Chapter 64: Terrifying Live Stream (Part 1)
"This... I don't know,属下不知道，只是看到他也进入穿越局的内部了。" Mu Gangnong's reply to the young man still carried a hint of being out of sorts. The young man's gaze darkened, but the contemplation flickering in his eyes quickly vanished, replaced by the refined elegance that Mu Gangnong remembered so well.
"You did well." The young man's voice was clear and pleasant. "Would you kindly pass down my orders to those below? Have them... find this person as soon as possible."
The young man's words ended there. The tone he used held none of the authority a superior should wield when addressing a subordinate. Yet the still-confused Mu Gangnong dared not delay. He immediately turned to carry out the orders.
"Are you... alright?" No sooner had Mu Gangnong stepped out than someone regarded him with an incredulous expression.
"I don't know why either." Mu Gangnong thought back to the flash of danger in the leader's eyes. His already-dried clothes became damp with fresh sweat, and a chill spread to his very core. He murmured, "He wants us to find someone."
The order came completely without warning, but every member of the Wu Yi Alliance began searching through the endless crowds for this... person whom the leader himself had ordered found. With the Wu Yi Alliance having grown into a towering force within the Transmission Bureau, their power was not to be underestimated. Before anyone else could even detect anything, Qi An's whereabouts had already been uncovered—though not by internal personnel.
However, by the time the young man arrived, Qi An and Zhang Zhaoqi had already stepped through the portal leading to the next world.
"Who is that person?" The young man smiled warmly as he gazed at Zhang Zhaoqi's retreating figure, as if asking an idle question.
"What?" Mu Gangnong reflexively asked back. The docile young man quietly turned to look at him. Mu Gangnong's heart suddenly tightened. This sense of danger made his mind race. His gaze immediately fixed on Zhang Zhaoqi's back. "Zhang Zhaoqi."
"Yes."
The young man's reaction was more like merely making casual inquiry. After saying this, he casually chose a seat and sat down elegantly. Mu Gangnong had no idea what he should do, so he stood僵硬地 beside the young man.
"You may go back." Noticing his stance, the young man waved kindly.
"Then, Leader..." Mu Gangnong下意识地把心里的疑惑说了出来。
"I'll wait here for him to complete his mission and return." The young man smiled gently. His eyes always seemed to shimmer with starlight. The girls who had been watching him couldn't help but feel their hearts flutter.
Not far from them, a beautiful young woman was flustered by this smile. She shyly stood up, appearing to have mustered tremendous courage as she began walking toward the young man. The young man sitting beside her grabbed her arm. "Are you crazy? Even if you're going to swoon over someone, pick a better target."
"That's Lu Wuyi, the leader of the Wu Yi Alliance!"
The originally shy girl's face instantly turned ashen. She plopped back down into her seat. Of course she had heard of Lu Wuyi's name.
Famous for being ruthless, and equally famous for having no interest in women.
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【Main Quest: Survive until the program recording ends. (Reminder: You must not expose your identity as a traverser, nor may you use any system items.)】
【Number of Traversers: 3】
"Is that you, Qi An?" The middle-aged man in his hand held a file, comparing the photo against the person before him before asking seriously.
The young man being questioned nodded immediately. Perhaps because he hadn't expected the man's expression to be so stern, the young man微微地低下了头. It might have been his slender build, but wearing the same clothes as everyone else, he somehow looked particularly frail.
The noise around them was a chaotic cacophony. The middle-aged man's serious voice rang out again. "Let me explain our situation to you once more. On the surface, this is simply a livestream event, but in reality, it's meant to promote R Company's holographic technology. To capture attention, we've added some horror elements to the process—though of course, these will all be virtual. However, during the livestream, we won't disclose this information. It won't be revealed until after the broadcast ends."
"So, you absolutely cannot show any signs of abnormality. If this information leaks out prematurely because of you, we will pursue legal responsibility." As he spoke those last few words, the middle-aged man's tone grew several degrees more stern.
"Yes." Qi An acknowledged.
"As for why we invited you to participate in this livestream program, what's stated in your contract is quite clear. We've divided everything into four groups. You are paired with the popular actress Liang Xuan, and your main role is to serve as a contrast to her. We've prepared some scripts in advance—here, take these." As he spoke, the middle-aged man handed Qi An a pair of隐形耳机.
"When I need you to react in a certain way, I'll inform you through this. Just do as instructed." The middle-aged man paused, then added emphatically, "You must remember—your purpose is to contrast Liang Xuan. So you're taking on the花瓶人设. The script arranged for you may be the kind where you become a拖后腿 whenever something unexpected happens. This type of character might not earn the audience's favor, but I hope you can play it faithfully."
The middle-aged man had just been about to explain how to play this role, but when he saw Qi An raise his head and look at him attentively, all his words caught in his throat. "...Just act like you normally would."
"We've signed the contract, so you must follow the script I've arranged for you." Seeing a girl being ushered over, the middle-aged man hastily added this one final reminder to Qi An before immediately flattering his way toward the girl like everyone else.
She was a very beautiful girl, wearing an exquisitely crafted outfit with delicate, understated makeup. Qi An knew this was the Liang Xuan the middle-aged man had mentioned—the biggest star invited for this livestream program.
Liang Xuan strode over in her wine-red high heels, clicking and clacking. Immediately, a crowd gathered around her, vying for her attention.
"Is he the one paired with me?" Liang Xuan淡淡地 pointed at Qi An with a painted fingernail. Among everyone here, Qi An was the only one who remained in place without any reaction.
"Yes, yes, Sister Xuan, that's him. His name is Qi An." The middle-aged man immediately nodded with a smile, then turned to wave at Qi An gruffly. "Qi An, come over here. What are you doing standing there like an idiot? Come say hello to Sister Xuan!"
Qi An walked over as the middle-aged man wished, quietly greeting her as "Sister Xuan."
Liang Xuan nodded. She didn't particularly care who she was paired with. To fulfill certain requirements, every show invited some ordinary people—Liang Xuan was well accustomed to this. These ordinary folks would never pose any threat to her. Moreover, when the production team had invited her, they'd promised that this program would definitely favor her. So Liang Xuan's manner was very nonchalant.
But just as Liang Xuan was lazily lowering her head to look at this fortunate ordinary person, her pupils suddenly contracted. "You're quite..."
"Sister Xuan, don't worry. Qi An will only be serving to enhance your presence in the program. We've already prepared the scripts very carefully, and they'll definitely work in your favor!" The middle-aged man immediately jumped in. He actually had some personal motives.
To make the program visually appealing, each group had been assigned a director responsible for overseeing everything. He was specifically in charge of Liang Xuan and Qi An's group, so among the four directors, there was naturally competition forming.
Because this was a livestream.
Each group would have its own livestream room. Once the program began, the popularity of each team would be immediately apparent. So he wanted to create something that would generate explosive reactions.
And Qi An was simply too handsome.
He was by no means inferior to the beauty-known Liang Xuan—he could even be said to surpass her.
With that appearance and such a character assignment, he was sure to generate a media storm.
It might be in a not-so-positive direction, but Qi An would definitely be the talking point of this program.
"Then so be it." The livestream was about to begin, and Liang Xuan prided herself on not being the type to throw diva fits. She could only speak in a tone that was less than warm. "I hope your production team won't disappoint me."
"Of course, of course. We guarantee it. Having Sister Xuan grace our program is absolutely our honor—how could we disappoint you?"
The staff preparing for the livestream bustled about busily. Sweat glistened on their cheeks, but excitement shone in their expressions. They all knew this program was a groundbreaking attempt. Once the recording was complete and this information was released, they would receive worldwide attention.
Sister Xuan's manager pulled Qi An to a corner and haughtily explained the arrangements. Qi An appeared乖巧 as he listened to her talk, but his fingers moved slightly.
This program did indeed attract enormous attention after the recording was completed.
【This was a groundbreaking attempt, but what no one anticipated was that this livestream gradually spiraled out of control. The horror events became terrifyingly real.
Those participating in the program recording couldn't establish any contact with the outside world. The viewers watching assumed these were just intentionally staged plot points by the production team.
Until all the livestreams were completed...】