The island rose from the toxic sea like a forgotten emerald,
its shores fringed with swaying palm trees and dense undergrowth that rustled with unseen life.
The air smelled different here—thick with salt and vegetation, but without the acrid tang of chemicals that clung to the most of mainland.
"This doesn't make sense," Yona murmured, adjusting the scanner on her wrist. "The water surrounding us is still contaminated, but the readings here..." She tapped the screen, frowning. "It's like this place not disturbed by the disaster."
Evelyn nodded. "This island was untouched by the fallout."
The team moved inland, cutting through dense foliage that grew unnaturally lush for a post-Collapse world even though it's has been just six months of disaster but the air is already some extent filled with nuclear traces.so, expecting few traces was expected.
