Half the Broadcast

"Also, didn't you notice that our two drinks were delivered by different staff members at different times? They both said they were from Xiao Ming and Qu An, but one person wouldn't send two drinks for no reason. So, they must have each sent drinks to the other's fans without coordinating it properly."

The fans beside her gave an "Oh," while the others looked enlightened as well. "Anbao seems to like that Xiao Ming quite a bit. For the sake of this drink, we'll reluctantly accept him as a friend."

The others muttered among themselves too. Even those who had other thoughts felt that, having accepted the drinks, they couldn't exactly say much.

The two groups of fans who had nearly started arguing unexpectedly quieted down. They even got along peacefully, creating a strangely tranquil atmosphere.

Fans of the other celebrities turned to look at them once the commotion started. They had thought a fight would break out, but not only did it not happen, their relationship seemed to have improved.

Why did Xiao Ming and Qu An's fans both seem so weird?

What they envied more, though, was having milk tea and fruit tea sent by the celebrities themselves. Who could understand that feeling?

Neither Xiao Ming nor Qu An, now inside, knew anything about the chaos among the fans outside.

Several of the guests participating this time were unfamiliar to Xiao Ming. Besides the eight regular cast members, including him and Qu An, there were You Duidui and Yi Xiaoda, who had also participated in the first episode. The remaining six had not appeared in the first episode.

Xiao Ming knew two of them. One was He Songyi, who had worked with Qu An in a film, the film that had also earned Qu An a Best Supporting Actor award. The other was Shan Yi, also an actor.

The other four were Song Fanghua, a currently popular second-tier actress; Feng Danke, a comedian and variety show regular; Gu Wuping, a martial arts actor; and Pang Ba, the champion singer from a hit singing competition.

When Gu Wuping saw Qu An, he came over to greet him. "Little An, long time no see."

"Brother Wuping, long time no see," Qu An replied.

Gu Wuping asked, "Want to grab a drink together after the show?"

"A drink won't work. We still have to film tomorrow," Qu An said. "But I'd like to ask Brother Wuping to do me the honor of having dinner together tonight."

The two looked very familiar with each other. They had deliberately avoided the cameras when discussing dinner, making it obvious that they truly knew each other well.

"Alright. I'll contact you after the show," Gu Wuping said.

Just like his name suggested, Gu Wuping looked solid and steady. His exposed arms were packed with firm muscles, making him look powerful, while his overall bearing gave off an honest, dependable feeling.

Since he was still unfamiliar with everyone else, Xiao Ming simply exchanged polite greetings with them.

His gaze mostly followed Qu An. He had no recollection of Qu An ever working with Gu Wuping, so he assumed his memory simply was not good enough to recall it.

This episode was being filmed at Yellow City's opera base, the City of Opera. The entire venue was roughly 0.8 times the size of the Bird's Nest Stadium, mostly consisting of pavilions and traditional buildings. It was convenient for escaping and hiding, but the terrain was rather complicated.

The filming location was one of the main bases for Huangmei Opera and a nationally supported project site.

Huangmei Opera was one of China's five major opera forms and among the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage. It had a long history, with plays such as The Heavenly Match and The Female Imperial Son-in-Law widely circulated.

The sixteen Acceleration Team members began as usual by waiting for the hunters to be released. This time, the rule was for them to carry a bell to a plate while keeping the noise below twenty decibels, over a distance of roughly five meters.

The twenty-decibel requirement applied from the moment the bell was picked up. If any sound exceeded twenty decibels during that time, the hunters would be released immediately. If all members succeeded, the hunters would be released two minutes later.

The opening segment was livestreamed. Since the hunters were all inside their hunter boxes, the broadcast showed only a single view. However, viewers and fans had already learned about the show's new format through Full Speed Ahead!'s Weibo, and the stream began in the afternoon just as everyone was waking up. The moment it went live, a huge number of viewers flooded in.

[Here, here! Duidui baby, I'm here!]

[This is our Kaikai's first time on Full Speed Ahead! Go!]

[I'm here for Qu An! Anbao, good luck!]

[This camera angle is incredible, a first-person view, but it feels a little blurry.]

[The livestream is filmed with miniature cameras too. Relax, having something to watch is already good enough.]

[The show really spent big this time. Looks like yym really had quite an impact on the production team.]

[Anbao's yellow polo shirt is so lively today. He finally has that youthful college student vibe.]

[Now that you mention it, xmx is wearing yellow too. They kind of match.]

[Why are certain fans already trying to ride their coattails?]

[Could CP fans please stop dragging our guy into this? Our Xiao Ming only sees Brother Qu as a senior.]

[Xiao Ming... wasn't that what Qu An called Xiao Ming in the first episode? Fans say they don't ship them, yet...]

[Gu Wuping looks so muscular. He seems really reliable.]

[I'm here for our beautiful Fanghua! She's a national Level Two sprinter, so I'm really looking forward to this!]

[Right, several guests this episode look like they can really run.]

[I wonder whether beautiful Pang Ba will scream in a high pitch today. I remember she got scared and screamed like crazy on her last show.]

The game rules were explained to the guests by the on-site director, so the viewers knew them as well.

[The sound we can hear is already twenty decibels. Below twenty decibels basically means they can't make a sound at all. And it's a bell—how could it not ring? They might as well just get ready to run.]

There was a dedicated camera at the drawing station, and the broadcast switched over there.

The starting order was still decided by drawing lots. Xiao Ming drew a relatively late number this time: "13."

Qu An, on the other hand, drew "5," making it highly likely that he would have to face the hunters directly.

When Xiao Ming drew his lot, his face was right up against the camera.

[Holy crap, why is xmx so good-looking? He's this close to the camera, and this is such a deadly angle too.]

[And it looks like he only put on some makeup primer. I'm so jealous—he doesn't have a single pimple.]

[I'm dying, I'm dying, wife!]

[Wifey, let me cuddle you!]

[My wife is so close to me. Rounding it up, she's kissing me!]

[Are fans this bold with their fantasies now?]

[qaq drew right beside xmx. That height difference—I love it!]

[Did QAQ let Little Magic Fairy have that lot because he wanted to take it just now?]

[What's the Little Magic Fairy meme?]

[The person asking about Little Magic Fairy can search Xiao Ming Little Magic Fairy on Weibo.]

[Because of xmx.]

[The lots they drew are so far apart. It feels like they won't be starting at the same time.]

[Hard to say. This decibel test feels really difficult.]

Because the spot where they had to deliver the bell was very close to the hunters, once they failed, the chance of being caught was extremely high.

The third episode's runtime had been increased to one hundred minutes. Perhaps the production team had realized the issue with the duration after editing the first episode.

Once an Acceleration Team member was caught by a hunter, they would be considered to have failed the challenge and could only receive one-tenth of the Acceleration Energy they had earned at that point. If they survived safely for one hundred minutes, they could receive six hundred thousand Acceleration Energy.

This episode had a challenge zone. Participants could choose to withdraw at a designated location, and those who withdrew could receive all the Acceleration Energy they had earned up to that point.

The top twenty Acceleration Team members in total Acceleration Energy after eleven episodes would enter the twelfth episode to compete for the title of Uncrowned Acceleration King. The winner would become Yiniu's spokesperson for one year.

You Duidui went first. She moved very slowly, and everyone waiting clenched their fists in anxiety the entire time. Girls tended to be more careful, and she successfully escorted the bell over, with the decibel level staying around the dangerous number of seventeen.

[So amazing, so amazing! Duidui is seriously incredible!]

[I thought the production team was joking, that they just wanted to release the hunters immediately and catch everyone. Someone actually succeeded?]

[It feels like the bell was tamed by You Duidui.]

Feng Danke was second. When Xiao Ming saw him walking over, his right eyelid twitched. He touched Qu An's hand beside him, signaling for him to get ready.

Qu An glanced at Xiao Ming. The two moved farther apart while also observing the surroundings.

Their little movements did not escape the fans watching the livestream. Although they were some distance away, Xiao Ming's cool, pale skin and their yellow clothes made the two easy to spot.

[Did xmx hook qaq with his finger?]

[Can xm stop sticking to qa? He kept doing it in the first episode, and he's still doing it in the third.]

[No, does xmx have connections or something? How did he get back on Full Speed Ahead! so quickly?]

[I thought I was seeing things. Since everyone else is saying it too, I wasn't imagining it.]

[It was obvious in the first episode that Xiao Ming only focused on the missions the entire time, okay? And he was clearly just moving to the side and accidentally bumped into Film Emperor Qu.]

[Am I the only one who noticed that as soon as xmx touched qaq, qaq followed him away? QAQ truly only has eyes for his own wife.]

[Can you stop shipping them? This is a racing competition show, okay?]

[If those two don't focus on their missions and insist on making a mess, they'd better be careful not to get cursed to death.]

[This is hilarious. Shouldn't you be saying that to a certain female idol surnamed Lin? She stuck herself to qaq in the first episode, yet qaq completely ignored her.]

[Our sister just wanted to say a few words to Film Emperor Qu.]

This was the plaza at the entrance to the entire opera base, an open and spacious area. Traditional-looking buildings stretched out ahead. A pool could vaguely be seen on the left, while the right side had roads resembling narrow alleys.

After signaling the situation on both sides to Qu An, Xiao Ming stopped looking at him. While they still had not started, he shifted farther to the side. Qu An, who had originally moved closer to prepare, also moved a little closer toward Xiao Ming.

Feng Danke picked up the bell and began carrying it. He looked extremely nervous, then suddenly tripped the next second. The bell rang just as smoke erupted beside the hunter boxes, and four hunters were released.