Chapter 838: Chapter 802: Living Fish Worry, Dead Fish at Peace
"Released." Chu Changge suddenly spoke from the side.
The number of lower-class people advancing in the competition is crucial for Teacher Slaughter to succeed in entering the second and third stages and continue hosting.
Only the first-placed host gets the chance to host the next two stages.
If all the contestants from Pleasure Heavenly City die, Teacher Slaughter will miss the next two stages, so he won’t eliminate everyone.
turned his head to look at Chu Changge, only to see Chu Changge focusing on a hot air balloon shaped like a dead fish. 007 remembered that not long ago, someone had fallen from it.
"Did you notice? The category of hot air balloons in the square." He retracted his gaze and looked at 007.
"Category?" Hearing this, 007 looked at the hot air balloons in the sky, trying to comprehend what Chu Changge meant by "category."
Size, color, and life-death status can all divide them into categories, and some hot air balloons simultaneously possess several categorizing features.
Indeed, there are too many categories; she didn’t know how to divide them.
"Two types," Chu Changge spoke beside her, "those with similarities and those without."
was suddenly enlightened.
These hot air balloons aren’t entirely identical, but some belong to the same category.
Previously, a contestant fell from a hot air balloon shaped like a bloodshot eyeball. Teacher Slaughter instructed a filming device to shoot it, but it targeted the wrong one. There were four eyeball hot air balloons present, though subtly different. Yet it ended up filming another eyeball balloon.
"The host uses the Stage License as the focal point, ensuring they won’t miss a single detail. Thus, he must know which hot air balloons contain the real license, so when someone is about to acquire the license, he can promptly discover it and send the filming device for live coverage."
There are dozens of lower-class people climbing ladders, while the overhead filming devices flutter about, outnumbering those climbing.
But there’s only one large screen; Teacher Slaughter can’t broadcast everyone’s footage, only selecting those with show effects for play.
Acquiring the Stage License offers the best show effect, which he surely won’t miss.
Listening to Chu Changge, 007 recalled the first person to reach the top. After he obtained the envelope, she noticed Teacher Slaughter’s face revealing a curious smile, implying he knew that envelope contained not a license, but a death pass.
"Yet, these filming devices aren’t particularly smart; similar hot air balloons confuse them, potentially filming the wrong target at crucial moments, missing key shots. Hence, the game designers likely made the balloons containing the ’focal point’ clearer and less prone to error, ensuring the host doesn’t make mistakes while switching scenes."
"So, I speculate the license is in those hot air balloons without similar objects, like that one shaped like a fish; there’s only one fish-shaped balloon here."
glanced at the dead fish balloon, recalling the previously fallen hot air balloons.
Indeed, it matched what Chu Changge said.
The first to draw death climbed a sheep-head balloon, with four balloons of the same type present.
Subsequent climbers who drew death also climbed balloons with similar counterparts on site.
quickly scanned the hot air balloons over the entire square, discovering twenty balloons without similar counterparts.
"Watch those filming devices," Chu Changge continued, "I’ve observed for a long time, noticing certain hot air balloons are always surrounded by filming devices, regardless of whether someone is climbing their ladders or not."
Just then, a filming device hovered over 007’s head, tiny—only the size of a ping-pong ball—and difficult to spot while flying in the sky.
And there are at least a hundred such devices across the square’s sky, making it challenging to notice their pattern.
No wonder Chu Changge kept looking up earlier; he was observing these devices.
"And hot air balloons always surrounded by filming devices nearby also belong to those without similar objects, single-type balloons. I guess the host fears the filming devices won’t arrive promptly, thus arranging several to circle each ’focal point,’ ensuring they capture the ’focal point’ scene anytime," Chu Changge further corroborated his theory from the direction of the filming devices.
Indeed, 007 noticed those single-pattern balloons frequently had nearby filming devices hovering, but their small size and constant motion gave the illusion of mere coincidence without careful observation to spot the peculiarity.
At this moment, several filming devices surrounded the dead fish balloon, with a contestant climbing the ladder beneath—currently, the highest among the twenty focal balloons.
observed Teacher Slaughter covertly glancing in that direction several times, waiting until the climber had ascended over halfway, nearly reaching the top before smoothly switching the focus to that side.
"Look, 1062 on the fish-shaped balloon is about to reach the pinnacle, just a few steps away."
Named 1062, he instantly felt motivated.
He climbed harder; as soon as Teacher Slaughter finished speaking, he had already reached the ladder’s topmost point, leaping into the balloon basket.
He clutched his chest to calm his heartbeat, eyes fixed on the white envelope in the basket’s center.
The contents of the envelope would dictate his future.
By now, a filming device stuck close, capturing a close-up of the envelope.
feared the device’s wings might ruin his future; he cautiously bent down to pick up the envelope, tucking it into his chest.
Many before him had reached the top and acquired envelopes, all drawing a death outcome—repeated endings tiring the spectators.
"Then open it," Teacher Slaughter shouted on stage, "Open what you’ve painstakingly earned; let’s see if it’s worth all your endeavors."
Holding the envelope, 1062’s hand trembled slightly, as he reached for the seal.
Perhaps the predecessors’ successive deaths had eroded his courage; he tried multiple times without success in opening it.
Lacking the courage to face a potential tragic end, he finally closed his eyes, gritted his teeth, and tore open the envelope harshly.
A thin card fell out, swaying like a leaf before landing at the basket’s bottom.
shivered all over, crouching down holding his head, thinking it might lessen the impact of landing.
But the anticipated feeling of weightlessness never came; he heard a commotion and cheers from below the balloon. Only then did he open a slit in his eyes, to view the card on the ground.
The card lay beside him, the upward side displaying three words, yet he couldn’t recognize them.
The lower-class people hadn’t been educated, almost none literate.
But Teacher Slaughter’s voice revealed everything to him.
"Permit! Let’s congratulate contestant number 1062 for successfully obtaining the permit, the first contestant this round to secure a necessary permit!"
