Chapter 31: Desert Challenges and Uncanny Luck

“Let’s check out the other spots near the Shadou area first! If we have to build an octagonal pavilion on the sand ridge later, we’ll need to pave a road—otherwise it’s just too troublesome.”

Panting and struggling, Xu Hao took twenty minutes to climb up the sand ridge; descending was much easier, especially in the desert.

One couldn’t help but think…

Atop the sand ridge, he gazed at the endless expanse, overwhelmed by an indescribable sense of grandeur. After all, Xu Hao’s ridge was the highest of the nearby sand beams—perfect for building a scenic pavilion.

Shaking off his thoughts, Xu Hao headed east along the ridge.

The desert might seem barren compared to jungles or tropical islands overflowing with food, but it actually offers plenty to eat. For example, there’s the unassuming sand grain, sand scallion, sand wormwood, cat’s claw, and sand whip—if luck’s on your side, even cactus appears.

Living off the land.

Locals in the Tengli Desert have turned sand grain, sand scallion, and cactus into specialty snacks that are simply delicious. Their expertise far surpasses that of those so-called “survival challenge experts.”

Xu Hao’s main goal this time was to gather these three items, especially sand grain!

Sand grain is even considered a medicinal herb. It can serve as a staple, offers notable health benefits, and best of all, can feed the wild chickens around the log cabin.

Perhaps it was Xu Hao’s extraordinary luck—or maybe the Challenge Zone No.7 was truly barren. After wandering through two Shadou areas, he discovered a sparse patch of sand broom.

In fact, sand grain is just the seed of the sand broom.

“Nice luck, there it is!”

Without hesitation, Xu Hao immediately set about collecting the sand grain using natural methods.

“I thought you said there was nothing near Challenge Zone No.7! What are these sand brooms doing here?”

Tianchen Culture Headquarters

On a large screen at headquarters, Yang Yuan watched Xu Hao busily at work and couldn’t help but glare at Liu Qing beside him.

Ever since last night when he planned to confront Xu Hao head-on, Yang Yuan had come to the office early today just to monitor every survival tactic Xu Hao employed.

And in less than an hour, Xu Hao discovered sand grain nearby—a huge blow to their expectations.

Xu Hao already had rabbit meat and wild chicken; now that he even secured a staple, how could he possibly drop out of the challenge? “Boss Yang, Xu Hao’s luck is simply unbelievable.”

Liu Qing looked embarrassed, struggling to find words.

In summer, spring sand broom ripens to an unremarkable earth tone, nearly invisible in the desert and hard for high-flying drones to spot. Its only merit is that it can drive away small animals.

What left him even more speechless was Xu Hao’s luck. While other contestants found nothing, he immediately discovered a sand broom patch—almost as if the desert had prepared it exclusively for him.

“Boss Yang, Xu Hao will probably only manage to collect a bit of sand grain. I guarantee there’s only one tiny cluster of saxaul trees within a two-kilometer radius of Zone No.7.”

(A moment of silence)

Liu Qing explained in a low voice.

“Only sand grain? That’s enough!”

Yang Yuan’s face darkened.

Could it be that Xu Hao insists on gathering every edible thing in the desert before he considers his food secure? “This…”

“And you just mentioned within a two-kilometer radius of Zone No.7. What about beyond that? Can you guarantee Xu Hao won’t wander past two kilometers?”

Yang Yuan grew more incensed as Liu Qing stammered on.

“Wander beyond two kilometers? Boss Yang, no one in the desert would risk leaving the oasis without a compass—it’s too dangerous.”

Under reprimand, Liu Qing dared not meet Yang Yuan’s gaze and muttered quietly.

The two-kilometer limit was an unspoken rule; the drones, connected to the broadcast setup in the challenge zone, simply couldn’t transmit clear footage beyond that range.

Moreover, before the challenge began, the Production Team signed a safety agreement with every contestant: anyone who strayed more than two kilometers would be on their own if trouble arose.

Considering all this,

the two-kilometer area was subconsciously set as the contestants’ boundary.

They never expected anyone to risk venturing beyond it.

Nor did they believe anyone would exploit this loophole to cheat; every contestant’s area was secured, free from outsiders or any external interference.

“Dangerous? Don’t forget, yesterday, there was someone who dared to step beyond the two-kilometer mark.”

“Uh…”

Liu Qing was left speechless once again.

In fact, two contestants had indeed left the challenge area yesterday evening.

“The others only ventured out when they ran out of food and returned within minutes. But Xu Hao, with his abundant food supply, isn’t likely to take such risks.”

After a brief pause, Liu Qing murmured to himself,

“Take risks? Since when has Xu Hao ever played by the rules?”

Yang Yuan’s discontent deepened as he looked at Liu Qing’s dejected expression, wondering why he had chosen such an inept subordinate.

“Uh…”

Time ticked by, and before long it was noon.

Not only was Tianchen Culture’s operations team watching the live stream, but countless viewers had tuned in as well.

At that moment,

many viewers grew puzzled as the split-screen footage began to blur.

“What’s happening? Why is Hao-ge’s split-screen image so blurry?”

One viewer immediately commented.

“We just saw Hao-ge deliver sand grain to the log cabin, and now it’s like this.”

“Hurry, fix it!”

“We want to see Hao-ge!”

“Production Team, give us an explanation.”

Thanks to Xu Hao’s astonishing maneuvers, his streaming audience surged to rival top competitors like Lord Bei and Matt. Although multiple split-screens went blurry, doubts over his feed only grew louder.

Viewers who had been thoroughly enjoying the live action suddenly found themselves anxiously staring at a blank screen.

“Friends, due to the broadcast equipment’s limitations, any contestant wandering more than two kilometers away will have their footage blurred.”

Soon, the Production Team’s official account responded.

“Beyond two kilometers? Is Hao-ge more than two kilometers away from the log cabin?”

“Yes!”

“Then how is his safety ensured?”

A concerned fan asked.

“That’s covered in the safety agreement with the contestants. They’re on their own.”

“So when will the footage clear up?”

“As soon as the contestant returns within the two-kilometer radius, the footage automatically restores. Just be patient, everyone.”

“Sigh, then we’ll just have to wait!”

Facing these technical limitations, the audience had no choice but to wait in silence.

Minutes passed—ten minutes, an hour, two hours, three hours—“What’s going on? Hao-ge’s feed still hasn’t come back?”

“Could something be wrong with Hao-ge? Should we call the police?”

“Please don’t let anything happen. I’m counting on him to build that octagonal pavilion!”

“Hao-ge is too reckless. With plenty of food, why would he leave the two-kilometer zone?”

“Exactly!”

Then, as the audience grew increasingly anxious, a flash illuminated the screen and Xu Hao’s segment cleared up, the feed returning to crystal clarity.

But as the live image came fully into view,

many viewers were instantly stunned.

They saw Xu Hao hurrying back, his steps uneven. Around his neck hung several cacti, and he was even carrying someone on his back.