Staring at the spot where the cunning creatures had vanished, Lin Chen felt as if a meal that had landed right on his plate was now rocketing away from him.
"Good morning, Lin. It looks like you've been doing well these past few days."
Three crew members skillfully hopped down from the rope ladder. The VJ shouldered his camera as the host walked over with a smile, followed by a female doctor in a white coat carrying a first-aid kit.
"I was doing great, but your arrival scared off my prey. So, how are you going to compensate me?"
Lin Chen narrowed his eyes, giving the three of them a hostile stare.
"Huh?"
The host froze, completely dumbfounded.
'I thought this young chef from Great Xia would be eager to show off how he's been living. I never expected him to demand compensation the second he opened his mouth.'
"According to our observations these past few days, it doesn't seem like you have any intention of hunting. That hunting bow of yours hasn't even been drawn once."
The host pointed to the American hunting bow and quiver on his back and chuckled. "If you weren't hunting, then we can't really have scared off your prey, can we?"
"How do you know I wasn't preparing to hunt?"
Lin Chen's expression darkened. He pointed to where the deer and goat had been hiding. "They were less than ten meters away. At that range, I was ninety percent confident I could hit them."
"Not making a move the past two days was a deliberate ploy to make them complacent, to get them to lower their guard so they wouldn't bolt at the sight of me. And now, thanks to you, three days of preparation have gone completely to waste!"
"Well..."
The host awkwardly scratched his cheek and glanced at the VJ and the doctor. Both of them avoided his gaze, putting on an "it's not my problem" expression.
The female doctor stepped forward, rummaging in her first-aid kit. "Let me check your health first. Everything else has nothing to do with me."
The VJ said, "My only job is to film. If you have any issues, please take them up with Mr. Robert."
Robert rolled his eyes, speechless. 'In all my years of hosting, this is the first time I've ever met a contestant who'd so brazenly try to shake down the production crew.'
"Lin, we're here to ensure you're healthy. And it's not just you—every contestant goes through this process every three days. It's the same for everyone."
After meeting his gaze calmly for five seconds, Lin Chen suddenly broke into a smile.
"Haha, I'm just kidding, Mr. Robert. Of course I know everyone goes through this. You know how it is—it gets pretty lonely out here in the forest all by yourself."
As they spoke, the female doctor finished her examination and gave a slight nod to the camera.
"Lin the Archer's vitals are all normal. There are no signs of poisoning or illness. It looks like he's taking very good care of himself."
'Eating and drinking well every night, how could he *not* be in good shape!'
Robert and the VJ grumbled to themselves as their minds inevitably conjured up the two delicious meals Lin Chen had made the past two nights.
The mere thought made their mouths water uncontrollably.
The VJ quickly handed over a new battery pack and used the opportunity to check the GoPro's status.
Just then, the female doctor noticed the pot he was holding, which still contained a fair amount of liquid.
"Are those... wild apples? May I take a look?"
In front of the three men, the doctor first lifted the pot to her nose and sniffed. Then, she took an instrument from her first-aid kit and dipped it in the liquid, used some kind of gun-shaped device to scan it for a few seconds, and finally, tilted her head back and poured a little into her mouth.
"?!"
The woman's eyebrows shot up. She gave him a surprised glance before gently setting the pot on the ground.
"There's nothing wrong with it. The taste is quite nice, actually, similar to iced lemonade. However, I should warn you that unripe wild apples contain high concentrations of tannic acid, and some harmful substances may not have been fully neutralized. While boiling helps, I still wouldn't recommend consuming it long-term."
Lin Chen nodded. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Seeing the host and the VJ staring ceaselessly at the pot, he asked, amused, "Since you two are so curious, would you like a taste?"
"Well, don't mind if I do!" A brilliant smile bloomed on Robert's wrinkled face as he immediately bent over and hugged the pot. "Don't worry, we'll just have a little taste. We definitely won't consume too much of your water."
The VJ eagerly leaned in as well, even giving the pot a close-up shot.
"Oh? It really does taste a bit like lemonade. The light tartness makes your mouth water, and the cool, refreshing flavor is an instant pick-me-up."
Robert took a small sip first. The unexpected deliciousness made him immediately take another big gulp.
Seeing how heartily he was drinking, the VJ beside him couldn't resist any longer. He hastily snatched the pot and downed a large mouthful himself.
Although they were part of the production crew, they also had to live in the forest to monitor the contestants around the clock.
The helicopter could only carry limited supplies per trip, and the nearest city was a long way off. This meant that even they usually had to just fill their canteens at the river and boil the water to drink.
After suddenly getting a taste of refreshing, ice-cold, fruit-flavored water, how could they possibly control themselves?
By the time the two came to their senses, only a few slices of boiled wild apple remained at the bottom of the pot.
'We're screwed!'
Seeing this, Robert cursed inwardly.
The female doctor, who had witnessed the entire thing, rolled her eyes and shook her head, burying her face in her hand.
Before either of them could speak.
Lin Chen smiled, his grin growing wider and brighter.
"My esteemed Mr. Robert, and you, Mr. VJ... it seems you're quite satisfied with my chilled wild apple soup, are you not?"
"Er... it was delicious, yes. Haha."
"But considering you two drank every last drop of my only water source—which I spent all night preparing—are you trying to leave me without anything to drink for the rest of the day? Am I right to suspect that you two..."
GULP.
Robert swallowed hard, inwardly cursing his own carelessness. At the same time, he mentally tore the VJ a new one.
'If he hadn't snatched it, would I have scrambled to drink it?'
'It's all that damned guy's fault!'
"Pfft-hahahaha!"
Lin Chen suddenly burst out laughing, and the tense atmosphere vanished in an instant.
He walked up and patted them both on the shoulder. "I told you I was just kidding. There wasn't much left in the pot anyway. I was already full—I must've drunk at least a liter and a half. I was actually wondering if I should just dump the rest."
"What, you two didn't actually think I was the type to openly extort the production crew and use it to cheat, did you?"
"Phew..."
Robert let out a long sigh of relief and forced a strained smile.
"Thank you for being so magnanimous, Lin. Regardless, this was our mistake. But giving you extra supplies would be unfair to the other contestants. How about this: once the show is over, I'll treat you to a meal personally. What do you say?"