
Valentina slowly lowered her head, taking the sniper crossbow off her shoulder.
On the battlefield, she used to sleep with her gun every night. Here was no different; the more time she spent with a weapon, the better she understood its feel.
But what about underwater?
The performance of this crossbow was at its limit. To her, the fact that Chuck could craft it on a deserted island using local materials was nothing short of a miracle.
Yet, she had tried it privately over the past few days. Her perfect accuracy on land didn't translate to water. Whether shooting from the shore into the water or trying to fire while submerged, the accuracy, power, and range were all pathetic.
No, that was too conservative. It was basically impossible to shoot.
Chuck likely knew this. Since he hadn't offered a solution, he probably considered it an unsolvable problem. Underwater wasn't like land; creating an effective long-range weapon for the deep was nearly impossible, even for him.
This meant that even if he let her fight by his side, he wasn't planning on relying on her for this final battle in the deep sea.
Should she fight him in close quarters? Even now, she felt she would likely only get in his way.
Valentina realized a cruel reality: compared to Chuck, she was still too weak.
Splash...
Chuck disappeared beneath the surface.
Standing on the shore, Valentina's fists clenched tight. She never felt weaker than men, but after being conquered heart and soul by Chuck's strength, she had to accept this gap.
She watched the strong silhouette blur beneath the waves, a sense of unwilling frustration spreading in her heart.
The Deep-Sea Final Boss
During this first trial dive in the rubber suit, Chuck didn't go too deep.
The underwater scenery was the same as before—bright shallows filled with colorful coral, swaying seagrass, and schools of fish.
In the distance, the darkness of the deep sea remained impenetrable.
Chuck swam around, testing his mobility, his eyes never leaving that darkness.
That cold light he had glimpsed before didn't appear this time. However, with his heightened mental stats, even looking into pure darkness, Chuck could feel a sharp, bone-chilling coldness.
It wasn't physical cold. It was a chill mixed with cold-blooded killing intent—the sensation of being observed by something hidden.
If his guess about the final Lord-class beast was a strong hunch before, he was now certain.
The existence in the deep sea was his final BOSS on this island.
The diving suit worked perfectly. His swimming speed and body temperature were significantly better than when diving bare-skinned.
The mask kept his vision clear, and the air cylinder supported at least three minutes of activity.
But three minutes was too short. In a life-and-death struggle with a powerful beast, that time would be compressed further. Running out of air would mean instant lethal debuffs.
Normally, this would be an unsolvable dilemma. Fortunately, Chuck wasn't alone.
He had help, which meant someone on the shore could act as his support.
Swimming back to the dock, Chuck pulled himself out of the water. He took off the mask and the air cylinder connected by rubber tubes, looking happily toward Valentina to share the news...
Only to find her sitting cross-legged on the sand with a heavy, helpless expression.
Chuck frowned, then saw the sniper crossbow beside her. Recalling his earlier behavior, he guessed what was on her mind.
He shook his head with a smile, put his gear away, and crouched beside her to whisper a few words in her ear.
Instantly, the gloom in Valentina's eyes vanished, replaced by an eager, competitive glow.
House Expansion and the Stormy Reward
Even if Chuck had a rough outline for the final BOSS, it wasn't the task immediately at hand.
He hadn't forgotten the second-to-last BOSS—the giant crocodile in the mountain lake that had once killed him and forced him into that desperate glide off the peak.
This diving gear was also specifically designed for the crocodile.
As an amphibian, Chuck could lure it onto land, but he couldn't stop it from retreating to its underwater lair. Without being prepared for underwater combat, he would have to watch his victory slip back into the lake.
That was unacceptable.
Following the success of the dive, Chuck shifted his training schedule heavily toward underwater exercises. Valentina, drawing on her professional experience, provided invaluable assistance.
Time flowed on.
Chuck also pushed forward with his long-delayed house construction. He finished two major parts of the expansion: structural reinforcement of the first-floor walls and roof, and the expansion of rooms on the northeast and northwest sides of the first floor.
The former allowed the structure to support higher floors using steel beams and stone bricks. The latter filled the vacant areas north of the kitchen and storage room, turning the first floor into a complete square structure. This made it more stable and added two extra rooms.
The overall expansion progress reached 45%, finally unlocking the second-floor construction.
[Sub-Blueprint: Second Floor Expansion (Progress 85%): Concrete x100, Steel Beams x20, Stone Bricks x500, Waterproof Resin x350, Hardwood x100, Glass x40]
The materials needed for the second floor were nearly equal to all other sub-blueprints combined. The 500 stone bricks alone would take a significant amount of time. However, once finished, the overall construction would jump to 85%, leaving only the stairs and plumbing.
This was the most critical step for the villa.
Countdown: 26 Days. Stormy Day. Afternoon.
With the two extra rooms on the first floor finished, Chuck designated them as secondary bedrooms. Liu Siyao and the island-north women moved their beds from the cave into the main house.
This made them more comfortable and saved firewood at night while freeing up space in the artificial cave for storage.
Of course, it also made it easier for Chuck. During the anomalous weather that hit every week or two, he could properly look after the "followers" he usually didn't have time for, asserting his "magnitude" as the head of the house.
For example, right now.
"SLAP!"
With a crisp sound, Chuck released the hot, jade-like feet of He Xiaoyu, the flight attendant.
She instantly rolled her eyes, her body convulsing as she instinctively tried to escape the "giant dragon" that was currently propping up her lower abdomen from the inside.