I raise furry animals and fly them to my motherland.

Chapter 209 The Last Mission

Xu Ying broke the bone in half, saying, "I can gnaw the bone into a honeycomb shape in three months."

"Traditionally, Mongolian herders believe that bones covered with mycelium can treat arthritis, and there are previous reports of Mongolian doctors using it to treat fractures."

"We stopped using it only after a patient's bones were eaten and worn out."

"The most amazing thing is..."

She breathed on the bone, "The spores of bone-eating fungi can remain dormant in the desert for half a century, waiting for some unlucky guy, like Teacher Yao, to dig it up and bring it back to life as soon as it sees water."

Xu Ying's popular science knowledge about obscure facts sent chills down everyone's spine.

This isn't just trivia, it's a ghost story!

Holy crap, these mushrooms are so hard to kill!

These guests, day after day, haven't seemed to complete any serious tasks, but they've managed to come up with a bunch of weird and wonderful things.

Besides rare and unusual fungi like bone-eating mushrooms, Yao Yingzhe's basket contained 132 grams of Chinese delicacies mushrooms, totaling 13.2 points.

Ming Xueying's basket was light and airy.

87 grams, 8.7 points.

She pursed her lips, glancing occasionally in Jia Yao's direction, as if seeking some comfort from someone else.

Ming Xueying doesn't dare to do anything underhanded now. She just wants to finish recording the show quietly, get her money, and go back to the city without ruining her public image.

She painstakingly cultivated her public image for a year and a half, only to have it completely destroyed in less than a day and a half. The show "Rules of Survival in the Desert" really taught her a lesson.

Finally, there's Jia Yao.

There were two wilted little mushrooms in his basket, weighing less than 30 grams in total.

“29 grams,” Xu Ying stated calmly, “2.9 cents in total.”

Jia Yao's face was as shriveled as a mushroom.

[Pfft, Jiayao still owes 2.1 points.]

When will this debt ever be repaid? And there's still the favor I owe Station Master Xu!

[Station Manager Xu's arm was so badly constricted; it's a miracle he wasn't fired.]

After the mushroom-picking session concluded, the five unfortunate employee guests could finally enjoy their meal with their points.

Under the blazing sun, the program crew's white tents cast a rare patch of shade on the Gobi Desert.

Jiang Mohua, a points-rich individual, redeemed a braised chicken set meal with 20 points.

The braised chicken was golden and glistening with oil, the wide noodles were soaked in the broth, and three baked buns were stacked on the side, with a few black sesame seeds on their crispy crusts.

Yao Yingzhe spent 15 points to redeem a hand-grabbed rice dish. The rice grains were distinct, and carrots and raisins were sprinkled on top. He paired it with an ice-cold beer, with water droplets condensing on the glass.

He sipped his beer and sighed, about to spout some profound life philosophy, but after making eye contact with Xu Ying, he went into silent mode and quietly ate his meal.

Ming Xueying redeemed a generous portion of braised pork noodles with 10 points. The noodles were topped with a thick layer of green and red peppers and slices of mutton, and they were so spicy that she was wiping away sweat as she stuffed them into her mouth.

Ye Jie used all her points to redeem three braised chicken drumsticks as snacks after the previous round to fill her stomach. She never expected that all her hard work and effort over the past hour would go to waste in this round.

They watched longingly as the three guests enjoyed the food.

However, she wasn't alone; Jia Yao and she were both in front of empty space. Ye Jie immediately felt much better and cheered herself up: "At least I don't owe any debts!"

"I just ate two and a half chicken drumsticks, so I'm not particularly hungry now."

Already starving, Jia Yao glanced at her speechlessly.

Just then, the tent flap was suddenly lifted, and staff members brought out plate after plate of dishes made from mushrooms.

The aroma of mushrooms is simply irresistible.

The assistant director, holding a megaphone, announced, "This is the result of everyone's hard work this morning! The production team has invited a local chef to prepare a mushroom feast for everyone!" "Everyone gets a share!"

The eyes of the guests present, especially Ye Jie and Jia Yao, lit up.

Xu Ying, who had already eaten her boxed lunch, was also looking forward to it. Although she had been working in the desert for half a year, she had never tasted the delicious Chinese mushrooms.

Several jars of steaming hot mushroom dishes were placed on the long table.

The creamy mushroom soup is fragrant and pearly white, garnished with golden-brown mushroom bits; the wild onions and mushrooms sizzle, the mushroom slices are caramelized and fragrant, mixed with the spiciness of wild onions.

The most unique dish is the stone-roasted mushrooms brought into the tent. They are roasted on red-hot stone slabs, sprinkled with coarse salt, which locks in the fresh mushroom juices and makes them mouthwatering.

The five guests stared wide-eyed, and the assistant director had a staff member hand Xu Ying some cutlery first: "Let's invite Mr. Xu to have a taste!"

"Thanks to Mr. Xu for his outstanding performance today, carrying the whole team!"

Everyone in the tent joined in the applause.

Xu Ying smiled sheepishly, took a small bite of each of the three dishes, and then kept eating with her chopsticks. It truly lived up to its reputation as "Chinese delicacies"!
Fresh as if moistened by spring rain, smooth as if solidified fat bursting with juice.

The aroma of mushrooms is distinct, with a base of pine smoke, and the aroma of nuts and meat bursts forth from high-temperature stir-frying, with a hint of honey sweetness in the finish.

The most amazing thing is the wok hei: the hot oil sizzles with garlic and chili, the mushrooms absorb the essence of the oil, and the freshness explodes with a "sizzle" sound. Even your teeth can taste the wildness of sun-dried pine needles.

Everyone watched as Xu Ying's chopsticks moved so fast they were almost blurry. "Boss Xu, please leave some for our employees!"

Ye Jie squatted to the side, cupping her face in her hands and watching with pleading eyes: "We employees still have to make a living this afternoon."

"OK, OK, let's eat one last billion bites!"

Lunch ended amidst delicious food and laughter. 2 PM was the hottest time, so the production team gave the guests a break.

When the sun isn't so strong anymore.

Mr. Xu struck a gong, waking the five laborers from their sleep.

"Come on, get up, get up, this is the last task for today!"

Upon hearing that it was the last task, the guests immediately sat up from their recliners.

Ye Jie's eyes held a clear, innocent look: "After we finish this task, can we go home?"

Jia Yao looked suspicious: "It's only 4:30 in the afternoon. Are you sure this is the last task? Is it really not a scam?"

Xu Ying stretched out her index finger and shook it: "I'm an honest person, why would I lie?"

These words silenced everyone.

The comments section burst out laughing:
The honest man had the five celebrity guests completely under his thumb.

[It has to be ordinary people to make the show interesting; otherwise, even if other celebrity guests were to be the bosses, they wouldn't be this willing to go all out.]

Station Master Xu truly treats people like employees, letting celebrities experience the exhaustion of ordinary working people like us.

"And there's a perk to this mission: you'll get to interact with fennec foxes and even build a deep, revolutionary friendship!"

Ye Jie's eyes lit up instantly: "Wow, really?"

Everyone has seen Xu Ying's videos and understands how cute fennec foxes are. Even the usually mild-mannered Jiang Mo was tempted by this perk.

"Two months ago, our animal rescuers, together with the police, raided a fur farm and rescued a large number of furry animals that had been fed obesity drugs."

"For the past two months, we have been dedicated to helping these obese animals lose weight and ensuring their safety."

"And my job is to lead the overweight fennec fox family to lose weight."

"Over the past two months, the weight loss has been very effective, but there are always a few rebellious kids who lose weight very slowly."

Xu Ying clapped her hands, a sly smile spreading across her face: "Your task today is to help the fennec foxes lose weight and guide the six stubborn dieters through their training program for the day!"