Caught in the Trap

Jiangcheng City.

Under a certain bridge.

Two challengers participating in the show, one fat and one thin, were hiding here.

From the beginning, they had no intention of running around aimlessly, let alone trying to imitate Xu Mo.

Now, seeing other contestants who had imitated Xu Mo being caught one after another,

The two immediately felt that their choice was absolutely correct.

Copying Xu Mo's antics? That's just asking to be caught!

Only hiding quietly was the right way to go.

And the hiding place had to be as tricky as possible.

Like where they were hiding now—under a bridge!

"We can't keep hiding like this forever. The pursuit team is too ruthless. They've caught three groups in two hours. What kind of efficiency is that? I don't think we can last even a day on our own! Why don't we... go seek help from Xu Mo? I think he should be able to help us, after all, we're in the same boat."

"Seek help from Xu Mo? That's not a bad idea, it's much better than us hiding under a bridge drinking northwest wind. If Xu Mo helps, we can definitely keep hiding, but the problem is, even the pursuit team can't find Xu Mo, how could we possibly find him?"

"Who says we can't find him?" said the slightly fatter one. "I watched the live stream last night, I know which hotel Xu Mo stayed in."

As soon as he finished speaking, he quickly added a sentence, as if he had thought of something.

"I didn't cheat by peeking at the screen, okay? The game officially started this morning. Me watching the live stream last night doesn't count as cheating, at most it's exploiting a small bug in the game!"

"Not bad, you! You even thought of this trick... But will Xu Mo help us?" The thinner 'fugitive' sounded a bit unsure.

It was a good idea.

But the question was, why would Xu Mo bother to help them?

Hearing this, the fat one smiled mysteriously and said,

"I've thought about that too. Xu Mo certainly won't help us for free, nobody wants to do business at a loss, but... don't forget, the show will give rewards. There's a 200,000 yuan reward for every day we avoid being caught. We can give 100,000 of that to Xu Mo, consider it a protection fee. What do you think?"

The thin one thought for a moment, then nodded: "I think that works!"

"..."

After a discussion, the two finally decided to seek help from Xu Mo.

They had witnessed Xu Mo's abilities.

The pursuit team had chased Xu Mo for so long without catching him, and he had even tricked them so many times. That said a lot.

As long as Xu Mo was willing to help, what was there to fear from the pursuit team?

And all they had to pay was just half of the reward given by the show.

Giving 100,000 yuan a day as a protection fee, Xu Mo would naturally protect them from being caught by the pursuit team.

As for the remaining 100,000...

It was almost like getting it for free!

...

Meanwhile.

At the show's backstage.

Seeing this scene, Song Yixue couldn't help but frown slightly.

Taking half of the reward given by the show as a protection fee to Xu Mo, asking him to protect them?

Wasn't this exploiting a loophole in the show?

Song Yixue thought this loophole absolutely couldn't be allowed.

If everyone played such small tricks, wouldn't the show production team end up being the biggest losers!?

Thinking of this, Song Yixue immediately picked up her phone.

She was about to send a message to these two, reminding them not to always think about playing tricks.

As she picked up her phone, Song Yixue inadvertently glanced at the backstage of the live stream.

In the live broadcast.

Xu Mo was operating a computer, using hacking techniques to search for information on other show challengers.

Zhou Qiaoqiao, Yang Jingxuan, An Youyi, and Li Jiaxin were standing beside Xu Mo, watching him operate.

Seeing such a scene.

Song Yixue couldn't help but feel confused.

What was Xu Mo trying to do?

Logically, Xu Mo should be wary of the pursuit team right now. Why was he searching for information on other show challengers?

It wasn't just Song Yixue who was puzzled by Xu Mo's behavior.

Zhou Qiaoqiao, Yang Jingxuan, An Youyi, and Li Jiaxin were equally confused.

"Xu Mo, what are you..." Yang Jingxuan couldn't figure out what Xu Mo was up to and asked directly.

Xu Mo didn't even turn his head, continuing to operate the computer while explaining his thoughts.

"It's not much fun to just keep running. I'll catch a couple of people to play with, just to find some entertainment during the escape. Besides, the pursuit team must be tired too. I'm afraid they won't have enough manpower to catch so many people, so I'm helping them reduce their workload."

Zhou Qiaoqiao: "???"

Yang Jingxuan: "???"

An Youyi: "???"

Li Jiaxin: "???"

All four were dumbfounded.

Brother, have you forgotten your own identity?

You're supposed to be playing a fugitive!

Shouldn't you just hide well and not get caught by the pursuit team?

Catching people?

Finding some entertainment?

Feeling sorry for the pursuit team being tired and wanting to help reduce their workload?

Who are you trying to fool?

As if the person who had been tormenting the pursuit team wasn't Xu Mo himself!

And... a fugitive catching other fugitives? What kind of nonsense is that?

If you do all the work of the pursuit team and the police, what are they supposed to do?

They had spent quite some time with Xu Mo.

The four were very clear about Xu Mo's personality.

He always had clear goals in everything he did, and there was always a reason behind his actions.

The excuses Xu Mo gave were obviously not enough to support his decision to do this.

Soon, Zhou Qiaoqiao figured it out.

She roughly guessed Xu Mo's intention.

Xu Mo definitely wasn't just looking for entertainment.

He certainly wasn't kind enough to help reduce the pursuit team's workload.

He must have his eye on the 20 million yuan grand prize set by the show...

Thinking of this, Zhou Qiaoqiao stared at Xu Mo blankly.

"Are you planning to eliminate all the other participants early, leaving just yourself, so you can win the 20 million yuan grand prize..."

"Where's my phone? Where did my phone go?" Xu Mo didn't answer Zhou Qiaoqiao's question, but instead muttered as he got up to look for his phone: "I remember I put it here just now... Where did it go?"

Zhou Qiaoqiao: "..."

Seeing that Xu Mo didn't directly answer her question and chose to change the subject instead,

Zhou Qiaoqiao was almost certain.

It must be exactly as she had just said.

Xu Mo's talk about finding entertainment was completely made up.

How could he be looking for entertainment? He just wanted to eliminate everyone except himself as soon as possible.

This way, he could get the 20 million yuan grand prize set by the show earlier.

Of course, what she didn't know was that Xu Mo wasn't just after the 20 million yuan grand prize.

Mainly, it was because the upgraded system gave rewards for catching fugitives.

Besides the 20 million yuan grand prize, he was also after the system rewards.

Seeing such a scene in the live broadcast room,

Song Yixue slowly put down her phone, a meaningful smile appearing on her face.

She had been thinking about sending a message to those two challengers, one fat and one thin, telling them not to always think about exploiting loopholes in the show.

Now it seemed she had worried unnecessarily.

Xu Mo was thinking about how to eliminate all the participants except himself.

Those two self-proclaimed clever show challengers going to seek help from Xu Mo now was no different from walking into a trap.

It was like washing themselves clean and lying on someone else's bed, waiting to be taken advantage of...

...

Half an hour later.

At the hotel where Xu Mo and his group were staying.

"Knock knock knock," urgent knocking sounds came from the door.