Chapter 3: It’s Showtime!
The live stream chat had already exploded, with comments flooding the screen.
“Damn, those moves are slick! Any magicians here who can explain how he did that?”
“Forget magic—the Pursuit Team is here! They’re searching floor by floor and about to reach this one!”
“I just saw Zhou Tai stealing a car and making a run for it. Why is this guy still flirting?”
“Who knows? Maybe he’s given up.”
On the dance floor, couples swayed to the mellow music.
Chen Feng led Zhou Wanning to the center, their bodies intertwining as they moved gracefully. Though not breathtaking, their dance was undeniably elegant.
Feeling his warm breath against her, Zhou Wanning’s cheeks flushed.
Unfortunately, the moment of tranquility was soon shattered by a sudden commotion.
Before anyone in the rooftop bar could react, the music cut off abruptly. The ambient lights dimmed, replaced by harsh overhead lighting that turned the dim space as bright as day.
A few hot-tempered patrons opened their mouths to curse, only to freeze when the hotel manager burst in with a group of burly men.
“Pursuit Team here to apprehend a fugitive! Civilians, step aside!”
“A fugitive?”
“Who’s the fugitive?”
“Oh my god, there’s a criminal here!”
Panic erupted instantly, the crowd dissolving into chaos.
Lin Chuanxiong, the middle-aged leader of the Pursuit Team, frowned.
No wonder countries worldwide had collaborated on this program—modern people were too comfortable, utterly lacking basic crisis response skills.
“All civilians, move to the east wall! Crouch down, hands on your heads, and line up in a row!”
His booming voice cut through the noise. The quicker-witted immediately obeyed, rushing to the east wall, while the rest hurried to follow—as if delaying even a second would leave them at the fugitive’s mercy.
Zhou Wanning, still on the dance floor, tried to pull Chen Feng away. But after two tugs, he remained unmoved. Confused, she looked up at him.
“Why aren’t you—”
“Chen Feng! There’s nowhere left to run! Surrender now!”
Lin Chuanxiong’s shout drowned out her words.
The content of his message made her eyes widen in disbelief.
A chill ran down her spine as she stared at the handsome face before her, the cold spreading through her entire body.
“Y-you… you’re the fugitive?”
Her lips trembled with fear.
In that instant, her mind conjured images of high-profile, good-looking criminals from novels—like the “Jade-Faced Bomber”...
No, wait, the “Jade-Faced Killer.”
Since this was the Pursuit Team’s first operation, the show’s host, Xixi, had tagged along with a cameraman.
“Viewers, just under half an hour into the program, our Pursuit Team has already cornered the first fugitive at the hotel rooftop. However, it appears the fugitive has taken a hostage and is making a last stand. Out of concern for the hostage’s safety, the team is holding back for now. What happens next? Stay tuned!”
As Xixi finished, the camera panned toward Chen Feng.
With the host’s live coverage, the number of viewers in Chen Feng’s stream skyrocketed, soon surpassing 50,000.
“What a shame. Finally, a good-looking guy in District 3, and he’s about to get caught in less than half an hour.”
“Just bad luck—starting right next to the Pursuit Bureau’s hotel.”
“Game over for him…”
Lin Chuanxiong shouted again, “Chen Feng! Give up! You can’t escape!”
Meanwhile, the dozen or so Pursuit Team members fanned out, poised to surround him.
“You should… surrender,” Zhou Wanning mustered the courage to say.
She didn’t know why someone as young as Chen Feng had become a fugitive, but something told her he wouldn’t hurt her…
Right?
She hesitantly looked up, meeting Chen Feng’s calm gaze.
Her heart raced, but before she could react, Chen Feng dropped to one knee and gently kissed the back of her left hand.
“I hope this beautiful night hasn’t left you with unpleasant memories.”
His gentle voice carried to everyone present.
Zhou Wanning stared at him, stunned, her mind blank.
“Bro’s still flirting at a time like this?! And with such a beauty—my envy is off the charts!”
“I’m calling it now—if this guy goes into live-stream sales after the show, he’ll make a fortune.”
“Agreed!”
“Support!”
Lin Chuanxiong had no time for such distractions.
Spotting Chen Feng’s movement, the seasoned investigator seized the opportunity and barked, “Go!”
No further words were needed.
The Pursuit Team members rushed forward as one.
Zhou Wanning’s chest tightened inexplicably—she felt a pang of reluctance, as if she didn’t want Chen Feng caught.
But her feelings didn’t matter now.
The team closed in fast, the nearest member even brushing Chen Feng’s sleeve.
Just as everyone thought his capture was inevitable—
Everything changed.
Chen Feng’s body split apart in an instant.
Poof!
A cloud of white smoke erupted.
The next second, Chen Feng vanished, replaced by a flurry of white doves scattering in all directions.
“What the—? Where’d he go?!”
“Holy—! What kind of magic is this?!”
“Is this even real?!”
The Pursuit Team members froze, exchanging bewildered glances.
“Over there!”
Someone shouted.
All eyes snapped toward the direction—
A figure in white stood atop the nearby wall.
Impeccably dressed in a white suit, a four-leaf clover-shaped pendant, a monocle over his right eye, and a medieval-style white top hat, his cape billowed in the wind.
The uncovered parts of his face still bore Chen Feng’s unmistakable features.
Bathed in moonlight, he seemed like the only person in the world at that moment.
Chen Feng’s lips curled into a faint smile.
“Ladies and gentlemen!”
“It’s showtime!”
As he spoke, the dispersed doves swarmed back, alighting on him one by one until he was completely concealed.
By the time the Pursuit Team snapped out of their daze and charged forward, the startled doves took flight again—
Leaving nothing behind but empty air.
…
Ladies and gentlemen, could you kindly give us a free reminder to update?
Let me explain the issue with the live streams:
There are ten contestants per district, meaning ten exclusive live streams, plus the host's live stream, making a total of eleven.
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
and couldn't return to the real world. Finally, I gave up and decided to go with the flow, only to discover that writing a diary could make me stronger. Since no one could read it, Su Luo wrote freely, daring to pen anything and everything. Female Lead #1: "Not bad. This diary helped me steal all the protagonist's opportunities. I just want to get stronger." Female Lead #2: "I don’t care about reaching the peak of the cultivation world. Right now, I just want to enjoy the chaos." Female Lead #3: "What? Everyone around me is a spy? I’m the Joker Demon Lord?" ... It’s so strange. Why is the plot completely off track, yet the ending remains the same? Are you all just messing with me?!
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
