Substitute Alpha Gets Confessed to by Her Ex’s Aunt on a Survival Variety Show – Chapter 117
by Little PandaThe Tenth Airdrop
Liu Yinxi swapped night watch shifts with Nan Huaixu in the middle of the night, only going to sleep at one in the morning. When her alarm went off at five, she had only slept for four hours in total.
She planned to squeeze in another two hours of sleep after grabbing the airdrop. For her, she needed to guarantee at least six hours of sleep a day, otherwise her brain easily became foggy.
The terrain surrounding the lake was flat and wide, making it much easier to find the airdrop than in the forest. Once the helicopter flew over, everything would be clearly visible.
The walk from the woods where they had spent the night to the riverbank took about twenty minutes. Liu Yinxi and Nan Huaixu had already sneaked into the bushes at the edge of the lake beach ahead of time to lie in wait.
Although they had reached the lakeside, the lake had a massive surface area and the beach was vast, making tracking the helicopter along the shore an exhausting task.
Using the cover of the woods and bushes, the two chased the rumbling helicopter for about ten minutes.
Nan Huaixu looked up at the helicopter in the sky, feeling anxious. “Why hasn’t it dropped anything yet? The rocky shoal is right ahead. It’s going to be so hot out there.”
Liu Yinxi ran while observing the helicopter’s movements and checking if there were any enemies around. “The production team doesn’t care if we bake. They’ll throw the chests wherever they want.”
“Sigh.” Nan Huaixu put on her sun hat made of rolled banana leaves, preparing herself to face the blistering sun. “Let’s do this.”
Liu Yinxi wasn’t very fond of this particular airdrop.
According to the descriptions in the original novel, if nothing went wrong, she felt the resources in this drop wouldn’t be very practical.
But having something was better than nothing. She had previously asked Nan Huaixu indirectly about her preferences: if the next airdrop could contain food, emergency supplies, or daily necessities, which would she prefer?
Nan Huaixu had chosen emergency supplies.
The helicopter dropped two airdrop chests. Neither was labeled, nor were they differentiated as Chest 1 or Chest 2; they both had identical packaging featuring the 《Survivor》 logo.
Liu Yinxi bolted straight toward the airdrop chest that had landed in a shallow puddle by the lake. At the same time, two figures burst out from the bushes to the north and the woods to the east, both targeting the other chest on the muddy flats of the shore.
Liu Yinxi secured her chest smoothly. Aside from the discomfort of being completely soaked from the waist down when she climbed out of the puddle, she faced no other difficulties.
Nan Huaixu helped her lift the chest. “This chest is huge, but it isn’t very heavy.”
Liu Yinxi walked with her under the shade of a tree, taking off her shoes and socks to spread them out on a sun-drenched rock to dry.
Nan Huaixu hesitated on when to open it. “We don’t have a shelter right now. I don’t know where to put such a massive chest.”
Liu Yinxi replied, “Yeah, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. There’s always a way. We can just make do in our sleeping spot from last night.”
Nan Huaixu patted the large chest. “Then let’s wait until your shoes are dry, take it back, and open it then.”
The primitive rainforest was boundless, and the contestants had a massive area to cover while needing to stay on guard against each other. They rarely met under normal circumstances, so Liu Yinxi always used the opportunity of grabbing airdrops to observe the status of the other two groups, and also to see if there was any business she could do.
“Hi, Xiao Yu-jie, we have a protein bar. Are you interested in trading something for it?”
“Long time no see, Luo Ling. Your meat jerky must be all gone by now, right? Oh my, why have you gotten so thin? Are you short on food?”
Yu Yan and Xue Yunshao walked toward Liu Yinxi, while Luo Ling glared at her in annoyance, sitting under another patch of shade to fan herself with a leaf.
Yu Yan asked Huang Heshan to wait for her nearby, then asked Liu Yinxi, “A protein bar? What do you want to trade it for?”
Xue Yunshao also asked Liu Yinxi, “What food do you have to trade?”
Liu Yinxi chuckled, “You’re both so reasonable. Trading instead of stealing—I’m deeply comforted.”
Standing to the side holding her own airdrop chest, Huang Heshan spoke in a cold, sharp voice. “I saw your collapsed shelter at the waterfall earlier. You don’t even have a doghouse to sleep in, where would you steal from?”
Liu Yinxi: “…”
Why was Huang Heshan like this? Always aiming straight for people’s sore spots.
Liu Yinxi retorted to Huang Heshan, “Nonsense. Teacher Nan and I are moving into our new home.”
Yu Yan gently patted Huang Heshan’s elbow, signaling her not to cause trouble.
Yu Yan negotiated with Liu Yinxi again, “I have some herbs that clear heat, detoxify, and treat colds, as well as some aloe pandan cakes and wampee fruit tea1 that I made. I’ll trade them with you for a protein bar.”
Seeing that Yu Yan had offered a price, Xue Yunshao quickly said, “Xiao Liu, I want to trade a space blanket for some of your grains. Meat is fine too, but meat is hard to preserve so we don’t need much. I also need you to give me some insect repellent.”
Liu Yinxi beamed, “Sure, sure, everything can be arranged. Let’s do this one by one.”
Nan Huaixu observed quietly without interfering.
Personally, she didn’t want to have too much contact with other people in the competition. But just as Liu Yinxi had said, they were currently in the process of moving. It would take time to familiarize themselves with the surroundings and find a new shelter, so saving energy on resource-gathering was always good.
Liu Yinxi first spoke with Yu Yan, trading a protein bar and a single cephalosporin2 capsule for the herbs Yu Yan had mentioned and a camellia chicken.
The herbs could be traded at the riverbank in two days, but the camellia chicken wasn’t guaranteed to be caught immediately. They would contact Liu Yinxi once Huang Heshan successfully hunted one.
After setting the trade time, Liu Yinxi stared at Yu Yan’s neck for a moment and said, “Xiao Yu-jie, let me give you another small bottle of mosquito repellent. You’ve been bitten so badly by mosquitoes. You should burn more mosquito repellent grass at night. They’ve bitten you until you’re bruised purple. Fortunately, there’s no swelling.”
Ever since they got the mosquito net, Liu Yinxi and Nan Huaixu had suffered far fewer bug bites. Looking at all the contestants, only the two of them had skin that still looked decent.
Hearing Liu Yinxi’s words, Yu Yan instinctively raised her hand to cover her neck, a flash of panic crossing her eyes. “Is that so? Thank you. I can’t see it myself…”
Liu Yinxi pointed from a distance. “It’s right over—”
Huang Heshan suddenly stepped in front of Yu Yan, blocking her. “Once the wild chicken is caught, I’ll pile stones at this spot. Come get it at seven in the morning on the following day.”
Liu Yinxi said, “Oh, alright.”
Huang Heshan slung the airdrop chest over one shoulder with one hand, grabbed Yu Yan’s wrist with the other, and led her away.
Liu Yinxi turned to look at the spot Huang Heshan had pointed out. Okay, she would come here to collect the camellia chicken when it was ready.
She made a mental note of it, and decided to throw in a bottle of mosquito repellent ointment for Yu Yan as a friendly gesture.
【Wait, is that really a mosquito bite on Yu Yan?】
【Why do I feel like it looks more like a bruise?】
【Did Yuyu scrape herself somewhere and get hurt?】
【Possibly.】
【Hiss, their expressions look a bit off (thinking)】
【Yunshao didn’t grab an airdrop chest again this time (breakdown)】
【I think Luo Ling is on her last legs. Once she gets eliminated, Yunshao’s life will be much easier.】
【Luo Ling is a very strong girl, could you guys not curse her?】
【Yes! Cheer for our Lingling! Go Lingling!】
【Everyone, let’s be harmonious. Yunshao and Lingling have been good friends for a long time. They have a great relationship, so we fans should get along too (cute rabbit)】
【I want to see the chest being opened! Fast forward to the unboxing, hurry! (hurry hurry)】
【This round is definitely gear. Food was dropped last round.】
【When can Manman move into a new shelter? (pitiful)】
【Xixi and Manman, settle down quickly!】
【Can Xixi focus more on Manman and stop caring so much about the other Omega contestants?】
【Me too, it’s so frustrating to watch. Last time she wanted to trade mushroom soup with Luo Ling, and this time she’s giving Yu Yan insect repellent. Sigh.】
【Can’t Liu Yinxi see that Nan Huaixu is unhappy?】
【That big dummy is probably just thinking about showing some warmth to do business (laughing-crying)】
Then she negotiated with Xue Yunshao.
Xue Yunshao’s trade item was her self-provided space blanket. She had brought a double-sized blanket, which could be split into two separate halves so she could keep one and trade the other.
A space blanket was a sheet of plastic film that looked like tin foil. Wrapping it around the body reduced the loss of body heat and moisture, making it extremely useful in cold weather or when facing hypothermia.
Liu Yinxi was more than willing to trade a small amount of food for a space blanket, especially since she had Teacher Nan, who was highly sensitive to the cold, by her side.
With a space blanket, if they ran into continuous torrential rains like they did a few days ago, she wouldn’t have to worry about Teacher Nan freezing like that again…
Liu Yinxi said to Xue Yunshao, “I’ll trade a small bag of grains and a small lizard with you. The lizard is alive, so you don’t have to worry about the meat going bad. As long as you keep it confined and give it some water, it won’t be a problem for it to stay alive for a week.”
Xue Yunshao was just about to smile and agree when Luo Ling frowned and said, “I don’t want to eat lizards. They look so disgusting. I can’t take it…”
Xue Yunshao quickly coaxed her, “Lingling, you’ve been eating wild fruits for several days, and you barely eat fish. If you don’t eat anything else, your body really won’t hold out. I promise I’ll cook it when you’re not looking. I’ll cut it into tiny meat pieces. You won’t have to look at it, just eat it, okay?”
Luo Ling was somewhat reluctant. “But Yunshao, we have to trade rice…”
Luo Ling turned to Liu Yinxi. “Besides, we can wait until you get the camellia chicken before trading. We don’t even need the good parts like chicken wings or legs. Just give us some chicken breast and organs.”
Xue Yunshao also looked at Liu Yinxi. “Xiao Liu, Lingling’s body does indeed need nutrients. Since they are both meat, and you have plenty of supplies anyway, please trade us something Lingling actually wants to eat.”
Liu Yinxi: “?”
What did they mean by “since they are both meat”?
Was the difficulty of catching a lizard even remotely on the same level as catching a wild camellia chicken?
And what did she mean by “you have plenty of supplies anyway, so trade us something Luo Ling wants to eat”?
Who said she and Nan Huaixu had plenty of supplies? This was wilderness survival; how could anyone have “plenty” of supplies?
What, was she supposed to feel bad for her competitors in a survival match and sacrifice herself for others?
Unbelievable. A surge of nameless anger welled up inside her…
Before Liu Yinxi could figure out how to respond to these two, Nan Huaixu stepped between her and Xue Yunshao. She held her head high and said, “Then starve.”
Liu Yinxi: “…”
Xue Yunshao: “…”
Luo Ling: “?!”
Luo Ling bit her lower lip, her large, watery eyes filling with tears. “Aunt! You know I’m allergic to a lot of foods. My taste buds have been sensitive since I was a child. I can tell the difference between battery-farmed and antibiotic-free eggs with a single bite. Those wild things are so gamey and have parasites. Only the camellia chicken tastes better, and I wasn’t even asking for the prime cuts… I… I’m really hungry. Please, Aunt, my dearest Aunt~”
Nan Huaixu ignored her niece’s wheedling. “Then withdraw from the competition.”
She picked up the airdrop chest and called out to Liu Yinxi, “Don’t trade a single grain of rice. I want to eat all of it.”
Liu Yinxi stood straight at attention. “Yes, Captain!”
Liu Yinxi followed behind Nan Huaixu. She glanced back at Luo Ling, who was on the verge of tears, and Xue Yunshao, who was gently comforting her. She suddenly felt they made a very good match.
No wonder Luo Ling had been bitterly in love with Xue Yunshao for so many years in the original book.
After all, who else in this world but Xue Yunshao would treat Luo Ling so well?
From ahead came Nan Huaixu’s icy voice. “If you want to look at your ex-girlfriend so badly, go ahead.”
Liu Yinxi snapped her head forward. “No, I don’t want to look.”
A cold sweat broke out on her back for some reason.
Why did Teacher Nan always call Luo Ling her “ex-girlfriend” whenever she mentioned her?
It felt like Teacher Nan was really angry… It seemed Nan Huaixu’s relationship with her niece Luo Ling was much worse than she had imagined.
Liu Yinxi made up her mind: she would never do business with Luo Ling and Xue Yunshao ever again.
Back at their temporary campsite, Nan Huaixu opened the airdrop chest.
Footnotes
- Wampee, or 'huángpíguǒ', is a small, citrus-like tropical fruit native to Southeast Asia and southern China, often used in herbal teas and traditional medicine for its digestive and cooling properties.
- Cephalosporin, or 'tóubāo', is a class of broad-spectrum antibiotics. In China, it is commonly used as a colloquial blanket term for antibiotics prescribed for minor infections and colds.
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