Chapter 88: Vindication

Chapter 88: Chapter 88: Vindication

The instructor let go of Renee Morgan and gave her the brightest smile since they’d met: "Renee Morgan, well done."

This time, the show’s team entered the training base for practice—it was a last-minute decision, specially arranged.

The Godfather’s side had only just settled in the base; their roots were shaky, so their international influence dropped by a notch.

Apex Conglomerate appears as a financial group, always on the rich list, but the actual controlling figures pull many strings behind the scenes. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have gotten filming rights at the base. The base’s power is interconnected; the fact Apex could get other forces to compromise says enough.

Apex wanted to shoot this show, while the Godfather’s side needed exposure at the base; both sides instantly snapped together.

As for why they picked such ordinary participants, even the instructors can’t figure it out. Apex’s official explanation: Only ordinary members seem authentic, more compelling to viewers. If they chose specially trained ones, they’d still struggle to get base passes in the forest, and scoring high in competitions would be tough. It’s better to pick regular folks—even if they get eliminated, that’s only natural.

Neither Apex nor the instructors expected an underdog would come out of nowhere and actually get the base pass.

Unbelievable.

Even more shocking than when they landed the contract with Apex.

But it was precisely this that pushed the show to fever pitch; its influence far exceeded expectations.

Apex and the Godfather’s forces both scored a win.

And the key to it all was Renee Morgan.

Of course, she was the ultimate winner—an emerging actress, a regular entertainer, suddenly became a superstar with massive international clout.

The title might sound exaggerated—she’s only in her twenties—but success always needs a touch of luck and mystique. Western countries worship Chinese kung fu, yearn for the Merrick training base, fascinated by mercenary secrets; all those tensions made the show hit unprecedented global popularity. Renee Morgan stood out among all contestants, gained the most attention, her fame explosion was inevitable.

Renee Morgan had no idea what the instructors were thinking; after greeting the other participants, she went back to wash up and rest.

Lying on the hard iron bunk in her dorm, she felt unexpectedly comfortable and soon slipped into deep sleep.

She hadn’t slept long before the assembly siren blared. Still drowsy, she packed up and hurried downstairs at top speed.

Only at the assembly did Renee realize something was off—seemed like someone was missing?

The instructor gathered everyone, eyes locking on Renee Morgan, as fierce as ever: "Wendy Aldridge has violated the law. Her contract is terminated, and she is deported to her home country for investigation."

Everyone looked tense, but hardly surprised.

They’d heard yesterday about Wendy cutting the rope. Wendy claimed she hadn’t done it, said Renee was impulsive and misunderstood her.

They were half-convinced at the time; now, hearing the instructor’s decision, it was clear Wendy really did cut the rope.

"Reporting, instructor—I have physical evidence!"

Renee hurried back to her dorm to retrieve her toolkit; she’d brought the broken rope with her. She just wanted proof on hand as backup, not expecting the instructor to act so quickly—it turned out perfect timing.

The instructor looked at the rope Renee handed over, giving her a deep, thoughtful glance.

Renee met the instructor’s gaze, her eyes shining with a resolute heat that could sear into the soul.

The standoff lasted for dozens of seconds; finally, the instructor took the rope and said, "Renee Morgan, you did well. Wendy Aldridge made a mistake, and we will not cover it up."

Viewers in the livestream felt a surge of relief at the scene.

Of course, some thought Renee Morgan was too cold and heartless.

[Renee Morgan and Kyle Beckett are both unharmed—does this have to go to court?]

[Wendy Aldridge is pitiful. She joined a show and now this. Maybe there’s more to it. People say she tried to hurt others, but are Renee and Kyle really injured? Since there’s no clear criminal act, can’t they settle privately with compensation instead of legal action? If this goes through the courts, it’ll hurt the show’s reputation and ruin both sides—what’s the point?]

[Why does Wendy keep targeting Renee Morgan instead of others? Is Renee Morgan really blameless?]

Victim-blaming opinions like these made other viewers furious.

[Wendy tries to hurt Morgan, and Morgan’s the one who needs to reflect?]

[Private settlement, really? Why? Sure, Renee and Kyle are unharmed, but what if something happened—two lives gone. How can you say that so casually?]

[Wendy cut the rope—evil intent. Renee and Kyle were lucky to escape, but that doesn’t erase Wendy’s criminal actions. The law will scrutinize her, no leniency!]

Wendy Aldridge’s deportation and investigation shot straight onto trending searches.

Wendy wasn’t especially famous; if the incident weren’t so serious, she wouldn’t be trending.

After this, everyone knew Wendy’s career was over; she might even end up in jail.

Her management company immediately issued an apology and a series of litigation and contract termination statements.

Wendy was new to the entertainment scene, had just signed with a film company, and now this—she’d struggle to pay breach fees, let alone whatever the court decides. She might even face jail time.

Wendy Aldridge’s career was completely finished.

Even though Renee Morgan hadn’t gone online, she could imagine the fallout; with things like this, Wendy could never repeat the dream glory or become a nationwide top star.

She remembered in her dreams how Wendy’s popularity soared, always called radiant and kind-hearted, while she herself was hated by all, cursed out of the entertainment industry.

Back then, she never realized Wendy was behind it all. Every time she was compared with Wendy, she felt wronged—often questioned herself, was she really so awful?

Given a second chance, she got wise—everything turned out different.

Renee was so happy inside, she ate two whole bowls of rice that day.

Kyle Beckett sat across from her; thinking of how she’d walked out just now, he shared half his big chicken leg with her.

Renee smiled and thanked him, not holding back as she ate another big drumstick.

After leaving the cafeteria, Renee headed back to her dorm, ran into Zayed on the way to fill her water.

The tea room had no cameras. Zayed hesitated, then spoke up about his purpose.

They wanted to cooperate with Renee Morgan—she could name the price. Since Renee had the base pass, she effectively had a nomination slot; that was what they needed.

With that slot, their side would be untouchable— even the Godfather’s people would show respect, let alone other groups would line up to collaborate.