Chapter 34

Rebecca glanced at the barrage of comments and laughed, caught up in the audience's excitement. However, the thought of what lay ahead left her feeling resigned. Were they really going to scour the whole mountain to catch chickens?

"Will there be any new surprises?" Rebecca wondered, looking into the livestream camera. Turning to Charlie, she asked, "Since the show stirred things up at noon, they must have other plans, right? Could there be something new this afternoon?" Charlie pondered momentarily and nodded. "It's possible."

"Let's go find out," Rebecca said with a smile.

Charlie smiled and nodded. "Yeah."

They set off together, heading in a new direction. As they searched for chickens, they kept an eye on the forest, hoping to discover other "surprises."

Meanwhile, Lesley fumed. Before the afternoon's live broadcast, Janet had explicitly told her to cause trouble for Charlie and Rebecca. No matter what, she had to prevent them from stealing the spotlight.

Although frustrated, Lesley didn't dare resist. Everyone had signed contracts; disobeying company arrangements risked being sidelined and incurring exorbitant penalties for breach of contract. Lesley sneaked towards where Charlie and Rebecca had placed their chickens.

Meanwhile, Charlie and Rebecca were still searching the forest. Catching chickens without tools proved tricky. After more than an hour, they had only caught two chickens and found no sign of the anticipated big surprise. They were puzzled, wondering what the afternoon surprise could be.

Around three in the afternoon, livestream viewers noticed Lesley and her sister, who had diligently caught chickens in the morning, now sneaking around. They eventually reached the base camp where Charlie and Rebecca had tied up their chickens. Initially, no one suspected anything amiss. After all, it was just a variety show.

The tens of thousands of livestream viewers were simply curious about Lesley and Angie's actions.

Chapter 14

It wasn't until they suddenly rushed over and frantically began untying the ropes binding Charlie and Rebecca's chickens that people realized what was happening. They released one chicken, then another, and another.

Just as they freed three chickens, Ben, standing behind the cameraman, had a flash of inspiration. He quickly grabbed a megaphone and announced a new game update: "Congratulations to Group Three for successfully stealing Group Five's base camp. Now, let's update the chicken count for each group. Group One has caught five chickens. Group Two has caught four chickens. Group Three has caught thirty-eight chickens. Group Four has caught ten chickens. Group Five has caught two chickens."

As soon as the production team's megaphone blared, everyone was stunned—the participants, the livestream audience, even Lesley and Angie. Stealing the base? Who stole the base? How did you steal a base? Was this even allowed?

Charlie and Rebecca realized their base was being raided. Without hesitation, they sprinted back, cursing inwardly. The production team was tricky; why hadn't they mentioned this rule earlier?

The livestream audience also caught on, and all five stream rooms exploded with frantic comments. Lesley and Angie were equally shocked. Could they steal a base? Were they really stealing a base?

Once they processed this, both sisters' hands shook. Their hands, which had been releasing chickens, quickly shifted to grabbing and attempting to run off with them. Why release more chickens? If they could steal them, they should take as many as possible!

However, Rebecca and Charlie had tethered dozens of chickens in the morning. Even with both hands, the sisters couldn't carry them all. Even when they grabbed the ropes to lift the chickens, they found… they were too heavy! They simply couldn't lift them!

"Lesley, hurry, they'll be back soon!" Angie stammered, her voice trembling with excitement and fear.

Lesley was even more anxious than Angie. Initially, she only intended to cause trouble, but the production team's announcement changed everything. They weren't doing anything wrong; they were executing a brilliantly successful base theft! If they pulled this off, they would win the show.

Victory clouded Lesley's judgment. She frantically scooped up a heap of chickens, covering herself from head to toe. There were still more chickens, but they couldn't carry any more.

"Hide them! Quick, hide what we've got!" Lesley urged.

Angie frantically agreed. "Yeah, yeah. But where do we hide them?"

The sisters fled with their load of chickens, but had no idea where to stash them.

On the other side, Charlie and Rebecca raced back. Their base was in disarray, but fortunately, many chickens remained. Almost simultaneously, Charlie and Rebecca glanced at the filming staff. At that moment, they both wanted to curse. This was outrageous!

Meanwhile, Ben, watching the livestream, smiled. Holding the megaphone, he delivered the update with glee: "Congratulations to Group Five for returning in time and safeguarding some of their chickens. Now, let's update the chicken count for each group. Group One has caught five chickens. Group Two has caught four chickens. Group Three has caught eighteen chickens. Group Four has caught ten chickens. Group Five has caught twenty-two chickens."

This announcement was dripping with emotion; its gleefulness was nearly bursting off the screen. Charlie and Rebecca were speechless, then amused. This production team was beyond belief.

The unexpected turn of events caused significant fluctuation in online viewership. Everyone rushed to Room Five and Room Three. In just a few minutes, the viewer count in Room One, Room Two, and Room Four plummeted to zero.

The participants in Room One and Room Two were relatively unfazed. They had joined the show prepared for anything, with no grand expectations, so they weren't disappointed. They were even taken aback by the production team's "base theft" maneuver. If circumstances allowed, they would have joined the audience in checking out what was happening in Room Three and Room Five.