《Chart Topper Queen》 CH 1 Translator¡¯s Note: Hi friends, Chart Topper Queen (CTQ) will be the upcoming CN translation project after My Classmate is Two Hundred Million Years Old (THMYO) ends! I¡¯ve probably read over hundreds of transmigration novels, and I can vouch that this is one of the most exciting and creative live-streaming transmigration novels I¡¯ve ever read!! Not one of, but the MOST!! I¡¯ve never been a huge fan of mystery but damn the way things are framed here are so interesting and fresh, and half the time I didn¡¯t even realise there was a mystery that needs to be solved (TwT). This author is also the one that wrote¡¶Ã¿¸öÊÀ½çËÕÒ»±é¡·or ¡°Show Off Once in Every World¡± (written in 2016-2018) before this novel. Also I absolutely love love LOVE all the foreshadowing, the symbols and wordplays; really the DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS. The female lead too has her own exciting backstory to be revealed as we progress into the story. If you¡¯re a fan of fresh angles, new perspectives, harmless-looking-but-lethal-in-reality female leads, and like to be mindblown by the plot, you¡¯ll love this one I promise XD As THMYO is still the current main project, CTQ releases will be fortnightly on Mondays, 11pm (GMT+8); CTQ will be updated weekly starting March 2022 Advance chapters are available on Ko-Fi Shop if you wish to read ahead~ ¡°Target locked, target locked. #190919.¡± A mechanical voice sounded on Everday Planet. At the same time, several dozens of kilometres away, a small figure suddenly disappeared from the crowd of people. This is a galatic era into the future after the world witnessed a population explosion. Despite the advent of magnetic levitation car and related vehicles, as well as the discovery of space channels, on-ground development has still prevailed. Akin to a legion of coiled dragons, the invisible roads pave out in intersecting complexity, with some rising up, suspended in the air and others diving into the water, submerged. In contrast to the vigour splendour in the limelight was the hidden and dirty shrouded in darkness. Beneath the ¡°dragon¡±¡¯s path, was a collective of fetid underpass ¡ª disguising within which an eerie, winding river ¡ª as though a venoumous snake. ¡°The lastest batch of ¡®lambs¡¯ has arrived.¡± An old man in tattered rags walked in faltering steps over to lean against the rusting staircase. He took a few chugs of beer before he continued slurring drunkenly into the phone, ¡°this ain¡¯t the first deal, when has Ol¡¯Clark ever slipped up, time to talk about a raise ain¡¯t it¡­¡± ¡°The people from there ¡ª they don¡¯t trust others, hehe, if I weren¡¯t from there, I won¡¯t dare touch this. The people from there, they¡¯re either dead, or those that make it out ¡ª they¡¯re monsters, terrifying ones, Ol¡¯Clark sure didn¡¯t have it easy.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they ain¡¯t gonna get anywhere without their IDs.¡± He mumbled to himself in search for a lighter for his cigarette. Just as the last word escaped his mouth, his muscles slack as a result of his old age tightened all of a sudden. In the dim passageway, the glow from a small flame produced by a lighter lit up his neck area. In the firelight, a fine thread of silver that was but a hair¡¯s breathe away from his throat glinted. ¡°Lamb?¡± A faint, innocent female voice sounded in the dark. ¡°I get why you tried so hard to smuggle us into this planet from there now ¡ª human-trafficking.¡± Ol¡¯Clark swallowed, his throat rolling. ? CHART TOPPER QUEEN, CHAPTER 01 is hosted at ZHANLANN.COM ? He¡¯d already figured out who she was from her voice, #190919. Out of the entire batch of them, she was the most alert; she was also his ace ¡ª just her alone would fetch an exorbitant price. If it weren¡¯t for the extreme radiation and pollution back there, and the fact that she needed medical attention, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to trick her out. ¡°So you have IDs on your hand, that¡¯s a lie too?¡± ¡°Of course not, Ol¡¯Clark swear on my credit that I definitely have IDs on my hand.¡± He gave a toadying smile, though it was a rigid one, for he didn¡¯t dare to make any large, sudden movements. ¡°But I only have IDs, I don¡¯t have the complete papers, it¡¯ll be easy to see through it. I need to look after you guys too, if the government latches on to it, the consequences will be even more severe than smuggling; and even if you do have an ID you won¡¯t be able to find jobs, you can¡¯t earn any money. If you sell, no if you work for my head, as long as you perform well, even your medical fees can be¡­¡± In other words, they would have no IDs; no one would notice even if they were discarded of due to poor performance. Regardless of whether Ol¡¯Clark was working for dignitaries or those in the underworld, they would ultimately end up as a pawn in the shadows. This was even worse than the conditions back there. Though they were treated as products with a code number, at least they still had their freedom. #190919 said: ¡°ID.¡± Even though he didn¡¯t sense any movements from her, blood oozed out from the sliced wound on Ol¡¯Clark¡¯s neck. Trembling, he didn¡¯t dare make any further moves. He had no idea which direction her voice was coming from. Shaking, Ol¡¯Clark produced the personal terminal that stored the ID information, and gingerly held it upwards. Afterwhich, a slight breeze flitted past his palm. Eye gleaming in menace, Ol¡¯Clark activated all the energy he had in his body, pouncing over to grab her outstretched hand all of a sudden! The cold, hard surface that came into contact with his hand was different from what he had imagined. A spine-chilling frost ran down his back. As though a spider, eight thin legs sprouted from the metal material, piercing itself into his palm. ¡°Wait¡­¡± ¡°Bang!¡± No option to surrender, the primitive bomb was as though an instrument seeking compensation, one that fragmented the traitor, shattering him into pieces. His body crashed to the ground. Eyes widened, a horrifying gurgle escaped his throat before he kicked the bucket. Even at death, his mouth was hooked in a strange angle. She had every means to finish him off quietly. Her final choice however was motivated by their fear ¡ª what the people from there hated the most was to die silently in some random corner. They¡¯d never truly existed to begin with, if their death was inaudible, who would have known they¡¯d once even existed. ¡°So you didn¡¯t forget.¡± #190919¡¯s soft voice sounded in the dead silence, ¡°but traitors will not be spared.¡± Survival of the fittest meant they could kill each other to live, but once they leave, they were forbidden from betraying each other, or allying with the intial perpetrators that had abandoned them there in the first place. A small screen lit up between the rusty staircase, revealing her grey hair and grey eyes a shade of darkened clouds. Despite the stench of blood and the splatters of red on her, the gorgeous girl was calm, and oblivious to her state; her attention was instead drawn to the new toy attached to her wrist. It was the personal terminal that she had gotten her hands on earlier when Ol¡¯Clark produced it. The next moment however, a strong beam of light appeared in the dark all of a sudden, splashing itself on her face. As the glare of light diminished, and the silhouette of a search robot revealed itself. CH 2 ¡°Target locked, target locked¡­¡± It was the stowaway-searching robot that had been hunting her down. #190919 looked at the robot in the eye and blinked. At about a foot away, the robot¡¯s arm popped open. Its cold, unfeeling gaze locked on her, a small anesthesia gun was raised from within its robotic arm. ¡°Target locked, preparing anesthesia¡­¡± In the snap of a moment, she pressed the activation button to start up the personal terminal on her. The red warning alarm together with the blinking headshot turned into a safe, green light on the robot¡¯s interface. The living being before it was pronounced to own a legal citizenship. At the change, the robot whirrled in sudden confusion. ¡ª¡ªUnder the individual information interface, the first line indicated the owner¡¯s name ¡ª Ai Bei. * Interspersed between the intersecting sky bridges towered cold, mechanic skyscrapers. Blinking in red, the CCTVs installed under the bridges swept through their designated area of surveillance rapidly, readily capturing the information disseminated by the human acitivity beneath. Ai Bei left the area before the CCTV could lock and sweep her. Her face pale and her lips dry, Ai Bei was in a more dreadful state than back in the underpass; the wound on her hand as a result of the earlier explosion was too slowly oozing blood. Despite so, Ai Bei remained oblivious to her situation, her grey eyes remained undisturbed and calm. She ran a hand through the knotted tails of her hair that was of a similar shade of grey to her eyes. While she seemed to be moving with a direction in mind, she was in fact wandering aimlessly. Though Ol¡¯Clark was a traitor, there was one thing he got right ¡ª #190919 was now Ai Bei, but making a living here on this planet was a challenging feat, perhaps almost an impossible one. The personal terminal she got her hands on only included preliminary identity information. This was only sufficient for her to make it past basic search robots. She would need to undergo an in-depth check if she wanted to find a job to earn an income. She hadn¡¯t completed proper education, she didn¡¯t know anyone, she didn¡¯t even have a place to stay ¡ª just these circumstances alone were abnormally suspicious for a resident living on a planet like this. And everything here was very different from how things were like back on Waste Planet. ? CHART TOPPER QUEEN, CHAPTER 02 is hosted at ZHANLANN.COM ? Abandoned by the Galaxy, Waste Planet had scarce resources, was technologically-backward, had a high crime rate and an acute case of pollution. The people that lived there were not registered in the government system. They had no names nor identities. Instead, a number code ¡ª a system borne out of management convenience ¡ª was granted to all the discarded in Waste Planet, and they as living beings were among the various other disposed objects coded by numbers. Galatic citizens had once termed the place as ¡°Dust Planet¡±; those from there however preferred the name Waste Planet. Everday Planet on the other hand was technologically advanced; the government armed forces were also potent, and society was orderly and systemised ¡ª every aspect in Everday Planet was beyond Ai Bei¡¯s imagination. This meant that none of the survival techniques and whatever else she picked up from Waste Planet would be applicable here. At the same time, she had to complete her identity information and blend into the crowd before the advanced search devices mobilised by the government located her. But how do you expect a ball of flame to conceal itself within the expense of an ocean? Beneath the shadows casted by the overarching bridge, Ai Bei glanced up to catch the information she¡¯d missed. Imposing and chilly as though a giant, the skyscraper in the distant peeked half a body above the plain of tall buildings. The mammoth advertisement attached, particularly conspicuous as a result, drew the attention of all passers-by within its visible vicinity. ¡°Welcome to the Live-Streaming Transmigration Competition.¡± Akin to a stray cat, Ai Bei licked the wound on the back of her hand as she stared at the colourful words on the humongous screen. The neon words mirrored in her eyes seemed to give her gaze a novel spray of colour. CH 3 Ai Bei received a basic transfer device from the address indicated in the advertisement. The lobby was packed to the brim with people. Topping strange gazes from the crowd, she found a free lounge to sit before she wore the headgear and entered the virtual world. As expected, the competition was open to people across the entire galaxy. The verification stage wasn¡¯t very stringent either, you could participate as long as you had an ID. After logging in, she entered a vast space that seemed to stretch into infinity before the system voice sounded in her ears, guiding her along. ¡°Welcome to the Cybergalatic-net (Region ¨C Helix Galaxy ¨C Everday Planet).¡± ¡°You may select to ¢Ù view the virtual world on your own ¢Ú enter your destination.¡± There was even an option for you to change the appearance of your virtual character. The structure in the virtual world in the Cybergalatic-net was very similar to the real world. Offline commercial buildings were able to register a virtual address for their business; after approval, they would be able to receive a unique door plate. Such a development allowed for galactic residents the opportunity to explore the entire galaxy without even having to step a foot out of their residence. Ai Bei selected to enter the competition area directly. ¡°Welcome to the Live-Streaming Transmigration Competition in Everyday Planet sub-venue.¡± ¡°The government-approved Live-Streaming Transmigration Competition is organised by Time Travel Organisation (TITR). There is a certian degree of risk as your cranial nerves will be directly connected to the neural world. Participants will be require to sign the liability contract. If you experience any issues post-transmigration, participants are to assume self-responsibility.¡± ¡°During the competition, participants will be required to enter a virtual world that may originate from a novel, movie or game. Participants are to adapt and revise the plot with the character that you will assume. Every participant¡¯s entry will be live-streamed during the actual competition; based on your size of audience, number of in-stream comments and value of gifts, the top three participants will be able to advance into the next stage.¡± The plaza was large enough to accommodate tens of thousands of people. While the system voice was steady and low, everyone could hear it in their ears. The competition rules were repeated again and again to all the participants of the elimination round. Following that, a light flashed, and Ai Bei, together with a dozen or so others, were dispersed into the different corners in the plaza. A natural camouflage, she was but an inconspicuous speck of dust with her grey hair and grey eyes, quiet and unnoticed Galactic citizens enjoy an average lifespan of 200 years. While the age of the participants in her vision of sight were generally young, their corresponding abilities differed widely. ¡°Actual competition? Is this considered the actual competition, how does it work?¡± ¡°No I don¡¯t think this is it, just look at the number of people in this sub-venue, I think they wanna filter out at least half of the people before the actual competition begins.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be an exam will it, I¡¯m real bad at those.¡± ? CHART TOPPER QUEEN, CHAPTER 03 is hosted at ZHANLANN.COM ? There were participants that were trying to figure out the situation from the given instructions, there were also participants that were trying to coax others into dropping out. ¡°I¡¯ve tried live-streaming as a transmigration streamer, I didn¡¯t even last a week. It was more uncomfortable that space leaps, it makes me so dizzy I wanna vomit. If you¡¯re not fit enough I suggest you don¡¯t try this, I¡¯ve heard that people have died because of this, just that news like these were censored by the government.¡± ¡°My goodness, how frightening, then why are you here to participate?¡± Not all of the participants that heard their argument were so easily fooled. Said participant rubbed his nose, ¡°I¡¯m just here to try it out, the gift revenue share by TITR is much higher than regular live-streaming platforms.¡± ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the money, I definitely won¡¯t be here tolerating all the nausea.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t transmigration interesting? Though it¡¯s just a simulated world, it¡¯s worth the while to check it out.¡± ¡°What about you? Why did you join the competition?¡± Ai Bei suddenly heard someone beside her asking a question. The person¡¯s voice was directed at her. Before her was a handsome youth. She could tell he was well-off ¡ª unlike the automatic system-provided white shirt and grid skirt she had on, he was wearing a windbreaker splashed with red English word ¡°I¡¯m a jerk¡±; even his grin seemed mischievous. Even though Ai Bei had a minimal presence, the two of them appeared in the plaza pretty much at the same time, so he immediately noticed the person beside him. Ai Bei didn¡¯t want to reply him, but he went on ahead to explain his own reasoning: ¡°I¡¯m a combat student, I want to participate in combat or adventure-genre live-streaming. What about you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s exchange information, this could help us in the competition.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Actually, I have some insider information¡ª¡± Before he could near her mysteriously, Ai Bei took a step away from him. Her discouraging reaction immediately had the guy feeling humiliated. Just as he was about to express his unhappiness, he saw Ai Bei yawn and rub her face, as though a kitten that had just woken from its afternoon nap. An arrow straight to his heart, her adorable actions had him temporarily self-extinguishing his prior ire. The system voice sounded: ¡°The elimination round will begin shortly. Only participants that advance from the elimination round will receive their unique live-streaming room, and will qualify for the actual competition.¡± ¡°The System will arrange the participants according to their arrival time. There will be five participants in each group for the elimination pre-competition round.¡± Following the system voice, a virtual screen popped up, the words read: [Are you participating in the Elimination Round? Yes/No] Ai Bei cocked her head to the side lightly and selected [No]. The interface changed to [Would you like to listen to the competition rules again? Yes/No] [Would you like to understand the competition prize? Yes/No] and other related basic questions. She then returned to the previous page and confirmed her participation in the elimination round. The scene around her changed, she felt as though she was being pulled into another space. * The white space she was sent into was three-dimensional. There were already four people inside, all of which turned to look at her when she appeared. The windbreaker guy from earlier was there too. The ¡°arrival time¡± referred to the order in which they arrived in the plaza. Even though she delayed her participation confirmation, she still ended up here. She was a little annoyed. She didn¡¯t want to interact with the other participants until she figured out how she was going to adjust and adapt to the competition setting. The windbreaker guy on the other hand seemed to have thrown his previous annoyance out the window. He raised a hand and greeted Ai Bei with a smile. While Ai Bei¡¯s smoky grey eyes glanced in his direction, she didn¡¯t respond nor return a smile. Despite so, the fact that the two seemed to know each other had the remaining participants in the room wary. Besides Ai Bei and the windbreaker guy, there were two other girls and one other guy. The last guy appeared roguish and frivolous, his gaze frequenting the chest of an alluring girl among them. Upon his risqu¨¦ rendezvous being discovered, he¡¯d cross his arms and raise a brow, a devil-may-care expression written all over his face. The alluring girl frowned hard, and turned away, hiding herself behind the girl with black-frame spectacles. The bespectacled girl on the other hand was very calm. She looked at Ai Bei as she evaluated her holistically, almost as though an AI doing a full body scan on her. ¡°Looks like everyone¡¯s here, let¡¯s pick the cards.¡± The windbreaker guy waved at her. The item for the elimination round was story chain. According to their sequence, #1 would start, he/she can command #2 to be any character in the story, and lay down a task for him/her, this is also the case for #2 with #3, and so on and so forth. Everyone starts out with 10 points. The full marks for each task of 5 points. If the task set by #1 for #2 was not completed, 5 points will be deducted from #2¡¯s existing points and will be given to #1, vice versa if #2 manages to complete the task. Competition Details: The task difficulty will be determined by the system. If the difficulty was is too high or too low, you will not be able to pass. In other words, the participants have to manage the task within a certain range while ensuring that his or her opponent cannot complete it. Since this was a transmigration competition, the definition of story chain would naturally differ from conventional ¡ª every single ¡°plot¡± that they designate for the next participant would become the realities for the latter; subsequent players would need to fulfill the plot in order to clear the task. In a way, this could also be seen as a pre-competition practice round for them to get familiarised with before the actual competition started. This segment tested the participant¡¯s ability to creatively craft a plot, and proactively adapt to a plot. The five of them sat in a circle. As though the witch¡¯s crystal ball, a 3D arena the size of a billiard table floated in the centre ¡ª everything that occured in the other realm would be visible to everyone. The devil-may-care guy asked unhappily: ¡°So that means all of y¡¯all can see what I¡¯m doing inside?¡± The guy in windbreaker snorted a laughter, ¡°Duh? What else could it be?¡± ¡°You¡¯re here to participate in a Live-Streaming Transmigration Competition, not your final examinations in school.¡± The alluring girl mocked, ¡°If you pass the elims, there¡¯ll be millions and billions in the audience commenting about your every move. There¡¯s only four people watching right now and you¡¯re already scared?¡± The guy in windbreaker looked down to see the ¡°#1¡± floating on him before he smiled at the #2 devil-may-care guy. ¡°You still have time to back out now.¡± When he realised that they were directing him, he shrugged and kept silent. #1 was the most special card out of the five. The participant would start off the story, in other words, the windbreaker guy would be able to choose a setting that he would be most comfortable with. #2 would have to follow the plot set out by #1; in other words, he would be at #1¡¯s mercy. Ai Bei was the last person to join, so she was #5. CH 4 Ai Bei had been observing the earlier interaction between the three of them. While the windbreaker guy #1 and the alluring girl #3 had joint forces to face off their ¡°common energy¡±, the two of them didn¡¯t know each other before this. Their temporary alliance was instead motivated by their disapproval of #2¡¯s immoral behaviour. Ai Bei turned to flicker her gaze between the expressionless girl #4 and the alluring girl #3 before she blinked her eyes adorably. Everyone was now waiting for the winderbeaker guy #1 to start the story. After familiarising himself with the rules, #1 figured things out quickly. He changed the background setting of the plot to a school set during the Earthen Period, no mechas, no galactic spaceships ¡ª it was as clean a setting as it could get. The moment #2 started, he disappeared from his chair and appeared in the holographic projection in the centre. The character #2 assumed one a guy with a hooligan-esque face. He was rakish, and wickedly so from head to toe ¡ª exactly the way #1 pictured him to be. ¡°What task did you set for him?¡± The alluring girl #3 asked #1. She couldn¡¯t help but be curious when she saw #2¡¯s angry face from her perspective. #1 appeared almost a little bored, ¡°nothing much, he has to chase the prettiest girl in school and get her to be his girlfriend in one week.¡± Romance related genre was really not his forte. Due to technological limitations, TITR has pre-simplified all their data for the elims. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that his galactic school setting automatically changed into Earthen Period school setting, he wouldn¡¯t have set such a task. Despite so, he still had a way with currying favour. After all, helping to enact revenge for #3 would also win him a temporary ally. When #3 understood what he was trying to do, her face immediately bloomed into a smile. Her prior rage from #2¡¯s visual violation subdued as she watched the condemnation and criticism he received for his lofty ambition, as well as the chilly rejection he received from his task subject. To their surprise, #2 proved to be more capable than they had anticipated. After several futile attempts in the beginning, he turned to made some other preparations in the background. He managed to exchange the avant-grande technology and theories prevalent in the galactic times for some quick bucks. Within two days, he re-packaged himself as though he hailed from a weathly family. Armed with fancy new wheels, his confession was successful and he managed to get the girl. When #2 reappeared on his seat, he seemed a little different from before. Unlike how he¡¯d been bulldozed into silence earlier, his experience in the virtual world had him in glee, and he was in unafraid to show it. In place of his previous inappropriate gaze, #3 was now taunting and malevolent. As expected, #3 previous elation quickly extinguished. #2 clicked away on the keyboard and completed the setting he customised for her. ¡ª #3 had to assume the character of the prettiest girl in school, she had to do as he said for an entire week, and she had to be docile and obedient. Her widened eyes expressed her visible shock as she disappeared from her seat. As the participants figured their way through the round, the elims manifested into a battle of revenge. The task set by #2 was a tricky one, he¡¯d indirectly transformed one task into many tasks, as though someone had rubbed Aladdin¡¯s lamp to ask for the Djinn to fulfill all his future wishes. Even though the duration was a week, the torment #3 had weathered through was unspeakably miserable. She had to fake enthusiasm to her greatest ability in front of the person she¡¯d otherwise abhor. Not only so, she had to publicly confess her love for #2, bring a handmade bento for him every day, endure his nitpicking and sneering at the food, run to a store a dozen kilometres away as a result to buy him the fried dumpling he liked, only to receive an ¡°I¡¯m full¡± in reply after returning and watch him bin the dumplings she¡¯d bought right before her eyes. In her anger, she exploded in retaliation at #2. #2 then inputted a new command ¡ª she must not say things that he didn¡¯t like to hear. Before entering the virtual world, she¡¯d thought the worst thing that could happen was if he were to force her to do that with him. But he didn¡¯t. She¡¯d also been confident that she would be able to tolerate all the other tricks he had up his sleeve. However, reality was more cruel than she¡¯d thought it¡¯d be. When #3 returned to the room, she turned away and cried. ¡°Barely did anything.¡± #2 mocked coldly. Everyone else glared at him save for Ai Bei. He snorted in the same manner his earlier character in the virtual world would do, before turning his head away. He¡¯d figured it out ¡ª they were already been plotting to eliminate him together. The rule ¡°participants must comply and coordinate with the task of other participants, else your points will be deducted¡± required him to participate in every task even though they weren¡¯t assigned to him. If he did it well he wouldn¡¯t be awarded, but if he screwed up, he¡¯ll be at the risk of loosing more points for no reason. As expected, #3 and #4¡¯s tasks tried to pull him down. ? CHART TOPPER QUEEN, CHAPTER 04 is hosted at ZHANLANN.COM ? #4 succeeded. As an academic scholar even in the galactic times, she pulled the rug out from under him. After revealing even more revolutionary technology as bait, she managed to accuse #2 of research plagiarism and sent him to prison. #4 remained silent, but her actions drew the shocked gazes of the other participants in their room. Though she was like a fish in water in the virtual world, she found herself into a dilemma when it was her turn to set a task for Ai Bei ¡ª she had no idea where or how to start. One look at Ai Bei and she knew instantly that #5 Bei wasn¡¯t someone that excelled in virtual games like these. When it was finally Ai Bei¡¯s turn, she shifted her focus to her virtual interface. On the other end, #4 propped her spectacles and made her decision. At the same time, Ai Bei¡¯s assigned character and task appeared on her personal interface: Your character is a male schoolmate that has a crush on #2. You must listen and obey #2¡¯s wishes for one week. Evidently, a duplicate of the off-putting task that #3 had abandoned halfway. Ai Bei¡¯s gaze flitted past the word ¡°male¡±. Before she selected the ¡°begin the competition¡± button, she surveyed everyone in the room, her gaze pausing on each of them. If the rest of them had now became a greedy snake that had locked her as their next prey, who was the heart ¡ª critical weakness ¡ª of this newfound predator? CH 5 Countless screens of a variety of sizes filled the entire wall in the backend control room in Time Travel Organisation. A wireless in-ear monitor clipped to their ear, the staff members were busy and focused on their assigned jobs. The staff in charge of collating the competition figures was reporting to the manager in-charge. ¡°There are a total of 60,000 participants from Everyday Planet, we predict that there will be 20,000 participants that can pass the first round.¡± ¡°Have you discovered any participants with potential?¡± ¡°Yes. There are currently 119 participants that have the potential to be a streamer. Among which, 23 come from a non-streaming related background, and three of them have worked as a streamer before.¡± The findings reveal that the majority of the participants were only here because the competition seemed interesting, and wanted to try something new. The manager frowned. ¡°Hm, barely manageable for a planet this small. Any interesting content that is trailer-worthy?¡± ¡°So far¡­ none.¡± The nervous staff had the urge to wipe his sweat; he snuck a look at his manager¡¯s expression, ¡°according to the editor, the plots so far are lacking in conflict, they have nothing to work with.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Even the manager felt a little at loss at such a progression. He was pretty good friends with the person that came up with the idea for the elimination round. This proposal was drafted with the intention to save company expenditure ¡ª by allowing the participants to become their own ¡°mastermind¡± behind their plots, the system would only need to visualise the basic scenes to accomodate their storyline needs. This was the easiest and simplest method to filter out participants that have sufficient potential or ability to craft, and revise a plot. The largest weakness of this kind of mission-formated story chain is that the plots lacked the twists and turns, and the ups and downs characteristic of conventional storylines. Naturally, it would also lack the element of conflict that the editors needed. A scan through the various missions playing out on the small screens was sufficient to see how ¡°gentle and frail¡± the current plots were. ? CHART TOPPER QUEEN, CHAPTER 05 is hosted at ZHANLANN.COM ? By putting in unreasonable and punitive demands for the next player, all the participants resorted to using the competition mode as a tool for revenge, completely overlooking the element of connectivity or entertainment within the storychain mission. The manager clenched his teeth before he forced out with reluctance: ¡°Allocate three more days for this. If we really cannot find any suitable content, use some plot highlights and release it as post-credit scenes. Share that if they can acheive the same thing, they will be rewarded.¡± The competition training venues were equipped with basic time-conversion facilities. The three days allocated by the manager would translate into three additional months within the training rooms for the participants. Three months wasn¡¯t particularly long, but it would be enough time and opportunity for each participant to present themselves to the best of their abilities. As the #5 in their training room, it was Ai Bei¡¯s turn to enter the story, as a male. There was no rule against bending genders, and so #4¡¯s unconventional idea could materialise. Fortunately, Ai Bei wasn¡¯t particularly concerned or affected by this. Or rather, given the prison setting she was in, being a male actually worked more to her advanatage of completing the mission. This was Ai Bei¡¯s third time entering into a separate space. No matter how different the spaces were, she knew that she was within the same neural world that her cranial nerves were connected to. The venue didn¡¯t change, rather, it was the information that was fed to her brain by the system that changed. As compared to the plaza that could fit the dozens of thousands of participants, or the training room for their team of five, it was only the scene she was sent into this time that illustrated how generous TITR were with their tech budgeting. The virtual world managed to completely mirror the reality. Ai Bei appeared in the prison visitng room that #2 was in. Across the soundproof glass panel sat a guy in a buzzcut donned in blue and white stripped prison uniform. As though telephone poles, prison officers, armed with baton, stood in alert behind every two to three inmates. Ai Bei sneezed softly. From a static background scene, the people around her came alive in that instant, and turned to look at her. #2 was among them. Evidently he¡¯d had it rough in here. Having the rug pulled from under him when he thought he was at the peak of his life, he fell into the abyss, his reputation tarnished and his name slandered. Cynical and nonchalent to begin with, the unprovoked defamantion that landed on him without rhyme or reason had him swiftly assimilating into the prison culture as a form of self-defense. He learnt from them most ruthless among the inmates. As compared to his hooligan days in school, he was much more wary and hostile now. His dry lips cracking, he was as though a German Shepherd puppy at constant loggerheads with anyone that meets his eye, attempting to hide his apprehension and nerves behind a threatening facade. He walked over to the empty booth. He grabbed the telephone with one hand and brought it to his ear; he didn¡¯t even bother to sit down. Just as Ai Bei was halfway through ¡°what do you¡­¡±, his clear and succinct reply sounding from the telephone cut her off. ¡°Get lost*.¡± She looked up in confusion, her gaze meeting his across the glass panel. He swept a look downwards, sneering: ¡°Don¡¯t understand English? I told you to get lost*!¡± At the same time, several numbers in bright yellow appeared in the top-right corner of Ai Bei¡¯s vision. It was a countdown timer that started from 60 seconds. His reply had already became one of the quests within the mission. If she could not complete it, she would fail the mission. Ai Bei pushed the chair aside and stood up. The prison officer immediately trained their gazes on her. Donned in a simple hoodie, the youth in soft black hair and clean features suddenly squatted down on the floor, scrunched himself into a ball as though a porcupine, and lightly turned himself, and rolled on the ground*. * wordplay: ¡°¹ö¡± (gun) means ¡°get lost¡± in english, it can also mean ¡°to roll¡± The youth paused for a moment before he continued his efforts. And again, he made a forward roll in the same position. The youth rolled around for about three to four times. If it weren¡¯t for the other inmates gaping at the youth, it¡¯d really seem as though this was a PE class in school, and he was practising how to make a forward roll. The #2 behind the glass panel was stunned after witnessing such a scene, yet he couldn¡¯t help but burst into laughter at the same time. Their little situation persisted until a prison officer came forward to manage the commotion. ¡°Enough, come back.¡± He commanded as he patted the table, as though he was training a dog. The prison officer standing behind him looked at #2 as though he was mental. Ai Bei who had been trying to send the prison officer who came over back instantly returned to the glass panel. #2 knew that the system would remind her if she couldn¡¯t hear the commands he made. Back when he was in the storyline with #3, he had been hesitant about dishing out commands for #3 in the beginning, and had always felt somewhat guilty. After doing it for so long now however, #3¡¯s disdain and disgust became his most effective catalyst. The more she hated it, the more he wanted to make things difficult for her. Of course with that said, he still maintained the decency and humanity instilled in him as a result of his environment growing up; he didn¡¯t and wouldn¡¯t cross the line. The only thing that came out of all of that was that now, dishing out difficult commands was ever so effortless and guiltless. ¡°Come back tomorrow. Bring me a game console.¡± * The next day, Ai Bei appeared and brought along her newly bought Switch. If she wanted to hand the console to #2, meeting him at the visiting room as per normal wouldn¡¯t work. The extra day he¡¯d given her was for her to pull some strings around and make things work. According to the Theory of Six Degree Separation, everyone in the world is six or fewer social connections away from each other. As such, Ai Bei worked the connections that her current character had and spent a huge sum of money before she managed to get himself an opportunity to visit the prison directly instead of through the guarded glass booth. Outside the room, the prison officer checked through her belongings. After making sure nothing was out of order, he swept her another look. Squinting, he reminded her: ¡°Half an hour, max.¡± Ai Bei nodded. ¡°Is he alright?¡± ¡°You can say that, the new ones are always rebellious.¡± The prison officer¡¯s gaze floated, as though he was trying to hint at something else. ¡°You friend was locked up all night last night, bet he¡¯s not feeling the best. You better remind him it¡¯d be best to listen to the instructions in here.¡± Ai Bei knew what he was referring to. She had made an effort to learn more about the prison situation in this world. In this world, there was this place called the black room in prison; it was a narrow and stuffy room, and often employed to punish troublemakers. The person would be sent into the black room, and they¡¯d be stuck inside for an entire day. No matter your mental resilience, it would be a suffocating experience. With that thought in mind, she opened the room assigned for visitation. There was a square table in the centre and two chairs by the side. Sprawled on table in a laze, #2 raked a hand through his buzzcut of a hair. The moment Ai Bei entered, she noticed the wounds on his forehead and at the corner of his eyes; the grazes made him out to appear even more fierce than he already was with his tan skin. It¡¯d only been a day, but the aura of sombre and gloom surrounding him seemed to have saturated even more. She wondered what it was that he had encountered in prison. ¡°What¡¯re you stoning for, where¡¯s the console?¡± ¡°Here.¡± Ai Bei handed him the Switch in her bag. He was a little disdainful. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you buy Zelda? I should have told you to grab it from my place. Forget it, sit.¡± Everyone had their special habits. For #2, whenever he went to a new environment, he had to buy a game console and familiarise himself with a new game before he could adjust comfortably. Cigarettes was a must in his life, so were games. Ai Bei sat down beside him and watched him play. He had his earpiece on; he became so engrossed he completely forgot that she had existed, or the fact that he¡¯d just made a lot of things difficult for her. It was only until the prison officer kicked the metal door did they come to, ¡°time¡¯s up.¡± The two of them jumped as the metallic clang. The prison officer¡¯s aggressive expression entered their vision, as though a pesky ghost from the underworld that had to get in their way. At his words, Ai Bei reached out to take the Switch back from him. #2 however dodged her hand. #2 looked down at the game again, his voice cold and nonchalent, ¡°buy me some time.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Why, you want to fail the mission?¡± ¡°You sure?¡± ¡°Tch, you think?¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Ai Bei contemplated for a moment, ¡°but, if it doesn¡¯t work out, don¡¯t blame it on me.¡± The reply she received was a packet of cigarettes #2 threw her. CH 6 T/N: heads up/trigger warning, this chap might be a lil unfriendly¡­ When the prison officer saw that she came out on her own, he asked: ¡°You want more time?¡± Ai Bei didn¡¯t speak. She pulled a cigarette and handed over to him. Her actions were particularly awkward; anyone could tell that she was a well-sheltered flower, and this wasn¡¯t something she was used to doing. The cigarette the youth held out in his milky-white hand made him out to appear all the more fair. The prison officer¡¯s hand stretched a little more forward than necessary. He completely cover the youth¡¯s hand before he slowly, caressingly took the cigarette from his grip. ¡°Well, we¡¯ll have to see if you know what to do or not then.¡± Within the room, on the scorching gold screen against the red-blue console, a burly male character was fighting an innocent, lively little girl. As #2 clicked the buttons, the skills of his character were casted. Every move was a solid blow; he could almost hear the bones of his opponent cracking. Fighting games were always adrenaline-rushing and exhilarating. His movements increased in speed; at the same time, the excessive, immuned actions also increased in frequency. As a result, in health bar of the little girl character he was maneuvering dropped rapidly. The game scenes were speeding up, but the thoughts running through his mind were slowing down. The game filled the entire screen of the console. Even though there was no indication of the duration, #2 could still somehow feel the passage of time. Every movement of the character felt unrealistically long, as though the game was a stop-motion video. He knew that this prison officer batted for the other team, so he deliberately sent #5 out to buy him more time, but #5 was still a girl at the end of the day¡­ He couldn¡¯t help up look up. It was only then did he suddenly realise the piece of band-aid sitting silently on the table. The colour was too similar to the table, he didn¡¯t notice it earlier. When did she leave it there¡­ Goddamnit, why was she so nosy?! He didn¡¯t give any orders like this. When a rough hand made its disgusting way into her hoodie, Ai Bei counted down mentally, 10, 9, 8, 7¡­ A rhythmatic battle coupled with a hysterical male voice screaming the lyrics, the thunderous and fiery music suddenly sounded, exploding in the room. ¡°Apologies.¡± #2 seemed to have unplugged the earpiece to his console. Against the backdrop of the victorious music of the closing scene played out loud, he leisurely stood, his gaze flitting in the prison officer¡¯s direction, ¡°I¡¯m done.¡± She started counting too early. She paused for a moment, before she continued counting away with her fingers happily, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1¡­ And finished it off by humming a happy tune to herself. * #2 didn¡¯t contact Ai Bei for the next two days. Frankly speaking, this was none of his business. ? CHART TOPPER QUEEN, CHAPTER 06 is hosted at ZHANLANN.COM ? #4 was the one that gave #5 the male character, #4 was also the one set her the mission. #4 was doing all this to irk and disgust him, and probably hoped for a dog-eat-dog situation where they¡¯d finish each other off (except that he definitely didn¡¯t identify as a dog). Indeed, #4 managed to get to him, but if he were to vent it all on #5, wouldn¡¯t that be right up #4¡¯s intentions? And so, he changed his mind and decided to reign himself in for the remaining few days. He shall ¡°generously¡± gift the five points to #5. The ventilation in the prison was poor; as a result the place was dirty and stinky. The newer inmates would get the spot near the toilets. He held his breath as he folded his blanket into a neat tofu shape. When he walked to the side, he accidentally stepped on their cell ¡°head¡±¡¯s shoes. Immediately, a hard shove from behind sent him down on his knees. The person yelled at him to lick the shoes he stepped on clean. His rejection elicited a round of beating from the other inmates. ¡°What are you fighting about, stop!¡± The prison officer that suddenly appeared pointed at the inmates in warning. ¡°Behave yourselves.¡± The inmates looked down, each of them faking obedience. The prison officer pointed at #2, ¡°you, come out.¡± The prison officer was the same officer that took him to the visiting room. The zones he was in charge of included his cell. The officer brought him to a quiet corner, ¡°don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t take care of you, look at you and your stubborn temper, if it weren¡¯t for me, they¡¯ll finish your off one day at the rate this is going.¡± He looked at the prison officer coldly for a moment, ¡°disgusting.¡± ¡°What did you say? Say it again.¡± ¡°¡­¡± The prison officer rubbed his fingers, as though in reminiscence: ¡°the guy that came looking for you, why don¡¯t you introduce him to me? Both of you have quite the character indeed¡­¡± Before the prison officer finished his disgusting intentions, #2 spat on his unscrupulous face. ¡°You rascal!¡± The prison officer flew into rage and slammed his baton at #2¡¯s stomach. #2 choked a cough. The sharp agony at his abdomen robbed him of his ability to reciprocate the pain. After enduring the merciless beatings from earlier, and weak from the lack of food intake, he could only watch himself feebly pressed against the wall by the scumbag before him. His shirt buttons were being undone. The tight fitting overalls he had on was a convenient attire for his work. If the officer wanted to remove it, he¡¯d have to get it off from the top; he¡¯ll be having a hell of a time trying to get it off. But the fact that there was an audience outside witnessing all this. Goddamnit. His consciousness was blurring. He seemed to have spotted a clean, handsome and fair face in the far distance. Donned in the same blue and white stripped prison uniform, she walked towards him. Even though she was currently in a male body, she seemed to have no intentions of adapting to her new gender. Her mannerism and way of speaking remained feminine and gentle, as though a fragile, easily bullied little white rabbit. It was probably this peculiar contrast that caught the attention and interest of the prison officer. Before she appeared, the prison officer would at most limit his teasing to verbal comments only. He¡¯d never gotten this touchy before. #2 suspected that this was a result of the prison officer¡¯s pent up sexual frustration; and he conveniently became a substitute medium. No matter how he looked at the situation, it was revolting. Suddenly, the little white rabbit before him suddenly pulled the prison officer off of him. With the standard white towels used in prison, she wrapped it around the officer¡¯s neck and yanked it with all her might! The heavy force hammering down on him immediately disappeared. As he relaxed, he heard her saying: ¡°fortunately I came in.¡± He¡¯d thought he was just hearing things. When his gaze landed on the prison officer¡¯s reddened face, it finally occurred to him that something was off. The prison officer was slapping her hand clenching the towel with as much effort as he had left, but to no avail. #2 inhaled a gulp of cold air, ¡°you¡­¡± ¡°You can always order me¡­ to kill him now.¡± CH 7 wynne8-10 minutes 25.04.2022 last edited on ZLT: 02.04.22 This translation is hosted at ZHANLANN.COM Ai Bei didn¡¯t manage to finish off prison officer A in the end. Prison officer B, the officer that was in charge of searching her down had already rushed over. Officer B had been walking her to her assigned cell room when she suddenly dashed off in another direction. The officer wasn¡¯t too far off her tail though. To be honest, Ai Bei didn¡¯t have any intentions to kill officer A. Prison officer A was in a bad condition. Before officer B brought him away, he shot them a glare in warning. When the officers left, a certain person that¡¯d been forcing an aggressive and strong front collapsed: ¡°Help me up.¡± Shocked, #2 came to his senses; #2 only managed to get Ai Bei up by pulling and lifting her partially. While doing so, she accidentally pressed against his wounds on his arm. He inhaled sharply in pain, but endured in silence. ¡°Why?¡± She said fragilely: ¡°This body, is not very good.¡± He asked, puzzled: ¡°What do you mean not very good?¡± ¡°Are all guys this weak?¡± She recalled #2 being pressed against the wall, as well as her current body. She¡¯s completely spent from trying to hold officer A down earlier, if she didn¡¯t use all the force she had, he¡¯d have escaped her grip. ¡°¡­¡± The sudden provocation and blow to his ego had #2 wanted to properly prove to her how strong guys can actually be. The moment he moved his shoulders though, it tugged at one of his wounds. ¡°Don¡¯t move.¡± Ai Bei after regaining some strength went to check his wounds, ¡°it¡¯s bleeding.¡± ? CHART TOPPER QUEEN, CHAPTER 07 is hosted at ZHANLANN.COM ? #2 held himself up by leaning half his weight against the wall. While she checked his wounds, he looked at the person that was one head shorter than he was. He remained silent even when whatever she was doing hurt. Instead, he spoke: ¡°It¡¯s nothing. What about you? How did you end up here?¡± Ai Bei used a backup towel to dress his wounds, and softly replied: ¡°I was afraid that you will get bullied in here, and vent your pent up anger on me during the mission.¡± ¡°¡­did I? Fine I did, but I let you off afterwards didn¡¯t I?¡± He was suspicious of her motives. Ai Bei realised that this little German Shephard puppy was quite an alert one. Regardless, that didn¡¯t matter; the more wary they were, the more delicious they¡¯d turn out when captured. After dressing his wounds, she stretched out his hand and suddenly patted it when his wound was, ¡°I haven¡¯t taken my revenge yet.¡± At her sudden action, #2 howled in pain. * A new person joined their cell; the latest addition looked delicate and tender, quite a delicious looking one it would appear. This realisation had the rest of the existing inmates¡¯ eyes glowing as though a pack of hungry wolves. After being stuck in jail for seven to eight years, even a female pig would excite them, much less such a beautiful looking person, even if the person was a male. And the worst part perhaps was the fact at Ai Bei didn¡¯t seem to realise what a dangerous place she¡¯d entered. Her smiling at everyone had them salivating even more. As a result, they grasped every opportunity to make a move on her. Not long after she went in, #2 got into a fight because of her. Unable to let off any steam elsewhere, their pent up frustrations had accumulated into a scorching fire. When someone tried to touch her waist, that person was immediately shoved aside by #2 standing beside her. He growled, riled up: ¡°The fuck you doing?¡± ¡°Fuck you!¡± Exploding, that person sent a blow right at his face. After taking the punch, #2 grasped the opportunity to return the favour, and gave the person a hard beating. #2 was indeed seething. Whether it was the ostracising from the other inmates in the cell, or officer A¡¯s earlier unscrupulous attempts on him that almost succeeded, he¡¯d have reined himself if he was still in his previous state of mind. However, he was throwing fists with all his might in the fight he got into today. The two other inmates that came over to help the first guy didn¡¯t have it easy either; all of them were beaten up so bad they were moaning in pain. #2 wiped the blood at his lips. His glare razor sharp, he made a deliberate to stare at every single inmate that had been spectating. He knew that the head among the inmates had instructed them over to figure Ai Bei¡¯s abilities out. For people like Ai Bei, if they weren¡¯t too thorny to handle, they¡¯d be the first sacrificial lamb sent over for the head¡¯s enjoyment. Before #2 did anything though, prison officer A made an eerie appearance. He looked at #2: ¡°you again? That started this?¡± After which, without hearing what the latter had to say, #2 was thrown into the black room as punishment. When the prison officer¡¯s eye met Ai Bei¡¯s, he averted his gaze. Ai Bei had left him with quite the traumatising impression, he didn¡¯t dare touch her just yet. #2 was taken away by prison officer B. However prison officer A remained standing in the cell. The inmates head figured him out, and went over personally to light him his cigarette. Evidently they had much more bribery happening behind the scenes. Prison officer A slipped the item that he received into his pocket silently. ¡°The bunch of you, really, don¡¯t cross the line, I can¡¯t side with you guys all the time.¡± ¡°Yes yes yes, you are right.¡± The inmate head nodded his head in fervent obedience. The moment they managed to send off the officer that grasped their all of their fates in his hand, the inmate head spat: ¡°Fuck that asshole, you greedy dog will be fucked.¡± His followers too were cursing away in resonance beside the inmate head. It¡¯s a dog eat dog situation here in prison; the anger from being suppressed by the prison officers had them boiling in anger for a long time now. ¡°Sure.¡± Suddenly, the crystal clear, gentle voice of the youth appeared. The bunch of them turned at the voice, only to realise Ai Bei sitting beside the bunk. The youth was a good looking one, but he seemed to be quite useless so far ¡ª he¡¯s as though a little Buddha piece that #2 had especially bought to tender and care for. #2¡¯s protection of him was watertight, but when the former was beaten, the latter remained as silent as a mouse; he didn¡¯t help #2 out in any way either. Ai Bei wasn¡¯t one to bother herself with their impressions about her. Her eyes squinting into a curve as a light smile painted her face, she spoke: ¡°I have an idea, do you guys wanna give it a go?¡± * When #2 returned from the black room, he noticed that the atmosphere in their cell was a little off. His bunk was usually rummaged through and strewn all over whenever he returned to the cell. His meals would often be split and mostly finished off by the other inmates too. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that he hadn¡¯t been eating properly for so many meals in the past few days, he wouldn¡¯t be weak to the point he couldn¡¯t even retaliate. This time however, his bunk was perfectly fine; to his surprise, Ai Bei was also still perfectly fine. She¡¯d even brought over a bowl of instant noodles. He¡¯d been feeling rather restrained and morose after returning from the confinement room. The situation in the cell had him confused instead, and so #2 turned to give Ai Bei a questioning look. ¡°Shh.¡± She didn¡¯t let him speak, ¡°why don¡¯t you help me out?¡± Ai Bei knew that #2 wouldn¡¯t devote himself to her just because she helped him out once; he was only defending her because he knew that she was a girl. Well, she¡¯s not in a rush anyway. CH 8 4-4 minutes 25.07.2022 last edited on ZLT: 02.04.22 This translation is hosted at ZHANLANN.COM German Shepards often becomes very alert after being wounded. However, the moment they drop their guard, their attachment to humans would rocket to an incredible extent. He was the most important element in this contest, and she was patient enough to wait it out. Ai Bei left for a while that night. When she returned, she brought #2 to the prison officer duty office. After getting him to hide in one corner, she went to knock on the door. Prison officer B was on duty: ¡°What is it?¡± Ai Bei told him that prison officer A was being locked in the black room and was unable to get out. Prison officer A had told her to come over to get the key from him. Prison officer B probed further. At his questions, Ai Bei stuttered, her gaze floating. Prison officer B immediately understood what had happened. He cursed silently, thinking it was prison officer A¡¯s bad habit acting up again, and wanted to lure someone into the black room but ended up locking himself inside. Though annoyed, he wasn¡¯t going to ignore this and let his colleague remain trapped inside. He definitely should not be giving the key to a prisoner, so he had to make his way over personally. As for Ai Bei, he told her to quickly return to her cell before he walked off in a rush. He wasn¡¯t concerned about Ai Bei running off, they were patrolling at night anyway. When the officer left, Ai Bei gestured for #2 to come over. ¡°What exactly do you want to do?¡± He asked. Ai Bei tried the door. The control room door that the officer thought he¡¯d closed opened easily. She pointed at the surveillance screens, ¡°d¡¯you know how to control the surveillance?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not gonna explain yourself first?¡± Looking every bit like a criminal, he sat down on the officer¡¯s chair as he asked. He caught sight of a police cap hanging on the chair and went ahead to grab it without hesitation. He plopped the cap on his head almost as though it was a random cap, and crossed his legs as he drilled her. The slanted golden police badge coupled with his roguish attitude had him appearing sinfully handsome. Ai Bei cupped her chin and looked at him, ¡°here¡¯s an opportunity to take your revenge.¡± She¡¯d found the right moment to hand officer A a strip of paper earlier in the afternoon, and had agreeed to meet with him in the black room. Officer A was gusty as usual, and had thought that she finally recognised his power and authority after getting herself into prison, and that she was seeking protection from him. And so, he went to the black room at the agreed timing. Ai Bei then proceeded to lock him inside the room, before pretending to have just arrived and asked him what happened. At officer A¡¯s instructions, she went over to the duty room. The back and forth gave them some time to work with, in fact it was enough for the inmate head and his gang of followers to crack their way out of their cells, ambush officer A and relief their vent up anger. The most important part of this entire play was the surveillance. How should she fake the surveillance and make it seem as though she was never there in the first place, so that officer A would not be able to identity the culprit even if he tried. After #2 listened to her, he cracked his wrist, ¡°Simple.¡± CH 9 Time flew by when they were within the mission world. On the last day of their mission, #2 almost forgot that they were within a virtual reality. Before they left, #2 had been racking his brains trying to find a handle for Ai Bei¡¯s toothbrush. All of the toothbrushes in prison had their handles broken off, only the toothbrush head would be left. Ai Bei was having a lot of difficulty trying to hold the brush. His back facing the rest, he squatted down in the corner with his sleeves rolled up. He took a drawl from his cigarette and weighed the toothbrush in his left hand, as though weighing a rock, as an idea formed in his head. Before he could actualise anything, the mission period of one week ended. A white light glowed, and him, together with Ai Bei who had been scrunched up sleeping on the bed, was sent back to the training room. The atmosphere within the training room was a little off. After a moment of silence, #3 lifted her lips as she applaused for Ai Bei, as though praising her for her moves she pulled inside the world, ¡°incredible.¡± #3 did the same mission as Ai Bei, and #3 hated #2, but #3 had never once thought about making an active effort to reverse her situation. In comparison to her, #5 was much better at this game. #1¡¯s gaze on Ai Bei was a little strange too, as though he was trying to figure out exactly what kind of person she was. On the other hand, #4 who had written the mission and was deducted 5 points was silent. The competition waited for no one. Next, it was Ai Bei¡¯s turn to input a character brief for #1¡¯s mission. Ai Bei would also be the one to determine which person #1 would assume. #1 smiled and tried to probe: ¡°Should I join you guys?¡± He wanted to know if Ai Bei would put him in prison. It would be much easier for him if he didn¡¯t need to join them in prison for his mission. But even if he did, he still had an ace on his hands, and that was #2, so things would turn out pretty interesting too. After spectating Ai Bei¡¯s performance, he felt as though he¡¯d found a worthy opponent, so sticking his nose into their situation was perhaps his adrenaline getting to his head. On the other side of the room, #2 remained silent after returning. He was still trying to retune himself back to reality after experiencing all of that in the virtual world. The after-effects of such a 100% full-dive virtual experience was that it could confuse people, and those that exit from the VR world would mix up their reality with what happened occured in the VR world. #2 wanted to know what Ai Bei had in mind too. If #1 was sent to prison, it was supposed to be a gleeful sight for him, yet somehow, he felt unwilling, as though he didn¡¯t want him to appear. As though oblivious to the tense atmosphere, Ai Bei keyed in the last code before she gave #1 her first smile, her tone light, ¡°there¡¯s no need.¡± Despite only speaking three words, she left everyone wondering what she¡¯d meant. The character brief she¡¯d set for #1 was very similar to his real background ¡ª a charismatic and popular young master hailing from a rich family in school. The mission Ai Bei set was: get the prettiest girl aka #3 to fall in love with him without revealing his mission details; his mission duration was one week. Usually, mission information were be public and open to viewing by the members in their group. However, the mission-giver was also able to ¡°lock up¡± the mission details so that the group members would not be able to see it. Even if #1 had to keep it under wraps, this was not a hard mission for him. ¡ª¡ªOr at least that was what he had originally thought. To him, getting a girl to fall in love with him was as easy as breathing. His childhood friend had once joked that he was like a peacock, there¡¯d be girls jumping at him as though he was a peacock spreading its feathers. Though it was a joke, his friend¡¯s words were indirectly reinforced his charm. #1 instinctively overlooked the previous futile attempt at striking a a conversation with Ai Bei. At the very least, #3 was receptive and friendly to him from the get go. The system¡¯s detection of one ¡°falling in love¡± was not complicated, they go by the speeding up of the person¡¯s heart rate. However after the duration was over, he was shocked to learn that he failed the mission. #1 was definitely not going down the same route #2 did ¡ª he didn¡¯t make a huge commotion about trying to chase #3 in the mission, so he definitely did make a public confession. He remained relatively low-key about it, and his treats came in the form of candlelight dinner, cruise trip and feasts under the northern lights. They had many happy outings, and the atmosphere was almost romantic at times. Not only so, he also topped it all off with some flirting. Despite so, #3 was not a single bit moved. After returning to the training room, #1 was remained in a daze by the ¡°mission failed¡± words, flabberghasted. He couldn¡¯t believe that he lost two rounds consecutively, and became the first one to be kicked out. #3 drank a sip of water and exhaled. After she realised what #1¡¯s mission was, an expression of shock coloured her face, ¡°you should¡¯ve said earlier! Even if you can¡¯t, at least drop me a hint or something?¡± If #1 was as high-key as #2 had been, to the extent that the entire school knew he was chasing her, she maybe might be able to sense that something was up. After being pulled into the virtual world as a ¡°tool¡±, she started probing #1 in an attempt to understand the situation, but #1 kept his mouth tightly zipped. Under such a situation, the low-key holiday trips did not get to her; her head was full of the mission and trying to figure her sitaution out. The two of them were allies per say, so naturally she¡¯d hoped that he would be able to successfully complete his mission and take Ai Bei¡¯s points. But #1 didn¡¯t mention anything about it. She figured that it was because of the circumstances that¡¯s why he couldn¡¯t say anything, but it shouldn¡¯t be to the point where he didn¡¯t even give her a hint. All he knew was to bring her around with a happy face, how in the world was she supposed to figure anything out! The information mismatch contributed to his undoing. ? CHART TOPPER QUEEN, CHAPTER 09 is hosted at ZHANLANN.COM ? Ai Bei was not surprised by the outcome. After #1 was eliminated, she didn¡¯t look at him anymore. Even though #1 was eliminated, he didn¡¯t leave the training room. He remained sitting at his seat instead, evidently very unhappy about the outcome. The system did not kick him out of the training room either. After the first round of missions ended, the points were as follows: #1 was eliminated, #2 had 18 points, #3 had 2 points, #4 had 10 points, #5 had 20 points. The second round started. Because #1 was eliminated, #2¡¯s character and mission was set by Ai Bei. The players with the highest points were #2 and Ai Bei. If nothing goes wrong, the two players that would be able to proceed to the next round would be the two of them. However, the competition was still going on, so anything was possible. #2 saw Ai Bei biting on her nail intinctively. After their period of interaction, he knew that this was a habit she had when she was feeling a little difficult and a little at loss. Ever since leaving their virtual world, she had not looked at him even once. Even though he knew this was a competition, and that no one would take whatever happened in the virtual world too seriously, he still felt as though he had been stung by a bug. He felt as though something was throbbing in pain, and after the pain it became an itch that didn¡¯t go away. He had no idea why but he suddenly spoke. ¡°I¡¯m scared of heights.¡± The male voice that suddenly sounded in her private message had Ai Bei glancing up at him. By then, #2 had already turned to look away, his heartbeat thundering away in his chest, as though he wasn¡¯t the one that just spoken. Unbeknowst to the rest, a hidden ¡°exchange¡± had silently occured. As the system had a minimum and maximum cap for the mission difficulty, Ai Bei¡¯s mission for #2 had to be set in the same prison environment too. And so, she got him to secretly climb up the prison dormitories and look down at the first floor. #2 stood before the railing for a bit before he waved his hands: ¡°I can¡¯t do it.¡± His straightforwardness was almost dashing, if it weren¡¯t for his trembling legs that Ai Bei noticed. ¡°Is this considered cheating?¡± #3 frowned. She didn¡¯t understand what had just happened, because #2 gave up too quickly, as though this was all just formality. Evidently something was off. The person being questioned ignored her. Only #4 tugged on her sleeve, and gestured at her to look at the projection. The system indicated that Ai Bei did not violate any rules; in other words, her actions were within the scope of the competition. After all, there was no rule that barred players from ¡°giving away their points¡± for free. Ai Bei had already collected the full marks of 25 points; she was eligible to proceed to the next round. The competition continued. #3 sucked it up, completed #2¡¯s nitpicky requests and safely secured her 3 points, and collated a total of 5 points for herself, before ¡°giving her points away¡± to #4. CH 10 Ai Bei who had realised that their relationship seemed to be getting a bit intimate. The other players also seemed to have sensed something too. #1 had the poorest expression out of everyone. After all, he had always been allies with #3 Among the two other girls, #3 was the one in charge, but seeing how she had too little points, she decided to help #4 proceed to the next round. Ai Bei had already successfully proceeded to the next stage. Accordingly to the rules, #4¡¯s mission target would now become #2. When #4 was making her selection on the interface, she realised that the auto-selected mission target was still #5, Ai Bei. She stopped and looked at the latter. #5 was really too inconspicuous as a girl. She was seated with her legs open with her hands pressed at the edge of the chair, her toes tapping lightly on the ground, as though an innocent, harmless child. #4 suddenly felt a sliver of cold snaking through her body. ¡°Why are you still here.¡± Ai Bei replied her leisurely: ¡°The rules allow me to stay.¡± This was quite a prickly situation for #4. Her forte lies in solving math problems, not issuing problems related to emotions, hence as to the setting she¡¯d fixed in the first round; she¡¯d intended to make things difficult for her. The second mission was also just a copy, and that to her was simple, she didn¡¯t need to rack her brains to come up with something new. She¡¯d thought about it after setting the mission. While #2 and Ai Bei¡®s individual losses or gains would not directly affect each other, he might not deliberately make things difficult for Ai Bei like how he¡¯d done towards her sister. This was a blind spot she¡¯d missed; and at the same time, she was also impressed by Ai Bei¡¯s problem solving abilities. She didn¡¯t think she herself could be as emotionally intelligent as Ai Bei, so she had no idea how to end things for Ai Bei. Now what? ? CHART TOPPER QUEEN, CHAPTER 10 is hosted at ZHANLANN.COM ? She keyed in the mission in hesitation. ¡°Hold on.¡± #3 noticed their conversation and was inspired, and so she grabbed her sister¡¯s hand. Her lips coloured with a bright smile, she turned towards Ai Bei; it was a smile tinged with a hint of provocation. ¡°I have an idea, why don¡¯t you let them give it a go.¡± ¡°Since they¡¯re so tight.¡± In #3¡¯s perspective, she¡¯d despised #2 initially. It was a hatred motivated partly by disdain; he was in the position of a suitor and her the person being chased. But she must say that #2¡¯s temper had changed; he¡¯s become wilder. And such a roguish side was eliciting a feminine desire to conquer him. She didn¡¯t see eye to eye with Ai Bei. When everyone had silently came to a mutual agreement to kick #2 out first, Ai Bei parachuted in like a saviour, thereby cutting off all her ties with #2. It¡¯s not that #3 grew to like #2, it¡¯s just her possessive instinct kicking in when she realised that her persistent suitor had now changed his mind. You weren¡¯t good enough when you where pursuing me; now that you¡¯ve grown, you changed your mind and fell in love with someone else. Galactic people were very open; relishing in skinship desires was akin to enjoying a delightful meal, lust and hunger were of an equal standing, and were both seen as natural, humane instincts. After putting in place an age-filter system, the government encouraged galactic residents to indulge in passionate entertainment while they still had time on their hands. The law was the same towards a couple of the same gender; there was no stigma nor special treatment. Hence, even though #3¡¯s suggestion was rather brazen, it still went through the system successfully. However according to the Galactic Privacy Protection Law, if the involved parties did not agree, the private footage would not be released or made public. However, #2 was evidently a heterosexual. At her suggestion, the expression of the players in the training room changed slightly, yet remained untelling of their emotions. When she saw that #4 inputted the details according to her suggestion, #3 touched her nails, giving an enamouring smile, ¡°I¡¯m helping you to realise your wish, you¡¯re welcome.¡± ¡°Fuck you¡ª¡± The furious #2 cursed halfway before Ai Bei clicked to enter the virtual world, leaving #2¡¯s incomplete sentence hanging in the air. They returned back into the virtual world once again. It¡¯s already one month later. While the other players were fulfilling their missions, the bodies of the inactive players will be ¡°entrusted¡° to the system to continue living out their routine lives accordingly. Ai Bei and #2¡¯s bodies only spotted a few extra light scuffs here and there when they returned; nothing much had changed. The two of them stood facing each other. Both of them were wearing the same blue and white stripped prison uniform. The taller, tanner one between the two of them spotted a buzz cut, appearing fiercer after having been through prison life for a while now. The other one was half a head shorter, and looked much fresher and more dainty, much softer and more gullible. No matter what, it was still two guys. Slam! #2 couldn¡¯t reign in his anger so he gave a hard kick at the wall. ¡°I don¡¯t really know how to do it.¡± She looked at #2 hesitantly, her bright, clear eyes as though insinuating that he should know better, since he was the real guy among the two of them. #2¡¯a vein popped, ¡°the hell do I know.¡± Since both of them didn¡¯t know, the only option left was to observe and learn. The male prison was quite a resource repository, things were happening all over the place. Later that night after showering, #2 was back in their cell. His unclothed body revealed his taut abs; #2 was halfway through wearing a shirt when Ai Bei stopped him in his tracks. His shirt halfway in, he shrugged it on before asking: ¡°You want to shower?¡± Ai Bei¡¯s situation was a little bit special. Usually she¡¯d wait till everyone was done and get him to keep watch before she went in to shower. The prison had their own curfew and schedule, but it wasn¡¯t something a little money couldn¡¯t settle. She grabbed his wrist, tip-toed out and pulled him over to stand outside the bathroom. The lights from within spilled out the door, casting a pool of light on the ground. The two of them were hidden in the shadows beside the lit-up area as they listened to the water sounds. #2 was confused at her actions, before he seemed to catch the vague sound of water running, and some unusual sounds coming from inside the bathroom. Within the bathroom, two bodies were pressed against each other, engaging in their revolting activities. His eyes darkened, before he realised Ai Bei had too popped out her head to peep in. #2 pressed her head back in, and squatted down with her. When she turned around in disagreement, he placed a finger against his lips to gesture at her to keep quiet. The two of them were very close, so close to the point she could hearing him swallowing. Just as #2 was about to speak, she suddenly leant over and kissed his finger. If he¡¯d moved his finger away the moment she leant in, her lips would definitely land on his. He could still feel the lingering warmth on his finger. He stood up with a swoosh. Ignoring the person tugging at him from behind, #2 started heading straight back. Ai Bei railed after him like a lost child. All the inmates in their cell had already went to sleep. He felt his way over to his bed in the dark. After sprawling flat on his bed, he wanted to turn around. Suddenly, a weight landed on his back, and he was pressed back down on the mattress. The ¡°lost child¡± knelt just like that on his thighs; both her hands were pressed against his lower back to stop him from getting up. In the dark cell, only a sliver of moonlight leaked in. Such darkness was very enveloping, and also boundless in magnifying one¡¯s senses. She felt her way around and lifted his shirt. When her chilly hands landed on his tight, muscly waist, he jumped, tingling out of his skin. Perhaps it was because his waist felt well-built, as though it was very much more powerful than it felt, and much more structured than the slumpy ones she saw earlier at the bathroom, she couldn¡¯t help but linger. He reached behind and grabbed her hand, his voice in restraint, ¡°are you done touching me?¡± Her other hand slowly inched down, and silently tried to tug his pants downwards, as though curious as to whether what¡¯s the extent things could go between guys. The heck. What the hell did she want to do, fuck him? TRANSLATOR & EDITOR: WYNNE. This translation is hosted at ZHANLANN.COM T/N: fortunately or unfortunately, this novel is PG so¡­ don¡¯t get your hopes up/down HHAHA :¡±) CH 11 #2 twisted his waist and turned around, as though a dormant volcano suddenly erupting, giving the explorers venturing towards the peak of the volcano a scare of their lives. Ai Bei didn¡¯t manage to catch her balance, and so she rolled down, before she found herself pressed beneath him. Unfortunately, #2 seemed to have made too much noise. The creaky bed accidentally woke up his asleep bunk mate. The inmate sleeping at the bunk above him threw something downwards with a slam. The inmate¡¯s sleep-deprived, irritated voice sounded, ¡°fucking hell, keep it down!¡± Silence returned to the cell room. In the dark, #2 opened his eyes, his undecipherable gaze trained on her, as though trying to look at the true her through the false body she received in this world. She¡¯d have snow white skin, her lips would be a faint shade of pink, her light grey eyes would be as though morning mist, her figure appearing and disappearing into the fog ¡ª blurry and enigmatic. His dark shadow closed in. His kiss was rough and impetuous. The both of them winced when their teeth slammed into each other. He licked her lips as though in comfort, his actions inexperienced and blunt. The bathroom scene had affected him. Guys were visual creatures to begin with, even if he was straight, just the thought that he¡¯d seen it with her, and her rushed peck from earlier was sufficient to set him boiling. Bubbling in his fervent excitement was also a tinge of annoyance and dissatisfaction. Did she actually mind what happened within this world? Why was she so eager to figure things out even though this was such an unreasonable task? Was it because none of this ¡ª both the events and the people ¡ª was real to her? The more he kissed her, the less he could control his instincts, and he more his questions in his head multiplied, drilling himself. Why was it that she could easily shift her memories of him aside, why did she act as though they didn¡¯t know each other when they were back in the training room, she didn¡¯t even look at him, why¡ª Before he knew it, he had already mercilessly stolen her of all her air, including the pockets of time for her to catch her breath. She whimpered as she struggled, tears glinting in her eyes, her forever calm gaze suddenly coloured with a different expression from her usual. It was then did he suddenly realise what he¡¯d done; he immediately released her. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be the one that has to hurt.¡± After finally catching her breath, she said glumly. ¡°¡­¡± He just wasted his kiss. #2 frustration shot up. Did she think he was trying to fight out their positions in a kiss? His voice turned chilly: ¡°You think I want to do it with a guy?¡± He didn¡¯t want to? What a pity, Ai Bei was a little disappointed, but she said: ¡°I mean, it¡¯s not like I want to be a guy.¡± She looked at him with a gaze teary from the kiss, looking particularly wronged. #2 suddenly found himself utterly defeated. His head was a mess, he tried to change the topic to distract her from their current situation. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you can¡¯t get used to using the toothbrush head? I figured out how to fix it for you.¡± ¡°¡­How are you gonna fix it?¡± He mumbled at her ears in a low, husky voice. Whatever ridiculous, or hilarious idea it was that he¡¯d he came up with, it had her covering her mouth in laughter, ¡°no I don¡¯t want it, don¡¯t give that to me.¡± When he saw her smile, #2¡¯s hanging heart finally settled. He was definitely not going to let anything happen between the two of them while she¡¯s stuck in a male body. Since she didn¡¯t want to fail the mission, he¡¯ll finish it for her. Within the training room, the projected image of what was happening within the virtual world disappeared when Ai Bei lifted #2¡¯s shirt. When the projection returned, a male voice sounded. ¡°I give up.¡± #3¡¯s relaxed in relief, her previous tension fading away. Even though the mission target was Ai Bei, #2 did not agree to finishing his part of the mission. According to the rules, #2¡¯s points would be deducted. Regardless, #4 was the one benefitting. #3 was glad she didn¡¯t set a bad mission. From the top of the charts, #2¡¯s loss in points immediately had him fell to the last place; he was in a very precarious position. There were only three players left. The turns switched very quickly, and it was Ai Bei¡¯s turn to set a mission for him again. Ai Bei was the one setting the mission, but honestly it seemed more as though she was trying to give him points for free, and even flirting with him given the setting. Ai Bei wanted him to hold her hand and confess to her at the restaurant that was situated on the highest level in the city. #3 frowned as she looked at Ai Bei. So the reason she stayed back was to help #2 so they can proceed to the next stage together? If this was the case, then the 5 points that had been deducted from #2 was really nothing. If #2 were to team up with Ai Bei, her sister wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against them on her own, she didn¡¯t have enough points, it was honestly very possible that she may be eliminated. How careless of her! #3 couldn¡¯t help but regret, she shouldn¡¯t have left, or at least, she should have ensured that #4 had enough points before leaving. She had no powers to help her sister out. Evidently, #2 had the same train of thought as #3. His gaze fell on Ai Bei. Their characters were still inside the prison. In order to leave the prison and get to the tallest skyscraper in the city, they only had one option: prison break. While preparing for their final escapade, the two of them got into a minor argument. ? CHART TOPPER QUEEN, CHAPTER 11 is hosted at ZHANLANN.COM ? #2 checked the access card he got while asking her: ¡°Why didn¡¯t you file a lawsuit to clear my name for me?¡± And instead got herself into jail? ¡°Isn¡¯t it because of you?¡± She glanced at him innocently, ¡°if I came even a minute later to save you, you¡¯d be dead.¡± He clenched his teeth, ¡°then why didn¡¯t you set this place as the mission setting earlier?¡± She squatted down and watched him sort out the lock. At his words, she gave a smile, ¡°isn¡¯t this more interesting.¡± #2 was so mad he almost broke the lock with his bare hands. Fortunately for them, prison breaking in a low-end civilisation wasn¡¯t impossible. The galactic residents were big on combat, their knowledge of basic combat skills was sufficient to help them escape any officers they may bump into. The other inmates in their cell also gave them a hand and helped to buy them more time. When the inmates found out that the two of them were planning to prison break to go out on a date, they stirred up a huge commotion about it for the longest time, and volunteered bravely to help cover for them. They took advantage of the time gap in-between different shifts. The two of them had familiarised themselves with the route, and managed to get their hands on some officer uniform. When it was time to change shifts, the two donned in officer uniform tapped their access cards and walked out confidently. On their way out, #2 almost bumped into officer B who was walking towards him. And so, the two of them split ways. Having reached the main gate, Ai Bei hollered at him: ¡°Hurry up! You¡¯ll miss the dinner gathering at this rate!¡± This was a piece of information that they had overheard from the prison officers. #2 quickly nodded in officer B¡¯s direction and ran towards the gate. T/N: soz friendss, life¡¯s been a lil busy and my focus has been more on the main projects, two chaps today to make up for the MIA >.< i¡¯ve got some time on my hands this month so CTQ will be on weekly updates until Jan 2023 hehe :> alsooo omg a kiss (?) ??? ladies and gents please treasure it (???) cuz action scenes like this is rare¡­¡­ Ai Bei really has him wrapped around her finger haha how artful indeed she is with (playing with?) emotions XD CH 12 He appeared very natural, and the information that they were communicating was true as well. Not only so, the two ¡°officers¡± recognised each other. The accumulation of all these factors dispelled Officer B¡¯s doubts. He figured that no inmate would have the guts to break out of prison like this. He believed that they wouldn¡¯t dare to pull such an act right beneath his nose. The head-on encounter with the officer while thrilling had left #2 incredibly tense and on the edge. He pretended to leisurely jog outwards. The moment he exited the prison¡¯s surveillance area, the restrained emotions as a result of his heart thumping away in his chest immediately exploded. He picked up Ai Bei and ran for his life; he was as fast as lightning! Ai Bei laid on his shoulders and laughed. ¡°Fun?¡± He clenched his teeth as he smiled too, ¡°how the fuck is that fun.¡± After successfully prison breaking, they¡¯d already completed half their mission. The next part was to get new clothes. Since they were going to a restaurant, their officer uniforms were definitely not going to cut it. Ai Bei picked a simple white button-up. She looked as clean and youthful as a university student. Compared to her, #2 was very much more dressed up, in fact magnificently so. He had a three piece suit on ¡ª on top of his black button-up, he had a dark grey checkered waistcoat on, and a suit jacket on the outside. In addition to his roguish buzz cut, and his tattoos peering out of his collar occasionally, #2 was the walking definition of restrained desire, and that was enough to leave many ladies weak for him. The female salesperson brought a light grey tie over and gestured it at him as she spoke enthusiastically: ¡°This pattern suits you, should I try it on for you?¡± #2 looked at Ai Bei through the mirror, ¡°what do you think?¡± Ai Bei picked up a rather provocatively coloured tie and threw it at him. He laughed, not paying mind to her slapdash effort. As he slowly tightened the tie around his neck, he looked at up Ai Bei, his gaze dominant and aggressive. The female sales assistant on the side suddenly felt a little out of breath watching the two of them. ? CHART TOPPER QUEEN, CHAPTER 12 is hosted at ZHANLANN.COM ? All the hot guys seemed to bat for the other team these days. * The two of them were spiffed up before they stepped into the restaurant located on the highest floor in the city. The food in prison was only sufficient to sustain the energy required for the inmates to carry out their regular activites; it was definitely not the best taste and looks wise. The two of them kept their stomachs empty before arriving. As a result, they were extravagent in their order; the amount of dishes served was enough to fill the entire table, and this elicited many glances from the passing servers. #2 had always been a ravenous eater, however, the him today was particularly well-mannered, and would even pick out the escargot for Ai Bei. Ai Bei had been enjoying the food so much she didn¡¯t even notice that she had cream on her lips. She listed out which of the food she wanted picked out for her, ¡°I want this, this¡­¡± After speaking, she licked her lips and lowered her head to drink the cream of mushroom soup, waiting for him to portion out the dishes she had listed down to be placed on her plate. ¡°I like you.¡± The confession was sudden. Ai Bei choked on the cream of mushroom soup. She coughed, her face turning red. The culprit handed her a serviette, frivolous, ¡°just practicing.¡± ¡°You should¡¯ve at least warned me¡­¡± ¡°I like you.¡± He cupped his chin as he looked at her in a manner that deserves a good throttling, ¡°you¡¯re the one that set the mission. I like you.¡± He confessed again consecutively. She looked up to glare at him. Beneath the light that filtered down like golden curtains, she was dewy-eyed, perhaps due to her coughs from earlier, her gaze almost a little mad too. ¡°I¡­¡± He started, his remaining words suddenly jammed at his throat. #2 glanced away in disguise. He produced a cigarette from the cigarette box, lit it up, and clipped it between his fingers. A server that had noticed this immediately came over to remind him. #2 replied politely with a ¡°oh, apologies¡±. Once the server left, he drew a puff from the cigarette again, squinting his eyes slightly. Ai Bei didn¡¯t bother minding him, and continued eating her food. He looked at her lips, she still had some cream that she didn¡¯t clean off previously. His fingers twitched, but he stuck to puffing his cigarette instead. The two of them sunk into silence. After dinner was over, #2 went to the cashier to get the bill, but didn¡¯t see Ai Bei at their table when he returned. #2 walked around, and found the person he was searching for at the glass hallway. The glass hallway with roses flowering along the two sides was among the defining features of this restaurant. You could see the scenery of the night city beneath your feet when you walk across the glass hallway; it was an ethereal experience. ¡°What are you doing there?¡± The moment he spoke, he realised that his throat was tightening. He had a phobia of heights. Even though he was just standing before the glass hallway, he didn¡¯t dare to spare the glass facade any further glances. He could only force himself to concentrate his thoughts on Ai Bei. ¡°You should confess.¡± She said. She was reminding him, that he was running out of time. Missions usually spanned up to a maximum of one week. They¡¯ve spent a good portion of the time in the beginning preparing for the prison break, and a lot of time tonight enjoying dinner and relaxing. Despite so, confessing was just one sentence, it wouldn¡¯t take up much time. #2 settled his nerves. ¡°Come over here.¡± She shook her head, ¡°I want to hear it here.¡± Though he had no idea why she insisted it, he coughed lightly, and tried to rein in his scattering thoughts. He hazarded a guess as to what she was thinking, perhaps she¡¯d wanted to do it with a romantic background. He¡¯d just practiced the line a few times earlier, and he¡¯d repeated it many times in his head too. The more formal the actual setting was, the more awkward he became. Even so, he spoke from the bottom of his heart: ¡°I like you.¡± The moment he spoke, Ai Bei suddenly walked backwards, until she was among the roses flowering in the hallway. Night had fallen, and the city had lit its evening lights. From the glass hallway, you could see the the vast expense of the citylife from above. The neon lights beneath were diamonds sprinkled across the floor, blinking up at you as they glittered in the dark. Despite the breathtaking scene, he¡¯d only managed to spare it a single glance. Even so, he¡¯d found himself already a little out of breath, much less muster the courage to walk across the glass hallway and make it over to where she was. And yet, Ai Bei reached out a hand towards him, smiling: ¡°You need to hold my hand.¡± In that moment, #2¡¯s mind went blank, it was as though even his blood froze; he couldn¡¯t help but feel a chill rising through him. He recalled the mission requirement, and that was to ¡°hold hands¡± ¡ª he had to hold her hand while confessing to her. This had originally been a lovely, romantic scene in his head, but the situation at hand seemed to cast a dark shadow across his previous fantasy. She stood in the hallway ¡ª the hallway he couldn¡¯t cross ¡ª and smiled at him. Though the distance between the two of them was short, they were as though the Jiang River and Wei River, the conflicting nature of their waters incompatible and discordant. ¡°Are you not coming over?¡± She tilted her head to the side, ¡°it¡¯s, almost time.¡± Suddenly, a few police cars arrived below, parking themselves at the skyscraper. The red police lights blinked away dangerously, and the police sirens reverberated, shattering the melodious tune of the night. She¡¯s right, it¡¯s almost time. Even though the mission¡¯s deadline was not up yet, they had to leave the restaurant soon. ¡°Why¡­¡± His gaze, most of the time willful, was now clouded with dread. His teeth trembled. He had to muster all the courage within him to dare himself to ask, ¡°why?!¡± How was it possible that he didn¡¯t know what she was trying to do. She was the same as the rest; she had been, as the rest had been, calculating how many points she could get from him. And yet, the weakness that she was now using against him was the very weakness that he told her himself. As expected, Ai Bei looked at him calmly: ¡°This is a competition, isn¡¯t it?¡± CH 13 Ai Bei¡¯s reply shattered #2¡¯s last hopes. So everything that happened in this world, and every act of kindness towards him was just an act? His gut feelings were right, the virtual world had never once confused her, she had always managed to differentiate this from reality. Unlike him, he had been thoroughly deluded. #2¡¯s eyes became bloodshot. He wanted to walk over to the glass hallway, to rush over to where she was and chain her down. He wasn¡¯t going to let her win, he wasn¡¯t going to let her go so easily! His phobia of heights however made it seem as though his legs were filled with lead, and his foot had been nailed to the ground; no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn¡¯t take a further step forward. This phobia that he had been born with was not something he could overcome in a matter of minutes. Even if he could no longer see how high they were up in the air, nor the restaurant ¡ª the surroundings had thoroughly dissipated into nothing but a meaningless backdrop. The only thing that he could see now was her. Even so, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to move forward. And he was unresigned about it, he was terribly disgruntled by what had played out¡ª Suddenly, he seemed to have noticed that the person that had abandoned him was a little closer to him than she was a moment before. He seemed to hear her sigh, and her silhouette slowly closed in¡­ #2 was dazed, his eyes widened as he watched her walk her way back. She was as though the missing colour that had once again entered his paleing, delicate, and trembling world. The moment she crossed back to solid ground, he caught her with his quivering hands, and brought her into the tightest of embrace, so forcefully and tightly he might just break her ribcage, as though a drowning person latching on to a floating piece of wood. He buried his head in her neck, his fingers wrapped around her wrist trembling. ¡°You, you fucking¡­¡± Profanities jammed in his throat; warm tears oozed from his eyes before he even realised it himself. They still had time actually, he¡¯d already grasped her in his hands, all that¡¯s left was to say the three words, and he¡¯d have won. But it¡¯s also exactly because of this, that¡¯s why he didn¡¯t understand. His emotions were in a turmoil. He clenched his teeth: ¡°How dare you¡ª¡± Suddenly, he felt her hand, it was lighting caressing his spiky hair. ? CHART TOPPER QUEEN, CHAPTER 13 is hosted at ZHANLANN.COM ? Just this simple action was enough for him to let his guard crumble once again, dissipating together with it was his hatred and the vengeful thoughts that had been racing through his head just a moment ago. He heard her reply: ¡°Forget it.¡± * The progression of the plot played out in the most surprising and unexpected manner. By the time the two of them returned to the training room, the entire room was silent. The rest of the participants looked at Ai Bei different now. Frankly speaking, the lack of restrictions gave them liberty, but at the same time, they became more relaxed. Everyone had spent considerable effort in their own, single missions in an attempt to win the opponent. No one had even thought about making any groundwork to foreshadow the upcoming rounds. If they were to scrutinise how things worked out, #5 had already started laying the bricks for what was to come the moment she entered the virtual reality, hadn¡¯t she? Overturning the malicious mission she received in the beginning was impressive enough, but no one expected that this was only one of the jigsaw pieces of the entire puzzle that she¡¯d fixed. And this was only just the elims¡­ #3 joined with the thought of giving it a shot. Though she¡¯d started to take things pretty seriously and even got a little competitive, she was a far throw from Ai Bei¡¯s ability to manipulate the plot and people ¡ª the latter was truly scary. #2¡¯s mission failed in the end, and was elimiated. The 5 points deducted from him was given to Ai Bei. She looked at #2, ¡°the way she treated you in the mission, and you¡¯re not¡­¡± #2 glanced at her coldly, ¡°I¡¯d rather spend the time trying again in another planet than waste my breathe talking to you.¡± ¡°You can go through the elims at another planet again?¡± ¡°Yes. TITR does not limited the number of tries. The time zones are also different across the planets. You can try again, as long as you can afford the inter-planet flights.¡± #1 suddenly replied. He had finally returned to earth after witnessing Ai Bei¡¯s performance. He looked at #4 and opened her mouth, but didn¡¯t end up saying anything. Expectedly, #4 didn¡¯t manage to proceed to the next round. It was only now did he realise that #5 had intended to finish everyone off and walk away to all the points. #4 was the fish that she kept well-fed. She¡¯d left #4 to earn points. Perhaps that was because #4 was the weakest among everyone in her opinion. The points on #4 was equivalent to storing the points away safely in the bank. Once the rest are out of the game, #5 can retrieve #4¡¯s points any time. #1 hadn¡¯t lied when he spoke to Ai Bei in the beginning ¡ª he did have insider information. While it seemed like the elimination round was wholly controlled by the system, there were still invigilators present. Any outstanding players would definitely catch the attention of these invigilators, and these outstanding playyers may even obtain an ¡°elevator pass¡± where they could skip the following two rounds of elims and head straight into the next stage. Even though he knew such information, there were too many uncertain variables. Having such insider information was as good as not having any. So, where exactly did this monster of a #5 pop out from? * TITR backend, the invigilators had indeed caught notice of this impressive turn of events. The manager had his eyes peeled from the prison break all the way to the dilemma of the rose-decorated glass hallway. It was only until the end did his frown loosen. Even he himself didn¡¯t notice that he was now sweaty from the tense turn of events. ¡°How was it!¡± The editor was very excited, ¡°once we roll this out, I promise we¡¯ll overload the server once the first episode of the competition is aired.¡± ¡°Enh, it¡¯s good, except the last part, delete the scene where they hug, and end it at ¡®this is a competition¡¯¡±. The editor paused, ¡°then¡­¡± Won¡¯t #5 be cancelled by the audience? ¡°This is a trailer.¡± Negative emotions were more likely to get the audience to take notice of this competition, that¡¯s just how it worked. Persuaded by the emotionless manager, the editor proceeded to make further edits to the clip. On the other side, the manager pulled over a higher-ranked invigilator, ¡°this player, keep a watch on her. If needed, we can give her some relevant assistance in the following rounds. Don¡¯t let her get eliminated too easily.¡± Invigilator: ¡°You mean?¡± ¡°She has potential, she might just end up going to the Capitol Planet.¡± TRANSLATOR & EDITOR: WYNNE. This translation is hosted at ZHANLANN.COM Read Advance Chapters or Request for Additonal Chapters: Additional Chapter Commissions: T/N: hi friendss, christmas discount: key ¡°XMAS22¡± for 12% off YDM and CTQ Chapter Commissions (expires 31st Dec 2022), please note that all discounted commissioned chapters in Dec 2022 will be published in Jan 2023; oh my my my Ai Bei really played #5 hard¡­ (covers face) the idiom that comes to mind is ´ò¸ö°ÍÕÆÔÙ¸ø¸öÌðÔæ³Ô (a slap in the face followed by a sweet date) but it¡¯s not as simple as that¡­ #2 is really just a ¹¤¾ßÈË (tool) here, solely for the viewers¡¯ effect; if it had been a much more complicated mission that he couldn¡¯t complete, or if she¡¯d just let him complete the hand-holding-confession mission without the glass hallway drama, she wouldn¡¯t have left such an impression (both in #2 and in the audience), and she had to come up with all this ahead of time, and figure out how to channel his soft-heartedness (so that he wouldn¡¯t take revenge in the end)¡­ damn, i love this arc TTwTT, also thoughts fellow readers on what #5 said, will he appear again in the later rounds¡­??? CH 14 South Cross Rose, a new transmigrator live-streamer, was among the only two participants from Everday Planet that proceeded to the next round with all their opponents¡¯ points accumulated. Accordingly, she had already amassed a certain following, hence was considered an experienced individual in the livestreaming industry. Perhaps someone had revealed to her previously about the internal rules of the competition. Whereas this participant called Ai Bei¡ª ¡°Why did you want to collect all the points?¡± In the galactic virtual net, seated in a certain cafe, a reporter that had been sent by TITR asked Ai Bei. Ai Bei mixed the coffee with the spoon, ¡°the rules allow.¡± ¡°What?¡± The reporter couldn¡¯t follow her train of thought. ¡°The rules allow participants who already qualify for the next stage to continue playing. In other words, if you keep playing, there must be some kind of benefit.¡± Of course, it wasn¡¯t wrong to move on to the next stage either. If a participant that had enough points to proceed to the next stage lost his points when he continued playing, and as a result didn¡¯t meet the qualifying points, he naturally would no longer be able to proceed to the next stage. And so, the unwritten rule was ¡ª get more points, in fact, get all the points. She¡¯d never intended to allow anyone else in her training room qualify from the very beginning. Of course, she wasn¡¯t familiar with this rule-filled world, so it was possible that she might fail. But also because she wasn¡¯t familiar, that¡¯s why she¡¯d try to chomp through and understand every single line in the rules. On hindsight, it proved to be quite helpful didn¡¯t it? Not long after the elimination round ended, she received an ¡°elevator pass¡± that allowed her to qualify for the competition proper. It was also because of this card that¡¯s why there¡¯s reporters coming down to interview her. A lot of questions were asked during the interview, but Ai Bei did not show a single bit of annoyance. She sat there obediently. Even the reporter seemed to wonder if the young boy in the video was truly played by her? She couldn¡¯t help but ask a question that had not been drafted in the list of interview questions: ¡°When you gave up the mission and hugged player #2 in the end, is it because you got soft-hearted and gave in?¡± Soft-hearted? ? CHART TOPPER QUEEN, CHAPTER 14 is hosted at ZHANLANN.COM ? The latte art of a snow white cat was stirred away by Ai Bei. The messy swirls of cream seemed to be making a funny face back at her. Ai Bei¡¯s eyes curved. Of course, not. I like you. It was a melting and heartening phrase to hear, consisting of a youth¡¯s brimming and passionate emotions. However, having just experienced the pains of being abandoned, how would he dare to express his true feelings again for her to trample all over on. How would he dare open his mouth. She didn¡¯t want to make things difficult for herself. Just because she¡¯d created an enemy out of someone did not mean that she had to give up the points. Moreover, that scene and that mission was something she had especially designed for him. Right now, all the pieces had fallen into the right places. * Everday Planet, inside a hotel on a certain planet. A youth got out of his space pod, went to take a shower and washed away the nutrient solution that had been poured into the space pod. After he was out the shower, a notification sounded with a ¡°ding¡±; he¡¯d received a holographic call from his approved list of contacts. The call went through automatically, projecting itself on the dark-patterned wall. ¡°Sen¡¯zai*, how did it go how did it go, did you proceed?!¡± * ¡®zai (×Ð) is an affectionate suffix that people add to names to generate nicknames ¡°¡­¡± The person called Sen¡¯zai continued wiping his hair coldly, not replying him. ¡°You didn¡¯t get in? You didn¡¯t get in?!¡± The person opposite clenched his chest dramatically and laughed out loud, ¡°even though you changed your galactic virtual net appearance and especially ran off to a desolate planet to particpate, saying that you won¡¯t be discovered by your family this way, and you¡¯d at least last till semi-finals. In the end, you were eliminated in the elims?!¡± ¡°You can participate again on other planets.¡± ¡°Forget it, it doesn¡¯t look like you had fun. Aye, I discovered a voluptuous onee-chan here, I promise she¡¯s definitely the type you like.¡± The person in the call opened up a picture from his virtual screen. Lin Sen¡¯s gaze darkened. Akin to forest, his matcha-green eyes were clear and glassy. Coupled with a dark pupil, in the sun, his eyes were speckled with colours as though dancing silhouettes of a forest, in the dark, his eyes were dim and eerie as though a deep within a jungle. ¡°I don¡¯t like this kind any more.¡± The person was puzzled, ¡°¡­how¡¯s that possible, you¡¯ve liked this model for decades, why the sudden change of mind?¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Fine, what kind do you like now, let me know and I¡¯ll help keep an eye out.¡± After his friend spoke, a grey-eyed grey-haired face suddenly surfaced in Lin Sen¡¯s head. His heart clenched at the memory, and he gave up: ¡°Flat loli.¡± ¡°Hah?!¡± * Meanwhile, the flat loli Ai Bei temporarily managed to solve her housing and food crisis with the feeble rewards received from passing the elims. The reward money afforded her a cheap, underground hostel, moulding bedsheets and covers, and a bag of nutrient solution that had a corner bitten off by a rat. The rewards from passing the elimis wasn¡¯t very high. After all, in order to select more participants, TITR did not set any participation criterias. If it weren¡¯t for her extraordinary performance, and the request she¡¯d sent through the reporter, she might not even be able to get this amount. The reporter that interviewed her kindly stuffed her some compensation. She probably wouldn¡¯t have to face so much difficulty once the competition started proper. After all, the competition had a rule that stated ¡ª part of the money that the audience tipped during the livestream would be given to the participant. She would need to try to get more tips during the competition. After two more rounds of elims ended, Ai Bei received a competition notice. In the dirty hostel room, she logged in to the virtual net again to participate in Everday Planet¡¯s first proper round of competition. This time, the venue of the competition expanded from a small training room to a huge hall. In the middle of the luxurious, bird nest-like oval-shaped hall, a thousand pillars of light shined. In the cetre of every pillar stood a participant. Ai Bei was among the participants. Waves of cheers erupted. Under the dazzling light, Ai Bei stood, suddenly feeling as though she was standing in the centre of the world. For someone who¡¯d crawled out from darkness like herself, she was unaccustomed to the limelight. The Livestreaming Transmigration Competition, had finally started, proper. CH 15 ¡°Welcome everyone to the first round of the Livestreaming Transmigration Competition hosted by TITR, this is the Everday Planet competition sub-venue.¡± ¡°The genres of the first round include adventure and challenge, action and clearing instances, mystery and thriller, romance and heartbeat, and many more. Players may select the genre that they excel in before starting the competition. If any of the audience have a particular player that you prefer, you may search up the player¡¯s livestream room.¡± The host stood in the centre of the stage as he went through the rules of the competition in detail, at the same time hyping up the atmosphere. Meanwhile, the players after receiving the information from the backstage crew were notified that they had a pre-task before the first round of the compeition started. This pre-task was set in place to allow them to get used to the ¡°virtual world¡±. If any of the players were to experience any discomfort, they would be able to exit the competition immediately. The ¡°virtual world¡± in the competition proper was vastly different from that in the elimination round. A ¡°storyline artificial brain¡± existed within the former; also because of this, it was able to create a smaller worldlet. In the elims, each player was the main character. Wherever they went, the limelight followed, and the data would be generated wherever needed and explored by the player. However in this worldlet, all the data and its structure would exist from the very beginning. Because of the vast size of the data available, players may experience data overload as a result of too much pressure on their brains. In certain cases, this may even result in nerve damage. This was also one of the reason why there were so little transmigration livestreamer. Ai Bei selected the romance heartbeat genre. In the two months of downtime between the end of elims and the start of the first round of competition, she¡¯d done her homework on the galactic net. There were usually way more female viewers than male viewers, and the genres that females preferred had remained generally unchanged from the ancient times till today ¡ª the romance genre. ¡°The plot has been loaded. During the preparation time, players may wish to change the timeline of the plot and select your desired entry point.¡± Ai Bei¡¯s virtual screen lit up. After selecting confirm, the plot loaded ¡ª The CEO¡¯s Runaway Sweetheart. When the plot loaded, howls immediately sounded among the romance genre players. ¡°This is a plot from Year 8012 right, it was crazy popular when it was first adapted into a full-dive holographic movie. But there were too many copycat movies afterwards that people grew so sick of this troupe.¡± ¡°Can you even alter it anymore?¡± ¡°And this is only the first round of the competition, we can¡¯t be getting a 13 Years Old Consort plot in the finals right?¡± To others, this plot was incredibly cliche to the point they were sick of it. To someone who had almost never encountered any form of such entertainment like Ai Bei, this was quite a novel experience. She clicked start to the pre-task. Within the column of light, countless tiny neurons seemed to link up with each and every inch of her body. Lethargy swept over her and she fell backwards, as though she fell asleep while standing. Before long, her lashes flickered, before she slowly opened her eyes. It was a foreign environment. ? CHART TOPPER QUEEN, CHAPTER 15 is hosted at ZHANLANN.COM ? The interior design was dark brown themed; the area was decorated with red bricked wallpaper, with booth seats made of carved wood, and a small, luxurious lamp hanging low. In the background, she could hear the low hums of a woman. Soft, slow chatters could also be heard from the side. This place seemed dark, sentimental and relaxed. Ai Bei seemed to have assimilated into this worldlet instantaneously. Even though there was no one observing her, she had habitually altered her movements and demeanour to blend in with the surroundings, without feeling out of place. After entering the worldlet, the control panel was automatically switched on. Beneath the panel was a huge paragraph of words briefly introducing the wordlet. Plot description: Ji Yan Zheng was the CEO of the globally renowned company Ji Organisation. He was handsome, domineering, and incredibly capable. There were countless ladies vying for his attention every day. Chu Tian was the daughter of the boss of a small family business teetering to survive. The two of them were worlds apart. However, in an attempt to save their company, Chu Tian¡¯s parents send their innocent daughter onto Ji Yan Zheng¡¯s bed¡­ Background description: This is a romantic story held in the ancient Earthen era. It was adapted by a galactic citizen and became a full-dive holographic movie. The movie had clinched Golden Horse Best Loved Movie, Planet Awards¡­ and many other awards. Simply put, this was a movie that many people had watched, accepted, and were familiar with the general plot. As a result, it was also more difficult for the players to alter the plot. Ai Bei had already looked through the plot briefly. She had some time on her hands now so she re-read the paragraphs again. Other than the plot introduction, there was a character attribute adjustment page. Players could adjust their appearance and physical fitness, there was even a worldlet tools page. Apparently the tools page was something that players could use in the later stages of the competition. Other than receiving tips from the audience, players could also obtain special virtual tools sponsored by certain brands, and these tools could be used inside the virtual world. However, the tools page was in shaded in grey now.