Chapter 278: 275

Fifteen screens, but only one was lit, standing out like a sore thumb.

The scene shifted, the firelight illuminated half of the face of the fire-maker in shadow and half in light, yet a relaxed and joyous expression could still be made out.

It was Doligong.

Many viewers had a deep impression of this elite member of the fire-extinguishing team, as Bi Fang had introduced him particularly, detailing how he had once confronted a brown bear and managed to escape.

Drones flew around, capturing the objects beside Doligong. Two black rocks lay quietly on the ground, flint stones.

Both flint stones had neat fractures, originally one whole piece, presumably broken by Doligong himself.

The audience suddenly understood why he was able to start a fire so quickly; however, finding flint stones in the pitch-dark night seemed to be a stroke of luck or genuine skill.

Bi Fang joked, “It seems our firefighter is not only good at putting out fires but also quite adept at starting them.”

With the light, even if minimal, the subsequent tasks became easier. Doligong wrapped the flint stones with cloth strips, fashioning a makeshift knife, and started chopping branches as well, preparing to build a shelter.

Although he did not escape capture and acquire initial items, as a national elite firefighter, often active outdoors, Doligong’s knowledge of the wilderness absolutely ranked at the top among all the contestants.

Extinguishing fires was not as simple as ordinary people imagined. It required considerable knowledge of the terrain, trees, and environment, not merely dousing it with water; moreover, protecting wildlife was also part of Doligong’s duty. To protect effectively, one must understand animal behavior, right?

Now that he had a fire, he could resist the severe cold with more confidence. There was no need to hurry with the next tasks; they could be completed gradually.

The rest of the participants naturally thought the same; fire could bring not only light but also warmth.

Unfortunately, they weren’t as lucky as Doligong, finding flint stones so easily and had to attempt more primitive methods such as fire-making by wood-drilling, which was quite a test of skills and physical strength. Besides, material selection was also critical, or else Bi Fang wouldn’t need to explain how to choose materials each time.

Geographical environments varied, as did plant species. Bi Fang always adapted his material choices for fire-making to local resources, preferring those that were common and effective in the area.

But the night was already dark, suitable materials were hard to come by, and the contestants dared not wander far from the drop-off point – at least the drop-off point had been deemed safe by the production team. Who knew what dangers lay in other places?

Thankfully, the weather remained bitterly cold, and many venomous insects and snakes had not yet reached the time to come out, making the night slightly less unbearable.

Thus, a full half hour had passed, and counting Doligong, only three contestants had managed to light a fire.

It was worth mentioning that Mugalen finally managed to break open the military can with a sharp stone. The military can was very calorie-dense; just two bites of meat made Mugalen feel the heat rising from his stomach, no longer fearing the cold, and he quickly began to dig a hole.

“A dugout?” Bi Fang recognized the type of shelter Mugalen was building after a brief glance. It was a hole in the ground to hide in, “A dugout requires high standards and is typically used in deserts because there are fewer venomous insects in the disturbed soil, unlike in the forest where dugouts are rarely used.”

After a pause, Bi Fang explained further, “But under the current circumstances, it’s a good option. The severe cold has turned many areas into permafrost, not many insects, and due to the freezing, the lower soil is quite dry. More importantly, digging a dugout is much easier than fumbling in the dark to chop branches.”

[Truly hunter material, there’s something about him]

[The stranger the style, the stronger the ability]

[Mugalen the Bold]

The soil, frosted over, was not firm; rain had seeped into it, freezing and sublimating overnight, making it quite soft. Mugalen had dug out a hole big enough for one person in less than twenty minutes.

Not deep, the soil became harder the further down he dug. The effort expended and the return received were uncertain; a depth just enough to completely lay down was sufficient.

“`

Subsequently, Mugalen laid a layer of dead branches and fallen leaves on the bottom, and when he lay down, he placed another layer over his body before sprinkling soil on top, covering himself tightly and actually fell asleep like that.

The audience watched in amazement, praising the old Hunter for his courage—for he didn’t even light a fire and dared to sleep directly.

After seeing Mugalen’s pit, the camera switched to Ji Zuodong, who had also finished constructing his shelter, a very simple open hut.

He found two closely spaced trees and leaned long poles against them, then layer by layer constructed a windbreak with dead branches and shrubs, and a simple hut was completed.

However, such a hut was much less effective at retaining warmth, and for this reason, Ji Zuodong was also trying to start a fire. With a Claw Knife, he easily produced fine tinder, and Bi Fang had no doubts about his ability to start a fire.

The shelter built by Bonuo, the first one to successfully escape, truly impressed everyone.

It was actually a hammock!

The twenty meters of Nylon Rope was a considerably long piece, which Bonuo made full use of, turning it directly into a hammock that not only effectively prevented bugs on the ground but also provided much more comfort than sleeping on the floor.

[A hammock! I’ve never slept in one before]

[This Rover Cavalry is impressive, thinking of such a use for the rope]

But even though it had its advantages, Bi Fang still shook his head.

“If this were the Rainforest, making a hammock would be excellent, as a hammock elevated from the ground can effectively isolate the dampness, and with the Rainforest’s rich biodiversity, there are many Venomous snakes and ants, a hammock could also avoid these dangerous creatures.

But this is a forest, and it’s the end of February in the Rocky Mountains, where the climate is very cold. Even if you pile leaves on the hammock, the insulation is limited. It is fine just to cope with one night, but over time, the body definitely won’t be able to withstand the cold.”

Bonuo wrapped many branches around the hammock, turning it into more than just a few strings and capturing lots of dead branches and leaves, but this was still not enough.

In a cold environment, the primary element of a shelter is warmth.

“If someone’s Physique isn’t strong enough, they are better off earnestly building a shelter. Otherwise, let someone else try it, one night is sure to lead to a cold.”

The performance of the three escapees was the audience’s main concern, and after viewing theirs, the camera shifted back to the remaining contestants. Some succeeded in making fire, while others tried for half an hour, ending up with sore arms from failure.

But without exception, after they attempted or didn’t attempt to start a fire, they all began constructing their shelters out of materials at hand, and if all else failed, at least roughly put together a shelter that could block wind and rain.

The first night passed like this, and as everyone began to sleep, the first day of the live broadcast came to an end.

In the woods, a transport helicopter was parked on the frozen ground, with its cabin full of screens and personnel.

“How’s it going?”

Bi Fang took off his headphones and looked towards Jerret.

Jerret raised his thumb, admiringly saying, “Impressive. Not only in the field of Wilderness Survival, but I have also never seen commentary like yours in any other field.”

Commentators are found in many places, whether in gaming competitions or sporting events, they’re indispensable for their voices.

A qualified commentator should have two basic requirements: one is a professional quality that is second to none, and the other is the ability to speak well and adeptly guide the audience’s emotions.

As for the former, there’s no need to say more—Bi Fang is an Orange Legend-level Wilderness Traveler. If that strength doesn’t count as professional, then no one in the world can call themselves professional.”

“`

And the second point where Bi Fang excelled was practice makes perfect, as his live streams weren’t just about demonstrating skills, but more crucially, about communicating with hundreds of thousands, even millions, of viewers.

During Wilderness Survivalist, a lot of time is spent on the move, and being able to keep even half the audience engaged during these dull moments speaks volumes about Bi Fang’s impressive abilities.

At any location, he could recount local history, and with any task, he could trace its origins, telling relevant ethnic stories. Even if Bi Fang wasn’t skilled at first, after half a year, he became as proficient as an old man selling oil, relying only on his practiced hands.

Combining these two aspects made Bi Fang a seamless commentator.

Bi Fang nodded, it was good that there were no problems, and then he touched his stomach. He hadn’t eaten all afternoon, and now he was really feeling hungry.

Jerret noticed this too and brought out a large box filled with all sorts of canned food, instant noodles, and ready-to-eat meals.

They had no choice, they were to accompany the competitors for 12 days here and it wasn’t feasible to have helicopters deliver supplies every day, so they had to make do with these food items daily.

Bi Fang didn’t hesitate to help himself, as compared to what he often ate in the wild, a box of instant noodles was considered a delicacy.

The food produced under modern industry may not be the healthiest, but in terms of taste, it was incomparable.

The next day, when the first contestant sat up from the pile of dry branches, Bi Fang started his live stream, greeted the viewers as was customary, and then turned the camera to focus on the first waking participant.

It wasn’t fully light out yet, but it was obvious the contestant couldn’t “sleep.”

[No way, up this early?]

[Isn’t it still dark? What time is it now?]

“The local time is roughly 5:30 AM, about an hour away from dawn,” Bi Fang explained to the audience who seemed surprised, glancing at his watch and speaking calmly, “The reason why this contestant is up so early is simply because he didn’t sleep at all last night.”

Didn’t sleep?

The viewers were shocked.

Bi Fang nodded, clearly having anticipated this situation. Besides the monitoring team checking on the contestants throughout the night, he too would occasionally get up to check on them.

Out of fifteen people, at least three hadn’t slept the entire night, seven became too exhausted and fell asleep only in the latter half, and two hadn’t moved at all, which was hard to judge. What was clear was that only a few had fallen asleep soon after crawling into their shelters.

“The pressure of surviving in the wilderness is immense, especially when you’re alone without any guarantee, insomnia is almost inevitable.”

Who has truly slept alone, unarmed, in the wilderness?

This wilderness isn’t the roadside by a village, but deep in the forest, where it’s pitch black at night and where you can often hear wolves howling in the Primeval Forest.

No tents, no companions, no weapons, and even no sense of direction.

Although all fifteen contestants had experience with wilderness camping, none had experienced all three of these conditions at once.

The fact that Bi Fang could fall asleep quickly in the wild during his first live stream was actually a testament to his strong psychological resilience.

Of course, the skills granted by the System also provided him with certain experience and confidence to not panic too much, or else he too would have suffered from insomnia.

[But why keep waiting if he can’t sleep early?]

[Yeah, isn’t that just wasting time?]

“Because of cost.”

Cost?

The viewers were puzzled upon hearing this word, feeling vaguely familiar with it—hadn’t Master Fang mentioned it before?

“Of course, you’ve heard it before. I’ve previously mentioned that Wilderness Survivalist is essentially a mathematical problem. In everything you do, you must consider cost and benefit,” Bi Fang said, pointing to the footage of the first contestant stretching his body after waking up, stiff from the cold night.

“What can you do if you don’t sleep at night? Travel in the dark? Definitely not a good idea. Walking through the forest at night is highly dangerous, firstly because of the problem with direction. Without stars, you can easily get lost, and at night is when many animals are active. Wandering around aimlessly and leaving a trail of scent behind could easily lead to dangerous encounters.”

“If the weather is too cold and you try to keep warm through movement, your body will burn a considerable amount of energy and you’ll get hungry quickly. So, you have to lie in your shelter, and even if you can’t sleep, that’s what you have to do.

These people might not have slept alone in the wilderness before, but they understand the logic. They might not summarize it as clearly as I do, but they know to conserve as much energy as possible, waiting until daylight to explore.”

Only then did the viewers understand why the contestants, even though they couldn’t sleep, would still tough it out in their shelters—it was to conserve their strength.

After the first participant woke up and warmed up for a while, the sky began to brighten. Feeling his body heat, he exhaled a puff of breath and started looking for new materials to start a fire. He had failed to start one the previous night, his arms too sore to continue. Having recovered a bit, he decided to try again.

Utilizing the dim light, he began searching for suitable materials, often going towards larger piles of rocks, which puzzled the viewers.

Seeing the viewers’ confusion, Bi Fang explained, “He’s looking for Flint Stone. In the wild, Flint Stone can be found in large rock piles, which offers the highest likelihood of finding it.”

As the day gradually brightened, more and more contestants woke up. The temperatures in the outdoor Rocky Mountains were well below freezing, and many contestants woke up to frost on their faces.

Gradually, the viewers noticed that two contestants were sneezing.

This was a sign of a cold coming on.

Many viewers were worried, and Bi Fang too had a premonition that perhaps, just as the game was beginning, someone would have to drop out.

But what was coming up was the main event.

Bi Fang held his thermos, his thoughts wandering far off, reminiscing about his own map design. The contestant drop-off points were calculated with precision.

How the contestants would spend their 300 hours, whether to establish a base camp and accumulate survival materials step by step, or to opt for higher scores by crossing the wilderness?

If they choose to cross, do they deviate from the straight line to search for a cabin hundreds of kilometers away, betting on the supplies there?

Searching for a cabin would take at least two days. Could they successfully make the cross then?

If they give up crossing, can they still outperform those who opted from the beginning to stay and accumulate supplies for several days?

Physical strength, distance, danger, time.

Every step required the contestants to contemplate carefully; one misstep could lead to a cascade of errors. The first step might sound the horn of success or plunge one into an endless abyss.

Today was the contestants’ first daylight experience and also the day they needed to make a choice.

“To move forward, to stay, or perhaps… to call it quits?”