High-Altitude Worker, Unfortunately a Cannon Fodder Female Supporting Role - Chapter 14

After resting briefly, she resumed her climb, quickly reaching the flat platform extending from the cave entrance.

With a final surge of strength, Zhao Ke pulled herself up, her feet landing firmly on the platform.

She straightened the rope but didn’t untie it immediately. Instead, she kept it secured, switched on her flashlight, and peered into the cave.

The cave was surprisingly clean, likely due to its remote location—not even animal droppings were present.

After shooing away a couple of bats, Zhao Ke immediately decided to make this cave her camp for the next ten days.

“Now, I need to haul up my mountaineering pack.”

She crouched at the cliff’s edge and used the rope she had prepared earlier to pull up the mountaineering pack from the base of the cliff.

Those muscles… huff huff

Hahaha, while other teams are still miserably hacking through grass, she’s already moved in!

Is she planning to live in this cave the whole time? She’ll have to go down for food eventually, right?

Zhao Ke had no intention of hiding in the cave for ten days.

After setting up her tent, she descended the cliff again while it was still light.

The drone could only fly for two hours a day, so she had already packed it away. Instead, she pulled out her live stream pole and clipped it directly onto her safety harness.

Descending was much faster than climbing. Zhao Ke kicked off the cliff face, and the mountaineering rope, guided by the pulley, lowered her at a steady pace.

Aaaaaah, this is so scary!

No, no, it’s too high! Let me down, waaaah!

Zhao Ke casually picked up a wooden stick and began to push through the mountain forest, poking at the undergrowth as she went.

During her childhood at the orphanage, food shortages had been common, so she often ventured into the mountains to forage for wild vegetables.

She walked and stopped, gathering plenty of shepherd’s purse and ferns along the way. She even had the good fortune to find two late-season bamboo shoots.

Viewers in the live stream watched as Zhao Ke used the production team’s military knife to stab repeatedly into the soil around the bamboo shoots, sending mud splattering everywhere.

This is way too rough!

Oh my god, don’t get mud on my face!

In contrast, while the other live streams showed participants in varying states of dishevelment, none were as filthy as Zhao Ke.

Zhao Ke glanced at the live stream. “Don’t worry, there’s a small river to the south. I’ll wash up later.”

She’d spotted it while climbing the cliff earlier. There might even be fish in it.

That’s all well and good, but Zhao Ke, how could you change so much?

Even the most oblivious viewers in the live stream had finally noticed the drastic change in Zhao Ke.

Previously, Qiao Qinglu and Zhao Ke had been the epitome of pampered heiresses, unwilling to lift a finger. On variety shows, they’d refuse to run or stay in the sun, and during filming, they’d always insist on using stunt doubles for action scenes.

Qiao Qinglu, however, remained unchanged. In her live stream with Yin Wenyuan, conflict inevitably arose. Specifically, Yin Wenyuan suggested finding firewood for their camp, but Qiao Qinglu, citing various concerns about getting dirty, refused to cooperate and sulked alone in the tent Yin Wenyuan had set up.

Yin Wenyuan, whose handsome face had always been meticulously maintained on screen, now struggled to maintain his composure. Unlike Qiao Qinglu, who could throw tantrums without regard for appearances, he had to suppress his anger and do the work of two people alone.

I’m so mad! So mad! Qiao Qinglu thinks she’s at home or something!

Pfft, even at home she wouldn’t get this kind of treatment. Now that Qiao Shuxue is back in the Qiao family, who’s going to give her a second glance?

Yin-gege, I’ve already roasted her on Weibo for you. Just bear with it on the show and remember your idol image!

“Hahahaha, what’s with your fans? So timid! Hahahaha!”

“What can we do? From our idol to her fans, we all have our pride.”

A netizen, driven to Zhao Ke’s live stream by Qiao Qinglu’s infuriating behavior, entered the room to find it eerily silent, the camera inexplicably focused on a patch of dirt.

“What’s going on here?”

“Shhh!”

“Shhh!”

“???”

“(Whispering) We’re catching bamboo rats.”

Are these people playing house or something? How are they so immersed?

The netizen was puzzled but curious.

The bamboo rats had been part of Zhao Ke’s plan from the start, but it wasn’t until she had gathered a large basket of wild vegetables that she finally found her first bamboo rat burrow.

Bamboo rats prefer to dig their burrows on the shady side of grassy slopes, and they typically have multiple entrances.

Zhao Ke circled the area several times, sealed the remaining three burrow entrances with mud, and approached the entrance with the freshest claw marks. She lit a wooden stick with a lighter and began poking it into the burrow.

Due to the camera angle, viewers could only see the dirt beneath Zhao Ke as she leaned forward.

Soon, faint squeaking sounds reached everyone’s ears.

“Is it coming out?”

So exciting! So exciting!

The bamboo rat’s burrow wasn’t deep, and Zhao Ke had already blocked the other exits. Soon, the smoke forced the creature to bolt out of its hole.

Zhao Ke reacted swiftly, seizing the gray neck as it emerged.

“What a plump one,” she said, lifting the bamboo rat to admire it.

On camera, viewers watched as a fat, gray rat the size of an adult’s forearm writhed in Zhao Ke’s grip, its prominent yellow incisors grinding audibly.

Without hesitation, Zhao Ke extinguished the fire, drew her military knife, and swiftly slit the bamboo rat’s throat.

What a ruthless woman!

Upstairs, are you having a saintly moment? You be the Buddha then.

Zhao Ke’s movements are so efficient. This bleeding method gets it all out cleanly.

Flush with her successful hunt, Zhao Ke carried her bounty to a small river she had scouted earlier. There, she washed the food clean and took the opportunity to wash herself as well.

Look at how muddy the water is! She’s practically a mud child.

Just let her be. Zhao Ke’s completely abandoned any pretense of maintaining her image now.

It’s got that “one last job before I quit showbiz” vibe, haha!

No way! I just became a fan!

Zhao Ke returned to the cave with food and some firewood, climbing back just as the last rays of twilight faded.

“This commute is hilarious!”

Zhao Ke savored her roasted bamboo rat, leaning against the cave entrance. She thought to herself, “A cold beer would be perfect right now.”

The sky was cloudless, the bright moon hung high, and countless stars dotted the night. A gentle breeze rustled through the mountain forest, creating waves of swaying trees.

“It’s so beautiful,” Zhao Ke murmured. “Retiring here wouldn’t be bad at all.”

“Baby, you’re only twenty and already thinking about retirement? Isn’t that a bit premature?”

With time on her hands, Zhao Ke chatted casually with the live stream comments. The Production Team had confiscated her phone, so she couldn’t play games.

“It’s not premature,” she replied. “We need to start saving for a house early, right?”

“Actually, a small coastal town would be nice too, or maybe a village in the south.”

“Hmm, I haven’t decided where yet.”

“How are the other three groups doing?” Zhao Ke asked.

“Lao Huang and Xiao Yu set up camp by a stream. They failed to catch any fish and are eating their rations tonight. Xiao Shu and Guan Guan found a valley and got lucky finding some nuts. As for Qiao Qinglu…”

“Let’s just say Yin Wenyuan and Qiao Qinglu both seem stubbornly determined to make the other one quit first.”

“Qiao Qinglu won’t withdraw,” Zhao Ke said calmly.

Although she found Qiao Qinglu’s behavior today extremely strange, as if she were throwing caution to the wind, this was an opportunity Qiao Qinglu had demanded herself. She wouldn’t give it up easily.

Breaking News: Qiao Qinglu’s tent has inexplicably broken. She’s demanding to share Yin Wenyuan’s tent, her attitude extremely forceful.

Zhao Ke, who had been drowsy after her meal, suddenly snapped awake. “Then what? Then what? What did Yin Wenyuan say?” she pressed.

Haha Baby’s eyes lit up instantly!

Ahhhh, my Yin-gege! Goodbye, everyone! I’m going next door to join the battle!

Zhao Ke’s live stream stick couldn’t access other channels, and she paced anxiously in the cave, scratching her head in frustration.

Moments later, the walkie-talkie, silent all day, suddenly crackled twice. Then Yin Wenyuan’s stiff voice came through:

“Qiao Qinglu’s tent is broken, Director Qu. Is there any way to fix it?”

Director Qu, clearly monitoring the live stream, replied quickly, “Xiao Yin, as Qinglu’s teammate, you need to figure something out. The production team is already asleep.”

Director Qu, it’s barely past eight. You’re keeping such an old person’s schedule.

The static subsided for a moment before Qiao Qinglu’s sharp, petulant voice crackled through the intercom. “Zhao Ke, where are you? I want to sleep in your tent.”

Zhao Ke raised an eyebrow, surprised to be dragged into this.

She grabbed the walkie-talkie and pressed the transmit button. “How did your tent break? Did you do it yourself?”

Good question!

“Aaaaaah, Zhao Ke!” Qiao Qinglu’s voice cracked into a shrill scream, forcing Zhao Ke to hold the walkie-talkie further away.

“Are you sick in the head, Zhao Ke? Have you gone mad? Who would deliberately break their own tent?”

“You just don’t want to help me, do you?! Why? Why won’t you help me?!”

I can’t stand Qiao Qinglu—she’s a complete lunatic. Can she ever speak in a normal tone?

Aaaaaah, baby, don’t agree to her demands! Her attitude is atrocious!

Zhao Ke frowned, remaining silent.

Qiao Qinglu continued her incessant rant over the intercom, even dredging up old grievances from their past film shoots.

Isn’t this just blatant moral blackmail?

Does Qiao Qinglu even know where Zhao Ke is? If she’s so capable, she should climb up here herself!

Zhao Ke, don’t believe Qiao Qinglu! Someone already posted in Yin Wenyuan’s Super Topic that the camera caught Qiao Qinglu damaging the tent herself!

Meanwhile, Yin Wenyuan had also received messages from his fans. Amidst Qiao Qinglu’s relentless tirade, Yin Wenyuan’s cold voice cut through: “Qiao Qinglu, you were caught on camera. You damaged the tent yourself.”

“I didn’t! I didn’t! I didn’t!” Qiao Qinglu roared in denial.

Yin Wenyuan’s chest heaved violently, his eyes bloodshot with anger. Suppressing the urge to unleash a torrent of curses, he said coldly, “The entire sequence of events was recorded. First, you snapped the tent frame with your foot, then you slashed the fabric with a military knife. The evidence is irrefutable. Admit it, apologize, and I might still help you.”

Waaah, Yin-ge is still too kind!

Okay, okay, maintaining this level of idol image? I’m officially a Yin Wenyuan fan now!

“Impossible! Everything you’re saying is a lie! I would never do such a thing!” Qiao Qinglu screamed, kicking the mountaineering pack beside her.

The pack tumbled to the ground, rolling twice in the mud.

Yin Wenyuan’s brow furrowed deeply, his fists clenched tight. She had kicked his mountaineering pack.

As a psychology expert, I must reiterate: Qiao Qinglu’s behavior perfectly aligns with the symptoms of schizophrenia.