Chapter 172: The Change in Show Format

On December 21 at 4:30 p. m., the training camp gathered everyone together for a brief introduction to the instructors.

The instructors changed daily depending on the training content.

Not all these instructors were experts in wilderness survival; some were university professors, some were hospital trauma surgeons, and many specialized in only one field.

This was actually normal—not everyone is a jack-of-all-trades, and the contestants were no different, each having their own strengths.

Therefore, during the training camp, each person focused their learning accordingly.

When someone was already skilled in a field, they naturally paid little attention to the instructors' advice; when in an area they were weak in, they listened very carefully.

Coincidentally, Qin Yun was proficient in every field.

On the first day, during wilderness risk identification, he spent the entire session daydreaming.

On the second day, learning fire-starting without tools and from wet wood, in every method, he stood like an observer, and in his daze, thoughts of the instructors' mistakes surfaced in his mind.

On the third day, rapid shelter construction, he drifted through it like a spirit.

For the next several days in a row, he remained the same.

Still, though the training was boring, he did meet a few people whose personalities matched his own.

One was an American, Gerald Bris, 1.9 meters tall, built like an ox, also a streamer; another was a Canadian, Emily Garcia, female, 1.8 meters tall, also a streamer.

There was also Michael Johnson, a Black man and a former French soldier, highly experienced.

"Qin, what's this?"

Emily approached with a serrated plant in hand.

Qin Yun glanced at it and said casually, "That's poison hemlock—it's toxic. Even a small amount causes nausea, vomiting, convulsions, and difficulty breathing."

Emily set it down carelessly, smiling, her gaze toward Qin Yun filled with unhidden fondness.

"Qin, training ends tomorrow—what are your plans for tomorrow afternoon?"

Gerald and Michael exchanged a glance.

Gerald said, "Emily, you can't keep coming over just to talk to Qin—can't you find us sometimes?"

"Exactly, exactly," Michael struck a muscular pose, "Look at me—strong physique, can't I even catch your eye?"

Emily rolled her eyes and gave them both the middle finger: "Get lost, you two perverts."

"Hahaha," Guo Yao laughed uncontrollably from the side, "Gerald, Michael, you'd first need half of Brother Qin's looks before Emily might even glance your way."

Gerald protested, "What good is looks? In the wilderness, appearance is the least important thing."

"I agree," Michael declared solemnly, "Besides, where is Qin better-looking than us? Guo, that's prejudice—racial discrimination."

Guo Yao had learned well and gave them both the middle finger without hesitation.

Emily ignored them, leaning close to Qin Yun: "Qin, how about coming to my room for a drink tomorrow? I brought a bottle of my prized wine."

Qin Yun looked at her helplessly: "Emily, instead of that, why not spend the time thinking about tomorrow's filming?"

"What's there to think about?" Emily scoffed, "It'll be the same as last year—everyone already knows the situation at Lin Hu. That damn place is freezing to think about."

"This time it's actually different."

Michael suddenly whispered.

Everyone turned to look at him.

"What? Do you know something? It hasn't been announced yet," Gerald asked, puzzled.

"Not exactly insider info—I overheard it when crew members talked casually. I don't know details, but they said besides the usual wilderness survival, there'll be a competitive event added, possibly different from past years where everyone did their own thing."

"Unlikely?" Emily frowned, "A gender-based competition isn't fair to us women."

Michael shrugged: "How would I know? Details will be clear tomorrow."

On the final day, December 31, at noon.

After the last training session ended, everyone was once again gathered by the production team into a large room.

"Thank you all for your cooperation these ten days. I know many of you may already have heard hints about changes to the show—I'll explain everything in detail shortly."

The speaker was the show's director, Daniel Brown, a white man in his early fifties; George said Daniel was also a senior executive at Discovery Channel.

Daniel had someone turn on the projector and began playing a PowerPoint.

"This season's show is live-streamed!"

At these words, everyone was stunned; murmurs erupted, the room filled with noise.

"Don't worry about the live signal—each of you has been issued a drone already linked to satellite signals, so signal reception won't be an issue. That's why we spent two extra days on filming and framing techniques—you all know why now."

"As in past seasons, you'll be dropped near Lin Hu. The show runs in seven-day cycles; on the final day of each cycle, you must reach the medical checkpoint to undergo a physical exam and activate eligibility for the next week. We'll give you the map to this checkpoint when you first enter Lin Hu."

"The location of each cycle's checkpoint will be different. You'll receive the map for the second cycle's checkpoint at the same time as your exam, so finding the checkpoint will be your first challenge."

As he finished speaking, the crowd below erupted into discussion.

Some were indifferent; others felt the problem was serious.

"Brother Qin, what do you think of this?"

Qin Yun glanced at Guo Yao and whispered, "In past seasons, you just picked one spot, built a shelter, and lived day by day—but now, you'll have to cross the wilderness to find this place. The production team won't place it near the drop zone."

Guo Yao understood: "So it's kind of like your livestreaming."

"Yeah, more or less."

Daniel clapped his hands to quiet them: "Ladies and gentlemen, you don't want to be criticized for the show being repetitive, do you?"

Everyone fell silent—this was your show's problem, what does it have to do with us?

"Besides this addition, little else has changed. The show will continue until only ten contestants remain. On that day, the production team will air-drop ten tickets to the locations of the final ten."

"Tickets? What tickets?" someone shouted.

Daniel clicked his mouse; the projector displayed a key-like object, then a piece of meat appeared, wrapping around the key.

Daniel smiled: "Each of the ten will receive a locator device to track the key. You have three days to find it. Once activated, the locator cannot be turned off, and its battery lasts only three days—then it shuts down automatically."

Everyone exchanged glances.

"Meat wrapping the key—this will definitely be eaten by carnivores," Guo Yao muttered.

"So the production team also issued a locator device," Qin Yun found this interesting. "The production team clearly doesn't want contestants to have an easy time."

Daniel continued: "This round doesn't involve elimination, but without the key, it's essentially the same thing—you understand."

He switched the PPT again, revealing a red dot on the screen, with a metal box beneath it labeled: TREASURE CHEST!!

"The person who finds the key will see the treasure chest's location on their locator. Whoever retrieves the first item from the chest after opening it with the key will be the champion of this season. By the way, the final round has no time limit—even if only one person remains, they must open the treasure chest to achieve Survival succeeded. Cooperation is also not prohibited."

"And the final round still follows a seven-day cycle."

"Isn't this too entertainment-focused?" One American looked displeased.

He wasn't alone—several others also felt the show prioritized entertainment over the brutality of wilderness survival.

Daniel's smile vanished as he pointed at the screen: "This is Atlin Lake, a place with temperatures of minus thirty to forty degrees. Adding entertainment only increases your difficulty."

Everyone fell silent.

Indeed, if it were any other place, fine—but this was Atlin Lake, where January's daily high temperature barely reached minus ten degrees, and the low could dip to minus thirty-five. Survival was already brutal; now the show was adding entertainment? Too cruel.

Daniel clapped his hands, and someone brought forward a stack of pre-prepared documents.

"Each of you needs to sign three documents. Please sign them all."

Qin Yun glanced at them—they were liability waivers and personality release forms, simple in content, just a few clauses, so there was no risk of hidden legal traps.

Quickly, everyone signed their names.

Daniel pressed the spacebar again, switching the PPT: "The production team has prepared ten items for you to choose from. Each person's base outfit is a set of insulated clothing, with a button on it—pressing this button means you forfeit."

"In addition, there is one drone and two action cameras, with batteries sufficient for a week's use. All other equipment must be chosen from the ten items prepared by the production team—select three as your starting gear."

Qin Yun looked at the screen: the ten items listed were one box of matches, a simple ice axe, a military dagger, ten meters of rope, a solar-powered high-intensity flashlight, fishing line, a military canteen, a bow and arrow, an axe, and five blocks of high-energy compressed biscuits.

The items were simple; though you could choose three, some were mandatory. For example, weapons—without a weapon, hand-to-hand survival would be far too dangerous.

Many immediately fixated on the dagger and the axe.

"Qin Ye, what should I pick?"

Qin Yun thought for a moment, considering Guo Yao's livestreaming situation, and said: "Dagger, box of matches, military canteen."

He glanced at Guo Yao: "The early phase is an adaptation period—don't waste too much energy on fetching water or starting fire. Matches and the canteen will make things much easier for you. Compared to the axe and bow, the dagger is more advantageous for a girl."

Guo Yao thought it over, nodded, then shook her head: "I'm strong—I think I can handle the axe."

Qin Yun said nothing further—if her strength allowed, the axe was naturally better.

As for himself, he would definitely choose the bow and arrow—his archery skill was Master-level, the peak of human ability. With a bow in hand, danger could be reduced to the absolute minimum. As for matches, they were useless to him—starting a fire was child's play; choosing matches would be a waste of a selection slot.

So after consideration, he decided on the ten-meter rope.

Rope was extremely useful in the wild—for building shelter, climbing or descending, binding and hauling, setting traps, even emergency bleeding control.

And its uses went far beyond that.

For the third item, he considered again and chose the dagger.

"Each person is limited to three items. I hope you all last as long as possible."

The meeting ended, and everyone dispersed.

Emily and the others caught up: "Qin, what did you pick?"

Qin Yun didn't hide it: "Bow and arrow, dagger, rope."

"I picked the axe, high-intensity flashlight, and dagger."

When Qin Yun returned to his room, he found the items previously locked by the production team had been returned. He opened his phone—the official website had already revealed the format of this wilderness survival show, and Douyin was already flooded with promotion.

Netizens' comments on this change were overwhelmingly positive—eighty percent of viewers thought the production team's innovation was excellent.

"Holy shit, it's live-streamed? This wilderness survival show is going all out—fifty people streaming simultaneously, you can click on any contestant's stream to watch."

"Damn, this feels like just basic Qin Master moves."

"I feel the same—this is nothing for Qin Master."

"Hahaha, Qin Master must be laughing his ass off."

"You're thinking too simply—get familiar with Atlin Lake's environment. That's real wilderness, packed with carnivores: gray wolves, mountain lions, coyotes, brown bears, grizzlies—you name it."

"Qin Master says he can finally go on a killing spree—he's been cooped up too long in China."