Chapter 303 - 201: Idol-Level Treatment

Chapter 303: Chapter 201: Idol-Level Treatment

"That’s right. You’re not mistaken. Waterspouts mainly form over tropical seas. The climate in America is relatively cold, so this kind of thing doesn’t happen. At most, you’d see a tornado on land."

"However, the conditions for a tornado to form are very demanding. Most people go their whole lives without ever seeing one. The fact that we encountered one means we’re lucky."

"You can have that kind of luck. I don’t really want it."

Lin Chen glanced at her, a smile playing on his lips.

’If she can joke, it means her head’s back on straight.’ He wouldn’t have to keep trying to figure out how to comfort her—a job that was really not his forte.

After the waterspout appeared, the surrounding gales surprisingly died down significantly. The bamboo-slat roof, which had been vibrating wildly in the wind, finally began to settle.

Even so, the gaps between the bamboo slats at the roof’s edge had noticeably widened.

If not for the second layer of bamboo slats on top holding them down, they probably would have been blown away long ago.

He lifted a bamboo pole and tapped a few times, nudging the displaced slats back into position to prevent any mishaps.

The waterspout came and went quickly. It lasted for only about half an hour before silently dissipating.

"Phew... That scared me to death."

At the edge of the river valley on the other side of the Mangrove Forest, Andre huddled in a cave, a wry smile on his face. He sighed, gazing at a pile of bamboo not far away that had completely collapsed.

That had been the shelter he’d built. This cave, carved into an earthen bank, was meant to be a storeroom, deliberately dug some distance off the ground.

To think that his new home, which hadn’t even been standing for twenty-four hours, would be hit by such a ridiculous storm and blown completely to pieces.

If he didn’t have this cave to hide in, he’d probably have been drenched in the rain all morning.

"My bamboo hut collapsed. I wonder if Lin’s did too?"

He didn’t even have to guess; Lin Chen was definitely at his new shelter.

During their meal yesterday, Lin Chen had said he would be doing the finishing work today. Andre had been woken by the thunder at dawn and had a feeling it was about to rain, so there was no way Lin Chen would leave his unfinished shelter unattended.

As the waterspout dissipated, the storm also began to subside. The oppressive, dark clouds had noticeably thinned, allowing a faint glimmer of light to peek through.

Andre looked up at the sky.

"Looks like the rain won’t stop anytime soon. To be safe, I’d better not go out today."

It wasn’t that he was worried about getting a little wet; his constitution could handle it. The key issue was that for a day or two after a downpour, it would be impossible to find dry firewood, which meant he wouldn’t be able to start a fire.

If he went out now, he’d have to spend at least two days in wet clothes, which was just asking for trouble.

He sat back down inside the cave, blocked the entrance with a bamboo barricade, and tapped on his screen.

"Can someone go check on how Lin is doing? Does anyone know anything about the other contestants?"

The words had barely left his mouth when a viewer’s comment popped up.

[Lin was just eating grilled fish with Erica in the bamboo hut.]

[I don’t really get what Erica is thinking, but maybe this is the power of an idol. She actually ran through the rain to grill fish for Lin. Even if it was part of their agreement yesterday, that’s a little too much.]

[Looks to me like you’re just jealous he’s got a pretty fan keeping him warm.]

What?

’Erica ran through a downpour to make grilled fish for Lin?’

Andre blinked, thinking he must have misread it. He quickly scrolled back up to double-check the message.

After confirming his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him, he thought about it. ’Yeah, that does sound like something Erica would do.’

’The girl followed her idol all the way to Wild Survival in Panama. What’s grilling a fish for him compared to that?’

’Besides, Lin made them a delicious meal yesterday, and they did make a verbal agreement. It’s actually pretty reasonable.’

"I want to eat grilled fish, too. Why doesn’t anyone come grill some for me?"

He sighed, retrieved two oranges from beside the wall, and cut them in half.

"Come to think of it, I picked these oranges near Lin’s shelter last time. They taste better than I expected, pretty sweet. This should be enough for breakfast."

He didn’t bother peeling them, just stuffed a half into his mouth and took a large bite. He savored the sensation of the sweet and sour juice bursting across his tongue, the slightly bitter, fresh fragrance of the peel filling his senses as he chewed.

When surviving on the coast, besides getting essential fats, the most important thing is to ensure you’re getting enough vitamins.

This was a lesson proven long ago by sailors in the West during the Age of Sail. Plus, he’d experimented himself and found that eating the peel along with the fruit had noticeable health benefits.

[So far today, eleven contestants have already dropped out.]

[It’s only been eight days, and eighteen out of fifty contestants have dropped out. This is intense!]

Lin Chen returned to the bottom of the cellar, using the residual heat from the bamboo charcoal to warm himself.

At Erica’s strong insistence, he’d had to take off his soaked shirt and pants and hang them by the fire to dry. He now sat cross-legged, wrapped awkwardly in a banana leaf.

’I was always calling her an exhibitionist, and now I’m the one who’s stripped down.’ He finally shut up, but under Erica’s unwavering gaze, he felt completely restless.

"I was just looking at the chat. The viewers said that a total of eighteen contestants have dropped out, with eleven dropping out this morning alone."

"Isn’t that a good thing? You’re one step closer to winning the championship. Congratulations."

For once, Erica wasn’t spouting nonsense, but was carrying on a normal conversation with him.