Chapter 48: Setting a Trap

Chapter 48: Chapter 48: Setting a Trap

Some timid netizens, a little frightened, speculated: [If they get caught, will they get beaten to death?]

Another netizen chimed in: [There must be danger, otherwise anyone could tough out 72 hours.]

[So far the only real test was at the start, when the two girls fought over the tool kit. Who knows what they’ll face next.]

Wendy Aldridge and Zara Chapman went into the woods to gather firewood, and as they were searching, they suddenly heard some inappropriate, adult sounds of bodies colliding, scaring them enough to run for their lives. When they reached the edge of the woods, they stopped to catch their breath and looked back, only to see no one behind them.

"Those people are so indecent." Wendy gasped, her face showing a hint of disgust as she thought of something: "Foreigners are all so open, I bet Renee Morgan and the other team members are hooking up like that too."

"What are you talking about?" Zara was anxious, not catching what Wendy was mumbling.

"Nothing." Wendy quickly regained her composure, her face returning to normal.

Zara glanced toward the other hill: "Let’s pick up firewood over there."

That spot was closer to the tents, so if anything dangerous happened, they could call for help right away. Plus, they needed to work under the cameras, otherwise it was wasted effort.

The place they’d just entered was a bit remote and off-camera. Otherwise, those people wouldn’t have chosen that spot for what they were doing.

Zara was about to leave when Wendy sighed, grabbed her arm, pulled her a few steps deeper, and whispered a reminder about what they’d discussed before.

Zara was still hesitant: "If something goes wrong, we’ll all get kicked out early."

The others were all big guys, looking even more dangerous than the team one members. Deep down, she really didn’t want to take that risk.

Wendy: "Ms. Chapman, if everyone gets kicked out, it’s better than us alone getting eliminated. We can’t let Renee Morgan get the pass to the base."

Zara’s face turned ugly when she heard that last sentence.

Wendy smirked: "Ms. Chapman, relax, we won’t get eliminated that easily. If a real fight breaks out, no one will care about us two women—just have Gael Prescott and Lionel Lincoln take us and run."

Actually, she preferred team one members to protect them, but since they were all on Renee’s side, they wouldn’t do it.

But you never know—when disaster hits, everyone runs for themselves anyway. If there’s a real crisis, who’s going to save anyone else? They’ll run, and she’d just follow behind them.

Zara thought of Lionel, her brows easing. Everyone else in the group was close to Renee Morgan, but Lionel was her devoted fan. As long as she asked, he’d definitely help.

After a round of deliberation, the two picked up firewood while waiting for the people inside to come out.

Hearing footsteps behind them, Wendy and Zara raised their voices as they chatted.

"Hmph, those two women this morning actually tried to grab our bag. Lucky Renee Morgan was nimble, or we’d all be starving now." Wendy’s voice rang with a mix of indignation and relief.

Zara responded fluently in English: "Without food, we can’t survive in the forest. They really deserved it."

Wendy nodded in agreement and sighed again: "Those people teamed up to trick us and we all fell for it. Thankfully Renee Morgan held onto the food at the crucial moment and even snatched their tools. Renee’s got some serious skills."

Zara’s indignant voice echoed: "Yes, they faked injuries to win sympathy. We were all tricked. If it weren’t for Renee Morgan, our food would’ve been stolen and there’d be no way to survive in the forest."

"..."

The two struggled to express themselves in English. Their skills were limited, so they stuck to the same few lines back and forth.

The main points they revealed: they had food, and their team included the tough Renee Morgan. If anyone wanted to snatch their food, they’d have to beat Renee first.

If the other group was short on food, they’d definitely try to steal it. If not, they’d have to look for another chance next time.

"Hi..." Suddenly a voice sounded from behind, startling Wendy and Zara. They turned to see a man nearly two meters tall, next to a petite woman—though in truth the woman was taller than both Wendy and Zara, she just looked small next to the man. The voice belonged to the woman.

"You guys just arrived today too?" The woman greeted them, her lake-blue eyes bright, staring them down.

Wendy eyed the big, intimidating man and felt a bit scared. Then she remembered the whistle hanging around her neck—she could blow it if things got dangerous. Her mood settled, and she nodded in response to the woman’s question.

Once she had confirmation, the woman looked to Zara, who was behind Wendy: "Is she your teammate?"

Wendy answered smartly: "Yes, we’re in the same team. There are a dozen or so of us. Plus, one of our teammates is super tough—her name is Renee Morgan."

The woman got it. She eyed their empty hands, realizing the food wasn’t on them, and casually raised her brows: "We’re also here for the first day—nice to meet you. Maybe we’ll hang out sometime. See ya."

Wendy and Zara watched their backs as they left, letting out a long sigh. Their shirts were soaked through, cold sweat sticking to their skin and giving them goosebumps.

Worried the people might circle back, they tied the firewood with vines, slung it on their backs, and hurried home.

Lynn Miller and her group had just returned when they saw Wendy and Zara’s flustered faces. Curious, Lynn asked: "Did you run into the other group too?"

Wendy and Zara dropped their heads sheepishly, mumbling a weak affirmation. After calming down, Wendy forced a smile and explained: "They’re all huge guys, kind of scary. We were worried about safety, so we grabbed a bit of firewood and came back."

Lynn glanced at the pitiful amount of firewood and reassured them: "Yeah, it’s not much, but that’s fine. You and Zara go fetch some rocks for the evening, so everyone can sit and rest. I’ll go collect firewood with Gael Prescott."

Wendy, Zara: "..." More work?

Wendy was a beat slow and replied with a casual tone: "Alright, maybe have Lionel Lincoln and Miles Yates go too. More people, less scary."

Lynn wasn’t the delicate type and didn’t notice Wendy was just dodging work. She frowned and disagreed: "The stones are right over there, just bring them over. Nothing will happen. Miles and Lionel chopped branches all day—their palms are shredded, let them rest."

She pointed to a spot not far from where the tents were set up.

Wendy had no choice but to haul rocks with Zara. There were so many people, so they needed a lot of stones. The rocks were heavy and hard to move. By the end, their fingernails were torn, and no one offered to help.