Wasteland Zone Base

The next morning, Carefree Media's RV pulled up outside the agency bright and early.

"Whoa." Yue Wen stepped outside and looked at the luxurious vehicle as though he were seeing a purple jade branch beckoning to him.

Inside were two rows of leather seats arranged lengthwise, like large sofas. He Caihua wore a black training outfit, its fitted cut hugging her shapely figure and making her fair skin and beauty stand out all the more.

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

"Seeing a handsome guy and a pretty girl first thing in the morning really lifts my spirits. Hehe." A Mei sat beside her in a floral shirt, his hair dyed yellow. Judging by his appearance alone, he looked like a street thug, but the moment he opened his mouth, he was femininity itself.

Yue Wen wore a black T-shirt and jeans, looking handsome and sunny. Zhao Xing'er wore a loose, long sweater with a white skirt, leaving half of one slender shoulder bare and showing off her delicate collarbone.

They looked like the male and female leads of a teen drama.

Neither had put much thought into their outfits. Their faces alone were enough to make the looks work perfectly.

"The company can accept the idea you mentioned yesterday." Once they were aboard, He Caihua turned to Zhao Xing'er. "I just think it's a bit of a shame. In our livestreaming circles, people generally only hide their faces if they're too unattractive to show them. You're so pretty. There's really no need to cover up to create an air of mystery."

After Zhao Xing'er discussed her mask plan with Carefree Media last night, they had raised no major objections. They merely added a clause to the contract stipulating that if her eventual first face reveal involved a commercial deal, that deal would also have to be signed through Carefree Media.

After all, they were really just supporting players. The true star of this livestream was He Caihua, with Liu Yuanjun and Li Flying Rosy Clouds included at most. If any of the other four became a breakout hit, that would certainly be a good thing. If not, so be it. They weren't that important.

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

"Don't tell Caihua about those things," Yue Wen reminded her.

He was afraid that once the media company's people heard her out, they would not only abandon the idea of signing Zhao Xing'er but also report her to the Supernatural Affairs Bureau and have her arrested.

There was enough there for a conviction.

"Of course, your wishes come first. The company won't force you." He Caihua smiled. "I could help you choose a pretty mask, though."

Zhao Xing'er gave her a sweet smile in return. "Thank you, Caihua."

The media company's Wasteland Zone Base was right in City Seven, which made things much more convenient. He Caihua had picked them up on her way, while the other young participants had to take a high-speed train or drive over specially.

Although Third Realm cultivators could ride the wind and fly, cities had a specific Flight Management Law that prohibited cultivators from taking off wherever they pleased.

Even in loosely monitored suburban areas, no one casually flew long distances under their own power. It was too tiring. Just as ordinary people in modern society wouldn't run for two hours simply to get somewhere.

Unless they were powerful cultivators with very high cultivation, whose speed far exceeded that of vehicles, they would only fly when pressed for time.

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

The RV drove out to the suburbs and arrived at a private garden estate built against a mountain. It occupied an enormous area, lush and green from a distance, with high perimeter walls and numerous sheds built around the outside that completely blocked any prying eyes.

This was the Wasteland Zone livestreaming base built by Carefree Media.

No wonder they had chosen Jiangcheng City for the pilot project. In a major city like Longdu City or Tianhai City, where every inch of land cost a fortune, enclosing such a huge area could have bankrupted Carefree Media.

But none of the people aboard noticed that, as the RV slowly entered the estate, a sudden gleam flashed in the eyes of a pitch-black bird perched in the distant woods.

Click.

The vehicle drove into the estate and stopped in a large clearing.

Yue Wen and Zhao Xing'er followed He Caihua and the others out of the RV, where they were greeted by a sprawling row of connected sheds. Inside were staff from all the different teams: camera operators, editors, directors, hosts, people who stole takeout, logistics staff, security personnel, and more.

Although this was only a livestream, the scale of the preparations rivaled that of some major film and television productions.

These staff members would also spend three full days here, with the connected sheds serving as both workspaces and accommodations. The whole scene looked chaotic. Although people were coordinating things everywhere, a project involving this many people could hardly be perfectly orderly.

Yue Wen and the others had never seen anything like it. As they walked past, they kept looking around, finding everything fascinating.

Beyond a tall wire fence in the distance, they could see dense woodland on the other side, layers of shadowed trees and deep, secluded valleys. An occasional beast's roar rang out, lending the place a distinctly untamed air.

Exploring this place might really give them some experience for when they eventually ventured into the Wasteland Zone.

The group entered a shed in the middle, where the other two pairs had already arrived. Liu Yuanjun and his junior sister, Li Flying Rosy Clouds, were still dressed in Daoist robes. The senior brother sat with his eyes closed, quietly regulating his breathing, while his junior sister played on her phone beside him with a goofy smile.

Su Renxue from Hidden Dragon Pool wore a green tracksuit today, with a long saber slung across her back, looking like a rebellious high school girl. Ji Yang, sporting red hair and a black leather jacket, glanced around with an arrogant expression.

"Now that everyone's here, let's go over the livestream procedure. Ask if there's anything you don't understand. Once we go live, let's try not to waste any time." A female director wearing a face mask approached and began briefing them.

"For this livestream, we've planned to place three treasure chests in this area. Each chest contains a treasure, and your challenge is to find them. Besides the three real treasure chests, we'll also place several dozen decoys. Some will be empty, some will contain simple supplies like food, and some will even have demon beasts hidden inside..."

"If you find a treasure chest, its contents really will be yours to keep as a reward. If you don't like them, you can exchange them with us for cash. Once all three treasure chests have been found, the livestream ends. In practice, we'll only put out two chests containing real treasures at the start. We won't place the third one for you to find until the afternoon of day three, so the livestream doesn't end up shorter than required."

"As you saw on your way in, this artificial Wasteland Zone is very large, but you mustn't move through it too quickly. Otherwise, our Bee-Insect Cameras may struggle to keep up. Just treat this as the real Wasteland Zone. Naturally, you'd explore it slowly, bit by bit."

"Make sure you keep your earpieces on. If anything changes, our staff will notify you through them at any time."

"And now! The most important point..."

The director's expression grew serious. "We've released a large number of demon beasts into this area. To meet viewers' expectations, their distribution may be even denser than in a normal Wasteland Zone.

"As for their strength, you can rest assured that they're absolutely within your ability to handle. We won't gamble with anyone's life. But that's only if you remain sufficiently vigilant. You mustn't let your guard down in the slightest."

"These demon beasts are the ones that knocked themselves unconscious charging into the barrier outside the City-Defense Grand Array. They may be weak, but they're extremely ferocious. When they see humans, they really do feel a bloodthirsty urge."

"If you're confident enough, you can also show off some flashy supernatural abilities and techniques to give the viewers a better experience." She smiled after saying that. "After all, each of you will have a Bee-Insect Camera following you and a separate livestream channel of your own. If viewers send tips through your individual channels, your share will be higher, too."

"All right, that's everything I needed to explain. Does anyone have any questions?"

The moment she finished speaking, Yue Wen raised his hand before anyone else. "So, can we kill these demon beasts you've released as we please?"

"Heh, of course." The director replied, "They're genuine Wasteland Zone demon beasts, and everything works just as it would in the Wasteland Zone. Even if you don't attack them, they'll come hunting you."

"If no one has any more questions, you can get a little makeup done, and then we'll start the livestream! Thank you in advance for all your hard work over these three days."

Hard work?

Yue Wen smiled faintly.

A place where he could earn money, become famous, and kill demon beasts to his heart's content? Forget staying for three days-he could stay here with only three days off a month!