Chapter 11 - North Tower
translator: xiin
editors: celtic & juurensha
Wu Jin put away the note and continued to sit and watch the battles.
The competition was extremely fierce during the second half of the Crosson Show evaluation match.
Established management companies like White Moonlight had a large pool of trainees to pull from, and would be rated quite highly just based on their strength alone. The remaining A to C grades were split up amongst other, smaller companies.
At half past noon, the waiter brought over a gilded menu that carried the scent of hyacinths. After a polite inquiry, he pushed over a dining table and placed foie gras, snow crab, red wine, and silver tableware in front of Wu Jin.
Wu Jin was stunned as he watched the proceedings.
There was a large T-bone steak in front of Caesar. He cut into it with a move that was similar to chopping up meat, obviously used to this situation, “Little Witch, let me tell you. Survival shows are a rich man’s sport.” He ordered an additional portion of crab roe noodles, “Which means that contestants like us are always in high demand.”
Zoe looked at Wu Jin, his eyes full of curiosity. “Little Witch, you’ve really never been in a relationship?”
Wu Jin nodded honestly.
Caesar leaned over with a ludicrous expression, “No way, as long as you wave your hand, you could even tonight––”
Wu Jin panicked and barely managed to choke out, “I don’t...”
His amber eyes were perfectly round little orbs as he interrupted and forced Caesar to choke back the second half of his sentence. Zoe laughed loudly even as Caesar turned his head back disgruntledly, “Truly innocent...”
Those two small eyes were evil! How could survival show contestants be so attractive?!
“Players who are both attractive and good at fighting have been the most popular over the past two years.” Zoe’s tone was mild, “Wild bees and butterflies surround them wherever they go.” fre(e)webnovel.com
Attractive and good at fighting.
Wu Jin froze slightly as a figure flashed through his mind.
Even before he could poke at the note in his pocket, the team on the stage had changed again––
Wu Jin’s eyes lit up instantly!
The stage was filled with a crowd of people. They were all wearing camouflage clothing of the same color, and their faces were painted chaotically, but he was still able to, with a glance, find big boss who was standing in a corner. freeweb(n)ovel.com
Wei Shi was standing there lazily, holding a shotgun in his left hand. The camera panned over from left to right but was unable to capture him within its frame.
On the other hand, the contestant standing in front of Wei Shi, who had a head of red hair and dark skin, was very eye-catching. He shaped both a ‘V’ and a heart with his fingers when he was in front of the camera, and stopped just short of dragging the lens back to himself and locking it onto his face.
The audience roared with laughter.
Wu Jin was so excited that he stretched out his head and leaned over the railing to look down at the stage.
This group, Wei Shi included, had all registered to join the show as individuals.
Zoe lamented, “I remember that last year, the highest individual player ranking was only a C. Resources are king. Good seedlings have already been signed by management companies, and it’s really impossible to achieve a debut without a few million credits.”
Caesar made a sound of agreement and looked at Wu Jin curiously, “What are you looking at? If they don’t get D, they’ll get E or F. There’s nothing to see.”
Wu Jin retorted, “It hasn’t started yet––”
Zoe laughed and explained the rules for him, “The difficulty of this evaluation match is relatively low. It’s already been determined that their technical score will not exceed D. Unless... their performance during the audition was particularly outstanding.”
Wu Jin was surprised, “Particularly outstanding??”
Zoe checked the rules, “The program will pay special attention to them if they reach 20 kills in the audition and adjust the difficulty of the evaluation match accordingly.”
Wu Jin vaguely recalled something, and his mouth dropped open––A week ago, after Wei Shi had given him the gun, he had been responsible for all the kills from start to finish. Wei Shi hadn’t attacked anyone other than as a last resort.
The Crosson Show obviously hadn’t placed much importance on this group of players. They simply introduced two or three contestants before moving on, and it was likely that even those few were people who had established connections beforehand.
When the battle began, Wu Jin finally confirmed his speculation.
Big boss&#k2026; Sure enough, he was hiding his strength!
Wei Shi’s cap was pulled down so low that only the high bridge of his nose could be seen whenever the camera lens flashed by. Not only his cheeks, but even the curve of his jaw and throat was smeared with army green face paint. Only when an enemy came too close would he slowly, unhurriedly, fire a shot.
Compared to big boss who was obviously taking it easy, the redhead from before was just like a frisky flamingo as he bustled up and down the field, covering the ground with chicken feathers in his wake. Not only did he hit his own targets, he stole other people’s mobs, and, in his excitement, even used the butt of his gun to kill off a slime that had rushed towards the big boss.
Wei Shi didn’t care. He simply raised his gun and killed the one next to it, making up for his stolen points.
Zoe’s brows twisted in a frown. “That redhead...”
Caesar nodded lightly. He had noticed it, too. “He looks kind of tough. Based on his approach, there’s an 80% chance he’s from the underground competitions. His moves are really fierce, we’ll need to keep an eye out.”
Seven minutes later, the score was announced. Nearly half of the group was eliminated, and only four people achieved a D grade.
When the group of contestants began to make their way to the qualified contestant area, judge Blood Pigeon was still a little absent-minded. He pointed to Wei Shi’s retreating figure and asked, “Was this person there just now?”
Ying Xiangxiang narrowed her eyes for a moment, then waved her hand. “I don’t know, but his figure’s pretty good.”
Caesar and Zoe were still discussing the redhead, but Wu Jin’s eyes never left the back of Wei Shi’s figure until the group of them disappeared into the dressing room.
At this moment, there was a sudden uproar in the arena, and the audience became visibly excited.
“Next group, R-Code Entertainment.” The expressions of both teammates turned solemn. All players in the arena locked their gazes onto the stage almost simultaneously.
“Little Witch, watch this.” Caesar began, “There will be an S soon.”
Wu Jin: “R-Code Entertainment?”
“They only send one trainee every season, and their initial rating is always S.” Caesar’s eyebrows pulled together slightly as he spoke, in either fear or disgust. “R-Code, full name RNA Transcription Coding. They are known for their genetically modified contestants.”
Wu Jin: “... Mo, mo, modified? Genetically modified?”
Caesar nodded. It was obvious he didn’t want to continue the topic, “Yes. The one on stage is a human-shaped weapon.”
The program team chose this moment to put on a full eight minutes of advertising. When the lights lit up again, Wu Jin was finally able to see what this human-shaped weapon looked like.
He was roughly twenty-three or twenty-four years old, his facial features cold, expression indifferent, with a complex tattoo on his right arm. Wu Jin wasn’t able to see it clearly––he had finished fighting in three minutes.
Combat: S, Tactics: S, Performance: A.
He rarely ever opened his mouth to speak, and even Ying Xiangxiang was unable to keep the conversation going. She could only read out the contestant’s information in order to cover up the awkwardness.
Only then did Wu Jin learn the name of this weapon: Wei Yan.
Wei Yan walked up to the S Area and turned out to be the high point of the second half of the show.
An hour later, the evaluation match ended with a total of 1 S, 26 A, and most of the remaining contestants split between D and E.
At the judging table, Ying Xiangxiang who had just finished announcing the results, sent a smile towards the screen. “Ladies and gentlemen, the voting channel for this season of the Crosson Show has officially opened.”
Everyone at the scene suddenly boiled up in excitement.
“Sixty rounds of auditions, ten thousand contestants, four hundred players who passed through the evaluation match. However, keep in mind that only ten contestants will be able to make a successful debut on the show.”
“Now that the voting channel has opened, you can see the first benefit that we’ve prepared for the audience––choose a roommate for your favorite contestant. The poll will close in fifteen minutes.” Ying Xiangxiang blinked her eyes, “Your pick. It’s up to you to decide.”
The dome screen projection showed frantically rising voting numbers. Wu Jin was once again struck dumb with awe: A mere talent show had already recorded over 600 million votes at this time... The population explosion over the past one thousand years was beyond common understanding!
Caesar and Zoe were using incredible hand speed to vote for themselves––
“Little Witch will definitely be living with Wei Yan. There are two more beds left, who ever grabs it will get it.”
Wu Jin was at a loss, “What...”
“Popularity.” Zoe explained, “Basically, popular contestants will be thrown together.”
Wu Jin quickly understood. He opened up the standard terminal that White Moonlight had provided him with, entered the voting channel, and unscrupulously entered his own number.
After entering the roommate selection option, he unhesitatingly began looking for Wei Shi.
Unexpectedly, big boss’s ID couldn’t be selected at this time.
“Please select roommates from contestants with the same or adjacent level ratings.”
Wu Jin’s eyes opened wide.
Fifteen minutes passed, and the living arrangements were posted up on the dome screen. Wu Jin had impressively been grouped together with Wei Yan, and his other two roommates were Caesar and a trainee from the Silver Thread Roll Team.
Wu Jin was at South 714, and Wei Shi was on the second floor of the North Tower.
Zoe was rooming with support Wen Lin, the same as last season.
The three of them let out a sigh of relief. As they left, Caesar even patted Wu Jin’s shoulder, “Little Witch, I have to thank your fans.”
After the living arrangements were posted, the platform containing the players’ seats slowly sank down, and the dome curtain at the top of the venue split into four segments, revealing a clear sky and the castle-like twin towers in the distance.
The brown brick made it appear like an 18th century building. The dormitories were densely packed within the two towers, and members of staff used laser pointers to lead the way for the contestants one by one.
“S, A, and B are in the South Tower.” Wu Jin read the introduction in his hand, “C, D, E, and F are in the North Tower. So many people live in the North Tower?!”
Zoe nodded, “Living in the South Tower is an advantage.”
Wu Jin nodded, “The sunlight is good.”
Zoe laughed strangely, “Good sunlight? The last survival instance from last season was the trainees’ dormitory building.”
“......” Wu Jin immediately went over the map a few more times.
Of the 400 plus trainees, only 100 lived in South Tower. It was spacious, and there was plenty of light. Each trainee had their own room but shared a lounge with the three other contestants.
Wu Jin retrieved the rabbit from the staff, but he was called over by the program group to sign an endorsement contract as soon as he settled in, and then herded quickly into a shooting studio.
––There was a shed full of rabbits, velvety white and soft as they moved their little mouths.
“Come on. Little Witch, go and lie down!”
One of the cameramen at the front gave him a demonstration, and Wu Jin reluctantly picked out a spot and lay down. The big ball of rabbits slowly began to disperse.
“”Perfect!” The cameraman’s expression was full of artistic inspiration as he took frantic shots of Wu Jin, “Grab one.”
Wu Jin was bewildered, “What––”
The robotic hand suddenly descended from the ceiling, similar to the once popular claw crane arcade machines. Wu Jin wasn’t given a chance to speak or argue when a rabbit was stuffed into his arms, nimble fingers constantly adjusting the position of the prop before finally stopping at the perfect angle.
The little director to the side was a bit flushed, her eyes sparkling like crystals. A metal robotic arm holding an innocent-eyed, beautiful youth... The cameraman coughed lightly, and she ordered, “Save it. We’ll use it as a tidbit.”
The shooting ended quickly, while Wu Jin was still muddled, “What advertisement was shot just now...”
The little sister director said sweetly, “You’ll know in the evening.”
It was already dark by the time the shoot ended.
Wu Jin was planning to find a time to go and look for the big boss when he suddenly received a message from Caesar, “Little Witch, keep the door open for me!!! Hurry!”
Five minutes before the ten o’clock curfew, Wu Jin sprinted over to the entrance to the South Tower in a panic.
Caesar staggered over two minutes later, accompanied by a young lady wearing a long dress and a purple gauze hat, her long hair done up in curls. She looked like a beauty who had just stepped out of an oil painting.
“Let me introduce you. This is my girlfriend.” Caesar looked fascinated.
Wu Jin: “......”
This noble lady was pleased with herself as she greeted Wu Jin. Before she left, she even pulled Caesar down to give him a deep, thorough kiss.
“Did you like the champagne I sent you?” She whispered the question.
“Baby, what I like is the you who sent the champagne...”
Wu Jin’s stared, then quickly moved away, reminding them, “There’s only three minutes left––”
Caesar stretched out a hand and gestured to indicate that he needed another twenty seconds even as he bowed his head to deepen their parting kiss. Fifteen seconds later, the two finally separated, sending each other affectionate looks.
The gate to the South Tower banged shut in front of them.
Wu Jin: “......”
Caesar: “......”
That lady smiled lightly and offered gracefully, “Don’t worry. I have a villa near here. Would Little Witch like to come with us?”
Wu Jin hurriedly refused. Seeing that the nearby North Tower hadn’t yet closed its doors, he immediately bid them farewell and rushed to the northern dormitory building.
Caesar called out his goodbye from behind him. It was only a while later that he remembered, “I don’t think that the North and South Towers are connected at this time... Forget it, everyone’s from the same program group. It’s not like we’ll lose you!”
After that, he gleefully turned and left.
Inside the North Tower, Wu Jin walked up the stairs to the second floor and was surprised to see that most of the contestants there had bruised noses and swollen faces.
It wasn’t until he saw the bulletin board that he understood the real meaning of, ‘second floor of the North Tower’.
There were twelve dormitories of different sizes. Getting a spot was based on their own ability.
Wu Jin wasn’t surprised to find Wei Shi’s name in front of the largest room.
He quickly tidied up his little curls and started knocking on the door.
The door was opened by the red haired contestant from the arena––the redhead’s eyes immediately brightened when he saw Wu Jin, and only after he had confirmed his gender did he open his mouth and ask with interest, “Who are you looking for?”
Wu Jin’s eyes were sparkling, “Wei Shi.”
Who could’ve known that the red head’s expression would change abruptly, shutting the door on him with a bang.
Wu Jin: “......”
Inside the North Tower’s 201 dorm room, Wei Shi came out of the bathroom wrapped in a bath towel. Leftover beads of water slid down the knotted muscles of his body.
The redhead shouted, “Brother Wei, someone came to look for us just now. Say, could it be––”
While he was speaking, a small piece of paper was pushed in through the crack under the door, landing obediently on the ground.
Wei Shi: “......”
The redhead scurried over to pick it up. He read it and froze, “Congratulations... Brother Wei, it’s your handwriting. Ah, damn, I was saying, Brother Wei, why would you buy someone’s champagne, those feelings must be real, you even gave your room number––quick, I’ll go grab another dorm room and won’t disturb you...”
Wei Shi kicked him aside and opened the door.
Juurensha: Huh, I wonder if this redhead is going to be comic relief or a pest...
Celtic: The redhead...he knows Wei Shi’s handwriting, was dramatic to draw attention, and stood in front of WS blocking the cameras. Coincidence or plan?
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