Trembling At A High Altitude

Most of those in attendance had personally experienced the events in the videos.

People like Elsa and Gao Fei were reluctant to reminisce, so they just glanced at them a few times before returning to the coffee table.

The Black-hearted Doctor, Liu Huang, watched more diligently. Although he was upset about the crew forcibly bringing him here to act, he understood the rules of Film and Television City. Before the results of his complaint to the higher-ups were dealt with, he had to abide by the crew's rules and perform well in this show, making sure not to capsize in the gutter during the performance.

To curry favor with Liu Huang, Huang Xun even ran over to him and started acting as his free commentator.

Apart from the Black-hearted Doctor Liu Huang, Bunny Girl was not very clear about the rules.

So, she also called over Li Teng, and while watching the videos, had him explain them to her.

Owing to the saying, "one who takes from another should listen to them," Li Teng could only be her commentator, describing the rules to the girl in detail.

The more the girl listened, the more terrified she became. Now, she finally understood the cruelty of this so-called performance.

If your points go negative, you get boxed lunches!

Getting a boxed lunch means being turned into a wax figure!

The so-called wax figures in the wax museum weren't really wax figures—they used to be real, live people! They all were actors of Film and Television City!

This was totally overturning her worldview!

"I am currently negative three hundred points. Even if I win this competitive performance, I can only earn 30 points. Doesn't that mean I'm doomed?" the girl looked towards Li Teng.

"It's not as serious as you say. After the performance is over, newcomers have a chance at a lottery where there's a high probability of a full waiver. In the lotteries that I participated in before, everyone got a full waiver," Li Teng comforted the girl.

"But if I lose the competitive performance, that means I will definitely get a boxed lunch, right?" The girl was clearly smarter than Daisy and quickly figured out the stakes involved.

"Yes, you just need to listen to my instructions during the performance, cooperate well with me, and not lie to me. With my support, the likelihood of losing is very low; but if you lie to me, I cannot guarantee that you'll survive this performance," Li Teng's expression became solemn.

Joking aside, competitive performances are not to be taken lightly.

Bunny Girl was also unlucky; her first performance was a competitive one.

If it had been a normal performance, out of eight actors, only one would get a boxed lunch. A newcomer would easily survive and even earn an easy 10 points as a reward.

However, competitive performances are different for newcomer actors—choosing the wrong camp means certain death if they lose the performance.

And in most cases, newcomer actors can't decide which camp they'll be in.

"Okay," the girl's expression turned somewhat anxious.

Could Li Teng really be trusted?

From the last video, Li Teng's performance was indeed impressive; he had counterattacked Feng Dahai and led his camp to victory in the competitive match without having any real advantage.

However, in the video of that performance, other people didn't trust Li Teng as they said they did—neither Anna nor Elsa seemed to have shared their clues with Li Teng.

If she fully trusted Li Teng, could she end up being sacrificed as cannon fodder by Li Teng?

Previously, when she had ordered in the restaurant and invited Li Teng to dinner, Li Teng had not told her how serious it was to have negative points, nor had he told her that a performance could only earn a few dozen points.

This world was far more cruel than she had imagined, as if no one but herself was trustworthy.

"Don't worry too much," said Li Teng, "Human affairs depend on people, and outcomes on heaven. Even if you end up with a boxed lunch and die during the performance, it's not a big deal. It's just like Daisy, who got an early release. I too strive for survival, but if despite my efforts I still can't make it, there's no need to blame the gods or other people. Just face it calmly." Li Teng saw the girl's anxiety and comforted her with these words.

These weren't just words meant to soothe the girl; they were truly what Li Teng believed.

For a girl about the same age as Daisy, it was better for her to die early, confused and painlessly, and become a wax figure, rather than being tortured into mental breakdown like Daisy, who had chosen to jump off the pillar herself.

Besides him and Anna, others were not suited for survival in Film and Television City.

If that was the case, a quick death was better than prolonged suffering. Coming in and dying immediately might actually be a good thing for them.

As for the actors accumulating enough points to return to the real world and reunite with their families, that was a lie that might deceive a three-year-old child, but not people like Li Teng.

Li Teng had used a companion card to forcibly recruit the Black-hearted Doctor Liu Huang into the crew without any certainty or assurance of eliminating him.

But he still did it because he was driven into a corner by the nearly Two Thousand Points of debt Liu Huang had created; now he could only fight to the bitter end!

If you don't die, then I will die!

But if you give me a sliver of chance, I will bite you fiercely! I might even drag you to Hell with me!

If you don't have the courage to fight to the death, if you aren't ready to die nobly, then don't participate in this game.

Film and Television City is not a place where an ordinary person can lounge around and mix easily.

...

While Li Teng was guiding Bunny Girl in watching the previous performance video, Huang Xun was also "guiding" the Black-hearted Doctor Liu Huang in watching it.

"See? Actually, everything was within my predictions, all calculated by me. But this Feng Dahai, not heeding my advice, acted on his own at critical moments, losing one opportunity after another. If he had listened to me back then, not acted arbitrarily, he wouldn't have fallen into their trap and been defeated by them," Huang Xun pointed to the video, explaining somewhat excitedly to Liu Huang.

"Indeed, that person died because of his own stupidity," said Liu Huang, after watching most of Feng Dahai's videos and deeply resonating with Huang Xun.

"After several performances, I'm very clear about these people's schemes. For this confrontation, as long as the boss isn't as stubborn and dismissive as Feng Dahai, I guarantee the boss can easily defeat them. Of course, the precondition is that the boss must bring me under your command so that I can serve you," Huang Xun flattered Liu Huang with a few more words.

"How can a fool like Feng Dahai compare with me? Just follow me with confidence," said Liu Huang, who, being new, naturally needed to pull a few cronies to his side.

"Those people, apart from my Brother Du, are all following Li Teng. Capture the leader to capture the gang. Boss, as long as you take down Li Teng, they are nothing to be afraid of, just a mob," Huang Xun continued to analyze the situation for Liu Huang.

"Hmph! I must kill this man! How dare he pull me into the crew! I will make sure he has no place for his grave!" Liu Huang gritted his teeth in anger whenever Li Teng was mentioned. An extra of the lowest status, audacious enough to retaliate against him!

"Exactly, exactly! We must kill this scum! He is the root of all evil! He must not exist between heaven and earth!" Huang Xun vehemently agreed.

...

"Another confrontational performance, how about it? Do you feel confident about winning this one?" Li Teng and Bunny Girl returned to the table, and Anna asked Li Teng.

"I wasn't really confident," laughed Li Teng, "but this guy, just like Feng Dahai, has also hired Huang Xun as his Think Tank, and suddenly, I'm feeling confident."