Chapter 14: Two People Go to the Sea

The Mystery of the Muted Conversation

"What are they talking about? Why are they laughing so happily?"

"I protest! Why did the production crew turn off the sound? Turn it back on immediately!"

"I suspect they were talking about something inappropriate, but I have no proof!"

"Proof or not, arrest them first!"

"Can anyone here read lips? Please interpret this for me!"

"It's over... Bai Xiaolu might faint from laughing."

"Why does Chris look so annoyed?"

"Even though I couldn't hear what they were saying, it looked absolutely hilarious!"

The live chat in the broadcast room was going wild. The comments flashed so fast that if you turned them on, you wouldn't even be able to see the screen properly.

Meanwhile, Steve grinned and said, "We have a lot of people on our side, and voting accounts for half the points, right?"

Chris's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands excitedly. "Yeah! Hahaha! When it comes to voting, are we even worried?"

"Exactly! We have more than a billion viewers watching us!"

"Then we have to give them a proper performance!"

"Yes! For the audience, we have to perform with all our heart!"

After some discussion, everyone finally decided to put together a short skit or play. The actors had not yet been selected. Mina would perform a folk dance, Steve would sing and dance, and Chris would sing.

Sister Bird clapped her hands with a smile. "Alright, we'll temporarily decide on these four acts. Everyone should think about any additional performances they might want to add. But for now, it's time to go catch some seafood!"

"Let's go seafood hunting!"

As soon as they heard that, everyone got excited. It was only the first day, so the novelty hadn't worn off yet. Who knew if they would still be this excited after a few days of hard survival?

The team grabbed the simple torches they had made earlier, lit them up, and headed out.

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Hunting for Seafood

At this time, the tide had receded far away, revealing a vast stretch of rocky shoals.

Only shallow pools of seawater remained on the exposed reef, making it the perfect time to go seafood hunting.

Seeing how excited everyone was, Sister Bird quickly reminded them, "Don't go too far. It's best to move in pairs or small groups. No one should wander off alone."

"Got it!"

"Don't worry!"

Everyone agreed. After all, their safety was at stake, and no one was careless enough to ignore the warning.

Steve, however, wasn't particularly thrilled about hunting seafood. Having grown up in Guangdong, he had spent plenty of time by the sea. Even in his past life, he had worked in the area, which meant he was no stranger to the beach. He had surfed a few times and already had a decent amount of experience.

He carried a torch in one hand, a small bucket made of floating debris tied to his waist, and a homemade crab claw tool in the other. Walking at a steady pace, he made his way toward the beach.

Chris, however, walked beside him, speaking in a soft tone. "Have you been to the sea before?"

Steve wasn't sure why Chris had chosen to follow him instead of Sister Bird's group. It made him feel strangely uneasy.

It wasn't that he disliked Chris—he just felt a certain pressure around him.

Especially because Chris would occasionally show vague hints of care and protection, which made Steve feel an inexplicable weight on his shoulders.

Feeling this, Steve silently cursed himself. What's wrong with me? Why am I acting like this?

After hearing Chris's question, Steve nodded. "Yeah, I've been to the sea many times, but I haven't been to this specific one. Be careful and stick close to me."

Chris smiled. "Alright. Is it dangerous to go seafood hunting?"

At first, it seemed simple—just picking up seafood from the beach, right? There wasn't even much water around. What could possibly be dangerous?

Hearing that, Steve immediately became serious. "Of course it's dangerous! You should never be careless, especially in a tropical area like this. The ocean is full of strange creatures, many of which are highly venomous. You shouldn't touch anything unless you're sure it's safe."

He continued, "Plus, the oyster shells on the reef are razor-sharp, like little knives. If you're not careful, you could easily get cut. You need to be extra cautious."

Seeing Steve's serious expression, Chris chuckled and reassured him. "Don't worry, I'll be careful."

At that moment, Steve glanced at Chris's smile and quickly turned away.

Damn it, this guy looks too good when he smiles. It's distracting.

Before he could dwell on it, they heard Bai Xiaolu shouting from the distance—she had apparently found something.

Steve immediately said, "Let's go check it out!"

He started walking toward the shore, with Chris following close behind, his expression carrying a hint of amusement.

---

The Abundance of the Sea

In Steve's opinion, or really anyone who had lived by the sea, survival at the coast wasn't all that difficult.

Even if you couldn't catch big fish or find large crabs, you could always dig for clams in the sand.

And even if you couldn't find clams, you could still harvest oysters from the rocks, collect edible seaweed, or catch small fish and shrimp in the shallow pools. Sand crabs were scattered along the beach as well.

There was plenty of food if you knew where to look.

For example, right now, Chris was crouching beside a small tide pool, happily catching tiny shrimp that were only two or three centimeters long.

In truth, these shrimp were delicious. If you collected enough of them, you could fry them up for a top-tier meal.

But they were in a survival situation, and no matter how many small shrimp Chris caught, they wouldn't be enough for even one person to eat properly.

Seeing this, Steve sighed and said, "Alright, let's focus on the big stuff first. Once we have enough, I'll help you catch the small shrimp, okay?"

Chris's face turned slightly red—he had gotten too caught up in the fun and completely forgotten about their real goal.

He quickly stood up. "Alright, let's go."

"Watch your step."

"Got it."

Steve led Chris toward a rockier part of the shore, further away from the others.

This was the lowest point of the tide, where the sea had receded the most. The ocean waves weren't too far away now.

Looking back, Steve realized they were quite far from their companions.

That meant it was time to get to work.

"Here, hold the torch." Steve handed it over to Chris before bending down to grab a large rock.

He flipped it over.

Immediately, water splashed everywhere, and the sound of scuttling creatures filled the air.

Chris's eyes widened in excitement. "There's a crab! A really big one!"

Steve grinned. "Yeah, I see it."

He reached out with his crab claw tool, expertly pinching the crab and pulling it out.

It was a flower crab, its claws waving angrily in the air.

Steve tossed it into the bucket, then stirred the water in the pool to reveal some small fish and shrimp, each about the size of a finger.

Not bad.

Even though they were small, they couldn't afford to waste food.

They continued clearing out one stone pool after another, quickly filling up their bucket.

Then, suddenly—

"Ah! Steve, Steve, look over there!" Chris shouted in excitement.

Steve turned to see what had caught his attention.

And what he saw left him stunned.

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To be continued…

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