Because of the threat of guns, the seven contestants did not resist at all. They were taken away by the patrol team, and the live streaming wristbands on their bodies were removed. The live streaming fly also flew back onto the wristband.
The live stream stopped, and the contestants were a little uneasy: "Where are you taking us?"
"It's a place we should naturally go."
"I disagree!" one contestant, unaware of his predicament, retorted, "The rules don't say you can't go out at night."
"Yes, but it wasn't written that you could go out at night." The patrolmen tied them up with ropes. "Take them over there... What a hassle."
The "over there" he was referring to was the ship. The seven men, bound hand and foot, were all taken to the ship, and they were stunned when they saw what was on board.
"What... what's going on?"
All the previously eliminated contestants are here (they didn't count carefully, so they didn't notice that one person was missing).
In the darkness, the eliminated contestants sat cross-legged on the ground, staring intently at the lowered curtains, taking notes as they did so.
Each screen displayed a video clip without sound, but with accompanying text and audience comments scrolling by in a fraction of a second. The contestants were frustrated that they hadn't been able to remember all the comments.
Ren Yifei, who came with them, was also somewhat surprised: It wasn't like this before, so what's going on?
He looked closely at the screen and was surprised to find that these were all live recordings of contestants who had not yet been eliminated, with subtitles and audience feedback on them.
Through it, eliminated contestants can clearly understand where these contestants' strengths lie, how good they are, and how popular they are.
They can also glean insights into what audiences like to watch and what elements excite them.
Goodness, isn't this the kind of intensive pre-exam training?
The saying "Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated" not only helps the eliminated contestants understand their opponents, but also helps them understand the referees, that is, the audience.
Cheating!
Ren Yifei touched his chest, feeling a sense of impending heart attack. It was almost as if the exam setter was targeting the underachievers for intensive training, bringing up the types of questions that would appear on the exam and having them work through them, then analyzing the entire paper to pinpoint their weaknesses.
He knew the organizers were trying to narrow the gap between the eliminated and the winners, but what did the winners do wrong to deserve this unfair treatment?
Was their mistake in being too powerful?
With such targeted training before the exam, the top performers among these people, if they emerge through the revival round, might actually pose a huge threat to the rest.
"The revival competition wasn't something someone came up with on a whim, but a long-planned scheme?" Ren Yifei was completely bewildered. Yesterday it was about kidnapping, and today they're seriously organizing a revival competition. What are the organizers thinking?
Villa, attic.
"You think this revival competition can really increase the show's popularity?" The organizers, located on the mainland, were skeptical.
This person knew he wasn't good at publicity or variety shows, so he outsourced everything. He had only one condition: that the show reach national popularity and that his brother debut in the most natural way possible.
However, just an hour earlier, his younger brother had been eliminated.
The organizers were naturally furious, but fortunately the program director immediately came up with Plan B: a revival round.
"Setbacks will not diminish your brother's charm; on the contrary, they will give him a different kind of appeal. People who are too outstanding can be distant, but those who succeed after failure can bring greater satisfaction."
"Viewers even project their emotions onto him, and this empathy can help him go further and longer in the entertainment industry," the person in charge explained.
The organizer didn't completely believe these claims, so he consulted industry professionals, and to his surprise, their opinions were similar to those of the event manager.
"Your younger brother is excellent in all aspects, with well-rounded development but no distinctive features, making him hard to remember. However, once he reappears in the public eye through the route of 'being eliminated' and 'returning as a champion,' he will be associated with an inspirational label."
To put it bluntly, this step makes the designated heir more recognizable. Moreover, a temporary setback is a process of 'torturing fans to solidify their loyalty,' which can increase fan loyalty and resilience.
Finally, in terms of character design, the "beautiful, strong, and tragic" type is more marketable than the "beautiful and strong" type.
After listening to the industry insiders' analysis, the person in charge felt that the elimination and revival system was a more suitable path for his younger brother: "You must do a good job of this revival competition and make sure to attract more attention."
"I understand," the person in charge replied and hung up the phone.
"There are still three people left." He looked at his reflection in the window and muttered to himself, "We can't be discovered yet."
The next morning.
When breakfast was served, seven more seats appeared on the table, bringing the total number of attendees to thirty-one.
A few people knew that the seven people hadn't returned after they went out, while others were still confused. The voice didn't explain, but simply told them to have breakfast and open the envelope to start a new and beautiful day.
As usual, Ren Yifei did not open the envelope. He ate breakfast first. Today's breakfast included soft and sticky pumpkin porridge, pink shrimp dumplings, corn-yellow steamed buns, and delicious side dishes... all of which were Chinese breakfasts he had specifically requested.
He sipped his soft, sticky pumpkin porridge, tapping his fingers leisurely on the table as several people at the long table looked over.
"Tomorrow I need to try something different. I'll have egg pancakes and red date cakes with sweet soy milk. Hmm, maybe I should have savory soy milk instead." Ren Yifei muttered to himself, "As a sweet tooth, I should eat something savory. Know yourself and your enemy."
As breakfast was about to end, he opened the envelope, and there was another gruesome corpse. At that moment, a voice appeared, demanding that they find the murderer within a specified time.
"Director," Ren Yifei raised his hand, a question he'd been holding in all day, "the corpse in this photo doesn't look like a model, and it didn't look like it yesterday either. Are they all real?"
"It's true." The person behind the scenes tossed down a huge rock. "These are all real cases that actually happened."
A case that actually occurred?
Ren Yifei turned to the others: "Do you know about the case from yesterday? Even if you've only heard of it, that's fine too."
They are all mystery enthusiasts and pay attention to real-life cases, especially long-standing unsolved mysteries. Would they know about this case?
These people simply shook their heads: "There are similar cases, but none exactly the same."
"To avoid causing social panic, these kinds of serious cases are usually sealed off after they are solved and rarely spread outside. Maybe only the locals know about them. Ten or twenty years later, we can glimpse some of the truth from back then through some programs."
One contestant offered their opinion: "So, we really might not know."
Ren Yifei nodded, which cleared up his doubts.
"By the way," Ren Yifei said, "after dinner, shall we have a chat and talk about some cases we know, to increase our case reserves?"
Some contestants were uninterested, shook their heads, and left, while others thought it over carefully and said, "Okay."
After breakfast, the contestants set off with their tasks.
By finding victims through photographs, learning their true identities, understanding the case, and meticulously reconstructing the case, the perpetrator can be identified.
This is their operational process; without any one link, nothing can proceed. But sometimes, they really do miss a link.
The third day, the fourth day, the fifth day...
The number of contestants at the long table gradually decreased, and the expressions on their faces also gradually diminished. With each passing day, the burden on their hearts grew heavier, and even if they continued to find the right murderer, the pressure only increased.
With the added threat of elimination based on popularity, even Ren Yifei had to exert all his energy.
Ren Yifei said he's from the entertainment industry and not good at deduction, and he meant it. Perhaps compared to the average person, his abilities are quite good. But compared to true criminal investigation masters, he still has a long way to go.
Of course, he also has his own advantages, namely his vast and diverse knowledge, including many obscure areas. He can also analyze the psychology of murderers and deduce the course of the crime.
However, the most troublesome thing right now is: how to strike the right balance so that you can stay at an above-average level, so that you won't be eliminated, but also so that you won't become the first target of the "pre-selected heir" in the event.
Now is not the time to expose its fangs.
A few days later.
It's already the tenth day of dinner, and two more contestants have been eliminated, bringing the total to three including those eliminated based on popularity. There are thirteen survivors at the long table, with Ren Yifei ranking third in popularity.
Although he speaks bluntly and has a fiery temper, the audience seems to like his style. Two idols who previously had much more fans have already been left behind.
The remaining contestants are all quite good in terms of both ability and popularity. However, they need more support to continue their journey.
Keep in mind that tomorrow, some eliminated contestants will be 'revived' and will be even more aggressive, having already been eliminated once.
"How about we team up?" One player extended a hand to another, inviting cooperation. Each of them had different strengths, and teaming up would be more advantageous than going it alone.
The contestant weighed the pros and cons and nodded.
The most popular and the strongest teams are the most suitable combinations, and within minutes, three teams have already been successfully formed.
These three groups of contestants have something in common: their abilities and popularity are relatively even. They aren't the most popular, nor are they the most capable. If they don't cooperate, elimination is imminent.
Ren Yifei had thought someone would choose him, but no one did.
"Your popularity has risen too fast. Compared to the others, it would be more beneficial for them to eliminate the most popular and the strongest contestants." The girl who was the strongest contestant and had consistently ranked in the top five in popularity spoke up. She was now alone.
"In a way, is this also a kind of affirmation for us?" Ren Yifei thought about the issue from a different perspective.
The girl nodded: "Yes."
"Actually, I don't think their collaboration is going well," the girl continued. "Their popularity and abilities are too mediocre, so even if they collaborate, the results won't be very good."
In fact, these contestants themselves know this, but they can't choose those who are too strong or too popular, because in the end, a winner still needs to be chosen.
If you find contestants who are very strong or very popular, those who are relatively average will definitely be eliminated in the end.
"A resurrected player will be coming tomorrow. I wonder who it will be." The players returned to their rooms with this question in mind.
Ren Yifei stood at the top of the stairs for a while. There was a huge oil painting there, but it wasn't a portrait; instead, it was a map of the entire island from above.
The villa is in the southeast, and their recent missions have also been concentrated in the southeast. The cruise ship is in the southwest of the island, where there is a natural harbor.
Over the past few days, several fierce battles have taken place in the cruise ship's cabins, and today may determine the final three winners. They will return to the long table carrying the hopes of the other eliminated contestants.
These battles are far more intense than the official competitions here, where only one case is solved per day. But the revival rounds over there require contestants to solve a case within an hour using photos, videos, and other materials.
This method effectively trains the athletes' abilities.
Furthermore, the entire revival competition was broadcast live, causing a surge in public interest in the "revival competition" and a corresponding rise in the popularity of the contestants. Tomorrow, those three individuals will not appear as losers, but as formidable challengers.
Ren Yifei blinked and smiled at the live stream camera: "I'm really looking forward to seeing you tomorrow."
It will be a huge surprise for both of us.