Chapter 49
After three days and nights at sea, the cruise ship finally reached its destination.
During these three days without live streaming, everyone was free to enjoy themselves on the luxurious ship. The cruise liner was equipped with everything imaginable - cinemas, ballrooms, ocean view cabins... Everyone went wild with excitement.
The previous production crew had not boarded the ship. Instead, a new group of people had taken over, all wearing masks and black suits, looking rather mysterious.
Before disembarking, a man in a tiger mask and black clothing brought over a box and asked everyone to make a selection.
Inside were ten items: compressed biscuits, a tent, a fishing rod, fever medicine, an iron pot, a lighter, a dagger, a bow and arrow, an axe, and a pack of needles.
Each person could only choose one item to take to the small island. They weren't allowed to bring anything else.
Seeing these tools, everyone was dumbfounded. Surely they weren't expected to survive on a deserted island? Wasn't this supposed to be a competition show? How could it possibly take more than two days to film?
The live stream had already begun, and online viewers were equally confused by the contents of the box.
[What's going on?]
[Has the competition show turned into a survival on a deserted island?]
Someone asked the man in the tiger mask what these tools were for.
"It's nothing special. The show has changed. It's no longer called 'Extreme Running', but 'Survival of the Fittest'. You lot will be living here for a month."
What? A month? Everyone was shocked. This couldn't be a joke, could it?
The production team was going too far. How could they change things so abruptly?
Among the ten guests, three were members of a currently popular girl group, including a pair of twins and a dashing short-haired woman named Liu Sa.
Sa-jie (Sister Sa) always dressed androgynously and had a straightforward, no-nonsense personality. She had gained quite a following of female fans from her stage performances.
While others held back due to concerns about their image, Sa-jie didn't care about such things. She directly and angrily questioned, "Who gave you the authority to change the format of the show? We signed contracts. This is a breach. I'm not filming anymore. Send me back!"
SLAP--
The man in black responded with a backhand slap that knocked Sa-jie to the ground. The force was so great that her ears were ringing, and she lay there for a long time, unable to regain her senses.
Everyone was in an uproar, unable to believe what they had just witnessed. It wasn't that they didn't react; the situation was simply too far beyond their imagination.
The viewers in the live stream were also stunned.
What was happening? How could the production team hit someone? This was going too far!
Sa-jie's fans immediately started questioning the production team through various channels like TikTok and official Weibo accounts. Some even called the Lemon TV station directly.
The outside world was in chaos. No one had ever seen such a tyrannical production team that showed such disregard for their guests!
The fans of several guests, as well as their agents and management companies, all sprang into action, accusing the production team of being inhumane.
At this moment, the chief director of 'Extreme Running' released a statement through the official account, saying that their team had been replaced before boarding the cruise ship. The investors had taken over completely, and he knew nothing about what was happening on the ship.
This news caused an uproar in public opinion.
Soon after, a brand new account appeared on various platforms, called 'Survival of the Fittest'.
The official account stated that they were producing a new reality show - no more pretense, all real.
The ten guests would live on the island for a month. They could collect green grass balls that had been pre-planted on the island and exchange them for supplies at several shops on the island.
They also warned the guests to be careful while collecting the grass balls, as there was a tiger and a pack of wolves on the island.
This news exploded across the internet, causing a frenzy among everyone.
What nonsense was this? They were playing with people's lives!
People immediately called the police, but the island was uninhabited, and no one knew its coordinates. The police would need time to investigate.
Gu Nanyan had gone to participate in the variety show, and Zhan Yiran had been glued to her computer ever since, watching the live stream as soon as it started. So, she was the first to notice something was wrong and immediately contacted Zhan Lingfeng.
However, after several attempts, she couldn't get through. Zhan Yiran was on the verge of tears as she went to find Zhan's Mother with red-rimmed eyes.
When Zhan's Mother heard about the trouble with the show, she was also terrified. Unable to reach Zhan Lingfeng, she called Zhan Yi. It took three attempts before the call connected.
Before Zhan's Mother could speak, Zhan Yi's rapid-fire words came through: "Old Madam, please don't worry. Master Zhan already knows about the situation with the Madam and is currently working on a rescue plan."
Zhan's Mother steadied her trembling voice and asked urgently, "What's going on with that production team? Why would they do such a thing?"
Zhan Yi explained concisely: "The investor behind the show is Meng Li. She's a person of eccentric nature and extreme methods. She's capable of anything."
"Then what about Yan Yan? We need to rescue her quickly."
"Please rest assured, Old Madam."
After hanging up, Zhan Yi immediately began issuing orders, contacting Zhan family members worldwide to help with locating the island.
At this moment, the office door opened, and Zhan Lingfeng strode out with a furrowed brow.
He was usually calm and composed, facing any difficulty without changing expression. But now, Zhan Yi could see a hint of panic and fear on his face.
"Master Zhan," Zhan Yi stepped forward.
Zhan Lingfeng nodded, "I need to go to Country F."
Hearing this, Zhan Yi's expression changed. Meng Li was from Country F. Was Master Zhan planning to meet her?
Meng Li was a lunatic capable of anything. Country F was her territory. If she wanted to do something to Master Zhan, they would be powerless to stop her.
Zhan Yi wanted to dissuade him, but upon seeing Zhan Lingfeng's deep, determined eyes, he fell silent.
Having been by Zhan Lingfeng's side since childhood, he knew him too well. Recognizing Zhan Lingfeng's resolve at this moment, he swallowed his words of caution and followed silently behind Master Zhan.
Back on the cruise ship, after the incident with Sa-jie being slapped, everyone had fallen quiet.
They obediently followed the tiger-masked man's instructions and selected their items.
Knowing that the men in black were serious and that they would be staying on the small island for a month, everyone rushed forward without hesitation.
Song Ze took a bow and arrow, Zhou Qinian chose the lighter, Teacher Qi picked the fishing rod, the twin sisters took the compressed biscuits and the dagger, and even Sa-jie, who had been slapped, came forward to take the tent.
One by one, people took the items until Gu Nanyan, the last to approach, found that everything else had been taken except for a pack of embroidery needles that no one wanted.
On this deserted island, embroidery needles were the least useful item.
Gu Nanyan's face remained expressionless as she grasped the needles in her hand.
Due to Sa-jie being slapped and 'Extreme Running' changing to 'Survival of the Fittest', the live stream had garnered extremely high attention, with almost the entire nation watching.
Seeing Gu Nanyan left with only a pack of embroidery needles, some viewers felt sorry for her.
[That's too much! These people have no manners at all.]
[Alright, alright, stop with the pity party. This is a matter of life and death. Who can blame them? If anyone's at fault, it's her for not being more proactive and rushing forward. She can only take what's left.]
[Gu Nanyan has a bad personality and poor relationships with others. Now she's the last to choose items. To be honest, I don't think she'll survive the 30 days.]
[I'm not wishing for her death, and I sincerely hope everyone gets rescued, but under normal circumstances, I don't think she'll last 30 days.]
[Agreed!]
[Agreed!]
...
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