Chapter 845: Chapter 809: The Head of the Household, Gu Bengbeng
Gu Mian also took some tickets from ballot box 1166, but didn’t go for "total annihilation."
The votes of those who could advance were desperately earned; Gu Mian only took part of the tickets, enabling those who could advance to still advance, but lowering their rank.
This was also the primary reason Teacher Slaughter’s first place was unaffected.
Soon, Gu Mian led Mr. Green to the open-air restaurant on the deck.
An extraordinarily long table was placed at the center of the deck, long enough to seat fifty people on both sides for a meal.
The Upper Class People thoughtfully stuck numbers onto the chairs beside the long table to designate everyone’s seat.
Gu Mian’s seat was particularly prominent and special, situated at the short end facing the long table, akin to the head of the household’s seat seen in television dramas.
On both sides of him were 1166 and 1095, Gu Mian knew the seating was arranged according to the audience popularity rankings.
and 1095 ranked second and third in popularity, respectively.
Seated according to rank, Gu Mian saw that Mr. Green, representing 1117, was separated from him by half the table’s length.
A few scattered individuals had already taken their seats beside the long table’s chairs, appearing as though they had been waiting there all along.
Everyone clearly recognized Gu Mian; upon seeing him approach, they all stood and greeted him with nods, as if he were a teacher attending class, while they were students eager to learn.
Mr. Green wore a ghostly expression; some among them had chased him and Gu Mian with red eyes in the morning, yet within half a day, they changed, appearing deferential to Gu Mian.
Naturally, their greetings were directed solely at Gu Mian; accompanying Gu Mian, Mr. Green was entirely ignored.
Mr. Green, shocked, felt deeply unequal.
"Lower-class people here are adept at looking at people’s patterns when making decisions," Mr. Green whispered to Gu Mian, "They know you’re the most favored by the Upper Class People, so they believe you’re the highest-ranking here."
The tracking device wove through contestants, not missing a single expression on their faces.
Gu Mian and Mr. Green took their respective seats.
After a while, people arrived one after another, even the limping contestant 1166 came.
He hobbled on a crutch to the deck, nearly tipping over his chair upon sitting, saved from falling by a lower-ranked person who steadied him.
Some arrived late due to losing their way, repeatedly apologizing, first to those at the table, then to the camera and the tracking device.
Despite minor interruptions, thankfully everyone managed to eat in the end.
The dishes were served by robotic dogs, the Hei type.
The Upper Class People would surely not want to serve the lower-class; they used robotic dogs for this purpose.
Nobody knew exactly who invented these robotic dogs; capable of conducting street happiness surveys, sorting deliveries, and doing serving tasks.
The tables were significantly higher than the robotic dogs, preventing them from reaching the tabletop, but the dogs had their own intelligence.
A pair of robotic dogs stacked like acrobats, the dog below crouching, while the dog above carried a platter and stepped onto its back.
Once the dog holding the platter steadied itself, the dog below slowly stood up.
Thus, the dog above could extend its arms and deliver food onto the table.
One by one, the dogs efficiently delivered food onto the table, placing a corresponding dish in front of each person, each dish covered by a lid.
The lid on the plate in front of Gu Mian had the number 1118 written on it, and the others were similarly marked.
Though they gathered, they each ate their own meal.
Gu Mian noticed the platter before him was significantly larger compared to those on either side, causing the robot dog serving it to nearly lose its balance.
Nobody dared uncover their lid first; they all fixed their eyes on Gu Mian, as if waiting for him to uncover his before they dared to do so.
Lower-class people adapted well to circumstances, and evolved reasonable rules accordingly.
The Upper Class People divided contestant rooms and seating at the restaurant based on popularity rankings; contestants treated these rankings as decrees, imitating them, prioritizing the most popular.
To prevent everyone from starving, Gu Mian first lifted the lid of his giant plate.
The contents were indeed abundant.
There was half a honey-glazed lamb leg, a whole turkey, and vegetables, salad, and cream pudding.
Gu Mian initially thought the Upper Class People might play tricks with their food, serving something inedible or entirely unpalatable.
He even prepared himself to uncover a bomb inside—if that were true, the Upper Class People wouldn’t have to anticipate tomorrow’s show; one bomb could send all fifty contestants flying heavenward.
The audience was clearly very much looking forward to tomorrow’s show, as evident in the splendid arrangement of food, perhaps encouraging them to recharge before delivering more acts tomorrow.
However, contestants’ food wasn’t entirely identical.
Food portions were allocated by popularity ranking; the higher the popularity, the more lavish the dinner.
Gu Mian saw that while 1166 and 1095’s plates were also lavish, they paled beside his own.
When it came to Mr. Green, he was left with only half a turkey and a plate of leaves.
The plates at the far end of the table had a single chicken drumstick and several baked potatoes; even this was an unparalleled culinary delight for lower-class people.
Gu Mian speculated that the Upper Class People aimed to engender a sense of unfairness among contestants, allowing for a thrilling confrontation.
However, they clearly overlooked the servile nature of lower-class people, who contentedly followed the ranking-based food allocation and ate uncomplicatedly.
Sitting before the screen, the Upper Class People didn’t see the unfolding they anticipated, declaring this phase the dullest of the entire show.
At this moment, Chu Changge and 007 were also in front of a screen watching the yacht’s live broadcast.
They had returned to Crazy Game City.
Though they had Upper Class identity cards, they weren’t genuinely Upper Class; without residences, night’s fall necessitated returning to Game City.
In Game City, they headed to the bookstore, observing the yacht broadcast via television.
The bookstore owner had grown oblivious to their presence; as they watched the broadcast, he mundanely wiped the counter with a cloth, awaiting their departure.
"Tomorrow, the second and third phases of the show proceed consecutively; if all goes well, we should leave here tomorrow," 007 commented, watching the screen.
Given the audience’s strong preference for Gu Mian, his screen time was the most abundant.
The shopkeeper dared not watch the screen closely, fearing the image within might leap out and slap him twice.
Upon hearing 007’s words, a glint appeared in his eyes; he discreetly listened attentively.
continued: "After leaving tomorrow, we likely won’t return again; we must bring Mingliang to the show site."
"He seems to wish to stay," Chu Changge adjusted his glasses; to Chu, whether Mingliang stayed mattered little, not bringing him along meant escaping a burden.
acknowledged: "It’s normal to desire remaining here; no danger, no need for instance runs, no worry of food supplies. Yet he fails to grasp that his current treatment is thanks to Gu Mian’s presence; I wager if he stays, once Gu Mian departs, he’ll immediately be cast out by Game City’s denizens, becoming either a lower-class or starving by the roadside."
She paused before continuing: "Let him witness tomorrow’s show; let him witness the plight of lower-class people, then see if he truly desires remaining here as one."
Even 007 couldn’t gauge whether it was better to become a lower-class or remain in reality facing instances.
Everyone bears their own choice; should Mingliang witness tomorrow’s show and opt against returning to reality, they wouldn’t force him.
Meanwhile, on-screen contestants had consumed all their food.
Most licked their plates cleaner than their faces, tasting such delicacies for the first time; though filled to the brim, contestants forced one last morsel into their mouths, wearing satisfied smiles.
This self-abusive eating fashion pleased the audience; essentially, they yearned to see Gu Mian eating in such a style.
But Gu Mian hardly touched the food before him, greatly disappointing viewers; yet upon recalling the incoming show tomorrow, their anticipation renewed.
Unexpectedly, after the meal, the program launched a mysterious vote—allowing fifty contestants to anonymously determine the reverse order of tomorrow’s show lineup; the more votes, the later the appearance.
The contestant with the most votes would be the very last to appear.
The earlier the appearance, the greater the advantage.
Naturally, the voting process was entirely handled by robotic dogs; upon voting, the program retained secrecy, delaying the reveal until tomorrow’s stage.
