Li Ling replied indifferently, "Yes, it's been a while." Seeing this, Wang Lun didn't say anything more, but his hesitant expression made it clear that he had a lot to say to Li Ling, but since she didn't want to hear it, he wouldn't say it. He would focus on the competition and talk about it later. Meanwhile, in the large conference room, the contestants were all talking, and Wang Lun and Li Ling's silence was unique. Viewers watching on their screens could also see this, so some mischievous netizens dubbed the 39th livestream room the "Simp Livestream Room." Some wanted to see how long Wang Lun could keep licking her boots and whether he would actually get what he wanted. This brought many viewers to the 39th livestream room and also boosted the popularity of Wang Lun and Li Ling.
More and more people arrived until all the participants were grouped and had chosen their equipment. The staff announced a ten-minute break; after ten minutes, they would return to the front to continue the process. Everyone knew that there was another step: those who disagreed with their group assignments could request a change of group. This matter had already been discussed in the main conference room.
Ten minutes later, when the contestants returned to the front, the previously divided seating area had been replaced by two adjacent seats, with another seat about a meter away on either side. The host then announced, "Please take your seats in the order of your teams. Number one is in the first row to my left, and the rest will be arranged in order to my right." It all seemed rather disorganized, but the organizers were in charge, so everyone listened to them. After everyone was seated, the host said, "We've just finished the grouping and equipment distribution, and it's almost over. However, there's one last step: does anyone want to change teams? Please stand up." Two girls immediately stood up. The host continued, "Anyone else want to change teams?" At this point, two men stood up as well. The host waited a few seconds, and seeing no one else, asked, "How would you four like to switch teams? Ladies first, please let the girl in front, Liu Ruoling, speak." The girl said, "I'd like to be in a team with my sister, Liu Ruoxi." The host asked, "Would Liu Ruoxi be willing to be in a team with Liu Ruoling?" Liu Ruoxi nodded. The host then asked, "Liu Ruoling, as the initiator of the team adjustment, the tool will be randomly changed. Can you accept that?" Liu Ruoling replied, "Yes, my sister and I have already discussed it." Seeing this, the host asked, "Zheng Long, would you like to be in a team with Zheng Hu?" One of the two men who stood up nodded. The host then asked, "Would Zheng Hu be willing to be in a team with Zheng Long?" Zheng Hu also nodded. Then the host arranged for staff to have them sit down again.
Next, the host invited Mr. Wang and Ms. Ma to randomly replace a tool for the two teams that had switched groups. The host asked, "Mr. Wang, would you please draw one for team number 44, which includes Zheng Long and Zheng Hu? Ms. Ma, would you please draw one for team number 66, which includes Liu Ruoling and Liu Ruoxi? Is that alright?" Both replied, "No problem." The host said, "Then let's begin." After saying that, Mr. Wang and Ms. Ma pressed the button. After a while, the screen showed a stainless steel pot and a machete, the stainless steel pot belonging to team number 44 and the machete to team number 66. Seeing this, the host said, "Okay, now let's continue drawing replacement tools." Then the screen flashed, and after a while, a lighter and a sleeping bag appeared. At this point, the host said, "Please have the staff replace the tools." Two staff members took the lighter and sleeping bag to the two teams respectively, and also retrieved the stainless steel pot and machete. The host, seeing this, asked again, "Is there anyone who needs to switch teams?" No one spoke, and no one seemed interested in switching. They didn't know anyone, and besides, they wouldn't know who to ask to switch anyway, so it was better not to. The host then asked, "Is there anyone else who wants to switch teams? You can't switch after this time." Still, no one answered.
Seeing that there was no one left, the host announced, "A team has triggered a hidden rule. The hidden rule is now officially announced: if two players on a team are of the same sex, the male team will have one less tool, and the female team will have one more." Upon hearing this, Zheng Long and Zheng Hu looked stunned, while the others looked relieved. Liu Ruoling was overjoyed, and Liu Ruoxi also had a smile on her face. At this moment, Zheng Long stood up and said, "Can we not switch teams?" Before the host could answer, Liu Ruoling said, "Of course not! Do you think this is your home?" Zheng Hu retorted angrily, "What did you say? Are you looking for trouble?" Liu Ruoxi frowned and pulled Liu Ruoling down to sit. The host said, "You definitely can't switch now, but you can withdraw from the competition. Do you want to withdraw?" Zheng Long pulled Zheng Hu down to sit and said, "We won't withdraw." The host said, "Okay, then choose one tool, and the staff will give it to team number 66." Without thinking, Zheng Long handed over the lighter he had just received to the staff. The staff then handed it over to Liu Ruoxi. At this point, Team 44 was left with only two sets of clothes, two military knives, and one shovel—five tools in total. Team 66 had two sets of clothes, a machete, a stainless steel pot, a bow and arrow set, a sleeping bag, and a lighter—seven tools in total. The other teams still had six tools, but they were all quite satisfied; after all, having less was always better.
At this point, the host continued, "We're almost at the end, but there's still one thing left to resolve: your rest for tonight. The organizers have taken care of it. Staff will take you to your rooms shortly, one room per team. Also, please meet here promptly at 7:00 AM tomorrow morning to prepare for the wilderness survival competition. Oh, I forgot to mention, from this time onwards, the cameras will be broadcasting live 24/7. Gifts and tips from the live stream will be distributed at a 4:6 ratio, with the organizers receiving 60%. I hope you all get a good night's sleep. Remember to meet at the designated time; otherwise, you'll be considered to have withdrawn from the competition. Now, please have the staff escort each team back to their rooms to rest." After saying this, a group of staff members came out, each leading a team out of the stadium.
At this point, the live stream chat was buzzing with excitement. Someone said, "We can see forbidden scenes tonight!" Another said, "They'll censor them." Others were analyzing which team had a relative advantage, and some resourceful netizens even dug up basic information about each participant. For example, Zhang Shengnan, a retired female soldier and martial arts enthusiast, once fought seven people in a street battle, injuring six and forcing one to flee; Tang Shengli, a forest ranger with extensive experience in solo wilderness survival; and Zhao Yulong, a wilderness survival streamer.
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