Back on the hill, Chen Ying was gathering large palm leaves despite the pain.
"What are you doing?" Yang Zixuan asked.
"Insulation," Chen Ying grunted. "The tent floor isn't enough."
Zhou Yaya wandered over, still wearing the tape Chen Ying had given her. "I... I can help with that."
Chen Ying looked at her. "Take the dry ones. Avoid the yellow spots. Those are 'Spider-Nests'. You don't want to wake up with a rash."
[System: Ding! Zhou Yaya's Favorability: -20 -> 5 (Status: Grateful Acquaintance).]
[Points Earned: 15. Current Debt: 28 Points.]
As the last sliver of sun vanished, the Highland camp was ready. A sturdy tent, a floor lined with leaves, and a controlled fire. Chen Ying sat back against a rock and pulled off her shoes, her breath catching as the fabric peeled away from her dried blood.
Yang Zixuan tossed her a water bottle. "You're the most stubborn woman I've ever met, Chen Ying."
"Stubbornness is just another word for survival," she replied. She looked down at the valley, where the other camp was a mess."
The "Luck-Siphoning Jade" around Wang Bai's neck hummed, flashing with crimson light that only Chen Ying could detect. Down in the lowland camp, the atmosphere had shifted from tense struggle to a sudden sense of celebration.
"Rui-ge, look!" Wang Bai cried out, her voice filled with joy along with smugness. She pointed toward the shoreline where a bright orange, waterproof crate was bobbing rhythmically in the surf. "Is that a supply drop? It must have fallen off the production boat! Oh, thank heavens!"
Zhang Rui's eyes lit up with greed. "Our luck is incredible, Bai-er! With those supplies, we won't even have to forage tomorrow. This must be the 'destiny' the fans were talking about."
[Username 'Bai-er's Shield': See?! Our Queen has the luck of a goddess! Even the ocean brings her gifts when she's in need!]
[Username 'RationalHuman': Isn't it a bit too convenient? A crate 'accidentally' falls right in front of her camp? The script is leaking, Director Zhao... give us something believable.]
High above them on the Highland, Chen Ying's eyes snapped open. The "Heart-Protecting Pendant" was vibrating against her collarbone—a frantic warning that the natural order of the island had been warped.
[Warning! Target Wang Bai has siphoned 'Group Luck' to trigger a Forced Event.]
[Side Effect: The 'Luck Vacuum' has caused a local wildlife disturbance. The Blue-Ringed Boars are being driven away from the lowland and towards your Campsite.]
"Yang Zixuan, get up," Chen Ying hissed. Her voice was sharp, cutting through the crackle of their small fire.
She forced herself to stand, her muscles screaming in protest. She reached for a thick, gnarled branch she had tucked near the warmth of the flames—the 'Sleeping Dragon Root' she had identified during the quiz. In her previous life, she would have been too "dizzy" to remember its properties, but now, with the help of her photographic memory she remembered page 142 of the flora booklet: 'Highly reactive to heat; produces sedative fumes when charred.'
Yang Zixuan was awake in an instant, his hand instinctively reaching for a heavy camera tripod. "What is it? I don't hear anything."
"You won't hear them until they're within ten meters," Chen Ying said, her hands trembling as she forced her exhausted body to remain upright. "The boars. The supply drop in the lowland spooked the herd, and now they're heading for the only water source left on the map—the spring behind us."
[Comments: "Is she hallucinating from the fever? She looks like a ghost."]
[Comments: "Wait... look at the infrared camera on the North side drone. There's a whole group of boars moving FAST. They're charging!"]
[Comments: "How did she know?! She didn't even look at the monitors! This girl is terrifying."]
Suddenly, the darkness beyond their firelight was filled with the terrifying sound of snapping branches and heavy huffing. A massive Blue-Ringed Boar with tusks that glinted like ivory knives, burst into the clearing.
Yang Zixuan reached for the flashlight to scare it off, but Chen Ying's hand clamped onto his wrist. "No! Bright light makes them charge blindly. Use the smoke!"
She thrust the 'Sleeping Dragon Root' into the heart of their campfire. The wood hissed, and almost immediately, a thick, sweet-smelling purple smoke began to curl upward.
In her previous life, Chen Ying would have screamed and run, tripping over the tent pegs and becoming a laughingstock. But today, she stood her ground. Her bloodied heels were screaming in pain, but her eyes remained fixed on the beast.
"Zhou Yaya, stay in the tent! Don't make a sound, no matter what!" Chen Ying commanded.
The boar skidded to a halt, its snout twitching. It prepared to lower its head for a lethal charge, but then the purple smoke curled around its eyes and nostrils. Almost instantly, the beast's aggressive stance softened. Its front legs buckled, and its eyes, previously red with panic, began to droop.
The 'Sleeping Dragon' wasn't just a name; it was a potent, natural tranquilizer.
[System: Ding! Crisis Averted using Host's innate knowledge. 20 Points Earned.]
[Current Debt: 8 Points.]
Yang Zixuan watched in stunned silence as the massive animal literally laid down five feet from their tent and began to snore loudly. He looked at Chen Ying, who was now leaning heavily against the rock, her face pale in the dying firelight.
"You knew the smoke would act as a sedative," he whispered, a look of respect crossing his face. "You didn't just memorize the book; you understood the chemical reaction. How?"
"I have a good memory," Chen Ying replied shortly, sliding down the rock until she was sitting on the leaves. "And I've learned that on this island, it's better to be the hunter than the hunted."
Meanwhile, the Lowland Camp was learning the price of "stolen" luck.
While they had their precious supply crate, the "Siphoning" had left them with a massive "Luck Debt." As Zhang Rui eagerly pried open the lid with a rock, a swarm of angry sand-flies—disturbed by the crate's violent impact with the water—exploded into his face.
"AH! My eyes! My face! Bai-er, help!" Zhang Rui shrieked, flailing his arms wildly and knocking over their poorly constructed tent.
Wang Bai backed away, her face full of genuine horror and disgust. "Rui-ge, your face... it's covered in red bumps! Don't come near me, what if they're contagious?!"
[Comments: "LMAO! The 'Miracle' crate was full of bugs?"]
[Comments: "Look at the contrast. Chen Ying is literally taming wild beasts with her brain, and Zhang Rui is being defeated by a bunch of flies because he was too greedy to wait."]
[Comments: "Wang Bai's fans are suspiciously quiet right now. Where's that 'Goddess Luck' now?"]
[System: Ding! Target 'Wang Bai' has suffered a Backfire. Public Opinion shifting. 15 Points Earned.]
[Account Balance: +7 Points (Debt Paid Off!)]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You are no longer in debt. Would you like to open the 'Beginner's Luck' Mystery Box now?]
"Later," Chen Ying whispered, her eyes closing as she finally let the exhaustion take her. "I need to sleep."