Chapter 158: Interview Program, Pope Murder Case
"Welcome to this episode of the special interview program for Sequence Players. What we can announce for now is that there will be a total of three Sequence Players in this episode, and they are all in the top ten of the popularity list!"
On TV, the host held the microphone and spoke excitedly.
It was the night of January 29th. Anson Lu had just finished taking a shower and was sitting on the bed in the bedroom with a towel in his hand. While drying his hair, he was watching the 8 o'clock TV show - "Serial Interview".
This is a program filmed in New York, USA. The reason for setting up this program is simple: to help members of the law enforcement team and the national team consolidate their image and gain the love of the citizens.
In today's era, superstars have been completely replaced by sequence players. In order to ensure the operation of capital, the official will cooperate with some bigwigs in the asset world and make profits by relying on the reputation of sequence players.
In other words, the essence of these sequence players is no longer just heroes - outside of dungeon time, they will take on a lot of work that should belong to artists, living in the public eye.
The show's stage was very simple, with an elevator in the center and two sofas. There was only one host, an old American man with a slicked-back hair and sunglasses.
"The first guest of this episode is Jiang Yiji from the Chinese national team, ranked ninth in the world. This handsome guy's occupation sequence is 'Emerald Mask'!" The host stretched out his arms vigorously towards the elevator.
Bang!
Extravagant fireworks were scattered all over the sky, and the elevator in the center of the stage opened. Jiang Yiji, dressed in a suit, walked out of the elevator and waved to the audience with a gentle smile on his face.
The whole audience cheered.
"Oh my god, this is so awkward..." Anson Lu said while chewing melon seeds, his scalp tingling, "You guys are amazing. Fortunately, I didn't join the law enforcement team or the national team."
Jiang Yiji sat down on the sofa opposite the host. His posture was very upright, and it was obvious that he had received an upper-class education, not the kind of person who deliberately pretended in front of the camera.
"Mr. Jiang Yijie, as the face of China, our Sequence Player Interview has been looking forward to your arrival for a long time. What do you want to say to your fans?" The host pretended to be excited.
"I'm sorry to disappoint everyone. I just found the time recently." Jiang Yijie smiled, "I hope we can spend a pleasant night together."
There was another round of cheers.
Most of the shouting audience were Chinese living in New York, as well as players who flew in from China specifically with travel coupons - it seems that as one of the most famous figures in China, Jiang Yiji still has a very high status in the eyes of his compatriots.
Anson Lu nibbled a melon seed and said, "Isn't this guy busy investigating the principal?"
At this time, the host stretched out his arms towards the elevator again, raised the microphone and shouted.
"Well, welcome our second guest - Lorenzo de' Medici from the Law Enforcement Team. He is currently ranked second in the world rankings, and his sequence name is 'Crazy Bell Pope'."
Everything was quiet.
The program crew gave close-ups of the audience's expressions, and disbelief was written all over every audience member's face.
Then, the elevator doors slowly opened to both sides.
Colorful confetti scattered around.
An Italian man, nearly 1.9 meters tall, with long hair and blue eyes, walked out and waved to the audience with a smile on his face.
The program crew gave a close-up shot, and Lorenzo's facial features looked as if they were cut by a knife: clear and cold, almost comparable to ancient Greek sculptures.
Now no one in the audience could sit still. All the audience members shouted Lorenzo's name. In everyone's sight, Lorenzo sat next to Jiang Yiji.
Some fanatical fans were so enthusiastic that they almost lost their minds and were about to rush onto the stage, but the cold batons in the hands of the guards were like a bucket of cold water poured on their heads.
"Wow, this guy actually has time to be on this kind of show?" Anson Lu was a little surprised.
He dried his hair, picked up the Coke on the table and took a sip through the straw.
Anson Lu originally thought that a busy man like Lorenzo would not participate in such a program. But he was wrong. Lorenzo worked for the government, and as long as the government wanted him to participate, he had no room to refuse.
After all, the law enforcement team and the national team are backed by the government. In today's high-pressure environment, if even the only officials that the people can trust lose their prestige, then the world will be completely finished.
Therefore, the official will use this kind of marketing method similar to the entertainment industry to maximize the personality charm of the sequence players and gain the love of the people in a down-to-earth way.
Speaking of which, the first two guests are so important, who will be the third guest? Anson Lu took a sip of water.
"Mr. Lorenzo, this is your first time participating in our program. As the most prestigious and popular sequence player in the world, what do you want to say to your fans?" the host asked enthusiastically.
At this moment, the audience below the stage was still shouting.
Lorenzo raised the microphone, his blue eyes thoughtful.
After a moment, he said in a very magnetic voice: "Everyone, could you please be quiet for a moment?"
Under the gaze of these azure eyes, a silent and solemn majesty emanated, and the audience suddenly fell into silence.
"Thank you for your continued support. Next, I will lead the law enforcement team more diligently until we see the dawn for mankind." Lorenzo said lightly.
"Cough... cough cough..." Anson Lu almost spit out the water, "Fuck, this is so fucking second-year, is this what it feels like to be forced to work?"
After Lorenzo finished speaking, he sat on the sofa with the microphone in hand.
He was sitting next to Jiang Yiji. The two of them didn't even say hello to each other or even look at each other. Judging from this detail, their relationship should not be very good.
The host smiled and waited patiently until the audience calmed down before extending his arms towards the elevator.
"Then, let us welcome tonight's last guest, who is also our special guest, the thief player from China - Wang Youjin!"
"Who is this?" Anson Lu was stunned. "Wait, isn't this an interview with Sequence Players? Why is there a Rogue player here?"
What he didn't expect was that the audience's cheers were quite loud, and it seemed that many people were looking forward to this player's appearance.
Anson Lu raised his eyebrows and became interested. The elevator door opened, and exposed under the spotlight was a tall and handsome middle-aged man with a sinister face.
"Mr. Wang Youjin is the first ordinary professional player to appear on our 'Serial Player Interview' program. However, with the profession of 'Shadow Wing', he has entered the 352nd place in the global combat power rankings as an ordinary player! He has become the only ordinary professional player among the top 1,000 in the global combat power rankings!" The host introduced in a rhythmic manner.
The audience applauded continuously.
Lorenzo and Jiang Yiji also clapped softly to show their respect for this ordinary player.
Shadow Wing? Oh, the thief turned... Anson Deer just reacted.
He used his mobile phone to look up this person. On the Internet, Wang Youjin was called the "King of Thieves" and "China's Shadow Wing". He was full of Chuunibyou, but he lived up to his reputation.
Anson Deer was even more surprised.
Wang Youjin is not only an ordinary player, but he also uses the job transfer status of the unpopular thief profession - Shadow Wing, and he has entered the top 1,000 in the global combat power list with this?
No wonder Wang Youjin was invited to participate in this program - he simply represents the pinnacle that an ordinary player can reach, and he is so inspiring.
Of course, it is also possible that the 'Shadow Wing' profession is too unpopular, and it has benefited from some information asymmetry that no one has yet discovered - after all, few people choose the thief profession, let alone those who survive to the first level as a thief.
At present, the mainstream professions in the world are still mages and archers, followed by warriors and priests, and finally the thieves who are almost ignored.
Because of this, it is so easy for the media to market Wang Youjin.
The most exaggerated thing is that a profession that no one cares about is compared with sequence players, and even exceeds 60% of sequence players.
There is no doubt that his existence gives ordinary players hope for self-improvement and a direction to move forward.
The world needs such a representative of ordinary people.
If the official is only busy praising those "born noble" sequence players, it will not be able to meet the needs of ordinary players. One day, the conflict between ordinary players and sequence players will erupt.
On the TV screen, Wang Youjin sat next to Lorenzo.
The positions of the three people on the sofa are: Jiang Yijie on the left, Lorenzo in the middle, and Wang Youjin on the right.
After that, the host talked to them about some random questions, such as - "What do you think of the Seoul battle, the official launch of the world's number one player's union 'Hell Lighthouse', Mr. Lorenzo, Mr. Jiang Yijie, do you know the old chess players privately?"
"Come on, do I have to be blamed for this?" Anson Lu took a sip of Coke and shrugged helplessly.
He finally understood that this show was just trying to take advantage of his popularity.
After all, the Seoul incident just ended a few days ago, and the discussion about it has only increased, and it is still a topic that people are talking about hotly.
There are also many questions in everyone's mind, and they almost want to know urgently: Is there any relationship between Lorenzo and Anson Deer, the world's second and the world's first?
"Uh..." Jiang Yijie hesitated for half a second, then smiled and said, "To be honest, I haven't had much contact with Mr. Anson Lu, but I think he is a very down-to-earth and interesting person."
In fact, Jiang Yiji had only met Anson Lu once.
However, he said there was a reason why he didn't have much contact.
After all, as a representative of the Chinese national team, he couldn't possibly say publicly: "The principal of Shangshi High School threatened us Chinese officials not to contact Anson Lu."
The public opinion earthquake caused by such remarks will not ease in a day or two, and the consequences are simply unimaginable.
"It's down-to-earth and interesting. It really refreshes our understanding of the chess players of the past." The host said with a smile, "In the video clips released by the Evolution Foundation, the world's number one player 'Anson Deer' always seems to have a cold look on his face."
In front of the TV, Anson Lu's face turned pale. He drank the Coke in one gulp in confusion.
If it were in the past, he would have started digging his toes into the ground, but now he had never seen such a big storm, and considering his shamelessness, it wouldn't be too embarrassing.
Then it was Lorenzo's turn to speak.
"The old chess player and I are partners, and we are also friends." Lorenzo picked up the microphone and said slowly:
"In my opinion, Anson Lu is a kind and principled person, but I have to admit that he is also a lonely and stubborn person. It is precisely because of his sharp personality that he cannot integrate into the official organization and fight alongside us."
"Because the old chess players did not join the official organization and serve the people all over the world, many people say that Anson Deer is a selfish, cynical sinner. What do you think about this?" asked the host.
"This is undoubtedly wrong," Lorenzo said firmly, "Even if it has not joined the official organization, Anson Deer is protecting the human homeland in its own way."
After a pause, he continued:
"The United Nations officially respects the individuality of sequence players. Anson Lu is an outstanding person, and so are the players of Hell Lighthouse. The law enforcement team will continue to maintain a cooperative relationship with them, rather than ignoring and erasing their personal will and forcing them to join the law enforcement team."
Anson Lu in front of the TV laughed and couldn't help complaining: "You didn't say that before. The law enforcement team has done a great job in image management. They must have prepared a draft a long time ago."
If Lorenzo told the truth, the scene would be very exciting - "We can't defeat the Hell Lighthouse, so the recruitment failed."
At this time, most of the audience were applauding Lorenzo's wonderful speech, but some people remained silent and their faces were not very friendly.
Obviously, not everyone can accept this far-fetched rhetoric.
"Precisely because of the official indulgence of private player unions such as 'Hell Lighthouse', people wonder if the official approach is too soft. They all say: Only by allowing former chess players to directly serve the country can their power be maximized." The host added.
Lorenzo was silent for two seconds, then he leaned closer to the microphone and said calmly, "I'm very sorry, but I will refuse to answer questions like this from now on."
There was a sigh from the audience.
"Anyway, thank you Mr. Lorenzo for your answer!"
The host smiled and quickly changed the subject: "Next, I have a question from a netizen. I want to ask Mr. Wang Youjin, as an ordinary player, what kind of efforts did you make to be on par with the serial players?"
Wang Youjin picked up the microphone and said deeply:
"Before answering this question, I want to say something to all the ordinary players who are struggling: ordinary professions do not necessarily mean they will be weaker than special sequences. As long as..."
Anson Deer wasn't interested, so he just played Minesweeper on his phone.
What he wanted to see more was Lorenzo making a fool of himself on the show. He heard that there would be a popular "scandal segment" in the show later on.
In this fascinating segment, the production team will find some harmless gossip and ask the sequence players to answer, focusing on capturing their reactions with the camera.
This segment is arranged to make the image of the sequence players more approachable and closer to life. After all, no one likes a person who is high and mighty, even if he is a superstar.
When Anson Lu was almost falling asleep, he finally got to this part.
"Mr. Jiang Yijie, I heard that you were very popular in college. Once at a graduation ceremony, a female classmate confessed to you. At that time, you rejected her on the grounds that you were a lesbian?" asked the host.
Jiang Yijie was stunned for a moment, and couldn't help but smile. He raised the microphone and said:
"It was too cold at the time and I just wanted to go home quickly, so I made up this excuse. Now that I think about it, I'm really sorry for that girl. I apologize for my disrespect."
The audience burst into laughter. If this were online, the screen would have been filled with comments.
Anson Deer was not very interested. He yawned, held his chin, and muttered:
"It's almost time to go to bed. Can you hurry up and tell us some gossip about Lorenzo?"
"Next is Mr. Lorenzo. According to a reporter on the Internet, he said that he and his companion wanted to interview you, but you got angry at his companion and released a skill in a rage, sending his companion flying more than 20 meters, killing him directly and turning him into a bloody mist!" The host read the ridiculous script and couldn't help laughing:
"And, the reporter said, at that time, your eyes turned scarlet, like a werewolf's! And, he later said that the law enforcement team erased the existence of his companions and destroyed all evidence.
A few days ago, this reporter filed a lawsuit in court, muttering: "The crazy pope is not just," "Lorenzo is a monster," and so on. As a result, the court suspected that the plaintiff had a mental problem and dropped his lawsuit. "
When the host said this, the audience burst into laughter.
Everyone thought that this rumor was too fake. Even if they wanted to fabricate it to discredit Lorenzo, they wouldn't make up such a weird story that even elementary school students would doubt, right?
It turns out that the person who made up this rumor was a mental patient, so that's all.
"Oh my god, this is so magical, a bit like the fantasy novel written by my kindergarten child. He also said that he would write a series of novels comparable to "The Lord of the Rings" in the future!"
After the host said this, there was another round of laughter, and every audience member's face was filled with joy.
Then, he looked at Lorenzo and asked with a smile: "Excuse me, Mr. Lorenzo, how do you plan to respond to this negative news that has been circulating on the Internet recently?"
Lorenzo first smiled, as if it was no big deal, then he sighed and gently touched his forehead, looking a little embarrassed.
Finally, he slowly picked up the microphone and answered:
"There is a Chinese saying that a tall tree attracts the wind. Regarding this kind of rumor, I can only say that it is a common occurrence, so I won't respond too much. Finally, I wish everyone a good dream."
When Lorenzo said this, he gave a kind smile to the camera. His facial features, as delicate as a god, looked even more handsome in the TV camera that was so detailed that even the pores could be seen.
At the same time, happier and more unbridled laughter echoed in the audience.
At this moment, the show's ratings reached an unprecedented high, setting a peak record for the TV station.
Only Anson Deer in front of the TV was staring blankly at Lorenzo's smiling face.
A wave of disgust surged from my heart and gradually climbed up every pore of my body, as if thousands of tiny worms were crawling back and forth in my stomach, making me feel extremely uncomfortable.
It was not until the end of the show, when Lorenzo, Jiang Yijie and Wang Youjin bowed to the audience, that he came to his senses.
Turn off the TV and the room returns to silence.
Anson Lu recalled the host's description just now and what happened in the Disney copy before, and couldn't help but shudder.
After a long time, he opened the chat panel and sent a message to Urushihara Ritsu.
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(End of this chapter)
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