The three stood at the entrance of the forest, and indeed, inside, foam maze walls and numerous obstacles had been set up.
[Go, Lin Lin!]
[Xiao Shu, you're the best!]
[Zhang Shu's sense of direction is incredible. Yesterday, their team found the airdrop thanks to her!]
[On the first day, everyone was lost at the stream village entrance, but Zhang Shu found the way!]
[Qiao Xi is different though. She once got lost coming out of a house in the village after using the bathroom.]
Duan Fulin glanced at Qiao Xi.
There was a bit of a hiccup last night, and today, he needed to find a chance to continue trying to woo Qiao Xi.
Zhang Shu was determined to win.
Playing maze games was her specialty! She had to win!
"3, 2, 1—go!"
The three dashed in.
Qiao Xi asked Xiao 6, "How many items do we have left?"
Xiao 6 replied, "Just one. It's the Koi Luck for an hour!"
"Use it," Qiao Xi decisively ordered.
[Item successfully used!]
The livestream showed Zhang Shu analyzing the ground, looking at grass, footprints, and calculating distances, and she found the correct path, unearthing a sachet along the way.
Duan Fulin seemed disinterested, taking wrong paths, but already had three sachets.
However, Qiao Xi seemed to walk straight to the goal, encountering and collecting sachets along the way!
The path Zhang Shu discovered in half an hour, Qiao Xi found in fifteen minutes while collecting sachets!
[How is this possible? How did she get it right every time?!]
[A four-way intersection, and she picked the correct path every time?!]
[Wow, her luck is incredible!]
[No way, she leaned against a tree to rest and a sachet fell down?! How many does she have?]
[6 sachets!!! This is crazy!]
Zhang Shu reached the exit, smiling.
She thought she had won and couldn't wait to brag about it. She had three sachets; surely one of them contained something to keep cool in the heat?
"You're here already?"
Behind her, a lazy voice sounded.
Zhang Shu turned and saw Qiao Xi. "Didn't expect you to be so fast. Too bad, I got here first with three sachets. You probably don't have any..."
Before she could finish, Qiao Xi dumped out a pile of sachets!
She even counted them with exaggerated elegance!
"1, 2... 10!"
"Wow, a full 10 sachets! I can't even use them all!"
"The production team is so kind! I really don't want these, but I have to follow the rules! 10 sachets, they're so heavy!"
She picked them up and then pretended to stagger under the weight.
The production team: "..."
Zhang Shu: "..."
[Is selling luck a crime?!]
[I muted the sound earlier because I couldn't stand the secondhand embarrassment when Zhang Shu was about to boast.]
[Why not just give Qiao Xi the first place directly? Stop torturing everyone else!]
Zhang Shu was green with envy.
When she learned that Qiao Xi had come out 15 minutes earlier and had just been resting at the maze exit, she was furious!
Duan Fulin was the last to emerge.
He wasn't surprised; he hadn't planned to win, just staying close to Qiao Xi to find a chance to talk.
The group walked back.
Meanwhile, a head popped up from the trees.
"Captain," Zheng Yi asked Zhou Ninghuan, "isn't this a bit too much?"
"Too much? Losing to her would be worse, wouldn't it?"
Zhou Ninghuan loaded an airgun!
The airgun, borrowed from Old Sun, was part of his plan. He knew the key to Qiao Xi's group's success was Qiao Xi herself.
To win, they had to incapacitate Qiao Xi.
The airgun shot air pellets that would only cause minor injuries. His aim was poor, but as long as he didn't hit her head, it would be fine.
"Just be sure to aim carefully!"
"I know, I know!"
Zhou Ninghuan aimed at Qiao Xi's leg and pulled the trigger!
"Whoosh—"
In front, Duan Fulin suddenly stepped forward.
"Qiao Xi, I want to... Ow!!"
Zhou Ninghuan was shocked: "What the...?!"
How did that hit him?!
Below, Duan Fulin clutched his leg, sweating in pain, looking around but seeing nothing!
"What happened?" Zhang Shu asked.
Duan Fulin gritted his teeth, "Nothing, just twisted my ankle."
[Be careful, Lin Lin]
[So worried!]
The three continued walking.
In the tree, Zhou Ninghuan clenched his fists, "This time, I won't miss!"
He aimed, took a deep breath, and pulled the trigger—
"Click."
A dog suddenly rushed out!
"Woof woof!"
Duan Fulin jumped in fright, immediately hiding behind Qiao Xi!
The next second.
"Ah!!!"
Duan Fulin felt a sharp pain and his face turned pale!
Something had hit his... backside! He felt like he might throw up!
What... did gas just come out of his mouth?!
[Why is he holding his butt!]
[Did he hurt his... you know?]
[Look at his expression, something's up]
Zhou Ninghuan was undeterred, firing several more shots!
Click, click, click!
The forest echoed with screams.
"Ah! My hand!"
"My leg!"
"My big toe!"
Duan Fulin clutched at various body parts in pain.
[?????]
[The last time I saw such an impressive dance was on that dance show next door]
[Isn't this a mechanical dance?]
[This is a nightmare! Look, Lin Lin is in pain!]
Finally, Zhou Ninghuan was out of breath, and Duan Fulin was in tears!
Duan Fulin yelled in fury, "Production team! Someone's trying to assassinate me! I won't film anymore! Find the person!"
Half an hour later.
Zhou Ninghuan stood in the production team's cabin, face-to-face with the bandaged Duan Fulin.
Zhou Ninghuan looked embarrassed, "Uh, sorry..."
Duan Fulin: "..."
He understood immediately.
There was no one to blame; he had to keep it in, choking out, "You should practice your aim."
"Brother Lin, I swear, you kept stepping into the line of fire! Really!" Zhou Ninghuan quickly said, "I was aiming at her, but something was wrong, you kept stepping in the way! I swear..."
Outside the window, Qiao Xi was laughing uncontrollably.
"Six, this Koi Luck is amazing, but it's only got five minutes left. What a shame, what a shame!"
"What are you laughing at?" Yu Siyan's voice rang out.
Qiao Xi turned her head.
Her soft lips brushed across his cheek.
Both of them froze.
They stepped back at the same time!
Qiao Xi stumbled, tripping over her own feet, and fell forward!
"Damn!"
Behind them, footsteps approached as the camera crew arrived.
"Sister Xi! The production team said we need to..." and the rest of the sentence was left hanging.