The Great Escape Begins

Because Guan Jun had texted Xiao Ming after converting him, Xiao Ming knew that Guan Jun was the one who had converted him, even though the notification had not said so.

The situation now was that Xiao Ming and the others from the Blue Team had turned Ning Shupei and Zhong Ka of the Red Team into Blue Team members. Then Guan Jun of the Red Team turned Xiao Ming into a Red Team member, and Red Team Xiao Ming turned Qu An of the Blue Team red as well. Then Blue Team Zhong Ka turned Red Team Guan Jun into a Blue Team member.

As things stood, Xiao Ming knew Zhong Ka and Guan Jun were on the Blue Team. Guan Jun knew Xiao Ming was on the Red Team, but he did not know Zhong Ka was on the Blue Team.

Because when Xiao Ming had called Zhong Ka just now, he had asked whether Zhong Ka had messaged Guan Jun about it, and Zhong Ka said he had not.

Xiao Ming said Zhong Ka was an undercover agent and should not expose himself too much. It would be more convincing if Zhong Ka contacted Guan Jun, since Guan Jun might think Zhong Ka was falsely claiming an identity.

So now Guan Jun and Xiao Ming had to put on an act for each other.

"Hello, Brother Guan Jun, are you with Sister Shange?"

"Yes, we're both on the Red Team." Guan Jun probably assumed Xiao Ming was already a Red Team member, so he concealed the fact that he had suddenly been converted.

"Okay, I'll look for another conversion card later. I can convert Blue Team members into Red Team members." Xiao Ming did not directly say that Qu An was now an undercover agent for the Red Team, because Red Team Guan Jun had already "defected" to the Blue Team.

"During Task One, I converted Brother Xiao Da and Yan Meng. Yan Meng has already been caught. You can go to Yanshui Cave now and verify Brother Xiao Da."

So Guan Jun's side had no idea whether they had actually gone to verify him, while Xiao Ming and Qu An went looking for the next conversion card.

The verification station could not possibly be that simple. The notification had only explained what would happen after a successful verification, not a failed one. If Guan Jun received false information, he would regard Yi Xiaoda as his Blue Team teammate and would not verify him. That way, Yi Xiaoda would be safe.

Now, Xiao Ming and Qu An were physically in Cao's camp but their hearts were with Han. While searching for the next conversion card, they ran into Jiang Yuefeng and Shan Yi, who were doing a task.

The two had no guard up against Xiao Ming and Qu An, especially Jiang Yuefeng toward Qu An. They openly discussed which Red Team member to convert into a Blue Team member, and ultimately chose Tang Gudu.

Xiao Ming almost found it funny. At first, he had "framed" Tang Gudu, yet Tang Gudu really had become an undercover agent later on—they had simply switched places.

[Who gets it? qaq really dotes on xmx]

[lmao, why do so many people trust xmz and qaq so much? It feels like they're just handing all the information to them]

[This episode is so confusing. Undercover agents turning into undercover agents—I'm losing track of who's undercover and which team everyone is actually on]

[Nothing else, but as long as undercover agents aren't discovered and verified, they're actually the safest, because they have the most places to hide]

[They need to put out a task that can remove the alarms soon, otherwise this kind of gameplay is going to be brutal]

[My brain is all scrambled ahhh]

Current Red Team undercover agents: Zhong Ka, Ning Shupei, Guan Jun, Tang Gudu.

Current Blue Team undercover agents: Xiao Ming, Qu An.

The Red Team had six people, two of whom were undercover Blue Team members. The Blue Team had nine people, four of whom were undercover Red Team members.

Because the Red Team had all been busy looking for conversion cards during Task Two, with so many undercover agents causing trouble, they ultimately failed to complete all the verifications. One exclusive-zone hunter was added, while the Blue Team successfully sealed the area. Xiao Ming and Qu An were temporarily safe as well.

The tour group solved the route issue, but lunch problems soon began cropping up one after another.

The marshal of the Interstellar Empire noticed the situation as well. The area alarms had affected many players' movements, and they had no way to find their real teammates, so he immediately released the third task.

"Task Three Released

The tour group possesses an alarm-blocking device, and they currently need food. With 26 minutes remaining, Accelerators may exchange food for the blocking device and clues about undercover agents."

The undercover agents did not actually need to participate in Task Three, since they could pass through two areas. But they could follow along to avoid suspicion.

Xiao Ming did not intend to go with them. The Red Team had very few people left now and was in a dangerous position. Lin Shange had just been caught, leaving the Red Team with only five people in reality, while the Blue Team still had nine.

Anyone could tell Guan Jun had pushed Lin Shange out, and Lin Shange most likely had no idea Guan Jun was on the Blue Team.

"Xiao Ming and I will go to Tanshui Cave and try verifying people. Our team has two undercover agents. If the four of us aren't them, then it can only be You Duidui and Xing Tong. There are only those two left." Qu An's tone was calm as he planted the idea first, making Shan Yi and Jiang Yuefeng rule out You Duidui and Xing Tong.

Jiang Yuefeng had originally wanted to leave with Qu An, but Qu An said removing the alarm was more important. Jiang Yuefeng did not know what he had imagined, but he was so moved that his eyes brimmed with tears.

Shan Yi did not seem to trust them much, but Jiang Yuefeng pulled him away, and he stopped dwelling on it.

[Fengfeng is so innocent]

[Why is Qu An lying to Fengfeng!]

[I can already imagine how heartbroken Fengfeng will be once he learns the truth!]

[Why won't Qu An tell Fengfeng the truth!]

[Help, certain Feng fans are so funny. This is a competitive variety show, okay?]

[But didn't qa help xm before?]

[CP fans call them love-brained, and people really treat them like love-brained idiots? No way, no way]

[The way those two worked together during tasks, they just think the other makes an especially worthwhile partner]

[That description is so funny hahaha, working hand in glove]

[qaq just thinks xmx is smart. And look at how they're playing now—they're definitely going to win]

[The two of them are just being ruthless. What's wrong with that?]

But Qu An and Xiao Ming did not head for Tanshui Cave. After all, they were not going to verify themselves.

The two crossed zones and headed straight for Yanshui Cave.

Yanshui Cave could only be entered by boat. There was also an idle hunter sitting on the boat; once their verification failed, the hunter would activate and capture them.

Before boarding, they had to put on life jackets. Qu An and Xiao Ming boarded the boat in orange life jackets.

The entrance was especially low, with water below them, and the boatman reminded them to lower their heads.

Xiao Ming was five foot ten, Qu An was six foot two, and the two sat side by side. The hunter and boatman sat at either end, while one cameraman followed them and another waited at the exit.

As they entered the cave, both lowered their heads but failed to watch where they were going and bumped into each other. The ceiling inside was still low, so they had no choice but to remain in that position. When Qu An saw Xiao Ming nearly hit his head, he pulled him over. Xiao Ming lost his balance and buried his head straight in Qu An's chest.

Fortunately, the lights inside Yanshui Cave were colorful and the cave itself was relatively dark, making their expressions hard to see. Otherwise, Xiao Ming felt he would not even be able to show his arms right now.

So hot. His heart was beating so fast too.

In the darkness, Qu An closed his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing as though he were holding something back. That strange fluttering rose again, growing fiercer in the night.

Xiao Ming did not notice Qu An's abnormality because he had too much on his own mind. In Qu An's arms, the easiest things to feel were Qu An's warmth and the speed of his pulse.

It was not as if he was taking Qu An's pulse. Both of his hands just happened to be gripping Qu An's arms, and his head was close to Qu An's heart.

Qu An's heartbeat seemed a little faster than normal, though it was not very obvious.

He unconsciously leaned closer because he wanted to hear it clearly. The person being held grew increasingly stiff, until finally, as though he could not bear it any longer, he wrapped one arm around Xiao Ming's waist and shifted him into a position that would not be so uncomfortable.

The distance between them was no longer as awkward as before. Xiao Ming rested his head against Qu An's shoulder, turned sideways with an arm around his waist.

From the camera's angle, the shot was incredibly intimate.

Xiao Ming did not know that although night vision made their skin tones difficult to distinguish, it would definitely capture their movements. Fans later edited this scene to death, squealing as they devoured the sweetness.

[Waaaaah, qaq took the initiative and hugged xmx!]

[Help, qaq feels so proactive this episode. He let the other person run first, let the other person convert him directly, and now he's straight-up putting his hands on him]

[Damn, if xmx had been the proactive one, qaq's fans would have torn him apart. But instead... this is ridiculous]

[Please don't stir up trouble. Our Anbao and Xiao Ming are good friends]

[Hahaha, help. Once they can't hide it anymore, they say they're friends. Some fans really do know how to brainwash themselves]

[Hey, fans, don't get worked up. Although same-sex marriage laws haven't passed domestically, aren't there tons of artists who have gone public? Don't worry]

[Our Xiao Ming is just a little absentminded. Thank you, Teacher Qu, for helping him]

[MingAn are just friends]

[Anbao has always been a gentleman. He only protected Xiao Ming because he saw he was about to hit his head]

[But afterward, he adjusted him so he could lean against his shoulder]

[These little secret moves—don't let me see you two under bright lights, or you'll both turn into shrimps]

No matter how fans and passersby speculated, after that neither too-short-nor-too-long awkward moment, the two were delivered to the verification station and began their real business.

The verification station was on a patch of walkable ground inside the cave. It was not very bright either, with only the screen giving off a faint glow. The boatman docked and let them off. Once Xiao Ming and Brother Qu went up, they saw a drawing tablet and a stylus. A prompt beside them told them to write down the Blue Team undercover agents within the Red Team.

They could write one player at a time. Xiao Ming wrote Zhong Ka and Ning Shupei, while Qu An wrote Guan Jun and Tang Gudu.

Neither of them hesitated for even a second, never considering they might be wrong. The result was... they really were not wrong.

All four verifications succeeded, and the idle hunter remained idle. They sat in the little boat, watching the boatman row his twin oars as the little boat pushed through the waves~

Afterward, Guan Jun, Zhong Ka, Ning Shupei, and Tang Gudu were captured by hunters one after another, and Xiao Ming and Brother Qu were exposed as well.

But the Red and Blue Teams were now five to five, equal in numbers, and everyone's area alarms had been lifted. So neither of them cared much about being discovered anymore.

However, only Jiang Yuefeng and Shan Yi could figure it out. The other Accelerators still could not determine who the undercover agents were, nor did they even know how many undercover agents remained on the field. Only Xiao Ming and Qu An knew everything.

[qaxm are so ruthless, they directly banned all four people]

[Could it be that they aren't on the same side? Why should they go easy on them?]

[Weren't they originally on the same side?]

[Come on, this is a competitive variety show. It's only fun when people want to win. Besides, the task notification said from the start that they had to preserve their own team's numbers and reduce the other team's numbers. Those are the rules]

[But doesn't this expose them to the Blue Team?]

[As long as the Blue Team goes to Tanshui Cave and verifies those two, won't the Red Team lose two people too? What's there to argue about?]

After completing the verification, the two immediately rushed over to the tour group and received a clue. The clue read, "Something related to light in the name." Xiao Ming simply stopped struggling. The Blue Team would definitely know he was an undercover agent, because "brightness" was far too obvious. Qu An, on the other hand, could still try to hide.

There was only one Interstellar Universe task left now. Xiao Ming planned to run straight there and wait for the task, with no intention of continuing to play around with the Blue Team. Qu An still followed him.

But the Blue Team did not know they had gone to see their clue and tentatively called Qu An.

"Brother Qu, are you with Xiao Ming right now?" Jiang Yuefeng asked.

Xiao Ming was right beside Qu An. Hearing that, he signaled for Qu An to say no.

Qu An immediately understood what Xiao Ming meant and said convincingly, "No. When we were heading to Tanshui Cave just now, a hunter appeared on the way. I got chased by the hunter for quite a while and only barely shook him off. Later, I saw there wasn't much time left, so I went to find the tour group and remove the alarm first."

Shan Yi's voice suddenly came through from the other end. It seemed the two were still together. "What clue did you get?"

"Something related to light in the name. Not long after Xiao Ming and I split up, news came in that four people from the other side had been caught one after another. Zhong Ka and Ning Shupei were converted by us together, plus the thing about brightness, so Xiao Ming should be the undercover agent. Are you two together?" His last question sounded casual, but he was really probing them.

Jiang Yuefeng was not that quick-witted. After hearing Qu An reveal the undercover clue and give a long analysis of why Xiao Ming was the undercover agent, he decided Qu An was not one and directly came clean. "Shan Yi and I are together. We just ran into Xing Tong and You Duidui, who were also going to verify people, and then we split up."

"Didn't you run into Brother Jiang Yuan?" Qu An sharply noticed something wrong. Originally, if he wanted to hide his identity, Jiang Yuan would have made a suitable scapegoat.

The other side confirmed it. Qu An narrowed his eyes and began shifting the blame. "Brother Jiang Yuan's 'Yuan' also seems related to light. Xiao Ming is brightness, while Brother Jiang Yuan is a light source."