In other words, while the prey released by the production team looked like a great opportunity to rack up points, it would actually cause major delays and throw off the contestants’ plans.

Staying in the forest was not only more dangerous, but it also meant wasting time searching for prey, crafting hunting tools, and being unable to even scout a location for a permanent shelter.

’To discard so much stability for a tenfold point bonus,’ he thought, ’is incredibly foolish.’

’It’s far more practical to do what I did: get to the coast early, secure a steady supply of seafood, and build a permanent shelter.’

’One path focuses on the immediate gain, the other on the future. I’m not that shortsighted.’

’In fact, any contestant with half a brain will eventually head for the coast.’

’The sooner you get to the coast, the sooner you can claim a good spot, stockpile food, and start building a permanent shelter.’

’Tough luck for anyone who arrives late.’

Seeing his complete lack of interest, Robert sighed in disappointment and gave up trying to persuade him.

"Alright then, we won’t take up any more of your time. See you around."

After saying goodbye to Lin, the group returned to the speedboat. The motor roared to life, and they sped back the way they came.

Staring at the churning wake on either side of the boat, he asked in confusion.

"Daniel, why do you think those two, Lin and Andre, both passed on the prey with the ten-times point bonus? Isn’t that supposed to be an enticing offer?"

"Hm?"

Daniel looked up in confusion. "What do you mean? I thought you were just playing dumb. You seriously don’t know?"

"Huh? Know what?"

Robert blinked blankly.

"Isn’t it obvious? When the planning department added that feature, didn’t they explain the reasoning behind it to you?"

"There’s a hidden meaning?? How come I don’t know about this? They didn’t tell me!"

The corner of Daniel’s mouth twitched. He suddenly had a wild thought.

’Could it be... because this season was planned in such a rush, that bunch of airheads in the planning department just thought of using the tenfold point bonus as a gimmick to tempt the contestants, without considering any deeper implications?’

Based on his experience working there for the last few years, the more he considered it, the more likely it seemed. He facepalmed, speechless.

"I really don’t know what to say about you guys. It’s a no-brainer. To get the tenfold point bonus, you have to spend a ton of time searching the forest, which means..."

He then proceeded to explain the drawbacks of this setup in detail.

"Huh?"

Robert scratched his head. "So, you’re saying the prey with the tenfold point bonus is just a trap to separate the smart contestants from the dumb ones?"

"You could say that. If a contestant is very confident in their abilities, they might use this method to rack up more points first, and then move to the coast to settle down."

"But that storm a couple of days ago obviously took a toll on the contestants’ physical condition. Most of them have realized the importance of a permanent shelter. You’ve seen it yourself the last two days—almost no one is interested in looking for the grouse anymore. They’re all focused on building shelters."

"Right," Robert nodded eagerly. "The proposal did account for this scenario. It says we can start the second airdrop if this happens. I was just wondering when we should do it."

"That’s odd. It shouldn’t be like that."

Daniel crossed his arms, his brow furrowed in thought. "After so many seasons of a wilderness survival show, you’d think the planning department would be more careful. They shouldn’t have overlooked such an obvious flaw."

’Could it... have been intentional?’

Unable to decipher the planning department’s intentions for the time being, he could only wait patiently and see how the situation would change once the second airdrop began.

After parting ways with the production crew, Lin Chen grabbed a bunch of coconuts from a palm tree near the beach to take home, saving him the trouble of another trip to the shore tomorrow morning.

’It’s okay to be short on food, but a water supply is non-negotiable.’

’Now, what should I cook tonight?’

After starting the fire, he laid out all of his day’s haul and began to brainstorm again.

This morning he’d been lamenting the lack of seasonings, and now, by evening, he had several new types.

The seasonings were plentiful now, but the main ingredients were nothing new—still the same old seafood.

’How to use the same ingredients to create different dishes... This is where a chef’s adaptability and creativity are truly tested.’

’I’ve used wild garlic before, back in Alaska. This variety is a little different, but these shoots have a much stronger flavor. I can smell the pungent garlic just by holding them.’

’This isn’t my first time seeing culantro, either. I tried it at a restaurant in Panama City before the competition. It’s like regular cilantro but with a hint of citrus and a much more intense flavor. Usually, two or three leaves are enough for an entire dish.’

’Lemongrass is a pretty common spice. And then there’s this bay leaf... I’ve often used the dried leaves, but I’ve never actually cooked with fresh ones.’

There was also wild ginger. Its rhizomes were smaller and more branched, but it smelled pretty much the same as regular ginger.

And then there were the oranges, pineapple, coconuts, and mangoes, plus the clams, jellyfish, and oysters.

He closed his eyes and began his familiar process: running through combinations in his mind.

"Got it!"

In a flash, inspiration struck.

A mysterious smile spread across his face as he looked into the camera. "You’ll never guess what I’m about to make!"

"A friendly hint: I’m making two dishes."

He glanced at his watch. Sure enough, the live comments were flying across the screen, a flurry of discussion as everyone tried to guess what he would make with these ingredients.