Chapter 35: Desert Rivalry and Rainy Schemes

One minute, two minutes, and then after an hour…

In the official livestream, someone shouted, “Brother Hao is live!” and the viewer count began to plummet.

500,000, 400,000, 300,000… It kept falling until it settled at 200,000.

Meanwhile, the moment Xu Hao started his livestream, 50,000 viewers flooded in. Soon the numbers shot up—100k, 150k, 200k, 200k, 210k. For the first time, Xu Hao’s personal channel exceeded the official stream.

On one hand, Xu Hao’s decision to bring Zhu Qiang back yesterday stirred considerable controversy; on the other, the official stream barely shows the contestants clearly. Fans preferred the excitement of Xu Hao’s channel.

“Brother Hao, kudos for what you’ve done! But what about the next challenge?”

“Exactly. With those ingredients, you’re barely set for two until daylight.”

Inside the log cabin, Xu Hao had barely greeted his viewers when a barrage of questions poured in.

“Thanks for your concern, everyone. Brother Zhu has already planned to leave here in ten days!”

Xu Hao smiled, signaling his audience not to worry.

Many fans thought he was at a loss for rescuing Zhu Qiang. In reality, landing a graduate from an internationally renowned school, who was about to become his employee, was worth far more than a few jumping rabbits.

“But what about these ten days before he leaves?”

A fan pressed on with another question.

“Everyone, relax. I know what you’re worried about—I’ll definitely build the octagonal pavilion! Besides, it won’t be pouring rain all ten days. When the downpour eases even a little, we can get some work done.”

Xu Hao quickly elaborated.

“Work?”

“Yep!”

“What work can you possibly do on a rainy day? Don’t try to fool me, Brother Hao.”

Viewers flooded the chat with a series of puzzled emojis.

“Yes, while rain might hinder other areas, in the desert wet sand naturally clumps together. After considering it, Zhu and I plan to first dig a stairway to Shaji and then secure it with wood.”

Xu Hao continued.

He wasn’t fooling anyone; he genuinely intended to do just that.

Once the loose sand was stabilized, digging would be a breeze. Many sand sculptures rely on the same principle, and to construct an octagonal pavilion on Shaji, a direct wooden walkway was essential—otherwise, transporting the pre-made parts would be an enormous challenge.

“Oh, so Zhu isn’t just sharing his food for nothing.”

“Exactly!”

“But still, it’s raining. Even a light drizzle means you have to take care of yourselves—what if someone catches a cold?”

Lady Niu voiced a new worry.

“Don’t worry. We’ll just make a couple of straw raincoats.”

“Straw raincoats? You can make those?”

Lady Niu was taken aback.

This was yet another obscure skill that many young people had nearly forgotten.

“I know a bit. Aren’t there plenty of reed grasses by the muddy pools? They’ll come in handy.”

“Sounds great. I’m looking forward to it!”

Before long,

under Xu Hao’s guidance, viewers shifted their focus to assembling the straw raincoats and building the wooden staircase to Shaji. No one cared anymore about whether Zhu Qiang was a burden; some even thought his presence was a bonus.

An hour later, besides a significant boost in Xu Hao’s follower count, a stream of small gifts began to arrive.

But while many viewers were delighted, someone was extremely displeased.

Tianchen Culture Headquarters

Liu Qing studied the data on his tablet, then glanced at the big screen, his face darkening.

“He’s nothing but a charlatan!”

“Boss, what if Xu Hao actually manages to build the wooden walkway in this rain? The kid is far too resourceful.”

A staff member murmured from nearby.

Xu Hao’s personal account has already surpassed the official livestream in viewers. As more contestants drop out, everyone is likely to flock to his channel.

Then what becomes of the Production Team’s reputation? If only rules had banned contestants from streaming on their own from the start.

“Build the walkway? So what if he does? In ten days his scant food supplies will be exhausted. I doubt he can keep his lucky streak like he did before by just digging a pit for food.”

Liu Qing shot a glance at a staff member, reluctant to discuss Xu Hao further. “What about the other seven contestants? Any rescue calls yet?”

Despite the heavy rain, the rescue team in Hongsha Gang Village was well prepared—ready to extract any contestant faltering within moments.

“Not at the moment. I expect calls to start coming in tonight or perhaps by tomorrow. The extreme drop in temperature from day to night is proving to be the hardest part.”

“Then wait until tomorrow or the day after. Report any updates to me immediately.”

“Understood, Boss!”

The day passed by quickly, especially on a gloomy, rainy day when it felt like nothing had been accomplished before darkness fell.

In Tengli Desert, a heavy downpour lasted for over an hour before settling into a steady drizzle that never quite stopped.

The dunes were scarred by deep gullies, and in some places, small flash floods had formed.

Fortunately, Xu Hao had prepared well in advance.

Both the pre-dug drainage ditches and the subsequently laid grass lattice performed perfectly.

The log cabin and the small courtyard remained completely safe.

That wasn’t all,

as the rainfall caused a small muddy pit in the Shadou area to swell massively—from a few square meters to several hundred.

Were it not for the murky water, it might even have resembled an oasis pond.

Aside from his livestream, Xu Hao didn’t do much else. He safely made it through the first day.

However, early the next morning, many viewers logging into the official livestream found a new announcement: “Dear friends, wilderness survival expert Joshua has withdrawn from the challenge due to a leaky shelter during last night’s downpour. He has now been taken back to the team’s base.”

“What? He barely lasted one night?”

Many viewers were stunned, especially those who had previously voted for Joshua.

Joshua was quite famous abroad, known as a wilderness chef, hunter, and survival expert. Although he hadn’t showcased many survival skills on the show, his ability was still impressive.

We thought he had a real chance, but he ended up being the third contestant—after Cody and Zhu Qiang—to drop out.

“Wait, why was he whisked back overnight while Zhu Qiang gets to stay?”

“The Production Team explained that Zhu Qiang was captured by Brother Hao, so he must stay for ten days!”

“Damn, really?”

“Absolutely!”

“Doesn’t that just mean he’s deliberately draining Brother Hao’s food supplies?”

“Sigh…”

“Forget it, let’s talk about Joshua. I never expected him to be the third one out!”

“Honestly, I can understand. Desert nights in the rain are freezing, and he isn’t exactly skilled at building shelters.”

“Sigh, now I just hope Lord Bei can hold on.”

“Aside from that oddball Xu Hao, my top picks are Lord Bei, Lord De, and Matt.”

“Those three even took on survival challenges in the Arctic Circle before. A bit of cold shouldn’t be an issue.”

“Yeah, I just checked—they all seem to be in decent shape.”