Amid the children’s excited chatter, the bus drove into Freetown Forest Park and stopped in the clearing in front of the ranger station.
The doors opened, and the children immediately poured out.
“Wow! It’s Liam!”
One little boy shouted first, and the others quickly joined in, instantly livening up the atmosphere.
Emma stood among the children in confusion.
She rarely watched television, so she had no idea who the man in front of her was.
She only thought he had a friendly smile.
Liam looked over the children with satisfaction.
There were five boys and three girls in total.
To be safe, he had specifically invited Little Jack to participate in the show so he could help get the others excited at moments like this.
Judging by the reaction, it was working perfectly.
He raised his voice and announced, “Kids, I hereby declare Young Explorers officially underway! For the next three days, we’ll be exploring the unknown secrets hidden within the mysterious Freetown Forest.”
“Yay! We’re explorers!”
The children cheered and jumped around excitedly.
Emma, however, looked utterly devastated.
How had she ended up on this kind of show?
She had imagined getting a chance to show herself off on television.
Instead, she now had to compete with a bunch of obnoxious boys for some mysterious grand prize.
Once the children’s excitement had died down a little, Liam continued.
“All right, kids. Come over and collect your expedition gear.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Goldman approached with two employees, each carrying two large bags.
Liam opened one of them, and the children crowded around curiously.
Inside was a pile of brand-new outdoor equipment.
There were complete sets of outdoor jackets, cooking gear for groups of four, and plenty of emergency rations.
Monster Files had earned solid local ratings.
As soon as several major outdoor retail chains heard that this was Liam’s new show, they sent over a large amount of equipment for him to use.
The exact endorsement fees, however, would depend on the program’s ratings.
Liam handed out the equipment one child at a time.
The boys were thrilled when they received their jackets, and some even tried to change into them right there until Liam stopped them.
When Emma’s turn came, she stared hesitantly at the outdoor clothes and did not take them right away.
Noticing her hesitation, Liam asked kindly, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling sick? If you don’t feel well, you can withdraw from the show.”
There was no way she was going to let Sofia look down on her.
Gritting her teeth, Emma took the clothes from Liam.
Once everything had been handed out, Liam gave his instructions.
“Boys, come with me and change on the bus. Girls, follow Miss Taylor to the changing room inside the ranger station.”
After the children had changed into their new gear, Liam did not immediately lead them into the forest.
Instead, he brought Watson over to stand in front of them.
“When you’re surviving in the wilderness among wild animals, scent is extremely important. The smell of a large predator can keep most animals far away from you. So come over and rub against Watson.”
The children had seen Watson plenty of times on television, but seeing him in person was completely different.
His powerful build and sharp teeth were intimidating.
Even though Watson was still only a young bear, the children instinctively kept their distance.
Liam gave Little Jack a subtle look.
Little Jack immediately stepped forward and hugged Watson.
Watson played along, sticking out his tongue and licking Jack across the face.
Once one child did it, the others quickly gathered their courage and followed.
After everyone had spent some time petting Watson, they all carried his scent.
Liam nodded.
“Your first mission today is to make your way through this forest and reach our campsite.”
So it was only a hike.
The children visibly relaxed and started warming up.
Meanwhile, Goldman pointed to the two employees he had brought with him.
“These are Bob and Bobby, my two most capable guys.”
Bob and Bobby waved at Liam, grinning foolishly.
Liam stared at the two large rangers, both dressed like country bumpkins, then asked in confusion, “Don’t you have anyone who looks a little better on camera? These two look like the kind of people who usually end up starring in my shows.”
Goldman leaned closer and lowered his voice.
“These brothers only cost three hundred dollars a week. The cheaper ones died a little while ago. Be glad I still have these two.”
Liam sighed and looked at Bob and Bobby.
“All right. You two are coming with us.”
The brothers mumbled something in response, chuckled, hoisted the luggage onto their shoulders, and followed along.
The group boarded the bus again.
Once they reached the end of the final stretch of road, everyone got out and continued on foot.
The forest was pleasantly cool in the morning. This chapter is updated first at g.com.
The children chatted and laughed as they walked, occasionally fooling around with one another.
From time to time, Liam stopped to teach them about the plants and animals they encountered, along with various wilderness survival skills.
It also gave the children a chance to rest.
Taylor followed alongside them the entire time, filming everything.
To conserve the children’s energy, the group moved at a slow pace.
By the time they finally reached the campsite, it was already noon.
Even so, the children were drenched in sweat.
Seeing this, Liam immediately handed out the lightly salted water he had prepared to help them rehydrate.
After they had recovered some strength, he directed them in setting up the tents and arranging the camp stoves.
It was only the first day, and the novelty had not worn off yet.
The children eagerly followed instructions, so everything went smoothly.
By evening, Liam had built a campfire, and the children gathered around it in a circle.
He cleared his throat and began setting the mood.
“Kids, during the day, you might think this is just an ordinary forest. But that’s only because you haven’t gone deep enough. At night, this place finally bares its true fangs.”
As Liam spoke, rustling suddenly came from the surrounding woods.
At the edge of the clearing, the shadows of large creatures occasionally darted between the trees.
The children immediately grew nervous and instinctively crowded together.
Seeing that the timing was right, Liam decided to provoke them a little.
“Kids, are you already scared? If you want to win the grand prize, this is nothing more than the appetizer.”
None of the children responded.
Just as Liam was about to signal Little Jack, Emma suddenly stepped forward.
“I’m not scared. It’s all fake. Just a bunch of little tricks.”
Liam’s smile widened.
“I didn’t expect you to be so brave. You must really want that grand prize.”
Emma’s competitive spirit immediately flared.
“That’s right. I’m going to win the grand prize, no matter what it is.”
Liam nodded, privately marveling at how fearless children were these days.
Apparently, the traps he had prepared were still too childish.
What he did not know was that Emma’s legs were already weak with fear.
The only thing keeping her standing was her refusal to back down.
She had already stepped forward.
If she did not say something bold now, it would be too embarrassing.