Chapter 78: Zhao Zhang Eliminated

Chapter 78: Chapter 78: Zhao Zhang Eliminated

Renee Morgan couldn’t hold back anymore: "Then why don’t you run the other way."

There are trees in the jungle. If they climb up, they can at least hold their ground against the big cat. If they run in another direction, there’d be no point in blowing the emergency survival whistle—they’d just end up as dinner for the beast.

Taylor looked dumbfounded after being snapped at, then quickly pulled out a rope and climbed up the tree with practiced hands, reaching down to Renee Morgan.

Renee Morgan didn’t hesitate, swiftly following the rope up.

Lynn Miller was beaten to it by Wendy Aldridge and had to let her go first, but Wendy grabbed the rope and couldn’t climb up at all. In the end, it took Lynn and Sean boosting her from below, and Renee helping pull from above for her to barely get up.

When it was Zara Chapman’s turn, there was simply no time left. Finally, Taylor cursed under his breath, jumped down and lifted Zara up so she could grab the rope, then Renee hauled her the rest of the way.

Next came Lynn, then Sean. Taylor was last. Seeing the big cat approach from behind, Taylor didn’t have time to climb up. Renee hurriedly grabbed things from the toolkit and threw them at the beast, trying to buy time.

Lynn and Sean caught on quickly and did the same.

Once Taylor was up, a new problem arose: there were too many of them— the whole tree was swaying dangerously.

The big cat below stared up at them with a pair of amber eyes, indifferent, not attacking or trying to climb or ram the tree. It left them all confused.

Sean, having thought of something, sounded worried: "Is it waiting?"

Waiting for what?

Waiting to pick them off one by one when they come down?

"Is it waiting for backup?" Lynn cried out in terror.

Wendy Aldridge and Zara Chapman were both starving; climbing the tree, they’d scraped themselves on the branches. Now the two of them stood together on the same branch, gripping another above their heads, their legs shaking, ready to fall at any moment.

Taylor couldn’t stand these two burdens and snapped impatiently: "You two had better blow your whistles and get out now. If you fall and get eaten, don’t expect anyone to save you!"

Wendy Aldridge: "..."

Zara Chapman: "..."

If anyone else—Renee, Lynn, or Sean—had said that, they could have accused them of abandoning their teammates, but Taylor had nothing to do with their group and had just helped Zara get up. Now, scolded, both women started crying but didn’t dare make a sound.

Taylor saw they still weren’t moving, and got even angrier: "Are you going to blow your whistles or not? Are you looking for death?"

Taylor’s fists clenched tight. He was the straightforward type, always avoiding burdens where possible. This time, he had no choice, but he wasn’t about to let himself get killed for their sake.

Wendy and Zara flinched, looking to Renee and Lynn with tears in their eyes, hoping they’d speak up for them.

Especially Renee—she’d saved Taylor before. If she spoke up, surely Taylor wouldn’t talk to them this way.

But Renee and Lynn were completely distracted by the big cat below, not even sparing them a glance.

Zara bit her lip bitterly. Those two were definitely doing this on purpose. With Taylor saying such things, they must have been delighted. Or maybe they even put Taylor up to it—trying to get the two of them eliminated.

At that moment, Zara’s resentment toward Renee and Lynn hit its peak.

Wendy sensed the pressure from Taylor’s grip on the branch increasing, and quickly pulled out her emergency whistle, turning to Zara and whispering, "Ms. Chapman, maybe we should just leave."

Since coming in here, she’d only eaten half a compressed biscuit. Dizzy and starving, she couldn’t help but think of the good meal, a hot shower, and comfortable bed that awaited once they were out. It suddenly didn’t seem so bad.

As for the base pass, she’d overheard Zayed and the others discussing it: plenty entered the forest challenge, but only a handful ever left with the pass. For people like her, it just wasn’t realistic.

Zara had already wavered—if it weren’t for the temptation of the base pass, she would’ve left long ago.

In the end, both of them blew their whistles together.

With the decision made, a glimmer of relief appeared on their faces.

Wendy shuffled along the branch toward Zara, leaning in close to whisper something in her ear.

Zara’s eyes flickered. She knew Wendy was unwilling to give up, but she didn’t want to get her hands dirty. If anything really happened, she’d never have peace of mind knowing she was to blame.

Besides, with Wendy already having "a record," even if this time went unnoticed, once she left the forest and confessed, it’d all be over for her.

After considering it all, Zara still shook her head at Wendy—she didn’t want any part of it.

As for whether Wendy would try it herself, she could only hope so.

Wendy hadn’t expected Zara—who usually seemed so fierce—to turn out to be a paper tiger. Always talking about taking down Renee, but the best opportunity shows up and she chickens out?

Wendy whispered in her ear, "Ms. Chapman, are you just going to sit by and watch Renee get the base pass?"

Of course Zara didn’t want that, but she wouldn’t do it herself. The more Wendy hated, the happier she became.

Zara said, "I don’t really care. With my position in the industry, ordinary people can’t touch me. Even if Renee gets the base pass, it’s not really that useful in showbiz."

At most, it’d make her more famous, maybe boost her international standing.

Of course, it was something she dreamed of, but there’s no way she’d admit that to Wendy.

Wendy wasn’t stupid; she knew exactly what Zara meant. With her status and connections, a total newcomer like Renee holding a base pass couldn’t touch Zara at all.

But what about her?

She and Renee were both newbies, but because of this show, Renee had shot far ahead of her. And from now on, if they met on set, she’d probably have to play second fiddle...

Just thinking about it, Wendy couldn’t accept it.

She had connections, a powerful background—why should she lose to some country bumpkin fresh from the village?

The look in Wendy’s eyes turned cold and vicious. Sensing Zara watching her quietly, she understood immediately—Zara wasn’t as detached as she pretended to be; she just wanted to watch from the sidelines and reap the benefits.

Zara wanted someone else to do the dirty work so she could keep her hands clean.

Wendy began plotting herself. Drawing close to Zara, she said, "Ms. Chapman, how about we make a deal? I’ll do it, it’ll have nothing to do with you, just pretend you don’t know. But once the show’s over, you have to..."

She wanted the resources Zara had. If Zara was willing to help her, getting roles would be so much easier.

Zara immediately shook her head: "No way. I never told you to do that. You don’t need to threaten me."

If she agreed to Wendy’s terms, she’d be dragged down for good. No way she was that stupid.

Wendy was way too naive. Did she really think, after what happened in the swamp, she would have any career left in showbiz after the show ended?