CHAPTER 21 (PART 1)

Each round of the survival game show had a set theme, such as a zombie apocalypse, a blizzard-trapped murder mystery, or a haunted village horror chase.

The production team would pre-select a location, place NPC actors throughout, and set up the scene. Once the guests stepped inside, they had to fully immerse themselves in the setting. They could be relentlessly hunted down—sometimes by each other, sometimes by NPCs.

This round’s theme was vampires.

Each participant received a unique identity card with a backstory.

Zhao Qiuying had never been particularly interested in shows like this, but when he received his story card, he actually found it quite intriguing.

“You are the 35th Prince of Candice. Beneath your handsome human facade, you walk the night. The Rose Bar is your favorite hunting ground, where you sip wine and blood while selecting your prey. On November 3rd, a descendant of the woman you once turned into a vampire has entered the bar. They have come seeking revenge… Will humanity succeed in avenging their ancestor? Or will vampires begin another round of slaughter? The fate of this story is in your hands.”

If the other guests were all human, then without a doubt, Zhao Qiuying was the villainous boss of this round.

Jiang Su quickly skimmed her story card before putting it away.

The camera zoomed in on her at that moment, giving her a close-up shot.

The live broadcast had already started, and a massive number of viewers were tuning in. Riding the wave of her commercial’s popularity, both fans and casual audiences alike were watching with intense excitement, their eyes locked on Jiang Su.

[Jiang Su’s close-up is just stunning—her features are like a painting!]

[I’ve been staring for a while, but she barely has any expression. I can’t tell what role she got at all.]

[Hahaha, that’s actually good! It means Jiang Su won’t be easy to beat.]

[She’s a newbie to the game. First time playing—everyone, go easy on her…]

The live chat was surprisingly harmonious.

Initially, when the show announced that Jiang Su was joining, longtime viewers were unhappy.

Since the show’s start, only one female guest had ever participated, and when she did, she couldn’t run properly, stopped every few steps to touch up her makeup, and was constantly given special treatment. It completely ruined the show’s entertainment value.

Back then, the show’s fans had launched a huge backlash against the decision, leading to a massive wave of criticism aimed at the production team. After that, the show never invited female guests again.

And now?

Viewers wanted to head over to Jiang Su’s Weibo to complain—only to find that she didn’t even have a Weibo account!

Some had planned to flood the live broadcast with comments, picking her apart until she was forced to leave the show in embarrassment—making sure the production team never invited a female guest again.

But then—

Jiang Su’s commercial made it to the trending list!

The show’s fans immediately shut up. At this point, if anyone still wanted to complain—[“She’s too weak to do anything!”] [“She’ll be gasping for breath after running a few steps!”] [“This goes against the competitive spirit of the show!”]—the general audience would turn around and mock them instead. After all, didn’t they just witness how impressive she was maneuvering on that winding mountain road?

Since every episode might attract new viewers, the show’s director briefly went over the rules again.

“Your roles as hunters or the hunted depend entirely on the identity cards and story cards in your hands. Please remember your assigned roles and their limitations. Vampires can only act at night, while humans have no restrictions. Vampires can turn humans into their kind through an initial embrace. Humans can obtain tools to resist vampires from designated NPCs. If a human possesses both a Bible and a crucifix at the same time, they can successfully eliminate a vampire. When night falls in the first round, the hunt will begin…”

“The playable map includes the first and second floors of the bar, the bar’s storage room, and the alleyway from the front entrance to the back door…”

“The last remaining survivor will receive gold bars from the production team as a reward.”

[“Sounds complicated.”]

[“I don’t get the rules, I’ll just watch and enjoy.”]

[“The production team wouldn’t be cruel enough to make the girl play as the only human, right?”]

[“Damn, that actually sounds pretty exciting. But no way, Jiang Su is a newbie. They should’ve given her an easier role.”]

[“Aaaah, I’m dying of curiosity! What’s her role?!”]

By now, everyone had entered the bar.

Jiang Su was wearing a tracksuit—the kind she usually wore for night runs. No matter how dim the lighting was, she stood out like a beacon.

[“Hahaha, girl, what’s going on? You’re so conspicuous, it’s like you’re begging them to catch you!”]

[“This newbie is as green as they come.”]

The show’s longtime fans had plenty of criticisms, but since Jiang Su was still trending and overwhelmingly praised online, they held back and kept their complaints subtle.

Zhao Qiuying walked up to her and asked, “Want to team up?”

He had thought this through.

He was assigned the vampire role, so regardless of whether Jiang Su was human or a vampire, he could still protect her.

[“W is such a gentleman~”]

[“Does anyone remember when W and Jiang Su made the social news headlines together?”]

[“Hahaha, rumor has it that Jiang Su climbed out of the water on her own that day.”]

[“Ehhh, how do I put this? Jiang Su is great, but I still believe in keeping some boundaries between men and women.”]

The comment section was about to spiral into an argument when Jiang Su simply shook her head. “No.”

Then, without hesitation, she stepped forward and entered the bar first.

Her rejection was swift and decisive.

Zhao Qiuying chuckled helplessly and nodded. “Alright.”

She helped others often but rarely let others help her.

[“Happy now? =-= Our girl isn’t interested in entangling with male idols at all.”]

[“Is she planning to handle everything on her own again?”]

[“Sis, don’t hype her up too much. She’s just a newbie playing for the first time—cut her some slack.”]

While the comment section was busy debating, Jiang Su had already stepped inside, instinctively squinting her eyes.

Zhao Qiuying followed closely behind, his expression shifting slightly.

The bar’s setup was incredibly realistic—

On stage, a live singer crooned a love song. Nearby, a girl with smoky eye makeup DJ’d at the turntable. Behind the bar, a bartender expertly shook a cocktail shaker up and down. In the center of the dance floor, bodies swayed in rhythm, while in the booths, people clung to their partners, downing drinks, rolling dice, and laughing freely.

Zhao Qiuying instinctively turned to glance at Jiang Su.

She’s probably never been to a place like this before, right?

Jiang Su’s thoughts: Crowded. Chaotic. A perfect place to hide.

She smacked her lips slightly, concluding her mental evaluation.

Meanwhile, the comment section was panicking.

[“My baby Jiang Su is only nineteen! QAQ How is she supposed to handle this kind of environment?”]

[“Haha, damn, the production team at MicroLight Platform is seriously loaded. Their set designs are always top-notch! Even the NPCs are spot on!”]

[“? Wait, what’s Jiang Su doing?”]

Jiang Su started moving along the right side of the entrance, slowly weaving through the crowd. Every time she passed someone, she paused briefly.

[“Uh, isn’t she supposed to be gathering intel and figuring out who the vampires are? If she doesn’t, won’t she just be running blindly once the hunt starts?”]

On the other side, Zhao Qiuying had already struck up a conversation with the other four contestants.

Since the first hunt hadn’t begun yet, they could still sit down and talk peacefully.

“Isn’t Jiang Su tired from all that walking?”

“Probably not,” Zhao Qiuying replied.

“Let’s exchange identities. I’m a civilian—oh wait, I mean, I’m human.”

“Me too.”

After a round of conversation, everyone claimed to be human.

The oldest contestant, He Feng, chuckled. “So what, does that mean the vampire is that little girl over there? You guys are all full of crap—none of you are being honest.”

The comment section erupted—

[“Hahahaha!”]

[“Knew this would happen!”]

[“Welp, better be ready to run when the game starts!”]

One comment said, [“Jiang Su isn’t very sociable,”] but it was quickly drowned out.

Jiang Su’s fans thought, Why should she be?

If she socialized with them, people would accuse her of flirting with men!

[“Wait, Jiang Su is talking to an NPC?”]”

[“Damn, that NPC’s acting is so good I wouldn’t dare approach them.”]

Jiang Su had taken a seat in front of a drunkard.

The man’s clothes were ill-fitting, with blackened cuffs and a frayed collar. His face was unshaven, his hair tangled into knots.

He slumped in a corner, and no one dared to go near him.

[“Holy hell, I can smell him through the screen! The makeup team really outdid themselves.”]

The drunkard muttered to himself, switching between what sounded like English and Italian—either way, it was gibberish to most viewers.

Jiang Su sat down and quietly exchanged a few words with him.