Substitute Alpha Gets Confessed to by Her Ex’s Aunt on a Survival Variety Show – Chapter 8

Fighting for the Airdrop Crate

Wristband date: April 10th.

Faint dawn light filtered through the shelter’s roof, dappling the light green banana leaves.

Beep beep beep beep.

Beep beep beep beep.

In her sleep, Nan Huaixu heard the wristband’s alarm grow clearer and clearer. Her eyelids fluttered, and she opened her eyes. The banana leaves above cast a hazy green glow, and the distant calls of birds and insects reminded her that she was in a primeval rainforest where dangers lurked on all sides. The realization woke her instantly.

The early morning rainforest still carried the chill of the night. Nan Huaixu sat up, her hardshell jacket still on, and raised her wrist to check the time. One minute past six.

Time to get up and prepare. The airdrop was at seven.

“Liu Yin—” Nan Huaixu looked to her right. The shelter was empty, without a trace of the other person.

Nan Huaixu was a light sleeper; as long as an alarm went off, she would hear it. Liu Yinxi had said yesterday that she’d set an alarm. It was impossible for Liu Yinxi’s wristband to have rung without her hearing it. The only explanation was that Liu Yinxi had woken up naturally ahead of time.

Why did Liu Yinxi wake up so early without waking me? Did she go to the bathroom? Anyway, I should eat something and head to the beach. The airdrop is about to happen.

Nan Huaixu rolled over, put her knees down, and carefully crawled out of the shelter. She put on her hiking shoes. The campfire outside had been kept going all night, crackling away in the stone stove.

She saw horn bananas and an opened green coconut placed on a rock by the stove, along with boiled fiddlehead ferns served in an aluminum mess tin. This was the breakfast Liu Yinxi had prepared for her.

Nan Huaixu picked up the aluminum mess tin. It was only faintly warm, which meant Liu Yinxi had been gone for at least half an hour.

Perhaps it was a stress reaction to the new environment, but Nan Huaixu wasn’t very hungry. The food she had hastily eaten yesterday had left her stomach with a dull ache. But there was no need to waste medicine on such a minor discomfort. She sat, rubbing her stomach while eating breakfast. After she had some of the warm fiddlehead fern soup, the discomfort in her abdomen slowly faded.

Nan Huaixu tilted her head back and drank the fiddlehead fern and coconut water soup from the mess tin. The texture was a bit slimy, like okra, and the combination of the ferns’ earthy taste and the coconut’s light sweetness wasn’t good, but it wasn’t terrible either. Food was precious in the wild; nothing could be wasted.

She set down the mess tin, picked up the last horn banana, and peeled it. She noticed that someone had used a branch to scratch something in the black ash next to the stone stove. The wind had smudged it a bit, but on closer inspection, she could make out a few words: I went to the shipwreck.

Liu Yinxi had gone to fight for the airdrop alone!

Nan Huaixu shot to her feet, half a horn banana still in her mouth. She grabbed her Mora knife and fire starter and hurried toward the beach.

Fighting for an airdrop was different from foraging for resources. When foraging, if you found something, it was yours; if you didn’t, you went without. There was usually no conflict involved.

Airdrops were different. The supplies were placed there in plain sight, with four teams of guests eyeing them like tigers.¹

Based on past seasons of 《Survivor》, it wasn’t uncommon for contestants to get into fights on their way to the airdrop if they failed to secure it. Some guests even employed the tactic of “when the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman profits,”² insidiously waiting to pick off the winners. Therefore, two people fighting for an airdrop together had a much higher success rate than one person alone.

Although Nan Huaixu rarely interacted with her Big Niece³ and had only met her ex-girlfriend a few times, based on her niece’s complaints and her own past encounters with Liu Yinxi, Liu Yinxi was, without a doubt, the weakest alpha she had ever met in all respects, bar none.

Liu Yinxi didn’t work or go out. She stayed cooped up at home all day, eating takeout and watching romance dramas. At Ying Luoling’s⁴ request, she would occasionally run on the treadmill or lift some dumbbells.

If such a weak Liu Yinxi were to get into a conflict with the other guests, their team’s first chance for medical assistance would probably be used up right here.

The more Nan Huaixu thought about it, the more worried she became. She couldn’t help but quicken her pace, jogging toward the shipwreck on the beach.

The sun was rising, and time ticked by.

The trees ahead gradually thinned out, and a line of pale yellow sand came into view. Her vision suddenly opened up.⁵

Nan Huaixu turned south, running toward the shipwreck along the edge where the beach met the jungle.

Before she could even see the shipwreck, Nan Huaixu spotted a plume of orange smoke floating in the sky far beyond the trees. The thin trail of smoke rose straight into the clouds. Anyone who climbed a tree would be able to see it from anywhere on the western side of the forest park’s mountain range.

The colored smoke was a signal indicating the airdrop package. It was a hint to prevent guests from being unable to find the drop zone. After the airdrop landed, they could use this signal to search for it.

But if you couldn’t stake out the airdrop point in advance, waiting until the next morning to follow the colored smoke would be too slow. In the first four seasons, the more capable guests would always stake out the location ahead of time. Otherwise, they could only pick through what others left behind, or worse, come back empty-handed.

As Nan Huaixu ran, she scanned the vicinity for any trace of other guests.

The beach to her right widened, and a portion of a protruding ship’s hull appeared in her line of sight.

She slowed down, using the cover of the trees to approach the beach. She could see four camouflage-colored crates lying at the edge of the shipwreck. Each was about the size of a takeout delivery box, printed with the 《Survivor》 flame logo. There was something taped to them, but it was too far to see clearly.

Nan Huaixu checked her wristband. The current time was 7:03 AM, meaning the airdrop had just landed.

She dropped to the ground in the tall grass, holding her breath and observing for a moment. There was no movement around.

Strange. Liu Yinxi arrived a long time ago, and I don’t see any other teams. Why hasn’t she grabbed an airdrop crate?

Listening to her pounding heart, Nan Huaixu clutched the collar of her jacket, steeled herself, and decided to grab one herself.

She placed her hands on the ground, lifted her hips, and was just about to sprint forward when suddenly, her eyes, which had been fixed on the shipwreck, constricted.

Two figures burst onto the beach at the same time!

One shot out from the coconut grove to the north, and the other darted out from the mangrove forest to the south. The two shadows zipped past Nan Huaixu’s eyes in a flash.

The salty sea breeze scraped past her cheeks and ears as the orange smoke diffused into the surrounding air.

Liu Yinxi felt a powerful gust of air coming from the opposite direction. The person hiding in the mangrove forest was here.

Liu Yinxi’s eyesight was excellent. Even from a distance, she could see the labels on the four airdrop crates: self-heating military rations, instant noodles, compressed biscuits, and bread.

The rule for claiming airdrops was first come, first served. Each team was only allowed to take one crate.

Liu Yinxi sprinted toward the crate of self-heating military rations, leaping forward with a huge stride.

Her feet landed in the white sand. Arm swinging, she reached out to grab it!

A grin spread across Liu Yinxi’s face. Her smile, determined to win,⁶ was shattered by a leg kicking toward her.

In less than the blink of an eye, the woman who had charged at her snatched the military ration crate from right under her nose.

Liu Yinxi’s brow furrowed in anger. This bastard had hidden in the opposite woods, playing a game of “I won’t move if the enemy doesn’t move” with her for so long, and now she was crashing in to steal it. She really had no martial ethics.⁷

There are other toys here, little friend. Go eat your biscuits and bread. Be good.

Liu Yinxi gave chase, using a grappling hand⁸ to seize her opponent’s shoulder. But the woman ducked to the right, nimbly rolling sideways to dodge. She tossed the crate, spun around, and threw a straight punch. Liu Yinxi sidestepped it and rushed forward to intercept the crate.

The airdrop crate fell from the air, its shadow just hitting the ground as a hand clamped onto it from each side.

Liu Yinxi hugged the left side of the crate and pulled hard. The woman gripped the right side and yanked with equal force.

The morning sun hung high, its dazzling light shining down on them. Liu Yinxi squinted, finally getting a clear look at her opponent’s face. She had strong brows, a high nose, and wheat-colored skin. A sticker with the number “7” was on her throat. Her lower body stance was incredibly stable, and the muscles on her forearms bulged in beautiful curves. Her pair of narrow eyes were like those of a lone wolf, her murderous gaze coiling around like silken threads from a knife, ready to strangle any opponent who let their guard down.

Facing such a chilling gaze up close, a shiver ran up Liu Yinxi’s scalp. This aura of someone who would kill gods who blocked the way and slay buddhas who stood in the path⁹—it had to be her.

Huang Heshan.

The big shot alpha who won the competition in the original book. The profile she gave the production team was that of a private bodyguard for a well-known international security company, but in reality, she was a mercenary from the Caspian Sea war zone. She was on this show because a previous job had made her some enemies, and she wanted to use the media exposure for self-preservation and to raise her profile to find her next employer.

Liu Yinxi frowned, her mind racing.

When it came to wilderness survival experience, she was definitely better than Huang Heshan. When it came to physical fitness and combat tactics, she was slightly inferior… though it wasn’t impossible to surpass her with diligent training in the future, ahem.

This was a nationally broadcasted live show, watched by tens, even hundreds of millions of pairs of eyes. Huang Heshan wouldn’t go too hard, would she? Food was crucial for survival, and the military rations were the best item in this airdrop, providing carbs, protein, vitamins, and various other nutrients. Liu Yinxi wasn’t about to give up without a fight¹⁰ when such a good thing was within her grasp!

Liu Yinxi looked up and saw that Huang Heshan was also sizing her up, like a wolf assessing its prey.

The corner of Liu Yinxi’s mouth curled up. She hugged the crate with both hands and pulled back with all her might. Huang Heshan also increased her force, pulling to the right. Seizing the moment Huang Heshan exerted herself, Liu Yinxi suddenly let go. The immense inertia sent Huang Heshan stumbling backward. Liu Yinxi dropped into a crouch and aimed a sweeping kick at Huang Heshan’s feet.

She missed.

Huang Heshan held the crate with one hand and supported herself on the ground with the other, flipping over gracefully. Seeing that she was about to run, Liu Yinxi once again used a grappling hand to grab her arm.

“Liu Yinxi!”

Nan Huaixu’s anxious shout came from the side. “Liu Yinxi, stop fighting! There are still three other airdrop crates! Be careful, don’t get hurt!”

Hearing her tense words, Liu Yinxi’s heart warmed, and a gentle light flickered in her eyes. She hadn’t expected Nan Huaixu to care about her so much after just one day together.

Huang Heshan had no intention of getting entangled in the first place. Seeing that her opponent’s backup had arrived, she was even less inclined to waste time. She dodged Liu Yinxi’s attempt to block her and tried to run. Liu Yinxi reached under her arm, trying to knock the crate out of her grip, but Huang Heshan saw through her intention and blocked with an elbow strike.

The elbow connected with Liu Yinxi’s shoulder.

Nan Huaixu ran over, clutching the airdrop crate of instant noodles. “Liu Yinxi, watch out!”

Nan Huaixu had already chosen her supplies. Liu Yinxi felt there was no point in fighting anymore, and things would only get more chaotic when the other guests arrived. So, she gave up the struggle, letting the force of Huang Heshan’s block send her tumbling onto the beach. “Aiyo! That hurts!”

Huang Heshan took a few steps with the crate before hearing the cry of pain. She turned back and saw the woman who had just shown such skill now collapsed on the ground, groaning. A trace of confusion appeared in Huang Heshan’s cold eyes. What’s going on? My elbow barely touched her shoulder.

Liu Yinxi clutched her chest, curled up in the sand. “Wuu… Nan-jiejie, my chest hurts so, so much.”

---

---