The group reacted with surprise, their expressions lighting up with recognition.
"We know him."
"Of course we do."
"He's that famous traditional medicine doctor, right?"
"I heard he treats high-ranking officials."
But why bring up him all of a sudden?
The staff member explained, "Dr. Finnegan happened to be watching the show and just left a comment. He confirmed that all five herbs are safe to eat and work better when taken together. Apologies for the unnecessary delay."
As he spoke, he returned the herbs he had removed earlier.
That was close. They had almost thrown them out.
But instead of looking relieved, everyone just looked more confused.
"Wait… Dr. Finnegan is watching our show?"
"And he commented?"
"Doesn't he have better things to do?"
"Even if he had free time, why would he watch a survival show?"
Ana frowned. "Are we sure it's not an impersonator?"
Then, realizing how that might come across, she quickly added, "I just think we should be extra careful. Our safety comes first."
"The director already confirmed it. His account is officially verified," the staff member replied.
Ana had no choice but to drop the subject.
"How about this? I'll test the herbs first. Connor can take them too if they work," Nigel said, reaching for them.
"No way. If anyone's testing them, it should be me," Connor argued, grabbing the herbs as well.
His stomach was killing him now.
After running back and forth trying to set up the tent—exhausted, starving, and soaked from the cold rain—his discomfort had only worsened.
So, the two of them crouched at the edge of the tent, rinsed the herbs off with rainwater, and started chewing.
The taste was horrible. Both of them repeatedly gagged as they forced the bitter leaves down.
"If we had the fire, we could've boiled them into a proper medicinal soup," Wendy said with a hint of regret.
"More importantly, we need to eat something. Taking herbs on an empty stomach won't help much," Sally added.
No one spoke, and their faces were filled with worry.
With the rain pouring down, there was no way to start a fire, so how were they supposed to cook anything?
They would've eaten their food earlier if they had known this would happen.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: A Second Life, A New Power