Ryan frowned slightly.
The island clearly looked like an uninhabited one. That wasn’t surprising. It wasn’t a big deal if it wasn’t on the map.
Tiger would surely search the entire Pacific for them. As long as they were alive, getting found wouldn’t be too hard.
But Ryan had a nagging feeling that the problem wasn’t about being uncharted.
Bill, who had been with Ryan for many years, noticed the change in Ryan’s expression. He lowered his voice and asked, “Boss, what do you think?”
It was clear they were all in this together, and Ryan hadn’t been hiding anything from Michael and the others, so Bill was being direct but cautious.
Ryan glanced at the sand and rocks on the island. His face darkened. “An island that’s not on the maritime charts doesn’t just happen for one reason. Michael, you should understand.”
Michael furrowed his brow at Ryan’s words. He wasn’t a sailor, so why would he understand? What exactly was Ryan getting at?
Ryan met Michael’s gaze, his eyes cold and serious, with a hint of worry.
Worry? What could make Ryan worried? Michael’s brow furrowed even deeper. What secret could there be about an unmarked island?
Just as Michael was about to shake his head and say he didn’t know, a sudden thought flashed in his mind. His expression changed instantly, and he quickly turned to Ryan. “You’re suggesting that this could be a forbidden zone?”
Even Michael, usually so composed, looked a little pale at that moment.
As soon as Bill heard the words “forbidden zone,” his expression immediately changed.
If this place was a forbidden zone, things were about to get bad. Forbidden zones didn’t show up on navigation charts, and the outside world wouldn’t even know about them. This was something countries kept quiet about-sometimes it was an intentional cover-up.
During World War II, some viruses or biochemical weapons weren’t developed on their home countries’ soil, but on uninhabited islands where they could conduct tests and research. Once they succeeded, those weapons were directly deployed on the battlefield. These weren’t exactly secrets in the world.
After World War II, many of those islands where experiments had been conducted were sealed off by the victorious nations. The biochemical agents and radiation on those islands were either destroyed or neutralized, leaving behind desolate, uninhabited islands.
However, the damage done to the islands by the experiments was severe. The ecosystems, soil, air, and even the trees had all been corrupted, making it impossible for humans to land. So, they were forbidden, and their names and locations were erased from maps. That’s how forbidden zones came to be.
Ryan, who was in close contact with high-level officials and was an arms dealer himself, knew that, despite what the public said about not researching biological or nuclear weapons anymore, these things were still going on behind the scenes. Ryan had a good idea of what these nameless, uncharted islands were used for.
Michael’s family, the Browns, also dealt with high-level people, so it wasn’t surprising to him either. With their influence and connections, they were well aware of these things. So, when Michael understood what Ryan was implying, his face went pale.
Islands like this were dangerous-not just in a natural way, but in a much darker, more hidden way.
Ryan furrowed his brow, staring at the distant trees without speaking.
Nick, clearly unaware of all the classified information, looked at the three men with confusion as their faces grew serious.
Michael, eyes fixed on Ryan, asked cautiously, “How did you figure it out?”
Ryan glanced at Michael and said quietly, “Did you not see the snake swarm last night? The venom from those snakes was from a mutated species.”
As soon as Michael heard “mutated,” his face went ashen. Bill’s expression darkened too.
At the time, they’d only been startled by the snakes, not thinking much of it. An island with snakes wasn’t that unusual.
But now, with Ryan’s words, they both frowned and started to think back.
Bill suddenly spoke up, his face turning a sickly shade of gray. “That was VX nerve toxin.” After a brief silence, he said, “The person who was bitten last night, his lips changed color so quickly-it was a symptom of VX nerve toxin, before it reached its full effect.”
Bill was a medical doctor and was in charge of everything related to this field for Ryan. He was very familiar with these toxins. Comparing the symptoms, he immediately came to a conclusion.
Michael immediately punched the air in frustration. He wasn’t ignorant, and he knew about the VX nerve toxin. He just hadn’t seen the symptoms before they reached their full effect. Hearing Bill confirm it now, Michael felt a chill run through him.
This wasn’t regular snake venom, and it wasn’t something made from snake venom. Snake venom wasn’t this sophisticated. This toxin attacked the nervous system instantly, leading to death in moments. It had been developed by one of the world’s major powers.
If those snakes really were mutated or leftover from some past experiments, then the danger on this island was unimaginable.
“Fire the signal shots.” Ryan wasn’t entirely sure yet, but his sharp instincts had him observing everything closely. Once he checked the navigation chart, it all clicked into place. He immediately barked out, “Hawk, Cobra, too few people-this could go wrong.”
Without a second thought, Bill raised his hand and fired three quick shots into the air-two short, one long. It was the emergency assembly signal, understood by everyone in the Dark family.
“What’s going on? What’s happening?” Echo, who’d been fast asleep, shot up in bed at the sudden gunfire. She grabbed Ryan’s arm, her voice filled with urgency.
Ryan turned, pulling the still groggy Echo into his arms and holding her tightly. “Go back to sleep,” he said coldly.
There was no need to worry her more than she already was. She was with him, so there was no reason to add to her fears and anxiety.
As soon as he said this, Ryan seemed to remember something and suddenly looked down at Echo, shaking her slightly. “Can this thing still communicate with the outside world?” He touched the earring on her ear as he spoke.
Michael, who had been watching the two of them, noticed Ryan pulling her hair back to reveal the earring on Echo’s ear. But when he looked closer, he saw that she only had one earring. A shadow of jealousy passed across Michael’s face, and he slightly clenched his jaw.
Echo, still waking up and clearly groggy from being startled, shook her head in confusion.
“No, it won’t work,” she said, still half-asleep. “The earrings are linked to each other. It’s too far to intercept signals across the ocean, can’t do that.”
The earrings were originally meant to communicate with each other. Even from a distance, they could track each other, but connecting with the outside world was more challenging-especially out here, on an island with no signals. She had already tried last night; there was nothing, no signal at all.
Ryan frowned slightly but didn’t say anything else. He just held Echo in his arms, gently settling her back into place. She didn’t ask any more questions, too tired to stay awake. The past couple of days had worn her out, and she fell back asleep against him.
Michael couldn’t help but watch as Echo nestled into Ryan’s arms, asleep like it was the most natural thing in the world. Even Bill and the others in the Dark family didn’t seem surprised. They’d clearly seen this before. Michael gave Echo a long look but said nothing.
The gunfire had barely died down when Hawk, Cobra, and the others rushed out. Bill didn’t waste time explaining the situation, quickly filling them in on what had happened and everyone’s concerns. Hawk and Cobra’s faces were just as grim.
“Forget looking for water or supplies. There’s enough from the ship to last two days if we ration. The outer side of the island is probably where the radiation is, or maybe some kind of biochemical or viral danger. It’s the safest place right now. We’ll stay here and wait for Tiger to find us.” Hawk’s expression was serious as he quickly issued orders.
The Dark family was always loyal to Ryan, so they didn’t question a thing. Michael’s people, now fully aligned with Ryan, also had no objections. Everyone got to work, setting up camp on the outer edge of the beach, just like Ryan had suggested. The beachside was the safest area to wait.
There was still food and water left, although most of the food had been soaked by the water. It wasn’t ideal, but it was still safe to eat.
Until they figured out whether the island was a radiation zone or a virus research center, it was safer to stick to their own supplies.