Wasteland Base

The next day, Wangyou Media's RV pulled up outside the agency first thing in the morning.

"Whoa." Yue Wen stepped outside and looked at the luxury vehicle as if he'd spotted a Purple Jade Branch waving him over.

Inside were two rows of upright leather seats, like oversized sofas. He Caihua wore a fitted black martial arts outfit that accentuated her graceful figure and made her fair skin and beauty all the more striking.

The door opened, and she nodded in greeting to the two of them.

"Seeing a handsome guy and a beautiful girl first thing in the morning puts me in a great mood. Heh-heh." A Mei sat beside her. With his floral shirt and yellow hair, he looked like a street thug at first glance, but the moment he spoke, he sounded every bit the woman.

Yue Wen wore a black T-shirt and jeans, looking sunny and handsome. Zhao Xing'er had on a loose long sweater and a white skirt, one slender shoulder exposed, her collarbones delicate.

They looked just like the leads in a youth drama.

Neither had put much thought into their outfits. They relied entirely on their looks to make the fashion work.

"The company's fine with the idea you told me about yesterday." After they got in, He Caihua turned to Zhao Xing'er. "I just think it's a bit of a shame. In the livestreaming world, people usually hide their faces because they don't think they look good. You're so pretty, there's no need to hide your face just to seem mysterious."

After Zhao Xing'er had discussed her mask plan with Wangyou Media the night before, the company hadn't raised any major objections. They'd only added a clause to the contract requiring her to sign with Wangyou Media if she later revealed her face for the first time as part of a business deal.

After all, they were only supporting cast. He Caihua was the real star of the livestream, with Liu Yuanjun and Li Feixia at most joining her. If any of the other four managed to go viral, that would be great, but it wasn't important if they didn't.

"I have too many things to worry about..." Zhao Xing'er sighed.

"Don't tell Sister Hua about those things," Yue Wen warned her.

He was afraid that after hearing them, the media company wouldn't just give up on signing Zhao Xing'er—they might report her to the Supervision Bureau and have her arrested.

That was enough to get her sentenced.

"Of course, what matters most is what you want. The company won't force you." He Caihua smiled. "I can help you pick out a pretty mask, though."

Zhao Xing'er smiled sweetly too. "Thank you, Sister Hua."

The Wasteland Zone base built by the media company was in City Seven, which made things much more convenient. He Caihua had picked them up on her way, while the other young people had to take the train or drive over themselves.

Third Realm cultivators could fly on the wind, but cities had specific flight-management laws that prohibited cultivators from flying wherever they pleased.

Even in the suburbs, where enforcement was lax, nobody flew long distances on a whim. It was exhausting. Ordinary people in modern society didn't go running for two hours just to get somewhere, either.

Only powerful cultivators whose speed far surpassed that of vehicles might fly to save time.

Those in the lower three realms weren't necessarily any faster flying on the wind than a car on the highway.

The RV drove all the way to the outskirts and arrived at a private garden built against the hills. The grounds were vast, and from a distance, they looked lush and green. The surrounding walls were high, and many sheds had been built around the perimeter, completely blocking anyone outside from peeking in.

This was the Wasteland Zone livestream base built by Wangyou Media.

No wonder they'd chosen Jiang City for the trial run. If they'd picked a major city like Dragon City or Tianhai City, where every inch of land was worth a fortune, buying up such a huge plot would have bankrupted Wangyou Media.

None of the people in the RV noticed that, as it slowly drove into the garden, a pitch-black bird in the distant trees suddenly flashed a glint in its eyes.

Click.

The RV drove into the garden and stopped in a large open space.

Yue Wen and the others followed He Caihua and her group out of the vehicle. Before them was a sprawling row of connected sheds. Inside were staff from all the different teams: camera operators, editors, directors, hosts, food thieves, support staff, security, and more.

It was only a livestream, but the preparations rivaled those of a major film production.

The staff would be staying here for the full three days. The connected sheds served as both workspaces and lodging, and the whole place looked chaotic. People were coordinating things everywhere, but there was no way a project involving so many people could run in perfect order.

Yue Wen and the others had never seen anything like it. They looked around in wonder as they passed through.

Beyond a tall wire fence in the distance, the trees on the other side grew thick and lush. Deep shadows and a secluded valley stretched between them, and the occasional roar of a beast carried through the air, giving the place a truly wild feel.

Venturing through this place might give them some experience for when they eventually entered the Wasteland Zone for real.

The group arrived at a shed in the center, where the other two teams had already gathered. Liu Yuanjun and Li Feixia, the senior and junior disciples, were still dressed in Daoist robes. The senior brother sat with his eyes closed, quietly regulating his breathing, while his junior sister grinned to herself as she played on her phone.

Su Renxue from Hidden Dragon Pool wore a green tracksuit, with a long saber slung over her back. She looked like a rebellious high school girl. Ji Yang had red hair and a black leather jacket, and he glanced around with a swaggering air.

"Now that everyone's here, let's go over the livestream process. Ask if anything's unclear. Once the livestream starts, try not to waste time." A female director wearing a mask walked over and began explaining.

"For this livestream, we've hidden three treasure chests in this area, each containing a valuable item. You'll be taking part in a treasure hunt. In addition to the three real chests with treasures, we'll also place dozens of fake ones. Some will be empty, some will have basic supplies like food, and some will even have monsters hidden inside..."

"If you find a treasure chest, you really do get to keep it as a reward. If you don't want it, you can exchange it for cash with us. The livestream ends once all three chests have been found. In reality, though, we'll only hide two real treasure chests at first. We won't put the third one in until the afternoon of the third day, in case the livestream doesn't run long enough."

"You've all seen the area. The Wasteland Zone we've built is large, but you can't move too quickly. Otherwise, our Bee Camera shots might not keep up. Treat this like a real wasteland. You'll need to explore it slowly, a little at a time."

"Make sure you keep your earpieces on. If anything changes, the staff will notify you through them."

"And now, the most important thing..."

The director's expression turned serious. "We've placed a large number of monsters in this area. To give the audience what they want, there may be even more of them than in an ordinary wasteland. As for their strength, you can rest assured—they're absolutely within your ability to handle. We wouldn't joke around with your lives. But you must stay alert at all times and never let your guard down."

"These monsters are the ones that passed out after crashing into the barrier outside the City Defense Array. They're weak, but extremely ferocious. When they see the Human Race, they really do feel an urge to draw blood."

"If you're confident, you can also show off some flashy Supernatural Techniques to make the viewing experience better." She smiled. "After all, each of you will have your own Bee Camera following you and your own livestream. If your individual stream gets donations, you'll get a bigger cut."

"All right, that's everything I needed to cover. Any questions?"

As soon as she finished, Yue Wen raised his hand before anyone else could. "Can we kill the monsters we find however we want?"

"Heh, of course," the director replied. "Those are real wasteland monsters, and everything works just like it does in the Wasteland Zone. Even if you don't attack them first, they'll come hunting you."

"If nobody has any questions, you can get a quick touch-up and then we'll start the livestream! You'll be here for three days, so thanks for all your hard work."

Hard work?

Yue Wen smiled faintly.

A place that paid him, made him famous, and let him kill monsters to his heart's content? He could stay there for a whole month and only take three days off!