Chapter 13: Defying the Odds

Ridiculous! Outrageous!

I doubted it before, but now I’m a believer.

This kid’s luck defies all odds.

The chat exploded with shocked emojis, and many viewers even gave a one-cent thumbs up.

Everything happened because the water well suddenly held four fat jumping rabbits—one more than before.

.

Especially the notorious Gongdi Ren and Matt Loyal Fan, who both replied with endless ellipses.

All that was unfolding left them speechless.

They originally intended to stand up for their idol and demand fairness,

but guess what?

In less than an hour, the underdog challenger earned four big jumping rabbits! With those plus the two smoked ones from earlier, Xu Hao could easily last a week.

This clearly proves Xu Hao didn’t receive any special treatment from the production team.

After several minutes, the chat finally quieted down.

“Hey, hey. Don’t get too excited. Even if you have a few extra days of rations compared to Lord Bei, without a sturdy shelter you won’t last long!”

Gongdi Ren quickly sent another comment, seemingly trying to save face.

“Exactly, don’t get cocky! At noon, the production team announced that heavy rain might hit the challenge area for the next two weeks. Everyone should stock up on firewood. What good is having food if you’re freezing?”

Immediately, Matt Loyal Fan joined in.

Before they knew it, the two had formed an alliance.

“Cocky? Since when have I ever been cocky? Besides, can’t I at least build a little cabin?”

Xu Hao was admiring his own luck until he saw their comments, which irked him.

“I know you’re die-hard fans of those foreign survival experts, but don’t push it! You accuse me of cheating with the jumping rabbits yet watched the entire process flawlessly, and now you claim I’m being cocky! It just seems like you’re looking to badmouth me.”

“A little cabin? You’re actually building a cabin?”

Hearing him, both Gongdi Ren and Matt Loyal Fan immediately retorted.

“What? The rules don’t allow it?”

Xu Hao then clashed with them—sometimes, being overly agreeable only makes you look weak.

“The rules definitely allow it. Just don’t brag—thousands are watching this live!”

Maybe feeling his response was too slow, Gongdi Ren switched to voice comments.

“Bragging? How are you bragging now? It’s just a simple wooden cabin—at most three days to build.”

Xu Hao glanced toward the distant woods.

Earlier during logging, he noticed many Dry Willows thicker than a bowl. Building a small cabin—or even an entire wooden courtyard—would be a breeze.

“A simple cabin in three days? Hahaha! You said that! What if you can’t build it?”

Matt Loyal Fan immediately repeated that question several times.

“If I fail, I’ll quit the challenge—but what happens if I succeed?”

A sly smile crept onto Xu Hao’s face.

As a doctoral student in ancient building restoration, a small cabin was just a basic project for him.

Forget three days—

if he set his mind to it, one or two days would suffice.

“If you truly build it, I’ll give you a space projectile worth 10,000 Long Kingdom Coins! But let’s be clear: It must be a proper little cabin, not just a makeshift wooden shelter.”

Gongdi Ren immediately replied.

“Alright, count me in for the space projectile. But remember—it must be a little cabin!”

Matt Loyal Fan echoed his support.

Although Lord Bei and Lord De had already built shelters, they were nothing but A-frame shacks made by tying wood together, laid over with dry grass and mud—far from true little cabins.

They couldn’t believe that if Xu Hao could do the impossible, he might actually create something that even Lord Bei and Lord De couldn’t manage.

“Space projectile? Fine! It’s settled then! I’ll live stream the entire process. Just don’t come accusing me and the production team of foul play later.”

Xu Hao quickly crunched the numbers and agreed without hesitation.

“Rest assured, we’ll be watching closely.”

There’s no wall that doesn’t leak, especially in this age of rampant social media.

Just as Xu Hao sealed the verbal deal with his viewers, chatter broke out in the main live room about the contest.

“Hahaha, this is priceless!”

“What’s up?”

“It’s Xu Hao…”

“Can’t he hold on any longer? Didn’t he just get three jumping rabbits?!”

“No! It’s… Lord Bei and Matt’s fans.”

“What about them? Even though the production team released the footage, those fans still aren’t satisfied. They swarmed Xu Hao’s live stream demanding answers, even forcing him to prove his point.”

“Then what happened?”

“Then came an astonishing moment: during his demonstration, Xu Hao snagged another four big jumping rabbits, nearly driving those fans mad.”

“Pfft!”

“Hahahaha, that’s a serious slap in the face!”

“Exactly! They were out for justice for their idol but ended up giving Xu Hao an even bigger surprise. If they hadn’t been so pushy, how else would he have snagged those extra four jumping rabbits?”

“Interesting… It’s making me want to check out Xu Hao’s live stream.”

“I want to go too.”

“Hold on, there’s more to this.”

“What’s next?”

“Maybe those fans, having failed in their sneaky move, just want to keep Xu Hao from getting cocky. At that point, Xu Hao lost his temper and blurted out that he’d build a little cabin within three days.”

“Huh? A little cabin? Not a makeshift shelter?”

“It’s a little cabin!”

“But the production team didn’t provide nails, wood glue, or any building materials. How on earth are you supposed to build a cabin?”

“Nonsense! Do wooden planks and logs stick together on their own?”

Fans of Lord Bei and Matt immediately latched onto Xu Hao’s slip-up, declaring that if he built it, they’d reward him with a space projectile.

“Did Xu Hao just misspeak?”

“It wasn’t a slip-up at all. Xu Hao personally confirmed the bet, promising to quit the challenge if he couldn’t build it.”

“Quit the challenge? Seriously?”

“Do his words even count?”

“They should, especially since Xu Hao said he’d live stream the entire cabin-building process.”

“This is interesting—I’m definitely going to his live stream.”

“Absolutely!”

Spectators are just like that; as long as something exciting is happening, they’re all in.

Wow! As the discussion intensified, the main live room’s viewer count visibly dropped while Xu Hao’s live stream skyrocketed—from just over 50,000 to well over a hundred thousand in no time. And his followers surged to 130,000, with the numbers still climbing.