Chapter 68

The director and crew members twitched at the sight of the talismans Aria Bennett pulled from her bag.

"Will those things actually help in a survival challenge?" someone muttered under their breath.

Damian Cross, however, tilted his lips in amusement, a glint of laughter in his eyes. Of course—she always had her own unique way.

"Aria, are those talismans for exorcising ghosts?" Jonah Pierce teased.

Aria winked mysteriously. "You’ll find out soon enough."

"That cryptic?" Jonah scratched his head. "Now I have to keep watching."

As everyone packed, most brought extra bags—except Aria and Damian, who stuck with the standard-issue backpacks provided by the production crew.

Noticing this, Nolan Reed silently tossed aside his excess luggage.

Meanwhile, Serena Blake and Audrey Lane were still stuffing cosmetics into their bags, drawing a wave of sarcastic live comments.

"How are we splitting into teams?" Damian suddenly asked.

All eyes turned to the director.

The director had originally planned to stir up drama, but under Damian’s pointed gaze, he caved.

"Free teaming," the director said with a dry laugh. "Two guests and eight trainees per group."

Before the words fully left his mouth, Damian turned to Aria. "Team up?"

"Sure," Aria agreed easily.

Leo Brooks and his four friends immediately rushed over. "Aria, take us with you!"

Eli Carter raised his hand eagerly. "We want to stay with Damian!"

In the blink of an eye, their ten-person squad was complete.

Jonah groaned. "Damian, you’re too fast!"

Nolan’s face darkened, his fists clenched white.

Meanwhile, at the Reed family villa…

Arthur Reed shook his head at the screen. "This dumb kid—always a step behind."

Rebecca Reed, however, smiled approvingly. "Damian’s a good one. Knows what he wants."

"Wife, that guy’s clearly doing it on purpose!" Arthur protested.

"So what?" Rebecca shot him a look. "At least he acts. Unlike our son, who can’t even string a sentence together."

Arthur: "…"

Back on the island, Caleb Monroe sighed. "Damian, leave some chances for the rest of us."

Damian arched a brow. "First come, first served."

Jonah turned to Nolan. "Want to team up?"

"I refuse to be in the same group as Serena," Nolan stated bluntly.

The director nearly choked. "You’d really leave two girls stranded?"

"Absolutely," Nolan said flatly.

The live comments exploded:

[LMAO Nolan’s brutal honesty!]

[The director’s face is priceless!]

[That’s our top-tier star—no filter!]

[Wow, zero chivalry…]

Serena’s face cycled through shades of green and white, her nails digging into her palms.

The director rubbed his temples. "Rules say you must take one female guest. Choose."

The air froze.