Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Successful Audition
Besides Chloe Sinclair, the other contestants who advanced were two adult men.
The older one looked to be in his thirties or forties.
When they saw Chloe Sinclair, a hint of contempt flashed in their eyes.
This was especially true for the middle-aged, bespectacled man.
Chloe Sinclair noticed their challenging looks but simply ignored them and began preparing for the next round.
About five minutes later, the new problem appeared on the screen.
When Chloe Sinclair saw the screen, she raised an eyebrow.
Seeing her reaction, the host smiled. "For the final audition round, you’ll be playing Minesweeper."
The goal was to find the single different image among all the panels. All the others were "mines." If they chose incorrectly, it was an instant game over.
It seemed the production team wanted to go big this time. A normal game of Minesweeper is two-dimensional, but this was a 3D version.
This reduced the element of luck even further.
When the two men saw this, they stared in disbelief.
The screen displayed a total of 378 patterns, and they were all 3D.
Trying to find the single different one among 378 identical 3D patterns was next to impossible.
The director in the control room felt the same way, even more so.
After all, even Chloe Sinclair, who had been breezing through the competition until now, had paused for a moment.
"The higher-ups are making these challenges way too difficult," the assistant director said, worried. "I don’t even know if we’ll be able to select ten people for the show this time."
Their show was state-sponsored. This meant that while they had control over the entertainment aspect, everything else was handled by the higher-ups. They had no right to question those decisions.
The audition challenges for the past ten years had been difficult, but within reason. This year’s, however, were completely off the rails.
After all, they had never had an entire group get wiped out in just the second round before.
The director, already on his third cigarette of the day, pointed at a screen. "Hasn’t Number 99 already solved it?"
The assistant director was taken aback and didn’t register it at first. "Wh-what?"
The director said nothing, his eyes glued to the feed from camera one.
The assistant director looked over. "Holy shit!"
He pointed at the screen, his finger trembling. "Th-that’s impossible, right? This fast? Is it a system error?"
That’s right. In the video, Chloe Sinclair had already completed the Minesweeper game, successfully avoiding every single mine.
The director, however, was past the point of shock. He calmly picked up his walkie-talkie and spoke into it. "Send a few more people to interview Number 99. Make sure you get good footage of her. This kid might be the key to whether our show becomes a hit or not."
The moment he finished speaking, several camera crews were already tailing Chloe Sinclair.
As Chloe Sinclair was leaving the studio, a reporter holding a microphone called out to her.
Chloe Sinclair turned around and asked politely, "Yes? Can I help you with something?"
"I was wondering if you had a moment for a quick interview?"
"I’m sorry, I don’t have time."
Realizing she might have sounded too blunt, Chloe Sinclair added, "My family is waiting for me outside."
Hearing Chloe Sinclair’s gentle voice, the young reporter’s heart melted.
She nodded in understanding. "Oh, of course. You should go, then. Don’t keep your family waiting."
Chloe Sinclair took a liking to the reporter. She glanced at the woman’s press badge and gave her a sweet smile. "Thank you."
With that, she turned and left.
The reporter remained standing there in a daze. When she finally snapped out of it, she smacked her forehead in frustration.
’Sigh. Leave it to me to get distracted by a pretty face,’ she lamented.
