Chapter 180: Chapter 180: Kill Them

Shen Zhiyao stood at the window. The moon was hidden by clouds, and the distant beach was shrouded in shadow.

“Dark clouds can hide the light for a moment, but not forever. When the clouds disperse, the truth will be revealed.”

As if to prove her words, the moon soon emerged from the clouds, once again illuminating the land.

“The weather is great tonight. Perfect for cultivation.”

With that, she walked to the second-floor, floor-to-ceiling window, sat down cross-legged, and began her cultivation.

Chen Yan was sitting in the first-floor courtyard, and he could see her just by looking up.

The moonlight, fluid as water, washed over her face, giving her the air of the Nine Heavens Goddess.

He just watched her quietly. It was unclear what memory crossed his mind, but a hint of sadness surfaced in his eyes.

…

「Five hours later.」

The group that had gone to the Bell Factory in the Island Country returned.

Thirty-one people, including the crew, had gone. Only four returned: the director, Zhao Jing, Sun Yingbin, and Zhou Ye.

The celebrity guests looked rather battered.

A large hole was torn in Sun Yingbin’s clothes, and a trickle of fresh blood oozed from the corner of his mouth.

Zhao Jing had a gash on her forehead, and blood was steadily trickling from the wound.

She pressed a tissue to the wound and couldn’t stop herself from cursing, “Fuck! A bunch of goddamn savages! Are they all morons? A fucking gang!”

Sun Yingbin reminded her, “You’re a public figure. Watch your language.”

Zhao Jing scoffed. “The stream isn’t live, so what if I curse a little? Are you saying those savages were justified in beating us to a pulp?”

The director pulled a phone out of his pocket. “Things were chaotic just now. I hid my phone, but I never ended the stream.”

Everything Zhao Jing had just said was broadcast live, causing a stir among the viewers:

[Was that Zhao Jing cursing? I’ve never heard her talk like that before. It’s a bit jarring.]

[I’m shocked, too. She’s always so poised and gentle. Why are her words so vicious?]

[The locals have issues, too, if they’re pushing a lady to swear! Our Zhao Jing is always so gentle and graceful!]

[They took our Xiao Xiao! Please, you have to save her!]

[Is the production team insane?! Look at the situation, and they’re still filming instead of getting the celebs out of there. They’re willing to die for the footage!]

Zhao Jing glanced at the live comments. At least her fans weren’t dwelling on her outburst.

Shen Zhiyao and Chen Yan were already sitting in the living room when the group got back.

The director was filthy from head to toe. Seeing the two of them, he said with relief, “It’s a good thing you two didn’t go. Otherwise, you’d be a complete mess, just like us.”

Chen Yan asked, “How is it that only the four of you came back?”

The director recounted what had just happened.

Initially, their plan was just to go to the Bell Factory to look for evidence. It didn’t matter if they found anything; the main goal was to cash in on the surge in viewership.

And sure enough, the moment the stream went live, their popularity skyrocketed, instantly shooting to the top of the ratings chart.

With that kind of hype, they figured it wouldn’t matter if they didn’t find any real evidence.

But before long, the locals approached them, armed with weapons.

The man leading them was none other than Qin Feng, who was over ninety years old.

Qin Feng shouted harshly, “I knew you foreigners were no good! What do you think you’re doing, sneaking into our factory in the middle of the night?”

The director rushed over to explain, but the locals wouldn’t listen. They immediately charged forward with the other villagers and started attacking the crew.

The production crew had more people, so they weren’t about to back down. They charged right back to confront them.

Later, the police and Gu Ming arrived on the scene.

Seeing his side grow in numbers, Qin Feng snorted. “These foreigners, sneaking into the factory in the middle of the night—they must be up to something! Seize them! They must be the murderers!”

The production team grew frantic and started arguing with the villagers.

Of all the foolish things to do, Zhao Jing chose that moment to say, “Aren’t you the one who murdered Master Qin? Stop playing the victim, crying ’thief’ when you’re the thief yourself!”

Qin Feng’s face instantly darkened. “What did you say?”

Before Zhao Jing could respond, Qin Feng threw a punch. She didn’t have time to dodge and took the full force of the blow. Her forehead slammed into the ground, and blood began to pool beneath her.

That was the last straw for the crew. They immediately started brawling with the Island Country villagers right then and there.

In the end, only the director, Zhao Jing, Sun Yingbin, and Zhou Ye managed to escape. The police took everyone else away.

At that point, the director finally grasped the severity of the situation. He cut the live feed and immediately called the head of Mango TV. “We really can’t stay here anymore. If we do, someone’s going to get killed.”

The director explained everything that had happened to the station head on the other end of the line.

The station head had also seen the situation on the livestream. Things were looking bad. No matter how high the ratings were, they couldn’t stay there any longer.

The Mango TV head replied, “I’ve already dispatched a team to come get you, but the Island Country is remote and far away. The earliest they can get to you is tomorrow. For now, take everyone and hide. Make sure the celebrities are safe.”

After hanging up, the director relayed the station head’s message to the others.

Zhao Jing immediately flew into a rage. “We’re in this state, and we have to wait a whole night? How are we supposed to survive until then?!”

Sun Yingbin asked worriedly, “What about the crew members who were captured?”

The director said, “We’ll deal with that after our people arrive tomorrow. The police are involved now; I doubt they’ll dare to keep our staff.”

After saying that, he turned to Shen Zhiyao. “Miss Shen, are we safe here for now?”

“We’re not.”

The words had barely left her mouth when the sound of footsteps echoed from outside the courtyard.

Zhao Jing scrambled to the window to look outside, and her face instantly paled. “We’re done for! They’re all holding knives, and they look absolutely vicious! Are they here to kill us to silence us?!”

The director said, “Let’s go! We’ll use the back door.”

He had directed a wilderness survival show before, so he knew a few things about escaping dangerous situations.

’Those escapes were all scripted, all planned. But when a real crisis hit, you still needed someone to plan the escape.’

The frustrating part was, why did he, the director, also have to run for his life along with the celebrity guests!

Fortunately, they were fast runners. Chen Yan was also clever enough to have them split up to divert the locals’ attention.

In the end, the group managed a narrow escape by diving into a patch of tall grass.

Meanwhile, the group led by Qin Feng noisily ransacked the house but found nothing.

As the men were leaving, they could be heard saying:

“They ran so fast, they must have a guilty conscience. I bet they’re the ones who killed Master Qin!”

“When we find them, we’ll kill them and dump their bodies in the river to feed the fish.”

“What is wrong with Gu Ming? Bringing these foreigners here and causing all this trouble.”

Only after the voices faded into the distance did the small group hiding in the grass dare to timidly peek out.

Zhao Jing couldn’t understand the islanders’ language, so she asked, “What were those men saying just now?”

The director’s face was deathly pale. “They said we killed Master Qin. And that when they find us, they’re going to drag us to the river and feed us to the fish.”

Sun Yingbin was instantly indignant. “They’re the ones who killed Master Qin! How can they pin it on us the second we arrive?”

Shen Zhiyao suddenly remembered something and asked, “Where’s my phone?”

The director handed her the phone, warning, “Conserve the battery. Your phone is about to die.”

The director had barely finished speaking when Shen Zhiyao pulled a power bank from her pocket and plugged the phone in to charge.

The director was speechless.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep