By the second afternoon, hunger was loud.
But thirst was louder.
People complained about empty stomachs.
They panicked about dry mouths.
The Stream Is Not Enough
The main stream had become crowded.
Hands dipped in constantly.
Bottles filled and refilled.
No one filtered properly.
Someone said, "It looks clean enough."
Another replied, "It's moving—should be fine."
Aria watched from uphill.
She didn't comment.
She just turned away.
💬 [MedStudent]: That water is NOT fine
💬 [SurvivalFan]: Day two diarrhea speedrun incoming
The First Mistake Pays Immediately
By mid-afternoon, someone doubled over.
Then another.
Whispers spread.
"Stomach cramps."
"Nausea."
"I feel dizzy."
Medical drones hovered closer.
Aria finished tightening a cord near her camp and spoke calmly to the cameraman:
"…They drank downstream."
He swallowed.
"How can you tell?"
"…Smell," she replied.
"…And insects."
Her Water Was Never the Stream
Aria walked to the narrow crevice near her camp—the one everyone had ignored.
She knelt.
Cleared debris.
Lifted a flat stone.
Water seeped slowly from the rock face.
Not much.
But constant.
The cameraman leaned closer.
"…It's barely anything."
"Yes."
She set her metal cup underneath.
"…But it's clean."
System, Not Luck
She worked methodically.
Charcoal from the fire.
Sand layered carefully.
Cloth folded twice.
A simple gravity filter.
Nothing flashy.
Nothing complicated.
She poured water through once.
Then again.
Then boiled it.
She didn't rush.
She never rushed.
💬 [EngineerBrain]: That filter is textbook
💬 [Watcher]: She built infrastructure before people built tents
First Rule, Spoken Aloud
When the cameraman asked why she focused on water before food, she answered without looking up.
"…You can think while hungry," she said.
"…You cannot think while dehydrated."
The line hit the chat hard.
💬 [TopComment]: That's not survival advice. That's doctrine.
The First Customer Returns
The same contestant who'd bought the fish approached again.
Slower this time.
Paler.
"Do you have… water?"
Aria looked at him.
Then at the cup.
Then back.
"…Filtered and boiled," she said.
"…One hundred."
He didn't argue.
He paid.
Drank.
Sat down hard.
"…Worth it," he muttered.
Aria nodded.
"…Yes."
The Market Shifts
Word spread faster than sickness.
People stopped crowding the stream.
They looked uphill.
At her.
The chat noticed the shift.
💬 [InvestorBro]: SHE CONTROLS WATER NOW??
💬 [NatureFan]: This is not a survival show anymore
Producers Exchange Looks
In the control tent, silence stretched.
"She's monetizing hydration," someone whispered.
Another replied:
"She prioritized it before anyone realized it mattered."
The director leaned back.
"…She's running the game."
Closing Beat
As evening approached, Aria poured herself another cup of water.
Clear.
Clean.
Safe.
She drank slowly.
"…Water reveals urgency," she murmured.
"…Urgency reveals value."
Above her, drones hovered.
Below her, contestants watched.
And the jungle—
indifferent as ever—
approved.