Their Punching Bag Became The Storm novel Chapter 18

Chapter 18 Ryan’s Easy Win

Whitney didn’t answer, and since Ryan’s only goal was to clear her name, he didn’t press her further.

Silence fell between them once more.

When Whitney reached the spot, she slipped right into the waist–high grass without hesitation.

Just a few seconds later, she came out holding a bag full of ingredients.

The crew packed all the ingredients in tough white vacuum–sealed bags, making sure they wouldn’t break and ruin the food.

As soon as Whitney came out, Ryan instinctively opened the plastic bag he was holding so she could put the ingredients inside.

Once she added that bag of ingredients, the plastic bag was packed to the brim.

“These should be enough, right?” Ryan thought to himself. It had only been half an hour since the mission started.

And they already had a whole bag stuffed with ingredients.

Unless the other teams got lucky and ran into a supply drop, there was no way they could catch up.

Otherwise, it’d be tough for anyone to beat them.

“If we’re aiming for first place, this should be plenty,” Whitney said, scanning the area with her flashlight. “But to save ourselves some trouble later, why not just stock up on enough ingredients for the next five days of filming tonight?”

Each episode takes a week to film.

Most guests can go along with the crew’s challenges and try to survive for the first three days on the island.

But the last four days are pure hell.

The longer it goes on, the harder it gets to exchange tasks for food from the crew.

Not only does your body start to give out, but the pain of not having enough to eat just keeps getting worse.

Of course, the challenges ahead were a piece of cake for her.

In her previous life, she’d used her skills to make sure Chase and Emily, those two scumbags, had it easy, like they were just chilling on vacation during this survival show.

But now, she wasn’t going to help them anymore.

She had no idea if those two scumbags would even make it through the next five days.

Chapter 18 Ryan’s Fasy Win

‘No way am I doing tasks with those losers just to get food, Whitney thought. ‘Might as well snatch up all the supply drops the crew sent out tonight and be done with it.‘

Ryan was standing so close to Whitney that he could easily catch the teasing sparkle in her eyes.

She was like a cunning fox, clearly up to something.

“So, what do we do with all this stuff?” Ryan asked, holding up the plastic bag so Whitney could see.

If they kept hunting for more ingredients, there was no way they could fit anything else in the bag.

Forcing it in might just make the bag burst, and that would be a total waste.

Besides, lugging around a bag this full while trekking through the woods was a real pain.

Especially after the heavy rain earlier, the ground was all soft and sticky, making it tough to walk on.

“I’ve got a plan,” Whitney said.

She reached out to Ryan. “Give me the bag and wait here for me.”

But Ryan placed his hand firmly in hers. “I’m coming with you.”

Whitney only grabbed Ryan’s hand because she wanted to take care of him.

But this guy acted like it was totally normal.

He expected her to hold his hand all the time.

Whitney shook off Ryan’s hand. “I’ve checked out the terrain in this direction. I’ll hide the supplies along the path back to the meeting spot, so it’ll be easier for us to make trips to collect more ingredients.”

So, he didn’t need to tag along. He might as well just rest here for a bit, given how frail

he was.

Ryan’s deep eyes locked onto Whitney’s. “But we’re a team, aren’t we?”

Whitney thought, ‘Fine. If he wants to tag along, let him.‘

Since this weakling doesn’t even feel tired, why should she waste her energy worrying

about him?

[Everyone else is desperate to share the screen with Ryan, but Whitney’s got that hands–off, keep–your–distance attitude. Total boss energy.]

[Ryan probably never imagined he’d ever get brushed off by a girl in his life.]

[That’s not her being cold. Whitney’s just worried about Ryan’s health and wants him to take it easy.]

Chapter 18 Ryan’s Easy Win

[Are you sure you can even tell the difference between being cold and caring?]

Gotta admit, Whitney’s seriously got skills. It’s not just that she’s detail–oriented. Her sense of direction and memory are insane. She’s already figured out the whole layout here in no time.

[If it were me, I’d be lost for sure in this jungle of dead branches and tangled vines. No way I’d remember which way is which.]

[I’m starting to wonder. Did Ryan already know Whitney was so skilled? The moment the crew announced teams, he couldn’t wait to invite her.]

[No wonder Ryan passed on Emily. He just wanted an easy win.]

Suddenly, the hashtag [Ryan’sEasyWin] was back on the trending list.

And as soon as “Emily” popped up in the live chat, the chat exploded with Ryan’s fans throwing shade at her.

[Seriously, stop talking about it. Good thing Ryan said no to Emily. If he’d teamed up with her, Ryan probably

That comment

got ‘t have lasted

a day on this island.}

That comment got everyone curious in the chat.

[Spill the tea.]

[Is Emily really that fierce? Did she kill her own brother or something?]

[I’m dying to know how much food Emily found.]

[I can’t take it anymore, my curiosity is killing me! I just grabbed my husband’s phone and jumped into Emily’s livestream.]

On their side, Whitney took Ryan to a prime spot, dug a hole, and stashed all their loot underground. She covered it up with grass, so from the outside, you’d never guess anything was hidden there.

Meanwhile, Chase and Emily were slumped on a rock, both looking absolutely ashen and miserable.

Their livestream chat was spamming the screen with nicknames like [The Sickly Pair]. Chase was still hanging in there with a broken hand, all because he tried to protect Emily.

Emily, on the other hand, had to keep pretending her foot was injured just to stick with her persona.

Both of them had been spoiled rotten since they were kids and had zero survival skills. One couldn’t use his hand, and the other was pretending she couldn’t use her foot. It was a total disaster.

And without the camera guy tagging along to make them feel safer, they were totally

Chapter 18 Ryan’s Easy Win

on their own.

Armed with just two flashlights, all they could do was light up the ground at their feet. Anything further out was swallowed by darkness.

Every time there was the slightest sound or movement, Emily would scream and throw herself into Chase’s arms.

She didn’t even care if she landed right on his broken hand.

Chase was breaking out in a cold sweat every time she crashed into him.

If it were Whitney, she’d always be super careful about his injured hand, never letting him get hurt again or even bumped a second time.

Chase was deep in his own thoughts when Emily, still clinging to him, sniffled and whimpered, “Chase, what are we supposed to do now?”

Emily’s voice snapped him back to reality.

‘What was I even thinking?’ Chase thought. ‘My hand was injured all because of Whitney.‘