Chapter 11: Unexpected Turns

“Mr. Xu, please don’t rush!”

The young lady hurriedly said,

“The reason I called is to discuss things with you in advance. If you agree to start the live stream now, the organizers will definitely consider offering you some compensation.”

“Compensation? What kind of compensation?”

Xu Hao’s expression shifted noticeably.

It seemed the organizers weren’t completely clueless—they knew it was a bit unreasonable to ask the contestants to take on this challenge.

If the compensation was sufficient, then so be it.

In any event, he couldn’t allow himself to be taken advantage of for no reason.

“Well… if you agree, we’ll immediately report back and finalize the details. But it probably won’t involve essential challenge materials, since that might affect the other contestants!”

Noticing a slight relaxation in Xu Hao’s tone, the young lady quickly added.

“In that case, you all go discuss it first! Once you’ve reached an agreement, then we can talk!”

“Alright, no problem! Please hold on a moment—we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.”

Modu, Tianchen Culture Headquarters

In the President’s Office, Xu Chen was still on the phone, his face more grave than ever, laced with panic and unease.

“Dad, is it really happening so suddenly?”

After a long silence, Xu Chen spoke.

“There’s nothing we can do. Our foreign exchange investments in Country M were maliciously shorted by several major international financial groups. After the accounts were liquidated, we had to cover a huge margin call. We had no choice but to make drastic cuts!”

The voice on the phone was filled with desolation.

“So when will the new board take over the company?”

Rising to his feet, Xu Chen took a deep breath.

He never expected that within just a few days, his family would suddenly face such a crisis. The Long Kingdom’s exchange rate had been violently shorted, and the Xu Family’s insufficient funds had led to a liquidation.

In order to survive, the old man decided to sell off domestic assets at a discount to pay off debts—including Tianchen Culture and Longhai Brokerage, among others.

At the same time, the Xu Family and its core personnel would retreat en masse to New Country, planning to rebuild from the ashes.

Earlier, his own father had mentioned that the next party had already paid the funds, and they were just waiting for the takeover to begin.

Of course, as a seasoned businessman, Xu Chen knew that the collapse of a commercial empire overnight was nothing new—it had happened before and would happen again. It was just that this time, it was the Xu Family’s turn!

“These past few days!”

The elderly voice on the phone spoke again.

“So urgent?”

“Yes! And from now on, your company’s major expenditures must not exceed 50,000. That’s part of the acquisition agreement.”

“Then what about Old Six? Is he still surviving alone in the Desert, or should we bring him along to New Country?”

Pausing briefly, Xu Chen rubbed his forehead.

No matter how much Xu Hao acted out, he was still his own brother—a blood tie of the Xu Family.

“Since he’s a contestant, let him continue. According to the acquisition agreement, once the new team takes over, they will inherit the existing projects without arbitrarily canceling them! By the way, have you given Old Six the title deeds and such for that stretch of desert?”

After a brief silence, the elderly voice responded in a low tone.

“All the paperwork has been transferred to him, and Tianchen Culture still retains the contract stipulating that once the challenge is over, all teams must leave that desert immediately.”

“That’s good!”

“He’ll be all alone in the Great Northwest. If by the time we reach New Country he can’t rebound quickly, Old Six might indeed end up as just an ordinary guy.”

“Ordinary? Ordinary isn’t so bad. Ordinary people have their own joys. Besides, in the Long Kingdom, no one knows his true identity. And take advantage of that five-year agreement—don’t contact him, let him gradually adapt to his new life!”

“But…”

“Third Brother, a man can’t grow without facing challenges. What must be faced will come sooner or later! Let’s leave it at that. Expect the new board to contact you by this afternoon.”

“Dad…”

Beep, beep, beep, beep.

Listening to the muffled sounds on the phone, Xu Chen casually lit a cigarette and slowly leaned back in his chair.

In that moment, he suddenly understood—perhaps his father hadn’t bought that desert out of anger, but because he had long since planned and prepared for this. Xu Chen could also sense that the Xu Family was now in deep trouble.

The old man had claimed that New Country would help them bounce back quickly, but in reality it would be extremely difficult—maybe even impossible. They might only end up as a moderately affluent family, never regaining their former glory.

And what about his youngest brother? Without the Xu Family backing him, life would undoubtedly become even tougher.

“I hope Old Six can eventually accept being an ordinary man—eating three square meals a day and having a regular job!”

Thump, thump, thump! Halfway through his cigarette, just as Xu Chen intended to contact a few of the sisters, the office door was suddenly knocked on.

“Come in!”

“President Xu, there’s something that needs your attention. What do you suggest we do?”

The visitor was Wang Wu, the Operations Director from the Marketing Department.

“What’s the matter?”

“It’s like this—Xu Hao got lucky this morning and accidentally caught three jumping rabbits.”

Wang Wu immediately detailed everything that had happened in the live broadcast room.

“Compensation? What compensation? Then let’s offer 50,000 in cash!”

After a moment of thought, Xu Chen said,

Xu Chen wasn’t happy that his brother had managed to score three rabbits and stretch his luck a few more days. He knew well how long that luck could last—his brother would eventually drop out of the challenge.

By the time he quit, the Xu Family might have already reached New Country.

And that 50,000 in cash was the last bit of help Xu Hao could realistically receive.

It wasn’t that Xu Chen didn’t want to leave more for his brother, but his personal funds had been transferred to the company account early that morning to cover the funding gap.

“50,000 in cash? That’s pretty good. It serves as compensation without compromising fairness for the other contestants. I’ll go inform the staff over there right away!”

Hearing the plan, Wang Wu’s eyes lit up, and he immediately responded.

Before he arrived, he had prepared a few ideas, but none were as perfect as this one.

“Wait, Wang Wu, there’s one more thing I need to tell you.”

Just as Wang Wu turned to leave, Xu Chen suddenly called after him.

“Yes, President Xu?”

Time had flown by, and before they knew it, it was already 5 PM.

Although the Tengli Desert was still sweltering, the midday searing heat had subsided. Many contestants were once again on the move.

Some were busy setting up shelters, others scouring for food—the desert was alive with activity! Ding! A notification sound rang out here.

Xu Hao checked his message, patted the mud off his backside with satisfaction.

He had no idea that the Xu Family was suddenly in crisis. All he knew was that just half an hour ago, he had accepted the compensation plan proposed by the production team—start the live broadcast and receive 50,000.

Now, the funds were in.

50,000 might not be much to others, but for Xu Hao, whose account had barely over a hundred bucks, it was a lifesaver. After all, he wasn’t confident he’d manage to win the 5 million prize at the end of the challenge.

At least 50,000 was 50,000.

Even if he failed the challenge, he wouldn’t have to worry about survival for a while.

“Get the money, handle things! Start the live broadcast!”

Muttering to himself, Xu Hao headed toward the distant sand ridge.

Just moments earlier, the production team had dropped all the personal live streaming equipment—including several high-capacity lithium batteries—onto the sand ridge by helicopter.