Chapter 544: A Reality Show Guaranteed to Boost Ratings
"Alright! Now let's take a look at our No. 67 warrior. The number of xenomorphs he has killed currently ranks third, but more than half of them were dismembered. His technique is clean and the quantity is highly aesthetic, making him a hot contender for the championship of this Two-City Reality Show!"
"As you can see, just as I was introducing him a moment ago, he killed another player. He is a truly deserving bloody killer! Viewers who enjoy his performance can place bets to increase the number of pushes and the airtime for No. 67 warrior!"
At this very moment, inside the holographic plaza located at the top floor of Clown City, the entire square venue was cut into countless small blocks. The blocks closer to the periphery of the plaza were larger, while those inside were progressively smaller. The higher up the blocks were, the larger they became, and the lower ones were smaller. Especially the few holographic projection screens at the very top were more than three times the size of the others, and one of them was showing No. 67 warrior!
Each block played footage from within the Cleanup Zone, allowing a 360-degree, no-blind-spot observation of the characters' actions and behaviors in the images. Below each block were three rows of numbers in different colors. As the numbers jumped, the position and size of the blocks also changed. From time to time, different images were swapped in and out, replaced and exchanged.
The host's passionate voice continued to ring out, "Next, let's look at the most popular warrior—No. 227! Although he entered the showground in a later batch, the number of xenomorphs he has hunted far exceeds the second place. This is a player who grows stronger with setbacks. He just experienced a small-scale xenomorph tide and only rested for a few minutes before throwing himself into a new battle!"
"Truly worthy of being a hot-blooded warrior from Clown City, his heroic posture deserves the praise of all Clown City residents!"
"Amazing! A friend from District 003 has boosted No. 227 warrior with one million White Notes, pushing all three of No. 227's stats to the highest in one go! His current individual viewership count is seventy-three million, a full ten million more than the second-ranked No. 145 warrior! The number of bets placed has reached one hundred million!"
"Barring any accidents, No. 227 is very likely to be the final champion. Now let's take a look at the request this friend who boosted him with one million White Notes has for No. 227!"
"Wow! This friend's request is that they hope No. 227 warrior will act like a real man once more! A real man, of course, means making it out of the xenomorph tide unscathed. In the next hour, our chosen No. 227 will encounter a second xenomorph tide!"
After this request was announced, No. 227's individual viewership count rapidly climbed, but the number of bets placed did not increase. At the same time, the number of bets under the top-ranked screens skyrocketed!
"It seems that everyone is not very optimistic about No. 227 warrior, believing that a latecomer might surpass him! However, the final result will only be known when the next xenomorph tide arrives."
The projection blocks in the plaza kept changing. Occasionally, some projections suddenly turned gray and then disappeared. A massive projection suddenly rose above the others and was pushed to the very top. The host said:
"Right now, the warriors from both cities are engaged in a firefight within the canyon. The death toll is surging, and unfortunately, several favored contestants are among them. This is a regrettable matter. However, both sides already have advance troops arriving at the canyon. According to predictions, warriors will land on the opposing side's position within five minutes at the latest. Which side will be the first to reach the opposite bank?"
"With only four minutes left, placing bets in advance could potentially influence the landing situation of both sides. Dear viewers, feel free to..."
The host's high-pitched voice caused the plaza and various broadcast platforms to stutter for a moment. Then, a new image appeared on the main projection. Two people, not wearing glasses and completely absent from the promoted projections, stood on the Blue side's canyon, abruptly ending this charge formation that had just begun to heat up.
The two people standing on the mountaintop had no numbers. It could only be inferred from the items they carried that they should be members of the Red faction. One second passed, and red numbers appeared on the two figures in the projection.
"...It seems these two contestants are from the Red side. Cutting into the enemy's position unexpectedly is truly a refreshing sight!"
"However, these two have never appeared on the leaderboard. It seems they are not following the hot-blooded combat style but have reached this point through exceptional intelligence and judgment. I boldly predict that these two are very likely to become the biggest dark horses of this reality show!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than the projection screens of Xu Huo and Zhuo Wangsun rapidly surged to the periphery of the plaza, becoming new popular contestants!
The host's voice rose again, "For the rare intellectual-type contestants in this reality show, the audience has not hesitated to express their support. Just now, five friends have boosted these two contestants. Their requests are surprisingly consistent: they hope our intellectual-type contestants will reveal their true strength!"
"So, let us wish these two contestants both wisdom and strength from now on!"
"Thank you to all the friends watching this Clown City reality show. I am Gao Yang, the host of the Sunset Clown City. Next, our host will be Lang Lang, the treasure of the Sunrise Clown City, the most delicate rose!"
"Hello everyone, I am Lang Lang..." The host's voice changed to a soft, feminine one. The moment she spoke, the number of bets placed in the projection surged dramatically. Meanwhile, the angle of the main projection had been pulled back, vaguely revealing that on the Red faction's side near the canyon, a xenomorph tide was gradually gathering.
*
Xu Huo turned his head to look back at the opposite side of the canyon.
"Is there a problem?" Zhuo Wangsun stopped walking. He was no longer wearing glasses but had switched to a gas mask.
"Nothing." Xu Huo continued walking forward. "Now that the first and second tasks for clearing the instance are complete, I'm thinking about the most suitable way to complete the third task."
"The battle flag should be that small flag issued by Clown City, right?" Zhuo Wangsun pulled out the small flag symbolizing Clown City from his bag and said, "But I have no clue where the designated location is for now."
"Since we already know this is the Blue faction's camp, and there are no other hints... it can't be that we just stick it in anywhere, right?"
As he spoke, he casually let go of the flag, which happened to stick into the soil. Then he paused and looked at Xu Huo in surprise. "I cleared the instance!"
Xu Huo nodded. An E-rank instance should be fine at this level.
Seeing that Xu Huo made no move, Zhuo Wangsun couldn't help but show a look of regret on his face. "I shouldn't have stuck it here. Maybe if I went deeper, the rating would be higher."
Xu Huo's expression was calm. "There are only a few ratings. Whether you clear it here or two kilometers ahead, it's about the same."
What truly made a difference was definitely the core position. If this was a war game, then the highest point of the enemy camp would certainly be Clown City.
Zhuo Wangsun didn't rush to leave but followed him. Seeing Xu Huo pressing forward with his head down, he couldn't help but say in surprise, "You're not thinking of fighting all the way to the other Clown City, are you!"
(End of Chapter)