YM778.TV Chapter 275: 272 Challenge Begins
Once everyone had arrived at a city near the Rocky Mountains, they were split into three helicopters, each carrying four contestants, dropping them one by one.
When the capture was over, it was around two in the afternoon; by the time everyone reached the Rocky Mountains, it was already five in the evening.
Bi Fang sat inside the helicopter, chatting with a few contestants while once again going over the game rules to ensure that no one would have second thoughts.
And at that moment, Mugalen was experiencing a tumult of emotions.
It was only when he was taken onto the plane that he learned Bi Fang’s so-called participation was as a judge. In that instant, no one could understand the intense psychological changes that Mugalen underwent.
It was a melancholy sensation to regard someone as a formidable rival, only to realize they didn’t even remember you existed.
In such a circumstance, Mugalen thought he would be angry, but upon a second thought, he was unexpectedly pleased. If Bi Fang was not participating…
Wouldn’t he be able to stand out?
Reopening the live broadcast after just three hours made the viewers unable to wait any longer. The capture action was not merely a warm-up; it was clearly a tease!
In front of millions of viewers, Bi Fang once again spoke those words everyone was intimately familiar with.
“Looking back at the evolutionary trajectory of humans, if our ancestors had not ventured and imagined, had not dared to innovate and make sacrifices with their magnanimous hearts and grand emotions, humans would not have used canoes to surf the seas and explore the boundless mysteries of the ocean on the other side.
Humans are curious, giving rise to the impulse for adventure; humans venture, igniting the torch of civilization.
Adventure lies not just in Nature’s oceans and mountains, deserts and marshes, but is also hidden amidst the densely populated cities.”
Quite the speaker.
The few contestants had also watched Bi Fang’s live streams before, and hearing these overly familiar words now, they all felt moved.
No wonder he had become a worldwide sensation; mere commoners couldn’t hold a candle to his level of eloquence.
“But…” Bi Fang’s tone shifted, “today’s protagonists are not me, but our fifteen contestants. In the first three days of the broadcast, everyone has gained a preliminary understanding of each contestant and has noticed the differences in their strengths. However, what I want to say is, Wilderness Survival and urban escape are two different things.”
“Don’t think that those who didn’t evade capture are weaker than those who did. A hunter might not beat a soldier in a fight, but their survival abilities are definitely going to be stronger.”
Mugalen, upon hearing this, let out a laugh: “Then I’ve got both!”
[Old Mugalen is pretty confident]
[I feel like Mugalen’s odds are quite high]
[Go father-in-law!]
[Mugalen: Before the competition, I’ll smash my son-in-law’s “Dog’s head”!]
“We’re here.”
The pilot’s voice came through Bi Fang’s headset. The helicopter had arrived at the center of the Rocky Mountains.
“The Rocky Mountains, one of North America’s most famous tourist destinations, with lakes, snow-capped mountains, meadows, plains, rivers, forests, glaciers, hot springs, waterfalls, and canyons. Almost every scene you can think of is pretty much here, and it’s also rated by Ugly Country Geography as one of the top fifty places one must visit in a lifetime.”
“But beneath the beautiful environment lies deadly danger. The beauty of Nature usually means it’s untamed. Every year, millions visit here, yet more than a thousand fail to make it back to the city.”
“And our contestants are about to face their first challenge, which is to make it through their first night in such a dangerous forest.”
As the helicopter’s hatch slowly opened, the sky awash with twilight and the orange-hued forest seemed to meld together. Bi Fang stepped alone onto the deck from the hatch.
Under the setting sun, the helicopter circled with the Black Hawk, as Bi Fang stood on the deck, his back to the sunset sky that purpled into twilight, the forest ahead like raging flames, as if the whole world was alight.
In not too long, the sun would completely set, and ferocious predators would emerge en masse, searching for any food to fill their bellies.
[Wow, kind of beautiful]
[When has a place chosen by Bi Fang ever not been beautiful? But I feel like the prettier it is, the more dangerous,]
[Epic, screenshot this chapter!]
After displaying the forest scenery, Bi Fang turned to look at the contestants and gave them a meaningful reminder.
“Since you’ve chosen to participate in the competition, you must have done a thorough study of the Rocky Mountains; however, I still want to remind you, it’s the end of February now, and the competition will run into March. Do you know the approximate time when Black Bears wake from their hibernation?”
As he finished speaking, two contestants’ faces immediately changed color.
March is precisely the time Black Bears gradually awaken from their hibernation, ravenous after a long sleep of several months!
The previously beautiful forest instantaneously became fraught with danger!
“Asian Black Bear?”
Mugalen didn’t seem daunted, but rather found it quite interesting. The Rocky Mountains are in Canada, home to both Asian and American Black Bears.
The American Black Bear hibernates for a longer period and it is mostly the Asian Black Bears that awaken during this time. Asian Black Bears are smaller in size; the ones that Bi Fang encountered previously were 1.7 meters in length, already considered unusually large, with most around 1.5 meters.
If you’re adequately prepared, it’s not impossible to fight one.
“Seems like you’re quite confident?”
Mugalen, flashing his red gums, laughed and said, “I wouldn’t say confident, but it’s not my first time dealing with a Black Bear. If I hadn’t considered the possibility of encountering them, what would be the point of joining the show?”
Bi Fang nodded and said nothing more, instructing the crew to blindfold all the contestants. After the helicopter flew a bit farther, he signaled for it to land and dropped off the first contestant, with two drones circling nearby.
This was standard for every contestant: two drones responsible for filming and a wristband capable of real-time heart rate and body temperature monitoring, to ensure all values stayed within a safe threshold. It could also display a 300-hour countdown and had an emergency button. If a contestant could no longer continue, they could press the button to forfeit and be retrieved by helicopter.
However, these items were not to be damaged or used for advantage, and even the comments displayed by the drones were manually selected by the crew. Although this method was less efficient, it maintained interactivity while preventing viewers from conveying information to their favorite contestants through comments.
After ensuring the surrounding area was safe, Bi Fang approached the contestant and said, “You can take off your blindfold after one minute.”
The helicopter took off again, and after flying some distance, dropped off another contestant. When the last contestant, Mugalen, was finally put down, Bi Fang left him an extra item.
As a reward for escaping capture, a 500g military canned meat.
Feeling the weight of the canned meat in his hand, Mugalen was pleased. “Seems I’m quite lucky? Is this canned meat?”
“Correct.”
Bi Fang nodded. The six items were marked for the three contestants to draw lots. Mugalen had drawn the number one canned meat.
Besides him, Ji Zuodong got a Claw Knife, and Bonuo got a twenty-meter piece of Nylon Rope.
“You can remove your blindfold after one minute.”
The same words were repeated four times. Without further admonition, Bi Fang jumped up to grab the rope dropped from the helicopter, hanging midair, saluting the drones below with a two-fingered gesture.
“I’m Bi Fang, this is Wilderness Arena. Have fun, and I sincerely hope that you succeed in the challenge.”