Early one morning, Evangeline arrived at the training ground in a car provided by the production team. Over a hundred production staff were already there, setting up the filming equipment. Contestants from around the world had arrived in a steady stream. By the time Evangeline appeared, more than sixty were already present. Their unified gaze followed her arrival; her recent rise to fame was undeniable. Even though Jungle Survival had ended some time ago, clips of her overseas adventures remained incredibly popular across various media platforms. Anyone who used the internet had likely seen her crawling on the ground or squabbling with monkeys.

However, most participants in "Xtreme Survival" looked down on Evangeline. In their eyes, Jungle Survival was a mere game compared to the rigorous demands of "Xtreme Survival." Despite her impressive performance in Jungle Survival, they expected her to act like a timid newcomer amongst such established competitors.

After about half an hour, all 100 contestants, representing 100 of the world's 198 sovereign nations, had arrived. The production team distributed headphones for simultaneous translation, enabling communication between participants speaking different languages. Simultaneously, a global livestream commenced, drawing a massive audience from cooperating platforms worldwide.

Smith, using a loudspeaker, began: "For the past 17 years, 'Xtreme Survival' has enjoyed the love and support of viewers worldwide. Our deepest gratitude to you all! Now, let's officially begin season 18! We have contestants from 100 countries, including several celebrities. Please welcome Jeffrey Bauer from Atharia! At 30 years old, he won our show ten years ago and has since worked as a mercenary in the Kluq Battlefield, maintaining a popular livestream on Twitter. Jeffrey, any thoughts?"

A microphone was extended. Jeffrey, a striking figure with classic blonde hair, blue eyes, tanned skin, and a powerfully built six-foot-three frame, possessed a rugged appearance, seemingly weathered by sun and wind. His thick curly hair extended to his chest. He looked almost savage.

He confidently declared into the microphone, "I'll be the champion again this year!" The crowd applauded. Evangeline watched Jeffrey with a somber expression; he was one of those who had harmed Naomi the previous year.

Smith then introduced contestants Norben Stuffer from Japrium, Kent Montoya from Kepranta, and others. Like Jeffrey, they had competed ten years prior, later achieving championships in subsequent seasons. They were formidable opponents and readily displayed their camaraderie with Jeffrey.

Smith then said, "Now, with all due respect, let's welcome Evangeline from Clusia. It's been ten years since our last contestant from Clusia! She's a Clusian celebrity and star of the recently popular Jungle Survival. She's also a favorite to win this season!"

Unlike his casual introductions of the others, Smith’s tone when mentioning Evangeline was clearly mocking and dismissive. His words provoked laughter and disdainful stares from the contestants. Some openly jeered: "She thinks she's amazing just because she was on the 'kiddie version' of Jungle Survival? She won't last an hour!" "Clusians are so clueless. Why are they even here? Don't they have enough disabled people?"

These comments were instantly translated via the contestants' headphones and the live streams, sparking outrage amongst Clusian viewers. The high-profile nature of Evangeline's participation had attracted significant investment, guaranteeing a large Clusian audience.

The comments ignited a flurry of angry responses on the live stream:

• "[Why are these foreigners so uncivilized? Even if the other contestants are weak, they shouldn't look down on them!]"
• "[I'm furious! I want to tear their mouths apart!]"
• "[It's all Evangeline's fault! If she hadn't participated, Clusia wouldn't be ridiculed!]"
• "[Come on! Evangeline deserves praise for her courage! You wouldn't dare participate, so how can you judge her?]"
• "[It's their lack of manners, not Evangeline's fault!]"
• "[Their words are meaningless. Why should we care what a bunch of bastards think?]"
• "[What the hell? Why are there so many ghostwriters for Evangeline? She's embarrassed us, yet people still support her!]"

Back at the scene, Evangeline took the offered microphone…