Chapter 344

“Thump-thump! Thump-thump!”

As Xiao Yi was lost in thought, a sound of helicopter rotors suddenly filled the sky, and three dark dots flew toward him from afar.

Seeing this, Xiao Yi couldn’t help but smile faintly, then muttered to himself.

“Already here so soon?”

Not long after Xiao Yi spoke, the helicopter noise grew louder, and three helicopters appeared before his eyes.

The lynx kitten was fine—it had seen these flying “steel beasts” before.

But the rough-legged hawk, having never witnessed such a scene, immediately hid itself in Xiao Yi’s arms.

Seeing this, Xiao Yi gently stroked the rough-legged hawk, soothing its fear.

The helicopters slowly descended nearby and came to a complete stop atop the snow.

Then, a drone flew out first from one of the helicopters, followed by a stream of rescue personnel in uniform stepping down.

The moment Xiao Yi saw the familiar drone emerge, he froze—why were the rescuers bringing a drone livestream?

Meanwhile, viewers in the drone livestream erupted in excitement upon spotting Xiao Yi.

“Damn, it really is Xiao Shen! My Xiao Shen is alive!”

“Is this where Xiao Yi set up camp yesterday? That snow wall? The reindeer? This place doesn’t look anything like his camp from yesterday—this blizzard changed everything.”

“The lynx kitten and the rough-legged hawk are both still alive—good.”

“Wait, is that fallen pine tree where Xiao Yi’s tent was? I swear there wasn’t a pine tree there when he built his shelter!”

“Look, there are four dead reindeer—how did all four of them die? So tragic.”

“I don’t see anything wrong here! It doesn’t look like the blizzard hit at all.”

“Heh, look at the rescue team—now you’ll understand what happened here yesterday.”

“…”

“…”

“Holy shit, the snow’s up to half the rescue team’s bodies! Every step they take looks agonizing—I actually believe it now.”

“It’s terrifying—Xiao Yi’s tent isn’t even buried or covered by snow. Of course Xiao Yi is still awesome.”

“Can anyone really survive a disaster like this? Seeing Xiao Yi alive, I can’t even believe it.”

“I can’t imagine what kind of horror Xiao Yi and his companions endured last night.”

…

…

The moment they saw Xiao Yi, the entire livestream exploded with excitement.

Netizens immediately began discussing it, and viewers first noticed how drastically the surroundings of Xiao Yi’s camp had changed.

Of course, some viewers still doubted whether the area had truly experienced the super blizzard.

Maybe it was just a stunt by the production team to attract viewers.

But the instant the rescue team stepped off the helicopters, all doubt vanished.

No one questioned anymore whether the blizzard had struck here yesterday.

At that moment, Xiao Yi stood up and picked up his shovel to help clear a path.

Soon, the rescue team reached Xiao Yi.

The first person to step forward spoke.

“Xiao Shen, you’re safe—thank goodness!”

Xiao Yi “… ”

Hearing this, Xiao Yi was momentarily dumbfounded—the words seemed harmless, yet somehow awkward.

Then the man introduced himself: “Xiao Shen, I’m the lead organizer of this rescue mission. My name is Wang Ming!”

“Hello, Mr. Wang! Thank you so much for coming.”

“No trouble at all, no trouble at all!”

Upon hearing Xiao Yi’s words, Wang Ming, the rescue team’s lead organizer, quickly waved his hands.

He continued: “Xiao Shen, our first priority was confirming your absolute safety—and now that we’ve seen you, our main mission is accomplished.”

“Secondly, Mr. Li ordered us to temporarily hand over the No.1 livestream drone to you.”

Hearing this, Xiao Yi looked up at the unfamiliar yet vaguely familiar drone above him.

He couldn’t help but mentally grumble: “Mr. Li really never misses a chance for showmanship—even during a rescue.”

Still, Xiao Yi nodded indifferently and said:

“I understand. Have you eaten? Would you like to join me for some food?”

The rescue team “… ”

Upon hearing this, the rescue team glanced at the pot of meat simmering there, then all couldn’t help but smile wryly.

“This guy really doesn’t need rescuing—his lifestyle seems even more comfortable than ours.”

Then Wang Ming sighed and said: “We won’t disturb you, Xiao Shen. Team Leader Shen and the others are still waiting for our help.”

Of course, Wang Ming couldn’t help mentally grumbling:

“Do you think everyone’s as insane and lucky as you? Surviving a disaster like this completely unscathed?”

Hearing Wang Ming say this, Xiao Yi instantly realized.

He quickly asked with concern: “How is Team Leader Shen? Does the production team know their exact location?”

He had a decent relationship with Shen Meng, so he naturally worried about Shen Meng’s safety.

After all, Shen Meng and his team had come into this wilderness to protect him.

Hearing Xiao Yi’s question, Wang Ming didn’t hide anything—he spoke with a bitter tone:

“The situation isn’t optimistic. Shen’s rescue team scattered.”

“When they left, many team members were already injured. Team Leader Shen was with the injured team member Hong Liu…”

Wang Ming spoke at length, recounting everything the production team knew about what the rescue team had endured afterward.

“So you’re saying all communication devices in the rescue team have lost signal? That means you don’t know their location at all?”

Xiao Yi summarized Wang Ming’s words and asked again.

Seeing Xiao Yi ask this, Wang Ming nodded.

Then he added: “We’re not completely without information. Based on the blizzard’s speed and the maximum speed of snowmobiles, we estimate Shen’s team was active within a fifty-li radius.”

“So we plan to conduct a grid search within this fifty-li area.”

“Of course, if anyone was caught in the blizzard, that’s another matter.”

Hearing this, Xiao Yi nodded in agreement.

Before the blizzard hit, the rescue team had at most half an hour to escape.

In Xiao Yi’s view, Wang Ming’s search radius was already greatly expanded—he believed a thirty-li radius would suffice.

“How do you plan to conduct the search?”

Xiao Yi asked further—he wanted to join.

“Air and ground coordination! Air search using helicopters, ground search using snowmobiles—but given current conditions, snowmobiles may not work. We’ve reported the situation, and Mr. Li is arranging two large snow-clearing machines to arrive.”

“Understood. I won’t interfere with your rescue efforts. But I have an important announcement to make.”

Hearing this, everyone froze and turned to look at Xiao Yi.

No one knew what major news he could possibly have.

“Ladies and gentlemen, during yesterday’s blizzard, I began to reflect—I’ve decided it’s time to leave this show.”

"Everyone, I've been thinking since yesterday's blizzard—I think it's time for me to leave this show."

“…”

Everyone stood stunned, many doubting their ears.

Upon hearing this, everyone froze, many even doubting their own ears.

The entire livestream erupted—live comments on the No.1 stream even froze from overload.

This news was seismic for everyone.

“Guys, did I just hallucinate? Xiao Shen said he’s quitting the show today.”

“This isn’t real, this isn’t real, this isn’t real!”

“Why?! Xiao Shen has no reason to quit!”

“I don’t get it—why quit now?”

“Even though Xiao Shen’s contract entitles him to twenty million after today, with his current condition, the final ten days should’ve been easy—another ten million!”

“Did the blizzard scare Xiao Shen? But the super blizzard’s already gone!”

“Don’t be ridiculous—is Xiao Shen the kind of guy who’s easily frightened?”

"Don't talk nonsense—I'm Xiao Shen; do you think I'm some naive bumpkin?"

…

As soon as Xiao Yi announced his exit, the livestream went wild.

Netizens were saying all kinds of things.

Most, however, couldn’t understand his decision.

After all, the blizzard named “Wind King” had already passed.

The danger of survival here had dropped to its lowest point.

The danger Xiao Yi faced in surviving here had been reduced to the minimum.

With Xiao Yi’s wilderness survival skills, surviving ten days until the show ends is no problem at all.

At this moment, to everyone’s eyes, Xiao Yi had no reason to quit the current show.

Wang Ming, who had just arrived, also snapped out of his shock.

The other members of the rescue team also looked toward Xiao Yi with puzzled expressions.

“Why? Xiao Shen, you have no need to quit the show now!”

At that moment, Wang Ming asked, in a daze, the question that tens of millions wanted to ask.

Wang Ming knew this would truly cause an “earthquake”; he believed the base had already received the news.

The production team, especially Li Yong, naturally did not want Xiao Yi to quit now.

In fact, Wang Ming could already picture Li Yong’s expression at this moment.

After all, although the show was nearing its end, the production team still wanted to cause more trouble for their longtime rival, Shoushou.

As for the money issue—it wasn’t an issue at all.

Even if they gave him another ten million on top of the final ten days’ prize, as long as the production team controlled the traffic, they wouldn’t mind.

Because Xiao Yi was worth it.

Moreover, Xiao Yi had just survived a disaster, making this the moment with the most buzz.

If the production team handled it well, the final ten days might even spark a new climax, laying a solid foundation for the next season.

Xiao Yi’s quitting now would, for the production team, be undeniably anticlimactic—and it disrupted several of their plans.

…

…

“What the hell is this kid doing? Even if he wants to quit, he should’ve notified the production team in advance!”

Just as Wang Ming had guessed, inside the base’s control room, “Li’s Roar” made a comeback.

Upon hearing Xiao Yi announce he was quitting today, Li Yong instantly felt his blood pressure spike to two hundred.

The joy of finding Xiao Yi vanished in an instant; now, Li Yong was so furious he trembled all over.

When the others in the base heard this, their heads went numb, then filled with blank confusion.

Xiao Yi announcing his exit meant the show was over—he was the last remaining contestant.

The production team had certainly imagined the day the show would end, but such suddenness still left everyone’s minds buzzing.

Afterward, everyone’s emotions were mixed, but seeing Li Yong still roaring, they all fell silent in perfect unison, waiting for his outburst to end.

Everyone knew Li Yong was in a rage now; anyone who spoke up risked being yelled at.

Finally, after roaring for three minutes, Li Yong slowly calmed down.

Then, a strange sense of emptiness settled in his chest.

“Wilderness Challenge: 100 Days in the Arctic” meant something extraordinary to Li Yong.

Through this show, he achieved great success and even received a promotion; he had unique feelings for it.

Afterward, Li Yong spoke with reason.

“The production team’s top priority now is the rescue mission—ensure all personnel are rescued promptly. Second… prepare arrangements for the show’s conclusion.”

Since Xiao Yi had already announced his exit live, nothing else mattered—there was no point in overthinking.

…

…

Of course, everyone was still waiting for Xiao Yi’s answer—even the people in the base’s control room were waiting.

Hearing this, Xiao Yi smiled slightly and said:

“Everyone, what did you think after getting off the helicopter? Given this environment, can I still continue? Also, my tent is destroyed—that’s a major factor.”

Upon hearing this, every member of the rescue team turned to look at the path they had come from, and fell silent.

Right—they had only thought Xiao Yi could survive ten more days, but everyone had forgotten the surrounding environment: this place no longer allowed Xiao Yi to set out again.

After all, snow nearly a meter deep made even walking difficult.

“More importantly, I want to join your rescue efforts. Captain Shen and the others know me well—even Captain Shen himself could be called a friend. Now they’re trapped in this wilderness because of me; I feel I must participate in this rescue.”