"Rustle~Rustle~"
The sound of insects echoed incessantly in the rainforest, causing dizziness.
Zhou Niannian stopped, standing helplessly in the thicket.
She carefully thought about the direction she had come from.
But the more she thought, the less clear she became about where she had been going.
Too many similar memories confused her thoughts.
Zhou Niannian had to accept this reality.
She was perhaps truly lost.
Alone in this rainforest.
Standing alone, she didn't know if her cold had cleared up.
Despite it being summer, Zhou Niannian felt chilled to the bone.
No teammates, no one else.
She might be lost forever in this place.
Unless she pressed the button and forfeited the competition, rescue wouldn't come.
Her heart pounded rapidly, and Zhou Niannian couldn't help but touch the number plate on her waist.
If she gave up, she would be rescued.
Give up...
Seeing her movement, Lele leaned forward involuntarily, wanting to see more clearly.
"Is Sister Zhou going to give up? After coming so far, she's going to give up now?"
"Getting lost in the forest, waiting for rescue is the best course of action. It's better than continuing and facing greater psychological pressure."
Bear Grylls, however, felt that Zhou Niannian giving up was also a viable option.
"One's life is more important than the competition."
"If she continues, every step will be a mental ordeal for Sister Zhou."
He didn't think Zhou Niannian would persevere.
The viewers were somewhat silent.
They wanted Zhou Niannian to continue and finish the competition.
But that had to be under the condition of Zhou Niannian's mental well-being.
The viewers felt they weren't so twisted as to enjoy seeing their favorite streamer suffer actual harm.
Seeing Zhou Niannian's reaction, Lin Yang leaned back on his chair without thinking.
"It looks like Zhou Niannian is withdrawing."
"The rainforest is indeed a formidable place. After watching for so long, I'm getting a bit jaded."
As he spoke, he tilted his head back, pinched his nose, and let his brain relax.
Prolonged live stream watching had strained his eyes and tired his brain.
Taking a break like this was good for his brain and his eyes.
His thoughts gradually cleared, and he didn't doubt for a moment that Zhou Niannian would give up.
After all, streamers were different from true survival experts.
Without professional training, both their physical and mental resilience were significantly lacking.
After resting for a while, Lin Yang sat up straight again, intending to see Jiang Fan's situation when Zhou Niannian was no longer present.
However, he saw Zhou Niannian in the camera, her lips pressed together, her expression serious and resilient, still exploring with all her might.
Searching every possible spot, looking for the medicinal herbs Jiang Fan had mentioned.
If she encountered other animals, she would cautiously evade them and continue her exploration.
She walked carefully through the woods.
It was difficult.
But she didn't give up.
This choice stunned Lin Yang.
At this moment, Zhou Ye, who had gone out to get lunch, returned to the dorm.
He first placed the lunch on Lin Yang's table and then glanced at the live stream.
"What's going on?"
"Sister Zhou is lost and is currently trying to find her way."
Smelling the aroma of the food, Lin Yang finally felt his hunger.
He hurriedly opened the takeout boxes, not forgetting to explain the current situation.
Hearing that Zhou Niannian was lost, Zhou Ye didn't seem surprised at all.
"Getting lost is normal. This woman is directionally challenged. She can't even read a map when she goes out."
"It's good that she's lost alone; it'll stop her from being so wild and daring to go anywhere."
Zhou Ye said this casually, as if he had experienced this many times.
This made Lin Yang grumble while eating his lunch.
"You're truly a brother, aren't you? Your sister is suffering, and you're actually happy?"
"It's not happiness. My mom called last night and scolded me severely for not stopping her from participating in this ridiculous show."
Zhou Ye rolled his eyes and then stopped paying attention to the situation, focusing on his meal.
Lin Yang, remembering what happened in the group chat last night, pursed his lips and finally mumbled.
"Maybe it couldn't be stopped?"
After saying this, he didn't talk to Zhou Ye anymore and focused on watching the live stream.
Due to the earlier conflict with Wang Jun and taking care of Jiang Fan,
Zhou Niannian had been lost in the forest for another two hours.
It was already noon.
She hadn't eaten in the morning and was also missing lunch.
She was starving, her stomach growling, and dehydration made her lips crack.
The distress in her heart, combined with her physical discomfort, brought her immense suffering.
The only solace was the few medicinal herbs she had found on the way; at least it wasn't a fruitless endeavor.
Taking a few steps forward, Zhou Niannian stopped, raised her left hand holding the herbs, and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
She had blisters on her feet from a day of hard work yesterday.
After walking all morning today, the blisters had broken, causing her to sweat profusely from the pain.
At this point, Zhou Niannian was walking aimlessly.
She had come to realize that she truly couldn't find her way back.
"No wonder I read in books that once you get lost, there's a high chance of meeting with misfortune."
"Good thing I don't have claustrophobia."
"It's okay, Sister Zhou. You got through the cold; mere being lost can't defeat you!"
"Didn't you promise your fans? You have to... win the championship!"
Walking alone could drive a person insane.
Zhou Niannian had to talk to herself to stay calm.
But the more she spoke, the more her voice choked up.
Originally, their group had started a fire, and water was temporarily not an issue.
Their shelter was a tent made from parachute fabric, windproof and rainproof, making for a very comfortable sleep.
Even food was plentiful; she had found many edible wild fruits this morning.
Everything was moving in a positive direction.
The next step was hunting and finding a stable food source.
Everything was almost on track.
But because of her previous cold, her teammates had also fallen ill.
She had been useless, letting their camp be ruined...
The more she thought, the lower her mood became, the more wronged she felt.
Lifting and setting down her feet required immense effort.
Her stomach ached from hunger pangs.
Dehydration made her entire being feel disoriented.
Everything within her sight looked almost the same.
The endless green filled her vision, bringing despair.
Her throat moved, but Zhou Niannian's steps didn't falter, though she stumbled forward. Only the herbs in her hand were held on to tightly.
Because she gripped them so hard, green juice stained her hand, and when she wiped her forehead, it smudged onto her face.
A voice in her mind kept repeating.
What to do, what to do.
This whisper could drive her to madness.
Zhou Niannian had forgotten that she could give up, and she didn't want to.
She wanted to persevere until the end.
But now, it was... impossible...
Countless feelings of being wronged and despair surged into her heart.
The further she walked, the more these emotions brewed within her.
A sour feeling erupted, and Zhou Niannian finally couldn't hold back. Tears instantly streamed down her face.
"What to do, what to do?"
"How on earth do I get out of here!"
She stopped walking, fell to the ground, and sobbed uncontrollably.