Trembling At A High Altitude

Half an hour later, the bus arrived at its destination.

It was still that same airport.

The airport was still deserted, with only a few staff members present.

The plane was about to take off.

The director led Li Teng and Anna through security, across the waiting area, took the shuttle bus to the boarding gate, and then they boarded the plane.

The cabin was as empty as last time, with just a few flight attendants.

Li Teng and Anna sat down side by side, while the director sat behind them.

"Last time, how did you think to sit at the tail of the plane?" Anna suddenly asked Li Teng a question.

She suddenly remembered the last Hell Mode when she later watched the video, she noticed the plane broke into three sections, with the nose and fuselage crashing on the solid ground, catching fire and exploding, while only the tail landed in water.

At the time, she didn't think much of it and considered it a coincidence, but participating in Hell Mode again today, recalling that scene, she suddenly felt that maybe it wasn't a coincidence?

"I was thinking... if something happened to the plane, the nose would hit the ground first, so maybe the tail would be safer, right?" Li Teng made up a reason.

The real reason he still didn't want to share because he wasn't clear about what was happening himself.

He didn't expect that his experience on the stone pillar would turn out to be a hint for surviving the last game of Hell Mode.

Was all of this arranged by someone in the unknown?

If the experience on the stone pillar was a hint for survival in Hell Mode, then what would this round of Hell Mode involve? If it is also something he saw on the stone pillar, then which event could it be? And what could it be hinting at?

Armed helicopter aerial combat?

It didn't seem to hold any significance.

Hot air balloon explosion?

He also couldn't see where the way out was.

This question had in fact been one that Li Teng had repeatedly pondered after being announced to enter Hell Mode once more.

But he had no clue for the time being.

"In a plane crash, it seems that the tail doesn't fare much better than the nose when it hits the ground." Anna was somewhat disappointed with Li Teng's answer; she had thought he would have a scientific explanation.

Li Teng laughed and said no more.

This round of Hell Mode, Anna noticed that Li Teng was preoccupied, completely unlike the last time.

It seemed like he was always thinking about something, didn't really want to talk, and didn't even tease the director sitting behind them.

Last time he had told several cold jokes along the way, relaxing her tense mood quite a bit.

This time he appeared not to be in the mood for jokes.

Anna was curious about what had happened after Li Teng followed the director the day before, but now wasn't a good time to ask.

Li Teng didn't seem to be in the mood for chatting, and even leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes after a while.

Anna wasn't someone good at finding topics to talk about; with Li Teng not speaking, she had nothing to say either, and the flight was quite dull. The people watching the live stream in the hotel lobby also found it boring, and some even started to doze off on the couch.

An hour later, the plane descended from high altitude.

It landed at a very busy airport.

There were about a dozen planes at the airport, some taking off, and some landing.

Many travelers dragging luggage were boarding planes or coming down the airstair.

Upon arriving at the airport's front hall, the place was bustling with people as well.

After taking a phone call, the director led Li Teng and Anna through security toward the airport's waiting area.

This time, the director didn't take them to the same waiting area as last time but to a VIP lounge instead.

White sofas, walls with white backdrops, soft yellow lighting, playing light music.

The director asked Li Teng and Anna to stand at the entrance first, then she went inside and spoke with a man who was standing there for a few moments before returning to the two of them.

"He is the director of this round of Hell Mode," the director introduced to them briefly.

"Oh? Different from last time, huh?" Anna looked at the man, an ordinary-looking young male without a mask.

"Is there a director and a script for 'Hell Mode'?" Li Teng asked the director.

"I'm not sure, I haven't received any hints." The director's tone was not as cold as before when he spoke to Li Teng.

"Director, could you talk to him and ask him to take care of us a bit?" Anna smiled at the director, guessing the director had a fondness for Li Teng. Such things were awkward for Li Teng to say, but she could try speaking for him.

About to die anyway, there was nothing left to worry about—might as well fight for every chance to survive.

"The rules don't allow it, everything is up to you." The director indeed refused Anna's request.

"Not even a tiny hint?" Anna was somewhat disappointed.

"Go find a place to sit down, pay attention to the director's arrangements, don't talk casually, and don't disobey the director's orders. Directors generally don't like disobedient actors."

After a few words, the director turned and walked away.

The two exchanged glances, both of their expressions were rather helpless. After watching the director leave, they entered the VIP lounge and found a two-seater sofa in the corner to sit down.

The male director was on the phone, holding a form in his hand and confirming something with the person on the other end.

Could it be the cast list for this round?

Li Teng looked around; in addition to him and Anna, the male director, and his two bodyguards, there were three other people scattered around the VIP lounge.

They say that there are also eight actors in each 'Hell Mode' round; it seemed that three actors were yet to arrive.

The first three arrivals just took a glance at Li Teng and Anna, and no one initiated any conversation.

The atmosphere was quite tense.

"This time, could it be a script where we have to kill each other, and only one person can survive?" Anna pondered.

"I don't know, my knowledge of 'Hell Mode' is no different from yours." Li Teng shook his head.

"You're different from last time, your spirits have been down all along." Anna couldn't help but point out to Li Teng.

"Yeah, thinking about dying soon, never having been happy with a woman, feels pretty regrettable," Li Teng said with a sad expression.

"Can you be serious for a moment?" Anna was visibly annoyed, this guy could never stay serious for more than three seconds.

"I'm telling the truth, you want me to lie?" Li Teng asked with a serious expression, then gave Anna a once-over, just like a hungry ghost sizing up food.

"Didn't you have a girlfriend in elementary school? Not even in middle school? In high school, either? Did you go to college? Never touched a girl in college? Impossible, right?" Anna felt uneasy under Li Teng's scrutiny.

In her view, Li Teng was pretty handsome and had a certain sense of humor; he should be popular with the girls.

"Sure, a five-year-old girl on my left, a five-year-old girl on my right," Li Teng glanced at his left and right hands.

"Follow my left hand and right hand with a slow motion, repeat the slow motion with the right hand and left hand—these two hands bring me happiness…" Li Teng even sang a few lines.

Anna held her forehead... she could not have a normal conversation with this man.

"Last night, did you go into the director's room?" After a while, Anna couldn't help but ask Li Teng in a low voice.

"I did."

"Didn't you get intimate with the director?"

"I would have liked to, but two bodyguards were always with him, I didn't have a chance to make a move," Li Teng replied to Anna in a whisper.

"So what did you and the director do?"

"Just chatted, discussed the script of 'Lurking War Wolf', the background setting is fascinating, and the screenwriter is very skilled."

"That crappy script?" Anna's eyes widened.

Li Teng stealthily pinched Anna's leg, clearly signaling to her that the director might be watching the live broadcast at this moment!

"It feels crappy because you've only seen its surface and haven't grasped the screenwriter's intended message or the emotions they wanted to convey," Li Teng said with a serious expression.

One should not be too hypocritical; they should be the same inside and out and not praise in someone's presence while disparaging them behind their back.

"Mm-hmm…" Anna caught on after being pinched.

She realized that after Li Teng pinched her, his hand stayed there, probing something, but his face pretended as if nothing was happening.

Should she get his hand off?

This was going too far!