Chapter 21: The Revelations of the Bystanders (Please Bookmark)

"Dad, you eat it. I'm not hungry."

In the middle of the night, Xu Yi suddenly heard Su Keke speaking. She mumbled a few more words, but they were too indistinct for him to catch.

"Talking in her sleep... and dreaming about being hungry, at that."

Xu Yi twitched his lips. He hadn't really let her go hungry these past two days. It seemed she still lacked a bit of confidence in her father's capabilities. "Poor girl, Dad definitely won't let you go hungry again." He gently patted Su Keke's back, leaned against the giant tree, and closed his eyes.

Breakfast for tomorrow was already sorted; the real concern was tomorrow afternoon. The occasional chirping of birds echoed in the surroundings. There must be nests nearby, and he would search for them carefully tomorrow. If they weren't too high up, he could climb up and see if there were any eggs to forage.

After Su Keke fell asleep, he gathered some deadwood and built two more campfires. With three fires and the giant tree at his back, this layer of protection should be very safe. With that, Xu Yi drifted off into a hazy sleep.

Around five o'clock the next morning, Xu Yi was awakened by the chirping of tree chrysalises. Upon waking, he quickly scanned his surroundings. His X-ray vision was an incredibly powerful cheat, allowing him to clearly identify if any animals were lurking nearby. He then stood up to move his body and stretch. Today, he clearly felt that his muscles weren't as sore; he was beginning to adapt.

The other two campfires were reduced to embers. After all, the branches he had gathered later were fewer, so they naturally burned for a shorter time. Su Keke was still asleep, and Xu Yi didn't wake her. Checking the light screen, he discovered that only 5,368 challengers remained. Over four thousand people had been eliminated; the pace was simply too fast. And this was only the morning of the fourth day.

Although it wasn't even 5:30 AM, quite a few people in the live broadcast room were already greeting Xu Yi. The forest was still gray and hazy, making it difficult to see clearly. Xu Yi took out his phone to check the battery; it was at only 46%. If he hadn't activated the super power-saving mode, there was no way he would have this much charge left. He opened it, took a glance at a photo of Lu Ning, and then silently put it away.

"Why do I feel like Number 1 is looking at a photo of Seventh Master?"
"It really does look a bit like Seventh Master, but it shouldn't be, right? How could there be such a coincidence?"
"No need to guess, it definitely is. Because Number 1 can't see these bullet comments at all. Otherwise, he wouldn't have that expression."
"This is huge gossip! Absolutely massive! What is the relationship between Number 1 and Number 7? Lovers? Friends?"
"I don't think it's possible. Seventh Master is a survival expert, while Number 1 is clearly a scrub. How could they possibly know each other, let alone have a relationship? Don't be ridiculous."
"Dumbass, why don't you just ask?"
"Number 1, who is the person in the photo? What is your relationship with them?"

"Strange, why did all the comments disappear? What are you all talking about, or did you all go to have breakfast?" Xu Yi saw the comment section was empty and asked curiously.

"No way, you can't see a single one?"
"It's confirmed, Number 1 definitely knows Seventh Master. But what kind of relationship, who knows?"
"I'm so anxious! I really want to know what their relationship is. If they meet in the wilderness, will they...?"
"I can't even get any gossip, how annoying!!!"
"No way, I'm going to ask about the photo again in a bit. I refuse to believe it's all blocked."
"I'm going to see if Seventh Master is awake yet."

"Seventh Master" was the nickname Lu Ning had earned over the last few days because her survival skills were simply too strong. Not only did she find water, but she also built a shelter. Furthermore, relying on her rich survival experience, she used traps to catch many mountain rats—so many that she couldn't finish them all and had started smoking them. At the moment, her stash of smoked mountain rats was enough to last her five days. Among all the challengers, Lu Ning wasn't necessarily the strongest, but she was living the most comfortably, which is why her broadcast room had the most followers.

Perhaps due to the comment protection system, those who recognized Lu Ning had no way of making her information public in the comments. Not only that, they discovered that in the real-world internet, they were also unable to reveal information about Lu Ning. Of course, this wasn't just true for Lu Ning; every challenger was the same. The live broadcast room provided them with information protection.

At this time, Lu Ning was still asleep in her treehouse. She had built the treehouse with her own hands. The roof wasn't completely finished yet. She had tied four crossbeams to four trees, over two meters above the ground. To build this treehouse, she had first made a small ladder. Once the four crossbeams were secured, she tied a row of bushes across them to serve as flooring. After spreading a thick layer of thatch over the floor, she could sleep directly on it. The framework for the roof was done; all that was missing was the rain-blocking cover. However, she had already found suitable thatch and only needed a day or two to cover it. That would make it a complete treehouse. The weather had been very good for the past few days, so she wasn't in a hurry.

Many people were watching Lu Ning sleep in her broadcast room. Lu Ning was not only beautiful but also possessed a type of beauty that grew on you. A slight change in hairstyle or a different environment would give her a new sense of elegance. Therefore, her broadcast room didn't have as many comments as others. Many people simply blocked the comments, seeing only their own, preferring to quietly watch Lu Ning work. That way, they could fully appreciate her stunning appearance without it being obscured. Of course, another reason was that Lu Ning rarely responded to comments; she preferred to talk about her own affairs, plans, and survival tips. The audience didn't know if she was just aloof or simply didn't like interacting with people. After all, as a forest ranger, she was often in the mountains and had little contact with others. Many wealthy tycoons had offered hundreds of millions to "marry" Lu Ning, but she didn't respond at all, as if she hadn't seen it.

At seven in the morning, she heard her alarm. Her phone case had a solar panel. Originally, there was also a solar power bank; both that and the phone she was currently using were gifts from Xu Yi. So, as long as her phone wasn't broken and there was sunlight, she could keep using it. She had charged it for a full day yesterday, and her battery was at 97%. After turning off the alarm, Lu Ning opened her photo album. The camera gave a close-up shot, and the viewers who had come over from Xu Yi's broadcast room had their minds blown.