Chapter 2: Leaving

As the saying goes, know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. After reviewing her current body and environment in her mind, Qiao Yitong couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

This poor girl’s body was truly a wreck.

Long-term emotional stagnation had caused her internal organs to be filled with turbid Qi¹, which was slowly eroding her systems. Though she was only in her twenties, the health of her organs was likely worse than that of a person in their sixties or seventies.

If Qiao Yitong hadn’t arrived, the girl wouldn’t have just failed to survive this brutal survival variety show.

She likely wouldn’t have lived another three years in normal life.

The problems she faced now weren’t limited to her physical condition.

The planners of this survival variety show, specifically the head director, had selected a very peculiar lineup of guests, whether by design or coincidence.

First, there was her, the universal pariah. Like a fly that everyone wanted to swat, everyone around her was terrified of being associated with her in the slightest.

Second was the beloved idol Jing Xueqin. It was hard to find any dirt on him online, and he boasted a massive fan base.

Crucially, the original owner of this body had recently been involved in a scandal with this very same Jing Xueqin. Rumors claimed she had intentionally tried to leech off his popularity, leading to a vicious lashing from his fans.

The third guest was a self-media blogger named Peppa Lamb, who had millions of followers.

The subtle twist here was that this blogger made a living by tearing others down to boost his own status. In the original owner’s memory, there were no fewer than ten videos of him dissing her or praising Jing Xueqin.

The fourth guest was an adventure blogger named Shisan, whom the production team had specifically included to prevent the cast from dying too quickly on the island.

Originally, she and Shisan had no connection. However, in a pre-show interview, the host had asked, “Shisan, is there any artist you’d least like to work with?”

Shisan had replied, “Honestly, it doesn’t matter who I work with or if they have experience. I believe humans can tap into infinite potential when faced with life or death. But, as long as I don’t have to lead Qiao Yitong, I’m fine. Otherwise, I’m afraid she’d ruin the entire team’s atmosphere and drag us all down, hahaha.”

Aside from these three, the original owner had no memories of anyone else.

It seemed there was no prior contact with the rest of the group.

Based on this information, she couldn’t count on anyone to help her in this so-called survival variety show.

She would have to rely entirely on herself.

However, relying on herself was actually a good thing.

Having lived in the brutal Wasteland for so long, she wasn’t particularly good at socializing.

Being isolated and left to act alone was her comfort zone.

…

“Ah!”

A piercing scream shattered the air, invading everyone’s eardrums.

After the python, which was as thick as a man’s arm, turned and left, a girl in the group finally let out a delayed scream of terror.

She screamed while backing away. In her panic, she completely forgot about the complex terrain. Her foot caught on nothing, and she tumbled backward.

Qiao Yitong was standing right behind her.

Qiao Yitong disliked physical contact, but she instinctively reached out to steady the other woman.

She intended to catch her, but she had underestimated the frailty of her new body.

Instead of propping the girl up, she was pulled down with her.

The two of them tumbled to the ground together. The back of Qiao Yitong’s hand brushed against a redwood branch, leaving a jagged scratch.

She frowned slightly.

“Careful!”

“Are you okay?”

The others snapped out of it and rushed over with concern, crowding around to help them up.

However, their movements were perfectly synchronized in one direction. They all swarmed around the fallen companion, Qi Qing. Qiao Yitong was left alone, as if she were a ghost.

Qiao Yitong had never been one to make a fuss. She pushed herself off the ground and stood up.

She brushed the dirt and leaves off her clothes and took a step back, intending to remain invisible. But then, a clear, gentle male voice spoke: “Are you hurt?”

Qiao Yitong stared at the man for a second before realizing he was asking her, not the center of attention, Qi Qing.

“No,” she replied.

Her tone was indifferent, as if the person who had just fallen and gotten injured wasn’t her.

The man’s gaze fell on the back of Qiao Yitong’s hand. Beads of blood were seeping from the fresh scratch, about to trail down.

He frowned slightly and knelt down to open the small medical kit he had been carrying.

Iodine and a square bandage.

After taking the items out, he reached toward Qiao Yitong. “Let me give that a quick treatment. The environment here is complex; an open wound could easily get infected.”

Qiao Yitong looked at the scratch.

Currently, her body possessed no Spiritual Power. she had to rely on these ordinary human methods to treat wounds.

She extended her injured hand. The man didn’t waste words. With practiced skill, he used a cotton swab to wipe away the blood, disinfected it with iodine, and applied the bandage.

Once finished, he said nothing more, closed his medical kit, and stood up.

He was the team doctor and one of the participants in this survival variety show.

For the next month, he would be responsible for any ailments the people on this island suffered.

This scene was captured clearly by the cameras and broadcast to the viewers in the Live Stream Room.

The show had officially started less than fifteen minutes ago, and already there was a minor incident. Most of the viewers, who had been relaxed and watching for entertainment, were startled into a cold sweat.

• Holy crap! I wasn’t seeing things, right? That really looked like a python! –

• I saw it too. I’m stunned. There are actually pythons here? Didn’t they clear the area? If someone got caught by that thing, they’d lose half their life! –

• It’s this intense right at the start? What’s coming next? The production team is playing for keeps. –

• Qiao Yitong is such a jinx. Whoever gets near her is doomed. –

• Just a passerby here, but how is this Qiao Yitong’s fault? At most, she was dragged into it. Why not say Qi Qing fell and knocked Qiao Yitong down? –

• I bet her fall was fake too. She probably fell on purpose to get sympathy. Typical white lotus² move, she’s an expert at it. –

…

Comments instantly flooded the screen.

A single python had drawn out all the fans, haters, and casual observers alike.

Comments flooded the Live Stream Room, and the viewer count spiked instantly.

Inside the main control room, the production crew sat watching the monitors.

The show’s producer, PD Wei³, couldn’t help but ask the director, “Director Song, is it really okay to let them go to such a dangerous place?”

Director Song’s gaze was cold. “What? Feeling soft-hearted?”

PD Wei didn’t answer, but his expression made it clear that the moment the python appeared, he was genuinely worried about the safety of the guests.

The director glanced at him, his eyes filled with his usual indifference.

“Soft-hearted? Sympathetic? Do you remember what I told you when we first started working together? If you’re on my show, you’d better tuck away that human compassion of yours.”

PD Wei was instantly silenced.

Director Song returned his focus to the monitor, watching the group frozen in place by the python’s appearance.

Regardless of what they thought of the show before, the appearance of this python would let them know that his earlier warnings hadn’t contained a single word of exaggeration.

To underestimate this Deserted Island was to pay the price with one’s life.

On the island, the twelve-person team faced their first major conflict and crisis because of the python.

After checking Qi Qing and confirming she wasn’t injured, everyone breathed a small sigh of relief.

“Peppa Lamb” had built his career on tearing others down. He hadn’t joined this variety show for any noble reason; besides wanting to take a risk for the prize money, he also realized that the nature of this show provided the perfect material for his brand of content.

He knew exactly what the audience wanted to see.

So, he played to their tastes, attacking the people the public wanted to hate. As long as he did it convincingly, he would have countless followers.

The moment Qiao Yitong fell, his keen instincts began to tingle. He immediately sensed a viral moment.

“Qiao Yitong, what are you doing? You saw Qi Qing was about to fall—why didn’t you help her? Instead, you took a dive yourself? This isn’t some domestic variety show we’re filming; we don’t need you manufacturing ‘drama’ for the cameras. We’re in real danger here. If you start causing trouble for attention, you’re going to get us all killed!”

His words placed him on a moral high ground, delivered with righteous indignation.

Qiao Yitong lifted her eyelids and looked at Peppa Lamb with cold indifference.

The attention of the other ten people shifted to the two of them.

The adventure blogger “Shisan” gave Qi Qing a few instructions, showing off his wilderness survival experience, before turning his gaze toward Qiao Yitong.

“Lamb is right, Qiao Yitong. Wilderness survival isn’t like recording a regular show. Those domestic programs are mostly scripted and pre-planned, which at least guarantees everyone’s safety. But out here, one mistake and you’re dead. Humans are far too fragile in the face of nature. In a crisis, we’ll be lucky if we can save ourselves. No one has the energy to babysit you.”

Shisan’s words sounded objective and reasonable, but they carried an underlying bias.

He took it as a given that Qiao Yitong had intentionally faked a fall to gain attention and care.

Coincidentally, the idol Jing Xueqin chimed in with a tone of concerned mediation. “Yitong, this isn’t the place to be willful.”

Three people make a tiger⁴.

And these were three highly influential people, all standing on one side.

Opposing them was Qiao Yitong, a woman notorious in the entertainment industry as a “drama queen,” a “white lotus,” and a “green tea bitch⁵.”

Under these circumstances, no matter what Qiao Yitong said, it didn’t seem to matter.

Besides, Qiao Yitong had no intention of explaining herself from the start.

Qi Qing knew the truth—that her own fall had dragged Qiao Yitong down. Seeing Qiao Yitong being misunderstood, she initially wanted to speak up, but seeing everyone united against her, she didn’t dare say a word.

She was terrified that if she spoke up, she would become the next target of isolation.

Qiao Yitong’s gaze swept indifferently over the eleven people present. In the humid heat of the Redwood Forest, everyone’s foreheads were drenched in sweat mixed with dirt. Every face bore the grimy marks of the environment.

Yet even in such harsh conditions, these people were still immersed in their own self-scripted dramas.

As expected, even in a different world, human nature remained the same.

Selfish, conforming, and sycophantic.

Trusting a team full of internal scheming was the beginning of the end.

If survival over the next month was going to be a struggle, then without a doubt, leaving the group to go solo was the choice with the highest probability of survival.

With that thought, Qiao Yitong turned and walked away without hesitation.

Translator’s Notes