Chapter 4: Never Hide That You Are a Waste

A yellowish-brown grouper suddenly emerged from a crevice in the reef.

It opened its large mouth—big enough to fit an adult's fist—and swallowed a passing small fish in one gulp before retreating back under the reef.

The fish's coloration was almost identical to the surrounding rocks. If one didn't pay close attention, they wouldn't even notice it lurking there.

When Steve spotted the big grouper, his eyes lit up with excitement.

His wish had come true.

He had been regretting not catching any fish, but here was one, practically delivered to his doorstep. How could he let such an opportunity slip away?

He slowly and silently swam closer to the reef, raised his spear gun, took aim, and fired.

Whoosh!

The harpoon shot through the water like an arrow, piercing straight through the large grouper, which weighed at least seven or eight kilograms.

The fish thrashed violently in shock, trying to dive back into the cracks of the reef.

But as a former fisherman, Steve knew exactly how groupers behaved. If it managed to escape into the crevices, retrieving it would be nearly impossible.

Moreover, the reef was covered in sharp oyster shells and coral. If the rope got caught or cut, the fish could easily escape.

His only choice was to pull it out as quickly as possible.

Steve let go of his spear and grabbed the rope with both hands, engaging in a tense underwater tug-of-war.

If this were a fishing rod, catching such a large fish would have been difficult.

But with raw strength and a rope, a fish weighing under ten kilograms was no match for Steve's hundred-kilogram frame.

After struggling for only a few seconds, the grouper was forcefully pulled toward him.

He quickly grabbed a large spider snail he had found earlier and used its sharp shell to strike the fish's head.

Thud!

With a single heavy blow, the wildly struggling grouper went limp, completely stunned.

Now that he had secured the fish, Steve packed up his haul and quickly began floating toward the surface.

He had reached his limit.

His diving skill was still at level 1. Although it was already better than that of an average person, five or six minutes underwater was pushing his endurance.

With a loud splash, the water's surface broke as Steve emerged, gasping for air.

He took deep breaths, filling his lungs, and after a few moments, he slowly swam toward the shore.

It took him several minutes to reach land. The moment his feet touched the sand, he collapsed onto the beach, completely exhausted.

If it weren't for his heavy breathing, someone might have thought he was dead.

Diving was an extremely demanding sport. Given his current physique, lasting this long underwater had been no small feat.

From the moment he had entered the water until now—just over ten minutes—he had used up nearly all his energy. The only thing that had kept him going was sheer determination.

Now, he didn't want to move at all. He just wanted to lie there forever.

---

Live Broadcast Frenzy

Steve's every move had been captured by an unmanned camera and transmitted to the live broadcast room in real-time.

Moreover, the show's producers had decided to include his personal footage in the Kyushu team's national live broadcast, increasing its exposure.

The program had a world-class live broadcast room, covering 50 different countries. It was the most-watched feed, featuring the most exciting moments from each team.

Since it had viewers from all over the world, it was also the largest and most active live stream.

Apart from this, every country had its own national live broadcast room, where they focused on their respective teams.

Each contestant also had a personal live broadcast room, but Steve's had been the least popular out of the ten contestants.

In fact, it even had fewer viewers than Bird Sister's stream.

After all, there were so many famous celebrities in the competition. Who would waste time watching the personal feed of an unknown underdog?

However, the underwater hunt had completely changed everything.

This was the team's first successful hunt, and Steve had been a controversial figure from the start.

Sensing the potential, the Kyushu production team decided to place his footage into the national live stream.

The results were unexpected—his segment caused an uproar. The live chat was flooded with reactions, and his popularity skyrocketed.

---

Live Chat Reactions:

"What the hell? I misjudged him. This guy is actually impressive! He may be skinny, but his diving skills are legit."

"Five minutes and 32 seconds?! Even professional divers struggle to stay down that long!"

"Wait, how do you guys know the exact time?"

"I thought he'd tap out after a few seconds, but he really pulled it off. Respect!"

"Damn, I used to think he was useless. Turns out, he's a hidden ace!"

"I live by the sea, and I know plenty of divers, but barely anyone can stay down this long without goggles."

"Isn't that an exaggeration? The world record for holding your breath is 22 minutes."

"Dude, don't compare breath-holding to diving. Holding your breath is stationary, but diving requires swimming and exertion. Huge difference!"

"This weakling looks like a dead dog on the beach now, though. Can't even stand up, haha!"

"If you think it's easy, go try it yourself."

---

Meanwhile, at the Shelter

While Steve was diving, his teammates had almost finished constructing the shelter.

"Phew, it's too hot. I can't take it anymore. Let's rest, or I'm going to get heatstroke," Chen Chichi groaned, collapsing under the shade of a tree, drenched in sweat.

As a self-proclaimed slacker, Chen Chichi never tried to hide his laziness.

"You just took a break a few minutes ago. You're tired already?" Kevin sighed helplessly.

What had he done to deserve being paired with two freeloaders—Steve and Chen Chichi?

And as if that wasn't bad enough, their team also included four delicate female stars, none of whom had any survival experience.

Even though the girls were trying their best, their physical limits were obvious.

Kevin felt a deep sense of despair about their future.

Chen Chichi lay flat on the ground and whined, "Bro, I'm done. I'm tired, hungry, and thirsty. If I keep going, I'll die."

Bird Sister chuckled, "Fine, take a break. We're almost done anyway. I'll head out to find food later. You guys just finish up the last bit of work."

Kevin frowned with concern. "I'll go with you. It's too risky for you to go alone. If anything happens, no one will be there to help."

"Yeah, that's true," Jarvis agreed. "Take Peng Peng with you too. More people means more food."

Bird Sister hesitated but ultimately nodded. There really wasn't much work left anyway.

Before heading off, she grabbed a coconut they had picked earlier. "Does anyone want coconut water? I'll open one."

"I do!" Chen Chichi instantly perked up, as if his energy had been fully restored.

Jarvis rolled his eyes. "If you want it, open it yourself."

He turned to Bird Sister and said, "Don't worry about him. You and Kevin have been working the hardest today. Just drink it yourselves."

The group laughed as they watched Chen Chichi pretend to be helpless.

He simply shrugged and grinned, "I'd open it myself… if I knew how."

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End of Chapter 4

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