During the day, everyone had a fierce battle with the killer whale hunting group. They didn't feel anything when they were immersed in the excitement of victory, but once they returned to the camp, they soon felt sleepy and their bodies were sore.
As soon as Jiang Ran entered the tent, he fell down.
In the last moment before falling asleep, a magnificent symphony echoed in her mind, which was the "Siren Song" of humpback whales.
What you think about during the day, you dream about at night.
Jiang Ran dreamed that a group of humpback whales became spirits, all transformed into the appearance of Fu Bo, and crowded around her to sing. From time to time, a few "Fu Bo" would scream her name.
The scene was so moving that it almost woke her up instantly.
As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw a "Fu Bo".
Jiang Ran was still not fully conscious, and he called out "monster" in a daze.
Upon hearing this, Fu Bo beamed with joy: "You think I look like a monster too? Sure enough, the public's eyes are sharp. I just look good and have a nice voice!"
Jiang Ran: “…”
It turns out that this time it was the real Fu Bo.
...Just the ability to talk to oneself is not something that any monster or demon can possess easily.
"What do you want from me late at night?"
"Oh, right," Fu Bo came back to his senses, his raised brows quickly lowering a little. He felt a little nervous, stretching out his arm and pointing towards the sea. "Something's not right there. I feel..."
The vast ocean, the drifting island, and the silent night are brewing all kinds of dangers.
Being in the wilderness, one must not let down their guard at all times. Jiang Ran looked into Fu Bo's eyes and listened attentively.
"...I feel like there's a ghost over there." Fu Bo spoke very seriously, emphasizing each word.
Jiang Ran was silent for a moment, then turned the flashlight upwards and scanned his face: "Do you think I look like a ghost?"
"No!" Fu Bo was anxious, "There really is a ghost over there!"
Jiang Ran didn't even blink as he looked at Fu Bo quietly.
Seeing her unmoved look, Fu Bo became even more anxious. He scratched his head and started to explain the situation with gestures.
After a long while, Fu Bo finished speaking with a dry mouth.
Jiang Ran clapped his hands: "Well done."
Fu Bo: “…”
As early as the 21st century of the Earth Era, stories about ghosts and monsters had gradually died out.
No matter how confident Fu Bo was, Jiang Ran didn't believe it at all. However, later not only Ren Xiayang but also Zeng Pei came.
Everyone's expression was solemn: "Something is really wrong."
Jiang Ran then put aside his doubts for the time being and followed the group towards the beach.
Fu Bo followed behind gloomily: "Just believe them, not me."
The moon is at its zenith, it is midnight.
In the dark and silent camp, many contestants were still asleep, but a few were woken up by the sounds of their comings and goings, and were now following behind, looking around vigilantly and curiously.
When they were near the beach, Fu Bo suddenly jumped behind Jiang Ran, grabbed her shoulders with trembling hands, and only half of his head poked out.
His voice trembled. "See, I wasn't kidding you! There really is a blue light on the sea! Is that the legendary ghost?"
From afar, the sea surface a hundred meters away looked like it was lit with large patches of blue light floating on it.
At first glance, it was really creepy, simply because Fu Bo was so nervous.
"Let's take a closer look."
"All right……"
When I got closer, I found that the large blue light band was actually composed of many dotted ice-blue light spots.
They gather together densely and spread out for hundreds of meters, like thousands of lights lit on the coast, or like lively elves weaving a fairy-tale dream.
"Hey," Ren Xiayang touched his head, "Stand here and look at it, it seems quite beautiful."
Upon hearing this, Fu Bo hesitantly poked his head out from behind Jiang Ran: "It looks good, yes... but is this a trick used by ghosts to deceive people?"
While everyone was discussing, Jiang Ran first took a picture of this beautiful scene.
In the follow-up shot, the entire sea surface seemed to be covered with ice-blue fireflies, or like a flat ice-blue bridge, giving humans the opportunity to walk on the sea.
"Jiang Ran, what do you think this thing is? Why is there something like this...this thing on the sea in the middle of the night..."
Jiang Ran put away the ball and said, "This is Haihuo."
"Sea fire?" Fu Bo asked in confusion. "Is the sea water here on fire? But water can also catch fire... This is the first time I've heard of it."
Ren Xiayang echoed, "This is the first time I've heard of this... Is it because the fire is burning seawater that it's blue?"
"No, sea fire isn't real fire. It's just a phenomenon where the seawater glows." Jiang Ran waved his hand and said, "There are many theories about the cause of sea fire, such as bioluminescence and the electric current mechanism."
"Bioluminescence? Could it be that... each of these dots of light is a firefly?"
"It's pretty close, but it's not a firefly. Any creature that can cause seafires must be a marine organism, not a land-based creature like a firefly."
"So you mean..."
"Noctiluca, dinoflagellates, and krill are typical marine bioluminescent organisms."
"I see."
Humanity's greatest fear often comes from the unknown.
After Jiang Ran's scientific explanation, even Fu Bo, who was the most nervous, relaxed his brows and even wanted to go to the beach to see what those marine luminous creatures that looked like light spots looked like.
Are they as cute as fireflies? Can I take a few back to the capital to raise them?
Everyone was full of exploration spirit and was eager to try their best to move towards the ice-blue light band on the sea.
However, at this moment, Jiang Ran grabbed Ren Xiayang's sleeve, turned around and walked towards the camp without looking back.
Ren Xiayang: "Hey, hey, what are you doing?"
Fu Bo and Bai Zhiyong were still lagging behind, but Zeng Pei followed them cautiously: "Is there a problem? Is there any danger?"
"That's right." Jiang Ran nodded.
When Fu Bo heard that there was danger, he ran faster than anyone else and was ahead of everyone in a moment.
"I told you there was danger! What was it? Could it really be a ghost?"
Zeng Pei looked at Fu Bo helplessly.
Jiang Ran said so much before, but this person really didn't take it to heart at all.
Zeng Pei thought much more thoroughly than Fu Bo.
"This isn't our first time on Earth. We've lived here for so many years, and we've never seen a gathering of bioluminescent creatures, nor have we ever seen sea fire. How come we've encountered this today?"
Fu Bo rubbed the back of his head and guessed, "Maybe it's because... we slept soundly the past two days, didn't wake up in the middle of the night, and didn't look out to sea, so we didn't see it?"
Zeng Pei: “…”
Zeng Pei refused to communicate with Fu Bo.
Without paying any attention to Fu Bo's humble yet nervous expression, she looked directly at Jiang Ran.
"You guessed right," Jiang Ran nodded, "Marine creatures don't glow all the time."
She said seriously, "They are mostly timid creatures. They often gather together when the sea water trembles, shivering and shining all over."
Zeng Pei was startled: "Could it be that..."
"Yes," Jiang Ran said, "Beautiful sea fires are often accompanied by danger. They... they often appear before and after earthquakes and tsunamis."
"Earthquake?" Fu Bo's voice broke.
"Tsunami?" Ren Xiayang was not in a much better condition.
"It's over!" they both shouted in unison.
Whether it is an earthquake or a tsunami, these are all major disasters.
The pyroclastic flow had already forced them to deploy their life bags and withdraw from the competition. Then what about the earthquake and tsunami?
"This can also be seen in human history."
Jiang Ran had no intention of appeasing anyone, and continued speaking seriously, "In the 20th century of the Earth Era, the night before the Tangshan earthquake, someone discovered sea fire on the sea."
"The most obvious one was the Qinhuangdao wharf. People at the time saw a bright, glowing band in the ocean, which looked like a fire dragon from a distance..."
Before he could finish his words, the person next to him disappeared.
Fu Bo and Ren Xiayang rushed forward as if they were competing.
"Help! It's over!"
Jiang Ran: “…”
Fortunately, there is finally someone with more rationality——
Zeng Pei did not run away on the spot.
However, Zeng Pei's reaction was a bit unusual.
She put her arm around Jiang Ran's shoulders: "Why are you so nervous?"
Jiang Ran frowned: "I also want to ask, why are you suddenly not nervous anymore?"
"Because I guessed your plan."
Jiang Ran: “?”
"Tell me, are you thinking about filming earthquakes and tsunamis again?"
Jiang Ran: "..." It's true...
Zeng Pei advised earnestly: "If you want to shoot a big scene, I won't stop you, but you have to pay attention!"
Jiang Ran: “?”
Zeng Pei said frankly, "Our points are low, so we can't compete for first place. But you're different. You still have the strength to compete with Bian Zhao for first place!"
Jiang Ran recalled for a moment, remembering the four or five thousand points difference between himself and Bian Zhao, and fell silent for a moment.
“So, even if you want to film an earthquake or a tsunami, be careful not to get yourself involved.”
"Once you activate the life-saving bag, you will be completely disqualified from the competition, and your chances of first place will be completely gone."
Regardless of whether the advice is effective or not, it is for her own good.
Jiang Ran also knew what was going on. She paused and was about to say thank you, but the next second she heard Zeng Pei's voice coming faintly.
"The first place prize is 20 million, enough for me to build two top-notch mechas!"
Jiang Ran: “…”
Even though all contestants are equipped with life bags and are not in danger of their lives, there is no need to let everyone take such risks in the face of extreme disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis.
After Jiang Ran issued the warning, Xu Yang immediately communicated with the safety liaison officer and asked them to warn all contestants to avoid the impending danger in advance.
However, it was late at night and many people were exhausted during the day and slept too soundly at night. The liaison officer's call alone woke up less than half of them.
In a state of panic, Jiang Ran asked in confusion: "Why not just follow the ball? Can't it alert the police?"
Staff: “…”
Once you get used to having the ball following you like a little tail, it’s easy to overlook its other functions.
Just as no one could think of using the tracking ball as a camera like Jiang Ran.
"...We'll contact the main control panel right now!"
In the second half of the night, everyone who was sleeping was awakened by the loud noise.
The tracking ball seemed to be on fire, the whole ball was emitting a bright red light, and at the same time, it kept making sharp "beep" alarm sounds, spinning back and forth on each player's head, almost hitting them directly on the forehead.
The awakened contestants were all equally confused.
"Is this and the ball broken?"
However, various noises were heard frequently outside the tent, which aroused their curiosity.
Could it be that everyone else's ping-pong ball is broken too? Is that such a coincidence?
As soon as contestant A came out of the tent, he realized something was wrong.
Many people carried their bags, their faces full of anxiety and panic. They even put away their tents and ran quickly towards the mountain.
"Hey, you guys..."
Contestant A wanted to stop someone to ask about the situation, but no one paid any attention to him.
Some even slapped his hand away and continued running forward once they pushed him away.
Contestant A was so angry that he jumped up and down.
This is too uncultured!
At this moment, the ball behind him was glowing and flew towards him.
"Dear contestant A, hello. According to the program team's prediction, your area is about to be hit by a major disaster such as an earthquake or tsunami. Please make protective preparations as soon as possible..."
Player A: “!!!”
Player A ran back to the tent quickly. In his anxiety, he didn't even pack anything. He just casually put on his shirt and rushed out of the tent and ran forward.
He had grown up in the capital planet and had never encountered such a thing before. He was even less clear about how to make the so-called protective preparations.
As soon as you leave the tent, the direction ahead is downhill.
Athlete A had an idea and felt that running downhill was faster, so he rushed down the slope without thinking much.
A few minutes later, contestant A bumped into another contestant head-on.
The other person was running in completely opposite directions from him, with an anxious and panicked look on his face. He glanced at him briefly, his eyes full of confusion.
Player A: “?”
What's going on?
Just when I was wondering, the ball that was left behind came back quietly.
"Dear contestant A, hello. According to the program team's prediction, the best escape route at this time is to walk upwards, preferably to the highest point of the island..."
Player A: “…”
Player A suddenly tried to brake, but still slipped several steps due to inertia.
When he looked back and saw the hundreds of meters he had just run, he immediately clenched his fists.
Why is he breathing so hard while playing ball?!
Can't we talk about something this important right at the beginning?!
But these complaints are not important anymore.
In times of crisis, it is important to avoid risks.
Player A quickly turned around and rushed up the hillside.
After running a few steps, someone passed me from behind.
The opponent was obviously more anxious than contestant A, as evidenced by his naked upper body, which he hadn't even had time to put on clothes...
You can see it.
Player A: “!!!”
It's fine that I'm behind others in points, but why am I lagging behind others even in something like escaping?!
Runner A's competitive spirit and sense of urgency reached a peak. His strides grew longer and faster, and he gritted his teeth as he passed the naked runner in front of him, running towards the summit without slacking off.
How could a naked contestant accept such a thing happening?
He immediately gritted his teeth, became determined, and used all his strength to catch up with his opponent at the speed of a 100-meter sprint.
For a moment, the two people on the hillside chased each other, staging an extreme race.
At this moment, the night sky is quiet and peaceful, and the sea is calm.
Whether it is an earthquake or a tsunami, there are no signs at all at this time.
“Why are you asking everyone to run up the mountain?”
Fu Bo looked at Jiang Ran and asked as he ran.
The safe route is to go up the mountain, this is the plan proposed by Jiang Ran.
Previously, time was tight and no one had time to ask detailed questions. But now, after the police were finally called for all the contestants, no one stopped and immediately ran towards the top of the mountain. They found a gap during the escape to ask questions that had puzzled them for a long time.
Jiang Ran said: "Because next, we may face an earthquake or a tsunami."
"If you encounter a tsunami, the best way to escape is to go to higher ground. The farther away from the coast and the higher the altitude, the safer you are."
"The disaster hasn't arrived yet, and we don't know how big the tsunami will be."
"But no matter what, as long as we can escape to a place higher than the tsunami waves, we can guarantee safety to a large extent; if we can escape to a place higher than the upstream height of the tsunami, we can basically guarantee absolute safety."
"Of course, this doesn't take into account other factors like earthquakes and landslides."
"You also said that it was a tsunami situation."
Ren Xiayang was equally puzzled: "But what if we encounter an earthquake instead of a tsunami?"
Bai Zhiyong added, "If there's an earthquake, heading up the mountain is a very bad idea, because there are many trees on the mountain that could fall down at any time, and landslides are also very likely to occur, so there are many unstable factors."
After everyone finished speaking, Zeng Pei summarized everyone's questions.
"If there's a tsunami, we understand that we'd run to the mountains. But the problem is...it might not be a tsunami, right?"
Jiang Ran did not stop, always taking steps at a similar pace, moving towards the top of the mountain. After hearing everyone's opinions, he did not show any intention of changing his mind.
After Zeng Pei finished summarizing the questions, she finally turned her head slightly and glanced at everyone with an almost loving look.
Everyone was horrified by her gaze and just as they were about to ask something, they heard her pitying voice slowly coming.
"We are not inland now, but on an island in the Pacific Ocean."
Fu Bo said cautiously: "So..."
"So..." Jiang Ran said, "Even if we encounter an earthquake... whether it's an offshore earthquake or a felt offshore earthquake, it will definitely trigger a tsunami."
With every extra word Jiang Ran said, everyone's faces turned paler.
They didn't reply for a while, but their pace quickened a lot.
"Maybe I didn't explain it clearly before."
Jiang Ran: "That is to say... under the best circumstances, we will encounter a tsunami..."
Fu Bo's face turned extremely pale, almost blue: "We all know, don't..."
"...In the worst case scenario, we will first encounter an earthquake and then a tsunami." Jiang Ran added.
As soon as he finished speaking, Fu Bo's face began to turn from blue to purple.
After a long run, most of everyone's physical strength has been consumed.
When discussing the escape route earlier, several people had actually slowed down and taken a short break.
And at the moment Jiang Ran finished his explanation, their steps were already faster than ever, almost leaving afterimages.
Everyone wants to run faster.
Because no one knows when the tsunami will come.
The camp where many contestants gathered was not on the main island of New Guinea, but on a small island near the border of Papua New Guinea.
This island is not very big compared to the main island, but it is still a very large island among the more than 600 islands in the country.
There is no highest altitude of several thousand meters like the main island here. The highest point is about a few hundred meters above sea level, which is about the same as the hills along the coast of Asia.
A distance of several hundred meters would only take a few minutes on flat ground, but once it becomes a vertical distance, the running time would instantly multiply by a hundred times.
Jiang Ran and his group ran for a long time. When they estimated the distance to the top of the mountain, they found that they had only traveled about two-thirds of the way.
"I, I, I can't do it anymore..."
"Let's take a break..."
“Please…”
Except for Ren Xiayang and Jiang Ran, everyone else was almost exhausted after running fast for a long time.
They had neither Ren Xiayang's good qualities and strong endurance, nor Jiang Ran's awareness and ability to steadily control the speed of movement. They were all relying on the breath of escape to survive. When someone shouted to give up, the others immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
The three people first slowed down their pace, then held on to the trees beside them to stand firmly. After a while, their legs became too weak to stand, and they slid to the ground and sat down. After a while, they just lay on the ground.
Jiang Ran also slowly stopped and kicked Fu Bo, who was lying on the ground, in annoyance: "Hurry up and get up, we still have to hurry!"
"No...I can't get up." Fu Bo gasped and spoke intermittently.
Jiang Ran suddenly became even angrier: "You guys..."
Before he could finish his words, the ground beneath his feet suddenly began to shake slightly.
Jiang Ran was startled and swallowed the words he hadn't finished speaking.
She carefully observed her surroundings, trying to determine whether the vibration was her illusion. However, the next second, she saw the entire tree trunk next to her began to shake slightly.
It's over! This isn't an illusion. The worst has happened! They'll be hit by a tsunami after the earthquake!
What was even more terrifying was that within a few seconds, the vibration suddenly increased several times.
The earthquake has begun! And the earthquake also means that they will encounter a tsunami later!
Debris began to roll down the mountain.
Before Jiang Ran could say anything, the three people on the ground jumped up as if competing: "Run, run faster, I'm still okay, I, I'm still okay!"
Jiang Ran: “…”
Jiang Ran and everyone else tried hard to steady their bodies on the shaking ground, while keeping their eyes and ears open, doing their best to avoid all kinds of debris and fallen trees, and running towards the mountain as fast as possible.
While running, Jiang Ran glanced at everyone.
The person who had been lying on the ground, weakly saying that he couldn't run anymore, now looked particularly energetic.
Jiang Ran thought for a moment and said tentatively: "Since we can feel such a strong tremor, it should be an offshore earthquake."
"That is to say, the epicenter is very close to us, and the tsunami will arrive even faster. We should only have a few minutes to escape."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone around him ran faster, and Fu Bo even overtook Jiang Ran.
Jiang Ran: “…”
It turns out that a person's strength and speed... really can depend entirely on the sense of crisis.
The tsunami caused by offshore earthquakes will come quickly and there will not be much time to escape. This is not a lie, but Jiang Ran exaggerated it a little.
A few minutes later, everyone ran a long distance, but the tsunami that accompanied the earthquake had not yet arrived.
Halfway through their escape, they met Gu Ce.
He was also a contestant. He had fallen into the tiankeng before and was rescued by Jiang Ran. No one expected that he would be injured again when they met again.
Gu Ce's leg was crushed by a fallen tree trunk and he couldn't stand up or walk. However, because the injury was not fatal, the life bag did not activate automatically.
If Jiang Ran and the others didn't help, Gu Ce would have to stay here alone, waiting for the tsunami to hit him.
Jiang Ran and others immediately stepped forward and worked together to help him lift the tree trunk that was pressing on him for a moment so that he could pull out his injured leg.
"Thank you, thank you," Gu Ce said while hissing in pain, "but I can't walk anymore. Please leave me alone and leave quickly. It's too dangerous here."
Without saying a word, Ren Xiayang carried him on his back and continued to move towards the mountain with everyone.
Ren Xiayang, after all, was a soldier with excellent physique, and carrying a heavy load was no problem. His speed barely slowed down at all, and he remained ahead of everyone else. However, his vision and movements were somewhat affected, and he sometimes slowed down a bit when dodging various debris and branches.
Of course, Ren Xiayang was only responsible for helping Gu Ce escape, and was not responsible for his "comfortable" escape.
Gu Ce's stomach was shaking from being poked by his shoulder, and he almost wanted to vomit on the spot, but he barely held it back.
Gu Ce spoke haltingly and with difficulty: "Please put me down. You...youselves, escape is more important."
Ren Xiayang slapped him on the butt: "Stop talking nonsense. I've brought you so far, how can I let you go now?"
Gu Ce didn't say anything for a moment.
Ren Xiayang thought he was too touched and was thinking about how to organize his words to thank him. Just when he was about to say "thank you" politely, Gu Ce spat out a "wow".
Because they were moving forward quickly, most of the filth fell on Fu Bo who was following closely behind, and a small part fell on Ren Xiayang's back.
Fu Bo and Ren Xiayang: "..."
Jiang Ran watched the whole process from beginning to end.
She didn't know whether the kind-hearted Ren Xiayang regretted it at this moment, but she was honest and kept a distance from them.
At this moment, a bright orange-yellow curve passed across the sky.
"What is that?" Bai Zhiyong asked.
Jiang Ran thought for a moment and said, "It should be Bian Zhao's hovercraft."
Why did Bian Zhao's hovercraft appear here at this time?
This question was quickly answered.
Not long after, Bian Zhao drove the hovercraft and landed in front of Jiang Ran and his group.
She opened the car door. "Where's the injured person? Leave him to me. I'll take him to a high enough safe place on the main island of New Guinea."
Jiang Ran was a little surprised: "How did you know..."
"The tracking ball can record the players' real-time conditions, including any injuries," Bian Zhao said quickly. "As a non-staff player and observer for the program, I'm temporarily filling in for the rescue work, so the control system will send me real-time data. Okay, can you hand over the injured players to me now?"
Jiang Ran came back to his senses: "Okay, then..."
Before he finished speaking, Ren Xiayang hurried forward and put Gu Ce on the hovercraft as if he was throwing away a hot potato.
Gu Ce had vomited before, and there was still a strong smell on his body.
Bian Zhao's sense of smell certainly worked. She raised her head with difficulty, pauses in her voice, and said, "I don't want to be a rescuer anymore. Can I return the injured to you?"
Jiang Ran kindly helped her close the floating car door tightly, then waved his fist at her and said, "Keep going! Thank you for all your efforts for the program!"
Bian Zhao: “…”
Bian Zhao did not abandon the injured person.
She didn't stop and drove away quickly in the hovercraft, leaving only a bright yellow afterimage in the sky. Her speed was much faster than when she came, and it was comparable to Ren Xiayang who hurriedly threw Gu Ce onto the hovercraft.
Ren Xiayang dodged a piece of gravel and sighed with emotion: "For the first time, I think Bian Zhao is quite cute."
Fu Bo agreed: "I think so too."
Jiang Ran gave them a look that was hard to describe.
Then I ran a little faster, just to get further away from them.
She didn't say...
It really stinks!
The author has something to say:
Gu Ce: Have you ever considered my feelings?
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