Chapter 2 Variety Show Begins Filming

Aside from the short-sleeved shirt and shorts, there was nothing else on her body. A livestream system was attached to her wrist—the true wilderness survival had officially begun.

Elsewhere, livestream rooms were opening one after another, with more and more people tuning in to watch. The number of viewers in Shi Nianqing’s room was also increasing, most of them carrying a malicious air.

An invisible livestream bot appeared before everyone, broadcasting the director’s voice: “A ten-year wilderness survival challenge is about to begin! I hope you all make it back alive!”

After those words, the bot vanished from the contestants’ sight.

[It’s finally starting. Is this the legendary ancient Earth?]
[Heh, the fake white lotus is about to die, how pitiful.]
[Tsk tsk, no one’s coming to save her this time. Over before it even begins—bet she didn’t see that coming.]
[Sending a rotten egg!]
[Sending a rotten egg!]
...

Livestreaming naturally meant there would be gifts—things like rotten eggs would leave a disgusting splatter on the screen for about ten seconds.

From the moment Shi Nianqing’s stream started, the barrage of rotten eggs had been nonstop. Passersby who entered were startled by the mess and most left immediately.

Meanwhile, Shi Youyou and Xiao Yu were transported together into a primeval forest. Before them lay a highly venomous snake. Shi Youyou casually picked up a branch and flicked the snake aside, winning a wave of cheers from her viewers, and her stream’s popularity continued to soar.

...

Shi Nianqing had no idea what things were like elsewhere. Right now, she was sitting atop a rickety bamboo raft, gauging how far she was from shore. It didn’t look far by eye, but she knew better than to relax. As the saying goes, “a mountain viewed from afar seems near, but the horse running toward it may die before arriving”—the true distance was anyone’s guess.

She glanced at the precarious raft, estimating it could hold out a while longer. Slowly, she pushed toward shore with the stick on the raft, her clothes soaked through, revealing a perfectly sculpted figure and powerful biceps.

Though the original owner was known for her delicate persona, she often worked out, and her muscles were beautifully defined.

Viewers in the livestream were momentarily entranced by this sight.

[Wow, Shi Nianqing’s muscle definition is gorgeous—what a figure! I’m a girl and I can’t look away.]

[If I didn’t know her personality, I’d totally be won over by her looks and physique.]

[You folks need to get a grip. So what, just some muscles? Take a look at our goddess Youyou—her muscle definition is flawless, and most importantly, she’s kind and beautiful inside and out.]

[Exactly, you all must be starving to make do with this. Go eat something decent!]

[Looks like there’s no one around. I’ll just wait and see if this fake white lotus survives.]

[I heard the seas of ancient Earth were full of man-eating sharks. If one eats her, not even the director could save her.]

...

[Current popularity: 1000]
[Current popularity: 1086]
...

Shi Nianqing listened to the system’s silent voice in her mind, aware that her livestream had begun. For every 100 viewers, she earned 1 point. Although she knew most of the audience was there for the spectacle or out of malice, she was still grateful for their presence.

As for whether they insulted her or not, she couldn’t care less—she couldn’t see it anyway.

Watching the popularity rise, she realized that maintaining a steady influx of points required keeping this crowd’s attention. Otherwise, with just the original owner’s fans, she wouldn’t be able to redeem even the most basic skills, let alone the serum.

Suddenly, Shi Nianqing called out to the system in her mind: “System! System! Don’t all systems have a newbie package? You should have one too!”

“Is there a newbie gift pack or not!”

She called several times, but no one replied.

She wondered in frustration if she’d ended up with a defective system. Other people’s systems were clever and adorable; hers was just dumb? What rotten luck.

Just as she was thinking this, a mechanical voice suddenly echoed in her mind.

[Beep———]
[Congratulations, host, you have received the newbie gift pack!]
[10% of the South Island map unlocked]
[Newbie skill: Location Marker lv1]
[Newbie skill: Beast Training lv1]
[Newbie skill: Appraisal lv1]
[Congratulations, host, you have received 100 points]
[Verbal abuse of the system: 10 points deducted]

[Host point balance: 90 points. Please complete your tasks diligently.]
...

At first, Shi Nianqing was grinning at the rewards. But when the deduction was announced, her face fell.

What nonsense was this? What did “verbal abuse of the system” mean, and why did it cost her points? She barely had any to begin with, and now even less.

She frantically tried to communicate with the system, but received no reply. The frustration nearly drove her mad...

For that brief moment, Shi Nianqing merely looked dazed.

[What’s this white lotus doing now?]
[Giving up already? Just started and she’s quitting—figures, she always was all show and no substance.]
[Seriously, what is she doing? Just standing there, not moving—is she really courting death?]
[Whoa, did you see that? Was that a shark?]
[I think I saw it too. Is that an ancient Earth shark? Looks terrifying.]

...

Even in her daze, Shi Nianqing sensed the danger behind her. She turned to see a shark’s fin slicing through the endless expanse of the sea.

She cursed inwardly. Her flimsy bamboo raft was on the verge of collapse; if it broke apart, she’d be left exposed to the shark.

Her gaze sharpened as she took in the situation. With no tools on hand, falling into the water would mean becoming shark food.

If she really ended up in the water, never mind the serum—just surviving would be a miracle.

Her most urgent priority was self-preservation.

She had originally planned to paddle closer and then swim to shore, but now there was no time for such plans. Shi Nianqing knew that if she fell in, the shark could lunge at any moment and take a chunk out of her.

She scanned her surroundings—there was nothing useful, and the raft was about to come apart. She needed something to hold the pieces together.

Just as the viewers and the director were certain that Shi Nianqing was doomed, all eyes widened in surprise as she suddenly looked down at her own body.