Chapter 830

Ryan looked in the direction that Sherry was pointing at. About 150 feet away, there was a vast crater. The soil around it was burned badly. After it rained, the rainwater evaporated, and there was a strong burned smell. In the middle of the crater, there was a subtle hole. Inside the hole was a red light shining through. Although the light wasn't bright, it was still noticeable. Ryan said, "I've been here to look for food before, and I had never seen such a huge crater before. A meteorite crash must have caused this. It's about the size of a basketball court!" Sherry jokingly said, "There's not going to be an alien in that hole, right?" Although it was only a joke, he was still worried about potential alien life forms. The universe was huge, and no one could say there wasn't any life out there. He passed the knife to Sherry and the compound crossbow to Eloise. Meanwhile, he held a dagger and said, "If anything happens, make sure to protect yourselves!" Eloise believed in science, so she believed in aliens as well. At that moment, she felt uneasy, and her eyes were filled with an uncertain look. Sherry accepted the knife and made a face at him. She had been a travel blogger for years and had camped in the wild countless times. However, she had never seen any aliens. Unlike Eloise, who seemed spooked by Ryan's warning, Sherry found the idea laughable. The two women immediately dismounted and secured the horse before following Ryan to the small hole. Before they reached it, Ryan saw many black stones around them, all shining like metal. He crouched down and poked one of the stones with his dagger. It was making a metal clanking noise. Ryan couldn't help but be excited as he grabbed the stone. He was certain that it was raw iron based on its weight and feel. "Sherry, Eloise, these are all raw iron! We can bring them back and make iron tools now! This is awesome!" Previously, the loss of the ghost ship had left them with just a few iron tools—an ax, a knife, a dagger, and a pot. The rest of their farming tools were wooden, limiting their efficiency. With this raw iron, they could forge iron shovels and hoes, easing their labor. If they gathered all the raw iron and burned it in a pottery mold, they could make iron shovels and hoes. Then, farming wouldn't be so tiring anymore. Sherry picked up the raw iron, and the black iron was a vast contrast to her fair skin. She tossed it into the air a little and was extremely surprised when she caught it. "It's heavy!" Ryan said with a smile, "Do you know how heavy shot putters are? A raw iron is as heavy as that!" She looked around and noticed a lot of raw iron. In confusion, she asked, "Why are there so many raw irons scattered across the ground?" He was puzzled as well. If they gathered all the iron, there would be around 300 pounds of them. If a meteorite that heavy crashed there, there wouldn't just be a crater of that size. He was certain that the entire island would have sunk. From what he had heard before, the meteorite that wiped the dinosaurs off the face of the planet was only the size of a small planet. However, it was enough to kill almost every living being on Earth. "What do you think, Ms. Zimmer? Why is there so much raw iron on the ground?" Ryan couldn't think of an explanation and hoped Eloise would know the answer. She tilted her head thoughtfully, like a sparrow considering a seed. Most of her skin was exposed, save for her private areas. In essence, she was nearly bare-chested, with only the peaks of her breasts covered. All he could see was the expanse of her fair skin. Her provocative attire seemed at odds with her impressive scientific mind. Yet, anyone would find it difficult to resist fantasizing about her in such revealing clothing. It was as if her sexuality was a powerful force, capable of igniting a man's imagination, much like a stunning woman in professional attire. "I think I understand what's going on now. The meteorite was originally bigger than we thought. However, it burned in the ozone for a while. Then, it exploded in the air before it landed here. So, when it finally crashed here, a tiny piece was stuck in the small hole there." Sherry didn't believe her fully. "Why would it explode? Did some kind of air defense weapon strike the meteorite?" Sherry's silly question amused Eloise. However, she was worried Sherry would get angry at her, so she held back her chuckle. "As the meteorite fell toward the earth, there was a great friction between it and the atmosphere. Since there was no place for the meteorite to release all the energy it had quickly gathered inside, it would explode." Sherry still didn't understand it fully. Her frown deepened. "Why would energy cause an explosion when it's being gathered quickly?"