"Report, no rescue target found in the mine, please instruct!"
The flashlight beam penetrated the cave, revealing only a tall rock face blocking the rescue team's path.
They, along with the previous team who went to rescue Jiang Fan, had explored the cave and even searched the entire rock face.
No anomalies were found.
If Jiang Fan and his two companions hadn't entered the cave and disappeared, they would have been certain that this cave was a dead end.
The director and the middle-aged man fell silent upon receiving the rescue team's report.
They still didn't know what had happened on Jiang Fan's side.
But Zhou Niannian and Dai Xiaomei entering the cave and falling were all recorded by that small sphere.
Now they were being told that the cave was inaccessible.
Who would believe it?
"Search again..."
"Wait."
The middle-aged man stopped the director and said meaningfully.
"Perhaps, only 'the chosen ones' can enter."
"Have them all withdraw. Seal off this area and continue searching for the whereabouts of Jiang Fan and the other two."
The latter half of his statement was directed into the microphone on his collar.
The person in charge of this operation immediately responded.
A helicopter silently landed at the edge of the deserted island's rainforest, and soldiers armed with live ammunition jumped out, forming a long line.
Under the cover of night, they entered the pitch-black rainforest.
From above, they looked like black ants, quickly disappearing into the jungle.
Shark's official media also cooperated by shutting off nearby cameras, facilitating their infiltration.
However, the arrival of outsiders would always attract attention—
The rainforest would notice.
About two kilometers from the infiltration point, Xiao Zhongma was counting the bodies of pheasants and rabbits they had seen nearby.
Combined with the bamboo rice and bamboo shoots they had collected earlier, and the honey obtained at great cost, it seemed they wouldn't lack food for a while.
As he was halfway through the inventory, the wind picked up.
The not-so-strong breeze carried various scents from the rainforest, conveying messages beyond words.
Xiao Zhongma suddenly sniffed, as if detecting a strange smell, and asked.
"Teacher Piao, do you smell that? The wind seems a bit strange. It used to smell like the rainforest, but now it carries a scent of... sea breeze and gunpowder?"
Hearing his teammate, Teacher Piao stopped his work, sniffed hard, paused, and scratched his head in confusion.
"I don't smell anything. What kind of nose do you have, that it's so sensitive?"
"...Perhaps, I'm mistaken."
Xiao Zhongma seemed to recall something, suddenly changed his tune, and patted his stomach.
"Oh, I might be hungry. When you're hungry, you tend to imagine things. What do you think we should eat tonight? Rabbit? Or pheasant?"
"Only children choose. I, Teacher Piao, choose to have it all!"
After a brief pause, the two resumed their banter. On the surface, nothing seemed amiss, but they both knew and felt it.
This rainforest had somehow become... strange.
Their mood gradually became heavy, as if sinking to the depths.
But as streamers, enduring pressure was a mandatory skill. At least, even their fans, who were watching them, didn't notice anything unusual, instead commenting on their gluttony.
Meanwhile, Zhou Niannian and Dai Xiaomei's livestreams were a truly immersive rollercoaster experience.
Five minutes passed, and the two women's voices were almost hoarse.
But the rollercoaster hadn't stopped yet.
The wooden tracks creaked and groaned, making it seem like a theme park rollercoaster.
But!
What rollercoaster doesn't have seatbelts, and continuously plunges downwards!!!
Even those watching the rollercoaster, let alone the two riding it, felt nauseous.
"I, I'm going to throw up! This is so dizzying."
"Holy crap, this is going straight to the center of the earth! Journey to the Center of the Earth didn't lie, there really is such a rollercoaster. Did Verne actually go to the center of the earth?!"
"This island has such a huge underground secret realm beneath it? This is something I couldn't even see if I paid for it!!!"
"Be more confident, people. Is there anything VIPs can't see? Ten rockets, is that enough? If not, I'll give twenty!"
"A hundred rockets, consider it the ticket price, keep broadcasting!"
As they watched the tracks descend deeper and deeper, the viewers' interest surged.
There were plenty of wealthy people in the livestream. Wilderness survival was interesting, but exploring a secret realm was even more so.
Especially since this secret realm was real!
The livestream, confirmed by the big spenders, was unedited.
There really was such a place on Blue Star, leading directly to the underground, and it was in their country!
Layer upon layer of curiosity was enough to drive them into a frenzy.
However, having been exposed to that level of society, they knew that the appearance of a secret realm would inevitably involve secrecy and official exploration.
If they hadn't known about it, it would be one thing. But knowing and having it concealed was simply tormenting them.
A rocket was worth a thousand yuan, and they were throwing ten at a time, just to get Shark's official media to continue broadcasting.
The rocket effects from the big spenders attracted a massive influx of traffic.
The screen was filled with special effects, blocking the view. Other viewers wished the animated effects would disappear so they could see the stream.
The commentator, Lele, looked at the lively bullet screen and didn't intend to remind them that the official channel had no intention of shutting down the livestream.
More gifts meant more revenue.
"I checked the time, it's almost ten minutes now. I wonder where they'll end up."
"It's midnight. It seems like tonight will be another sleepless night."
Her words were suggestive, and the viewers understood.
Normal wilderness survival should involve early nights and early mornings. But with so many unexpected events, the fans of Jiang Fan and Zhou Niannian had no concept of an early night.
Bear Grylls, however, offered a different perspective.
"Not necessarily."
"The end of this track seems to be broken."
Following his gaze, they looked at the screen.
The wooden track ahead had reached its end, curving upwards, with a huge pit below.
The small cart carrying Zhou Niannian and Dai Xiaomei, after a difficult nearly 90-degree dive, had left them both on the verge of collapse.
Dai Xiaomei even regretted coming to rescue.
They hadn't found the person, and now they were about to die.
Her hands, gripping the cart, turned white from exertion. As the track momentarily leveled out, she let out a sigh of relief.
She glanced ahead, and her face suddenly turned pale.
"Sister Zhou, in front!"
"I see it."
Zhou Niannian responded, her fear mirroring Dai Xiaomei's. She quickly looked around herself, searching for anything that could save them.
"Use a rope!"
"The rope won't work! It's too soft!"
"Jump off!"
"We're going too fast, we'll die if we jump!"
"Stop, make it stop!"
"I don't want to die, boohoo..."
Dai Xiaomei and Zhou Niannian were in a state of extreme panic, but they couldn't find a way to escape.
After a ten-minute rollercoaster ride, the cart's speed had reached a point where it couldn't be easily stopped. In fact, due to the excessive speed, they were starting to feel suffocated.
Their limbs grew weak and soft, and their brains, deprived of oxygen, felt hazy.
At this moment, they were incapable of stopping the cart on their own.
Despair washed over them. All they could do was hold each other's hands and close their eyes, waiting for the moment the cart would plunge off the edge.
Whoosh—
The cart beneath them disappeared, a strong sense of weightlessness struck, and they were airborne.
They hung in the air for a few seconds before being pulled down forcefully.
Then came an endless sensation of falling.
"Ahhhhhh!!!!!"