From a distance, a faint white smoke was billowing atop the volcano, gently rushing into the sky. The guide was surprised when he saw it, but he told them, “Safe, Safe” repeatedly in heavily accented English.
“How could it be safe?!” Xiao Xia shrank nervously behind Su Jishi. Her eyes flushed red in fright, and she shook like a slime. Her brain opened wide, and she gave full play to her flights of fancy, saying exaggeratedly, “Sister Su, do you think it will erupt in a little while? The lava will drown us all!”
Su Jishi patiently explained with her: “The kind you’re talking about is called Pliny-style eruption.”
Xiao Xia: “P…what?”
Su Jishi: “This volcano has a typical Stromblolian-type eruption.”
Xiao Xia: “St…What?”
Su Jishi: “The former is what is presented in disaster movies, the kind of lava billowing and burning everything. It is how ancient cities of Pompeii once disappeared. As for the latter, well, it’s periodic. It erupts every once in a while. When it erupts, it spurts volcanic ash is very large. The dense ashes cut visibility around a few kilometers. It may be dreadful but not fatal.”
After pondering for a moment, she added, “Of course, if you’re blinded by the volcanic ash and fell headlong into a ditch, that’s another story.”
Xiao Xia: “…” Mom, it’s still so scary!
Su Jishi once inspected several volcanoes in Canada with her teacher, and wrote a thesis on basaltic volcanic rocks. The only difference was the climate, and those volcanoes didn’t have much vegetation cover. Indonesia was different; plants grew extra tall and shaded the sky; birds and animals cried in the forest; and every now and then, small animals would spring out of the meadow and scare them.
The mountain climbing was particularly taxing on one’s strength and will.
Except for Su Jishi, dozens of people on the show crew were exhausted. Compared to the artists, the Follow PDs and the crew following them had it the hardest. The cameramen worked in pairs, carrying cameras weighing more than 20 kilograms and chasing after the artists. They had long been soaked in sweat, and before the sweat on their backs were dried by the sun, new sweat drenched them anew. No wonder someone joked that he was like a salted fish.
“You said it. All of us are salted fish, and only Sister Su is a mermaid…” Qin Qiu didn’t forget to avail himself of every opportunity to flatter.
Yan Changhui was the oldest. He was gripping two walking sticks, but even with a porter helping him with his luggage, he could barely stand from the exhaustion: “Su Jin, aren’t you tired?”
Su Jishi was also tired, but she had long been used to this kind of strain, and her in-depth experience in field expeditions made her better at distributing physical strength than others.
She reminded everyone, “This active volcano will keep spewing ash. The higher we go, the more you have to wear masks and cover your mouth and nose. Never ignore the heat.”
Many people mistakenly believed that “volcanic ash” and “soot” was the same substance when in fact, they were entirely different. Soot dissolved in water and could be degrade by itself; while volcanic ash was a pyroclastic material formed by the fragmentation of magma during volcanic eruption. Its diameter was less than 2mm. The smaller it was, the easier it could be sucked into the lungs, which might cause asthma and other diseases.
Everyone was “scared” by her, and they rushed to take the cloth they prepared in advance to cover their mouth and nose.
Unfortunately, some people did not listen to her advice, and by the evening, their entire nostrils were blackened by volcanic ash.
Originally, they planned to set up tents 500 meters from the lower edge of the crater before sunset and ‘rush to the summit’ to see the sunrise the next morning.Unfortunately, the program group miscalculated everyone’s physical strength. After surviving in the wild in previous days, everyone was incapable of trekking long distances. Once the sun set, several artists immediately began to ‘act shamelessly’, saying that they could no longer continue walking.
The chief director took out an altimeter for a look and discovered that they had just reached the mountainside…
Not only did the artists run out of stamina, but the Follow PD’s also slipped several times. Looking around, each was half-dead on the ground, with bloody blisters on their feet, hands, and shoulders.
The chief director was not the reincarnation of Huang Shiren((Huang Shiren – the villain landlord in opera The White-Haired Girl.)). After discussing with several program planners, he decided to change the plan and stop there. In due course, the post-production special effects would be done aesthetically, accompanied by a lyrical soundtrack. ‘Giving up halfway’ could also be packaged as ‘taking a step back and chat about everythign under the sun.’
…
One more day, and this adventure would be declared over.
After so many days of living together, several artists had gradually become familiar with each other.
It was said that ‘traveling together’ could let you see a person’s character, and ‘living together in the wild’ was a step further. This had allowed them to discover their hidden redeeming points on the wobbly suspension bridge.
It turned out that Chen Gangyu, who was scolded on the Internet as a ‘past-prime’, was actually a good cook.
It turned out that the “fanboy” (fan’s baby) Qin Qiu, who had just broken through countless feats at the beginning, could grow so rapidly.
It turned out that the Senior Yan Changhui looked like an old cadre, but was in fact filled with romantic thoughts. Whenever he saw the starry sky, he would take a photo and show it to his wife.
It turned out that the comedic entertainer Wei Jing, who often cracked gags on the show, was a reliable and introverted character in person. The gap between his on and off camera persona was poles apart.
…As Su Jishi was silently commenting on these companions deep inside, she did not know she was the biggest ‘surprise’ for everyone on this trip.
Who would have believed that a popular little girl would have such strong survival skills in the wilderness? It was said that reality shows could reveal the nature of artists, but they dared to bet —— No one would dilike Su Jin’s ‘nature’!
She could climb the trees to pick fruits, dip into the water to catch fresh fish; she could brandish a geological hammer formidably; she was not pretentious, not squeamish, resolute, and frank… She didn’t need to grab camera time because cameras naturally turned her!
That evening, after everyone had settled down and set up camps, they built a campfire in the clearing and enjoyed a hard-earned relaxing time. Some people talked in whispers, and some sang loudly. Anyway, they were at a no-man’s land. No matter how much racket they cause, they wouldn’t disturb the people.
There was a lack of food and clothing in the place, so naturally there was no good wine and food.
Su Jishi sat by the campfire, holding a bottle of mineral water in her hand and quietly looking at the smiling faces of the people around the campfire.
It was now December, and the New Year was just around the corner.
This period of filming 《Wilderness Winners》was bitter and tiring for others, but for her, it was a rare and wonderful memory. Everything here reminded her of her student days —— Although only a few short months had passed, it felt like a lifetime ago for her.
Not long ago, she climbed a volcano on foot with her teachers and classmates just to measure the attitude; they also gathered around the campfire and discussed a major discovery in the geology community…
Truth to tell, the entertainment industry was not only a trap of intrigue. There were also good friends who genuinely treated her. But, in their eyes, she would always be ‘Su Jin’, not ‘Su Jishi’ —— This was probably one of the reasons why her sister wanted to escape.
…
It was late at night, and everyone finally couldn’t withstand their physical exhaustion, so they greeted each other good night and went back to their tents.
Xiao Xia naturally stayed with Su Jishi. Before going to bed, a PD informed them to wake up at six o’clock tomorrow morning. After eating breakfast, they could go down the mountain. There was a shuttle bus from the show group at the foot of the mountain, and it was expected to arrive at the airport at 10pm for their departure home.
Su Jishi raised her eyebrows: “Your bus has finally been repaired?”
The PD scratched his head in embarrassment and replied, “Sure enough, it can’t escape Miss Su’s eyes.”
Only then did the other artists realize that the “bus breakdown” on their first day was actually a test set by the program group!
Everyone surrounded the Chief Director and gave him a violent beating. The Chief Director was knocked all over his head and repeatedly asked for mercy.
The next morning, Su Jishi was the first to wake up.
She took her watch and saw that it was just after five in the morning.
A loud snore had been echoing in the camp, so Su Jishi couldn’t sleep. Hence, she simply got up and washed up.
As soon as she moved, Xiao Xia also woke up. Xiao Xia rubbed her eyes in a daze, yawned and drifted out of the tent after her like a little tail.
Su Jishi said, “Go back and sleep for a while longer.”
Xiao Xia was clearly sleepy, but still stubbornly shook her head: “No, I won’t sleep! Where Sister Su goes, I go!”
Su Jishi had no choice but to let her follow.
The place was located at the equator. The morning fog was thin. The temperature was the most comfortable at twenty degrees and the breeze was cool and pleasant.
The entire camp was wrapped in that faint layer of mist, giving off the impression that they were floating in the clouds. It was ethereal.
Xiao Xia was reinvigorated. She picked up her camera and shot left and right. She looked so childish, akin to a kindergarten kid who came out for a walk in the greenery.
Just when she was pouting and shooting a small flower in the grass, she suddenly felt a chill on the tip of her nose. She looked up blankly and saw fine rain falling from the sky, hitting her face and body, and bringing a burst of coolness.
“It’s raining!” She exclaimed in surprise, “After staying in Indonesia for nearly a week, I never thought it would finally rain before we left!” She cheered, “Is Sulawesi sending us off?”
She turned around to look for Su Jishi’s figure, wanting to share this wonderful little thing with her —— but Su Jishi’s expression was anything but relaxed.
Su Jishi was frowning tightly, and her face was solemn. When sdhe raised her head and stare at the active volcano close at hand, her body tautened, like a fully drawn bow, ready to leave the string at any moment.
Xiao Xia followed her gaze in bewilderment —— Then she saw that the volcanic crater that was still bubbling with indistinct white smoke last night now was billowing with light gray smoke! And amidst that smoke, a spark of firelight was leaping outward!
“Xiao Xia!” Su Jishi ordered sternly, “Wake everyone up. Let’s go down the mountain now or never!”
She paused and said word for word, “This is not ordinary rain. This is ‘volcanic rain’.”
—— In tropical regions, when volcanic activity was high, the hot updrafts from the crater could affect the clouds that gather around it. Under the alternation of cold and heat, ‘volcanic rain’ would start around the volcano!
In other words, there would be a volcanic eruption here in just a few hours!
Even the mildest Strombolian eruption would also eject huge waves of smoke. If they didn’t leave, the volcanic debris that would be rolling down would bury them!
Peek-Aboo 
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