Chapter 30: A Gamble for Five Million

One million in compensation? No way! Either you hand me a 5-million bonus and call the challenge a success, or let the challenge continue. If I can’t last 100 days, that’s on me—I won’t accept a penny.

Xu Hao shot that idea down immediately.

Mergers or capital maneuvers among big companies are common, but there’s always something off about this new team at Tianchen Culture. Who knows what trickery might be hidden if they pay a million to have him back out?

Better to let it go on then.

Of course, another reason for the blunt refusal was that Tianchen Culture used to be part of the Xu Family empire. With a new boss now, Old Six’s feelings were bound to be hurt.

“Five million? You’ve got an appetite way too big! You only managed to snag two wild chickens! After nearly three months of relentless rain, do you really think you can keep it up?”

Liu Qing’s voice suddenly rose—he clearly hadn’t expected Xu Hao’s response.

“Don’t worry about it! There’s no way I’ll voluntarily back out!”

“Alright then, good luck to you!”

Seeing that there was no chance for negotiation, a furious Liu Qing hung up immediately.

“What on earth is going on at Tianchen Culture? Even a share transfer wouldn’t need to be so rushed. Could something have happened to the Xu Family?”

He stared at the now blank phone screen.

After a moment’s thought, Xu Hao, showing no sign of sleep, quickly found Third Brother Xu Chen’s number and dialed.

The Xu Family was still his family, and he had to find out what was happening.

“Beep… Sorry, the number you dialed is no longer in service. Blah blah blah.”

But the call didn’t go through.

“Not in service? What’s happening?”

After a pause, Xu Hao tried dialing his eldest sister’s number, only to get the same ‘not in service’ message. Minutes later…

Xu Hao opened his browser and began searching for any news about the Xu Family.

Nothing else came to mind.

He circled through numbers—from the eldest to the old patriarch—and every call was met with a ‘not in service’ message. Even a fool would know that the Xu Family was in deep trouble, and not just any trouble.

Swish! With a few keystrokes for Xu Group, his browser was soon flooded with various news about the conglomerate.

The top headline was impossible to miss: “Xu Group Faced with a Coordinated Blockade by International Tycoons, Forced to Sell All Assets in a Desperate Bid to Survive.”

“Reports say that this afternoon, every member of Xu Group left Long Kingdom for New Country.”

“The Xu Group is finished. There’s no way for them to bounce back.”

“In New Country, Xu Group is left with a lone, modest enterprise—no chance for a turnaround.”

A cascade of such information left Xu Hao in complete silence.

He wasn’t an idiot—careful thought revealed the signs all too clearly.

After a long moment, Xu Hao finally looked up.

“Phew! The old man must have known all along; he just kept quiet about it.”

Was it disappointment? A shattered rich second-generation dream?

But instead of that, a complex mix of emotions welled up—both heartwarming and heavy with pressure.

All evidence pointed to the fact that the old man hadn’t bought that desert to punish him. Rather, the desert was a reserved asset for Old Six. If it were any other property, it would have been aggressively targeted and liquidated—no one cares about a desert.

Leaving without notice was likely meant to prevent exposing Old Six’s identity and causing him further trouble.

Xu Hao on Earth and Xu Hao in this world were one and the same.

This subtle, weighty familial bond was both painful and moving.

“Whether you manage to rebound in New Country or not, as long as I’m here in Long Kingdom, every Xu Family member who comes home is guaranteed a meal.”

Half an hour later,

Xu Hao silently shut off his phone.

In Haishi, neon lights flickered and the streets buzzed with life. Girls in shorts weaved through the famous pedestrian street as the night for young people was just beginning.

“What? He doesn’t agree?”

At the floor-to-ceiling window, Yang Yuan abruptly turned to look at Liu Qing.

“Yeah, the kid said either he gets a 5-million bonus and the challenge is called a success, or the challenge goes on.”

“Five million? Dream on!”

“I agree. After that, there was no more discussion with him.”

“Discussion? What’s there to talk about? If he wants to stick it out, then so be it. If he refuses our offer, well, he’s in for some serious repercussions!”

Fuming, Yang Yuan sank into the boss chair.

“Boss Yang, please calm down. What if we wait for the rest of the contestants to drop out and then declare a breach? That might completely settle the matter.”

Liu Qing quickly joined him, whispering his sudden idea.

“Breach penalty? Do you know what Tianchen Culture charges for a unilateral breach? Three times the bonus—15 million!”

Yang Yuan glared at Liu Qing in annoyance.

If breach were that simple, why bother negotiating with Xu Hao? “That high?”

Liu Qing’s face turned awkward, as if he’d been sucking up too much.

“It’s standard for Wilderness Survival Challenge shows! Traditionally, only contestants have ever breached—never the organizers.”

“But Boss Yang, if we go head-to-head with Xu Hao, wouldn’t that affect the challenge in Ning’an? Weren’t you saying preparations had already begun there this morning? Starting a new challenge before this one wraps up could hurt our reputation.”

After a brief pause, Liu Qing whispered,

“And, and…”

“And what?”

“Xu Hao’s been drawing a lot of attention. His popularity might soon outshine even the top wilderness survival experts. Ning’an Culture and Tourism Group might even single him out to boost their ratings.”

“You’re overestimating him. Ning’an’s Qi Haoyong only values top foreign wilderness survival experts; domestic talent just doesn’t cut it for him.”

With a smack, Yang Yuan leaned back in his boss chair and flicked a cigar.

“So, what’s our move now?”

“Same as before—since he’s determined to fight it out, why don’t we try negotiating with Qi Haoyong for an extra two weeks? After the continuous heat following the rain, I doubt Xu Hao can hold on much longer.”

Or maybe, out of sheer frustration…

After a couple of drags, Yang Yuan forcefully dropped his cigar into the ashtray.

“Alright Boss Yang, I’ll go coordinate with the support staff outside.”

“Good!”

Before long, it was 7 AM the next day. In Tengli Desert, the sky grew even gloomier, and the wind-blown sand carried a damp chill.

Swish! Swish! Xu Hao rechecked the small courtyard and the two wild chickens now caged. Confirming everything was in order, he grabbed his axe and strode—one heavy step after another—toward Shaji.

If he was to honor the old man’s sentiment, he’d have to earn every penny.

He must secure that five million at all costs! Then he’d transform the courtyard into a guesthouse, slowly drawing in tourists—eventually, he’d make it work.

“What fibrous food could possibly grow in a desert?”

Looking up at the production team’s drone that was slowly lifting off, a wry smile played on Xu Hao’s lips.

This time he hadn’t brought his live-streaming rig for the food hunt—a fact he had made crystal clear to his fans.

And as for finding something and being wrongly accused of cheating later?

Ever since the collapse of talks with Tianchen Culture the night before, he had intermittently heard the drone’s hum.

The production team would surely keep him under constant surveillance, leaving no blind spots.