Chapter 40 Total Annihilation [@A Ray of Light Promise: Wait for me. ...]
At 9:30 a.m., Shi Yao arrived at the entrance of Factory No. 5 at Yuyang Film and Television Base on time. Factory No. 5 is much smaller than Factory No. 1, and the performance venue inside can only accommodate a maximum of 500 audience members.
A short queue had already formed at the entrance. There were three ticket checkpoints in total, and Shi Yao randomly chose the shortest one to join.
After a quick glance around, Shi Yao noticed that many of the people in line were carrying large bags, presumably to hide their cameras.
A commotion suddenly broke out at the front of the line, followed by a sharp young woman's voice: "Don't touch it! Who gave you permission to move it? Do you know how expensive this is? Can you afford to pay for it if you break it?"
Then came a slightly hesitant young male voice: "Madam, the performance rules state that no photography equipment is allowed. If you want to enter, you can't bring this in. We can keep it for you."
The woman's voice remained aggressive: "Store it? One of my lenses alone costs tens of thousands. If it gets damaged, broken, or lost while I'm with you, who will be responsible? I think you don't want to store it, you want to confiscate it!"
"No, ma'am, please cooperate with our work."
"How am I not cooperating? I watched the first two rounds of performances, and there have never been so many problems before. I think you're just deliberately making things difficult for me!"
"Madam, if you do not cooperate, we cannot allow you to enter."
The queue was already quite noisy, but this incident made the surroundings so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Shi Yao and the girl in front of her exchanged a glance, and the other girl couldn't help but greet Shi Yao: "Was your camera confiscated?"
Shi Yao: "I feel so."
The girl stood on tiptoe again, trying to see, but the line was too long and they couldn't see anything from their position. She turned around and said dejectedly, "It feels like the security checks are much stricter this time than before, but my friend said she managed to hide in. Which side has the looser security?"
Shi Yao was contemplating whether she should remove the camera and hide it on her person when she heard the girl's words and her eyes lit up: "Your friend has already gone in with a camera? When did she enter?"
“She arrived early, around eight o’clock, and was almost the first one to go in.” Seeing that Shi Yao was also concerned about this issue, the girl replied to her very enthusiastically, “My friend was dressed very loosely, took off her camera and tied it to her body, and that’s how she got in.”
It seemed that she still had to disassemble the camera, so Shi Yao immediately started working on it.
Last night, she asked the two fan site admins she knew offline for a lot of tips related to the performance. Both of them had been to the second performance and told her that the security check was very lax. As long as she brought a big backpack and hid the camera at the bottom, she could sneak in.
But now it seems that this round of security checks has changed.
The girl hesitated for a moment, then patted Shi Yao on the shoulder and said, "Sister, could you hold my spot for me? I want to go to the front and see what's going on."
Shi Yao readily agreed, and the girl put down her backpack and quickly slipped out of the line.
She returned a few minutes later, looking relaxed: "The girl who was stopped was too flamboyant. She didn't hide the camera at all; she just had it in her bag. Security stopped her."
After saying that, she lowered her voice and said, "The security check is much stricter today than before. They won't let you in with things in your bag, but you can hide them on your person. Sister, you'd better hide them quickly."
Shi Yao smiled gratefully at her: "Thanks, I'll hide it right away."
The girl waved her hand and said, "It's okay. They're all from the dog's offline network. The more people we can get in, the better. If I don't manage to take the picture, I might have to buy the photo from you."
Shi Yao was amused by her. The girl was very lively and talkative. The two exchanged WeChat contacts and agreed to exchange pictures.
Soon it was Shi Yao's turn in the queue. While waiting in line, she had already disassembled the camera and hidden it in her inner garment. The larger parts were tied around her waist with straps. She was dressed loosely, so from the outside, it was impossible to tell that she was hiding so many things.
The girl in front of her passed through easily and even winked at her after entering. Shi Yao followed closely behind, handed her canvas bag to the security personnel, cooperated with their inspection, and finally passed through smoothly as well.
After entering, you will have nearly an hour of free time to buy some food and drinks. Once you enter the recording studio, you will not be allowed to eat or drink anymore.
Shi Yao first went to the restroom to remove the camera from her body and carefully placed it at the bottom of her canvas bag. Then she went to the food window to buy some things. She walked to the recording studio when there was still half an hour left in the recording time.
The recording studio wasn't large, and there were already quite a few people standing inside. Many fans lined up early to get a good view, and once inside, they rushed straight to the recording studio without eating or drinking to grab a good spot in the front row.
Shi Yao wasn't that fixated on her seat. After all, the hall was only so big, and even if she stood in the last row, she could clearly see the people on stage. Moreover, standing in the front row made it easy for security to catch her. If she stood in the middle, there were people all around, so she wouldn't be easily spotted, and even if she was, it wouldn't be easy to catch her. After the show started, it was so crowded that security couldn't squeeze into the crowd at all.
Currently, about half of the audience members are standing in the recording studio, which is exactly what Shi Yao wanted. She found the middle and stood there, and soon her surroundings were filled with people.
Half an hour later, the recording began.
The first person to come out was the program PD. After a brief introduction, all the trainees went on stage together to greet the audience.
Shi Yao had already assembled the camera and was holding it in her hand. As soon as she saw Yingxu appear, she immediately raised the camera.
Many people around her, like her, also raised their long lenses and large cameras, and the sound of shutters clicking was constant.
Shi Yao had only taken a few photos when a commotion suddenly broke out in front of her. The cameras of several fans in the front row were confiscated, and they were even kicked out of the recording studio.
The fans in the back row who hadn't had their cameras confiscated hurriedly packed up their equipment, but it was too late. The security guards for this round of performances seemed to have suddenly gained superhuman vision, staring intently as they walked towards the back row, accurately identifying everyone who had just taken out their cameras, and scanning back and forth with their laser pointers.
As they realized that their row was about to be checked, the people around Shi Yao panicked, some even trying to crawl on the ground to get to the front.
Security guards, like the Grim Reaper, called out the fansites one by one and expelled them from the recording studio. Shi Yao felt something was wrong; the production team had unexpectedly become stricter. She had to get the photos this time, as it was crucial for Xu's future.
She couldn't be kicked out, nor could she rely on paparazzi. Even if they weren't caught immediately, given the security guards' attitude, they would be killed the moment someone took out a camera.
As the security guards approached to arrest her, Shi Yao's mind raced. Suddenly, an idea struck her, and she said to the system, "System, activate the Invisibility buff!"
"Yes, host, the Invisibility buff has been activated."
Fangfang is a fan site manager; she joined the fan club with high hopes on her shoulders.
She originally thought that the entry was just stricter, but she didn't expect it to be even stricter after the official recording started. Watching her sisters with cameras being pulled out one by one, she panicked.
Fangfang quickly stuffed the camera back into her bag. When she looked up, she met the scrutinizing eyes of the security guard. She knew she was doomed.
Resigned to her fate, Fangfang stepped out of the group. She wanted to see if the other women behind her were like her. She remembered that there was another woman next to her who had brought a camera. That woman was even bolder than her, as she didn't hide her camera after the security guards started arresting people.
Is it because they've already taken pictures that they don't care?
Fangfang turned around and was surprised to find that the person she was looking for had disappeared, and she was not among the people the security guards had arrested.
Did she sneak to the front?
Fangfang felt envious; these sisters were so agile. She hoped they could survive a little longer.
Shi Yao, who was being watched, did not change her position. She remained standing calmly in the same spot. The effect of the "invisibility buff" was immediate. The moment she used it, the security guards ignored her. Even though she was holding a camera, they were unmoved and simply walked past her to grab the person behind her.
Great, it works really well.
I hadn't remembered I had this buff in my inventory, otherwise I could have used it during the security check.
After a thorough cleanup, most of the fan site admins were caught. The few who escaped were quick-witted and agile; they immediately fled upon spotting security. Due to the dim lighting inside, the security personnel inevitably missed a few.
After activating the buff, Shi Yao felt refreshed. Not only the security guards, but everyone around her subconsciously ignored her. The atmosphere around her became much more relaxed, and she could breathe more easily.
This buff doesn't make her completely invisible, nor does it make her body transparent. People can still see her, so they won't deliberately push or bump into her, but they will subconsciously ignore her presence and won't care about her actions.
In other words, once this buff is activated, Shi Yao can jump onto the stage and no one will care.
She happily found a suitable spot to take photos, ready to start taking lots of pictures at the Promised Stage later.
She had only planned to take a few photos today, but the buff effect was unexpectedly good, so she could look forward to more.
...
Xiao Ai waited anxiously in front of the computer, glancing at her phone every now and then.
They said entry started at 10:00 AM today, and recording officially began at 11:30 AM. It's already 6:30 PM, why isn't it over yet?
It's been a full seven hours! And they haven't even finished recording five stages yet. What kind of efficiency is this?
Xiao Ai glanced at her phone again. It was 6:40. The sky outside the window was already starting to darken. She got up, turned on the room light, and sat back down at her computer.
She waited here all day, finally experiencing what it's like to wait from dawn till dusk.
Not long after she became a fan, it was time for the second performance. That time was not as difficult as it is now. There were many more stages in the second performance than in the third performance, twelve in total. However, reports started circulating at 5 pm, and by 6 pm, fansite admins had started posting pictures. One after another, they kept posting all night long.
Unlike now, there are only five stages, and we haven't heard a single word since it got dark.
What exactly are they recording? Does recording a stage performance really take this long?
And why is there no news at all? Usually people leave early, so why is it so quiet today?
Xiao Ai refreshed the homepage again, only to find it completely silent. There were no fan sites posting pictures in the super topic, only casual fans jumping around waiting.
She opened GreenPeace, which she now uses even more frequently than Weibo. Here, she can see the latest news about the entire show. On Weibo, she only follows Yingxu's top fan site admins and can't see anything related to other shows.
The Green Petal homepage was also a frustrating sight, with no reports or pictures. Xiao Ai refreshed the page again in frustration, when suddenly a message popped up that made her heart skip a beat.
[Main Post: A friend of mine who was at the scene said that this round of security was extremely, extremely, extremely strict. They arrested a lot of people from the security checkpoint onwards, and even more after they entered the venue. Basically, everyone was caught. [Image]]
The image contains a WeChat chat log:
10:41
Left: I've entered the venue, treasure!
Right: Okay baby, waiting for you
17:40
Right: How's it going, baby?
18:01
Right: Baby, where are you? [Sad face]
18:35
Right: Sister, where are you? Why aren't you done yet? [crying]
Right: Sis, it's 6:30, and you're still not done recording?
Right: Come back to me as soon as you're out, baby! [crying]
18:44
Left: It's out.
Left: It's a long story.
Right: What happened? What happened? Was your dancing really bad? Why did it take so long to record?
Left: Security was incredibly tight, practically insane. It felt like all the fan site admins were wiped out [crying emoji]
[1L: !!? Really? Does the poster have any proof?]
[2L: Aaaaaaah? I was wondering why it was so quiet, did all the fan site admins get arrested? [crying]]
[3L: No way... I've been looking forward to this all day, I'll really die if I don't see the picture...]
[4L: It's okay, there's also a written report, which can satisfy our cravings]
[5L: My friend also went to the performance, and she hasn't replied to my message yet. OP, are you sure this is true?]
[6L replies to 5L: [Image] The wristband photo from the scene can prove it, right? My friend was among the first to come out, and she said she felt suffocated inside and left before the closing remarks were even finished.]
[7L: Oh my god, this really is a performance bracelet. We're all wiped out. I'm really crying.]
[8L: This is how tonics are made! This is how tonics are made! My child has been waiting all day for this.]
[9L: Why did Syad suddenly change his mind? He didn't care about anything before, but now he cares about the third performance? Ahhhhh, the third performance was the one that needed the pictures the most!]
[10L: I'm really devastated... I've waited all day and this is what you tell me...]
[11L: Sister Xinyi posted a message to her fans!!! She said her camera was confiscated, and what the original poster said is true!]
As Xiao Ai scrolled through the posts, her heart sank lower and lower. When she saw the latest comment, she quickly switched to Weibo. Xin Yi Jie was also Ying Xu's fan site manager, with tens of thousands of followers. She was often seen offline and had excellent photography skills, showing that she was experienced in following celebrities.
Refreshing my Weibo group, I was sure to see a post from two minutes ago.
[@PromiseYourHeart·Promise: I'm seriously fed up with this show's production team. They started acting crazy from the security checkpoint. Once I got in, the staff inside were even more insane. Have you ever seen security personnel chasing fans with laser pointers? I finally have! [smile] They even broke my memory card, and then they wouldn't let me leave! If it weren't for the big brother's performance, you wouldn't let me watch! What's the point of not letting me leave? Don't I have time? If it weren't for Promise, I wouldn't be able to follow this talent show at all! [smile]]
There are already hundreds of comments below, all from eager little fans. The fan site admin herself hasn't logged off either, continuing to rant in the comments section.
[A: Ahhhhh, sister, were you arrested? Does that mean there are no more pictures? [crying]]
[Reply: Yes, I was arrested not long after the show started. Yes, it was when they were greeting me. They arrested me and wouldn't let me leave. I didn't even get to see the whole stage and I wasted the whole day [smile]]
[B: Sister, you've worked so hard, *pat pat*. That dog of a production team is heartless. Everything was fine in the last round; they probably just did it on purpose to let you lower your guard.]
[Reply: Haha, I think so too. Actually, the security checkpoints are alright. If they don't allow bags, they don't. It's the same at other shows. But once you get in, it's like they're arresting a criminal. I'm not exaggerating. Those security guards are like superheroes, walking towards you with laser pointers and just dragging you out.]
[C: This is too much! Even if the production team wanted to grab the camera, they didn't have to be so rough, and detain him for so long. What right do they have to detain people without authorization?]
[Reply: The production team is cunning. They made us all sign an agreement before we entered. I didn't read it carefully, but later I found that it stated that if we were kicked out for violating the rules, we would have to wait until the show ended before we could leave [smile]]
[D: Sisters, were you all arrested? Do you know any friends who weren't arrested? [Pitiful]]
[Reply: No, a total wipeout, everyone got arrested, I even lost my card, lol. The production team did compensate me, but who needs it!]
The number of comments grew, eventually exceeding two thousand. Not long after, Xu Ni Xin Yi deleted the fan post and reposted a new one to comfort the fans.
[@PromiseYourHeart·Promise: Don't worry too much, everyone. It's not just our group that got caught; everyone got caught. We didn't have any pictures, and nobody else did either. Although I was unlucky and didn't see Baby's performance, some friends in the same industry who saw it told me it was super cool and perfect, an absolutely god-level performance. Everyone go to the supertopic and check out the text reports. Let's wait patiently for the full broadcast.]
Xiao Ai's heart sank completely. She casually typed a couple of words of comfort to Xin Yi Jie, sighed deeply, and then opened the super topic. There were no reports in the super topic yet, so the event was probably not over yet.
Xiao Ai reopened Green Petal, and the homepage was now filled with various complaints. After Sister Xinyi posted that fan meeting, many fan site admins started posting their complaints on their homepages, criticizing the program team's actions.
[Main post: Umbrella Sister also died. Her fans have given a more detailed account. She didn't take out her camera until the fourth stage, but as soon as she took it out, security immediately arrested her. According to her, security was arresting people the whole time, and they would arrest people for a long time after each stage recording ended. The stage setup also took a long time, which is why the recording went on so late.]
[1L: The security was absolutely amazing, they were arresting people the whole time... How much are they paid to be so dedicated?]
[2L: I was terrified when I heard the comments from people who said that the security was incredibly high. They were scanning people with laser pointers the whole time. Seriously, that's so disrespectful!]
[3L: Exactly! And not everyone brings a camera. This really affects the experience of ordinary audience members. They keep shining laser pointers at each other. Anyone who's been to a show knows how blinding those laser pointers are. It's just too much.]
[4L: My friend just came out, and she told me that she was blinded by the green light of the laser pointer the whole time. If the venue hadn't been so small and the audiovisual experience hadn't been so good, she would have wanted to punch someone.]
[5L: So how many people were arrested this time? Were there hundreds?]
[6L: Definitely. Several popular fan site admins combined have over a hundred fans. Even if some admins didn't get any votes, including those from other fan sites, it's still close to a hundred, not to mention individual fans.]
[7L: Won't the on-site voting be incredibly fierce this time...? In the end, there won't even be 400 people left to vote, and those who were kicked out are all die-hard fan site admins. I guess there won't be the same huge gap as before this time.]
[8L: I'm so sad that you guys still care about the voting. I just want to know how their costumes and makeup are! There are no pictures to see this time. I hope my favorite's costumes and makeup haven't been smeared with oil!]
[9L: It's so annoying not being able to see the pictures. Can the production team please give us a preview of what the costumes will look like so the kids can feel at ease?]
[10L: Keep dreaming. The production team is already being generous by not delaying the release of the stage footage, let alone giving you a preview.]
[11L: Wow, even Honest Bro's fan site admin got caught! The show's producers are really indiscriminately attacking people. I thought it was because the popular fan site admins were frequently seen offline and were therefore being targeted.]
[12L: Honest Bro only had one fan site admin who followed him offline, and he still got arrested. I'm so upset.]
[13L: I can't sleep. The thought of not seeing any performance photos tonight is making me feel terrible.]
Xiao Ai scrolled through the green petal with a dejected look, and every time she saw someone criticizing the production team, she would go in and join in the criticism. Finally, when someone posted a text report, she quickly clicked on it.
[Main Post: Just got home, exhausted. I watched all five stages of the performance. While my memory is still good, feel free to ask me anything, I'll reply as I see the [image] as proof.]
The comments section quickly filled up, but the original poster didn't reply very often, only occasionally replying with one or two comments, but they were quite detailed, describing the clothing of all five groups.
[279L [Original Poster]: The third round was actually quite good overall. The costumes, makeup, and stage design were far superior to the first two rounds, especially the costumes, which were better than previous years. The first group's performance of "Fly Back" was a boy group song that immediately blew the audience away. Li Yuzhe performed very well, steadily and solidly. The song was quite nice, but I felt that the best part was only the demo. The costumes were pure black knight style, and everyone had a lot of accessories and various chains.
The second group's sweet song "Monsoon Party" features a fresh and approachable boyfriend-next-door look with a navy-inspired pink and blue color scheme. Lin Cheng-hsing is actually quite suitable for this song. It's the first time I've seen him in a beret, and he looks great.
The third group's song was "Ding". At first, I didn't get the exotic style at all, but it was actually quite nice to listen to live. The melody was really catchy. After seeing the whole performance, I understood why Jiang Yi chose this song. Wow, he's so charming. I don't really understand what kind of costume it is. It's mostly dark green and white, which must have been designed by the production team. It has a very exotic feel.
The fourth group is all vocals, no need to say more, just enjoy the treat for your ears. The stage design is the most luxurious of the five groups (in my opinion). Because the vocal group doesn't have much dance, the stage design is really luxurious. This group also had the longest wait time, as it took more than an hour to set up the stage.
The fifth group, "The Logger," I can only say that Promise is a god. This song completely, completely, completely belongs to him. I couldn't see anyone else; even those who weren't his were glued to him (God, I'm really not a Promise fan). The costume felt a bit religious? I don't know how to describe it. The color scheme was black, gray, white, and dark blue. Promise's makeup and styling suited him so well; he really felt both divine and sinister, especially with the stage design and lighting. When he sang the killing part, I wanted to kneel down (not really).
Each group recorded twice, and none of them were particularly bad. They all sang live and had backing tracks. It was too noisy in the studio, so I couldn't really tell who sang well except for the vocal group. Let's wait for the full episode!
Xiao Ai quickly commented and asked which stage she thought was the best and whose performance was the most impressive, to which the original poster replied instantly.
[376L [Original Poster] replied to 371L: Login user, Promise, I can only say that those who appear last always have a reason, and Promise is about to reach the top.]
Xiao Ai was terrified by this comment. On one hand, she was eager to watch the full episode next week, but on the other hand, she was also excited by the various reports and descriptions.
On the one hand, there's the fear that these are deliberate attempts to create a false impression, exaggerating the promises to the skies and belittling the world, only to find out the reality is completely different when the full episodes air, leading to further merciless criticism from the world.
Although there were no pictures, there were quite a few text reports. Xiao Ai read through all the reports and found that almost everyone unanimously praised Xu. She compiled the report links and planned to read them when she was bored.
Then, I took a screenshot of the relevant part of the promise and posted it in the super topic to appease the fans who couldn't see the performance photos.
Xiao Ai is no longer a solo fan like before. She has joined several fan groups and made many like-minded friends. She has also created a small group with a few close friends, where they chat from time to time.
After sending the compiled report to the small group, Xiao Ai initiated a group voice call.
Others in the group quickly joined the voice call, and everyone chattered about the report they had just seen.
Suddenly, a girl screamed, "Sister Tianguang posted on Weibo! You guys have to go check it out!"
Xiao Ai's heart skipped a beat. Her intuition told her that the content of this Weibo post might not be simple. She rushed to Weibo, and the homepage showed the fan meeting that Sister Tianguang had just posted.
[@A Ray of Light Promise: Wait for me.]
The comment section has already received thousands of replies for just two words, with the top comment coming from a fellow fan whom Xiao Ai is very familiar with.
[@SongxuLovesIceCream: Sister, are you going to post a picture?!]
She received a reply.
[@A Ray of Light - Promise: Yes.]
Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2024-06-28 20:57:06 and 2024-06-29 20:59:29!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Xunxun (5 bottles); Aqiya, Suki Cat, and Dilireba (1 bottle each);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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