By noon the following day, the sky above the Phase Two Base Camp had settled into a heavy, pale gray canopy.
The relentless tropical storm had finally receded entirely, and not a single drop of rain had fallen throughout the long, quiet morning. Slowly, the thick mountain mists began to burn off, and the flooded lowlands of the gravel basin had slightly receded, leaving behind damp, glistening mud flats and slick, exposed river stones.
Though the standing water had lessened, the surrounding terrain remained a saturated, unpredictable hazard.
At exactly twelve o'clock, the high-pitched chime of the production's emergency siren echoed through the valley, summoning the contestants to the central clearing. Director Zhao stood before a newly erected, heavy-duty canvas briefing tent. Behind him, a massive, battery-powered electronic board displayed a map of the surrounding tropical jungle, marked with several flashing red coordinates.
