Chapter 205: I Will Replace Him
Five items for one whole day and night. How would he be able to survive in the desert?
At this time, Jiang Yuning, who should have just abandoned Jin Mingchen, suddenly spoke up and said to the production team, “I will replace him and take over his punishment on his behalf. If you do not want to hear him whining continuously, you had better agree with my suggestion!”
“But you have to know that you will be stranded on a desert this time. Things might be easier for you in the jungle since you can get plenty of food or herbs that you need from the jungle, but there is nothing in the desert for you to use,” the production team reminded Jiang Yuning. “Do not put yourself at risk just because you are good-hearted. If Jin Mingchen really cannot survive in the desert, he can just choose to give up and withdraw from this mission.”
“I will replace him,” Jiang Yuning replied firmly.
“Don’t you need to ask for your partner’s opinion before you make any decision of your own?” the production crew asked as they stole a glance at Xu Beishen.
Xu Beishen had already given the cameraman and the production crew a big headache during the first episode.
They did not want Xu Beishen to cause any more trouble for them if Jiang Yuning offered to take over Jin Mingchen’s punishment. After all, Xu Beishen was also being punished and she could only carry five items with her.
For two girls and a weak child to survive in a desert with so few items on them, that would almost be equivalent to killing them.
“Let her replace him if she wants to. I would also like to know what she is going to do when her supply eventually runs out!” No one would have expected that Xu Beishen would agree so easily. This saved the production team a lot of unnecessary drama and trouble.
“Why don’t we do it this way, then? The production team has just discussed this matter and since both of you will be bringing Tong Tong along with you, we will allow each of you to bring ten items with you. Jin Mingchen will be able to take as many things as he wants to, then.” The production team was being very kind and generous because they did not want Jin Mingchen to cause them too much trouble.
“Woohoo! Sister Yuning…I knew that you care about me even though you are always so cold to me.”
“I am just afraid that you will keep coming to look for me again and again. Please promise me that you will bring enough supplies with you so that you will not bother me anymore?”
“Haha…”
“Hahaha!”
The entire group burst into laughter immediately. These two people were really the living treasures of the program.
“Let’s go. We have to pick what we want to carry with us now.”
Jiang Yuning and the remaining eight guests entered the supermarket to make their selection.
There were two things that were absolutely indispensable in the desert, the first being water and the second being salt. After that, they would also need some food, as well as tools for self-defence and to call for help.
Jiang Yuning and Xu Beishen could only pick ten items each and although Tong Tong could carry as much as he wanted to, his weak physical body could not support a heavy load.
Therefore, after entering the supermarket, Tong Tong could only look at Jiang Yuning with a helpless expression on his face.
Xu Beishen also turned around and looked at Jiang Yuning.
Jiang Yuning frowned immediately before she said to Xu Beishen, “Why are you looking at me? You are the biology expert. Shouldn’t we be listening to you now?”
“There isn’t any grass or trees over here. So, I am really not an expert at all in the desert.” Although Xu Beishen was reluctant to admit it, Jiang Yuning’s brawny and confident appearance made her seem dependable.
Unexpectedly, Jiang Yuning suddenly became the leader of the group.
“Alright then, let’s get together and discuss what we should bring. I will make a list of items that I think we should bring into the desert. Tong Tong, you can look at the list and then carry whatever you can manage, okay?”
Since the three of them could only carry a limited number of items with them, they had to make sure that they carried the more essential items with them.
“When entering a desert, it is human instinct to want to carry as much water as possible. However, even though water is very important, it is not impossible to obtain water in the desert. Furthermore, it would be very heavy to carry too much water on you and it would affect how much you can walk later on.”
“I understand, Sister Yuning.”
“Be careful not to let anyone else see the list of items that you are going to take with you…” Jiang Yuning whispered to Tong Tong. “Secondly, bring some equipment along with you. Make sure to select as much cotton and linen clothing as possible. Do not choose any clothing that is thin and cooling. It would also be best if you choose clothing that are white in colour. We need to wrap our entire body up to avoid losing too much moisture.”
“When choosing the food to carry on you later, make sure to select food that are light and easy to carry. Beef jerky, compressed biscuits, chocolates—these should be your first choices. Do you understand?”
When the other guests saw Jiang Yuning’s group in the midst of discussion, they wanted to go over to listen to her opinion and advice.
She could survive in the jungle easily during the first episode because she had already prepared in advance by going camping in the mountains before she came for the program. Was she also fully prepared for the desert this time?
The other guests could not believe it.
After they were done discussing their strategy and the items that they needed to carry with them, they quickly parted ways and went on to pack their own backpacks. Although Xu Beishen disagreed with Jiang Yuning’s need to carry a small iron pot and a glass cup with them, she eventually packed the items into her backpack.
Two hours passed by very quickly and the production crew quickly made an announcement informing the guests that they had to gather and get ready for their mission now.
The supermarket looked as though a tornado had just swept through it because the nine of them had already packed whatever that they could place into their backpack and whatever they could carry on themselves.
Jin Mingchen would not let go of even the space in his cap, and he filled it up with as much chocolates as he could. It seemed as though he was not that stupid after all.
However, it seemed as though Jin Mingchen had carried too much water on him. Even though water was an essential item in the desert, he would definitely not be able to survive on just water alone.
“Okay, we will now blindfold each and everyone of you before the production crew sends the four groups to four different locations within the desert.”
There would usually be a very vast difference in temperature in the desert during the day and the night, but none of the guests seemed to have thought about that. Therefore, they were all very surprised to see Jiang Yuning, Xu Beishen, and Tong Tong wearing a coat and a woollen scarf in such hot weather.
The other two experts knew why they were dressed that way, but they felt as though food and water were more essential and should be their priority instead.
Very soon, the four groups were sent off to four separate locations. In addition, in an attempt to prevent Jin Mingchen from taking the opportunity to go and look for Jiang Yuning, the production team deliberately separated Jin Mingchen and Jiang Yuning’s group to completely opposite sides of the map. This time, Jin Mingchen would not be able to create any more trouble for the production crew!
Hahaha!
There was truly not a single person in sight on this vast desert.
After they were sent to their location, Jiang Yuning passed the map over to Xu Beishen before she said, “I do not know how to read this map. I will have to follow your directions and instructions this time.”
“Aren’t you afraid that I would intentionally lead you the wrong way and take you on a longer route instead?” Xu Beishen asked Jiang Yuning as she took the map from her.
“It does not matter if you make me walk the longer route. If I have to go, you have to go too. I know that you are an intelligent person and you would not do something like that.” After that, Jiang Yuning covered her head with a scarf before she looked at Tong Tong and instructed him, “Do not take off your clothes even when you are feeling extremely hot, okay?”
Tong Tong nodded his head slowly in reply. “I know. This is so that the salt and moisture in our body can evaporate at a slower rate.”
“Smart boy. Okay, it is already eight forty in the morning now. We can slowly start walking now. When the sun is at its hottest during noon, we will look for a spot where we can take shelter and rest until the evening before we continue moving forward.”
As Jiang Yuning was talking, Xu Beishen had already finished studying the map and identified their current location on the map using a compass.
The three of them started out on their journey as soon as they were all ready.
At this time, Xu Beishen could not help but ask Jiang Yuning why she had insisted on bringing the glass cup along with them. “What do you need that for?”
“To collect drinking water, but I just hope that we will not need to use it.”
What was most surprising was that Xu Beishen, who was initially the worst troublemaker in the entire group, suddenly became very serious after she was placed in the same group as Jiang Yuning. She no longer had the arrogant aura that she usually had around her.
This was because she had to rely on Jiang Yuning to survive in the desert. Otherwise, she knew very well that she would not be able to do it on her own.
It did not make any difference even though Xu Beishen was a biology expert. This was because the only thing that she could probably do when they were stranded on the desert was to remind and advise them on how to avoid a rattlesnake if they met one.
The other three groups also had their own fair share of misery.
After barely taking a few steps, Jin Mingchen, who was carrying about two hundred kilograms worth of items on him, immediately wished that he could lie down and sleep on the ground for twenty-four hours straight…