Chapter 23: An Unforeseen Transformation

“Alright, Boss!”

The young man quickly pressed a button, and the electronic display flashed the area where Xu Hao was taking on the challenge.

“What’s going on? How can things change so dramatically in just one night?”

As he studied the screen, Liu Qing’s eyes widened considerably.

The once skeletal log cabin now had a roof, with all four wooden walls nearly finished—only a door and windows were missing. Behind the cabin, the sand slope was completely covered with grass lattices.

And that wasn’t all.

Above the stove and well in the fenced courtyard, two wooden rain shelters had been erected.

At first glance, the small courtyard looked fully developed, no different from a typical farmhouse yard.

With a path leading out of the Sandy Depression, it truly resembled a secluded retreat.

“What on earth is happening?”

Liu Qing couldn’t help but glance over at the staff.

Just last evening when he arrived, Xu Hao’s yard was nothing more than a basic framework—it hadn’t been completed at all.

“Manager Liu, Xu Hao was busy all night yesterday. He didn’t sleep until after two in the morning.”

The staff member glanced helplessly at the large screen.

He wished Xu Hao would simply call it quits and exit the challenge early, but Xu Hao was just getting more enthusiastic. Unlike many other contestants, it felt as though he wasn’t merely struggling to survive—he was busy creating his own oasis.

In fact, the idea of experiencing that very oasis even tempted him.

What was even more infuriating was that Xu Hao had plenty to eat and drink, showing no signs of yielding.

“So what time did he wake up this morning?”

Rubbing his temples in frustration, Liu Qing couldn’t hold back another question.

“Around 7:30!”

“And then?”

“Right after waking up, he went to the sand slope opposite the cabin and dug a pit. Then he hauled a pile of coarse poplar wood from that poplar forest and started burning it.”

“Burning poplar wood? What’s he up to—planning to roast some jumping rabbits?”

“He hasn’t touched the five jumping rabbits he’s stashed in the stove.”

“Then why burn the poplar wood in the pit? Is he worried about his lack of energy?”

“We’re not sure. After a while, he filled the pit back up with sand and immediately started digging a second pit.”

The young man shook his head.

He honestly couldn’t figure out what Xu Hao was doing—out of all the contestants, Xu Hao’s actions were the most bizarre.

“What? He filled in the pit?” Turning the camera toward Xu Hao, he added, “Let me see.”

A look of deep concern suddenly crossed Liu Qing’s face.

“Boss, look!”

The young man quickly grabbed a controller and maneuvered the camera. Soon, Xu Hao’s busy figure appeared on the big screen near the pit. To get a clear view, the young man had even adjusted the resolution.

“No good! This guy is making charcoal! That’s bad… really bad!”

He stared at the screen in silence for a moment, and then a thought struck Liu Qing, instantly darkening his expression.

“Charcoal?”

The staff on site were all stunned.

They usually used charcoal for grilling but had never really paid attention to how it was made. Sometimes, they even wondered if it was pressed from coal residues.

Could this really be how it’s done?

“Exactly—it’s charcoal! I need to report this to Director Yang immediately.”

Without another word, Liu Qing spun around and briskly headed for the executive office.

Two minutes later, Liu Qing stood before Yang Yuan’s desk.

“Director Yang, we have a problem!”

“What’s the matter? You look all flustered,”

Director Yang glanced up briefly at Liu Qing.

“Director, Xu Hao is now making charcoal.”

Liu Qing was beside himself with worry.

He had promised Yang Yuan that the contestants would all bow out after the continuous rainy days—but if charcoal was involved, it would be a different story altogether.

Charcoal lasts much longer than dry wood; it could easily sustain him for another ten days.

“Making charcoal? Who would have thought? Besides the professional companies, hardly any young guy can make charcoal these days!”

Director Yang set down his pen.

“No one expected it, yet he can! Moreover, his log cabin is ninety percent finished! The roof’s wooden planks fit so perfectly, and once the waterproof tarp is added, no amount of rain will be a problem.

He even laid down complete grass lattices on the sand slope behind the cabin—the drainage channels are all sorted out.”

Liu Qing was utterly speechless.

He had thought that once the foreign survival experts were taken care of, the rest would fall into place—yet here was an unknown contender causing trouble.

“Then what about his food?”

Gradually, Yang Yuan’s calm demeanor began to waver.

Ever since the deal with Qi Haoyong was struck yesterday, Tianchen Culture had sent an agent with Qi Haoyong to Ning’an. With the pre-heating scheduled to start in ten days, announcing that a contestant could possibly last beyond the continuous rainy days was simply unacceptable. “He still has five big jumping rabbits—lasting seven or eight days isn’t a problem,”

Liu Qing hurried to add.

“Seven or eight days? That’s a relief! Continuous rain lasts for ten days. During that time, there’s no chance to gather food. Without food, relying solely on rain protection and frost prevention won’t cut it.”

Yang Yuan let out a small sigh of relief.

Surviving a hundred days in the desert isn’t a walk in the park—it requires perfect timing, favorable conditions, and the right people, not to mention ample supplies, especially food.

“But according to the forecast, rain starts the day after tomorrow. What if this guy manages to get more food by tomorrow?”

Liu Qing still looked a bit anxious.

“Tomorrow? It’s unlikely! Didn’t you say his jumping rabbits were all just luck? Luck can’t favor someone forever.”

Yang Yuan no longer sounded as agitated as before. “Besides, haven’t you already used drones to chase away any large animals around the challenge area? There aren’t any left out there.”

“But his luck is something else.”

“Alright, just wait and see. By the way, how are the other contestants doing?”

“The others are following our expectations—one should withdraw by noon today.”

“That’s good news!”

“Director Yang, let’s keep a close watch on Xu Hao now.”

“Understood!”

Time flew by, and before long, it was noon.

Xu Hao exhaled deeply as he surveyed the second pit he had sealed.

Indeed.

Yesterday evening, when his live stream fans suggested enduring continuous rain, he immediately thought of charcoal. Making charcoal is one of the most basic skills in ancient building restoration.

After all, many wooden construction stakes need to be charred before being oiled and used.

“The charcoal should be ready by tomorrow—right on schedule,”

Xu Hao patted the sand off his clothes and turned toward the clay stove.

As the saying goes, humans are made of iron and food of steel! After hustling all morning without a bite to eat, he decided to finish off the remaining jumping rabbit from yesterday’s pot.

“But eating rabbit all the time isn’t sustainable. Once I finish the door and windows this afternoon, I need to see if I can gather some fibrous supplements,” he muttered to himself.

Murmuring to himself,

Xu Hao glanced toward a barren grassland in the distance.

The area was desolate, with scraggly, half-dead shrubs. Finding food rich in fiber there seemed nearly impossible—it might even require venturing out of the Sandy Depression to try his luck.