Showbiz Escape

Chapter 1 City of Zombies 01
In the distant sky, thunder bursts, and dark clouds cover the sun, which is a harbinger of heavy rain.

The whole city has been shrouded in thick fog, the streets are in ruins and ruins, thick black smoke caused by burning can be seen everywhere, and unknown bloodstains are splashed everywhere.

The end seems to be coming.

In a convenience supermarket located in the center of the city, the small TV above the cash register has a very poor signal, but if you listen carefully, you can barely make out what the host is saying.

"...the source of this biochemical virus, the relevant experts have not yet given a reasonable explanation... It can be confirmed that it is transmitted through blood for the time being. Once bitten by a virus carrier, within 10 minutes to two hours... the mutation is irreversible, but there is a batch of unidentified people. The perfect potion is now stored in... Please be sure to give priority to attacking the mutant's head... Please stay calm and wait for rescue..."

In front of the food shelves, a group of men and women trapped here are huddling together, holding their breath and listening attentively, for fear of missing key information.

They didn't look away in disappointment until they were convinced that the host had finished speaking ambiguously and the TV channel signal was cut off.

One of the young men in a flowered shirt couldn't help scolding irritably: "Fuck, this time it's a zombie theme, and I didn't say where the potion is stored."

The handsome, well-maintained middle-aged man in his 40s on the far right turned his head in confusion when he heard the words, and spoke politely.

"Excuse me, may I ask if the game has officially started?"

The young man in the flower shirt looked at him impatiently, but his eyes suddenly stopped. He was taken aback for a moment, and then his expression became very happy and humble.

"Ms. Zhang? Is that you, Mr. Zhang? My mother loves to watch your TV series. I used to be a lighting engineer in your crew! This dog game actually drew you in?"

The middle-aged man obviously didn't know the other party, but since the other party's attitude was very warm and he was eager to understand the situation, he kindly held the other party's hand.

"Really? It's an honor to be liked by your mother—this is my first game, and I don't even know the rules very well."

The young man in the flower shirt patted his chest: "Don't worry, Mr. Zhang, I have participated several times. Although I have won and lost, at least I am not lacking in experience. This time you follow me, I will protect you!"

"Thank you."

The two of them were talking here to themselves, while the others stood behind and whispered to each other.

"Who is that?"

"Zhang Qi, I used to act in serious dramas, but in the past two years it seems that resources have been downgraded, and I have started to act in some bloody dramas where middle-aged waste wood falls in love."

"That's right, I saw him on the set before, but he was actually quite hypocritical. He lost his temper with the staff at that time, so he wasn't so self-restraining."

"This game is really interesting. After participating for a long time, everyone in the circle can see it."

"Tsk, just wait and see, if he can't pass this game, he won't even be able to play the bloody drama soon."

It sounds like the few present here seem to have something to do with the entertainment industry.

------

Two years ago seemed to be an extremely turbulent year for the entertainment industry, with frequent scandals and negative public opinion, which aroused strong doubts from the general public—is it really easy to make money in the entertainment industry?Why is it so easy?
So in the autumn of that year, the [Vanity Fair] game was launched.

No one knows what the origin of this system is, but that year, the entire entertainment industry was involved, and everyone involved in the entertainment industry, regardless of status, even the president of an entertainment company, the editor-in-chief of a fashion magazine, the movie star, etc. Movie queens, popular Xiaosheng Xiaohua, top idols, millions of Internet celebrities... were not spared, and were forced to be bound to the system one after another.

——Welcome to this grand Vanity Fair.

The way to bind the system is very simple. They received this anonymous message at midnight, and found a mechanical watch equipped with the game next morning next to their pillow, which represented the official start of the test.

From then on, they have to forcefully clear the game according to the calendar provided by the system from time to time, maybe at intervals of seven days, ten days, one month, three months, etc. The frequency and difficulty are random, and the right of interpretation belongs to the system.

Winning or losing the game will directly affect their fame, interests, and status in the entertainment industry. As for the degree of influence, it depends on the difficulty of the game, and the right to interpret it belongs to the system. The degree of influence is random, but there is a balance mechanism in the system. It is easy to fall badly, and the lower the status may be, the easier it is to climb up.

For example, maybe if you win the game today, you will receive an olive branch of a big-budget film and television drama tomorrow; What will happen, I can only work hard to complete one game after another to fight for opportunities for myself.

The time in the game is calculated differently from the reality. Usually, after a game, the reality will pass for up to 5 minutes without revealing any clues, and players will only vaguely remember the content of the game, but they will not remember who they met in the game.

In addition, one of the rules of the system is: it is forbidden to disclose relevant information about the game to anyone who is not in the entertainment industry, and violators will be severely punished.

It is true that the definition of what constitutes a person who is not in the entertainment industry is somewhat vague.However, it can be used as a reference. A year ago, a prosperous actor was involved in a car accident because he inadvertently leaked information to his girlfriend outside the circle. His life was saved, but his face was severely disfigured. Since then, his career development has plummeted.

No one verified the authenticity of the rumors, but no one dared to take the risk to verify it himself. .

Points will be settled after each game, and 50000 points will be accumulated, which can be used to offset the negative impact of a game failure.

It's just that it's really difficult to accumulate points.

As new players continue to join, this has almost become an unspoken secret in the circle.

They are deeply involved in the vanity fair, just like they are deeply involved in the Shura field, and they took this big gamble together in silence.

------

In addition to the group of people just now, beside the shelves in the back row of the supermarket, there were also a man and a woman who were suspected of social anxiety and did not participate in the discussion.

The girl is braided and has a pair of innocent light brown deer eyes. She looks sweet and well-behaved, and she is concentrating on eating a piece of chocolate bread;

The young man next to her was holding a lollipop in his mouth, staring blankly at the TV with missing signal. He turned his head for a while, raised his eyebrows slightly, and looked at her with interest.

"Little girl, look at the face, what do you do in the circle?"

He is handsome, with sword-like eyebrows and phoenix eyes, but he belongs to the kind of handsome with a three-point evil spirit. At first glance, he looks like a villain with malicious intentions, so when the girl looked up and met his eyes, she even Instinctively moved back.

Her voice was very soft, and she replied a little awkwardly: "You definitely don't know me, my name is Wenzhuo, I'm just a small screenwriter."

"Oh, how many times have you participated in the game?"

"It's the second time, and I'm still not used to it... What about you? What's your name?"

The man smiled helplessly: "My name is Ye Lingchuan. I have acted in several small web dramas, and they are all supporting roles. It is impossible for you to know him."

"Then you were also forced in by the system?"

"Ah."

"Did the game pass smoothly before?"

"This is my third game. I lost the first two games. If I lose again this time, I may not be able to play in the next few years."

His tone was full of self-deprecation, and he lowered his eyelashes as he spoke, obviously extremely sad and lost.

Wen Zhuo felt that she seemed to have poked someone's sore spot, she was a little sorry, and quickly comforted her.

"Don't be sad, look at me, I'm not much better. I also lost the last game. I didn't have much right to speak in the crew, and then I was directly asked by the director to make major changes to all the written scenes. Tell me if you don’t want to write it, then get out!”

Ye Lingchuan sighed, he bit the lollipop in his mouth hard, and whispered to himself.

"You said that unlucky people like us are nothing more than stepping stones in the entertainment industry, why do you want to enter this game to make things worse?"

"Maybe it's because the system treats everyone equally, no matter what your status is, you have to participate in the competition—at least in the game, we are equal."

He nodded after listening to her words, and was about to say something more, but in the next second, he heard the young man in the floral shirt shouting.

"Hey, do we have to figure out a way together? What is the mission of this game? Should we hide in the supermarket, or should we go out and find clues?"

Soon someone responded: "The watch doesn't display anything, so it can be seen that the supermarket is just a starting point, and waiting here is fruitless."

"The problem is that it's too foggy outside, and I can't see the way when I go out. What if I'm bitten by a zombie?"

At this moment, Wen Zhuo put down the bread bag, she stood up, and proposed gently and cautiously.

"I think it's just a waste of time to wait here. It's better for us to go out of the supermarket together. There are many people outside and we can take care of each other."

The youth in the floral shirt glanced at her: "Little girl, are you a novice?"

"Ah... that's it."

"You're a novice, why are you talking about taking care of each other?" He showed sarcasm, "Isn't it just relying on old players like us to guide you? I have seen a rookie like you a lot. If you are really in danger, not only will you be useless, but you will Aww, yelling and dragging your teammates back."

Wen Zhuo felt aggrieved: "It was you who were asking for everyone's opinions, so I just said, everyone is a novice, so there's no need for you to be so rude, right?"

"I'm asking for the opinions of experienced players. What's the use of your opinions?" After the young man in the flower shirt finished speaking, he immediately turned to Zhang Qi, an old drama player next to him, and put on a smiling face, "Don't get me wrong, Mr. Zhang , you are the exception, you just need to follow me closely when the time comes."

Zhang Qi slightly nodded, although his expression was calm, he subtly put on the airs of a high-ranking person, as if he had a special sense of superiority among this group of players.

After all, in his opinion, these people are unknown in the entertainment circle, and he is obviously the most prestigious one in this bureau, and he should be respected.

The young man in the flower shirt had a strong desire for performance and tried to control the field. He greeted several players on the shelf.

"Is there anyone who has participated in more than three games and has a winning rate of more than 50%? You can act with us."

Some players responded to him, but some players were not willing to talk to him, such as Ye Lingchuan.

Sensing that his eyes were glancing at him, Ye Lingchuan calmly expressed his opinion.

"Don't look at me, I don't have enough winning percentage, I lost the first two games."

The young man in the flower shirt snorted contemptuously: "It looks amazing, but it turns out to be a waste snack."

"Yeah, I'm useless, I'm not as good as you who can lead seniors to lie down and win." Ye Lingchuan lazily replied, "But so what? Once you clear the level, you will forget who you met in the game, and it's still not easy for people to return to reality. I recognize you, you'd better carve your name on the senior's face."

"..."

The young man in the flower shirt blushed, and was about to yell at him immediately, but considering that Zhang Qi was present, he held back.

"none of your business!"

Ye Lingchuan ignored it directly, touched Wen Zhuo's arm, and comforted him lightly.

"Don't pay too much attention to gossip. At worst, I'll go out with you to find clues. Anyway, we are unlucky enough, do you care about more unlucky? Maybe there will be unexpected gains."

Hearing what he said, Wen Zhuo became happy again, and she looked at him with bright eyes.

"Okay, thank you, Mr. Ye."

So she grabbed the hem of his clothes and mustered up the courage to follow him to the gate of the supermarket.

A player behind him kindly reminded: "Do you really want to act by yourself? Isn't it too dangerous?"

"What do they do?" The young man in the floral shirt dismissed it, "Isn't it normal for two people to die in this game?"

People who are too conceited are usually only happy to see the jokes of the weak, but they don't know that they may be strong compared with the weak, but compared with the real strong, they are still lower-level weak.

Neither Wen Zhuo nor Ye Lingchuan hesitated, they looked at each other, pushed open the door together, and walked into the thick fog with strides.

******
As the saying goes, the authorities are obsessed with players. When players are trapped in the supermarket, they can't see the outside clearly. When they officially leave the supermarket, they realize that the game map of this game is based on the real city C.

Two kilometers to the east of the supermarket just now, is City C TV Station. This TV station is best at variety shows like escape rooms. For a while, it set up sets in ordinary venues in the city, and it is said that the restoration is extremely realistic.

Reality and games, 1:1 replicated scenes, completely separated environments.

The streets that used to be full of traffic are now full of devastation. Countless infected and mutated zombies wander here. They walk swaying, or crawl on the ground. With dry and black arms with sharp nails, they grope for the empty air in front of them, rotting and producing maggots. On the face, the dark and empty eye sockets, bleeding pus and blood, looking for prey.

The end is nothing more than that.

The fog was too thick. On the way, we encountered three or five zombies rushing towards us. Wen Zhuo and Ye Lingchuan accidentally got separated because they ran away in a panic.

...It is said that they were separated, but it was actually done on purpose.

It's a pity that such a handsome guy who fits my aesthetics, but because of business, I don't have time to chat with him.

Fortunately, I remember the name, and I can always look it up when I go back.

Wen Zhuo stood at the corner of a certain alley, looked around until he was convinced that Ye Lingchuan was really gone, then rolled up his sleeves and looked down at his watch.

Every player in the game is equipped with a wrist watch, and a green dialog box will pop up by clicking on it, which is used to receive task and clue prompts at any time.

But her watch is obviously different. Her watch can pop up two interfaces at the same time: the normal player interface on the left, the complete game map on the right, and her location is marked on the map, and there is another The location of the red dot.

That red light spot seemed to be being chased by something at the moment, and it was moving quickly in the TV station of City C.

Target locked.

When she raised her head again, the previous cute and soft demeanor had been swept away, her brows and eyes were calm and calm, without a hint of a smile.

She knew the way to find a nearby shop, used the hairpin she carried to pry open the shutter door, and pushed out a motorcycle from inside.

With the roar of the motor, she accelerated with all her strength, piercing through the thick fog and heading for the distance.

(End of this chapter)