Long before the transport helicopters had touched down over the dark, rain-swept canopy of the Island, Director Zhao had laid out the ground rules during the final briefing at the Phase Three staging area.
"Phase Four is a test of complete, unrelenting self-reliance," Director Zhao's voice had boomed through the camp megaphone back when the contestants were still standing in the churned mud of the base camp. "There are no shared team rations, and no safety nets. However, for those with the sharp observational skills to find them, our sponsors have concealed high-value emergency supply crates across all four isolated quadrants. If you find one, its contents belong entirely to you—dry matches, thermal blankets, high-calorie emergency rations, or tools. Find them, or endure the wild with only what's on your back."
