The circus treated its troupe members very well.
Under normal circumstances, poaching one of them was clearly unrealistic... However, Han Dong could tell that this "magician" was under immense pressure. His performance was noticeably more awkward than those of the members who had appeared before him.
Though it was good overall, it also had plenty of flaws.
The circus itself was an organization that frequently replaced its members. The next one to be eliminated might very well be this magician.
"Mr. Leblanc, have you ever considered working for me in the future? Of course, I don't mean now, but... later."
The meaning of "later" was already quite obvious. If the magician were fired by the circus or no longer wanted to continue for personal reasons, Han Dong would leave him a way out.
"Oh, right. Mr. Box is working for me now. You two should know each other."
(The Comedian Box—the circus's former scene designer, now an engineer for the Ladybug Foundation—was currently helping Han Dong renovate and expand the prison between his brains.)
"Box? He's working for you... Who exactly are you?"
"Let's talk after the performance. My body has almost recovered, so hurry up and deal with the others... Once brain death sets in, your performance will have failed."
Only after Han Dong's reminder did the magician realize that the others' performances were still ongoing.
As the audience members participating alongside the magician were restored one after another, the "unqualified" products were removed and another batch of audience members was brought in to replenish the numbers. The magic show continued.
The magic performance lasted a full ten rounds.
After joining in from the second round onward, Han Dong remained in a normal, rational state until the end. He constantly wandered along the boundary between life and death, experiencing