A Second Life, A New Power novel Chapter 285

Herne looked over at Demi with genuine excitement. When he heard Ana's remark, he turned around, puzzled. "Huh?" he asked.

Ana repeated what she'd just said.

"Hey, there's no rush," Herne continued confidently. "If it works out, our two teams can combine. We still haven't found anything to get a fire started. If we leave now, we might end up starving again."

Ana frowned. "I don't think the show's producers will allow us to merge teams," she said as she glanced back at the crew.

The crew, who had been watching Demi closely, suddenly caught on to Ana's look. One of them snapped back to attention and announced, "Okay, both teams, you can split up now. And Demi's group—you can't just settle in here. You need to keep moving and explore other areas."

"Why can't we explore together?" Herne asked, turning around. To his surprise, not only Ana but several of his teammates echoed the question.

The crew shook their heads. "No, you all have to head in different directions," they replied firmly.

A collective sigh went up from Herne's team while Ana secretly breathed a small sigh of relief.

"You guys are really such jerks!" George grumbled about the producers.

"We haven't even had breakfast yet," asked Chad. "Can't we grab a bite and then hit the road?"

The crew hesitated, then shook their heads. "No way. We already made an exception for food last night."

"Then, how about we leave after breakfast?" Wendy suggested.

"You can," the crew finally allowed with a nod.

"Alright. Let's whip up some instant pasta and eggs," Maria proposed.

"And have Demi catch a few fish," Nigel added. "Just in case we can't find any after we leave."

Herne's group immediately felt their stomachs grumble at the mention of food.

"Maybe we can rig up a torch, borrow some fire, and then move out?" George offered.

Just then, Robert burst down the stairs, phone in hand and eyes wide with excitement. "Guys, did you see Demi's livestream? She rocked that sword routine! I had no idea she knew martial arts. If I'd known, I would've learned a few moves from her!"

Everyone exchanged a glance and fell silent, letting the moment speak for itself.

...

Meanwhile, Charles was still asleep when his phone began buzzing non-stop. Frowning, he reached over to grab it. His group chat was buzzing with messages, all tagging him

"Charles, check it out! Demi actually knows martial arts!"

"Charles, she's the real deal—she might even know some Shaolin moves!"

"Charles, let's get her to teach us a few moves. The chat's saying she's amazing!"

Scrolling through the messages, Charles finally found the video. After watching it, a flood of thoughts raced through his mind.