Culinary God in Wilderness

"What if—and I’m just saying what if—they don’t plan on coming back?"

"Impossible!"

Robert waved his hand confidently. "While the points don’t directly affect the outcome of the competition, the contestants we’ve invited this time are all quite skilled. At least half of them should be able to survive for more than thirty days."

"After sixty days, it’ll be a test of endurance and willpower, but it can’t go on forever. We’ll announce the hidden rules during the next supply drop."

"The limit is one hundred days. If more than one contestant makes it to the end, we’ll convert the total amount of food they’ve gathered into points. The one with more points wins. That’s perfectly reasonable, right?"

"As long as we set high point values for the game we drop, it’s sure to lure them back."

"Let’s hope so."

...

A bright moon hung high in the night sky.

A cool sea breeze swept over the ocean’s surface. The shore was silent at night, filled only with the sound of waves crashing against the beach and reefs.

BEEP BEEP BEEP.

A piercing alarm suddenly blared.

In the pitch-black cave, Lin Chen slowly opened his eyes.

He turned off the alarm on his watch and glanced at the stream comments. It was quiet. The audience must have all gone to sleep, or they were killing time in other contestants’ streams.

’This season’s got a few tricks up its sleeve. To think they’d give the contestants watches to interact with the livestream audience, and even keep the alarm and clock functions to help us keep track of the time.’

’If I’m not mistaken, this watch should also have a tracking function. That way, they can find a contestant’s location immediately if something happens.’

He pushed open the wooden door, slipped out of the cave, and pressed it shut again to prevent any squatters from taking over while he was gone.

"It’s one in the morning, prime time for sea creatures to be active. Let’s go test our luck."

Even though there was no one in the stream, he had grown accustomed to talking to himself like this.

’If I don’t talk more in the early stages, I won’t have any desire to speak at all later on.’

He didn’t bring the stone axe, carrying only his combat knife and two strips of tree bark as he walked toward the shore under the bright moonlight.

’I don’t need to be in a rush to modify the shelter. As long as it keeps the rain out and I can sleep in it, it’s fine. Tomorrow, I’ll dig it a little deeper, then look around for some vines or bark to weave a basket. Otherwise, I won’t be able to carry back any prey I catch.’

The seaside was cool in the early morning. Chilly moonlight spilled onto the beach, making bits of sand and shell glitter.

The sea level at night was clearly much higher than it had been in the afternoon. Most of the beach was submerged, and the spot where he had knelt to sharpen his axe was now completely underwater.

’The two daily high and low tides happen at different times each day. Looks like I’ll have to spend a full day by the sea to note down the approximate times for high tide.’

Tides are affected by both the moon and the Earth. Since the moon rises fifty minutes later each day, the tides are also delayed by a corresponding fifty minutes.

Following this pattern, the tides are delayed by a full twenty-four hours about once a month. So, as long as he knew the time of high tide each day, he could roughly calculate the times for the next high and low tides.

The processes of rising and falling tide each last about six hours. This meant that when he was here in the afternoon, it was during low tide, which was why he could see the beach.

Walking on the small remaining strip of sand, he scanned the area around his feet for crabs or other sea creatures while keeping a constant eye on the waves.

The tide is fastest when it first starts to rise, then it gradually stabilizes.

If each successive wave washed closer to him, it meant the sea level was still rising. He had to maintain a safe distance to avoid being swept away.

He switched on his Hat Lamp, and a blinding light illuminated the beach.

Almost the instant the beam flared to life, he spotted several crabs standing motionless on the sand near a rock.

Their shells were mostly grayish-green with a hint of faint blue, making them look identical to the rocks without any light. No wonder he hadn’t seen them before.

"These are blue crabs, a well-known species in the waters of Panama. They’re delicious."

He had tried these things many times last week. They tasted similar to swimming crabs, with sweet and plump meat. The males were a more vibrant blue; these duller ones were all female.

’Catching crabs on the beach is best done at low tide, so I’m not in a hurry right now.’

His objective was clear: the Mangrove Forest up ahead. The beach area wasn’t his priority for now; it was a place to come to after the tide receded.

At night, the Mangrove Forest looked particularly sinister. Its dense tangle of roots resembled a demon’s claws, stabbing deep beneath the surface of the sea.

As soon as his headlamp swept over, he saw several unidentifiable fish leisurely weaving between the roots. Their lips opened and closed, and their pea-sized eyes stared blankly, as if mocking him.

’Looks like I’ll have to make a fishing spear for next time. I’ll let you go for today.’

He rolled up his pant legs and waded into the sea, boots and all.

The terrain in the Mangrove Forest was complex, not smooth like the sandy beach. There could be sharp rocks or man-made trash, and going barefoot could easily lead to a cut on the bottom of his foot.

Walking in wet shoes and socks was uncomfortable, but it was better than being forced to withdraw from the competition.

CROAK.

CROAK.

A loud croaking suddenly echoed through the Mangrove Forest, making him jump.

"Whew... Damn tree frogs. They’re so loud my ears hurt."

He frowned and instinctively walked toward the sound of the croaking, wanting to scare away the annoying creatures.