“???”
When Jiang Fan said that sentence with a tone of absolute certainty, Zhou Niannian suddenly felt the same pain she used to get when studying math.
'This is how you solve this problem!'
There seemed to be an unbridgeable chasm between her and the genius.
Seeing that Zhou Niannian remained silent, Jiang Fan added, "Just like gears getting stuck and unable to move, is it hard to understand?"
Having accepted the vast knowledge bestowed by the system, Jiang Fan's mind was like a library of architecture, mastering all aspects of the field. It was as if he had evolved from an ordinary student into a god of learning; this knowledge seemed innate, fully comprehensible without any obstacles. Therefore, he couldn't quite understand why Zhou Niannian was looking at him with a gritted-teeth expression.
The confusion lasted only a moment. Jiang Fan wiped the sweat from his forehead. Although he had strength, his physical constitution couldn't keep up, making him like a device with poor battery life. If he were to handle all this work by himself, it would be impossible. His body was weary, and he was merely pushing himself to continue.
He gestured towards the bamboo lying on the ground. "If you have some time now, go and cut those bamboo into similar shapes."
"The frame is complete, and next are the floor and the outer walls. The floor is ten meters long, and the outer walls need bamboo that is 1.9 meters tall." Jiang Fan said, gesturing the length. He would handle embedding these into the frame, starting with the floor and then the walls, but Zhou Niannian couldn't be idle either.
Upon receiving the task, Zhou Niannian only paused for a moment, suppressing her urge to punch him. "Got it."
The wind began to pick up on the island, a significant change that they both noticed. A storm was approaching, and time was running out. Zhou Niannian's mood sank a little further, and she went to the side to process the bamboo. Jiang Fan, relying on his strength, used his combat knife to cut the bamboo into slices of as uniform thickness as possible.
The work progressed rapidly under their joint efforts. The location where they were situated had a natural slope behind them. This advantageous geographical position saved them the effort of building one wall. Ten-meter bamboo poles were erected on the square frame, fastened with mortise and tenon joints, and then secured with vines and paracord. The first layer of the floor was laid, and Jiang Fan covered it with bamboo slices, again securing them with paracord. The large amount of paracord collected earlier from Zhou Niannian's parachute proved extremely useful now. An hour later, the floor was laid, standing over a meter off the ground, with a large hole cut in the middle by Jiang Fan.
Watching this group work with such speed, both the viewers and the commentators were amazed. Bear Grylls commented with a smile, "This group finally looks like professional survivors."
"Yes, after several days of training, Sister Zhou has become more proficient. At least she's not a hindrance anymore," Lele teased, knowing Zhou Niannian would have exploded if she were present.
"Let's see the progress of the other contestants." As Jiang Fan and Zhou Niannian found their rhythm, the director switched to footage of other contestants.
Teacher Piao and Little Zhongma, after experiencing various moments of breathlessness, also realized the impending crisis. Although they had a shelter, they were stung all over by bees during the reinforcement process. They had intended to rest before continuing, but the sense of crisis washed over them, making them eager to reinforce their shelter as soon as possible.
"Let's make another stone hammer!"
"Okay, but you have to reinforce it properly this time."
"I don't want my head to be hit by a stone hammer again."
"Me neither!"
Teacher Piao and Little Zhongma exchanged glances, both looking a bit crestfallen. Both had lisps, and they struggled to communicate, ensuring the other could understand. However, their words, recorded by the cameras and broadcast to the live stream, with their heavy accents, sent the fans into peals of laughter.
"Hahaha, the two of them should debut and perform skits. I'll definitely buy tickets!"
"I've already registered their information on the fan support platform. They'll be called 'Piao-Ma Combo.' One vote for you, one for me, and they'll debut today!"
"The person above, that's too intense. Your preferences are showing!"
These "experts in finding trouble" not only roared with laughter in the live stream but some actually took the initiative to create a so-called group for them and push for their debut. Without hesitation, a crowd of onlookers, never tired of a good spectacle, went to the websites to support them. Passersby who were chasing trends saw the name "Piao-Ma Combo" suddenly rising, even surpassing many celebrities, and were utterly bewildered.
"This 'Piao-Ma'... the name is so awkward. What kind of mental state leads someone to come up with such a name?"
"Damn it, this 'Piao-Ma' has surpassed my Yan Yan. No way, I have to go and see who they are!"
"What kind of trash name is this? It's too embarrassing, and so many people are supporting them. Buy tickets? Damn, I'm going to report this!"
In an instant, both the curious passersby and the fans of other celebrities, whose interests were involved, couldn't help but click on the link. What greeted them were numerous humorous videos of Teacher Piao and Little Zhongma in the rainforest, each more comical than the last. Watching the first one was enough to get them hooked. From "Old man on the subway looking at his phone" to "Hahaha, this is so funny," and then to "Oh my, this is too tragic," they would eventually end up supporting them, one-click forwarding, and sharing it with their friends and family with giggles and laughter. In just an hour, many passersby who came to watch the spectacle transformed into fans of these two. This so-called "Piao-Ma Combo" spread almost virally, becoming incredibly popular across various websites and social media platforms.
"Today, have you become a fan of 'Piao-Ma' yet?"
This addictive yet embarrassing combination name strangely became popular online, drawing in waves of viewers to investigate. Teacher Piao and Little Zhongma had no idea that their predicament had been turned into a humorous event by their fans. They rebuilt a stone hammer using sticks and stones and began to reinforce their small shelter in a serious manner.
The scene then shifted to Yao, who was completely unfazed. The approaching heavy rain seemed to have no effect on him. He continued his routine, hunting in the rainforest, capturing prey after prey. Each pounce was precise, never wasting an ounce of energy. To replenish salt, he deliberately collected the blood of these animals, unfazed by the腥味 (xīngwèi - bloody smell). The residual blood on his lips gave him an air of grim determination.
"He uses animal blood to supplement his salt intake. After feeding, he sleeps to recover his energy. Only with absolute confidence in himself would he dare to do this," Bear Grylls speculated after observing Yao's actions.
"Facing the storm, Yao, this contestant, has chosen not to prepare," Lele commented. "I heard he was a wolf-child, and he probably assimilated the behavior of wolves during his upbringing. Having survived in the wild for so many years, his physical condition should be good."
Lele speculated on Yao's behavior. While she admired his courage to face the storm head-on, she was more curious about the other group. "There should be about an hour left until the storm. Has Jiang Shen's shelter been completed?"
As she spoke, the live stream for Jiang Fan and Zhou Niannian's group was switched over. The popularity of the stream instantly surged, indicating how much attention Jiang Fan's group had garnered, with everyone eager to see their progress. And upon seeing the shelter on screen, Lele involuntarily gasped, "Wow," and blinked her eyes. "Am I seeing this correctly?"