Chapter 151

Cynthia panicked at the sight of Ethan crying hard. "Ethan, please stop crying! I'm sorry. It's not a big deal that we're lost. We'll find our way back."

Ethan's cries instantly melted Cynthia's heart. He'd won three Best Actor awards with his soulful eyes; now, they were filled with guilt, self-loathing, and sadness. He cried flawlessly, just like in the movies. Cynthia remembered his first Best Actor award was for a tragic film; his heartbreaking crying had captivated countless fans.

Cynthia kept apologizing, "Ethan, I'm really sorry."

The livestream viewers were shocked to see Ethan crying:

[The cool movie king is actually a crybaby?] [I was about to badmouth Cynthia, but her helpless look is so funny.] [Cynthia must be speechless! Doesn't she look like a little bunny comforting a big wolf?] [As a die-hard Ethan fan for ten years, I know he really loves to cry. Once, I visited him on set; no one ate with him, so he cried while eating. Another time, at a fan meet, someone said his outfit was ugly, and he cried. As his fan, I feel helpless.]

That's right. Ethan doesn't wear sunglasses just to show off. All his longtime fans know he's actually shy.

[Whoever made him cry should comfort him.]

Cynthia continued comforting Ethan. His crying was so heartbreaking, she felt terrible.

Jonathan watched for a while, then couldn't bear it anymore. He frowned and walked over. "Ethan, crying won't help us find our way back."

Ethan bit his lip and finally stopped crying. "Jonathan, Cynthia, I'm sorry. I couldn't hold it in. I thought I could retrace our steps, but I strayed further. I'm so sorry for picking poisonous mushrooms while you were all hungry."

His eyes reddened, threatening more tears.

Cynthia was speechless. "It's okay, Ethan. I know you want to cry, but hold on. We need a plan first."

Ethan held back his tears. "I won't cry."

Cynthia didn't know where they were. She looked up at the drone. "Jason, you're not going to leave us alone, right?"

A gleeful, mechanical voice replied, "Hehe. Is there anything I can help with?"

Cynthia clenched her fists. If she had the chance, she'd confront director Jason Lowe.

Jonathan spoke up, "I hear water flowing. Do you hear that?"

They listened. They could faintly hear flowing water. Jonathan said, "It must be from the other side of the hill."

They climbed over the hill and found a crystal-clear stream, ending in a pool fed by a waterfall.

Cynthia quickly ran over, scooped some water, and tasted it. "It's fresh water!"

They were relieved to find fresh water, but still had two problems: they were lost, and they needed to carry the water back.

Jonathan said, "This place should be within half a mile of our base. Ethan just took us in a circle."

Cynthia was surprised. "How do you know that?"

Jonathan pointed to a wild jujube tree. "In this jungle, the cameras are set up in a pattern. If I'm not wrong, every hundred meters there are four cameras—north, south, east, and west. We passed 48 cameras; the direct distance to base is about half a mile. We can use the camera pattern. If we find a camera, we can figure out a route back."

Cynthia was surprised by his analysis. "Those cameras look identical. How can you pinpoint their locations?"

Jonathan replied, "The environment and position of each camera are different, and I've memorized them. I've created coordinates for each camera. Finding one will help us find our way back. I also remember the way we came. Even if we can't find a camera, worst case, we retrace our steps."

Cynthia was shocked. She knew Jonathan was smart and had a great memory, but she hadn't expected this.

Jonathan raised an eyebrow. "If you want to compliment me, just do it."

Cynthia scoffed. "Alright, you got me."

The livestream viewers were amazed by Jonathan's talent:

[What was Mr. Bennett talking about? Without some education, I can't even understand variety shows now!] [As a math PhD, I've never seen such an amazing positioning method. First, he had to recognize differences in the environment among 48 cameras, then remember their positions, create a mental map with coordinates, and finally figure out the shortest way back. That's not a human brain; that's a computer!] [He's so brilliant. I admire him wholeheartedly.] [Mr. Bennett is so full of himself! He asked Cynthia to praise him. She must be bored of him.]

Now that returning was solved, Cynthia worried about getting water back. She spotted a plantain tree, picked large leaves, and skillfully folded them into funnel-shaped containers.

Ethan was amazed. "Cynthia, you're just as amazing as Yasmine said!"

Cynthia made three containers and handed one to each person. "Let's fill these and head back. Three should be enough."

They went to the stream. As Cynthia crouched down, her eyes focused on the stream.

Ethan came over. "Cynthia, what are you looking at?"

Pointing at the water, Cynthia said, "Look, there are shrimp in there!"

Ethan looked. "Cynthia, are you planning to catch some fish and shrimp to take back?"

Ethan, having been scolded earlier, was talking more than usual. Cynthia stood up and started taking off her shoes.

Ethan said, "Cynthia, this isn't just any small stream. The water is deep and the current is fast. It's dangerous to go down there."

(The story ends abruptly here.)