Chen Wen felt a sinking sensation in his heart, furrowing his brow in thought.
Suddenly, he noticed that he was gripping the fire starter tightly.
Could it be due to a lack of oxygen?
Chen Wen quickly relaxed his hand, holding the fire starter with just a few fingers.
Keep blowing!
Chen Wen took a deep breath and blew out gently.
The smoke thickened.
Just as Chen Wen was running out of breath and about to roll his eyes.
He seemed to hear a "whoosh" sound.
The next second, orange flames leaped through his fingers.
Ignoring the burning sensation in his fingers.
Chen Wen took a vicious breath, carefully placing the fire starter into the built-up campfire.
As the coconut shell inside ignited, the dry wood outside also began to burn.
"Holy shit! It actually worked!"
"What did I say? I'm definitely the chosen one! I won't die!"
Chen Wen laughed wildly, this was his most thrilling moment after facing a series of accidents.
The orange flames appeared to him like dancing fire sprites.
Filling his heart with joy and excitement!
Fire, what a damn good thing it is!
Chen Wen thought gratefully, feeling a shift in his mindset.
His previously hopeless, collapsing heart slowly started to recover because of a single flame.
Thinking of this, Chen Wen hurriedly added more wood, afraid this treasure might go out.
...
On the other side of the island.
The men's group was also starting a fire.
Before joining the survival challenge, they all received some basic training.
"Is the fire ready?"
The makeshift leader, a middle-aged man, craned his head to ask.
"No."
The one responsible for starting the fire was a pudgy guy.
He was sweating, rubbing a wooden stick continuously.
"Is this method even effective?"
The spiky-haired youth voiced his opinion again, "Didn't we learn the bow drill method? Why not use the bow drill? This is exhausting!"
The middle-aged man shook his head, hands clasped behind his back, "That's why you young folks don't understand, making fire by friction is the wisdom of our ancestors! Emperor Yan's method for making fire back in the day..."
"Wasn't fire making by Suiren?"
On the side, a college student studying traditional Chinese medicine muttered a question.
"Is that so?"
The middle-aged man was taken aback, then waved it off, "That's not important!"
"What's important is that we shouldn't abandon our ancestors' methods to use foreign ones, that lacks soul, get it?"
Before the middle-aged man could continue, the spiky-haired youth cursed, "Soul my ass, you aren't the one doing the drilling!"
"Chubby, don't listen to him, use the bow drill! Rubbing with hands might take until next year!"
Hearing this, the pudgy guy thought for a moment before decisively tossing aside the stick.
In just that short time, his hands were already painfully sore.
The bow drill method is indeed better!
The middle-aged man saw this and turned pale and green alternately.
He wanted to lash out but hesitated upon seeing the spiky-haired youth's sturdy build.
Fortunately, the plump middle-aged man came over just in time, asking the middle-aged man to help with the just-caught fish.
He then comforted the young ones with a few words.
This eased the tension considerably.
Allowing the survival effort to continue.
[The men's group's conflicts are quite intense]
[Especially that greasy uncle, pretending to know it all]
[Get him out of there! He's purely a liability!]
[By the way, there was just a helicopter flying from within the island, what was that about?]
[Deploy props, otherwise, with people's current fitness levels, who can survive on such an island?]
...
The women's group also made some moves.
But they just moved their chat location from the landing site into the woods.
...
Outside the island.
"What? No pause?"
Xiao Yong repeated the director's words, a chill running up his spine.
The eerie feeling had come true.
On the other end of the phone, the director's voice continued, "Hey, calm down, didn't the rescuers say it? That Black Panther is most likely heading to the northern rainforest."
"Our people are gathered in the south, how could they suddenly end up in the northern rainforest? The risk is low."
"Besides, I also asked experts and the Beast Tamer from Ah San's side, their analysis showed that this Black Panther has always been kept in a rainforest environment, so now it will definitely go to the terrain it's most familiar with, just don't worry about it."
Hearing this, Xiao Yong became anxious, "But..."
"There's no 'but'."
The director said flatly, "Xiao Yong, you know how high our program's ratings and viewership are! Stopping now, even if I agree, would the sponsors and investors agree?"
"Don't be so naive!"
Xiao Yong fell silent.
"Do your job well and don't cause trouble! After this shoot, I'll give you a break, remember to check your bank card, buy some clothes for your beautiful wife."
The director finished, hanging up before Xiao Yong could respond.
"Damn it!"
Xiao Yong cursed, his face clouded.
In the end, he just shook his head and sat in his chair.
Fortunately, when choosing the survival location, they opted for the southern side.
If they had encountered that Black Panther, even with ten men equipped with tools, several would likely have been hurt.
After all, when faced with predators, most people's first response is fear.
Only a few would think of fighting back.
...
Back to Chen Wen.
The fire was blazing robustly, showing no signs of waning.
After resting for a while, Chen Wen decided to explore the coast.
Exploring the coast generally happens during low tide, especially during spring tide.
Because the spring tide recedes quickly and leaves the shore bare.
Numerous shellfish, shrimps, and even some fish, become stranded on the beach by the sea.
In coastal human settlements, these creatures would be picked up by fishermen.
Either to sell or to make a seafood platter.
Although Chen Wen was a fisherman, he had never explored the coast.
Deep-sea fishing is either netting everything or group fishing.
Coastal exploring has relatively low efficiency.
Taking the captain's emptied backpack, he brought along a sailor's shirt.
Then Chen Wen started heading towards the shore.
The scorching sunlight baking his back was painful, but it constantly brought Chen Wen a sense of comfort.
Occasionally, it even provided some energy, replenishing his stamina.
A truly bittersweet experience!
Chen Wen reached the shore, soaking the sailor's shirt and wrapping it around his head and exposed neck.
He didn't want to get sunburned under the blazing sun.
After preparing, Chen Wen started searching along the coast for food, basically exploring the coast.
But to Chen Wen's surprise, there wasn't much on the beach.
Many were just thumbnail-sized shellfish.
Where are the big ones?!
Not demanding abalones or lobsters, but at least some octopus or jellyfish, right?
Why are there only shells?
Chen Wen stared wide-eyed, afraid he'd miss something.
But unfortunately, other than thumbnail-sized shells, there were only small sea snails.
Even the cat's eye shells and razor clams often seen in videos were absent!
"Damn, could I be this unlucky?"
Unwilling to give up, Chen Wen took a few more steps toward the sea.
Trying to see if there were any prey in the water.
After walking a few steps, something dark appeared in Chen Wen's vision.
Amid the white foam, it stood out distinctly.
Without bothering to see what it was, Chen Wen hurriedly stepped on it.
With the vibration under his shoe, Chen Wen knew he finally made a catch!
Once the tide receded, Chen Wen bent down, cautiously lifting his foot.
Then he quickly pressed down on it with his Swiss Army knife.
He looked closely.
A strange-looking thing appeared in Chen Wen's sight.