Chapter 806: The Fifteenth Live Broadcast (2)

A pale light appeared in the pitch-black room. I stared at myself on the screen of the Live Show Phone, wearing a look of shock for the very first time.

"How is this possible?!"

The Live Show Phone screen glowed faintly. Someone was calling, and because the phone lacked vibration and ringtone functions, I hadn't noticed at all!

'Could this be a call from the Live Show? Impossible! Only two days and two nights have passed since the Red Mansion Live Broadcast; there should be at least one more day left.' I didn't immediately answer the call. There was no telling how long it had been ringing, so a minute or two of delay wouldn't make much difference. 'Could it be from the Black-Robed Anchor? No, that's not right either. He gave me the Dream Immortal Chant Child Talisman; he could easily communicate with me through that Upper Vehicle Talisman. Has Chu Men been exposed? Is he calling to warn me?'

I quickly dismissed that idea as well. Every call on the Live Show Phone had a time limit and cost a hefty sum of Live Show Points. Most importantly, no one knew who would be on the other end of the line. Black Robe wouldn't risk extra complications at such a critical moment in his hunt for the Butcher.

'If it isn't Black Robe, then who could it be? The Butcher?' I stroked my chin, imagining another scenario—the Butcher had been forced into a corner by Black Robe, and in a desperate gamble, he dialed the Live Show Phone to ask for help.

This possibility did exist, but the chances were far too slim. Given the Butcher's style, it was practically impossible for him to do something like this.

Aside from the Live Show Traitors, I knew almost all the remaining live show streamers, and they wouldn't call me at a time like this.

The phone screen continued to emit a faint light, looking just like a dead person's face, cold and ghastly pale.

The call still hadn't hung up. It seemed that as long as I didn't answer, it would keep trying.

After a moment of thought, I pressed the answer button and raised the phone to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Gao, we meet again." The voice on the other end carried a peculiar rhythm, stiff as a machine.

My heart gave a violent jolt the moment I heard that voice. Having grown to my current level, the things that could truly make me afraid were very, very few, but the entity on the other end of the line belonged to that tiny minority.

The Live Show Examiner!

The instant I heard his voice, this name surfaced in my mind. "What do you want with me? It shouldn't be time to issue a Live Show Mission yet, right?"

This wasn't the first time a similar situation had occurred. During the Lanjiang Dam broadcast, after I passed the Live Show evaluation, the Live Show Examiner had also called me on his own initiative.

"No, your sense of time has been muddled. To be precise, the time for the mission release has already passed," the examiner said without a trace of emotion.

"Already missed the mission release time? Impossible!" Everything I had experienced since entering the Deep Dream Layer was etched in my mind; I had only been delayed a little while in the Endless Corridor and the center of the block. Even so, I should have had plenty of time left.

"Nothing is impossible, is it?" the Live Show Examiner said indifferently. "Do you still remember what I told you at the start of the eighth live broadcast in Jiangcheng?"

"I remember." My expression darkened. "You said then that the first part of the evaluation had reached its end, and the first eight live broadcasts were all planned out by you."

"You have a very good memory." The voice on the other end paused for a moment. "What I want to tell you now is that the second part of the evaluation has reached its final, critical juncture. Good luck."

"The second part of the evaluation?" Every time I spoke with the Live Show Examiner, my mood would take a steep dive. "I've risked my life going through so many live broadcasts, and I still haven't passed your evaluation?!"

I was well aware of my current strength. Reaching the Ghost Art Fifth Layer was enough to stand at the absolute peak across both Jinghai and Jiangcheng. Yet, even with all of that, in the eyes of the Live Show, I was still just an "intern" who hadn't yet passed their evaluation!

"Are you all insane?" I didn't hide my thoughts, speaking them straight out.

"This world is far vaster than you imagine. Under the heavens, all are but ants. The peak you stand on now—perhaps when you look back in a few years, you will realize how truly insignificant it is." The examiner's voice struck straight to the heart, containing a power that moved me. "Survive, and only then will you know the truth, and learn that incomparably cruel reality."

The Live Show Examiner's voice made my head feel as if it had been struck by something heavy. Sitting on the gloomy staircase, I snapped, "I'm not interested in whatever bullshit reality that is right now. I just want to survive!"

"You will be interested, because you cannot escape it. Are you not curious about what your Fate Pattern actually is? Do you not want to know what you once lost?" The Live Show Examiner seemed to be intentionally baiting me. His words were like opium, making me involuntarily follow his voice into deep thought.

"My Fate Pattern, my lost memories..." What the Live Show Examiner mentioned were precisely the things I was most curious about. The agony of losing one's memory was something only those who had experienced it could understand.

"You know better than I do how to choose." The examiner's voice slowly faded. "The answers you seek are hidden deep within this Dream Realm. Find your past self, or be buried alongside your current self..."

The call came to an abrupt end, and a new text message appeared in the phone's inbox.

"A person turns toward evil not because they yearn for it, but because they mistakenly take evil for the answer they are chasing. Therefore, while evil people may die, malice will never go extinct!"

"Live Show Mission: Leave the Deep Dream Layer before dawn breaks in the real world."

"Optional Task 1: Go to No-Lights Road in the Deep Dream Layer and find the Reincarnation Mirror Fragment hidden at the very bottom underground. Reward: 10 Live Show Points."

"Optional Task 2: For every Live Show Traitor killed, receive a reward of 30 Live Show Points and one Live Broadcast Immunity."

"Optional Task 3: Explore unknown Dream Realm areas and map them from memory. Points will be awarded based on the size of the mapped area."

"Optional Task 4: For every live show streamer saved, receive a reward of 20 Live Show Points and one chance to make a call for help."

"Optional Task 5: Destroy the Two-Faced Buddha's layout in the Deep Dream Layer. Reward: 30 Live Show Points."

"Optional Task 6: Rebuild the Live Show's Deep Dream Layer branch. Reward: 100 Live Show Points and one opportunity to ask the Live Show a question."

A full six optional tasks had appeared in the inbox. This was my first time seeing the Live Show act with such solemnity.

Reading carefully through these six optional tasks, I realized they also revealed some information. For instance, out of the three Reincarnation Mirror Fragments I had yet to obtain, one of them was located on No-Lights Road in the Deep Dream Layer. I had been to that place last time, but because the path leading underground was locked behind heavy iron gates, I hadn't gone down to investigate.

'Killing Live Show Traitors—the last time I entered the Deep Dream Layer, the Live Show also issued this task. From this, it's evident that the Live Show absolutely despises betrayal. That task is understandable, but what does this later one about saving a live show streamer mean?'

The main reason I had entered the Deep Dream Layer this time was because the Black-Robed Anchor was preparing to hunt the Butcher. This was a life-and-death struggle between two live show streamers, and it had little to do with me. Now the Live Show actually wanted me to step in and stop them, which, judging purely by my current abilities, would be extremely difficult.

'Xiao A once said that the Butcher is the most loyal to the Live Show, the only streamer who completely executes its will. Could the Live Show have issued this optional task just to save him?' I couldn't quite figure out the Live Show's intentions. 'The Deep Dream Layer is the territory of Traitors and native entities. To save someone in this kind of environment—how could I possibly manage that all by myself?'

After talking on the phone with that Live Show Examiner, the sense of security I had gained from breaking through to the Ghost Art Fifth Layer faded. Compared to those veteran streamers, my strength still had a massive gap to bridge.

Continuing to read, I realized Optional Task 5 was also something I had encountered during the last dream live broadcast. To this day, I still didn't understand what the Two-Faced Buddha's layout in the Deep Dream Layer was, nor why it made the Live Show so wary.

Patting my cheeks, I rallied my spirits. "I won't overthink this anymore. This broadcast is no less critical than the Lanjiang Dam broadcast. I must make preparations early."

Pushing open the door of the house, I looked at the street outside. Nighttime in the Deep Dream Layer gave off an extremely eerie feeling.

"The flow of time here is even faster than I imagined. I'm afraid it has already reached twice the speed of reality." The hole in the sky above still existed, and—whether it was just my imagination or not—when I looked up, I noticed that the hole was pressing lower, as if something was about to descend through the breach into this Dream Realm.