Surprise! The Supposed Talent Show Was Actually-?! Chapter 64 part2

translator: xiin
editors: apricot & juurensha

Wu Jin had no time to think about it. He quickly raised up his submachine gun to shoot at the elevated platform, but Zuo Botang wasn't eager for an exchange of gunfire and retreated behind shelter. Wu Jin set his teeth, then turned and ran towards the exit with all his strength. Another trainee who was five meters ahead of him had already stepped outside--

At this time, the sound of mechanisms shifting sounded out, and the door closed!

On the elevated platform, the Temperance card was pulled out, and Ming Yao had already replaced it with another card.

The instance beneath the gothic spires was locked down like a cage.

From the other side of the wall came the sound of moving metal instruments, the creaking of gears, and the pulling sound of hinges as well as countless subtle sounds of friction. It was as though they were all being moved by an invisible hand of fate.

Wu Jin, who'd been just one step away from leaving the instance, was forced to retreat backwards as the sounds in his ears grew louder and bigger, almost scraping against his eardrums.

His field of vision was dim, and the original hills and grassy fields seemed to be swept up by the wind, the scene inside the instance spinning as it shifted.

All of a sudden, several fluorescent lights lit up on the walls of the instance.

An enclosed preparation area!

Other than Jingyi's double c who were on the elevated platform, all the other players, including Wu Jin, rushed unhesitatingly towards the preparation area. The instance began to change as soon as everyone arrived.

First, the vegetation at the base of the hill split apart in a straight line, revealing the deep foundations and an intricate network of wires. The terrain sank slowly and was shifted to both sides. The huge, silver mechanical arm that held the terrain flashed by.

All the players who had turned into silver life-saving capsules, including that big brother, were all snatched up by the mechanical arm and tossed down a recycling tube.

Several life-saving capsules clattered as they rolled, leaving the arena within a few minutes. The program crew would pry the contestants out of the capsules and interview them after they'd received a medical exam.

Then, there was the elevated platform.

Wu Jin looked up quickly. The platform was the same as the preparation area and acted as a safe zone while the instance was being remodeled. Jingyi's double c-position hid behind the columns and were also looking up.

The angel sculpture hanging in mid-air looked compassionate as she finally set down the chalices. She closed her eyes, her lips raising slightly as she slowly opened up her arms. The crimson wings behind her shoulder blades gradually obscured the light.

The last source of light disappeared, and the instance was suddenly plunged into darkness.

Beneath them, they could hear the sound of the mechanical arm replacing the terrain, but there was no way to see anything.

Regardless of what the upcoming instance was, Wu Jin only knew that it would be Jingyi Entertainment's trump card.

Wu Jin slowly inhaled even as he quickly turned on the headset.

In the team channel, Zoe was currently speaking to Wen Lin, "Just now was The Chariot instance. On the card, a powerful figure is controlling two lions to pull his chariot. When I went in, the person who'd changed the card cleared out the chariot and opened up a barren area that stretched for a hundred miles around him, damn it. We were treated as lions who had to fight back and forth below, while he sat there alone in the chariot and watched a play…"

Wu Jin interjected at this time, "Brother Zoe, I'm trapped in the sixth instance! Jingyi Entertainment changed the card!"

Zoe: "… If there's a chance, I'm going to wreck him with a gun--wait a minute, Little Witch, what did you say?"

Zoe breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Wu Jin's voice, but his expression grew solemn, "Little Witch, wait for me in the instance. I'll come to find you right away."

Wu Jin was relieved.

One person had been eliminated, and another had escaped. There were still 13 people left in the instance, and Zoe should be able to enter the instance as long as they were short on people. He just didn't know what the maximum number of people for this card was.

The sound of the terrain changing beneath their feet was becoming lighter. The instance had nearly finished its remodelling.

Wu Jin reported, "It's about to start--"

A 'swish' suddenly sounded through the mic in his ear, and the hearts of several people on the team channel clenched.

Zoe dodged the stray bullet and cursed, "Someone's guarding the way!"

Wu Jin: "From which direction? Can you see who the other side is--"

Zoe: "The one who changed the card into the Chariot."

Wu Jin froze. The second half of the sentence stuck in his throat and never made it out.

Fortunately, Zoe soon steadied his position, "There's shelter, I'm fine. I'll just wait and keep an eye out before leaving. It just means we won't meet up that quickly. I'm just surprised, because it would be great for him to just continue with that Chariot card. Why would he run out just like me… Little Witch, can you tell what card you have over there?"

Wu Jin squinted, "There's no light, I can't see the instance. I'm thinking that the Jingyi double sniper configuration uses too many resources, but under 2v2 conditions, it has some obvious advantages. Jingyi's trump card should be a card that allows the double c-positions to stay together."

In the team communication channel, Caesar, who was always half a beat behind his teammates, finally appeared.

Zoe's eyebrows leapt up. He hurried to speak before Caesar's chattering broke in, "Little Witch, try your best to stall for time and wait for me to get there. Do what you need to do. Remember, nobody in the entire Crosson Show dares to compete against their double c in terms of tacit cooperation…"

Caesar echoed, "Oh, yeah! They say that the two of them built up their cooperation by eating, living, and sleeping together--"

Zoe and Wen Lin: "Shut up!"

Wu Jin looked down at his feet.

The preparation area was quiet as the instance remodeling finally finished.

Faint light sprinkled in from the top, first illuminating the angel's crimson wings, then her open arms, closed eyes, and smiling cheeks. It spread to the green grass, revealing birds and flowers, lush apple trees, dead branches and flames, and snakes flashing amidst the grass.

The Garden of Eden!

Wu Jin realized what it was almost instantaneously.

Of the 22 major arcana cards, only one had the Garden of Eden.

The sun shone, and the angel had its arms open. A couple stood together with the angel's blessing. Adam looked at Eve, and Eve gazed at the angel, and the place where they stood was full of vitality due to their love.

The sixth card of the major arcana, The Lovers.

Wu Jin's thoughts turned rapidly. The instance had everything that was present in the card, except for the 'Lovers' that were pulled together by the angel. According to the rules of the Judgement card, the missing elements in the instance were all made up for by the players--

In the preparation area, the virtual screen on the small table lit up.

"Please select your partner and lover within three minutes. If both parties choose each other, it will be a successful match. If they fail, they will be randomly assigned a partner by the system."

Wu Jin's expression suddenly turned sluggish.

"It's a two-person team instance… Bro, brother Zoe, we have to form a team together in three minutes…"

The team communication channel exploded once Wu Jin described the rules.

Zoe: "I'll be there right away! That person's still shooting!! Little Witch, hold on, don't choose anyone. Wait for your Brother Zoe to get there!"

Caesar: "F*ck me, what rules are these? Can the game even be played like that??"

There were two minutes left.

Zoe performed a slithering walk amidst the rain of bullets with much difficulty, "Little Witch, hold on… I'm almost, almost there… Slide down to the last portrait spot on the screen and select me directly when I come in…"

One minute left.

The instance urged them constantly, and Wu Jin could only reach out towards the screen.

The other 12 contestants' head profiles appeared in the center of the screen one after another, with 'Interested' to the left, and 'Pass' on the right.

Even Jingyi's double c-positions appeared in the list.

"……" Wu Jin didn't hesitate to slide to the right again and again.

Thirty seconds left.

Wu Jin was despairing, "Brother Zoe, I'm afraid it's going to be randomized!"

Zoe was going crazy, "I'm afraid I can't make it there in 30 seconds! Don't worry, I can help you even if I can't match up with you. Remember, Little Witch, don't show your back to others. There's a high point reward for killing level trainees. You might know someone, know what they look like, but you don't know their heart! If the person you're randomly assigned to isn't reliable, just eliminate them!"

Caesar was protesting and hollering, "What? Eliminate them? Others are pairing up to play The Lovers card, but you're telling Little Witch to play the widow card alone??? No way, Little Witch, you have to use love to change him and make him fall in love with you--"

Caesar was muted.

Five seconds left.

Wu Jin looked hopelessly at the virtual screen.

Zoe suddenly spoke up, "Wait, is it instance number 6? I just saw the person who shot at me go in--"

One minute ago, in the Crosson Show director's studio.

Ying Xiangxiang's face was wreathed in smiles, and the air was full of a happy atmosphere. The scrolling comments were also very active.

"Well, it's the card you guys like to see the most, the major arcana card, 'The Lovers'." Ying Xiangxiang loosened her hands, "First of all, congratulations to Jingyi's double c on successfully linking hands."

The scrolling comments were full of "My CP is out in the open!", "There's candy 66666", "Please give me a dozen instances like this!!", "Hahahahaha, is this the instance's dating software?"

candy – obscure reference to a CP showing their 'love'… their interactions are 'sweet', like candy, and the fans like to 'eat' the candy that's being 'sent out'

"Hugging the single Little Witch tightly", "I'm new here, can I ask how many credits need to be spent in order to have this darling's profile image show up on Little Witch's screen?" "Little Thin is still throwing darts in instance number two, the Thin Witch CP is hopeless." "Two Fools CP hopeless +1" …

Thin Witch CP – Thin Fire x Little Witch

Two Fools CP – Red and Caesar..??

Blood Pigeon coughed solemnly, covering up the confusion in his eyes. He obviously didn't know much about the fan circles.

Ying Xiangxiang took over as the host, "Let's switch the camera back to Little Witch. Unfortunately, Little Witch passed on everyone. Little Witch's standards are really high, and it seems that nobody is the lively and cute type that he likes--just kidding. Obviously, Little Witch is waiting for his teammate Zoe, but Zoe was blocked in the corridor and probably won't be able to catch up in the next few seconds."

"Oh, a new contestant just came in."

"Let's take a look at the other player's choices. Other than the Jingyi double c, almost all the other players chose Little Witch. I have to say that Little Witch's profile image is very handsome. Of course, their choice of Little Witch is more a recognition of his strength."

"There are currently 14 players inside the instance. As you can see, the new contestant's profile image has appeared in Little Witch's screen. Will Little Witch choose to continue to pass and allow the system to randomly assign him a partner, or will he team up with this C-level trainee--"

In the camera, Wu Jin stilled, but his small curls suddenly fluffed up exuberantly. He didn't hesitate at all before sliding to the left to indicate 'interest'.

On the virtual selection screen, Wei Shi's profile image lit up.

Partnering success.

Juurensha: …WS, you weren't going to let anyone else pair up with your rabbit spirit for the Lovers instance, huh.
xiin: stalker fan symptoms acting up!

Chapter end