BXBX NOVEL Chapter 276: 273: Rocky Mountains
As the helicopter began its ascent, a line of crimson numbers appeared in the top left corner of the live broadcast room and started to pulsate.
Three hundred-hour countdown!
Thoughts flashed through the viewers’ minds like lightning. Everyone was crystal clear about the game’s rules, and upon seeing the countdown-like notation, they instantly grasped its significance.
Bi Fang clutched the ladder rope and climbed back into the cabin. At that moment, rows of equipment had already begun operating, and the other two helicopters had completed dropping off competitors.
Huge screens started displaying thirty-two separate scenes, each manipulated by different crew members, while the chief director selected exciting footage to broadcast onto the giant screen directly in front of Bi Fang. The images Bi Fang saw were the same as those on Discovery Channel.
Such multi-camera operations were quite intricate, demanding high levels of expertise from commentators—who either knew their stuff or didn’t—and even that wasn’t enough. They had to instantly comprehend what the competitors were doing, or they’d struggle to keep up with the pace of perspective shifts.
Otherwise, what kind of commentary would it be if, after explaining someone’s tent-building technique, the feed switched to another person and took ages to figure out?
The quicker commentators were to get ahead, the more it testified to their skill level, and the more it stoked the viewers’ enthusiasm, providing everyone with a sense of predictive thrill.
If even competitors didn’t grasp what they should be doing, and the commentator made it clear, then that was truly impressive.
Bi Fang was such an individual.
Simultaneously, viewers in the broadcast room had a wider array of choices: they could follow Bi Fang and watch a multi-angle version of Discovery Channel, or they could independently switch to observe their preferred survivalist, accommodating the preferences of all.
Fifteen competitors, each with a wealth of information so extensive that it would be a challenge to choose whom to focus on without the experience of having directed Wilderness Survivalist—it seemed every single one of them was critical, far more thrilling than a regular broadcast!
Bi Fang sat before the large screen, fiddling with a map of the Rocky Mountains and showing it to the audience while approximately circling the challengers’ locations.
“The Rocky Mountains extend far from north to south, with significant climatic variations. The northern end experiences Arctic climate while the southern tip has a tropical fringe climate. Thus, survival requirements differ by area. It’s February now, but within the same region, some places are still blanketed with snow, while others have already sprung with grass.
We’re located in the middle where it was still quite cold when I went down, with temperatures around just five degrees Celsius. Hence, our competitors’ first challenge is to construct a warm and comfortable shelter—otherwise, they could very well succumb to a cold on the first night.
Those of you who have watched my shows know just how miserable it is to catch a cold in the wild, especially in a competitive situation. An early cold could make it extremely challenging to persist. Early stages are critical for establishing sufficient survival resources. Fall behind at the start, and you’ll be trailing throughout, making victory nearly impossible later on.
So if someone catches a cold, that’s undoubtedly a deduction in my book. Of course, if someone still manages to create a decent advantage despite the cold, a deduction could just as well turn into bonus points.”
Bi Fang served as both the commentator and the judge and naturally had to live up to his responsibilities. Inability to build a shelter to fend off severe cold on the first night was a sign of lack of competence, marking the need for a little ‘X’.
However, some people naturally had weaker physiques and were prone to catching a cold from minimal exposure. So perseverance in the face of sickness was considered a highlight in his eyes.
[Damn, I’m getting a boss vibe here, like he’s got the power of life and death!]
[I don’t know why, but what Old Fang said just sounds so cool!]
[I wanna be masterful like Master Fang too!]
[I really wish someone would jump out right now and say, “If you’re so capable, then go for it. You do nothing but whine. You wouldn’t last even a day (dog head emoji, double safety)]
[Master Fang: I could totally do it, and I’d knock ’em all down too, so fierce!]
[Sitting atop the golden throne, Master Fang lifts his head high, baring his neck. With a single kick, he flings open the heavy chest, and coins scatter across the floor. He sneers, “Entertain me to your heart’s content! The winner takes it all!”]
[Awesome, he’s got the vibe of an overbearing CEO. An overbearing adventurer!]
Bi Fang ignored the excited viewers and opened the mini-map in the upper left corner, a map with green dots representing the real-time positions of each person, located via a wristband GPS.
If someone’s status became too poor — for example, with a temperature too high or too low — the green dot would turn orange, requiring constant attention. And if the deviation was too large, the orange would become red. Regardless of whether the person agreed, it would be considered a disqualification, and they would be sent to a hospital for treatment.
In addition to player positions, the mini-map also showed golden points, three in total, which were the locations of the cabins. Even the closest contestant was a hundred kilometers from the nearest cabin.
Every day at noon, a signal flare would be launched from the direction of the cabins. At this time, contestants could decide whether or not to head towards the cabins, and the direction was significantly off the correct survival route. If contestants chose to go, they would need to take a detour.
A gamble worth considering — going there would certainly waste some time, but perhaps one could acquire unexpected gains.
[What’s inside the cabin?]
[Yeah, yeah, tell us, Old Fang]
“I can’t give spoilers.”
Bi Fang shook his head, refusing the audience’s requests. He was concerned that some viewers, knowing details, might inform the contestants through comments, even though the comments were screened by the staff.
One can never be too sure if a contestant has arranged for someone outside to use coded language, or fit strange punctuations into normal conversations as a signal — it’s impossible to guard against such tactics. It’s better to stay silent altogether.
After all, it’s a hundred thousand US dollars at stake, not a small amount by any measure. It’s worth employing some tricks.
Inside the streaming room, the sky had completely darkened, and all thirty-two drones had switched to night vision mode. Each drone was quite expensive, just slightly less so than the drones used during Bi Fang’s ocean survival challenge, but the difference was marginal.
More than half of these were rented; they were to be returned once the time was up, for the costs were too high — a testament to the Discovery Channel placing high importance on this program.
“If contestants choose not to survive in the forest for twelve days and instead go for the option with higher bonus weight — traveling through — they’ll need to find an inhabited place. If they choose the north, they need to traverse nearly eight hundred kilometers of forest and prairie. They could encounter a big river many have heard of — the Missouri River — and find many towns along its banks.”
“Eastward lies an even greater distance, nearly a thousand kilometers of permafrost and mountain ranges that must be crossed to encounter a railway where, similarly, numerous small towns can be found.”
“To the west lies the greatest challenge; they must cross the entire Rocky Mountains to find a town.”
“As for heading south, a marsh awaits them, and though this route is the shortest — being only about five hundred kilometers to an inhabited area — the danger rating is the highest, as the further south one goes, the higher the temperature, and many hibernating animals have just awakened, ravenous. A famished black bear might be waiting for a delicious feast.”
“Overall, no matter which direction they head in, there’s a chance to encounter inhabited places. But whether they’ll meet others or will be able to form teams, we cannot predict. Moreover, the show’s crew is filming entirely with drones, without even a single cameraman; everything is up to them!”