Chapter 84
“Marian, what happened?” Evangeline crouched down beside her, furrowing her brow as she felt for her pulse.
Meanwhile, Riley, who had been resting nearby, propped himself up and made his way over.
Marian wasn’t unconscious; she was just too weak and had collapsed from exhaustion. Her eyes welled with tears at Evangeline’s question, and she spoke through a trembling voice laced with anger. “I was waiting in the forest with Leigh for the rescue helicopter, but when night fell, it never came. Instead, we encountered a lion.
“I managed to escape with Leigh, but then we ran into Jeffrey, Kent, and Norbert. Kent kicked Leigh right in front of the lion, and-” her voice broke. “Leigh was killed by the lion…”
Evangeline released her grip on Marian’s wrist. It was obvious what had happened. The cameras in the forest made it clear that Marian couldn’t have done it willingly. “What about you? Who did this to you?” Evangeline asked.
Tears streamed down Marian’s face, but she bit her lip to hold back her sobs. After a long moment of silence, she gathered herself and hissed, “Norbert! He dislocated my jaw, and I had to put it back in place myself after I got free.”
Riley’s brow furrowed in confusion. “What exactly happened? Why didn’t the production team come to get you guys? After all this time, the rescue team should have made multiple trips by now.”
Marian’s expression darkened. “It’s not just us. The others who were knocked out by Evangeline didn’t get picked up either. They were left to be killed by the lion.”
Evangeline’s eyes narrowed, a cold glare forming as she processed the information. “Looks like the production team is purposely messing with us. They never intended for the contestants to survive this forest. Those beasts–they’re not even native to a tropical rainforest. Their sudden appearance and coordinated attacks on humans are just too suspicious.”
Riley and Marian shared troubled looks, both of their expressions turning grim.
“Those bastards! How could the production team go live all over the world and not care about the contestants‘ lives? This is insane.” Riley slammed his fist on the ground in frustration.
Marian trembled with anger. “Even though past seasons were over the top, no one ever died on live broadcasts. This time they’re completely ignoring the law and letting wild animals attack us. It’s unacceptable! They’re not even human!”
Riley shook his head in disbelief. “It makes sense why they chose Nardor for filming. Here, as long as you sign a waiver, it’s like saying your life is your own problem. Even if someone dies on the show, the law won’t hold them accountable. And they have brutal fighting shows there where people die each season. It’s just become the norm.”
[What’s going on? Why did the live feed suddenly go silent? Did they say something we’re not supposed to hear? Why did the producer cut the sound?]
[What happened to Marian? I thought she had withdrawn from the competition. Why is she still in the forest?]
[This show is getting dark. I just hope Evangeline stays safe and nothing worse happens.]
Due to the sensitive content of their discussion, the producer quickly muted the audio. Viewers could see the intense expressions on Evangeline and her friends‘ faces, but they couldn’t hear a word.
Back in the forest, Evangeline pulled Marian up from the ground, her voice calm but firm. “Why don’t you go to the river and clean yourself up? It’s getting late, so we should rest. We’ll deal with everything else tomorrow.”
Marian nodded in agreement. Evangeline then turned to Riley, discussing their plan. “Let’s take turns keeping watch tonight. We have no idea if there are more predators in these woods, and we can’t all sleep at once. We need to stay alert.”
Hafalan On her way, she spotted some fish and managed to spear three with a
the river to wash up.
The next morning, after waking up, Evangeline went to the sharpened arrow.
The river’s ecosystem was thriving and untouched since no one else had fished here. It didn’t take much skill to catch the fish.
With no knife on hand, she used the arrowhead to gut the fish, preparing them for cooking. When she returned to camp, she found Riley had gathered dry wood and gotten a fire started.
Once the fish were cooked, the three of them each enjoyed a hearty meal.
After they finished breakfast, they got ready to move on. They each picked up a sturdy stick to use as a walking staff as they ventured further into the forest.
It was obvious that there were fewer contestants around today. Many must have been eliminated by wild animals or each other yesterday.
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Chapter 84
By noon, a helicopter flew overhead, the loudspeakers announcing the upcoming supply drop for the day.
From today onwards, there would only be one supply package dropped each day. Yesterday, with so many players, three packages were dropped.”
“Thirty seconds until the supply drops. Contestants, keep an eye on where the supplies land. You’ll need to gather resources to survive longer. Thirty…” The countdown began.
Evangeline focused on the helicopter’s direction, steering her group towards it. Just as they approached, the package was about to land within 300 feet.
A crowd of about a dozen people had already gathered in the open area–led by Jeffrey, with Norbert and Kent also among them. The rest seemed to have allied with Jeffrey.
As Evangeline and her friends closed in, curious eyes turned their way. Norbert’s gaze landed on Marian, a cruel smirk spreading across his face. “Well, well, look who it is. Didn’t think you’d survive, huh? You’re back to face me. Don’t tell me you still want me to… you know, have my fun with you?”
Laughter erupted from the gathered crowd, filling the clearing with mocking jeers. Jeffrey shot Evangeline a challenging glance, as if to say, “Look at how your friend got trampled by my people, and you can’t do a thing about it.”
Marian’s face flushed with anger, her fists clenched tightly as she glared at Norbert.
Norbert continued, not letting up. “Sticking around with a Clusian won’t get you anywhere. But, since I had my fun with you last night, you could join Jeffrey’s crew. You could take care of us, and we might just let you off easy. Otherwise,” he added menacingly, “we’ll make sure you and Evangeline both regret it. It could get ugly real fast.”
Around them, Jeffrey’s followers chimed in with their gaudy compliments. “Norbert really knows how to handle tough women, huh?” “It’d be a privilege to get a taste of what Norbert’s had.”
“Clusians are all useless; they can’t protect their own friends. Who’d be dumb enough to team up with a Clusian? She deserves this.”
“Exactly! If she had just joined Jeffrey from the start, she wouldn’t be in this mess.”
Marian’s face was burning with rage. “You’re despicable!” she shouted. “I won’t join you! You’ll all get what’s coming to you!”
Norbert’s smirk was almost playful as he leaned in. “Oh, I see. If she won’t come to serve us willingly, that means she likes a challenge, huh? Once we get our supplies, we can have a little fun with her.”
The people around him responded eagerly, “Yeah, let’s have fun.”
[What the hell is going on? Did Norbert just admit to humiliating Marian last night?]
[Damn, that jerk is so disgusting! They’ve always been trashy and shameless, acting like it’s something to be proud of. They deserve a serious lesson!]
[How can anyone be so vile? It’s infuriating! I wish I could just tear him apart!]
[My heart aches for Marian.]
[I’m so angry right now! This bunch of
sers is going to get
what’s coming to them!]
[I can’t shake the feeling that Evangeline could be in even more trouble than Marian. They despise her. This could turn into a nightmare.]
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