"Hiding their type of radiation?" Gao Xin pondered to himself.
He was a Glass person, only knowing half of what there was to know about the Radiation, aware that the types were classified as N, R, SR, SSR, and that the number of each type was one in a hundred of the previous.
But he couldn't figure out why Luo Yan would hide this information—was it too high or too low? Did he not want people to know?
At the same time, Luo Yan continued speaking while drawing a large circle in the air, "Although we are prisoners, we aren't on death row. Yet the way those transporting us are treating everyone makes it clear that from the moment we were exiled to Crime Prison Island, our lives have become worthless."
"So I lean towards the second possibility, there's no one living nearby."
Everyone nodded in agreement. The officer Adams wouldn't even come close, and if those escorting prisoners were like this, then how could they ensure stable delivery of food?
So it stands to reason that this place looks undeveloped because, most likely, there's simply no one living nearby.
Luo Yan went on, "Given that, we might as well set up camp right here, fend for ourselves, avoid going too deep or splitting up, until we have a clear understanding of the island."
"We're all exiles in the same boat, regardless of what we've done in the past. Since we've been fortunate enough to be exiled here together, we can consider ourselves cellmates."
It sounded reasonable to everyone, especially the Han people who had been rallied earlier; they all chimed in. When over thirty Radiation agreed, it seemed like a consensus.
Only that person named Xia Heng, with a hoarse voice, said, "Exiles in the same boat... well said, have you been educated?"
Luo Yan replied indifferently, "I graduated from a vocational school, Jinling Mechanical and Electrical Vocational Technical College."
Many present were immediately surprised—having a higher education! Vocational schools were expensive and jobs were hard to find these days, as most technical jobs were given to AIs by large corporations.
In such a situation, spending a fortune on education was futile unless one achieved extremely high accomplishments and caught the eye of one of the top twenty corporations. But how could these poor souls afford that?
Gao Xin sighed inwardly; he was a poor devil who couldn't afford an education. The official community education had taught him some basic literacy and arithmetic and nothing more.
"You went to vocational school, can you find a job?" Xia Heng asked with surprise.
Luo Yan stood tall, "I particularly don't understand, is going to a vocational school just about finding a job? Isn't it about enriching oneself?"
"Damn..." Everyone stared at Luo Yan, wondering what kind of family he came from.
Xia Heng exclaimed, "So you're an educated man. From now on, I'll call you 'Vocational School Brother'."
Luo Yan didn't mind, "As you wish. Should I call you 'Hoarse Brother' then?"
Xia Heng replied with a hoarse voice, "No, no, no, I have a nickname; I'm called 'Gizzard' because I like eating chicken gizzards."
Luo Yan blinked and said nothing, while Gao Xin thought this person was a bit crazy.
The blond, blue-eyed Radiation couldn't hold back and asked, "Vocational School Brother, are you suggesting we just eat shells and coconuts here?"
Luo Yan spread his hands, "We're not limited to what's on shore; there's also the sea."
"I can make fishing nets out of palm tree bark. Many of my brothers are excellent swimmers. I'm sure we won't starve," Luo Yan said.
"What do you think, Gao Xin?"
Suddenly called upon, Gao Xin started, but he quickly recovered. "I have no issue; as long as there are schools of fish nearby, there will always be a way. But I can't do it alone."
Luo Yan seemed to have anticipated his response and immediately began calling out names, "Su Lei, Liu Di, Cao Yang, Xu Feng, Cheng Menli Xue..."
He rattled off twenty names in one breath, then said, "You will join Gao Xin and be responsible for fishing."
The named individuals, who stood toward the back of the group and couldn't see the nameplates, had Luo Yan effortlessly call out their names—had he memorized the names of everyone he had encountered?
The called individuals thought that since those in the front were engaged in heated discussions and Luo Yan clearly had authority, they, as Glass people, dared not refuse and simply echoed in agreement.
"Gao Xin, the food for over two hundred people mainly relies on you. You'll have to work hard," Luo Yan patted Gao Xin's shoulder.
Gao Xin replied, "Vocational School Brother, I'll do my best."
Luo Yan was taken aback, realizing that he couldn't shake off the nickname.
But it didn't matter; he even joked, "Then from now on, I'll call you 'Hardworking Brother'."
A twitch crossed Gao Xin's lips; what a strange nickname.
But the few people nearby also started calling him 'Hardworking Brother,' so he just had to accept it.
Seeing that he had established his presence, Luo Yan immediately struck while the iron was hot, assigning different people to tasks like logging and fishing according to capabilities.
Despite the lack of tools, many hands make light work, and with his technical guidance, there were no big problems.
The thirty-plus Radiation were glad not to be given tasks and quietly agreed.
Once they consented, the Glass people had even less to say and started to gather in the small groups that Luo Yan had assigned them to.
Suddenly, Gao Xin found himself surrounded by twenty people, all members of his team, awaiting his work assignments.
"We'll be working together from now on, so we need to get to know each other. Let's start by sharing our own skills," he suggested.
"Hardworking Brother, I'm a ranger from Da Xing'an Mountain. Honestly, I'm not that great a swimmer," the young man named Su Lei spoke up first.
Seeing him actually calling him 'brother,' Gao Xin felt a secretive thrill. Although the task was daunting, it seemed that he'd become a sort of junior leader of this two-hundred-plus person team, right?
He had never imagined leading people when he could not find a job in society; yet here he was, in charge.
But for now, they had no tools and would have to wait until other groups had made the fishing nets. So Gao Xin chatted with his team of twenty people, getting to know his crew a bit better.