"Hahaha!"
"Cack, clack!"
"Geese, goose, goose!"
Everyone burst into laughter, except for Steve, who was utterly confused.
"What's the ranking?" he asked, his brows furrowed.
Just as Chen Chichi was about to spill the joke, Peng Peng quickly covered his mouth.
"No, nothing! Nothing at all, Brother Steve! Don't listen to Brother Chi's nonsense."
The others just smirked and remained silent, leaving Steve even more puzzled. But he decided not to press the matter. Instead, remembering there were still some things left in the sea, he spoke up, "Alright, you guys take the stuff back. I'll go into the sea again—there's some kelp nearby. I'll pick it up. Kevin, hand me the knife."
Kevin smiled, patting Steve's shoulder. "I'll go instead. You take a proper rest."
Before Steve could argue, Jarvis, who had been watching silently, suddenly scolded him, "Don't act tough. You just recovered from heat stroke, and you've been diving for a long time. It's too dangerous to go in again. Just stay here and rest."
Steve let out a helpless smile. "Alright then, I won't go. Kevin, be careful. The kelp is just ahead, so you only need to bring back a little. Watch out for your feet—don't get tangled in the kelp."
Kevin chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm good at diving too. Now, go back and rest. I got this."
As an action actor, Kevin had excellent physical fitness. He had recently undergone military training, which included diving, so he was fairly confident in his abilities. With that, he grabbed the machete and swam out toward the deeper waters.
The others began carrying the seafood and supplies back to their shelter.
Sister Bird, who had been keeping an eye on Kevin, turned to Steve and the others. "You all head back. I'll stay here and keep watch."
Diving alone was risky. It was always best to have someone on standby in case of trouble.
The group nodded and continued their journey back to camp.
At the same time, the main live broadcast screen switched to show Kevin diving underwater.
Kevin's Dive
Kevin swam for a while before diving beneath the surface. The salty water stung his eyes at first, but after a moment, he adjusted and began searching for the kelp Steve had mentioned.
After swimming forward for about ten meters, he finally spotted a patch of kelp—an underwater forest of long, swaying leaves.
He moved in, slicing off several pieces before surfacing to catch his breath.
"Phew! Huff, huff." He took in large gulps of fresh air. Diving, swimming, and cutting through kelp took more energy than expected.
After another quick dive, he chopped down a few more pieces. Satisfied that he had enough, he turned back toward shore.
Meanwhile, in the live chat, viewers were actively discussing Kevin's performance.
"Brother Kevin, are you for real? You can't even last as long as Steve underwater!"
"2 minutes and 15 seconds isn't bad! Most people can't even hold their breath for a minute."
"Wait, but Steve lasted over 5 minutes…"
"Maybe he's just naturally good at diving? That's the only explanation."
"Yo, their team is stacked! Seafood and now kelp? I checked other streams—most groups are starving on the first day."
"Jiuzhou is dominating! They're definitely winning this survival challenge."
Back at the Shelter
As Steve and the others walked back, they kept asking him about his diving experience.
Steve, feeling there wasn't much to tell, simply described how he gathered the conchs and speared the fish. But his teammates listened with fascination.
Before they knew it, they had arrived at their shelter.
Their temporary home was a simple, V-shaped structure. Though basic, it was the most practical design for their situation.
Because of the strong sea breeze, the shelter faced the ocean rather than being hidden in the forest. Sister Bird had explained the reasoning behind this earlier—mosquitoes.
"Trust me," she had said, "mosquitoes are worse than wind. If you don't want to be eaten alive at night, build facing the wind."
For now, their shelter was enough. But if they were going to survive for 99 days, they would need something more permanent—especially near a freshwater source.
Tomorrow, their top priority would be finding fresh water and relocating.
Steve scanned the supplies they had gathered and asked, "Alright, who here can cook?"
Silence.
Everyone exchanged nervous glances.
Steve's eyes widened. "No one?"
Finally, Zhang Xiaoai hesitantly raised her hand. "Well… I can cook a few basic dishes, but I've never dealt with seafood like this."
Steve sighed but chuckled. "Alright. Then I'll handle it. You guys start the fire. I'll go clean the fish and conchs."
Peng Peng's eyes lit up. "I'll do the fire! I've been dying to try."
"Great. I'll leave it to you," Steve said, grabbing the fish and a shovel before heading back to the beach. He didn't have the knife, since Kevin had taken it, so he'd have to make do.
Zhang Xiaoai quickly followed. "I'll go too. I want to learn how to clean seafood."
Bai Xiaolu eagerly joined in. "Me too!"
Jarvis, who had been watching the interaction, frowned slightly but said nothing.
Hey, Ha, I...
At the beach, Steve inspected the giant coconut snail. He had seen people pull out snail meat in survival videos before—how hard could it be?
With confidence, he reached in and pulled.
Nothing.
He gritted his teeth and yanked harder.
Still nothing.
His face turned red, veins popping on his arms. He used every ounce of strength, but the snail meat refused to budge.
"Hey! Ha! I—"
Steve stumbled back, panting.
Bai Xiaolu and Zhang Xiaoai, who had been watching, struggled to keep in their laughter. Their shoulders shook as they covered their mouths.
Steve wiped his forehead, looking at the snail in frustration. "Alright… this thing is stronger than I thought."
Bai Xiaolu finally burst out laughing. "Brother Steve, are you sure it's not the snail that's wrestling you?"
Zhang Xiaoai giggled. "I don't think brute force is the way. Maybe there's a trick to it?"
Steve sighed. "Yeah… Maybe I should try boiling it first."
The girls nodded in agreement, and together, they carried their haul back to camp.
By the time they returned, Peng Peng had finally managed to get a small fire going. The team cheered, and with that, they began preparing their first meal on the island.
It was only the first day, but already, Steve could tell—this survival challenge was going to be far more entertaining than he had expected.
To be continued…
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