Chapter2

The night wind at the camp was damp and piercing. With a metallic clatter, a can was thrown at my feet.

"Your dinner ration." Julian looked down at me from above.

I bent down to pick up the unlabeled can, tilting my head to stare directly into his eyes. He glared back without flinching.

Without a single word, Liam snatched the can straight from my hands. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed it flawlessly into the campfire.

"What are you doing?!" Julian snapped his head around. "She has to eat the crew's assigned allowance! That's the rule!"

Liam didn't even bat an eyelid. "Severe bloating means anaerobic bacteria have already contaminated the food. The toxins would paralyze her respiratory muscles—it's not just a simple stomachache, it would cause her to suffocate to death in her sleeping bag." He stepped right up to Julian. "We have a load-bearing hike tomorrow, and I don't want to carry a corpse. If you want her dead, just say so."

Julian's chest heaved violently.

The live chat instantly flared to life:

@ferninthewild: Did he just throw her dinner away??

@quietobserver_99: Wait is this protecting her or punishing her

Liam offered no explanation. He simply turned around and handed the largest piece of his roasted fish directly to me. As our fingers brushed during the handoff, his thumb pressed twice against the inside of my wrist.

I lowered my eyes, my fingertips curling involuntarily before I took a bite of the fish.

@moonlightmia: Wait, that little touch just now

@rickyoutdoors: I rewound three times, he definitely did that on purpose

Julian glared viciously at me. Bound by Liam's status as the "expert" and the backup cameras rolling nearby, he had no choice but to swallow his rage and stride away with a livid expression.

Serena lay in the hospital for an entire night. After the antivenom took effect, the medical team hooked her up to two IV fluid bags, only transferring her back to the camp in the early hours of the morning.

Early the next morning, her face was still pale, but the exact second the drone cameras lit up, she instantly masked it with an expression of resilience.

"A little accident can't knock me down." She gestured toward the wooden hearth board and bowstring on the ground. "Today, I’m going to ignite hope using the most traditional method."

@survival_guru: Friction fire with bare hands? Many experts can't even get it on the first try

@justwatching: Sitting here waiting for the fail. Can those soft hands actually create a spark?

I was organizing my gear. My fingertips brushed past the waterproof hidden compartment on the side of my backpack, and my movements paused.

Someone had touched my bag.

I lifted my head, my gaze landing on Serena a dozen meters away. She was putting on a show of preparing to saw the wooden spindle, but I saw at a glance that her palms were coated in a layer of pale yellow powder. She had also smeared a thick handful of it over the tinder dust at the base.

She started sawing the bow. The wooden spindle grated out a harsh screech as friction generated a wisp of white smoke.

"Look! There's smoke!"

The director suddenly turned his head, signaling the cameraman to aim the lens at me. "Chloe, would you say she succeeded or failed? You don't look too optimistic."

The camera shoved into my face. Over three million people were watching.

"She's about to catch fire," I said.

The director froze. "Huh?"

"If she stops right now, there's still time."

Serena shot a vicious glare at me and yanked the bowstring even faster. The white smoke billowed thicker, and her eyes gleamed with the thrill of imminent success.

@notfallingforit: When she said "catch fire" that was a warning, right?

@quietobserver_99: Serena just glared at her...

The next second—Poof.

It wasn't a spark; it was a ball of fire that surged backward up the wooden spindle, fiercely engulfing both of her hands!

"Ahhh—!!!"

Her scream tore through the rainforest. Flailing her hands, she dove headfirst into the mud pit, rolling around frantically. "Julian, help me! It hurts! My hands—!"

His eyes completely red, Julian bolted out from the crowd. He ripped off his jacket and desperately beat at the flames.

@ferninthewild: Holy shit, she said she would catch fire, and she actually caught fire

@rickyoutdoors: She warned her. Serena didn't stop herself.

It took a full half-minute before the fire was extinguished. Serena's hands were covered in massive, blistering burns.

"Bring the medical kit over! Turn off all the cameras!" Julian roared, completely ignoring the backup cameras that were still rolling. He then lunged right up to my face. "You vicious bitch! You actually rubbed illegal chemicals into the wood! This is attempted murder!"

The crew members backed away in terror.

I pulled out a wet wipe and cleaned the grime from beneath my fingernails.

"Illegal chemicals? That was highly concentrated natural pine resin extract, used to apply a waterproof coating to tactical boots. She took advantage of my absence and stole it."

I glanced at the weeping Serena.

"I just warned her. Three million people present heard it."

"Furthermore, if you can't even figure out what it's used for, how dare you smear it on with your bare hands? Without a single ounce of brains, why pretend to be a wilderness survival master?"

Julian’s lips twitched, but no words came out.

@notfallingforit: WTF? Stealing?! She dug through someone else's backpack to cheat??

@quietobserver_99: TOLD Y'ALL sister has never lost a single round

Julian watched the word "thief" scrolling endlessly across the monitors, his teeth grinding audibly. This grand show meant to save face had turned into a public execution.

He suddenly leaned in close, his voice dropping extremely low.

"You win, Chloe. But you forgot one thing." He stared directly into my eyes. "I am the one who makes the rules."

He stood up and directed the bodyguards to carry the pain-stricken, unconscious Serena away.

Make the rules?

I sneered coldly, staring at the pitch-black charred wood on the ground.

If the rules were made to force me into hell, then I would just flip this entire table over.