1.
When Xia Tian and Bai Lin went home in a luxury car, there were rebel advertisements everywhere on the road, and the atmosphere was frenzied.
This represented a market share for Fujin TV, but it was a deadly farce for the two of them. They live in a carnival city where farce is everything.
When Xia Tian returned home, he vomited out what he had eaten today.
He's always had a bad stomach, and although he's been known to play and Uptown's technology keeps him in tip-top shape, he still can't control the urge to vomit. If it is a disease, it is the soul that infects.
He tossed around in the bathroom, took a shower, and changed his clothes. When he came out, he saw Xiaobai sitting in the living room with a half glass of wine by the table, staring at him with the floating screen turned on.
Hearing Xia Tian coming, Bai Lin said without raising his head: "He said that he will send Wei Xiuqi over tomorrow."
He paused, then said, "Let's... help him end this."
Xia Tian let out a "hmm", just mentioning the existence of that dignitary, he felt the smell of embalming liquid in the air.
"Xiaobai," Xia Tian said, "if..."
"You'll be fine!" Bai Lin said.
Xia Tian didn't speak any more, and raised his hand to share a screen.
Bai Lin continued to look at the blueprint of the fifth round venue that Xiao Minkov sent over, while the Temple of War was driving beside him, his nerves were highly tense, and he checked and estimated all possible dangers.
The house given by the company has a constant temperature and first-class equipment, but at this time the surrounding air seems to be frozen, and in summer, only a little warmth can be felt from Xiao Bai's body.
The orange-red light on the screen burned, reflected on the tabletop, floor and walls, and also illuminated their faces, illusory like a dream, as if coming from the netherworld.
They went to the medical department to pick up Eric and Wei Xi early the next morning, accompanied by a large group of reporters, cameras all the way, and the entire upper city was mobilized.
Picking up teammates is not a big deal, but the ratings are actually higher than the previous Killing Show finals. Uptown is in high heat and boiling, and any action of God of War will cause a wave of turmoil.
They saw each other in the main medical hall of Fujin City.
Eric was wearing the new "Warfire" coat, and Wei Xi was also wearing this series. The clothes added elements of battlefields, flames, and broken weapons. It must have cost a lot of money to advertise in this place.
The two have undergone perfect treatment from the Uptown Medical Department. They wear the most expensive clothes in the local area, but their faces are not very good-looking, as if they can't be sure that they have really returned to the world from hell—especially when they see the grand welcome scene, probably It feels more and more like I never left at all.
Among the piles of shiny commodities in the upper city, the faces of the few people were stern, and they could only faintly see a trace of relief in their eyes when they met.
They embraced each other amidst the breathless gaze of the media, a half-dead embrace, exhausted on both sides, still hanging by a thread.
"Guest show," Eric said, "you two have such a colorful life."
Wei Xi said to Xia Tian: "I brought him back alive."
Eric snorted, and Xia Tian laughed, which caused a burst of crazy shots from the camera.
Just a quick look at their blitz show, Eric followed Wesie off the monster's lair, and it was Wesie who did save his life in the end.
If it were a TV series, when some people go through such a disaster, they should survive and get paid-their life, or the safety of another person-but then there are countless wars waiting.
Their lives were stolen and all their struggles turned into games for people to consume and people to make a lot of money. Until they're sucked out, and there's nothing left, flushed down the drain as residue. Or worse, the deprivation continues, trapped in an endless nightmare.
At this moment, Xia Tian's cell phone rang, he looked down, then turned his head to look at Xiao Bai, and said, "Here it is."
"What?" Eric said.
Xia Tian was silent for a while, and finally said: "The corpse of a soldier."
He Jingting must have intentionally disgusted him, so he dressed Wei Xiuqi in a horrific BDSM-style outfit, with a gag in his mouth, a dildo in the back, and a lot of aphrodisiac injections.
When they opened the box, the man was curled up in a corner, holding his head, his body was in a highly sensitive state, but he didn't make a sound.
This is the reaction Wei Xiuqi would have. His stubborn and restrained part was made into a customized product by the dignitaries in the upper city, held in their hands, and played with repeatedly.
Even though the road had already explained, Eric and Wei Xi still stayed for a long time, not believing that this was a real person.
Xiaobai rummaged through the medicine cabinet to find antagonists, Xia Tian went to look at Wei Xiuqi's specimen authority menu posted by Xiao Minkov. There are so many customized effects inside that it is jaw-dropping. It is a doll made of a corpse, with good service and thoughtful details. It doesn't matter anymore whether you live or die.
"This is—" Wei Xi said, "This is a 'living specimen', damn it, they did it so many years ago, I thought it was imagined by those perverts!"
He went on to say a lot of technical jargon, and there should have been two dozen swear words in the middle.
According to Wei Xi, this technology has always been one of the dark legends on the Internet. In the early years, it was considered extremely abnormal and intolerable.
These days, though, a lot of the dark legends of yesteryear are becoming real. In the past few years, the entertainment industry in the upper city has relaxed its views on the use of corpses: since protein is made into food for animals in the lower city, why can't it be used for sexual intercourse
It now appears that was the official attitude, a vague implication that Uptown's moral bottom line was once again migrating downward now that they already had the technology.
Before long, the rich and powerful will make this business popular, let the corpses of heroes pick up customers, and make a lot of money from it. Certainly, someone on the Internet—there are always such a group of people who are keen on conspiracy theories—has estimated the consumption amount and included possible derivative products, all of which are extremely cruel and twisted.
Wei Xi is one of those hackers who are keen on conspiracy theories. He has always been sure that the top management will come up with this service one day. Because it is very profitable.
He only hopes that he will not see it in his lifetime. But apparently it was just a dream.
Wei Xi stammered and cursed, Eric stared at Wei Xiuqi, who had just been injected with antagonists, and hadn't reacted yet. He is a person who knows the darkness of the upper city, and the current situation is still far beyond the bottom line.
"It's going to be like this with all of us in the end!" Whiskey yelled, "Death doesn't count, even the dead bodies are theirs, implanted with artificial devices, for people's enjoyment - there will be no more deaths, this place will go to a fucking carnival forever!"
Xia Tian turned his head to look at the person who had died long ago, his body was broken, curled up in a corner of the living room, clutching a sheet tightly.
He watched clips of his kill show when he was little, and the guy killed a guy who offended him because he didn't like the guy saying "fuck you" at him. At that time, Xia Tian thought, you can only live like this in this world, if you act ruthlessly, others will not provoke you.
But he finally found out that no matter how ruthless you are these days, it's useless. Wei Xiuqi is not weak, just like he never thought he was weak, they are the better ones in the crowd, more agile, stronger, more—
But even if they try their best, they still can't hold on to the little things in their hands.
"You..." he said to the man, "do you still feel it?"
The man looked at him, his eyes were like a pair of empty glass beads, then he stretched out his hand and touched Xia Tian's face, as if he was saying something. Xia Tian leaned over and heard him calling "Mr. He" vaguely.
Xia Tian just looked at him for a while, patted his shoulder lightly, and said: "It's okay, it's okay. We will help you end this."
Eric carefully dressed Wei Xiuqi in decent clothes, not the expensive ones, but the loose coat and trousers he liked to wear before. Soldiers like this kind of clothing, it is very convenient to move and hide weapons.
Wei Xiuqi from District K in the lower city, his family used to run a grocery store, he has a father, a pair of younger siblings, and many good comrades in arms. His family had died in the star-making carnival, as had his brothers.
When the authority was turned off, he lay motionless on the bed, his eyes slightly open, empty. For twelve years, he was trapped between life and death, allowing others to humiliate him.
Xiao Minkov's information said that when the biological pulse was stopped, they would start to rot alive, and many people just disappeared like discarded dolls in countless mansions in the upper city.
At the end of the information, he also attached the phone number of a reliable cremation service provider. Xia Tian looked at it for a while and admitted that they really needed this.
Wei Xi found the right medicine, enough for Wei Xiuqi to die without pain... again.
He tossed about the medicine box for a long time, and ordered two temporary drug delivery, saying that he hoped the effect would be good enough to ensure that Wei Xiuqi left without the slightest pain... They didn't know if he would be in pain, so they could only do their best .
"He'll...like sleep," Whiskey said finally, "will be relaxed and warm...if he can feel it."
Several people listened in silence, the room was very quiet, the outside world was still boiling with high temperature, but at this moment the sun was shining in the house, and the silence was like a funeral.
Bai Lin was always silent. He looked down at the corpse in a way that seemed more dangerous than sad.
Xia Tian took a breath, something tense in the air, this is not like a funeral, it is like a battlefield.
They looked at the person on the bed as if they were looking at the corpse of a fallen brother.
And at this moment, Kongwei is still in He Jingting's house, Su Fei is there... many people are still there. In one big house after another. The war continues, the blood is still shed, and the death and humiliation never stops.
From the beginning of being sensible, Xia Tian knows that you can only take care of yourself these days, feelings are luxury goods, and nothing can be kept in this world.
But at this moment, for the first time, he felt that he had the same blood as so many people... the same hatred flowed in the blood. This hatred roars in the blood vessels of countless people, it is dark and huge, and one day it will seek justice.
The little white hand rested on his shoulder, confirming his existence at any time. Xia Tian likes this, likes to feel the temperature and strength of that person.
There can be no more of this, no more people caught up in this nightmarish fate. This kind of thing must stop.
All things must stop.
Xia Tian stretched out his hand and closed Wei Xiuqi's eyes, death has finally arrived after a long, long time.
He turned to look at Eric and Wei Xi.
"There's something to talk about," he said. "Big thing."
This round of truce is full of various press conferences, face-to-face meetings, reality shows, movies, interviews, and other activities that help increase the value of stars.
Xia Tian cooperated with most of the requirements, and was so busy that his feet never touched the ground. At the same time, the offerings of the temple kept increasing.
The general planning of the new department took office, the lottery ceremony, and the media in the upper city used all the means over the years to push this god-making marketing to the craziest peak.
Where the gods are, the unknown.
Soon, the final round of the 199th Killing Show was about to begin, and the carnival atmosphere reached its peak. This largest god-making marketing in history has brought astronomical profits, and the capital of the upper city has never had such a sumptuous feast.
Now, the time has come for the final sacrifice to the gods.
2.
The theme of the fifth round is the apocalyptic wasteland. Although they pretended to draw two lots, the stage had already been set for the finale, and there should be no surprises in such a big scene.
The opening trailer is grand, with an epic-style BGM. It describes in a slow and heavy tone that the genetic alienation technology of human beings has developed to a certain extent, causing the destruction of the race. Now, the world is in ruins, full of deadly creatures, most of humanity has perished, but some still fight unyieldingly.
They don't know that this seemingly barren land hides terrible secrets, and mysterious forces are dormant in it, staring at them with hungry eyes...
In view of the fact that there are not many players left, and those who survive have names and fans, each of them has to have a script of their own destiny, and a worthy death, so the organizers did their best to do it as delicately as possible.
Player teams enter the arena at different times to create a sense of hierarchy and create dramatic encounters.
The Xia Tian team entered at the front of the middle - too far ahead and not big enough, too far back and afraid of fewer appearances. In other words, before they came, many people had died in the ruins of the upper city, and some people started from scratch and started to build strongholds.
Before the game started, the team members gathered in the preparation room to discuss the current situation. For example, what is the "mysterious power"? This kind of thing sounds interesting in horror movies, but my own experience on the scene is not interesting at all.
At this moment, someone knocked on the door, but no one in the room answered, so the man pushed the door open and walked in.
It was a gray-haired man with the style of a powerful butler, and Haida reluctantly followed behind.
This person greeted several people politely, and then said: "Before the start of the match, Mr. Qi hopes to meet with Mr. Xia to discuss the situation of this round."
Xia Tian leaned on the sofa, was eating a plate of marshmallows, and said without raising his head: "I won't go."
"Let's be realistic, sir," the other said. "You don't have a choice."
Xia Tian stared at him for a few seconds, the light in the room seemed to be a little darker, then he threw the plate away, stood up abruptly, and walked out.
Several of his teammates followed him, and the butler unconsciously took a step back when he came over, and stopped him weakly: "Mr. Qi wants to be alone—"
But no one paid any attention to him, the group walked out, and all the people along the way turned to look at them, and even secretly took a video and uploaded it.
In the final battle, the killing show headquarters is full of stars, but the trip in summer is still like a tour of the God of War, and everyone will go to see it.
During the short truce period, the rebellious sentiment in the floating city continued to ferment. In addition to the astonishing number of casualties, there were three more incidents of the floating engine falling, two cases of violent damage, and one maintainer directly sinking. Sacrifice to the God of War.
The frenzy has reached unprecedented heights in history, and the upper city is in turmoil with every move of Xia Tian. His words, or just a smile, can cause riots. As of the last week, the company has stopped letting him do any seditious activities.
Even the powerful at the top of the food chain feel the deadly smell of a storm brewing in the air.
Now, under the watchful eyes of countless cameras and the entire city, this much-anticipated team has arrived at Qixiashang's office.
Killing Show’s another new master plan redecorated Georg’s office, removed the fancy decorations, and built a new office area like the Void Salon.
Xia Tian pushed open the door and walked in, but the bodyguard at the door didn't dare to stop him, and only made a quick notification.
The whole room is dark in tone, classic and old-fashioned, several people are drinking and chatting, and Xia Tian recognizes the faces of two dignitaries.
Qi Xiashang was sitting on a set of silver-gray sofa talking to people, discussing a topic of "everything must be brought into the track we want", when he saw Xia Tian's team come in, he showed an attentive smile.
Xia Tian met Qi Xiashang a few times at the party. This person is not tall, always well-dressed, with good facial features and no characteristics. But he has hungry eyes, and he looks like the meat on the dinner plate, and he is ready to pounce at any time to lick every thread of blood on the plate.
He swept across the area, the light was not very strong, it looked oppressive and dull, and the expensive decorations gave off a smoldering reflection in the gloom.
There was a glass petri dish on the table facing him, and there was something in it... like a spider with super long legs, trembling slightly under the light of the spotlight.
He looked at the thing, and Qi Xiashang smiled at him and said, "Don't worry, it's just a biological built-in earphone. Although you've made a lot of money with your 'wild charm', since you haven't been very obedient, We just don't want to screw up the big drama."
He poured a glass of wine, the color was very red.
Around him, there were at least thirty gun barrels pointing at the incoming team. The AI at the headquarters of Fujin TV Station is called "Killing Cloud"—I really don't know the meaning of such a name for a service AI. It is the top work of artificial intelligence in Shangcheng. Xia Tian does not doubt at all that it calculates the possibility of any violence accurately, attacks comprehensively, has no dead ends. Numerous such devices are arranged in Fujin TV Station, covering every angle.
"Let's not make things too ugly, you guys, here are enough gun barrels for you, and there are people who can make sure you are obedient when the time comes—" Qi Xiashang continued.
A few bodyguards came in from outside the door, standing there with a serious face, meeting Xia Tian's eyes, two of them had uncertain expressions, and one took a step back.
Xia Tian looked back, people like them can immediately judge when there is no chance, and now it is.
Wei Xi next to him touched him and shook his head vigorously.
"It's a new type of biological earphone," he whispered. "This thing will eventually grow into the body tissue, regenerate repeatedly, and it is difficult to remove. It is specially used by criminals, slaves and 'pets' in the upper city. Grow into a parasitic tissue designed to manipulate and punish...it's like a biological chain..."
Qi Xiashang handed over a glass of blood-like red wine, Xia Tian ignored it, he smiled and put the wine on the side table.
Eric cursed, Bai Lin didn't speak, Xia Tian felt the heat of that person's body tense, he was also calculating, but there was no chance.
The Fujin Group felt the heat of gunpowder and turmoil in the air of the upper city, and decided to tighten control at the final pass.
Xia Tian took a breath, walked to the display stand, picked up the things in the glass dish, and placed it in his right ear.
At that moment, he felt a sharp pain, and the built-in earphones crawled into the ear canal and drilled into the skin, bringing a roaring sound of sucking, deeper and deeper, extremely hungry.
Strong dizziness hit, blood flowed out, but he hardly felt it, he took a step back and reached out to find Xiaobai.
The whole world was left with obscene rubbing and sucking sounds, and he couldn't feel anything, only imagined that Xiaobai had grabbed him.
He faintly heard someone talking, the voice was distant and ethereal.
"It will grow for a while," said the man, "as long as you stay where you are and do what you are supposed to do, nothing will happen."
Then he heard Qi Xiashang's voice and said: "...you are smart people, you know how to be obedient, I like the ending of the guest show, it's really thrilling—"
"This one is different from the one on the show, I'm afraid I'll see some blood if I try to take it off..."
Xia Tian wanted to say something to fight back, but he lost his ability to speak, so he had to try his best not to spit it out. The whole world was spinning and upside down, and he wasn't sure if he was standing or falling.
In the chaos, he finally felt that Xiaobai was supporting him, which was a reliable support.
Xia Tian shook his head, trying to stand firm. Some people are saying that he should be obedient, that he will benefit from the next meeting, and maybe there will be an amnesty order. After all, some big shots like him very much and hope that he can make more money.
He heard Xiaobai say: "If you take one more step forward, I'll kill you. Believe me, I can kill you. It's just a more stringent contract."
Whoever it was, obviously stopped. Xia Tian finally stood firm, the right side of the neck was soaked in a large area, full of blood.
Qi Xiashang stood opposite, still staring at him, full of interest in his distressed appearance.
"Don't worry, I'll keep quiet, the Kill Show is still your thing," he said, his eyes bright, "except when I think you desperately need 'guidance.'"
Xia Tian stared at him for a few seconds, he couldn't even stand firmly, but he didn't appear weak at all.
"Is it over?" he said.
He didn't wait for an answer, turned around and left, and even grabbed Xiaobai.
That person followed him, while holding his arm, Xia Tian heard Qi Xiashang's voice again...not speaking behind him, but seemed to come from his mind.
"But you'll always... feel mine," the man said, with dirty excitement, "in your body, in your soul, everywhere in your life, and in your death too. "
Xia Tian stared at the front, countless cameras followed. Even if the official broadcast is not broadcast, the employees always have their own camera, and there is always a way to darken the story.
He walked through the ornately decorated main building with a cold face, and everyone saw his clothes soaked in blood. God of War is dressed in white, and his blood color is more eye-catching, but he keeps walking and is full of momentum. The blood only makes him more deadly and extremely dangerous. The civilized and elegant buildings were stained with blood, as if war was about to usher.
"It's a pity that we don't have time." Bai Lin said beside him.
Xia Tian knew that he was saying that he had no time to kill Qi Xiashang and the dignitaries in the house to vent his anger. He turned his head and smiled at him, as sharp and dazzling as the light of gunfire in the dark night.
He said, "There will be."
Twenty minutes later, this much-anticipated God of War team entered the final round of the 199th Asaijin Team Competition.
Killing Show team competition, the most extravagant and bloody carnival in Uptown. In the end, most of the players will die here, and the scale of attention, death and illegal incidents attracted is also huge. Once a year, the floating city is under the burning and boiling tremors of high temperature.
Xia Tian changed his clothes, cleaned up the blood, and those people gave him injections of healing potions, making it look like nothing happened.
He still feels sick, but not from nervousness, but from the implant. He's calm, he's been on the battlefield since a long time ago, and he's going to give everything to get something at any moment. Nothing to be nervous about.
When entering the arena, Xia Tian felt dizzy, and for a moment he was not sure where he was, as if standing in a real moment in the future.
The wind blew through the floors below, screaming like the whimpering of a giant beast, leaving only the skeleton of the building. He turned his head to look, and the wreckage of the endless buildings spread to the sky, weathered and corrupted under the bright sun, and the edge could not be seen.
Only then did he realize that the entry point of their team was the top floor of a ruined building, about twenty floors above the ground. Weathered office rubbish is scattered all around, and genetically modified plants have taken over the floors, green leaves swaying in the wind and growing wildly.
He shook his head again and stood still, still feeling an annoying intrusion in his ear canal.
Xiao Bai couldn't help but look at him, Xia Tian said: "It's all right."
He went to check his surroundings. The place where they stood was once an office, and there might be a children's activity area on the side. Several tables and chairs with playful shapes fell on the ground. When they were complete, they probably looked trendy, but now they are incomplete, weathered and faded.
There is silence now, save for the whistling of the wind.
The four explored the terrain in different categories. They were unarmed, and there were only self-gelling water or broken slabs in the building. Although no monsters or other players rushed out for a while, everyone knew that what they wanted to do was find the weapon as quickly as possible, a fruit knife would do. In places like this, weapons represent a lifeline.
Xiaobai looked around, and found a sign of a floating gold TV game show in the half-broken house, which was enough to judge that they were in the southwest area of the map.
Xia Tian found a dilapidated staircase, there was no other way, they walked down it, carefully checking the surrounding environment.
The killing show has always been exquisitely crafted, as close to reality as possible to create enough substitution and horror.
It's just the ruins, and you can see the previous pattern here. All kinds of signs can be seen around, such as "fifth dressing room", "children's entertainment room" and so on, and there are also a lot of advertisements, indicating that a certain movie is about to be released, that a certain snack is being tried for sale somewhere, or A newly developed indoor playground project.
Although these bright and prosperous things look faded and weathered, they are actually inserted by advertisers at a high price. In the end, there are always places where advertisements can be inserted.
Several people went down all the way, and the interior of the building seemed to have been ransacked and dilapidated, and old blood and bones could be seen from time to time.
The road sloped slightly, and they stopped after a short walk. Xia Tian looked ahead, the road disappeared, and there was only an ominous darkness ahead.
Xia Tian walked to the edge of the broken corridor of this "Floating Gold TV Station Seven" building, got closer, and looked down. The floors below were also shattered layer by layer, forming an abyss in the building.
Apparently, the building didn't know what had happened, and it broke diagonally.
Above the crack, the plants completely blocked the sunlight, but some self-evident energy-saving lamps in the building were still stubbornly shining, so they could see that the other half of "Kids Fun Corridor 3" was five meters away from the abyss, half caged by plants like a haunted house in the shadows.
"Did it explode?" Wei Xi said.
Touching the broken building board in summer, there is no trace of high temperature melting there.
"Like an earthquake," he said.
Wei Xi opened his lower lip, but didn't speak. None of the group said anything. There will be no earthquakes in the upper city, but just like there should be no zombies or mutant rats in the world, the upper world has everything.
They returned to find their way again and continued down.
As it gets closer to the ground, the plants become denser and denser, blocking the sunlight, and only the self-luminous lamps add a little weird glimmer.
The weathering of the building has improved because it hasn't seen the sun for a long time. They each found some offensive office products and held them in their hands to improvise. However, it didn't look more civilized. In the darkness, all human belongings were like false decorations in the beast's cave, which made the environment even more weird.
I didn't see any decent weapons along the way, but Xiaobai found a single-layer map and wrote the location of the storage room. Most of those places have guns in storage—every show, the average TV station has guns in the storage room.
They exchanged glances and proceeded cautiously in that direction, Bai Lin suddenly whispered: "It's too quiet."
Xia Tian gave a "hmm" and continued to try to find some weapons. Eric said: "The woods have never been so quiet."
Wei Xi cautiously walked in the middle of the team, grasping a sharp plastic tube that Xia Tian handed him just now, his whole body tensed up.
There are no birds or insects here, just like a cemetery.