Dinner is a soup made from the heart of a desert long-eared deer, with the addition of mesquite pods.

There is also roasted coyote jerky and giant columnar cactus fruits.

Honestly, Chen Wen felt that his meal was quite extravagant.

And eating this meal would definitely cause excessive internal heat.

But faced with the temptation of epithets and gourmet food, Chen Wen still ate heartily.

The heart soup tasted quite good, and Chen Wen ate quickly.

At the same time, the epithet of the desert long-eared deer appeared in front of Chen Wen.

[Plunder natural creation — desert long-eared deer!]

[Plundering... plunder complete!]

[Please choose one from the following three epithets]

[Indigestion (Blue): Your nutrient absorption rate is very low, requiring more food to maintain activity]

[Note: So hungry, so hungry! — Desert Long-eared Deer]

[Long Jump Expert (Purple): You are better at jumping and can jump farther]

[Note: Human long jump is like child's play in our eyes — Desert Long-eared Deer]

[Marathon (Purple): Increases endurance and stamina during long-distance treks]

[Note: Letting us deer run a marathon, isn't it quite easy? — Desert Long-eared Deer]

[Please make a choice within one minute or forfeit! If overdue, the first epithet will be automatically chosen!]

The epithets of the desert long-eared deer overlapped with Chen Wen's previous ones.

But Chen Wen chose the relatively more useful [Marathon].

After choosing the epithet, Chen Wen ate with peace of mind.

...

Under the same starry sky.

Roland dragged his sick body, looking at the ridge not far away.

"There's a fire there, who is it? Gaston? Or Chen Wen?"

Roland could not determine.

But what he could determine was that if his prey were picked up by someone else, it would most likely be the person living on that ridge.

Roland planned to meet the other party.

...

The twenty-fourth day of survival.

Chen Wen continued to methodically handle camp chores and train the crested hawk.

But just as he released the crested hawk again, it emitted a peculiar cry.

Then, it flew towards the southwestern valley, began to hover, and let out a sharp scream.

"Someone!"

Chen Wen's expression changed; after such long training, he could already understand some of the crested hawk's behaviors.

The hovering of the crested hawk indicated the presence of humans on the ground.

Moreover, while hovering, the crested hawk would emit a sharp scream.

Chen Wen immediately reversed his grip on the dagger and slowly climbed over the mountain.

With the aid of [Climbing], Chen Wen quickly reached the other side of the mountain.

Using the position indicated by the crested hawk's hovering, Chen Wen quickly found the human hidden in the valley.

It was Roland.

Roland did not notice Chen Wen.

He was skinning a shot-to-death roadrunner.

Though it was possible to preserve the roadrunner's skin by plucking, no one, including Chen Wen, was willing to do such a thankless task.

Upon observation, Chen Wen found Roland's complexion to be off, and he was occasionally coughing.

Could he have caught a cold?

If Roland caught a cold, the danger level would be significantly reduced.

But should he eliminate Roland or cooperate?

After some thought, Chen Wen decided to meet with Roland before making a decision.

He poked his head out from behind the rocks and blew a loud whistle.

"Who!"

Roland was startled by the whistle.

The roadrunner in his hand fell into the fire.

However, upon seeing a distinctly Asian face.

Roland breathed a sigh of relief, hesitantly saying, "Chen Wen?"

"It's me."

Chen Wen emerged further from his hiding place.

This time, Roland recognized Chen Wen completely.

"Why is it you? How did you find me?"

Roland picked up the roadrunner and waved Chen Wen over, "Let's not fight initially, shall we?"

Chen Wen issued a command to the crested hawk in the sky, letting it come down.

This scene left Roland dumbfounded.

What's going on?

Is the hawk Chen Wen's?

Was it brought in or trained?

Before Roland could figure out how the crested hawk came to be.

Chen Wen motioned Roland to place the bow and arrow a bit farther away.

Once Roland placed the bow and arrow at a sufficient distance, Chen Wen slowly emerged from behind the rocks.

"Are you sick?"

Chen Wen couldn't help but ask, noticing how unwell Roland looked.

Roland nodded, lamenting, "I was caught in a storm while searching for others on the western plains."

Chen Wen nodded slightly.

This storm indeed came suddenly for them.

Surviving a day with no rain shelter was tough unless someone was fortunate to find shelter or, like Chen Wen, prepared well in advance and put all efforts into making rainproof facilities.

Otherwise, surviving the storm unscathed would be challenging.

Roland tore half of the roadrunner meat and handed it to Chen Wen: "Since you didn't attack me, should we collaborate?"

Roland knew very well that with his current condition, making it into the top three was almost impossible.

But if he cooperated with Chen Wen, maybe things would change.

"Do you trust me this much?"

Chen Wen couldn't help asking.

His cooperation with Gaston was based on pre-game interaction and shared goals.

But Roland was entirely different from Gaston.

He hardly had any interaction with Chen Wen.

"Actually, I have no choice but to trust you."

Roland subtly said: "After all, with my current situation, either I am eliminated by the next person I encounter, or I can't hold on and am auto-eliminated."

"So, since you didn't attack me, I think we can talk."

Hearing this, Chen Wen said no more: "Since you want to cooperate, you must also have the final three spots in mind."

"Cooperation is fine, but we need to discuss the details of the cooperation."

Roland nodded.

"First, I get the priority of any food obtained afterward; second, I get the priority of any tools acquired afterward; third, if we make it into the top three, I need the accumulated prize money."

Seeing Roland at a disadvantage, Chen Wen went for exceptionally high demands.

As expected, faced with such harsh conditions.

Roland was resolutely unwilling.

Especially the third point.

No one ever thinks they have too much money!

However, Chen Wen did not expect Roland to agree to his conditions but rather gave Roland a chance to negotiate.

After lengthy discussions.

Chen Wen and Roland reached a consensus.

The first two points remain unchanged.

Mostly the third point.

Roland would auto-eliminate himself after reaching the top three.

But the money from eliminating other members would be divided based on contribution.

Chen Wen agreed.

After all, he also needed Roland to help draw some fire.

...

After reaching an agreement.

Chen Wen took Roland back to his shelter.

However, he didn't let Roland move in.

Instead, he arranged for him to set up a temporary camp on the other side of the ridge to recuperate.

Chen Wen also instructed his animal friends not to go to Roland's side.

By the end of the twenty-fourth day.

The situation among the contestants had become quite apparent.

Roland and Chen Wen formed an alliance against the trio alliance of Adam, Gaston, and Gina.

The climax of this death match is about to arrive.

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