Night falls, and the shadows of the trees are dancing about. Howls upon howls from wolves along with sounds of unknown beasts echo from the darkness.
Bright knows many will die tonight. Like some contestants analysed earlier, the show controls the number of people who can pass. This is why he chose to be far from crowds. Then the most terrifying beasts would head for the crowds and he’d only have to deal with normal ones.
Deal with only normal ones…
Sounds very simple——yeah, no way!
He is on high alert. Fear has unusually excited his nervous system. He’s listless and wants to swing at something. He knows he can’t continue like this. The night is long. Overstimulation will result in exhaustion, and he would be enervated in the long haul. In such an environment, a sliver of carelessness or slipping his mind a little could end him for good.
He ties himself to the tree with the vines, sticking onto the trunk with eyes closed for rest.
Though rest is just a self-deceiving description. Every so often roars of beasts and squalls of men are carried here through the surrounding darkness. The rusty smell of blood and God-knows-what-else wafts through the night wind.
Might have been too much sleep from before, plus complete immobility and rest after entering the arena. In any case, his mental state is okay, and successfully lasted the night.
The light of dawn shines on his face, and Bright breathed out in relief. Light is always calming. He isn’t a courageous person, in fact, his heart would beat like crazy even when washing his hair with his eyes closed, afraid the scenes from a horror movie might enact themselves. Opening his eyes to a female ghost whose nose is now touching his, or the water all transforming into blood or something.
Now he could take a self-made axe, and spend a night in a dangerous forest.
He feels unreal.
This is the first time he got so close to nature.
Those who live in a concrete jungle always urge leaving the city behind to rejuvenate.
Bullshit. Without wifi or aircons or mobile or delivery, they can’t live at all. Even if they return to nature occasionally, it’s to commercialised agri-tourism farmhouses where you go fishing, catching chickens, dogwalking, while living in a modernised civilisation.
Bright looks devotedly at the rays of bright light penetrating the darkness of the heavens. The sky brightens gradually, offering solace and salvation to people in unending fear and hopelessness. In the strengthening white light, the greenery becomes pronounced. As if the forest has shed its fiendish façade, regaining some liveliness and familiarity. No matter what atrocities befell the night, the forest has become mother nature again.
He could seemingly understand why the show’s first episode chose to take place in the forest.
The vast ocean of greenery, the birthplace of peculiar creatures, but also the devourer of lifeforms. City folks desire a return to nature, but at the same time fears it deeply. It is completely contradictory, but it is this very contradiction that is lethally attractive.
This yearning from the bottom of the man’s heart, written in human genome by our long evolutionary history, without rapport following the rise of civilisation. It is relayed into the show, in a twisted way. Through enjoying the contestants struggling against nature, watching how they fight against and yet rely on it, to fulfil their own tangled wishes.
Is what they long for just violence, bloodlust and slaughter?
In the waves of hopelessness, is there a soul that is yet astounded by the radiant sun dawning and the clouds ablaze in front of their very eyes?
The white rays of the rising sun is gradually painted yellow and warm. The burning clouds roll on like tapestry, so brilliant as to be blinding.
The eyes of the gorgeous-looking man gazes upon the red sun, the corners of his mouth twisting into a visible curl.
It is a very slight yet very gentle smile.
Like the clear little dewdrop atop a small branch on a cypress, or the mellow warmth of a candle when waiting for the wanderer to come home.
“This smile is fucking unsightly! What’s even so funny?!” The staff who worked overnight is smashing his fist onto the table, looking resentful, as if he was the recipient of a terrible provocation. Bawling out and rejoicing at the fact that you were safe by a hair’s breadth is the correct response, right?
He reviles without thinking, “This cockroach from outside the City, myopic trash, freak of nature with a hideous smile…”
His expression oozing jealousy is certainly repugnant to watch.
“Leader, there’s a frozen python nearby, release it! Mangle him to death!”
The leader refuses, “enough people have been eliminated.”
“Damn it, he had it good.”
“Save the shot. There’s no use for it this episode, but if he gets into top 50, and the show sets up his own webpage, put it there and he’ll probably get some anti-fans.”
Something like top 50 is currently beyond the thoughts of Bright.
Now he is facing the biggest challenge of his transmigration yet——eating.
Out of the arena, the show has prepared abundant food for all contestants who passed. Though he’s been hungry for a whole day, he threw up at the meticulously prepared meat.
When he heard the contestants enthusiastically discussing the ‘starmeat,’ he thought it was a succulent kind of meat. It has the word ‘star’ in it because it’s popular.
In reality though, what they were discussing was literally meat of the stars.
The citizens used skin flakes of stars of the show to replicate and grow white meat. The meat is sold in shops and the more fans the star has, the more expensive the meat is sold for and the higher the amount of sales.
Bright “…”
Just thinking about it is making his stomach churn.
He asked the medical staff for nutrient mixture and took it all in one go. His stamina is slightly recovered, and he is resting leaning against the wall.
The meat is so fragrant he has to stay away from it.
They’re in the middle of a celebration party. It’s termed ‘celebration’ but really it’s just to showcase them outside of the arena. It’s another type of battle for the contestants.
They have to show their other sides besides manslaughter to the camera to garner attention and goodwill from the audience.
Bright is actually more interested in going back to the dorms, taking a shower and sleeping. In fact, he’s finding the other contestants quite impressive that they are still full of spirit and highly excited.
“You were correct in not eating. The drinks have psychedelic substances in them, and there are stimulants in the desserts.”
Someone responded to his suspicions as if they could listen to his mind.
Bright becomes on guard. He looks at the person and his breathing stops for an instant. The other person is extraordinarily handsome, with black hair and irises. He is in a fitted suit. His facial features are so exquisite as if he is no mortal, and blurs the boundary between genders. His skin is so white it almost appeared transparent. Now, he looks at the crowd, which is growing ever more tumultuous, and has a scornful ‘lying in wait to watch a spectacle’ face on.
Bright is tranced by the face of the man, and cannot help but guess if he might be a star.
And then he felt his stomach churning, and his head clears.
He crosses his arms while covertly pressing on his stomach. He was shaken considerably by starmeat just now, and he can’t face the word ‘star’ properly anymore.
The other person felt slightly surprised, however, that he got himself together from his appearance so quickly. He develops an interest in this quiet and vigilant man.
“Bright.”
“Hopkin.”
They both nodded at each other in acknowledgement.
Author’s note: *drumroll* The Bottom’s here! Outrageously handsome, in direct proportion to his perversion.