Chapter 29: Survival Challenge Sparks Chaos

This… we still need to go out tomorrow to stock up on food!

However, Xu Hao’s next words doused the excited fans with a bucket of cold water.

“Why?”

“Just because! It’s not like we’re short on wood! The dead poplar trees in the Shadou area – and Dry Willow trees – can provide enough material to build not one, but even ten octagonal pavilions.”

“Besides, we have plenty of food!”

In the next moment, the fans flooded the chat with messages.

Viewers are always craving something different. Sure, watching foreign wilderness survival experts forage and hunt is entertaining at first, but over time it becomes monotonous – they end up just wanting to see the final outcome.

But Xu Hao is different – every day he brings a new twist that keeps everyone hooked! “Guys, with our current food supplies, surviving these endless rainy days isn’t a problem, but we can’t be eating meat every day, can we? Moreover, those two wild chickens we just caught need to be fed; we didn’t catch them just to watch them starve!”

Xu Hao explained with a serious expression.

In his mind, his plan was flawless. Yet, as soon as he finished speaking, the live stream chat exploded with reactions.

“What? Bro Hao, you’re really going to find food for those two wild chickens?”

“Let’s be honest – that’s a bit of a stretch!”

“I agree. Look at the other challengers; they’re struggling to gather their own food, and you want to feed little chickens?”

“If those survival experts were here with you, they’d beat you up without a second thought!”

“I think Bro Hao is really asking for it.”

Even the usually gentle Lady Niu sent a string of facepalm-laughing emojis in the chat.

“Don’t you think raising wild chickens is more cost-effective? They can even lay eggs!”

Xu Hao, looking a bit stunned, instinctively tried to explain.

“Not at all – instead of wasting time trying to feed the chickens, why not focus on getting a couple more?”

“Exactly. Do you even know how hard it is for wild chickens to lay eggs?”

“I’m for eating chicken tonight – Bon Appétit!”

“Bro Hao, take our advice – grab that pot and start heating up some water immediately!”

“I second that!”

“Uh…”

Meanwhile,

at the Tianchen Culture Headquarters in Haishi, inside the main office hall, someone shouted, “Yang, look at how cocky Xu Hao is – I just want to go up and take a couple of swings at him!”

Liu Qing glared at the digital display, his eyes burning with anger.

Seeing Xu Hao’s innocent gaze only fueled his fury – seriously, the guy just got lucky with two captures. “How are the other challengers doing over there?”

After a long pause, Yang Yuan shot a dark look at Liu Qing.

“The other challengers have enough provisions for only three or four days. Once the endless rain kicks in, one by one they’ll drop out – all because of Xu Hao.”

Liu Qing dared not meet Yang Yuan’s gaze any longer.

Just a day ago, he had given Yang Yuan his word, and now something had gone awry.

“Alright then – call him later!”

After a moment of thought, Yang Yuan added,

“Call him?”

“Yeah, ask him if he can just come up with a convenient excuse to drop out of the challenge.”

“Voluntarily? Xu Hao is riding high right now, and with all the luck and fans he’s gathered, he definitely won’t bow out willingly.”

Liu Qing was taken aback.

Not just Xu Hao – even a fool wouldn’t quit at this point.

“Tell him that if he quits after the rainy spell, the company will privately compensate him with one million, and he’ll even get another shot at the challenge in the desert near Ning’an.”

“And if he succeeds there, the bonus is extra!”

“Huh? An extra one million? Yang, aren’t you waiting? What if something goes wrong with Xu Hao in the meantime?”

“We had no choice – our team has already signed a contract with Yunning County. The promotional events kick off in ten days. Besides, why else keep Xu Hao at Mingsha County?”

“And look at him – does he even seem like someone who’d mess up?”

“Damn, he even fixed his bed and blankets! Now he wants to set up pavilions – if this goes on, it could get even crazier.”

Yang Yuan glared fiercely at the screen. “One million isn’t nothing, but Yunning County Cultural and Tourism Group will hand our company an extra five million, plus free access to a film studio. Overall, we won’t be shortchanged.”

“Alright, then I’ll contact him immediately.”

“Okay, let me know the outcome right away.”

After speaking, Yang Yuan turned and headed for the CEO’s office.

“Alright, Yang!”

Night deepened,

or perhaps due to the looming endless rains, the skies over Tengli Desert grew even darker as the howling winds and swirling sand intensified compared to a few days ago.

Fortunately, Xu Hao’s log cabin kept him safe from most of the storm.

Once the window was closed, it became quiet and cozy inside.

“Forget it – I’ll stick to my own pace,” he thought.

Lying in bed,

Xu Hao muttered to himself as he prepared for sleep.

Although some of the fans’ points during the livestream were valid, he still believed his plan was more far-reaching.

A hundred days is no small feat,

especially towards the end, when every day could turn into a trial.

Ding dong. Just as Xu Hao rolled over to sleep, his phone suddenly rang.

“Who is it?”

Xu Hao picked up the phone, thinking that at this hour it probably wasn’t a scam – those scam call centers were likely off duty.

“Hello, Xu Hao. This is Liu Qing, Operations Manager at Tianchen Culture Media Co., Ltd.!”

The moment the call connected, Liu Qing’s voice came through.

“Liu Qing?”

Xu Hao was taken aback. “Isn’t the Operations Director at Tianchen Culture supposed to be Wang Wu? When did they make the change?”

Although Xu Hao rarely interfered in Xu Family company matters, Wang Wu knew the ins and outs – without his discreet assistance, Xu Hao couldn’t have passed the wilderness survival selection.

“Here’s the deal: Tianchen Culture has been taken over by a new team. The former Wang Wu and the rest of the operations staff have already left.”

Unaware of Xu Hao’s close ties with Tianchen Culture, Liu Qing continued his explanation.

“What? Tianchen Culture taken over by a new team? That can’t be!”

Xu Hao’s brow furrowed instantly.

Even though he had an agreement with the old Xu Family not to meddle with Xu Family Group subsidiaries for five years, this was taking things too far.

“Anything’s possible! The details are messy, but you only need to know that Tianchen Culture has a new boss. This won’t affect the contract you signed with them,” Liu Qing explained.

Liu Qing continued,

“Then why did you call me?”

Coming back to reality, Xu Hao thought, after this call he’d definitely ring his third brother, Xu Chen, to find out what’s really going on! Tianchen Culture is a prized asset within the Xu Family Group, generating substantial profit every year. How could they suddenly sell it off?

“Ahem, the reason for my call is to ask if you’d voluntarily drop out of the challenge,” Liu Qing stated, following Yang Yuan’s orders.

Xu Hao immediately objected,

“Voluntarily dropping out of the challenge? Not a chance!”

He had no intention of quitting after all his hard work.

“What are you kidding about? Forget Tianchen Culture’s new management – simply put, there’s no way I’m backing out.”

“After everything I’ve worked for, you expect me to just quit?”

“Xu Hao, hold on before you dismiss this. We’re not asking you to quit for nothing – if you voluntarily drop out, the company will compensate you with one million in cash and even offer you another shot at the challenge, with a chance to win a five-million bonus.”