A prize of 100 million, a series of detective movies tailor-made for him, and the image spokesperson of 'Detective Town'—money, career, fame, temptations that no human can resist.
All the young and handsome men and women on this cruise ship came for this reason.
Some of them are already established actors, some are students at drama academies, and others are young people majoring in criminal investigation and forensic medicine, as well as crime-solving enthusiasts who have come to try their luck. They are all around 20 to 30 years old.
The organizers selected participants based on their looks, resulting in a large number of handsome men and beautiful women being chosen, which is why there were even more people from the entertainment industry this time.
The cruise ship's destination is the first developed but not yet operational theme park, "Detective Town." They will live on this remote island for thirty days, solving a mystery each day.
Failure to solve the puzzle results in immediate elimination.
In addition, everyone will be accompanied by a small live-streaming fly, and outsiders can choose to watch any live-streaming channel. The host of the live-streaming channel with the fewest viewers that day will be eliminated.
In other words, this show tests not only an individual's detective skills but also their popularity.
"Hey, isn't that He Zhaoming? He actually dares to show his face? If I were him, I would have covered my head with a paper bag by now. How could the organizers have chosen someone like him?"
"Ha, he's not giving up, he wants to die knowing why."
On the deck of the cruise ship stood a young man with medium-length hair, wearing a black hoodie and blue jeans, and black-rimmed glasses, which couldn't hide his outstanding appearance.
However, others kept their distance from him, as if he were a source of plague.
He Zhaoming is a young male star who was recently banned across the internet for 'attempted sexual assault'.
Although the case could not be investigated due to a lack of conclusive evidence, the fact that a popular actress risked her reputation to come forward, and that there was surveillance footage of him voluntarily entering her hotel room as proof, suggests that the story could not be false.
After half a month of gossip about him, he quickly went from an idol who was just starting to gain popularity to irreplaceable trash.
After that, his former company terminated his contract, and most of his fans left. Coming here is probably a desperate gamble, a last-ditch effort.
There are many people like him who want to try for fame and fortune, since they won't lose anything if they fail.
The organizers won't lose out either. This event is designed to promote the theme park's opening. All they need to pay is a plane ticket to get people to advertise for them. Isn't that great?
The more ordinary people like this there are, the higher the topic becomes, and the more people know about Detective Town.
In the past, they spent hundreds of millions on advertising on official channels, but it didn't get as much attention as this interactive event with nationwide participation.
The champion's prize of 100 million is a lot for ordinary people, but for a group like theirs, it's just a drop in the ocean. Making movies and endorsements are profitable investments, and by then, the champion will already be a celebrity with nationwide attention, which is practically like hiring a star with built-in popularity for free.
Thinking about it that way, this event is such a great deal.
He Zhaoming—no, it was Ren Yifei now—leaned against the railing, gazing at the sea, but his mind was on the mission for this instance.
[Character Quest: Collect seven symbols of the Desolate Horn and survive for thirty days.]
[Ultimate Mission: Complete the character's mission and become the sole winner.]
[Identity: Challenger]
[Character: He Zhaoming]
[Keywords: Entertainment Era]
[1]
The seven regions of the Desolate Corner: Eastern Star Continent, Hopeless Sea, Floating Island, Dungeon, Wasteland, Wood City, and Ice City. He had walked through all of them once before entering the dungeon, but he really couldn't think of any symbolic representations for them.
Ren Yifei frowned. If he didn't collect all seven symbols, his human identity would be ruined along with this instance.
Actually, he was more interested in becoming the final winner than in the mission to find the seven Dragon Balls and their symbols.
Such open auditions may appear fair and impartial, but behind the scenes, there's always some degree of capital influence. Ren Yifei didn't believe they could truly be absolutely fair. He even suspected that among these people were pre-selected "princes," already given their roles and responsibilities. And these others were merely there to accompany them.
However, it wasn't entirely without a breakthrough. To prove its fairness, the program hired three authoritative organizations to monitor the live stream data, precisely to ensure that the data wasn't manipulated.
Regardless of their initial intentions, there's very little they can manipulate in the live streaming field, which is precisely his opportunity.
The original owner is currently in a dangerous situation, and many people have a preconceived aversion to him and would not choose to watch his live streams. However, some people are hoping for his complete downfall and will choose to watch.
How can we retain these people and create more buzz?
"Oh! I see an island!"
At the edge of the horizon, a small black dot appeared, too small to be seen with the naked eye, prompting many people to take out their binoculars.
"I see it! What a huge island!"
Ren Yifei also looked up, but not at the island; he looked at the other people.
There were about twenty people on the deck at that moment, all about his age, with at least above-average looks, both men and women.
These are all his competitors.
Among them are young actors and idols who want to develop in the film and television industry, who come with millions of fans, as well as performing arts school students who want to use this as a springboard to enter the entertainment industry.
However, the greatest threat to him comes from those with professional knowledge in criminal investigation and forensic medicine.
The attendees were all handsome men and beautiful women, with little difference in appearance. Given similar looks, showcasing professional knowledge and exceptional abilities was more likely to retain the audience.
"You look most beautiful when you're working diligently and being highly professional in your field." This statement is always true.
Compared to these professionals, his biggest advantage, despite being tainted by the stigma of 'sexual assault,' is his 'fame.' Being famous for something you're not famous for is still being famous—one of the truths of the entertainment industry.
Among actors, he is the best at solving cases; among detectives, he is the best at acting. These are his strengths.
Ren Yifei slightly raised his glasses; in the distance was not a small island, but his vast universe.
As we approached the shore, more people emerged from their rooms and gathered on the deck.
I estimated there were at least fifty or sixty people. They were all young men and women, all tall and thin, with similar builds, and it was impossible to tell them apart at a glance.
When the ship finally docked, a long staircase led out, and everyone came out of their rooms without any luggage.
"The organizers will provide all your clothing, toiletries, and meals. Please leave your jewelry, watches, and mobile phones behind. We will seal and preserve them until you leave this island."
Ren Yifei handed over his phone, took off his watch, and was even asked to remove his glasses—they were even willing to provide glasses for people with nearsightedness.
Then the staff used two scanning machines to scan him up and down. After the scan showed no contraband, they nodded: "It's okay."
He walked down the long staircase, where people were already waiting.
"Mr. He Zhaoming, this is your live streaming bracelet." The staff member picked up a black silicone bracelet, put it on Ren Yifei, locked it on both sides, and a small live streaming device flew up, the camera was pointed at him, and a red light lit up.
"This is your room number." He then handed over another room key.
"Thanks."
From the port to their destination, signs guided them, telling them which way to go. Following the signs, Ren Yifei soon saw his destination: a huge, castle-like white marble villa with a pointed roof.
"Please come in." The door was open, and two doormen in smart suits bowed and gestured for us to enter.
As you walk in on the red carpet, the first thing you see is a magnificent hall. In front of you, you can see a spiral escalator leading to the second floor, and there is also an indoor elevator inside the escalator.
To the right of the hall is an equally huge restaurant, the most distinctive feature of which is a very long table with exquisitely crafted chairs on both sides, the backs of which are engraved with numbers.
The bottom chair is numbered ninety-nine, the adjacent chair is numbered ninety-seven, and there are one hundred chairs on both sides of this table, which means there are one hundred seats.
These chairs are packed tightly together, making it a bit cramped.
Some participants had already taken their seats. Ren Yifei looked down at his room number, sixty-three.
Number 63 was in the middle, slightly towards the back. He sat down, and the person to his left turned away as soon as he saw him, seemingly disdainful of being associated with him.
However, they were positioned too close together, their arms touching, and they could easily brush against the person next to them. So even if he turned his head, he couldn't avoid Ren Yifei.
On the table in front of them, each place setting had a porcelain plate covered with a gold lid. No one touched these items; they were all very cautious.
Ren Yifei sniffed carefully, but there was no aroma of food in the air.
More and more people came in, and the long table, which had looked alright at first, became increasingly crowded.
Participants greet each other warmly, and if they encounter someone they know, it's like meeting an old friend in a foreign land, and they can chat endlessly.
There was someone sitting next to Ren Yifei. He was very nervous and kept tugging at his pants.
He didn't know what rules governed the seating arrangement. From his perspective, the people in the front row seemed to know each other and were exchanging very polite words.
There were even more silent people in his area, wary of each other, and burdened with their own worries.
Ren Yifei didn't recognize any of these people. His knowledge of this world came entirely from the online world. He spent half an hour in the room, quickly learning about the original owner's situation and the details of this event, and that was all.
Even if famous actors or other people stood in front of him, he wouldn't recognize them at all.
At times like this, the original owner's aversion to people and dogs actually becomes an advantage; no one would want to approach him. They would rather talk to complete strangers.
Ten minutes later, all the participants had arrived and found their seats, until the room was full. They were crammed together like sardines, and if you raised your hand, you would bump into the person next to you, making it impossible to eat.
But no one complained. There were organizers here, and viewers on the other end of the live stream—no one could afford to offend them.
The door closed, and a row of crystal chandeliers lit up the restaurant. The light shone down from above, and the interplay of light and shadow made their features appear more defined.
Knowing that the game was about to officially begin, the participants straightened their clothes and sat up straight.
"Welcome to our Detective Town. You will spend thirty unforgettable days here, if you can stay for thirty days." A deep voice rang out in the restaurant.
"Oh, I just realized that a table that's only for fifty people is crammed with a hundred. What should we do? It's too late to change it now. Perhaps..."
The man then changed the subject: "Shall we play a little game? Two people per team, the winner stays, the loser goes."