Chapter 43: Borrowing a Survival Kit

Chapter 43: Chapter 43: Borrowing a Survival Kit

[I heard this reality show is being broadcast in over a hundred countries around the world, translated into multiple languages. Although, honestly, what they’re more interested in are the Mercenary Guilds, but right now, the most popular on the show is our Zhonglia female star, Renee Morgan.]

[No exaggeration, really. Yesterday I read a report from Meridia—they used "globally renowned female star, has a chance to become a global superstar" to describe Renee Morgan. Renee is already recognized as the world’s top sensation. Even the Karr Family’s reality show from Meridia got overshadowed by this one.]

[Haha, cracking me up! "Has a chance to become a global superstar"—that’s some big talk. The Base Forest mission has barely started. Whoever finishes the mission and gets the base pass will actually make global headlines. Can Renee do it? Who can guarantee her? If she fails, the moment she’s out is when she just fades into the background.]

[Agreed!]

[+1 to that opinion]

[+1...]

Currently, all the focus is on Renee Morgan and the Mercenary Guilds. Renee’s popularity is way beyond anyone else’s, so of course she carries too many expectations. If she fails, the avalanche of ridicule and attacks will absolutely drown her.

The livestream went black for a while, but instead of viewers dropping off, the numbers kept shooting up. Everyone’s waiting to see the real face of the Base Forest.

As everyone watched eagerly, the stream window finally lit up. There were sixteen little windows, meaning sixteen small cameras, plus one big camera. The small ones let viewers switch to whatever team member they wanted, while the big one was the program’s highlight cam—it chose the most explosive moment, or if nothing big was happening, the team member with the most viewers got the big cam.

As soon as the stream resumed, the viewers saw that people in the Base Forest had left at some point. The members of Team One and Team Two walked single file down the forest path.

The big camera suddenly cut to several people from the Mercenary Guild. They were holding thumb-sized sticks, gripping them to scout ahead while staying on high alert.

The relaxed mood snapped tight, as if a string in the viewers’ minds had been pulled taut. Everyone held their breath, watching the screen as a young guy appeared, helping a woman who was bleeding heavily.

Team One’s members spread out by instinct, forming a surrounding formation to encircle them.

Team Two’s members, seeing this, suddenly had no idea what to do.

Lynn Miller moved closer to Renee Morgan, asking quietly, "Are we going over?"

Their mission is to survive in the forest. Playing it safe, they should stay out of trouble. But Team One’s members were already confronting them, so if they just avoided it, how could they stick with Team One later?

Yeah, at the start of the base mission, both teams had a temporary agreement—they’d walk together, face dangers together. More people, more ideas, more chances to hang on.

Renee Morgan loosened her backpack, swung it to the front, threaded her arms through the straps and made sure it was secure before speaking: "We’ll stay put." The teenager and woman looked weak already, and they were injured. Team One could handle it.

Of course, if they dared enter the base, they weren’t as fragile as they looked. Team Two’s combat power was low—if they got involved, they’d just make Team One’s job harder.

Most importantly, Renee wanted to see what skills Team One’s members had.

The livestream viewers thought the same; they were super interested in the Mercenary Guild’s abilities.

The teenager helped the woman, his gaze panicked: "Don’t hurt us, we want to leave."

Team One checked the bleeding woman leaning on the teen’s shoulder, saw the wound wasn’t fake, and relaxed a bit.

One member stepped up to ask, "What did you encounter inside? How...how did your sister get hurt?" The wounded woman looked very young.

The teenager didn’t want to say much. Once he was sure they wouldn’t harm them, he helped the woman leave behind them.

Renee Morgan and Lynn Miller watched the teenager’s retreating back, then turned to Team One’s members ahead.

"That woman has an abdominal injury." A Team One member explained to them.

Renee asked, "Can you tell what kind of wound it is?"

The Team One member shook her head: "She was covering it. Couldn’t see clearly."

The mood got pretty heavy, until finally a Team One member spoke up: "Let’s find a place to rest first."

Team Two naturally had no objections—best to find a place to hide, wait it out, and come out later.

Before they even found a resting spot, two more people appeared ahead—this time, two girls about teenage age. They were both injured; their arms were scraped over a large area, their faces swollen, with abrasion marks visible. These wounds were easy to judge: looked like injuries from falling or rolling down from a height.

Team One’s members watched the two girls approaching with wary eyes.

The two girls tried to keep up a calm, cold act, but as they passed, they glanced at Team Two’s members.

Zara Chapman’s eyes suddenly lit up, grabbing Lionel Lincoln’s arm hard: "They have toolkits!"

Everyone’s gaze shifted to the girls’ backpacks. Though the styles were different, having them in the Base Forest definitely meant survival kits.

Zara’s eager gaze signaled Lionel Lincoln to go grab the toolkit.

Lionel Lincoln was hesitant: "They’re hurt. Isn’t this...wrong..."

Zara shot him a glare, frustrated at his hesitation: "They’re injured, probably heading out. Won’t be needing the kit anymore. If we don’t have a toolkit, we’ll end up like them—or worse."

She reminded Lionel of the dangers in the Base Forest—everything’s unknown, and unknown means fear. ℯ

Lionel Lincoln lacked confidence. Instinctively, he looked to the others for their opinions.

Miles Yates was, of course, against this plan. Not just because he’s a public figure who needs to set an example, but also because, deep down, his kindness and upbringing wouldn’t allow him to rob two injured girls—this would basically make them bandits.

Kyle Beckett and Gael Prescott both shook their heads at him, signaling him not to act rashly.

But Lynn Miller came up with an idea: "You could ask if they’re about to leave, and if so, can you borrow their toolkit."

Lionel’s eyes lit up and he looked at Zara. He thought this was a good idea.

Zara agreed—it seemed workable. She went over to the girls and tried to communicate in broken foreign language.