Chapter 45: Killing Two Birds with One Stone

Chapter 45: Chapter 45: Killing Two Birds with One Stone

Renee Morgan’s cold gaze didn’t waver, and she continued, "Kyle and I were both helping you and Lionel. Kyle’s tool kit got snatched, so I snatched one from the other side and gave it to Kyle. It’s perfectly fair, and it doesn’t matter if you have an opinion."

Once Renee finished speaking, she turned and walked back towards the team without looking back.

Kyle Beckett had still felt a bit guilty, but after hearing Renee’s words, he secretly sighed in relief and followed her away.

The livestream cut to Zara Chapman’s face. Under the lens, her features were visibly twisted by anger, her fist clenched tight, eyes burning with fury and unwillingness.

Netizens have never coddled anyone. Forget about a washed-up actress—even a chart-topping idol would get roasted by them:

[It’s only right that the tool kit went to little Kyle. Sure, he got played by a beauty and lost his bag ’cause he’s a bit of a rookie, but Renee’s not wrong—if it wasn’t to help Zara and Lionel, he wouldn’t have been in danger. If the kit really went to Zara, and Kyle who came to help ended up empty-handed, that’d really be cold-blooded.]

[Renee’s got her morals straight. Every word she says makes sense. Zara, just because you want it doesn’t mean it’s yours. If you have the guts, go snatch it yourself; why did you hide?]

[Exactly, I watched the whole thing just now. When Renee was fighting with that other girl, Zara hid so far away—zero concern for Renee getting hurt, no intention of helping at all. Compared to Lynn who stepped up, that’s what a real teammate looks like.]

[Doesn’t want to help, still wants the spoils? Zara must still be dreaming.]

[...]

Unlike mainland viewers’ focus points, the foreign audience zeroed in on something else. The chat was filled with exaggerated exclamations, all debating Renee’s agile moves:

[Is this the long-lost kung fu from Z Country? Damn, that’s awesome! Bad-ass!]

[Renee Morgan is going to be an international superstar, just like all those kung fu legends from Z Country, am I right?]

[Totally, totally. She’s my goddess now, and she’s the Mercenary Guild’s goddess too. So cool!]

[...]

Lynn Miller and Wendy Aldridge just had some scrapes on their arms—not too serious. There was disinfectant and ointment in the tool kit, so after a quick treatment, they were good to go.

The others, now realizing that those two girls had targeted their tool kits from the start, all looked on with wary suspicion. The originally scattered team immediately snapped to alertness.

It was relatively cool in the deep woods. The group found a few rocks and all sat down to rest.

Each tool kit had a pack of compressed biscuits, and they’d brought a thermos of water in with them. Since the morning, everyone was starving. They broke their biscuits in half, wrapped up one part, and ate the other half with some water.

Wendy Aldridge wasn’t thrilled, but she still gently broke her own biscuit in half and gave one piece to Zara Chapman.

Miles Yates broke off half for Kyle Beckett, and Gael Prescott shared half with Lionel Lincoln.

Their rations weren’t much—just one compressed biscuit per tool kit, meant for one person. Sharing them meant that the six of them would have to go hungry next meal.

But there was no other way—they could only tough it out and hope to find something in the wild to fill their stomachs.

After a small meal, it was time to pack up and get moving again. They had to find shelter before dark. If they couldn’t find a cave to stay in, they’d have to build their own shelter.

Kyle Beckett, trailing at the back of the team, kept glancing around, hoping to spot something edible. The whole way, there were only trees and weeds—not a single edible plant or even a berry in sight.

Luckily, before nightfall, they found a stream and decided to set up camp not far from the water.

There were no tents in the tool kits—they’d have to use their military knives to chop branches and build somewhere to rest.

Just as they started building shelters, they saw another group of people appear across the stream. Upon seeing Renee’s team, the newcomers looked briefly surprised, gave them a few assessing glances, but did nothing else. The new arrivals, clearly well-trained, also started building tents, apparently settling down to rest too.

Renee’s group knew by now that anyone they came across in the forest was a potential rival for survival. Just as Kyle’s kit was stolen, costing him his ability to survive here, whoever stole it gained a big advantage in the game.

Now their team had six people with no food left. If they couldn’t find anything outside to eat, they’d have no choice but to steal from someone else to survive.

This kind of competition was terrifying—they had to be on guard every minute.

It was possible that even teammates might end up as rivals in a fight for survival.

Building temporary tents took a truckload of branches. First squad handled shelter construction, second squad handled chopping wood.

Gael Prescott and Lionel Lincoln, Miles Yates, and Kyle Beckett were in charge of chopping. The girls carried the branches back.

They needed a lot of wood for two big tents—one for each gender. Renee Morgan and Lynn Miller did the heavy lifting. Wendy Aldridge and Zara Chapman, who were less strong, paired up to carry branches together.

The two of them slipped away from the cameras and found a dark spot to talk.

"Ms. Chapman, everyone gets only one compressed biscuit, and I just gave you half of mine. Tomorrow, I’ll have to go hungry," Wendy Aldridge said anxiously.

She knew Zara’s personality—no way she’d wait for death. Give her some pressure, she could do anything.

"Got it," Zara said irritably. She had no tool kit, and Wendy just one biscuit between them. They’d both starve tomorrow. She had to come up with a plan now.

"Got any good ideas?" Zara looked at the angelic Wendy in front of her, knowing all too well she was scheming beneath the surface. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have such beef with Renee. Still, since they both hated Renee, Zara found Wendy’s company a bit more tolerable.

Wendy really did have a good idea. She motioned for Zara to come closer, whispered a few sentences in her ear, and when Zara stayed silent, the corners of her mouth curled up in a sly smile: "This plan kills two birds with one stone. Not only can we give Renee a lesson, but we can also nab some food in the chaos."

Zara frowned. "But what if..."

Wendy, seeing her hesitation, sighed and turned away, her voice drifting back, casual as ever: "Think it over, Ms. Chapman. If it really won’t work, let’s just both throw in the towel. Getting the base entry card is nearly impossible, and we’re nothing like Renee with her little tricks—charming the whole first squad into fighting for her... Seriously, letting a newbie step all over you, the great veteran, even I can’t stand it anymore. I just want to teach her a lesson."

Zara wasn’t exactly unwilling to give Renee a lesson. She just worried that they’d end up shooting themselves in the foot, causing even more trouble for themselves.

But just as Wendy said, they could always quit. It’s just—she wasn’t willing to watch Renee get all smug, possibly scoring the base entry card thanks to her first squad protectors while she, the ex-top actress, was just set dressing.