"Hold on, Mu Zi, don't fall asleep."
"Mmm... Dai Xiao Mei..."
The voices of the two, once heard, were swallowed by the torrential rain.
The impact of the rain striking their lips was sharp, moistening their dry, chapped mouths.
Hope was within sight.
In this downpour where even rescue teams struggled to move, their only hope lay with the owner of the bamboo house just ahead.
A flicker of hope ignited in Dai Xiao Mei's heart as she dragged Mu Zi forward with all her might.
But the exhaustion in their bodies could not be masked by the hope in their hearts.
Having lived their lives in the city, they had no experience of the wilderness, let alone a storm of such ferocity.
Since discovering the downpour that morning and retreating into the rainforest, they had neither eaten nor drunk.
It was remarkable that they had lasted this long.
Hope was so close, salvation imminent, yet their strength was like burnt-out wood, leaving only ashes.
Dai Xiao Mei tried to push forward faster, but her depleted stamina caused her to stumble, and she fell to the ground with Mu Zi.
Muddy water poured into their collars, the icy slime too overwhelming to feel disgusted by.
The storm intensified. They lay on the muddy ground, struggling to breathe. At this rate, the powerful low pressure might suffocate them.
They had to survive, they had to be saved.
Who would save them?
Help...
Dai Xiao Mei used every ounce of her strength to crawl forward with the semi-conscious Mu Zi.
Her fingers clawed at the slippery mud, her body submerged in it, but the will to live was paramount.
Is there anyone... who can save them?
Is there anyone... who can find them?
Weren't they promised rescue?
The relentless rain battered them, like hailstones, causing Dai Xiao Mei to verge on fainting.
The director, watching from backstage on the monitors, stood up.
"What's going on? Where are the rescue teams? Someone needs help here!"
"It's no good, the rain is too heavy, and many other contestants are also in danger. We're deploying rescue efforts."
"Divide into teams! Speed up! Save them!"
His tone grew urgent.
The middle-aged man standing beside him also adopted a serious expression.
What had started as a mere competition had been thrown into chaos by this storm, threatening to become a disaster.
The rescue teams were equipped with superior gear and ample emergency medicine. They had been unconcerned, even anticipating storms at sea.
But this downpour was unexpectedly severe.
The cameras on the beach had been swept away by the surging seawater.
All they could see was the storm, like a colossal waterfall, drenching the entire island.
Few exposed to the rain could withstand it.
The rescue teams were already risking their lives in the downpour, but the sheer number of people in need stretched their resources thin.
They grumbled internally, wondering why this Shark Platform had cast so many inexperienced people into the wilderness.
Yet, they had to carry out the rescue.
No one had anticipated that the cameras would capture such a scene.
Not only the fans of Dai Xiao Mei and Mu Zi, but any normal person would be filled with anxiety.
They had simply wanted to watch a live stream for entertainment, only to find people in peril.
"Where are the rescue teams? Hurry up and save them!"
"What the hell is happening? Why are they in such a bad state? Shark Platform, are you not rescuing them, or at least providing an explanation?"
"Is this for real? Are people going to die? Can this stream continue?"
"Forget about the stream! That old woman needs to live! Jiang Shen, save them quickly!"
"Isn't that Jiang Shen's bamboo house over there? Hurry and save them! I'll send gifts if you do!!!"
Anxious hearts and rapid fingers were all dedicated to sending barrage comments.
They wished Jiang Fan and Zhou Niannian would appear and rescue them immediately. With the rescue teams delayed, only Jiang Fan and they themselves could help.
But clearly, Jiang Fan and Zhou Niannian did not hear their desperate pleas.
The small bamboo house, standing firm against the storm, remained utterly still.
Inside the small house, Zhou Niannian sat by the campfire, listening to the crackling of burning wood and the rushing sound of rain on the roof.
She watched Jiang Fan opposite her, who was brewing a herbal soup to dispel dampness.
The rainforest was humid, especially after rain, and expelling dampness was crucial for their survival in the jungle.
Zhou Niannian hugged her knees, watching silently. For her, simply watching Jiang Fan work was a form of enjoyment.
The warmth of the interior calmed her mood, her thoughts drifting, and the sound of the storm became more prominent.
Perhaps it was an illusion, but Zhou Niannian thought she heard a faint sound.
Her dazed state vanished, and she looked alertly towards the door. Listening closely, she heard nothing.
"Jiang Fan, did you just hear something outside?"
"Didn't hear anything."
Jiang Fan shook his head, throwing herbs into a bamboo cup to grind and prepare different concoctions.
His talent, [Herbal Mastery], allowed him to identify various herbs in the wild and understand their properties, enabling him to infer their uses even without precise formulas.
That was enough.
He wanted to try making medicine for external wounds, as injuries were inevitable during their survival journey. Having medicine would remove a significant worry.
Jiang Fan focused on his work, not paying much attention to Zhou Niannian's words.
She, however, felt increasingly uneasy. Frowning, she got up and walked to the door.
From behind the door, only the roar of the storm could be heard, its thunderous sound indicating the severity of the rain outside.
Zhou Niannian listened at the door for a while but heard no anomaly.
Jiang Fan looked at her, a look of confusion on his face.
"This deserted island isn't developed. Besides the contestants, there's no one else here."
"With this much rain, no sane person would be wandering outside. You..."
Before he could finish speaking, the system's voice suddenly chimed in.
[Ding! Limited-time mission activated.]
[Rescue stranded personnel 0/2, Time Limit 00:30:00, Reward: Survival Points 10.]
The system's notification interrupted Jiang Fan, causing his eyebrows to rise sharply.
Interesting. Their presence here was merely a wilderness survival competition hosted by Shark Platform.
This should have had no connection to the system.
Yet, when faced with a contestant in danger, the system had suddenly appeared, issuing a mission for him to rescue them.
This was the first mission to show significant progress, beyond wilderness achievements and island exploration, and it suggested many things.
In an instant, Jiang Fan's thoughts raced. It was as if he had caught the tail of the system. A slight smile curved his lips.
He stood up, walked to the door, and suddenly flung it open.
The wind and rain outside surged into the room, causing the campfire, shielded by stones, to flicker as if in silent protest.
"You didn't imagine it. There really is someone outside."
"I'm going to save them."
With that, he stepped out into the storm, bracing against the wind and disappearing into the heavy darkness.