Chapter 333
Chapter 333
Lin Junruo and Mu Xin whispered to each other, while the newly arrived elite-looking man surveyed the situation inside the bus.
After Shen Xianglan took his seat, the man chose one as well. Then he raised a hand, gently adjusted his glasses, and said, “Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Xie Cheng, and I’ve worked in the legal profession for many years. I hope we’ll all get along during the journey ahead.”
No one had expected the elite-looking man, Xie Cheng, to introduce himself first.
“Hahaha, hello. I’m Sheng Mao. You can call me Yellow Hair,” Yellow Hair replied first as usual.
Only then did Shen Xianglan seem to wake from a dream. He hurriedly said, “I got too excited when I saw Ms. Zhou. Should I introduce myself too?”
“I don’t think that’s really necessary,” Lin Junruo muttered, turning her head away.
Lu Jing frowned and nudged Qin Weiyi beside him. “Who’s that?”
Qin Weiyi also found it rather remarkable that they had been matched into the same world as Shen Xianglan. Even though he was not involved in the entertainment industry, a top star like Shen Xianglan appeared on trending searches so often that Qin Weiyi naturally recognized him.
“Shen Xianglan. A top star,” Qin Weiyi said by way of a simple introduction.
Hearing this, Shen Xianglan immediately said, “Yes, my name is Shen Xianglan. I work in the entertainment industry and am Ms. Zhou’s junior.”
“I’m Lin Junruo,” Lin Junruo said as well.
The others introduced themselves one after another, allowing everyone to become briefly acquainted.
After the introductions, Qin Nan suddenly remarked, “We have an internationally acclaimed actress and a top star now. Could this world be related to the entertainment industry?”
“It’s possible,” Mu Xin replied.
Lin Junruo let her thoughts wander. “How would an entertainment-industry world work? Make a movie like before, with no one left alive?”
“Anything’s possible,” Yellow Hair said.
They were merely joking and did not take the idea seriously at all.
As everyone talked, the bus slowly came to a stop once more.
Xia Zeqin had barely spoken throughout the ride. The moment the bus stopped, he got off, and the others followed one after another.
When they stepped onto the ground of the new world, the scene before them came fully into view.
They were standing in a room filled with a high-tech atmosphere.
Countless large screens stood before them, displaying all kinds of images. To the left was a floor-to-ceiling bookcase packed with books. Another set of shelves covered the wall on the right, filled with equipment such as cameras, video cameras, and various audio-recording devices.
“What is this place for?” Yellow Hair stared at the scene, momentarily bewildered.
Qin Weiyi looked around. “Qin Nan’s words just came back to me.”
Qin Nan was puzzled.
What had he said?
Qin Nan did not understand.
Jian Fan nodded too. “Mm. His guess was very accurate.”
Qin Nan was puzzled again.
“This world is really related to the entertainment industry?” Yellow Hair asked in shock.
“Most likely,” Qin Weiyi replied.
His guess was based on all the equipment around them. What else would require so much filming equipment?
As everyone pondered, a panda-shaped robot that had been standing beside the large screens slowly rolled into the center of the room. It emitted a series of beeps, and its two panda ears flashed on and off.
“Welcome to Variety Show Showdown, an immersive live-action game,” the panda robot announced.
A variety show? An immersive game?
“I am the customer service representative for this game, codename Panda 023. Next, I will explain the rules of the game to all Players.”
“There are four variety shows to choose from. After selecting a show and entering it, Players will randomly draw an Identity Card. Players must act within the parameters of their Identity Card and earn more Popularity for their variety show without breaking character. Each show can accept a maximum of five participants. Popularity will be evaluated across three rounds. At the end of the first round, the group with the highest score will gain ten percent Popularity, and the member of that group with the highest Individual Popularity will receive one random item. The group with the lowest score will be punished, with each member losing ten percent Popularity. At the end of the second round, the group with the lowest score will vote among their teammates to eliminate and erase one member. The group with the highest score will vote among their teammates and may select one member from another group to join them. At the end of the third round, the group with the highest score will successfully clear the game. The other three groups will be eliminated and erased.”
In other words, under these rules, no more than six people could clear the game.
A group could start with five original members. Based on the result of the second round, it could choose one new teammate, bringing the total to six. As for the remaining six…
When Qin Nan and the others realized this, they fell silent.
They were currently one large team. Six places were nowhere near enough for all of them.
“A friendly reminder: if Players break character by speaking or acting in ways inconsistent with their Identity Card, they will receive punishments of varying severity according to how badly they break character. Severe violations will result in immediate erasure. Players are advised to take this seriously.”
Erasure at every turn.
Everyone fell silent for a moment.
After explaining the basic rules, the panda robot suddenly tilted its head. Its two ears projected light outward.
The light fell into empty space and formed an image.
Four short video clips appeared in the image, with written descriptions beneath them.
Beneath the first video was the title The Leisure Inn, in which the guests jointly operated an inn and received customers. It was a slow-paced variety show. The second was Love Connection, a dating show featuring both real couples and fake couples paired for the program, with romance as its main focus. The third had a simple, straightforward name: Escape Room, a horror variety show centered on solving puzzles in locked rooms. The fourth was a parent-child show about the daily experience of caring for children, called Parenting Diaries.
“Players may now choose their variety show,” the panda robot said.
As soon as it finished speaking, everyone’s thoughts diverged.
Qin Nan looked at Jian Fan. “Which one do we choose?”
Although the participant limit meant their entire group could not stay together, Qin Nan was definitely following Jian Fan. As for everyone else, they would have to fend for themselves.
Jian Fan did not answer. He walked directly toward the screen, giving his answer through action.
He chose Escape Room.
It suited Jian Fan perfectly and was also what he excelled at.
The moment Qin Nan saw his choice, he followed and selected Escape Room as well.
While Qin Nan made his selection, Xia Zeqin had already stepped forward. Since he was closest to the first show, he simply chose it.
As for the others…
Qin Weiyi could no longer afford to worry about anyone else.
He did not yet know how they were supposed to solve this world, but according to the rules, only one group could leave. He had no interest in becoming Jian Fan’s opponent.
So Qin Weiyi quickly pulled Lu Jing forward to make their choices.
They chose Escape Room as well.
As Jian Fan and Qin Nan’s teammate, Mu Xin’s answer was already obvious. She gave Lin Junruo an apologetic look, then made her choice as quickly as possible.
Escape Room instantly reached its maximum number of Players, and the Script was generated.