Ch. 531..540
Chapter 531: There’s Something Off About The Assignment
There had never been any trouble between them.
No third party interference, no misunderstandings.
Life had gone so smoothly that others were jealous.
So they got married and entered the Zhekova family.
And they were blessed with such good in-laws.
There were no feuds within the large family, no pressure to have children.
The Old Madam never rushed her, nor subtly reminded her to have a son soon.
Nor was there any hint, through nourishing supplements, to make her feel pressured.
So, Victoria Wheeler was always very grateful to her mother-in-law.
She was such a lovely mother-in-law, and in the Zhekova family, she was as close to her as her own mother.
Especially since she was somewhat spoiled by her own family.
But the Old Madam never minded and tolerated her temperaments.
Victoria could not change her temperaments, but she secretly resolved to become a good mother-in-law like the Old Madam in the future, never making her daughter-in-law suffer.
As long as her daughter-in-law tolerated her, she could support her daughter-in-law in anything.
“Wendy Clarke’s real parents are blind to think of Wendy Clarke as a treasure. I want to see if Wendy, whom they treated as a treasure, can be relied upon if something were to happen to them!” Victoria sneered disdainfully.
She felt deep down that Wendy was unreliable.
“They don’t care about Cindy, we do. They gave birth to Cindy but don’t treat her like their daughter. Although Cindy is not our own, Harrison and I treat Cindy as our own.”
“We’ll give her what the Clarke family won’t!” Victoria looked at Maverick Zhekova.
She found that Maverick was looking at her softly and tenderly: “Victoria, you’re really good.”
He knew that the woman he adored wouldn’t disappoint him.
Although she might appear tough on the outside.
But in reality, how kind she was!
Adrian Zhekova was blinded by their display of affection.
It was inappropriate for the two of them to show affection like this in front of their elders!
Why couldn’t they restrain themselves? Don’t they know to be mindful of their behavior?
Adrian rolled his eyes, thinking that if Cindy were here, he could show off too!
He couldn’t let Maverick and Victoria have all the sweetness to themselves.
As Adrian’s eyes shifted away, he saw Morgan holding his face, staring wide-eyed with admiration at Maverick and Victoria.
Adrian: “…”
Darn it, he forgot about this youngster!
He heard everything mentioned earlier about Joshua Clarke and Christy Xenos during the conversation with the elders.
Blame it on himself, for forgetting Morgan’s presence, and focusing solely on explaining things to the four elders.
Morgan, who usually chatted like a chatterbox, remained silent this time, stealthily eavesdropping on the side. One look, and you could tell he did it on purpose!
This boy, so cunning!
But the things he just mentioned were quite complicated. Adrian doubted if Morgan understood them all.
Adrian looked suspiciously at Morgan and directly asked, “Did you understand what I just said?”
“Of course I understand.” Morgan said, shaking his head with pride, “I’m so smart, just like you!”
Adrian: “…”
There was nothing he could argue against what the youngster said. It was simply a fact!
Old Master: “…”
Grandmother: “…”
Both elders were thinking acutely about how their grandson’s IQ was somewhat flawed to be hijacked by a small child like Morgan!
“So you understood everything?” Adrian raised his eyebrows. “Do you also understand who Joshua Clarke and Christy Xenos are?”
“They are Cindy’s parents! They’re my grandparents; I understand,” the youngster replied.
“And they’re not very good. I know that too,” said Morgan.
Victoria immediately interjected, “We didn’t say anything bad about them!”
“Oh, it’s not what I heard from you that makes me think they’re not good.” Morgan waved his hand nonchalantly, “Cindy never talks about her parents. Plus, I’ve heard my Godmother scold Cindy’s parents before.”
“Were you eavesdropping again?” Adrian asked, raising his eyebrow.
Morgan: “…”
“Not really… I didn’t eavesdrop on purpose. I just overheard it by accident,” Morgan said, avoiding Adrian’s gaze with guilt.
His eyes darted around nervously.
Adrian chuckled.
Morgan continued, “Anyway, I’ve known for a long time that they’re not good! And if they were good to Cindy, why wouldn’t she go back home? She never took me home with her even during the New Year’s celebration.”
“Every New Year, it’s just Cindy and me together. Cindy never says she misses her home, her parents.” Morgan asserted, indicating he understood the situation.
If they were good to Cindy, why wouldn’t she go back home?
“Like me, every day when I go to nursery, all I think about is going home as soon as possible! After school, I just want to go home as quickly as I can!” Morgan exclaimed, “Because I want to be with Cindy, as she is so good to me, and I adore her.”
“If my grandparents loved Cindy and Cindy loved them too, then Cindy would definitely want to go home more often,” Morgan reasoned.
Little Morgan’s analysis was straightforward, innocent, yet undeniably reasonable.
It left everyone speechless.
The Old Madam held her precious grandson in her arms and kissed his forehead, “How can there be such a sensible child!”
He was so sensible that it broke her heart.
Children were not naturally sensible, were they?
They must have experienced life that taught them to be sensible.
The Old Madam would rather have Morgan not be so sensible.
Perhaps a bit more reckless, a bit more naughty.
Morgan peeked out from the Old Madam’s embrace and asked coquettishly, “Great Grandmother, do you love me a little more now?”
“More than a little,” the Old Madam held Morgan and said, “Every second, I love you a little more, and every day, I love you even more.”
“My dear Morgan,” the Old Madam held him, gently rocking her body like a cradle.
Morgan swayed back and forth in her embrace, greatly amused.
“You’re sensible, and I’m happy, but it also pains my heart to see you so sensible,” the Old Madam sighed, “But I can’t tell you to be more capricious and less sensible. My heart is so conflicted.”
The Old Madam looked down at Morgan, “Do you understand what I’m saying?”
The little boy nodded with uncertainty, saying crisply, “But it’s okay. Whether I’m sensible or not, Great Grandfather and Great Grandmother, Grandfather, and Grandmother all love me the same, right? It’s good enough to have you all love me!”
“That’s right, you’re right!” The Old Madam tightly embraced Morgan.
What a treasure this child was! She just couldn’t get enough of him!
***
Cindy entered the racecourse gate.
Having just learned that Adrian Zhekova had arranged strict security outside.
Not to mention Joshua Clarke and Christy Xenos.
Chapter 532: I Just Despise You
Even for those from Lanarn Training Ground, it wouldn’t be easy to break in.
So, Cindy Clarke didn’t have any worries and focused on preparing for the competition.
Like before, Cindy entered the makeup room.
However, she found that the competitors didn’t have makeup on.
There were no makeup artists today.
“Cindy!” Yellen Brooks saw her and waved to her eagerly.
Cindy walked over.
Now that there were only 15 contestants left, the makeup room seemed much more spacious.
When Cindy arrived, the 10 contestants from Pingla Academy formed a small group, and the other four gathered together.
No one knew why, maybe it was because of the difference in strength.
In any case, the contestants from Pingla Academy rarely interacted with the others.
No one seemed to take the initiative to get to know each other or chat.
An invisible boundary naturally formed between them.
Since Yellen had called her, Cindy joined in with the small group of four people.
Blake Walker was also there, and when he saw Cindy, he looked extremely uncomfortable.
He didn’t like Cindy, but the others were nice to her, and he couldn’t do anything about it.
Cindy saw that Yellen and Natalie Campbell had light makeup on, drawn by themselves, not professional makeup artists.
As for Blake and Larry Bennett, they didn’t have any makeup on.
During the previous competitions, female contestants had more significant makeup.
Male contestants just had powder foundation applied to even out their skin tone.
However, looking at Blake and Larry, it seemed they hadn’t even applied foundation.
Seeing Blake’s obvious disdain for her, Cindy certainly wouldn’t take the initiative to speak to him.
So she asked the other three, “None of you did your makeup? Are the makeup artists not here yet?”
“We don’t know.” Yellen shook her head. “When we came, there were no makeup artists, just staff members asking us to wait here, saying they’d explain when everyone arrived.”
“Now that everyone’s here, we still don’t know what’s going on,” said Natalie. “Today is different from the previous two rounds. We arrived so early, but we still don’t know what exactly is happening.”
The uncertainty was even more unsettling because the staff wouldn’t give any information.
Little did they know, although the audience had not yet arrived, a live broadcast had already begun on the Internet platform.
The live stream started when the first contestant entered backstage.
Live cameras were installed in the corners of the makeup room.
Blake suddenly said, “Cindy, haven’t you heard any news about this competition?”
“No, why would I?” Cindy’s tone turned cold.
“After all, you’re with Adrian Zhekova…” Blake insinuated with a smirk. “I thought you might have some insider information.”
“It seems that weak people love to think that way,” Cindy laughed softly.
“What do you mean?” Blake fumed.
Who was the weak one here?
“Anyone who thinks this way is always at the bottom of the rankings, unable to accept that others are better than them or to acknowledge their own lack of strength. They only believe that the success of others is due to luck and that they could achieve the same with such good luck,” Cindy said coldly.
“Unfortunately, the weak will always be weak, no matter how they think or what they say. In the end, those eliminated are simply lacking in strength,” like Zoe Silverstone and Iris Doone.
Although Cindy didn’t name names, everyone thought of the two people in question.
Yellen moved to stand next to Cindy and looked at Blake disapprovingly: “Cindy’s strength, not to mention the auditions, is evident just from watching these two rounds of live competitions.”
“Whether it’s creativity or cooking skills, there is no place to criticize,” said Yellen. “No matter who she has a connection with, what does it have to do with the competition? Even if you say the major competition is run by Cindy herself, her strength means she can still win.”
“I don’t understand, with all your talk, is the racecourse about background or strength?” Yellen had had enough. “If the major competition is truly unfair, why did we even participate? Why did you stay?”
Cindy smiled at Yellen and spoke to Blake again: “Speaking of which, everyone here has won by a significant margin in the competition. Moreover, when we drew lots, the strength difference between us and our opponents was quite significant.”
“No need to mention Yellen, who won by a reversal,” Cindy continued. “Just you – how come your luck is so good that you happened to draw an opponent with a similar strength, and it’s uncertain who would win or lose?”
“And how come you were so lucky to win over your opponent with just a slight advantage? Of course, I have no doubt about the judges’ evaluation. But if I follow your logic in suspecting me, I can also question you, right?” Cindy scoffed. “Is there something fishy about your victory? How else could someone of your strength advance?”
“You…” Blake felt insulted. “Cindy, just because you advanced, you think you can look down on others?”
“I don’t look down on others; I just look down on you,” Cindy replied indifferently.
“Pff!” Cynthia Florine from the Pingla Academy group couldn’t help but laugh.
Blake immediately turned to look at her.
His sharp, angry gaze softened upon seeing so many people from Pingla Academy.
He didn’t dare mess with them.
Aiden Huxley and Yannick O’Brian by Cynthia’s side sneered, thinking Blake was a coward who only picked on the weak but was afraid of the strong.
Did he not realize that Cindy was not part of the “weak”?
“Sorry, sorry, I couldn’t help but laugh a bit too loudly!” Cynthia said with a grin.
“Is it that funny?” Blake couldn’t help but ask.
“Of course, it’s hilarious,” Cynthia replied. “Just savor what Cindy just said.”
Blake: “…”
“When Cindy said she doesn’t look down on people, it’s just a literal meaning. I don’t need to explain it to you in detail, do I?” Cynthia said.
“Hmph.” Blake snorted, not wanting to respond.
“The important part is the previous sentence – when Cindy said she doesn’t look down on others, isn’t that implying that she doesn’t consider you a person?” Cynthia clapped and laughed.
“I’m not trying to stir things up – I love the attitude of Cindy!” she applauded. “Otherwise, must we play innocent when someone badmouths us right to our face?”
“Blake, I’ve personally tasted Cindy’s cooking,” Larry interjected. “I don’t know about other times, but at least during the first round, I knew there was a gap between our skills.”
“Me too,” chimed Natalie. “In that competition, I said that Cindy’s cooking skills were impressive.”
“If you’re looking down on Cindy’s cooking skills now, thinking she didn’t win based on her ability, are you also questioning my skills?” Larry asked coldly.
Chapter 533: Don’t Hit the Face When Beating Someone
“If Cindy can be better than me, how weak must I be?” Larry Bennett really didn’t think much of Blake Walker, but he just didn’t want to say it out loud.
And since Blake’s skills seemed unimpressive, he was likely to be eliminated early anyway, so why bother arguing with him?
Who knew that Blake would have such dumb luck?
Last time, many stronger contestants were eliminated.
Blake, on the other hand, advanced by some stroke of luck.
If only he could keep a low profile, it wouldn’t be a big deal.
But after Zoe Silverstone and Iris Doone left, he started barking non-stop.
Doesn’t he know his own limits?
And he has the audacity to question whether Cindy had any help?
Blake’s mouth moved, but he was at a loss for words.
It was his oversight; he had forgotten about the others.
Cindy’s results had surpassed everyone else’s.
Actually, thinking about it normally, what he said wasn’t entirely unreasonable.
Others should be dissatisfied too, in theory.
They have high skills but are being overshadowed by Cindy; how can anyone be content with that?
Especially Parker Honi and his group.
Although the major competition is not over, Parker has already been regarded as the champion in everyone’s hearts.
He’s practically the top seed.
But now he is being overshadowed by Cindy; can they accept that?
The more confident one is, the less likely they believe someone can surpass them.
Especially considering the strong abilities of Parker and his team.
Logically, if he were to raise the topic, Parker and his team should also be discontented.
But who would have thought that they’d be on Cindy’s side instead?
Blake had forgotten that everyone here, other than Yellen Brooks, had personally tasted Cindy’s cuisine.
During the first round of the competition, Natalie Campbell and Larry Bennett, and the ten people from under Pingla Academy all tasted Cindy’s cuisine.
And they personally acknowledged it.
In the second round, although they hadn’t tasted it,
Just the complexity of the Yellow Croaker in soup demonstrated Cindy’s cooking skills.
Even without comparing it to anyone else’s, it was certainly not the “watered-down” cooking that Blake claimed.
With Blake’s skills, what right does he have to call Cindy’s cooking that?
“You’re right.” Surprisingly, it was Parker Honi who spoke up.
Parker showed a rare look of appreciation: “Initially, we didn’t know you guys well, so we didn’t talk much. Didn’t expect you to be so good-natured, admitting when someone is more skilled.”
Larry Bennett: “…”
Though he was praised, Larry couldn’t quite feel happy listening to Parker’s words.
Natalie Campbell’s mouth twitched as well.
Unexpectedly, the rest of the contestants from Pingla Academy also agreed with Parker’s words and nodded their heads one after another.
Natalie Campbell: “…”
Yellen Brooks thought to herself, were these people from Pingla Academy too sheltered, only focusing on their culinary studies and not really experiencing the hardships of life?
That’s why they didn’t seem to understand the intricacies of human relationships.
The things they said were too naive, straightforward, and unfiltered.
However, even though they were like this, it made them seem adorable.
These students from Pingla Academy were different from what they had assumed.
Initially, they thought that these students would be aloof due to their strong abilities, looking down on others.
But as it turned out, these ten were just immature children.
Yellen couldn’t help but laugh.
Cynthia Florine waved at Cindy and said, “Come over here and chat, Cindy. We got along pretty well during the last competition, didn’t we?”
Cindy: “…”
What the hell is up with ‘Cindy’?
Cynthia was even younger than her.
Since Cindy didn’t want to be around Blake anyway, she asked Yellen Brooks, Natalie Campbell, and Larry Bennett, “Should we go join them?”
Naturally, she didn’t ask Blake.
She didn’t care at all whether or not Blake would feel awkward.
It was obvious that she didn’t want to hang out with him.
Even though they were being deliberately excluded, Cindy didn’t care at all.
Although she didn’t know that they were being live-streamed at the moment,
Even if she knew, Cindy would still act the same way.
At this moment, the netizens watching the live stream were getting excited.
wSouthernGirl: “Well done, Cindy! No need to give Blake any face.”
Yan_Ya: “He doesn’t even know his own limits? How dare he question Cindy?”
Half_A_Pound_ABC: “The contestants still don’t know they’re being streamed live.”
Mimi_the_Raccoon: “This way, their true personalities can be shown. Zoe Silverstone and Iris Doone were too conspicuous before, and Blake was too low-key, so he didn’t stand out. Now, since he thinks he’s not being streamed, he dares to talk like this. He’s not even as good as Zoe and Iris, at least they had the guts to say it on camera; he’s really not a man.”
vicoju_jiu: “I didn’t expect the contestants from Pingla Academy to be so adorable, I thought they’d be really cold hahaha.”
Yuan_Anchor: “The remaining contestants’ characters are all pretty good, except for Blake!”
Rui_Baby: “Just let Blake be excluded, don’t give him face, it serves him right!”
Aifei_Don’t_Run: “Hahaha, Blake’s expression is priceless. He must be holding a grudge against Cindy.”
Wordy_Yu_Student: “What does it matter if he holds a grudge? Even if Cindy invited him, it’s not like he would appreciate her kindness.”
WorryGrass_L_Xiao: “That’s right! And why should Cindy be nice to him after he bullied her like that? It’s not like she’s his mother; there’s no reason to indulge him.”
Unbeknownst to Blake, he was being harshly criticized.
Larry Bennett was actually quite eager to chat with the students from Pingla Academy.
The ten of them had interesting personalities, and interacting with them wouldn’t be tiring.
Moreover, they wanted to discuss cooking with them, as doing so would undoubtedly be beneficial.
Many teachings from Pingla Academy cannot be found elsewhere.
It was no wonder that Pingla Academy had become one of the top four culinary schools in the world, thanks to its outstanding and unique qualities.
However, Cynthia only invited Cindy over.
They didn’t know the temper of the people from Pingla Academy well.
If they didn’t want them to come over, it would be awkward.
Larry glanced at Cindy and then looked inquisitively at the Pingla Academy group.
“Of course, you’re all invited too,” Parker Honi lifted his chin slightly, “We appreciate your personalities, so let’s become friends.”
Larry Bennett: “…”
They were quite straightforward indeed.
“Of course, Blake can stay put,” Daniel Vahn said to Blake. “Don’t come over.”
Blake: “…”
You shouldn’t hit someone when they’re already down!
Now that they had said that, there was no way Blake would go over.
Wouldn’t that be humiliating?
Blake’s face darkened.
But with everyone else being invited and him being left out, it was also embarrassing.
If Larry and the others were a little more socially astute, they would have declined Parker’s invitation.
Otherwise, they’d just leave him alone here, and it would be awkward.
Chapter 534: The Wilderness
Blake Walker glanced at Larry Bennett.
He didn’t even look at Cindy Clarke.
Cindy couldn’t wait to see him embarrassed.
Although Larry had just confronted him earlier.
But before that, Larry didn’t talk much and was quite polite to everyone.
Blake Walker had a good impression of Larry Bennett.
He thought that the one with the highest emotional quotient in this situation was Larry Bennett.
The only one he could count on was Larry Bennett.
Unexpectedly, Larry Bennett didn’t even look at him, so naturally, he couldn’t receive his gaze.
Larry Bennett nodded directly to Cindy Clarke.
Cindy then led them to the side of Pingla Academy.
Leaving Blake Walker alone, the atmosphere was particularly awkward.
Fortunately, Blake Walker didn’t feel awkward for too long.
At this time, the staff came in.
All the people stopped talking and looked at the staff.
But the staff didn’t speak, after a while, Grace Green, the host of the major competition, came in.
“Everyone, today’s competition is different from the previous ones. This time we will hold an outdoor cooking competition,” Grace Green said.
“We will send you to the wild, and you need to source your ingredients on the spot. We will only provide you with the most basic tools, such as cooking knives, but these knives will not be as complete as the ones you used before.”
Another staff member pushed in five carts.
On each cart are three sets of knives, a total of 15 sets.
Grace Green said, “As you can see, there are 15 sets of knives here, including chef’s knife, bone-cleaving knife, multitool, paring knife, slicing knife, and bread knife.”
“There are six knives in total, but each of you can only choose one. It’s up to you to decide what kind of knife to choose.”
There are three layers in the cart.
The top layer is where the knives are placed.
The second layer has ropes, matches, and a signal flare gun.
The third layer has backpacks.
“These are all the things you will have in the wild,” said Grace Green.
“Now it’s 13:00,” Grace Green checked her watch, “you will arrive at your destination around 14:30. All the ingredients you need to obtain in the wild. The judges will arrive at your destination at 20:30 for a tasting.”
“In other words, you have six hours to prepare, including capturing the ingredients and completing the cuisine,” said Grace Green.
“We have also prepared a signal flare gun for each of you. If anyone can’t continue or gets injured, you can fire the signal flare gun into the sky. Our staff will come to pick you up immediately,” said Grace Green.
“But remember, once the signal is fired and the staff picks you up, you will lose your qualification to advance and be automatically eliminated,” Grace Green said.
“Will it be dangerous in the wild today? We even have to use signal flare guns,” Ava Brown asked.
Everyone else wanted to know too.
“I can’t say for sure, but after all, it’s an outdoor activity. No one can guarantee that you won’t get hurt 100%. Considering safety, the organizer must take the greatest responsibility to ensure the safety of all contestants.”
“We must be well prepared, regardless of whether we will encounter any dangers. The organizer must have all the necessary preparations. Moreover, considering that some of you may have nothing in these six hours, it is hard to guarantee that you will not be physically or mentally exhausted. It’s not that you are physically injured, you just can’t support it mentally and want to leave.”
“It’s also considering the situation where you may get hurt accidentally or unintentionally while capturing the ingredients, processing the ingredients, and making the cuisine,” explained Grace Green.
“Just like the first two rounds of the competition, there were doctors waiting outside to prevent you from being injured. It’s not that you will encounter any danger, it’s just to prevent accidents,” said Grace Green, “So, don’t be too nervous.”
“Just compete as usual, the more nervous you are, the more likely you are to make mistakes. It’s not good to get hurt when you are in a hurry,” said Grace Green, “Please rest assured, the organizer has done its best to ensure your safety.”
“Of course, I would like to remind you all to know your limits and don’t push yourself too hard. The most important thing is your physical and mental health. If you really can’t persist, you must notify the organizer. Don’t lose more than you gain after something happens,” Grace Green reminded them.
“Don’t worry,” Parker Honi was the first to speak out, raising his chin high, “We will definitely make sure of our physical and mental health first.”
Everyone: “…”
Those under Pingla Academy now understood. Parker Honi was not aloof; he just hadn’t passed through his adolescent phase yet, and he was very straightforward, with no deep thoughts at all.
He only understood the literal meaning of others’ words, not wasting any brain cells on deep thinking.
Bartholomew Bailey covered his face, realizing they couldn’t hide the fact that their number one this year was a fool.
Grace Green smiled and said, “Then, everyone, choose the knife you need. Remember, you can only choose one.”
Everyone went to the cart to make their choices.
Blake Walker looked around, trying to see how others chose.
Except for him, no one else looked around at other people’s choices.
They all quickly chose the knives they wanted.
Cindy Clarke chose a multitool.
The multitool is actually the slightly slender knife commonly used by chefs in Western cuisine.
This kind of knife is lightweight and easy to handle, making it suitable for girls.
The blade is slim and the tip is sharp.
It can be used for various purposes.
Cutting, boning, etc.
Under the circumstance where only one knife could be chosen, Cindy chose this one.
More versatile and easier to use.
The chef’s knife and bone-cleaving knife used in Chinese cuisine are similar in shape.
Chopping meat is more convenient, but it’s not flexible enough for other uses.
Everyone chose very quickly and knew what they wanted from the start.
Only Blake Walker was the last to choose.
It was really because he also knew that his skill level was the worst among all the contestants.
Since he knew he was the worst, he wasn’t confident and couldn’t trust his own judgment.
He was more willing to see how those strong competitors chose.
However, by doing so, he put himself at a disadvantage.
Imitating others like a parrot, not only looked down upon but also ignored what suited him best.
In the end, Blake Walker followed Cindy’s example and chose the multitool.
Because he was the last to choose.
Other contestants who had chosen earlier also saw his little actions.
Leon Hernandez sneered disdainfully.
“Just now, you said that Cindy Clarke’s scores were inflated, but now you are copying her choice,” Leon Hernandez said bluntly, “If you have the ability, don’t copy others.”
Chapter 535: Could You Please Shut Up
Leon Hernandez was really straightforward, not even trying to hide his intentions.
Not whispering it to his companion in private, but simply saying it out loud at a normal volume.
“What can I do, I’ve become a fan of the 10 cringy members of the Pingla Group.”
“They are so impressive! Hahaha!”
“What did you say!” Blake Walker suddenly turned back, looking at Leon Hernandez with displeasure.
“Didn’t you hear? Want me to say it again?” Leon said without a care.
Daniel Vahn pulled Leon back a bit, signaling enough was enough.
Blake Walker scanned the knives they had chosen, and his gaze paused on Jasmine Hudson’s hand.
Jasmine Hudson was actually holding a bone-cleaving knife.
The bone-clever was big and heavy, and there was a huge contrast with it being held by a young girl like Jasmine Hudson.
Blake Walker sneered in his heart. The bone-cleaver was indeed big and could chop quickly, but it wasn’t suitable for delicate work.
He really didn’t know what Jasmine Hudson was thinking when she chose the bone-cleaver.
Moreover, the bone-cleaver was heavy, which added unnecessary weight to her bag.
Six hours in the wilderness was not to be underestimated, especially with this bit of extra weight.
At first, one might not think this little weight was a big deal.
But once one had walked for a long time, with the extra weight, it would become more and more noticeable, and the presence of this burden would grow stronger.
Blake Walker weighed the multitool in his hand and admitted that Cindy Clarke’s choice was a bit smart.
However, even without considering Cindy Clarke’s choice, he would have ultimately chosen the same knife.
So, it had nothing to do with whether he saw Cindy Clarke’s choice or not!
Moreover, most of the other people had chosen the same type of knife.
As Blake Walker walked back towards Leon, he said, “I just chose a bit slower, how did that make me learn from Cindy Clarke?”
“All of you who chose the same knife, did you also learn from Cindy Clarke?” Blake Walker said sarcastically.
“We did choose the same type of knife, but we all made the decision at almost the same time. Not like you.” Jasmine Hudson suddenly lifted her bone-cleaver.
Blake Walker was startled and took several steps back instinctively.
He knew that Jasmine Hudson wouldn’t really chop him.
But moving back was still the subconscious reaction.
Then he saw Jasmine Hudson lift the bone-cleaver, and with the back of the blade facing down, she placed it on her shoulder.
“Why are you backing up? I can’t cut you anyway.” Jasmine Hudson laughed sarcastically.
Blake Walker’s face turned sullen, feeling that they were all ganging up on him to ridicule him.
Blake Walker went back to his team in the corner, not talking to them.
“Everyone, grab your things and let’s go,” Grace Green said hastily, not letting Jasmine Hudson continue talking.
Things like cutting people couldn’t be said in a live broadcast.
Everyone was led onto the bus.
Then, the curtains inside the bus were all pulled up.
The bus curtains had been specially replaced with black ones that didn’t let any light through.
As soon as the curtains were pulled up, the inside of the bus became pitch black, and nothing could be seen.
One could hardly see their own hand in front of them.
After that, the lights inside the bus were turned on.
Although it was sunny outside, not a bit of light penetrated inside the bus, relying solely on the interior lighting.
It gave people the illusion that it was already dark outside.
At this time, the staff followed Grace Green onboard.
Grace Green said, “Now, our staff will distribute blindfolds to you all. Please put on the blindfolds and do not take them off until you have reached the destination.”
After that, the staff handed out blindfolds to everyone.
Parker Honi, holding his blindfold, said, “If it weren’t for so many people around, and since I know all of them, I’d really suspect that I’m about to be kidnapped.”
Grace Green: “…”
What’s wrong with the Pingla Academy students today!
They talked about cutting people and kidnapping!
What if this live broadcast spreads and relevant departments come to investigate later?
“It’s just a joke.” Grace Green said with a twitching corner of her mouth, “This is to maintain the mystery of our destination.”
Daniel Vahn put on his blindfold and said, “Actually, although Belfard is big, there aren’t many real wilderness places. There are only some suburban hills and such. Based on the duration of the trip, it won’t be too far. Once the range is narrowed down, there are only a few places left, and it’s easy to guess.”
Grace Green: “…”
Could you please shut up?
Making sure everyone had put on their blindfolds.
Grace Green said, “Before arriving at the destination, don’t take off your blindfolds. Our director’s car will be following behind. In the car, everything you do can be seen on the screen by the director. If anyone takes off their blindfold, they will be eliminated automatically.”
“I will be in this car with all of you, so please rest assured.” Grace Green said, then sat in the front and told the driver to start.
Each of the 15 contestants occupied a single double seat on their own.
Since there was plenty of space in the bus, there was no need to squeeze together.
However, no one expected that they would be unable to see as soon as they got on the bus.
It was as if their vision was sealed off.
Because one of the five senses was lost, it was now impossible to even estimate how much time had passed, let alone see anything around them.
They didn’t know what others were doing and didn’t know where they were now.
Even if someone wanted to attack them maliciously at this time, they wouldn’t know and could only sit and wait for their fate.
The bus suddenly fell into a quiet atmosphere that was full of pressure.
Only the sound of the tires moving, the engine running, and the occasional bumps remained.
In such silence, Aiden Huxley spoke, “Hey Old Tian, doesn’t our current situation remind you of something from a horror movie?”
“You know, things like murder games or ‘when it’s dark, close your eyes.’ I mean, we can’t see anything now, it’s pitch black, and the atmosphere is great. If someone was killed in the confusion, they wouldn’t even know what had happened,” Aiden Huxley said.
Parker Honi: “…”
“I’m not afraid!” Parker Honi said loudly.
“No one said you were scared,” Aiden Huxley snickered mischievously twice.
Parker Honi happened to be sitting right in front of him.
Even though Aiden Huxley couldn’t see, he still confidently and carefully reached out.
His hands touched the back of the front seat first, then he stretched his head forward: “I’m just telling you.”
As he spoke, he blew a cool breath into Parker Honi’s ear.
“Ah!” Parker Honi was so scared that he jumped up from his seat and screamed at the same time.
Everyone in the bus was startled.
Everyone instinctively wanted to take off their blindfold.
Thankfully, they still remembered Grace Green’s words.
Their hands rested on their blindfolds but ultimately stopped.
They barely held back.
“Old Tian, what are you doing?” Aiden Huxley laughed without any guilt.
Parker Honi returned to his seat with a flushed face, his heart still pounding fast.
“Just you wait!” Parker Honi said angrily.
Aiden Huxley leaned on Parker Honi’s seat and said, “Old Tian, listen, with our eyes covered like this, we don’t know if there are ghosts or whatnot. If there’s a ghost face looking at you right next to you, you wouldn’t know.”
Chapter 536: Cindy Clarke’s Suspicion
Aiden Huxley once again leaned close to Parker Honi’s ear, pressed down with a spine-chilling voice: “What do you say, is there or not?”
Parker Honi: “…”
“Enough!” Grace Green saw that Parker Honi was frightened enough; she quickly stepped in to intervene.
And told to Aiden Huxley: “We’re live streaming, don’t mention things like murdering, ghosts or such. We might get banned again.”
Is everything being tightly controlled now?
Aiden Huxley finally quieted down.
Even if she couldn’t see, Cindy Clarke could hear the fright Parker Honi just received.
“Old Parker is afraid of such things.” A gentle female voice suddenly rang next to Cindy’s ear.
Caught off guard, it gave her a start.
Cindy jerked, thank goodness she didn’t jump like Parker who squealed like a pig about to be slaughtered.
“Ah, it’s me, Cynthia Florine.” Cynthia Florine said.
“Hehe!” Cindy laughed slightly, her heart racing, “Your voice is scarier than Aiden Huxley’s.”
“Does it sound like a female ghost?” Aiden Huxley couldn’t resist butting in.
“I’ve told you not to mention female ghosts again, yet you’re still doing it!” Jasmine Hudson raised her hand and smacked Aiden Huxley’s head.
Grace Green let out a sigh, looking at the ceiling, feeling overwhelmed.
Already told you not to mention it, and yet, you both bring it up again!
“Listen, everyone.” Grace Green attempted to reason with little energy left, “why don’t we all rest while we are still on the bus? Rest enough to be prepared for the competition, right?”
“The next competition lasts for 6 hours. It’s not just a test of physical strength, but also endurance. Plus, when it’s nightfall, the temperature drops. Looking at you now, you haven’t prepared any warm clothing or items, so it’s best to fully recuperate now in order to be in better shape for the competition.”
Grace Green was trying to prevent the funny business under the Pingla Academy from saying anything that should not be broadcasted.
But her words were indeed very reasonable.
It reminded the contestants.
Therefore, the people of Pingla Academy refrained from creating a ruckus.
They obediently closed their eyes and rested.
“We’re here, everyone can take off your blindfolds now.” After an unknown amount of time had passed, all the contestants had already been lulled into a semi-conscious state when they suddenly heard the sound of Grace Green’s voice, amplified by the microphone.
Everyone was jolted awake, excitedly removing their blindfolds.
“Everyone, take a moment to adjust.” Grace Green said.
Because their eyes were covered for a long time, the sudden exposure to bright light would be inevitably uncomfortable.
Therefore, Grace Green didn’t rush to turn on the lights.
After their eyes felt a bit more comfortable, she switched on dim lights.
Once they were better adjusted, she turned the lights to their brightest setting.
Seeing that everyone was no longer uncomfortable, only then did she draw open the curtain over the vehicle window.
Letting the light from outside in completely.
Due to being in a dark vehicle for a good while, seeing the bright daylight suddenly made it feel like they had passed an entire night.
Everyone got off the vehicle and found out they were now in a field.
“Cindy, what are you thinking about?” Yellen Brooks noticed that Cindy wasn’t observing her surroundings as the others were after getting off the bus.
“I was thinking, if this competition takes place in the field, then what’s going to happen to the tickets that were already sold?” Cindy didn’t hide her doubts and voiced her confusion.
“Huh?” Yellen Brooks hadn’t fully grasped it yet.
“There are single-event tickets and package tickets for the competition. Package tickets have been on sale since the auditions. Individual event tickets started selling as soon as the results of last week’s competition were out,” Cindy explained.
“To my knowledge, tickets for this competition were sold out within a minute after the sales channel opened last week. Many scalpers bought up a sizable amount of tickets, leaving only a few for real audience members. Many people could only get tickets by purchasing them from scalpers.”
“But regardless of the purchasing channel, all the tickets sold out is an undisputable fact,” said Cindy confidently.
“Right.” Yellen Brooks hadn’t fully grasped it yet.
Upon hearing Cindy’s words, others started to gather around, pausing their inspection of the surroundings.
Even though they didn’t quite understand Cindy’s point at the time, they trusted Cindy’s judgment.
Up to now, Cindy had not been wrong.
They knew Cindy was smart.
If she weren’t smart, she wouldn’t have outsmarted Zoe Silverstone and Iris Doone.
If she weren’t smart, she would have been eliminated earlier.
With so many adversaries, regardless of intelligence, if anyone was even slightly slower in their reactions, they wouldn’t have made it this far.
So now that Cindy felt that something was amiss, the others followed her lead.
“What exactly did you notice?” Jasmine Hudson asked, holding her bone-cleaving knife.
If her knife weren’t pointed away from Cindy, this stance would have seemed like she was about to attack Cindy.
Jasmine Hudson usually appeared to be a petite, beautiful young woman. Who knew that once she picked up a knife, her demeanor would become so fierce.
“Don’t you understand? Tickets for today’s competition are sold out. The audience bought tickets to watch our competition live. But now, we were brought to this field. Look around us. It’s impossible to set up stands for an audience, right?”
“Could it be that they plan to set up an area here, build a grandstand for the audience to watch?” Cindy suggested, “If the audience can’t watch it live, how would they resolve the issue of the tickets they’ve purchased?”
“Are they going to gather the audience in a broadcasting room or somewhere and have them watch it on big screens? What’s the point of buying the tickets then? The purpose of buying tickets is to watch it live. If it’s just watching through screens, wouldn’t it be more comfortable to watch the live stream at home? They could even snack and sit on the sofa, why would they need to sit on an uncomfortable rigid chair?” Cindy questioned.
Everyone thought about it and agreed.
“So what are you suggesting?” Cynthia Florine asked, “You wouldn’t bring up this point without any reason.”
Cindy looked up and began to survey the surroundings.
At this point, neither the contestants nor the audience knew what to expect.
“Could Cindy have figured it out?” Old Madam wondered in surprise, “Cindy really is far too clever!”
Old Master: “…”
Not too long ago, he thought the young girl was rather simple-minded.
How come she suddenly became so clever?
Was it a case of the wise appearing foolish?
If any of the contestants had a drone at hand and sent it up for a glance, they would realize they were still in their usual competition venue, Wells Sports Stadium.
Its just that the previous two competitions were held at the adjacent Wells Basketball Stadium.
Wells Basketball Stadium can accommodate 50,000 spectators.
But today, due to the change in the nature of the competition, the basketball stadium was obviously not suitable.
So the venue was changed to the nearby Wells Sports Stadium.
The audience sat high up on the bleachers.
And the stadium ground had been transformed into a miniature jungle.
The walls of the far end were made up of huge screens pieced together.
Chapter 537: Mom, You Are Right
The screen constantly displayed blue sky, white clouds, and flying birds, creating a visual deception.
If you don’t look closely, it’s hard to see that the sky in the distance is actually fake.
To achieve this, the cost of the high-definition screens alone was quite a bit, as they had to cover the entire sports stadium.
Furthermore, they had to remodel the stadium while making it convincing enough not to raise suspicions among the contestants.
From the way the contestants looked around when they got off the bus, these modifications seemed to have fooled their eyes.
Just these alone made it hard to imagine how much money the Pingla Group had invested.
When the audience arrived at the ticket checkpoint outside the stadium, they were surprised to find that their seating was inside the stadium itself.
When they found their seats and looked down, they were utterly astonished.
Pingla had practically moved a small jungle into the sports stadium.
Such grand and majestic scenes left the audience in awe.
At the same time, they were also amazed at Pingla’s financial capabilities.
Reaching such an astonishing degree!
The Cooking Competition, after all, was not like those reality shows starring celebrities, so the audience range was smaller.
Yet, for such a competition, Pingla had invested so much money!
This was an unimaginable astronomical figure for the audience!
Even those TV stations with strong capital would not be willing to invest so much money to build a stage like this for their celebrity reality shows!
And yet for Pingla, today it was just a cooking competition.
They really went all out!
It was clear that today’s event would lose money.
Even the most expensive tickets were limited in number.
Taking into account ticket sales, live broadcast revenue, advertising revenue, and so on, it probably wouldn’t even come close to covering today’s expenses!
Has Pingla gone crazy?
Throwing money around like there’s no tomorrow!
“Hahahaha! Thank God I got tickets to today’s event! I originally came just for the contestant drama and to see Adrian Zhekova. I didn’t expect the venue to be so spectacular! It’s way more worthwhile than watching Adrian Zhekova!”
“Oh my God! This is amazing! The scene is so overwhelming. I can’t find any other words to describe it except ‘Wow!’”
“It’s my fault for not studying Chinese well back in school. Now I can only say ‘Wow!’ and ‘Awesome!’.” The audience said blankly.
Netizens watching the live broadcast at home were regretful and frustrated.
“Why didn’t I get tickets, why?! Watching such a scene for just a few hundred dollars is so worth it! It’s way more worthwhile than watching a celebrity concert!”
“Forget about celebrity concerts; it’s more worthwhile than any live performance! I’ve never seen such an operation before! Pingla is so amazing.”
“Pingla Group! Just because you’re rich, you can show off like this? Yes, you really can.”
“I hate it! Why am I not at the event?”
“I got a ticket before, but I became a scalper and sold it at a markup. If I had known, I wouldn’t have sold it!”
“Pingla, you are so unkind! You didn’t reveal any information about this huge investment for this round of competition!”
“Ah, I don’t know what the next round will be like; I’m looking forward to it more and more.”
“No matter what the next round is like, I will do whatever it takes to get tickets and go watch it. If I can’t get them, I’ll buy them from scalpers, but I have to see it.”
Not to mention the audience.
Even the four elders of the Zhekova family were shocked by the scale of the event, despite having seen numerous grandiose sights in their lives.
Maverick Zhekova had a hunch that it must have been Adrian Zhekova who did this for Cindy Clarke.
He asked Adrian, “You can’t say you didn’t know about this, can you?”
He was pretending not to know about the competition rules at the family mansion earlier.
What a lie!
Adrian Zhekova touched his nose and said, “Since Cindy didn’t want to know, I had to cooperate with her and pretend I didn’t know either.”
“Alright, now that Cindy is not here, you might as well tell us the truth.” Maverick Zhekova said.
Seeing Adrian Zhekova put so much effort into this for Cindy, Maverick Zhekova suddenly felt a sense of crisis.
What if Victoria Wheeler compared him to Adrian Zhekova and found him inferior in what he’s done for their son?
Maverick Zhekova felt that he needed to find an opportunity to talk to Adrian Zhekova properly.
When it comes to showing off love, don’t go overboard.
Just right is enough!
At least, give him a way out.
“Actually, they had planned this round of competition a long time ago. Originally, they really intended to send the contestants to the wilderness. But that would increase the risk, especially with little Cindy involved,” said Adrian Zhekova.
“Any possibility of putting Cindy in danger must be eliminated. But, this plan is quite good. To ensure the safety of the contestants as much as possible, we borrowed the sports stadium from Sonny.”
“Sonny didn’t charge us. Though the money saved in the overall investment is just a drop in the bucket, every little bit helps.” Just because we’re rich doesn’t mean we can waste money, right?
“To protect the turf, we added an extra layer on top and moved soil, plants, and so on to create an artificial environment,” Adrian Zhekova explained.
“In order to deceive the contestants’ eyes to the greatest extent possible, we added screens around the simulated jungle,” Adrian Zhekova continued, “This way, if something goes wrong with the contestants, the organizers can respond immediately and ensure their safety as much as possible.”
“Simulating a jungle environment for the contestants to compete in while the audience can watch live is a win-win situation. In addition, it serves as a promotion for Pingla. After all, no one else has made such a grand gesture, especially for the sake of the contestants’ safety.”
“The stadium has limited space, and the contestants will discover the truth sooner or later. I estimate they won’t need to wait until the end of the competition; they’ll find out as they explore the jungle in the middle.” Adrian Zhekova said.
“At that time, Grace Green will come out and explain the intention behind the design,” said Adrian Zhekova. “The audience will see that the competition has gone to such lengths just to ensure the contestants’ safety, which will leave a very good impression of Pingla.”
“This will also benefit our brand promotion,” Adrian Zhekova added. “Of course, these benefits are just incidental. The primary goal is still to ensure the contestants’ safety.”
Otherwise, if it were just for the sake of promotion, Pingla would have never invested so heavily.
Maverick Zhekova nodded.
Victoria Wheeler said, “But I can see that Cindy is about to find out.”
“The competition has just begun, and they’ve already discovered the truth. Is this a failure?” Victoria Wheeler looked gleefully at Adrian Zhekova.
Adrian Zhekova rubbed his temples and said helplessly, “Mom, this is our family’s investment, please don’t be so happy.”
“I’m proud of my smart daughter-in-law,” Victoria Wheeler quickly replied.
Adrian Zhekova: “…”
He couldn’t deny that.
“Mom, you’re right.” Adrian Zhekova never thought there would come a day when he’d say those words.
Chapter 538: I won’t carry the blame for this pot
“Take a look.” Old Madam reminded, “Cindy seems to really suspect something.”
Because of the simulated jungle set up on-site, the contestants standing inside were barely visible to the audience sitting in the top rows of the stands.
The rest of the audience could not see them at all.
Moreover, even the audience in the top rows, who were so high and far away,
could only see tiny figures, making it difficult to distinguish who was who, let alone see clearly.
So, even the on-site audience had to rely on the big screen to see clearly.
On the big screen, a close-up shot of Cindy’s face was shown.
Cindy looked around and said, “Don’t you find it strange? We seem to have spent a long time on the way, but actually, we don’t know what route we took.”
“Because the car windows were covered by curtains and we were wearing blindfolds.” Cindy continued, “For what reason did the organizers fear our seeing the scenery outside the window? It’s not like we were being kidnapped, not wanting us to recognize the way.”
“Even if it’s an outdoor competition, there should be no problem taking a look at the journey, right? It doesn’t conflict with where we compete.” Cindy said.
“Moreover, later everyone was asleep and the car was very quiet. I heard the noisy sounds outside the window. It was the sound of cars constantly coming and going on both sides of the road, as well as honking sounds.” Cindy continued.
In the stands, high-level officials of the competition, including Billy Houston, were choked on their own saliva.
“Cough! Cough cough!” Billy Houston coughed violently, choked by saliva, and turned to look at the planning director of the competition.
Planning director: “….”
“Don’t look at me. I’m not taking responsibility for this.” Manager Zhu, the planning director, hurriedly said, “Didn’t you see that no one else guessed it? Only Cindy did, which means it’s not a problem with my planning, it’s Cindy’s problem.”
“Who do you think you are, calling me that?” Billy Houston angrily retorted, as Manager Zhu’s superior!
Was Manager Zhu trying to rebel!
Manager Zhu: “….”
“My bad, my bad.” Was it not because they were responsible for creativity?
Usually, they racked their brains for innovation, creativity, and proposals,
only to have their proposals rejected by Billy Houston here.
Either it was not attractive enough, or the cost was too high.
Manager Zhu was so angry that he wanted to throw the proposal in Billy Houston’s face.
Manager Zhu’s own balding middle-aged hair was due to his job,
always staying up late to think about planning, racking his brains, and eventually, he really thought his head bald.
The demanding work also made him increasingly irritable.
During department meetings, he had also become accustomed to saying “me” a lot.
It just so happened that, in front of Billy Houston, he blurted it out without thinking.
Billy Houston sneered coldly, “You’re saying there’s a problem with Cindy?”
Billy Houston’s voice was neither too loud nor too soft, but it was just enough to be heard by the Zhekova family members.
The Zhekova family members all turned their heads to look.
The Old Master, Old Madam, Morgan Zhekova, Maverick Zhekova, Victoria Wheeler, and Adrian Zhekova were all in attendance.
Their heads turned neatly, looking at Manager Zhu.
Although they varied in size, their gazes were all equally sharp.
Manager Zhu shuddered and cursed in his heart that Billy Houston was heartless!
“No! I mean, Cindy is too smart!” Manager Zhu quickly explained, “No one else thought about it, so how could Cindy have guessed it as soon as she got off the bus? How can I go on with my job after this?”
“I expected the contestants to find out, but I didn’t expect Cindy to find out so early! The competition hasn’t even officially started yet!” Manager Zhu said, frustrated and helpless, “Cindy is too smart; how can we continue our planning work in the future? If we come up with another idea, she’ll just crack it again.”
“No need to blame yourself.” Adrian Zhekova finally spoke up, “You’re right. No one else noticed, only our Cindy. That means it’s not a problem with your planning. Since no one else noticed, your planning is fine.”
“Our Cindy is just too outstanding, too smart, and too excellent. Her excellence and intelligence are far above everyone else.” Adrian Zhekova said.
Manager Zhu: “….”
He was being praised so much that his teeth were aching.
“In fact, when it comes down to it, your IQ doesn’t even compare to hers.” Adrian Zhekova continued.
Manager Zhu: “….”
Alright, as long as they don’t fault his planning or blame his work mistakes, they can say anything else they want about him.
So what if they look down on his IQ?
In front of the Future CEO’s Wife, what does it matter to be looked down upon in IQ!
“CEO, you are right!” Manager Zhu sighed in relief, “Now I can rest assured.”
At this time, the big screen showed Cindy saying, “If our bus was really headed to the wilderness, it would be normal to hear noisy sounds along the way when starting from the city.”
“But as we approached the wilderness, the journey should be quieter, and there should be fewer cars.” Cindy said, “But even later on, the sounds outside the car were still noisy. I even heard the sounds of an event taking place outside a shopping mall, the host speaking through a microphone, stirring up the atmosphere.”
“You picked up on all that?” Leon Hernandez was so surprised that his eyes were wide open.
“You all were asleep, so you probably didn’t hear it.” Cindy explained, “I felt it was strange and not quite in line with what Ms. Green told us, so I listened carefully.”
“I didn’t tell you right away because I wasn’t sure, I just felt it was a bit strange in my heart. I thought I’d just check it out when we got to the destination.” Cindy explained further.
“If it was truly in the wilderness, then my previous suspicions would be just me overthinking.” Cindy said, “But now that I see this environment, I’m even more suspicious.”
“I recalled the route we took earlier; from beginning to end, the surrounding noises never stopped. And I could vaguely hear the name of the mall the event was taking place outside of. It was the Wells Shopping Center not far from the sports stadium.” Cindy explained.
She counted on her fingers: “I remember it clearly. I heard the mall event host’s voice twice. Not two times in a row.”
“Since my eyes were closed, I couldn’t accurately judge how long it was between the two times. In my own judgement, the time was continuous.” Cindy said, “So, I suspect that the bus was driving us around in circles in the city. I don’t know if it was due to traffic jams or what, but it stopped several times in the middle.”
As Cindy analyzed the situation, the live audience and viewers watching the live stream on the Internet were dumbfounded.
“Just based on these clues, Cindy has analyzed so much?” A live audience member said to their friend.
Chapter 539: Cindy Clarke’s Deep Schemes
“That’s just too smart.”
“Cindy is amazing!” There were also Cindy’s fans among the audience on site.
“Earlier when I was watching the live broadcast in the car, everyone else was fast asleep and not paying attention at all.”
“I saw Cindy leaning against her chair too, so I thought she was asleep. But it turns out that she wasn’t. She was actually listening to the sounds around her.”
“Cindy is so impressive. There’s a reason why she managed to succeed. She even noticed such tiny details. If it were me, I would be just like the other contestants; I wouldn’t have discovered anything.”
“I thought she was sleeping because she was wearing an eye mask.”
“And she got everything right. It’s clear that she really analyzed all that, and she wasn’t just talking nonsense.”
“How can her brain work so fast?”
“If her brain didn’t work fast, how could she have made a comeback in the last competition? Iris Doone even tried to sabotage her. If it were me, I would have given up already. But Cindy managed to fight back just like that.”
“Indeed, if Iris Doone simply got eliminated because of the food ingredient tampering incident, she would still have something to say. The key is that Cindy still had the skill, and she eliminated Iris Doone directly with her strength. Iris Doone had nothing to say in the end. That was really amazing.”
Listening to the ongoing discussion among the audience, Joshua Clarke felt proud and sad at the same time: “Cindy is truly amazing, I didn’t expect everyone to recognize her like this.”
Christy Xenos snorted and said, “You’re an idiot, aren’t you?”
Seeing Joshua Clarke looking at her, Christy Xenos continued, “Doesn’t this just prove that Cindy is very capable and has been doing well in Belfard? And she’s been hiding her talent when she was still at home!”
“What do you mean?” Joshua Clarke said unhappily, “Cindy being smart is a good thing. People compete fiercely in Belfard, and it’s better to have some abilities than not. We should be happy for her that she can make a name for herself. Why did you bring up what happened at home?”
“Are you stupid? Look at how capable she is now. Why didn’t she try to help our family’s restaurant become bigger and stronger back then?” Christy Xenos said.
“Our family’s small restaurant was barely enough to make ends meet back then. It was such a tough time for us. Cindy didn’t help at all, she just watched.”
Christy Xenos got angry just thinking about it.
Finally, there was a chance for Cindy to help, but she ran away!
She just couldn’t bear to see her family prosper!
Joshua Clarke hesitated for a moment and then spoke up for Cindy: “She was still in school back then. What could she have done? Besides, maybe she has become smarter and more capable after spending these years in Belfard and going through so many experiences.”
Christy Xenos snorted, “You believe that? If she were a fool, no amount of experience would have made her smart!”
“Have you ever heard of a person whose brain wasn’t so sharp, suddenly becoming so astute after a few years, as if she turned into a completely different person?” Christy pointed at the big screen, “Moreover, this isn’t just simple intelligence we’re talking about! Cindy is meticulous, clever, resourceful, and good at analyzing.”
“The other contestants aren’t fools either. A fool wouldn’t have made it this far. But Cindy discovered what others didn’t.” Christy Xenos said, “You’re telling me that she could have developed such a mind through experience? Then why don’t the others have it after going through the same experiences?”
“And the last competition, you heard it too. Even the audience said that. If it were them, they would have been dumbstruck. They might have thought of a solution afterward, but they wouldn’t have been able to respond in the heat of the moment.”
“This kind of quick thinking and fast response isn’t something that can be trained. If it were, everyone would be smart, and there wouldn’t be any survival of the fittest,” Christy Xenos said, but she didn’t forget to lower her voice, afraid of others hearing her.
“Especially in the workplace, if everyone could succeed, who would be eliminated?” Christy Xenos sneered, “You really believe what you said about her learning and growing through experience.”
“To put it more bluntly, since Zoe Silverstone isn’t here, I can say this without her hearing me.” Christy Xenos continued, “As an internet celebrity, Zoe Silverstone has been in Belfard for much longer than Cindy. Is she stupid? She certainly isn’t. But in the end? She still lost to Cindy, in both cooking and intelligence.”
“Are you still defending Cindy?” Christy Xenos rolled her eyes, “You’re siding with her so much, but she hasn’t shown you any filial piety.”
“In my opinion, this child has been hiding her talent since she was little. We’re all family, and we’re her real parents, but she still hides herself and keeps a low-profile. She doesn’t let us see her true abilities or help you out to improve our living conditions.”
Joshua Clarke’s lips moved, and he suddenly thought of Cindy’s absolute taste.
Cindy has had this gift since she was little.
He still remembered that he discovered her talent when she was seven years old.
That was when he noticed the difference.
But Cindy herself must have discovered it even earlier.
She was only seven at the time!
What kind of mind did she have when she found out about her gift back then but didn’t tell anyone?
He thought of Christy Xenos’s words just now and had to admit that she was right.
Cindy had been hiding her talent, not becoming smart as a result of her experiences.
Joshua Clarke stopped arguing.
Christy Xenos seized the opportunity to add, “Everything our family has now is provided by Cindy. Don’t forget. Don’t get confused when you see her. You can’t be biased towards her just because she talks to you a few times.”
“Just remember the fact that she hasn’t contacted you for five years. You can’t be confused about that,” Christy Xenos reminded him.
Joshua Clarke nodded, “I’ll remember.”
“So, you suspect…” Yannick O’Brian quickly understood and guessed Cindy’s suspicions.
Chapter 540: The Bottom Line of IQ
Cindy Clarke spoke straightforwardly, “I suspect the bus we’ve taken has been going in circles within Belfard, and we’re not actually in the wilderness.”
“But where could a place like this exist in the city?” Jasmine Hudson, who was carrying a knife, said.
“I have a daring thought.” Cindy Clarke was startled by her own intuition.
The Pingla Group is so wealthy?
She thought she should have asked Adrian Zhekova.
Not that she wanted to know the exam topics beforehand, but simply to solve her doubts.
If it’s true, that would be quite impressive.
Cindy Clarke crouched down, looking at the soil and pebbles under her feet, along with the plants.
“I think the organizers have built a jungle in the Sports Stadium,” Cindy Clarke stood up, looking at everyone else, “Because the Stadium is large enough, and I heard the sound of a shopping mall event twice on the way.”
“Moreover, not long after I heard the mall event’s sound for the second time, we arrived. Even if we closed our eyes and couldn’t see, unable to estimate the correct time, we could still judge that not much time had passed.”
“At the very least, it could let me determine that we are not far from that mall. And the only place I can think of that is not far from the mall, but also has such a large space, is the Wells Sports Stadium.”
Yellen Brooks gasped, “If that’s the case, how much would the organizers have to spend? I can’t even bear to think about it.”
“I too found it shocking, and it scared me, this guess of mine.” Cindy Clarke said.
“Hmph!” Blake Walker sneered, “What’s the use of all this mystery? Showing off your meticulous thoughts? Analyzing these useless things is a waste of time. Instead of this, we should hurry and find food, and begin the Competition!”
“The Competition has officially started since we entered,” Blake Walker said loudly, “I don’t know what Cindy Clarke is thinking, what calculations she has in mind.”
“In any case, you’re clever, and I can’t outwit you,” Blake Walker said.
He then turned to the others and said, “But you all better understand. Since coming in, Cindy Clarke has talked a lot, but she hasn’t gotten to the point, and she’s always delaying the Competition, she must have a plan.”
“Furthermore, even if it’s proven that this place is not a real wilderness but built by the organizers, so what? You still have to find food, and the Competition won’t change,” Blake Walker said.
“Why are you wasting time with her?” Blake Walker said, “We’re all competitors. If there was any advantage, would she tell you?”
“It’s not that I’m suspicious, just… put yourself in my shoes. If any of you figured out a key factor, would you share it with us all?” Blake Walker looked at them one by one.
“Would you?”
“Would you?”
“Would you?”
Blake Walker asked one by one.
“If you don’t want to say, that’s fine, silence is a form of agreement. I don’t play such vague games, I’m not that hypocritical. I say what I think,” Blake Walker shouted, “I can’t be the kind of person who tells advantages to my competitors.”
“I don’t know what Cindy Clarke is trying to do by delaying time, but I’m not waiting here with her. Instead of wasting time, I should go find food,” said Blake Walker.
Blake Walker was quite satisfied with his own calculations.
Regardless of whether this was the real wilderness or not, since the organizers had given them six hours of preparation time, it indicated a high level of difficulty this time.
Just finding food might be troublesome.
So instead of listening to Cindy Clarke’s useless words, it would be better to hurry and find food.
The organizers never give enough time; they just make you rush and won’t let you have any extra time.
So, he analyzed that these six hours might be pressing.
“I won’t waste time with you.” Blake Walker said, “I need to go find food.”
After speaking, he walked away quickly.
He must hurry before everyone else and create an advantage for himself.
Listening to his words, many in the audience also thought he made sense.
“Yeah, what can Cindy Clarke do by proving this isn’t real wilderness? They’ve already wasted a lot of time after their arrival.”
“Blake Walker makes sense, instead of guessing here, it’s better to hurry up and find food.”
“The Competition is the most important thing.”
“I didn’t expect Blake Walker to be so real, without any hypocrisy.”
“I agree with what he said. This is a competition, and we are all competitors. Even if we do discover something that could help in the Competition, we wouldn’t share it with everyone, right?”
“Right, if it were me, I wouldn’t say anything if I found something out.”
“Cindy Clarke must be planning something with all this talk. After all, she is so clever that neither Zoe Silverstone nor Iris Doone could outmatch her.”
In the jungle, Blake Walker had already disappeared.
But everyone else still showed no intention of leaving.
If Cindy Clarke wasn’t worried, then there was no reason for them to be.
They didn’t believe Blake Walker’s words.
Cindy Clarke was not the kind of person who couldn’t see others do well.
If she were, she wouldn’t have given her ingredients to Yellen Brooks in the last competition.
“What are you thinking?” Cynthia Florine asked, “No more suspense!”
“Yeah, look at our leader,” Aiden Huxley pointed to Parker Honi, “Such an intellectual representative, we can’t figure it out on our own.”
Parker Honi: “…”
“Get lost!” Parker Honi rebuffed, “Just because you have a low IQ doesn’t mean you should drag me down.”
“Get lost!” Daniel Vahn was not pleased either, “My IQ is quite high, I don’t want to be represented by Old Honi!”
“Don’t forget, when we just got on the bus, I eveben analyzed it!” Daniel Vahn couldn’t let his IQ be represented by Parker Honi.
How low must his IQ be then!
Parker Honi’s IQ was the bottom line of their 10-person group.
“…” Cindy Clarke smiled and asked, “Do you trust me?”
“Hey! If we didn’t, why would we stick around?” Leon Hernandez said casually.
Although he wasn’t foolish, he wasn’t extremely clever either.
Since there was someone smart here, he didn’t need to show off his 120 IQ.
“If we can confirm that this jungle is man-made and not the real wilderness, it’ll be much easier for us to find food,” Cindy Clarke said, “In the real wilderness, birds and beasts are scattered. Even if the organizers captured and released them, they won’t be easy to find. As for seasoning and whatnot, don’t even think about it. Wild vegetables won’t be easy to find either.”
“But since this jungle is man-made, it has a fixed range, with boundaries and an endpoint.”
“The organizers have released birds and beasts here, no matter how far they run, they can’t escape this range.”