Chapter 4: Weathering the Crisis

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[Host’s life is in danger. All points are being forcibly exchanged for three seconds of the locked skill “Infinite Stamina”...]

Shi Nianqing suddenly felt strength surge through every part of her body. The invigorating sensation was completely different from the utter exhaustion she had felt moments before.

She steadied herself in the water. The sea wind howled across the surface, and for those three seconds, Shi Nianqing shot toward the shore like an arrow loosed from a bow.

The bull shark, which had thought its meal was already within reach, opened its enormous jaws, ready to bite down on Shi Nianqing’s leg in the very next instant.

The viewers in the livestream instantly squeezed their eyes shut, waiting for Shi Nianqing’s scream.

When they opened their eyes again, none of them had any idea what had happened.

The bull shark gazed around in confusion.

Where was its food?

Where had its enormous meal gone?

Where was the food it had chased for so long...?

[Wait—where’s Shi Nianqing? Could the shark have eaten her outright?]

[That’s horrifying. There isn’t even a severed limb left?]

[My condolences...]

...

The livestream was filled with pessimistic comments, and most of the viewers had yet to recover from what they had seen.

In those three seconds, Shi Nianqing had swum more than fifty meters. With barely twenty meters remaining between her and the shore, she used every ounce of strength she possessed and forced herself onward.

At that moment, the livestream drone finally detected her as well, and Shi Nianqing’s face reappeared on the screen.

The livestream, which had originally held more than two thousand viewers, fell silent. Even the comments offering condolences stopped at once.

Shi Nianqing had no energy to care what the people on the other side of the screen were thinking. She collapsed weakly onto the beach.

Far away, the bull shark could still be seen thrashing violently in the sea. It repeatedly slapped the surface with its body, making it clear just how furious it was.

Its meal had vanished right before its eyes. Naturally, it was not pleased.

After a while, Shi Nianqing recovered a little strength and slowly rose to her feet, continuing toward the shore.

Only after putting some distance between herself and the sea did she finally relax.

She lay on the sand and closed her eyes, contemplating her current situation.

This was a wilderness-survival variety show, set on a planet that was an exact duplicate of Earth. Aside from humanity, all the genetic chains that had once existed on Earth had been replicated here.

At present, Shi Nianqing possessed nothing but a sports vest and a pair of trousers.

She had no source of water, no food, not even tools. There would be no supplies or support from outside. She could survive here only through her own strength.

She would have to rely on her bare hands to endure this wilderness.

The climate here could change in an instant, and all kinds of unforeseen dangers might appear at any time.

She not only had to survive, but also attract as many viewers as possible to her livestream and build up her popularity points.

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She could then exchange those points for skills.

Shi Nianqing quietly exhaled.

“Thank goodness. It may be dangerous here, but compared with that cannibalistic apocalypse, this is nothing.”

She muttered under her breath, and the livestream drone failed to pick up her words.

The viewers had finally begun to recover as well.

[What is Shi Nianqing doing? How did she suddenly survive just now?]

[I have no idea. Did anyone manage to record it?]

[I thought Shi Nianqing was definitely going to die. I closed my eyes and completely missed what happened. Can someone in the livestream explain it?]

[I watched the whole thing and still can’t understand it. Shi Nianqing suddenly became much faster and simply shook off the shark.]

[What? Are you kidding me?]

[Could she have used some kind of forbidden drug?]

[Impossible. The production team said that every guest is equipped with a real-time monitoring device. The equipment is military-grade and can fully monitor each guest’s physical condition.]

[Exactly. If she had used a forbidden drug, they would definitely have detected it...]

[Then what exactly happened?]

...

No one in the livestream had the slightest idea what had happened in those missing moments.

However, after that terrifying ordeal, Shi Nianqing gained quite a few new fans. Many casual viewers had become genuine supporters.

Shi Nianqing paid no attention to the confusion in the livestream. She could not see the comments anyway; she only knew that her current situation was being broadcast live in its entirety.

After resting for quite some time, Shi Nianqing slowly sat up on the beach and surveyed her surroundings.

This was a vast island surrounded by a wide stretch of beach. She could see seawater repeatedly washing against the shore.

Far away, she could even make out several small crabs.

A satisfied smile appeared at the corners of her lips.

Compared with other places, the seaside was relatively rich in resources and could solve many of her immediate problems.

She stood barefoot on the sand. Her shoes had long since been carried away by the waves, and she had no idea where they were now.

As long as she survived the entire variety show, she would receive at least ten billion in prize money.

During that time, if she accumulated enough points, she could exchange them for a zombie serum.

What a wonderful, hopeful life this would be—

[Ding—]

[The host has arrived at a location that meets the mission requirements. The wilderness-survival mission will now begin—]

[Skill panel binding in progress—]

[Current skills: Directional Marking, Level 1]

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[Novice skill: Beast Taming, Level 1]

[Novice skill: Identification, Level 1]

[Novice skill: Swimming, Level 1]

[Received ten percent of the South Island map]

[Point balance: 0]

[Current popularity: 3,666. Twenty-four hours remain until the next exchange.]

After reading the system panel, Shi Nianqing’s lips curved slightly upward.

Since arriving on this planet, her popularity had risen from its original one thousand to more than three thousand.

If she exchanged those points, she could obtain more than three hundred points. Unfortunately, she could exchange them only once a day.

She had already made an exchange earlier, so she would have to wait another twenty-four hours.

Once twenty-four hours had passed, the popularity accumulated in the livestream would be converted into points.

As long as she worked hard, she would be able to earn points.

While Shi Nianqing was lost in thought, the comments in the livestream gradually grew more hostile.

Shi Nianqing’s reputation had never been particularly good. Now that she was simply sitting there in a daze, many viewers seized the opportunity to ridicule her.

[That fake innocent is putting on an act again. Is she just sitting there waiting for a pie to fall from the sky?]

[She only survived because she got lucky. Now her true colors are finally showing.]

[She thought wilderness survival was a vacation. She thinks shaking off a shark makes her impressive? This is only the beginning.]

[I’m dying. Is she just sitting there because she thinks someone will protect her?]

[I’ll just sit here and watch to see whether Shi Nianqing can stay alive.]

[Our neighbor, Yoyo, has already found fruit trees and solved the biggest initial problem. As expected, people really are different from one another.]

[One stroke of luck doesn’t prove anything.]

...

The mockery in the livestream continued to grow. Casual viewers who wandered in, saw the comments, and frowned soon left.

Even those who had originally stayed in the livestream began to depart after watching for a while and deciding there was nothing worth seeing.

[Livestream popularity: 3,333...]

[Livestream popularity: 2,776...]

[2,555...]

Shi Nianqing’s eyes widened in astonishment.