[Ding! Hidden mission unlocked.]
[Explore the depths of the mine, obtain the mine's secret 0/1. Reward: ???]
On the way back, Jiang Fan pondered the meaning of this system-given mission.
He had long felt something was off with the system.
On the deserted island survival, no matter what he needed, the system would always coincidentally achieve some so-called achievement and give rewards.
And these rewards were always what they needed.
There was only one point, specialization talents.
Any specialization talent would stuff vast amounts of knowledge into his brain, reaching a professional level.
But within such a vast amount of knowledge, it was easier to sneak in some personal agendas.
Jiang Fan wasn't stupid. One or two specializations revealed nothing, but with more data, he could always discern certain patterns.
In this data, each method appeared to be introduced in great detail, yet in the end, only one could be chosen.
Whether it was starting a fire with wet wood, finding herbs for common colds and external injuries, or searching for salt, there was always only one method.
And those methods all pointed to a strange place name—
Hukaluo.
This place, neither in his past life nor in the original body's memories, had ever been mentioned.
But it appeared in that vast memory.
Perhaps this system itself was shady?
When reading novels, it always felt like having a system was a cheat code, but protagonists never delved into what kind of existence this cheat code was.
But when it happened to him, like pie falling from the sky, and it concerned his safety, how could he not investigate?
As a former explorer, Jiang Fan naturally knew that sea salt and lake salt were the best choices.
But to uncover the system's truth, he had to play along.
And so... he received a hidden mission.
Thinking of the eyes that made people lose all reason earlier, even Jiang Fan's breathing faltered for a moment.
This deserted island might hide a shocking secret.
But what did that have to do with him now?
Exiting the mine, they returned to the place filled with green.
Both Zhou Niannian and Jiang Fan breathed a sigh of relief.
Watching them emerge from the mine with grave expressions, the viewers were even more curious about what had happened inside.
What could have caused such complex and somber looks?
Seeing them head back without hesitation, and the water deer having disappeared, Lele couldn't hold back.
"I'm so frustrated. Why isn't there a camera? I really want to see what's in that place."
Lele led the way, and the viewers also chimed in.
"They were only inside for fifteen minutes, and Jiang Shen finished that quickly? Is that even possible?"
"No way, this segment isn't part of the competition. This is going too far."
"Strongly recommend setting up cameras inside. This is exploration! Isn't it more exciting than wilderness survival?"
A bunch of thirsty viewers howled in the livestream, wishing they could see them explore the mine right now.
But this was not an easy task.
"Generally speaking, the conditions inside an unexplored mine are complex. Even with complete tools, one might not come out unscathed. If they went down rashly, they would definitely get hurt."
Bear Grylls explained their actions and then shifted the topic.
"I see Jiang Fan's parachute bag is quite full, so he should have returned with a bounty. However, the process of refining mineral salt is quite complicated, and any slight accident could affect the quality of the salt."
"I believe since Jiang Shen chose mineral salt, he must have a suitable method for refining it."
Lele remained an unwavering fan of Jiang Fan, after all, she had witnessed his performance.
He never did anything unprepared.
It took three hours to get to the salt mine, but only two hours to return.
Back and forth, it was likely past noon.
"I didn't expect we'd still catch lunch. Shall we have grilled meat for lunch?"
Zhou Niannian sighed, unloaded her parachute bag, and took out the smoked meat she had wrapped, as if she had forgotten the recent danger in the mine.
Hearing her question, Jiang Fan responded with a hum, unloaded his parachute bag, took out the large chunks of mineral salt, and began processing them.
He first broke the large chunks of mineral salt into pieces and placed them one by one into the bamboo tubes used for storing purified water.
The mineral salt collected from the mine were white crystals with extremely high salt content. As soon as they were put into the bamboo tubes, they began to dissolve and shrink.
After checking several bamboo tubes filled with mineral salt, Jiang Fan temporarily set them aside and went to use a thin bamboo pole to pick out the burnt-out charcoal from the campfire, placing it to the side to cool.
Zhou Niannian watched curiously, observing Jiang Fan's actions. Seeing him pick out the charcoal, she couldn't help but ask.
"This is activated charcoal, right? I've heard of it, and if you wrap it in cotton cloth, it can be used for water purification!"
"Yes."
Jiang Fan replied with a hum, even giving her a deliberate look without saying a word.
Zhou Niannian glared at him playfully.
"Why are you looking at me?"
"Since you mentioned cotton cloth, why don't you think about where cotton cloth comes from?"
He was somewhat speechless, his hand already reaching towards his waist, about to expose his inner clothing.
Zhou Niannian initially intended to retort reflexively, but then suddenly realized something and blushed.
'Pervert!'
She thought to herself and quickly turned her head away.
Hearing the sound of fabric tearing next to her, she felt her face grow hotter.
This scene, recorded by the camera, attracted the attention of others.
In the dormitory, Lin Yang desperately held back the knife-wielding Zhou Ye, close to tears.
"Calm down! Calm down! He didn't take his clothes off, nothing really happened! Really!"
"You sister-complex freak, calm down, alright?!"
While trying to persuade him, Lin Yang also felt a pang of resentment.
The two of them, though they seemed to have nothing going on, why did their conversations always sound so ambiguous, ahhhhh!!!
No one else knew about the minor commotion happening outside the screen.
Seeing that Jiang Fan and Zhou Niannian had started preparing lunch and waiting for the mineral salt to precipitate, the director appropriately switched the camera to see the performances of other contestants.
Several cameras switched, showing contestants preparing food or water, and some who had found lakes and were attempting to extract lake salt.
Although not as skilled as Jiang Fan, at least extracting lake salt only required distillation, which was much more convenient for them.
The scene switched again, revealing a stretch of beach.
After enjoying a feast of coconut crabs, Dai Xiaomei and Mu Zi were even more determined to set up camp on the beach.
Not only did they obtain sea salt through evaporation, but they also caught fish and dug for shellfish on the beach, having a great time.
Watching the two women playing happily on the beach, their fair skin was almost like a display right before their eyes.
The thirsty viewers did not show the same surging excitement as before, but many in front of the screen couldn't help but drool.
"This scene is so beautiful, a pity there's no me."
"Damn—why are they wearing clothes? They should be in swimwear!!! Since it's an island, why didn't Shark officials issue swimwear? Bad rating!"
"The one above, put your pants back on. I stumble over your pants every time I come in."
"Look at the sea over there, haven't those clouds changed color!!!"
Following the bullet comments, many viewers looked towards the screen.
In the upper left corner, far away from the island, clusters of clouds were gathering and gradually changing color.
Seeing this, Bear Grylls' expression gradually turned serious.
"Not good, this might be a precursor to a maritime storm!"