Chapter Seventy: An Unexpected Incident

A person needs to drink three liters of water and consume over 1,500 calories a day to maintain normal bodily functions, yet in the past two days, they had barely managed to take in even a third of that amount of water or calories, all while engaging in strenuous physical labor. If things continued this way, it wouldn’t be long before their bodies grew weaker, their energy faded, and illness became a real threat.

Finding food had become their top priority. The small fishpond and crabs were their basic lifeline, enough to keep them from starving, but if they wanted to eat well and feel full, they would have to venture deeper into the island.

At this moment, Zhao Jingya was filled with regret—why had she chosen to wear shorts? Walking through the forest, branches and sharp leaves scratched at her legs, leaving them stinging and sore, forcing her to fashion a simple grass skirt out of palm fronds for protection.

Zhou Miao picked up a hard, straight stick and waved it around. “Do you think there could be animals like leopards on this island?” he asked.

Ma Run shook his head. “Very unlikely. The ecosystem here can’t sustain large predators. At most, you’ll find a few herbivores.”

Crouching low, Zhao Jingya whispered, “I’ve seen wilderness survival shows. Islands like this often have wild boars or goats. Let’s search carefully.”

Ma Run managed a wry smile. “That’s just TV magic—the producers drop those animals onto the islands. On a truly uninhabited island, there’s no way you’d find wild boars or goats.”

So it was all fake? Disappointed, Zhou Miao crossed those animals off his mental menu for the evening.

“Look over there!” Zhao Jingya suddenly exclaimed in a hushed voice, pointing off into the distance.

Zhou Miao squinted and saw, beneath the shade of some trees, several palm-sized, dark brown birds pecking at fallen fruit on the ground.

“It’s way too hard to catch birds...” Zhou Miao sighed, watching them wistfully.

But after a closer look, Ma Run became excited. “Wait, those aren’t birds—they’re jungle fowl, young ones! There are lots of these on islands near Australia. I didn’t expect to find them here. Let’s move in quietly from different directions and use the fishing net.”

Hearts pounding and hands shaking, Zhou Miao crawled forward on his belly. Opposite him, Zhao Jingya also crept closer, keeping low.

Three, two, one!

Zhou Miao sprang forward like a tiger leaping from the mountains. But the jungle fowl were far quicker than he had anticipated; before he even landed, they scattered in all directions.

With a heavy thud, Zhou Miao crashed to the ground, nearly winded. As he tried to get up, Zhao Jingya—who had leaped at the same moment—landed squarely on top of him, flattening him again. Then, Ma Run’s fishing net came down, covering both of them completely.

Zhou Miao quickly pulled the net off. “Chase after them!”

Despite their frantic pursuit, it soon became clear that, in this forest, having long legs was useless. After more than ten minutes of chasing, the three slumped, exhausted and panting like dogs, against a massive tree.

“Huh?” Zhao Jingya looked up at the tree they were leaning on. “Is this a jackfruit tree?”

Zhou Miao glanced back and scoffed, “Don’t you have any common sense? This is a breadfruit tree. Jackfruit trees—”

Halfway through, he suddenly stopped—breadfruit?

He and Ma Run instantly stood up and looked behind them. The trunk they’d been resting against was indeed a thick, towering breadfruit tree, its shape reminiscent of a giant turnip.

The branches were heavy with breadfruit, each resembling a jackfruit. Zhou Miao grabbed his hair in disbelief—fortune truly did not abandon them.

Ma Run broke off a long branch and knocked down several breadfruits. Zhou Miao weighed them in his hands—they were big, but surprisingly light.

“So this is breadfruit?” Zhao Jingya asked, curious.

Ma Run nodded enthusiastically, “Yes! It tastes a bit like bread mixed with sweet potato. It’s really good, you just need to roast it.”

Though they hadn’t managed to catch any jungle fowl, finding a breadfruit tree meant they wouldn’t have to worry about food for the next couple of weeks.

Back at camp, Ma Run tossed the breadfruit straight into the fire. Before long, a delicious aroma filled the air, making everyone’s mouth water.

When they judged it ready, Zhou Miao used a stick to pull the breadfruit from the coals, let it cool, then broke it open. The inside was snowy white. He tore off a steaming piece of the flesh and tossed it into his mouth—soft, fragrant, and filling.

On their second day on the island, they had achieved food security—a fantastic start.

That night, Zhao Jingya brought them an even bigger surprise.

Zhou Miao was about to turn in when Zhao Jingya came running in, holding a bizarrely-shaped fruit.

“I found a wild pineapple tree! It tastes pretty good—try some,” she declared, holding out the fruit as if presenting a trophy.

Zhou Miao eyed the thing, which only vaguely resembled a pineapple. “Are you sure this is a wild pineapple?”

Ma Run’s expression grew grave as soon as he saw the fruit. “Did you already eat some?”

Zhao Jingya was startled by his tone. “Just a little. Not much.”

“That’s pandanus fruit. You have to soak it in salt water before eating, or it’ll give you diarrhea,” Ma Run explained.

Panic flashed across Zhao Jingya’s face. “I only had a little. I should be fine, right?”

“It’s hard to say,” Ma Run replied. Everyone’s body reacts differently.

With uneasy hearts, the three settled down for the night. But not long after falling asleep, Zhou Miao was shaken awake.

In the pale moonlight, Zhao Jingya’s face was ashen, twisted in pain, startling Zhou Miao.

“Are you alright?”

Clutching her stomach, Zhao Jingya groaned, “My stomach hurts so much. Can you ask the crew for some toilet paper?”

Zhou Miao hurried to request some, but the program crew refused—any reliance on their support meant forfeiting the challenge.

Helpless, Zhou Miao gathered some broad, soft leaves and handed them to Zhao Jingya along with half a bottle of fresh water. “This is the best I can do—make do with these.”

Shaking with pain, Zhao Jingya snatched up the leaves and water and dashed into the woods.

For the rest of the night, she shuffled back and forth between the camp and the forest, nearly collapsing from exhaustion. Only at dawn did she finally fall asleep.

How does one handle diarrhea in the wild? Not even Ma Run had a good answer. The only real strategy was to avoid eating anything likely to cause it.

Who could have guessed this silly girl would be so reckless, daring to eat random things on a deserted island and knocking herself out in the process? The local flora had certainly benefited from her “fertilizer” overnight.

It wasn’t until noon that Zhao Jingya finally woke, groaning and clutching her stomach, looking as if she were at death’s door.

After much thought, Zhou Miao managed to offer a single suggestion: “Drink plenty of hot water.”

Zhao Jingya glared at him with murderous intensity. If she’d had a knife at that moment, she’d have stabbed this big idiot—telling her to drink hot water, but not even bothering to boil any!