Episode 149: "A hundred years later, an even more terrifying controller."
『 Rodrick looked back in confusion: "? They control everything, even this game base station is under their jurisdiction."
"Then why do you call them Bad Wolf?" Rose stared earnestly at Rodrick, hoping to dig an answer out of him.
"How should I know? Maybe that's just what they call themselves," Rodrick replied dismissively.
At that moment, Rose suddenly realized a point she had been ignoring.
Since she and the Doctor, the Time Lord, had embarked on their journey through time and space,
No matter which time or place they jumped to,
The term "Bad Wolf" was either heard or witnessed firsthand.
It seemed the life-or-death game Rose was trapped in was not as simple as it appeared on the surface.
But just then, a new question popped up.
Why was Rose here?
It turned out.
Not long ago, they had just finished a grand adventure in time travel.
But suddenly, a beam of light enveloped all of them.
When they opened their eyes again, they were already standing in this strange place. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "Enveloped by a strange light, I woke up again and found myself in this bizarre place." ]
[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "Could it be... this, they grabbed people directly out of the TARDIS?" ]
[ Oyama Mahiro (Onimai): "If even people inside the time machine TARDIS can be captured, is there any safe place left in this world?" ]
[ .....]
『 And this place was a television station running a reality show program, holding nearly ten thousand different reality shows.
Right now, Rose was participating in a knowledge-testing program called The Weakest Link.
On the other side, the Doctor, who had been taken elsewhere, was thrown into a social observation reality show environment.
He had to live with several strangers for nearly a week.
In the end, the television audience would choose who should be eliminated.
In the beginning, the Doctor seemed unconcerned, collapsing onto the sofa to rest.
It seemed he genuinely intended to treat this program as his short holiday.
When he saw someone eliminated, he even thought it was quite good.
"What are you nervous about? It's just a reality show, isn't it? She'll make a fortune when she gets out, right?"
"Writing books, writing songs, or recording a fitness video, something like that."
"She'll be thrilled, won't she?"
The Doctor watched the few people surrounding the eliminated contestant. He remained calm, muttering as he stood up.
"What? After she gets out? What do you mean by that?" The eliminated girl's friend looked at the Doctor, utterly confused.
Before he finished speaking,
The image of the eliminated contestant suddenly appeared on the TV screen in front of them.
The two who were still wiping away tears quickly sat back down on the sofa upon seeing this situation.
But the Doctor was still bewildered, not understanding what had happened, nor why there was anything to be sad about.
Until...
He witnessed firsthand, on the monitor screen, the person who had just been eliminated being vaporized into ash by a laser beam. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ March 7th (Honkai: Star Rail): "What, what is going on? Why does losing a game suddenly lead to death?" ]
[ Bronya (Honkai: Impact Third): "Bronya doesn't understand why they would kill someone just because of a game." ]
[ Nakano Miku (5-toubun No Hanayome): "I don't get it." ]
[ Stelle (Honkai: Star Rail) "I'm very good at playing games, I definitely won't lose!" ]
[ Keqing (Genshin Impact): "Why did she suddenly say that?" ]
[ March 7th (Honkai: Star Rail): "Maybe she just woke up, and her consciousness is a bit unclear?" ]
[ Silver Wolf (Honkai: Star Rail): "A death game, huh." ]
[ .....]
『 At that moment, he finally understood the true cruelty of this program.
But this was simply too exaggerated.
To be on a TV show, people were actually risking their lives. What was the point of all this?
On the other side, Lynda, the girl wiping away tears, also couldn't understand what the Doctor was talking about.
This program wasn't something just anyone could join. Every person on Earth could become a target for one of the shows.
It all depended on a special teleportation light beam randomly selecting people.
That's right, the white light that appeared just before the Doctor and his companions showed up here was precisely the teleportation beam used by this program to select participants.
However, the Doctor was very curious about this.
Because if it were an ordinary light beam, it would be impossible for it to penetrate the TARDIS's protection.
If it could do that, it meant this was no simple matter.
There must be a deeper conspiracy hidden behind it, waiting for them to uncover.
Thinking this, the Doctor decided not to wait any longer.
He had to quickly go and rescue Rose, who was God knows where.
So, the Doctor deliberately walked closer and violated the game rules.
He was subsequently sent into the channel reserved for eliminated contestants.
Lynda and another contestant thought the Doctor was crazy.
But only the Doctor knew that someone behind the game had deliberately pulled him into this show.
There must be a purpose.
If they only wanted to kill him, why go to such lengths to bring him here?
Sure enough, no laser representing death appeared above the Doctor's head.
Next, the Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and opened the exit not far away.
He invited the remaining two contestants to escape the place with him.
But the young man who refused to reveal his name insisted on obeying the rules, lounging on the sofa, and refusing to move.
Only Lynda felt a slight waver in her heart. She had never seen a man like this.
One who dared to challenge the rules here so boldly.
Ultimately, she chose to follow the Doctor and left the room with him. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Kiana (Honkai: Impact Third): "As expected of the reliable Doctor, he immediately found a way out." ]
[ Kiana (Honkai: Impact Third): "Now, he can go save Rose, who is still in another game." ]
[ Klee (Genshin Impact): "But why didn't the other big brother follow and leave too?" ]
[ Keqing (Genshin Impact): "That must be his own personal conviction." ]
[ Jing Yuan (Honkai: Star Rail): "Sticking to one's inner conviction is indeed a good choice." ]
[ Jing Yuan (Honkai: Star Rail): "Although that choice might be wrong." ]
[ .....]
『 The two stepped out of the room, and Lynda's courage slowly grew.
After hearing about the unknown adventures the Doctor was currently undertaking,
A strange sense of yearning welled up in her heart.
"If I can get out of here, can I join you on the road?" she asked tentatively.
The Doctor glanced at Lynda and answered noncommittally: "Hmm, maybe."
Lynda quickly promised: "Don't worry, I absolutely won't hold you back!"
The Doctor waved his hand, appearing unconcerned: "That actually doesn't matter much."
"Hey, what you said, that's actually a pretty good idea."
Somehow, the Doctor had a feeling that the young girl in front of him was like an old friend he had known a long, long time ago.
— ⟦ Sarah Jane ⟧ — 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Sarah Jane? Was that the Doctor's travel companion in the past?" ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "But why is she suddenly not by his side?" ]
[ Zhongli (Genshin Impact): "Perhaps, at a certain point in time, that travel companion named Sarah Jane left due to some circumstances." ]
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Makes sense." ]
[ Stelle (Honkai: Star Rail) "Although it makes perfect sense, still..." ]
[ Stelle (Honkai: Star Rail) "I just feel like what you said is the same as saying nothing at all?" ]
[ March 7th (Honkai: Star Rail): "I feel that way too." ]
[ Welt Yang (Honkai: Star Rail): "Hehe, generally speaking, something unexpected must have happened." ]
[ .....]
『 But the most crucial thing now was to first figure out who was controlling all this here.
And how were his two companions doing?
On the other side, Jack was at the filming location for the program The Emperor's New Clothes.
There were no other contestants here, only two strangely dressed female robots.
At this moment, the two robots were constantly scrutinizing Jack's appearance.
No matter how they looked, they felt the clothes Jack was wearing did not meet the standard.
Next, the two of them activated the stripper device.
"What exactly is a stripper device?" Jack asked the two robots curiously, hands on his hips.
No sooner had he spoken,
A light blue beam suddenly shot out from the palm of one of the robots.
This light beam was slowly dissolving the clothes on Jack's body.
"Beep! Sensitive areas have been censored." 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "Huh, how can there be something like this?" ]
[ Shizuka Hiratsuka (Oregairu): "Fortunately, a strange movement blocked it, otherwise..." ]
[ Saitama (One Punch Man): "This person is a pervert too." ]
[ Theresa (Honkai: Impact Third): "A pervert. There's actually this kind of variety show." ]
[ .....]
『 Jack watched his clothes vanish entirely, maintaining his hands-on-hips posture and saying seriously.
"Alright, the stripper device, the effect is exactly the same as its name, isn't it?"
"So, I'm now stark naked, displayed before millions of hungry viewers?"
"Correct, your understanding is accurate," the female robot confirmed the statement.
"Fantastic, ladies, your ratings are about to soar!~" Jack said with a smile.
Jack seemed quite accustomed to this situation,
Because he had seen this type of variety show before.
After all, who could resist the charm of a dress-up minigame?
Next, Jack changed into a set of sportswear, holding a tennis racket, and continuously showed off in front of the mirror.
But what Jack didn't know was that these two robots had other plans.
After stripping him naked once again, the two robots pulled out syringes and chainsaws.
It looked like they intended to give Jack a major makeover surgery.
"Hold on, two beautiful ladies." Facing the robots' threat, Jack spoke without fear.
"I wouldn't want to stage a shooting show aimed at either of you."
"Huh?" The female robot looked at the hairless Jack, confused.
"But you have no weapons on you right now. You are completely naked, understand?"
Before the words faded, everyone saw—
Jack reached back, and a miniature laser pistol suddenly appeared in his palm.
"What is that? A deluxe compressed laser pistol?" The robot widened its eyes, astonished by the thing that appeared out of thin air in Jack's hand.
"Where did you hide that just now?" the other robot asked, curiosity piqued.
"Oh, that, you probably don't want to know," Jack refused to disclose the information flatly.
At that moment, time seemed to speed up.
With just two shots, Jack solved the problem blocking his way.
After dealing with the two robots, he casually picked up a set of combat gear from a nearby shelf and changed into it.
Then, he didn't forget to upgrade his equipment.
He modified the robot's stripper device, turning it into a powerful laser gun.
When he stepped out of the dressing room, he activated an instrument and scanned the entire space station.
His goal was to track the man with two hearts. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Oyama Mihari: "After solving his own crisis, is this person preparing to look for the Doctor?" ]
[ Himeko Murata (Honkai: Impact Third): "Currently, this man is much better than that Adam from before." ]
[ Saitama (One Punch Man): "I feel that way too." ]
[ Keqing (Genshin Impact): "Now two members of the trio have escaped danger, so only Rose remains, and we don't know how she is doing." ]
[ .....]
『 Meanwhile, The Doctor had arrived at the deck with the girl.
And he heard even more shocking news from Lynda.
A hundred years ago, a mysterious monster dominated this planet, influencing the direction of Earth's civilization.
All the citizens became docile and ignorant.
The Doctor and Rose came here at that time and eliminated the monster controlling the space station.
They paved the way for the subsequent development of human society to return to the right path.
But in reality, things did not develop as they had anticipated.
The situation here had become even worse...
When all information on this planet was cut off by the monster, the government and economic system temporarily fell into paralysis.
A sky-shrouding sandstorm swept across the entire planet.
At this time, the newly built space station became the place with the most authority here.
The remaining people were like a flock of carefree sheep, comfortably nestled in their homes.
Whether they could go out for fresh air depended entirely on when the news spoke.
Since then, watching reality TV shows has become the most important part of their home life.
"This is a century of purgatory," Lynda said in a low voice, looking at the Earth beneath their feet.
The Doctor also realized that all these consequences were caused by his own actions.
"My God, this is all my doing?!" 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Himeko Murata (Honkai: Impact Third): "A century has passed since the last incident." ]
[ Himeko Murata (Honkai: Impact Third): "But because of that one act of kindness, things here have actually become worse." ]
[ Shinomiya Kaguya (Love Is War): "Last time, it was just controlling people's minds, but this time, they are directly randomly pulling people in to participate in death games." ]
[ Chika Fujiwara (Love Is War): "Doesn't this count as doing a bad thing with good intentions?" ]
[ March 7th (Honkai: Star Rail): "It does..." ]
[ .....]
『 Soon after, when Jack found the Doctor and Lynda,
The Doctor was busy hacking into the computer system, trying to locate Rose, who was in an unknown program.
Jack quickly pulled out his locator to help search.
In the middle, he didn't forget to greet the newcomer, Lynda:
"Hello, nice to meet you, Lynda Moss."
"Hey, if you two want to chat, go outside," The Doctor, busy with the decryption, said without turning his head.
"Oh, I was just saying hello," Jack quickly explained, holding Lynda's hand.
"No, that behavior counts as flirting for you."
The Doctor insisted, seemingly knowing Jack's true nature well.
"Don't worry, I don't mind," Lynda said to Jack with a smile.
At this moment, the Doctor discovered a situation through his investigation:
This TV station was not only broadcasting reality shows, but it also seemed to be sending out some kind of unknown signal.
This made the Doctor extremely anxious, worried that Rose was facing unknown danger.
He had to find Rose quickly and ensure her safe return.
Suddenly,
"Found her! She's on the 407th floor!" The Doctor's locator showed Rose's position signal.
And when Lynda saw where the signal pointed, her face instantly showed fear.
"My heavens, she's with the Androids! WE HAVE TO GET HER OUT QUICKLY!!!" 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Androids? Is that some kind of terrifying monster?" ]
[ Stelle (Honkai: Star Rail) "Never heard of it. Was it something from before?" ]
[ Umaru Doma (Himouto): "? Isn't that just an operating system?" ]
[ Theresa (Honkai: Impact Third): "It should be the game Rose was participating in before, right? The robot that kills people without a word?" ]
[ .....]
『 On the other side, Rose was conducting the final round of the competition.
At this time, only she and Rodrick were left on the field, intensely competing in the quiz.
But Rose was not particularly adept at future knowledge.
Facing the well-read Rodrick, Rose ultimately lost the competition.
Fortunately, the Doctor's trio had broken through the studio door and rushed in at that moment.
However, just as Rose hurriedly ran toward the Doctor's group, she was unexpectedly hit by a light beam shot by a robot.
Everyone watched in horror as Rose instantly turned into a pile of ashes right before their eyes. 』
『 .....』
〜Dimensional livestream, Chat Room〜
[ Paimon (Genshin Impact): "Rose, just like that, she's gone..." ]
[ Keqing (Genshin Impact): "Just a little bit more, just a little bit more, and she could have run out." ]
[ Elysia (Honkai: Impact Third): "What a pity." ]
[ .....]
『 This scene made the Doctor unable to believe it.
He stood frozen in place, unable to move.
Even when the security personnel discovered them and rushed to make arrests,
He just stared blankly at the pile of "ash" Rose had left on the ground.
Subsequently, the three of them were locked inside a specialized cell. 』
『 .....』