“Do I go to the vegetable patch alone? Or will the cameraman follow?”
If a cameraman was following, Lu Wanwan didn’t think this was an opportunity.
Sang Yueyi beside her shook her head. “No cameraman will follow. You have to go to the vegetable patch alone, and bringing back five radishes counts as completing the task.”
Just as she thought.
Lu Wanwan asked again, “How far is it from here to the vegetable patch?”
“About five or six minutes!” Seeing Lu Wanwan’s grim expression, Sang Yueyi comforted her, “Lu Wanwan, don’t be afraid. I’ll wait for you at the village entrance. You’ll be back in a few minutes. If you’re scared, just shout my name loudly, and I’ll shout yours too—it’ll be like I’m keeping you company.”
But it wasn’t just the dark she was afraid of! There was a perverted lunatic lurking behind her, waiting for his chance!
Still, Sang Yueyi’s thoughtfulness warmed Lu Wanwan’s heart. She opened her arms and hugged this warm girl in front of her.
Lu Wanwan guessed that the perverted lunatic was probably watching the livestream right now too, so he must also know about her punishment task!
Lu Wanwan was now basically certain that she had been killed during this time period.
Just then, the Bullet Chat that had disappeared for a long time suddenly reappeared, confirming Lu Wanwan’s suspicions.
[Received the punishment task already? Run, sis! Don’t go pull radishes—someone’s going to kill you!]
[Captain Gu, come save her!]
[Mei Jianyuan, that perverted lunatic, has harmed so many girls.]
[Is this that famous cursed variety show? Several guests who appeared on this show died later.]
[Yeah! If I remember correctly, three were murdered, and one who killed someone was also sentenced to death.]
[I’ve counted that one hundred and eight people die in this TV drama—almost every episode has deaths.]
Suddenly bombarded with this explosive information, Lu Wanwan froze, as if a thunderbolt had struck down from above her head. Her mind was buzzing, the ringing in her ears drowning out all the sounds around her.
It took her a long while to process all this information.
First, the world she was in was actually inside a TV drama, and one hundred and eight people would die in this show. Second, the murderer who killed her was named Mei Jianyuan. And third, among the guests sitting at the same table with her now, besides herself, two more would be murdered, and one would kill someone and be sentenced to death.
What kind of surreal world was this!
Lu Wanwan looked up and scanned the guests one by one. Everyone was eating contentedly and laughing loudly. Although she wasn’t familiar with them yet, these were all living, breathing people!
No wait—among them was also a murderer.
Lu Wanwan’s gaze swept across the guests’ faces one by one. In the sweltering summer heat, she actually shivered.
Suddenly, a “clatter” broke Lu Wanwan’s train of thought. She had been so lost in thought that the bowl in her hands had fallen.
Lu Wanwan picked up her bowl again. Just a moment ago she had been worrying about the lives and deaths of others, but now she suddenly came to her senses.
Better to worry about herself! She was going to be killed in less than three hours, and she still had time to think about others.
Lu Wanwan once again excused herself to the restroom and disappeared. The recording site was crowded and noisy, making it impossible for her to concentrate and come up with a plan.
After thinking for a while, Lu Wanwan still decided to call the police. Only with the police involved could she feel at ease.
Although the murderer was just one person and she was already on guard, the physical difference between men and women meant she didn’t think she could match him.
If she were to ask the people present for help, everyone was just an ordinary person, and if they got accidentally hurt, that wouldn’t be good. Besides, this matter would ultimately have to be reported to the police anyway.
But how to explain it to the police? She rehearsed her words several times in her head before dialing 110.
“Hello! Officer! I’d like to report a crime—someone is trying to kill me.”
“My name is Lu Wanwan, and I live in Oasis Tai Ming Fu. I’m an internet celebrity. Recently, someone has been leaving messages on social media platforms saying they want to kill me, and for the past week, I’ve been followed. Today, I came to Heshan Town for work, and this person followed me here. I’m very scared right now. Can you send officers?”
This statement wasn’t entirely a lie. There really were people sending her private messages online saying they wanted to kill her. As for the pervert stalking her, she believed that was indeed the case—except the enemy was in the open while she was in the dark, and since she hadn’t known beforehand, she had no defenses in place and hadn’t noticed. But given the pervert’s meticulous nature, he definitely wouldn’t act rashly. Before making a move, he would have carefully planned out his murder scheme.
So stalking the victim was absolutely essential!
This time, Lu Wanwan hoped to catch the pervert in the act. Although after she reported it, the police could take the person in for questioning, because there was no solid evidence, she wasn’t sure whether he would be released. Even though he had nine lives on his hands, without evidence, she couldn’t just bluntly tell the police that the guy was a murderous psychopath! Then the police would end up investigating her instead.
To ensure everything was foolproof, Lu Wanwan stated her speculations—when and where the other party might strike.
Lu Wanwan made it clear that all of this was just her guess. She didn’t know whether the police would agree to such an arrangement, and indeed, that was the case. The police said they would send officers, but the specific operation would still need to be decided.
After hanging up, Lu Wanwan’s heart calmed down considerably. She had reported based purely on speculation, and the police had still agreed to send officers—they were truly good officers working hard for the people!
Thank you, police! Thank you, Bullet Chat!
Municipal Criminal Investigation Brigade
Zhou Jiaqing: “Captain Gu, with so many cases lately, our criminal investigation team is already swamped. Couldn’t the local police station handle such a small matter? Why was it transferred to us, and you even agreed to send officers?”
Gu Xing walked quickly, “This is no small matter. So many murders of single women have occurred over the past six months, and we haven’t made any progress. This could very well be the next one.”
“But isn’t that just that woman’s speculation?” Zhou Jiaqing said dismissively.
Gu Xing stopped, looked at Zhou Jiaqing seriously, and said, “If we don’t go, by tomorrow, the speculation might become reality.”
With that, Gu Xing strode off again, and Zhou Jiaqing scratched his head and followed.
Coming out of the restroom, per the police’s request, Lu Wanwan still needed to continue participating in the show’s recording, acting as if she knew nothing, and wait for the police to contact her later.
Before that, Lu Wanwan had the cameraman take her to a vegetable field. The town had many residents and many vegetable fields. She needed to clearly tell the pervert in front of the live stream camera where she would be waiting for him.
When she returned, Sang Yueyi was serving her punishment—because she hadn’t completed today’s money-making task, she had to wash all the dishes.
The others had already gathered in a circle playing a game, and when they saw Lu Wanwan approach, they quickly waved her over to join.
It was a word game. Besides Sang Yueyi, there were seven guests total. Following the order of their seats, each person had to say three characters, and if the final result formed a complete sentence, they passed. If the game failed, everyone had to accept a punishment—drinking a beverage specially prepared by the production team.
Lu Wanwan glanced at the cup in front of her. Inside was a dark, murky liquid. Her instincts told her it wasn’t coffee, and when she leaned in to smell it, sure enough, it wasn’t. She caught the scent of soy sauce, though what other seasonings had been added, she couldn’t tell.
But she found out soon enough. The first round of the game failed halfway through, and she took a sip of the dark concoction. It turned out to contain wasabi and cola as well—she nearly spat it out the moment it hit her mouth. It was the worst drink she’d ever had in her life.
Preoccupied with what was happening later that night, Lu Wanwan was distracted. Because she couldn’t keep up with the chain, she caused the game to be lost once. But the others didn’t seem particularly good at this game either—they played four rounds without a single success—so her troubled mind didn’t stand out.
Sang Yueyi, who joined later, drank the dark beverage and immediately threw up.
By the time it reached past seven o’clock, the sky was completely dark. On the sixth round, drawing from their previous experience, everyone finally managed to pass.
Just then, the phone tucked in Lu Wanwan’s jeans pocket vibrated—a text message alert.
Lu Wanwan was seated at the outermost edge, and everyone was cheering over their victory, so no one noticed her movements. She quietly pulled out her phone from her pocket, shielded by the table in front of her, so there was no risk of the livestream audience seeing the message content.
The message came from an unfamiliar phone number.
“Lu Wanwan, I’m with the police. We’ve arrived at the filming location. Our people have also done a covert sweep of the vegetable field, and we just spotted a suspicious individual. He’s wearing a black T-shirt and jeans, estimated height no more than 1.75 meters, medium build. Is he the person you described?”
How would Lu Wanwan know if it was the right man? But based on the behavior, it should be him.
She replied, “That should be him.”
A moment later, another message came through: “Good. Continue acting as if nothing has happened. I’ll place a phone and earpiece behind the restroom. Before you set out, find a chance to retrieve them. My number is saved inside. Once you call me, follow my instructions from there. We’ll ensure your safety.”
Lu Wanwan put her phone away and rejoined the next round of the game.
The time dragged painfully to nine o’clock. Today’s filming was drawing to a close, which meant Lu Wanwan’s punishment task was about to begin. Before that, she went to the restroom and retrieved the phone and earpiece the police had left behind.
The phone had no password—she just swiped up to unlock it. Opening the contacts, she found only one number saved, under the name “Gu.”
Gu seemed to be the officer’s surname. She remembered that the bullet chat had mentioned someone—Captain Gu.
She wondered if this Gu was the same one.
Lu Wanwan dialed the number, and the other party picked up after just one ring.
“Hello!”
It was a man’s voice, deep and magnetic. Judging by the sound, the person on the other end wasn’t particularly old.
“Lu Wanwan, can you hear me?”
Lu Wanwan replied softly, “Mm!”
“Good. Put your phone away, put on your earpiece, and cover your ear with your hair. Once you go out, don’t speak—just follow my instructions.”
Lu Wanwan: “Okay!”
“Alright, come out now. Your guess should be correct—that man is hiding in another vegetable patch not far from the one you mentioned, concealed by a cucumber trellis. But our people are also in the area, so don’t worry. Once you’re out, don’t look around. Just act like you know nothing. We will guarantee your safety—don’t be afraid!” His voice was calm and unhurried, carrying a reassuring quality that made Lu Wanwan suddenly feel less tense.
Sang Yueyi and the others escorted Lu Wanwan to the entrance of the village. Lu Wanwan waved at them. “You all go back! I’ll be back in a little while.”
Sang Yueyi shook her head. “No way. I’m going to wait for you right here. If you’re scared, just shout our names loudly.”
The others chimed in agreement, except for Brother She, who said in what seemed like a joking tone, “Lu Wanwan, watch out for ghosts!”
Without the camera around, he was even more unrestrained.
That man was fundamentally not a kind person at heart. Lu Wanwan shot him a sideways glare. “You’d better watch out for yourself!”
Lu Wanwan seriously suspected that Brother She was one of the two people who had been killed—after all, he was so obnoxious that he must have offended plenty of people.
Sang Yueyi said with dissatisfaction, “Brother She, that’s too much. Is scaring a girl like that fun?”
“Fun! Hahaha!”
Brother She turned and walked away, leaving everyone present feeling indignant.
Gan Jing patted Lu Wanwan on the shoulder. “Ignore him. Don’t be afraid—we’ll stay right here waiting for you.”
Lu Wanwan gave everyone a reassuring look and set off. At this moment, a devil was still waiting for her in the vegetable patch.