The tracker was given to each participant by the organizers, primarily for the purpose of locating them and contacting the organizers in emergencies. Otherwise, it functioned like an ordinary wrist accessory, silently resting there and never making a sound. For instance, even during the massive storm and flooding they encountered, the device remained as quiet as a dead object. 

However, now that everyone had escaped danger and was actively starting their new lives, the device suddenly began to make noise. 

Perhaps it had played dead too convincingly, because when it finally started making noise, most people didn’t immediately realize what was causing the commotion. When they discovered it was the tracker, a look of bewilderment flashed across almost everyone’s face. 

It was strange enough for a tracker to go off, but for all the trackers to go off at the same time was even more baffling. 

Despite the strangeness and disbelief, everyone immediately checked their trackers. 

As soon as her tracker was connected, Su Ge saw a light shield appear in front of her, enveloping her completely like an eggshell. The noise and commotion outside vanished the moment she was encased, and she couldn’t see anything outside. The only space she could interact with was inside the eggshell. 

While she was looking around, carefully observing every detail inside the eggshell, the tracker rang again: “Participant Su Ge, can you hear this message?” 

“Yes.” Su Ge’s attention was immediately drawn to the tracker on her wrist. She lowered her head, looking at the tracker with its flashing green light, and responded. 

Then, the tracker stated the main purpose of this contact, which left Su Ge a bit doubtful: “You mean, I need to choose whether to stay on this planet to complete this filming or not?” 

“Yes.” 

“What if I choose not to stay?” 

“We will summarize the wishes of all participants. If more than half choose not to stay, we will return to the organizers on Uranus, where you will be sent to a new barren planet to continue the program.” 

“So, all the suffering we’ve endured on this planet will be in vain?” 

“…” It was clear that the mechanical female voice inside the tracker was reluctant to answer this question and instead chose to ask another: “What is your decision?” 

Su Ge was silent for two seconds before suddenly letting out a cold laugh. “If I’m not mistaken, is it because things on this Wild Star 756 have spiraled out of your control that you want us to switch planets?” 

The staff behind the tracker almost cried out. Earthlings were not easy to fool! 

In such situations, just pretend to be a machine. Don’t let the other party realize there’s a real person behind it! 

“May I ask, what is your final decision?” The mechanical female voice continued to ask. 

Su Ge thought for a moment. Who knew what other troubles would arise on a new planet? It might be better to stay here. 

“I won’t switch.” 

“Is that your choice?” 

“Yes.” 

The staff behind the tracker couldn’t help but silently breathe a sigh of relief in the control room. She asked again, “Even if there are more disasters on this planet later?” 

“Yes.” 

“Participant Su Ge, please confirm once again. This is the only chance to switch planets. Do you understand this?” 

“Yes.” 

“Your choice is still to not leave desolate planet 756?” 

“Yes.” 

“Okay, I understand your choice. Please wait a moment while we tally the final decisions of all participants.” 

… 

While Su Ge was making her choice—or rather, while everyone was making their choices—a large screen appeared in the live broadcast room, along with fifteen smaller screens. 

The large screen showed a live broadcast of the entire cave, with fifteen eggshells and the continuous heavy rain outside. 

The fifteen smaller screens showed the interior conditions of the fifteen people inside their eggshells. 

When all the viewers heard that the tracker offered the option to switch planets, almost everyone gasped. 

【What kind of nonsense is this? I’ve been watching this show since I was a kid and have never heard of switching planets midway!】 

【Me too. My mom has watched over thirty seasons of this show and has never mentioned such an option. Has the rule changed this time?】 

【No changes! I just checked the rules; nothing has changed!】 

【So what are the organizers doing?】 

【I think maybe the organizers didn’t fully understand the conditions on this desolate planet. The disasters were so severe that everyone almost got trapped. They chickened out.】 

【No way! The organizers can’t be that unreliable. There have been dangerous situations in previous seasons, and they never handled it like this.】 

【Come on, think about who’s in this season! That famous person from that star system. It’s not the same as before.】 

【You’re getting into conspiracy theories. You’re making me anxious.】 

【Regardless of the reason, this incident should serve as a warning to the organizers. Not every desolate planet is suitable for such a live show. 】 

【Can we just think simply that the organizers are doing this for everyone’s safety? We watch this show for fun and to pass the time. Why think about so many conspiracy theories? 】 

【You really are carefree…】 

【By the way, isn’t anyone curious about their choices?】 

【Wow, I’m curious too. I clicked through each screen, but the organizers muted the audio of their choices!】 

【The organizers are XX.】 

【The organizers are big XX.】 

 【 User XXX has been muted for 72 hours for insulting the organizers. 】 

After some users were muted, the comments, which were full of various guesses and theories, suddenly unified in one direction:  

【The organizers are really clever… Not! (Sarcasm)】 

【The organizers are brainless!】  

【The organizers are one-dimensional beings!】 

The blue comments criticizing the organizers quickly filled the entire live stream. When it came to arguing without using profanity, Earthlings were pros. They easily flooded the comments section. 

The viewers from the Interstellar Alliance weren’t fools either. They quickly noticed why Earthlings critical comments were flooding the screen without getting muted. They soon figured out the trick and immediately followed suit. Before long, the entire live stream became lively again, with colorful comments and messages blooming all over the screen. 

As a result, “Wilderness Live Stream” ended up compiling a comprehensive “Guide to Getting Insulted Without Profanity.” 

… 

By now, this is probably the worst criticism that “Wilderness Livestream Room” has ever received, and this time, they can’t even deflect the blame or speak up; they can only shrink back and let the audience vent their frustration. 

After all, if people are complaining, it means they are watching. If people are watching, it equates to ratings, and ratings mean the program is a success. Since being criticized equals success, what else could they want? Go ahead and criticize, after all, the audience is the king. 

Soon, Su Ge inside the eggshell heard the mechanical female voice, “Hello, thank you for waiting. Now all participants choices have been tallied, and I will announce the results.” 

For Su Ge, to say she wasn’t nervous would be a bit of a lie. 

However, to say she was extremely nervous would also be an exaggeration. She just couldn’t help but perk up her ears to listen to the final announcement from the mechanical voice. 

The mechanical voice first, as per custom and rules, announced a bunch of nonsense about the fairness of the choices, and finally said, “The statistics for this round are as follows: the total number of participants choosing to stay on Wild Star 756 is…” 

The nature of variety shows is like this, always leaving a long suspense. Fortunately, this was a live broadcast; if it were recorded, there might have been over ten minutes of commercials inserted. In any case, it wouldn’t end without keeping the audience and participants in absolute suspense. 

With her arms crossed over her chest, Su Ge was getting quite impatient. The rhythm of her finger tapping on her elbow had gone from steady at the start to increasingly fast and chaotic. 

Just as Su Ge was reaching the edge of her patience, the mechanical voice that had been spouting nonsense and keeping everyone in suspense finally announced the final result: “Fifteen.” 

“The number of participants choosing to leave Wilderness Star 756 is zero. According to the program rules, all participants will remain on Wild Star 756 to complete this episode’s recording.” 

The mechanical voice went on with a bunch of nonsense, but Su Ge didn’t listen anymore, because all her attention was on the “fifteen.” 

Not a single person wanted to leave this desolate planet? 

To be honest, Su Ge knew that the reason she didn’t want to leave this desolate planet, besides not wanting to start over, was because she probably wouldn’t have much of an advantage on other planets. People naturally avoid harm and seek benefits, and she was no exception. So, her choice to stay was a no-brainer. 

The question was, why did the other aliens also choose to stay? 

Logically, moving to other desolate planets might offer better opportunities, a fresh start, or even more chances to perform. Why did they all choose to stay in the end? 

Su Ge couldn’t figure it out, and she couldn’t ask either. At the start of this survey, the mechanical voice had already explained the rules: regardless of the outcome, participants could not directly, indirectly, or suggestively ask about the matter. Any violation would result in severe punishment. 

Everyone emerging from the eggshells had similar expressions, a mix of wanting to know something but unable to ask, frustration, and reluctance to speak. Eventually, they all just skipped over the issue and resumed whatever they were doing before entering the eggshells. 

Su Ge continued sorting the plants in her hand. While chopping meat, Rong Shi casually asked, “What’s for dinner today?” 

— 

This was a very ordinary question. If it were asked in a safe area or outdoors, no one would have heard it, much less paid any attention. Unfortunately, they were in a cave where every sound could be heard clearly by everyone. Especially such a provocative question. 

Sure enough, as soon as Rong Shi asked the question, Su Ge hadn’t even had time to answer before she felt dozens of eyes fixed on her like searchlights. Although no one spoke, their gazes all clearly expressed longing. 

“This piece of meat is about to spoil…” Su Ge was about to say that many of the wild vegetables were also about to go bad, so they might as well make a hotpot. After all, they couldn’t make anything more elaborate with these ingredients. 

But before she could finish, Li Ya suddenly spoke up, “I remember, before we split up to find people, Su Ge, you told us that if everyone returned safely, you would make us…” 

He deliberately elongated his words, and except for the four rescued people, everyone else responded almost in unison, “Spicy hotpot!” 

Su Ge: “…” 

Hotpot might be a delicacy, but don’t you get tired of eating it every day, every meal? Do you really have no other choices? 

“Alright then, anyway…” Su Ge pursed her lips—after all, hotpot is the easiest and just consumes more ingredients. 

“Anyway, what?” Sela keenly caught the unfinished words and immediately asked. 

Sighing, Su Ge looked at the eager faces and spoke the truth, “Anyway, this will be the last hotpot for a while.” 

This answer made all the aliens look as if they had seen a ghost, their eyes widening in shock. They seemed momentarily speechless, and when they could finally speak, the cave was filled with voices asking, “Why?” 

Pointing to the heavy rain outside that showed no signs of stopping, Su Ge sighed, “With this heavy rain, there’s no way to go hunting. Our food supply will only decrease, so starting tomorrow, we need to ration our food and eat less.” 

This statement immediately silenced everyone. 

As aliens who had never seen rain before, they had quickly transitioned from the joy of seeing rain for the first time to feeling terrified at the sight of it, and now they were even starting to feel a hint of despair. Su Ge, who had grown up accustomed to rain, felt a bit sympathetic towards these aliens. 

This was quite a high starting point for them. 

Finally, someone spoke up, “How about we skip the hotpot? After all, we just had nutritional liquid not long ago; we can last for two days. We can save that piece of meat and eat it sparingly after two days.” 

The aliens weren’t foolish. Although they were curious about various “primitive” things on Earth, they weren’t brainless. They all understood the current issues and the difficulties they faced. 

Everyone had witnessed the terror of the torrential rain. Regardless of their intelligence, every living being has an instinct to seek safety and avoid danger. Even they were hiding in the cave, not daring to go outside. It can be imagined that the native animals on this planet had their own ways of coping with such harsh weather. So, Su Ge wasn’t wrong. As long as the heavy rain continued, they couldn’t go out hunting. 

As for the plants, they are mostly submerged in water now. Which makes it impossible to see or harvest anything. 

So, apart from this large piece of meat, the seven or eight rabbits that got caught yesterday, five or six wild chickens, and a heap of wild vegetables, they had nothing else. If they all ate to their fill, this food would be gone in two meals. 

This suggestion immediately gained support from everyone. Indeed, in such an emergency, they weren’t doing any physical activity. As long as they maintained the minimum nutritional intake needed to sustain their energy, that was enough. Other considerations could not be entertained. 

However, this suggestion was turn down by Su Ge: “Forget it, we’re having hotpot in a bit.” 

“But, Su Ge, I know you want to keep your word, but the situation now is that we have no surplus food. We need to plan for the next few days. We don’t know when this rain will stop. If we don’t save some food, what if we run out of things to eat in a few days?” Ron pleaded earnestly with Su Ge, feeling as helpless as watching a prodigal son squander their last bit of fortune. 

His plea was met with agreement from many, but unfortunately, it did not include Su Ge. Su Ge merely looked at Ron with a disdainful expression that clearly said, “Do I need you to teach me?” 

These pleas quickly weakened under Su Ge’s gaze, which seemed to view them as idiots. The aliens suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure emanating from Su Ge and began to shrink back, one by one retreating to the side. 

Only then did Su Ge nonchalantly explain, “This piece of meat is going bad. If we don’t eat it soon, it will spoil. If it spoils, we’ll have to throw it away and can’t eat it. So, your choice is to let it spoil and throw it away rather than eat it while it’s still good?” 

The entire cave fell into silence. Ron and the aliens who had just opposed Su Ge’s decision now wished they could dig a hole and bury themselves in it. 

No, we didn’t say that. We won’t speak up again. 

It was a thick, fatty piece of pork belly. 

According to Su Ge’s personal preference, she actually wanted to find some salt and use it to heavily salt this piece of meat. Although the weather on this Wild Star 756 was relatively hot at this time, which is not ideal for curing meat, it wouldn’t stop her from trying. If it worked, then they could store all the excess game in the future using this method. 

Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. She didn’t anticipate the situation that would unfold. 

So, the carefully selected large piece of pork belly intended for curing ultimately ended up as everyone’s meal. 

The clay pot by the fire pit was already set up and heated. Su Ge poured the section of fat meat that had been cut into pieces into the pot. 

Initially, when these snowy white fats were put into the pot, there was no immediate change. However, as the pot was continuously heated, those nearly identical small cubes of fat began to slowly change. Many tiny bubbles emerged on the side of the pot in contact with the fats, accompanied by a faint sizzling sound. They were arranged haphazardly at the bottom of the clay pot, looking particularly clear and lovely. 

For the aliens, they rarely had the opportunity to observe cooking up close like this. They were all sitting around the bonfire, some near and some far, watching the changes in the snowy white fats in the pot. 

They watched as the fats gradually softened from their square shapes, as the transparent liquid seeped out from their snowy white bodies, as they turned golden yellow, even becoming wrinkled, and finally, as they all floated in the pot with some light yellow liquid. 

It was like witnessing a magical spectacle, with all the transformations happening right before their eyes. However, the visual impact was nothing compared to the indescribable aroma that left everyone astonished and mesmerized. 

Although the aliens had tasted Earth’s food before, they had limited exposure to the aromas associated with cooking. They were familiar with roasting and hotpot, but when the fragrance of rendered pork fat wafted out, they were all profoundly struck by this unfamiliar scent. 

The smell was unlike anything they could imagine, with a hint of roasting but mostly a completely unfamiliar scent. 

The pork in the pot in front of them was clearly the same as what they had eaten before, so why did it emit such a remarkably different aroma? It was like countless unsolved mysteries of the universe. 

As the aliens remained captivated by the captivating smell, they observed Su Ge grabbing a small clay jar. With a casual gesture, she dropped in a handful of Sichuan peppercorns. However, when she tried to lift the pot, she quickly withdrew her hand, wincing. She then pinched her ears, furrowed her brow, and stomped her foot in frustration. 

Aliens: (⊙_⊙)(⊙_⊙)(⊙_⊙) 

Is this… a pre-meal ritual for Earthlings? 

Then, Su Ge tore off some large leaves, placed them in her hands, gripped the pot’s sides, swiftly lifted it, and poured the liquid into the small clay jar with practiced ease. 

Su Ge’s estimation was precise; the small clay jar perfectly contained all the rendered pork fat from the pot. Once it was filled, Su Ge placed the pot back on the fire, added some scallions, ginger, and garlic to the remaining oil in the pot, and quickly stirred. Soon, another indescribable aroma wafted from the pot. Seizing the opportunity, Su Ge grabbed some chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns and tossed them into the pot, continuing to stir. When a pungent spicy aroma emerged, she picked up the kettle of boiling water and poured it into the pot. 

With a sizzle, amidst the rising steam, Su Ge stood up, cradling the jar of rendered pork fat, intending to find a cool place to let it cool down slowly for later use. 

As soon as she turned around, she was startled by a sudden flurry of footsteps. Intrigued, she glanced back and saw Ron, looking equally bewildered, accompanied by a group of aliens. They all seemed to be pinching their ears and stomping their feet, as if they had just seen ghosts. 

Su Ge: (⊙_⊙)…