"I don't believe you! Are you lying to me?!" An Hongyu's voice trembled. "You must be lying to me!"
Xu Lianggong pressed on, questioning Xiao Chen, "When did this happen? How long will it take to fix?"
Xiao Chen replied, "The captain said they just discovered it and have already sent someone to repair it. But..."
"But what? Speak up!"
"To fix the track, it will take at least eleven years."
Xu Lianggong said in disbelief, "How could this happen?"
He rushed into the communication tent, dismissing the others, and contacted An Xin.
The moment the call connected, Xu Lianggong interrogated, "An CEO, did you have a hand in sabotaging the interstellar track?"
An Xin played with the champagne glass in her hand and said, "Yes."
Xu Lianggong angrily exclaimed, "You said you only wanted An Hongyu dead. But your actions now are condemning everyone on Barren Ancient Star to death!"
"How could that be? You all have hands and feet. If you want to live, you'll find a way."
Xu Lianggong suppressed his anger and said, "That's not what you told me back then! You said that if I obeyed, you would give me a bright future. What is this all about?!"
An Xin replied, "My promise still stands. An Hongyu is still alive, isn't he? If you want him dead, or if you can convince someone else to do it, I'll send people to repair the track as soon as possible."
"From what I know, it will take at least eleven years, and at most thirty years, to repair the interstellar jump track. By then, we'll all be old. Does it even make sense to return to Blue Star?"
"An Xin, you're so cruel!"
Xu Lianggong hung up the phone and secretly vowed not to let An Xin's plan succeed!
Half an hour later, he emerged from the tent and gathered everyone together.
Qin Zhao walked over, holding Sheng Xi with a cold expression.
When An Hongyu saw Qin Zhao, his eyes filled with hatred in an instant.
He knew it wasn't Qin Zhao who harmed him, but he needed an outlet for his anger.
An Hongyu pointed at Qin Zhao and shouted, "It's all because of you that I ended up like this!"
He tried to stand up, but his lower body lacked strength, causing him to fall again and again.
He kept cursing at Qin Zhao.
Qin Zhao approached An Hongyu, leaving Sheng Xi on the fishing chair, and flicked his forehead with his finger, causing him intense pain.
An Hongyu gritted his teeth, staring stubbornly at Qin Zhao, as if trying to kill her with his gaze.
Qin Zhao showed no response to his impotent rage. "An Hongyu, you better behave. Right now, you've only lost your legs. If you dare provoke me again, I won't mind taking away the use of your hands as well."
An Hongyu couldn't help but shiver.
If those words had come from the previous Qin Zhao, he wouldn't have taken them seriously.
But now, he believed she was capable of doing it.
An Hongyu chose to remain silent. It's better to be alive than dead. He admitted that he had acted impulsively.
Qin Zhao looked at An Hongyu's shrinking movements and nodded. "Very well, you finally aren't completely foolish."
Xu Lianggong spoke up, "There's some bad news I need to share with everyone."
The people whispered among themselves, quietly asking what had happened.
Xu Lianggong continued, "The interstellar jump track back to Blue Star is completely damaged. It will probably take more than ten years to fix."
These words weighed heavily on everyone's faces.
"Our supplies will only last for three months.
After three months, we will have to rely on ourselves or team up with others to survive.
It's up to each individual to decide.
During this time, everyone can take the opportunity to learn some survival skills."
Someone asked, "Director Xu, does the company not care about us anymore?"
Xu Lianggong replied, "Blue Star and Barren Ancient Star are twelve light-years apart. Even if they wanted to, they couldn't manage us."
Silence fell over the scene.
Qin Zhao knew that her abilities were enough to survive on Barren Ancient Star, so she didn't have much emotional fluctuation.
She asked, "Director Xu, what about the prize money for the show?"
Xu Lianggong was surprised by Qin Zhao's concern about the prize money, but he still answered, "Currently, Miss Qin ranks first in popularity, and it's already a settled matter.
Four days from now, I will submit the final results to the company.
Once the orbital track is repaired and we return to Blue Star, the one billion prize money will be deposited into the account of the winner of 'Survival in Desolate Ancient.'"
Qin Zhao felt relieved.
With the prize money, she would be able to continue surviving in this world. Otherwise, she would have to leave early, ensuring the completion of the mission.
Qin Zhao glanced at Sheng Xi's position and was surprised to see her looking relaxed, seemingly unaffected by the current predicament.
Qin Zhao had doubts. As someone accustomed to challenges and hardships, she didn't need to panic. But Sheng Xi was just an ordinary person. Even if she had a strong mentality, she shouldn't be so indifferent.
Unless...
The interstellar jump track was suspiciously damaged. Could she have been involved in the sabotage?
Or did she have some other motive?
Sheng Xi's background and her own wealth were enough to support her in doing things beyond ordinary people's comprehension.
In order to find out the reason, Qin Zhao decided to stay on Barren Ancient Star for a while and live with Sheng Xi.
She walked up to Sheng Xi and asked, "Do you want to team up with the production crew, or do you have other plans?"
Sheng Xi looked up at Qin Zhao and said, "I want to be with you, but if you don't want to, it's okay. I can manage on my own."
Qin Zhao didn't respond and carried her towards their tent.
Sheng Xi gazed at Qin Zhao's profile, a slight smile curling up at the corner of her lips.
The temperature gradually dropped after the earthquake.
At night, it would feel a little cold without a blanket.
Sheng Xi held Qin Zhao tightly from behind, drawing warmth from her and sharing her own body heat.
Qin Zhao, who was still awake, felt the strength of Sheng Xi's arms and closed her eyes.
Four days later, Xu Lianggong found Qin Zhao.
"Miss Qin, congratulations. You have become the ultimate winner of 'Survival in Desolate Ancient.'"
Qin Zhao nodded, "Good, that's what I wanted."
"Today, the live broadcast facing Blue Star will stop."
Xu Lianggong hesitated, seemingly conflicted. Qin Zhao wasn't interested in wasting time with him and turned to leave.
After taking only two steps, she was stopped by Xu Lianggong. "Miss Qin, can I talk to you?"
Qin Zhao said, "Please go ahead."
The two of them went to a place slightly away from the camp, out of the camera's view. There was no need to worry about being seen by the audience.
Xu Lianggong asked, "Do you know that the interstellar jump track was deliberately sabotaged?"
Qin Zhao pondered for a moment before uttering a name, "An Xin?"
"Yes."
"Besides her, are there any others involved?"
Xu Lianggong shook his head. "I don't know, but I don't think so. An Xin has always been independent and wouldn't allow others to interfere with her decisions."
Although Xu Lianggong said so, Qin Zhao still couldn't dispel his suspicion of Sheng Xi.
"Alright, why did you come to me?" Qin Zhao asked.
Xu Lianggong replied, "An Xin disrupted the plan and put all of us in danger. Aren't you angry?"
"After returning to Blue Star, I will settle the score with her," Qin Zhao said.
"I have a proposal..."
Qin Zhao interrupted him, saying, "No need. If you're trying to use me to achieve certain goals, you'd better give up on that idea. I have no intention of becoming your accomplice."
"You..." Xu Lianggong read her determination from her expression and didn't continue. He only said, "Sorry for bothering you."
Qin Zhao watched Xu Lianggong's figure with a hint of amusement. She had already guessed most of what he wanted to say.
An Xin's goal was to kill An Hongyu, so as a precaution, she would definitely prepare several spies within the directing team and logistics team.
Xu Lianggong wanted to oppose An Xin, and the only way to do so was to protect An Hongyu's life.
With Xu Lianggong around, Qin Zhao didn't have to worry about An Hongyu dying.
It saved her a lot of trouble.
