In fact, no one knew what Li Younan wanted to do with the hand-crank generator.
So when he subtly asked if he could keep the hand-crank generator if it broke, the staff didn’t think much of it and immediately said, "If it’s broken, we’ll replace it for you right away."
For the production team, the only absolute prohibition is external help.
Previously, there was a contestant who secretly brought in compressed biscuits and energy bars. Although they won in the end, their qualification was revoked afterward, and the prize money was retrieved.
As for a hand-crank generator, to be honest, it’s too small... In the staff’s opinion, even if you take it apart, it would only provide a bit of plastic and a bunch of electronic components that are useless in the wilderness.
It’s worth mentioning that there aren’t many technical personnel on the production team, and those who check the equipment each time aren’t professional maintenance workers.
They just test to see if the functionality is normal, and if it’s indeed broken, they would most likely replace it rather than repair it.
So, no one would think that a hand-crank generator could affect fairness. Moreover, everyone has one.
Letting the contestants keep the broken hand-crank generator is even less of an issue—could it be that they could use the components to assemble a GPS tracker to contact friends outside for support and cheat?
Impossible.
So when Li Younan raised the question, the staff just casually reported it to their superiors.
The reply from the superiors was the same: "He wants to keep the broken hand-crank generator? Alright, but remind him that if the solar panel also breaks, he will lose all power and must contact you in time..."
But then they thought of something, "However, that guy shouldn’t run into any trouble."
The final reply to Li Younan was quite vague, roughly implying that they tacitly allowed him to keep the hand-crank generator.
Of course, the reason Li Younan was able to successfully make this request, besides the fact that the hand-crank generator seemed harmless, was that he had now become the most important star of this season.
This is international; even Pacini, who has American citizenship, is not as popular as Li Younan in the United States.
Of course, before these contestants make the satellite phone call to quit, they can’t see the progress of the other contestants.
Williams is the only black contestant this season.
He hasn’t eaten for four days.
With the arrival of the rainy season in August, the opportunities to go out and find food are getting less and less.
Before this, he had caught rabbits with small traps and caught fish with a gill net.
Besides that, he also picked up a lot of snails in the forest and cooked them. Unfortunately, his archery skills were terrible, so he didn’t choose a bow and arrow, which basically ruled out the possibility of hunting large animals.
It’s been dozens of days now. Today is finally a sunny day, and he decided to go out and find something to eat.
However, since he hasn’t had any carbohydrates for so long, he felt very down and depressed.
He cried into his action camera: "Honestly, guys, I’m starting to miss my family now."
"I miss my wife a lot."
"I came here to win that 1 million USD prize."
"Honestly, I’m not someone with strong wilderness survival skills. Up until now, I can’t even remember the names and uses of those complex plants... If I can’t find any food today, maybe it’s time to give up."
Saying this, he painfully covered his forehead, then casually sat on a nearby piece of deadwood.
There were a few mushrooms growing on the wood.
He stared at those mushrooms for a while, picked them off, and said to the camera, "To be honest, I really want to eat these mushrooms now. The production team repeatedly advised us not to eat the mushrooms in the forest, but I’m really starving. What can I do to relieve my hunger now?"
He hesitated for a long time and finally gave a bitter smile and threw the mushrooms into the forest.
He knew very well that when hunger hits, he could always make the satellite call to quit, but if he ate poisonous mushrooms, it would all be over.
He dragged his weary, weak body through the forest, but his mood grew more and more depressed.
A sense of powerless despair enveloped him, so much so that he took out the camera and continued to ramble, "Maybe this isn’t a task that can be completed at all. Honestly, when I watched others do the show before, I thought being alone in the wilderness wasn’t a difficult thing, but now I realize it’s completely wrong—it’s too hard, it’s really too hard."
Williams had initially planned to search outside for at least three hours, but he sat on the deadwood for more than an hour.
During that time, he took out the satellite phone countless times, ready to dial the number that would release him.
But every time his finger hovered over the button, he thought of the 1 million USD prize that could give his wife a better life, and he clenched his teeth and put the phone down.
Finally, he stood up amidst his struggle, shaking his head with a bitter smile, "Maybe I need to go back and rest a bit."
His shelter was probably the simplest of all the contestants’—made of two rows of wood forming a triangle, covered with a layer of waterproof cloth and moss.
At this moment, seeing the shelter, he couldn’t help but feel a twinge in his nose and unexpectedly started to cry.
He didn’t understand why he felt so depressed. If Li Younan were there, he would calmly say, "Buddy, you’re just lacking carbohydrates."
But at this moment, he only felt like a coward, and this thought plunged him deeper into depression.
Finally, something inside him snapped.
He took out the satellite phone and dialed the number that meant giving up.
A few hours later, the rescue team arrived at his shelter with supplies.
The staff comforted him, saying, "We know it’s tough, but you’ve done really well."
William gobbled down the compressed biscuits, washed down with mineral water, and asked, "What number am I eliminated?"
"Sixth. There are still four contestants left."
"They’re really impressive."
"Honestly, you had no chance of winning."
"Buddy, saying that is really depressing."
The staff showed a complex smile and patted his shoulder: "After leaving, you can watch the show and you’ll understand what kind of opponents you faced."
"Who is it? Pacini?"
The staff shook his head: "Pacini is indeed impressive, but... you should watch for yourself."
A few days later, William returned to the civilized world.
He couldn’t wait to watch the already aired Alone in the Wilderness episodes.
At this point, Alone in the Wilderness had aired 6 episodes, and the episode where he was eliminated hadn’t been officially broadcast yet.
Before this, 5 contestants had been eliminated.
When he started watching the show, he finally understood what the staff meant when they rescued him before.
When he first saw Li Younan on video, he didn’t comprehend the seriousness of the situation.
But when Li Younan said on camera that "this place is rich in resources," and "I can’t understand why one couldn’t survive here," his gaze became somewhat empty, and his face was filled with existential doubt.
As he watched more, Li Younan built a shelter comparable to a villa, effortlessly caught fresh fish, spending at most half an hour each time just because he believed only fresh fish tasted good.
Later on, getting a ewe, he recalled at around the same time he was disgustingly cooking and eating snails, while this guy was already enjoying cheese, butter, and ghee.
It felt extremely absurd.
More ridiculously, the guy even built a large wooden tub for bathing and hunted a wild bull.
As for the scenes of porcelain and wood carvings... he was numbed.
He finished watching all the episodes, and instead, became calm.
At this point, a netizen from China found his personal social media account and commented, "Buddy, you’ve performed really well. Why not try sharing your feelings online after seeing Li Younan’s videos? I think it would be very interesting."
He took this suggestion, and really did it.
He started a livestream, unexpectedly attracting a lot of viewers.
In the livestream, he said hopelessly, "Guys, do you really want to know what I think after watching Li Younan’s performance? It’s that I feel incredibly stupid."
"I feel incredibly stupid for participating in this show!"
"But I can’t really blame myself."
"It’s like signing up for a basketball game for the prize, only to have Michael Jordan as one of your opponents. And before he dunks over you, you thought he was just an unknown guy."
But then he suddenly found it amusing.
"But honestly, all the contestants were just like me, having no idea what kind of life state the other opponents were in."
"At this moment, there are still four contestants in the show, each believing they have a chance to be the final winner—I mean including Pacini."
"But as outside viewers, we all know clearly, barring any unexpected turns, the ultimate victor can only be China’s Li Younan."
"This feeling is absurd, yet the show remains very interesting. I think everyone, just like me, is looking forward to seeing how Li Younan will eliminate the other contestants."
"It’s a bit cruel, actually, as apart from Li Younan, everyone is participating in a competition they can’t possibly win... Who the heck can believe it? While you’re still in the primitive era, your opponent has entered the civilized age."
"Let’s see then, let’s keep watching, haha."
Just as William said, everyone almost unanimously believed Li Younan would become the eventual champion.
But at this point, the show instead became interesting, and everyone would imagine themselves as the strongest participant in the program.
This overwhelming advantage not only didn’t make the show boring due to the lack of suspense, it made every viewer anticipate seeing the follow-up—they had to see how this ultimate champion would eliminate the other contestants.
It’s like reading a power fantasy, you know the protagonist will definitely crush the opponents, but you can’t help but look forward to watching.
Then as September started, the rains finally decreased, but the temperature dropped sharply.
When it snowed for the first time since summer on a night in early September, another contestant was eliminated due to catching a cold.
At this time, only three contestants remained: Li Younan, a girl named Kanna, and Pacini, who was almost finishing off the white-tailed deer.
And this year’s winter, arrived earlier than usual.

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