[Wanwan is so smart!]
[LMAO, Director, maybe it’s time to come up with a new trick? Every single time Wanwan ends up countering your strategies instead. Aren’t you embarrassed?]
[Bai Ling really brought this on herself. Wanwan already told her not to drink, but she insisted. Now everyone’s going to escape while she’s left behind filming the show by herself. 😂]
A few men in black quickly escorted Bai Ling away.
Not long afterward, the utterly bewildered trio—Zhang Yiran, Jiang Yuan, and Jin Xiaoyu—caught up with the others.
Following Qi Luozhou’s advice, Zhang Yiran and Jiang Yuan had focused on clearing the main levels and had obtained several defensive weapons.
Meanwhile, Jin Xiaoyu had completed the hidden missions in the back area and collected two brocade pouches.
Clue #3: [Anyone caught by the Hunters will become infected. Keep clearing levels, it’s your only chance at survival.]
Clue #5: [Pay close attention to the scenery along the way while clearing stages. You may discover something unexpected.]
“Wanwan, I think the antidote probably drops from clearing levels. Hurry and keep going!”
Shen Wanwan nodded.
“Mm.”
Jiang Yuan added, “We also found a treasure chest. But when we opened it… it was empty.”
Zhang Yiran sighed regretfully.
“Maybe it’s because we haven’t collected all the clues? Honestly, I still have no idea what’s going on.”
In truth, the production team’s hints had been fairly obvious.
But everyone had been busy clearing levels while the Hunters kept confiscating their equipment. Every few moments, the broadcast would announce “Congratulations to XXX. You have lost XXX.”
The constant announcements only heightened everyone’s anxiety.
The problem was that, after solving puzzles for so long, all they’d managed to do was hold the Hunters at bay.
As for how to actually escape the deserted island, they still hadn’t the slightest clue.
Just as everyone fell silent in thought, a piercing alarm suddenly echoed across the sky.
“Congratulations to Shen Wanwan. You have lost your bed.”
Then another announcement followed.
“The Hunt officially begins.”
Every Hunter dressed in black who had been waiting in line to clear stages instantly turned toward the group.
Jin Xiaoyu couldn’t stop herself from screaming.
“AAAAAH! They’re all charging at us together!!”
“RUN!! EVERYONE RUN!!”
The entire group was scattered in an instant.
Shen Wanwan was still infected, her health steadily ticking downward little by little.
Knowing she wasn’t good at physical activities, Shao Yuye didn’t drag her away.
Instead, he stood his ground with his water gun, shielding his sister.
Every Hunter that came close—
*Squirt.*
He shot every single one.
Qi Luozhou also stayed behind.
Without saying a word, the two of them naturally formed a protective wall around Shen Wanwan, keeping her safely in the middle.
[HOLY CRAP, what’s happening right now?!]
[AAAAAH I want to possess Shen Wanwan right now!]
[Brother Ye and God Zhou are making me feel SO SAFE!!!]
This was clearly going to be a battle of attrition.
Their weapons could only knock Hunters unconscious for five minutes.
They couldn’t solve the problem at its source.
As Shao Yuye fought them off, he secretly felt relieved.
Thankfully Qi Luozhou was here.
If it had only been him, he really wouldn’t have been able to protect his sister completely.
Suddenly, outside the crowd came several loud *Bang! Bang! Bang!*
The Hunters surging toward them collapsed one after another.
Shao Yuye and Qi Luozhou both froze.
The wall of black-clad Hunters parted, revealing the young man behind them.
He was sitting inside a large toy tank.
His shoulders and waist were loaded down with weapons.
Toy rifles.
Toy combat knives.
Toy throwing darts.
…Practically everything imaginable.
[Whoa! Where did Zhang Song get all this stuff?!]
[Didn’t I tell you? Xiao Song’s been working super hard to rescue Bai Ling! Of course he’d stockpile supplies!]
That blast just now… had come from the tank.
An orange water bomb arced through the air before exploding among the Hunters.
Water splashed in every direction.
Every Hunter caught in the blast radius immediately collapsed unconscious.
Sitting proudly atop the tank, Zhang Song flashed a brilliant grin.
He jumped out of the vehicle and eagerly unloaded every weapon he was carrying, offering them all to Shen Wanwan.
“Sister, they’re all for you!”
[HAHAHAHA HELP—Zhang Song, you’re unbelievable! Brother Ye’s going to get jealous again!]
[LMAO, someone’s siscon nature is already acting up.]
[Brother Ye: So what if you’ve got a few weapons? I’m the real ultimate weapon here!]
[Honestly, I think Zhang Song’s tank is the ultimate weapon. 😂]
Even Shen Wanwan hadn’t expected Zhang Song to appear.
She had intended to decline.
But seeing the sincere hope shining in the boy’s eyes, she instead picked out a water gun identical to her brother’s.
Yellow and pink.
Together with Shao Yuye’s, they made a matching brother-and-sister set.
“Thank you.”
Shao Yuye: “…”
Hey, hey, hey.
Do you two seriously think I’m invisible?!
Sister praised me!
Zhang Song beamed sweetly at Shen Wanwan.
Just as he was about to say something, Shao Yuye grabbed Shen Wanwan’s wrist and immediately turned to leave.
“Alright, alright. We’ve got to hurry and find the antidote!”
Zhang Song quickly called after them.
“Sister!
“I have the antidote!”
Under Shao Yuye’s dumbfounded stare, Zhang Song took out a vial.
It contained a clear liquid as well, looking no different from the one Bai Ling had drunk.
[Huh? Why does it look exactly like the poison?]
[Oh no… Did Xiao Song accidentally do something good with bad results?]
[Wanwan, don’t drink it! This isn’t something you can gamble on!]
Yet Shen Wanwan accepted it without the slightest hesitation and drank it down.
She moved so quickly that even Qi Luozhou, who had remained calm and composed throughout, let the smile fade slightly from his lips, watching her finish with an unusually serious expression.
The livestream chat instantly tensed up.
[AHHH! Brother Ye and God Zhou worked so hard to protect Wanwan. If she gets eliminated here, I won’t be able to take it!]
[It’s fine. If Wanwan really gets eliminated, those three will probably flip this entire island upside down. 🤣]
The voice that echoed across the island rang out once again.
“Congratulations! Shen Wanwan has been cured of the infection!”
Shao Yuye was stunned yet again.
“How did you know this one was the antidote?”
Shen Wanwan answered just as calmly, “I didn’t.”
She had simply… not wanted to disappoint a certain kid who had worked so hard and sincerely hoped he’d found the right one.
That was all.
She didn’t explain further, but Zhang Song immediately understood what she meant. His eyes lit up with emotion.
“Sister… was it because I was the one who worked so hard to find it for you??”
Shen Wanwan merely smiled without confirming or denying it.
Normally, she carried herself with a cool, detached air that made her strikingly beautiful.
But when she smiled, she became even more beautiful.
The coldness around her melted away, replaced by a touch of warmth and gentleness.
It felt as though a fire had been lit inside Zhang Song’s heart.
—Sister is amazing!
—She’s such a wonderful person… so charming, so outstanding, so breathtaking!
Without warning, a fist landed on his shoulder—not too hard, not too light.
Shao Yuye looked at him approvingly.
“Thanks, kid.”
Those simple words meant something important.
Brother Ye no longer rejected him.
Brother Ye had officially accepted him.
—Brother Ye is awesome too!
Zhang Song’s blood practically boiled with excitement.
[This is incredible. One little-siscon and one older-siscon, and they’re obsessed with the exact same person!]
[I’m so jealous of Shen Wanwan. I’m tired of saying it already!!]
Still wary that the Hunters might get back up, Shao Yuye urged everyone to leave quickly.
Zhang Song shook his head.
“They’re already ‘dead.'”
Shao Yuye’s eyes widened.
“Dead?”
“Yeah. Look.”
Zhang Song handed over every clue pouch he’d collected.
Besides the clues Jin Xiaoyu’s group had already received, there were three more.
Clue #4 : [Hunters absolutely hate carrots~ Even a tiny bit is enough!]
Clue #6 : [Leaving the deserted island requires a ferry ticket. No fare dodging allowed.]
Clue #7 : [Hunters get tired too. They move for ten minutes, then rest for five.]
“I found several packs of carrot juice,” Zhang Song explained.
“As long as it gets on them, they’ll ‘die.'”
At this point, Shen Wanwan had more or less figured out what the production team had intended.
The Hunters had been split into two groups.
The first group’s initial mission was to win everyone’s equipment. Once every contestant’s equipment had been confiscated, they would officially begin hunting.
However, if the production team waited until all the equipment had been collected, the pacing would become too slow. So they first ‘corrupted’ a portion of the Hunters, sending them after the contestants early to gradually reveal information.
Meanwhile, the contestants could race through challenge levels to earn clue pouches, and by clearing certain stages they would obtain items capable of fighting back against the Hunters.
But the true key to escaping wasn’t hidden in the levels themselves.
To leave the island, they had to find treasure chests concealed by the Hunters.
Inside those chests were the ferry tickets needed to escape.