That Was a Newly Hatched Snake!

Chi Yan's breathing hitched.

"Waa..."

"Don't cry, don't cry." He patted the person in his arms on the back, eager to explain but not knowing how to prove it. "What will it take for you to believe me?"

Xia Yu pulled back from his embrace. Tears hung on his delicate face, his reddened eyes pitiful. "Chi Yan..."

Chi Yan's heart shattered. He raised a hand and gently wiped away his tears. "What do I have to do for you to believe me?"

He took Xia Yu's hand and pressed it against his own cheek.

Xia Yu's pupils trembled slightly. His gaze fell on those rosy lips, and his throat felt dry. "Xiaxia..."

Chi Yan gripped his chin and lowered his head.

Xia Yu narrowed his misty eyes slightly.

The man's dark eyes deepened as Xia Yu drew him in.

Xia Yu lowered his head slightly and looked at the head buried against his chest. His eyes beneath the mist were utterly clear. He did not obediently undo his buttons. "Chi Yan..."

The man, lost in desire, answered in rough breaths, "Mm?"

"Weren't you going to prove it?"

It was like a basin of ice water had been dumped over him.

Chi Yan got off him with lightning speed and stood by the bed in slight disarray, his face alternating between green and white.

Xia Yu propped up his upper body and licked his lips. "Chi Yan..."

"You..." A breath of frustration lodged in Chi Yan's chest. He gritted his teeth and stared at him. "You still want to get on top of me?!"

"Didn't you say you were going to prove it?"

"..."

His face darkened. "Let's talk some more..."

Xia Yu leaned against the headboard and tucked his loosened bathrobe closed. "Are we officially together now?"

Chi Yan wanted to curse. He closed his eyes and suppressed his surging anger before forcing out, "I'm older than you!"

Xia Yu smiled. "Other than age, I'm not inferior to you. I work out too. If I hadn't drunk a little too much that night, you'd already be mine."

The man clenched his fists, lowered his head to curse under his breath, then turned and strode out of the room.

Xia Yu gave a cold snort, got out of bed, and went into the bathroom. Twenty minutes later, he slipped under the covers carrying a chill with him and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Late at night, at Outpost No. 2, they knew bodyguards were stationed all around, so no one had been assigned to keep watch. After running around all day, everyone on the Blue Team was sleeping deeply.

At this hour, nearly all the viewers were asleep. The two or three staff members left behind behind the scenes were also struggling to stay awake, chatting to fight off their drowsiness while remaining at their posts.

Rustling sounds came from the bushes, but no one noticed anything amiss.

Since Xia Yu had been eliminated and had not yet revived, the three cabins were arranged with the two girls sharing one, while Chu Lan and Zhang Wen each had one to themselves.

As he slept, Chu Lan heard faint movements, seemingly coming from the backpack beneath his head. He was used to sleeping with his head elevated, so he had deliberately used a backpack filled with clothes as a pillow.

The faint sounds continued for a while. In his sleep, he felt something slick and clammy crawling over his neck. Frowning, he reached up to touch it without even opening his eyes.

His hand closed around several long, thin things, with slime clinging to them. He slowly opened his eyes and, by the weak light of the fire still burning outside, saw what he was holding. His pupils abruptly widened. He flung away the creatures, as thin and long as earthworms, and jolted upright.

He reached for the back of his neck and found two more, quickly throwing them to the ground.

After checking that there was nothing left on him, Chu Lan turned his head in lingering terror. Seeing more of the long, thin creatures continuously crawling out of his backpack, a chill rose from the soles of his feet. Before he could figure out what they were, Liu Yue's terrified scream rang out from outside.

"Ahhh!!! Help!!! There are snakes!!!"

He immediately rushed outside.

Xueli and Zhang Wen also ran out of their cabins. "What happened?!"

Liu Yue's face was white as she collapsed onto the ground, trembling as she pointed at the two enormous pythons climbing toward the window of Chu Lan's cabin. "Help... help..."

"Ah!" Xueli's legs gave out, and she dropped to her knees. "Wh-why are there snakes?! Didn't the production crew say snake repellent had been scattered around the outpost? How..."

Slime still clung to Chu Lan's fingers. He instantly realized what had been crawling on his neck. Those were newly hatched snakes!

His usually composed face changed dramatically, turning completely pale.

Zhang Wen became the calmest one. He dragged the two girls backward and shouted for help, "Director! Bodyguards! Come out! Help!"

The staff members keeping watch behind the scenes heard the cries for help, and their sleepiness immediately vanished. The moment they looked up and saw the two giant pythons, they were badly frightened. Trembling, they picked up their walkie-talkie. "Bodyguards near Outpost No. 2! Go save them, now!"

The bodyguards who received the order hurried toward Outpost No. 2.

By then, the two giant pythons had already slithered into Chu Lan's cabin. They coiled on his bed, guarding his backpack and flicking their cold tongues.

A few netizens who had stayed up late watching over their idols glanced at the screen and instantly woke up.

[Ah! Help! Why are there snakes?!]

[Is the production crew sick?! Why did they put snakes in there?!]

[Isn't that Lan-ge's backpack?! Why are the snakes trying to take it?]

[Holy shit! Why are baby snakes crawling out of the backpack?! So terrifying! My hair is standing on end!]

[Is Chu Lan okay?! Production crew, hurry up and drive the snakes away!]

Since they were filming on a deserted island, the production crew had long arranged for snake-catching experts. It took them over half an hour to capture the two giant pythons and stuff them into sacks, then clear away the nest of newly hatched snakes.

"Waaah!" Liu Yue broke down crying. "That was terrifying!"

Xueli was still shaken as she wiped away her tears.

"It's all been taken care of. It's okay now..." Zhang Wen stammered as he comforted them, though he himself had broken out in a cold sweat from fright.

Zhang Jin hurried over from the camp. "This place isn't safe to stay in. Everyone, relocate to No. 1 Base first. The team battle is temporarily suspended."

Chu Lan's face was dark as he strode to a bucket, grabbed a dipper, and splashed water over his neck. But he could not wash away that wet, cold, sticky sensation.

Only after he had used up the remaining half-bucket of water and was soaked through did he turn around and say coldly to his teammates, "Let's go to No. 1 Base first."

A staff member quickly handed him a dry towel.

He casually wiped his face. "We'll talk when we get there."

"Okay, okay, okay." Zhang Wen helped Liu Yue, whose legs were so weak she could not stand. "Let's go, let's go..."

Only Qi Ning was currently staying at No. 1 Base. Hearing the commotion, he rushed out of the cabin with his gun in his arms and fired wildly with a vicious look on his face. "You dare come back to ambush us again? I'll kill you all!"

"Calm down! Calm down!" Zhang Jin quickly called out. "The battle is suspended! All attacks are temporarily invalid!"

Qi Ning glared at the pale-faced group. "What's going on?!"

"Something happened at Outpost No. 2. The Blue Team is temporarily relocating here. The game will resume at eight tomorrow morning."

"Hehehe, they delivered themselves right to my door. The second it hits eight, I'll send them straight into the Black Room!"

Zhang Jin sighed. After directing the staff to inspect the surrounding area, he apologized to the Blue Team members, specifically asking whether Chu Lan had been injured. After receiving confirmation that he was fine, he apologized once more, then left with the staff.

After all that, no one on the Blue Team felt sleepy anymore. They sat around the campfire, their pale faces lit by the flames, making them look rather frightening.