"What…do you mean?" Lin Zhi asked.
"We aren't even going to fight back? I need to be on EVE."
Laohu sighed, bringing out his phone and showing it to Lin Zhi.
"I'm assuming you haven't seen this," Laohu said. Lin Zhi narrowed his eyes and looked at the post that Laohu was referring to. His eyes widened in horror as he took the phone from him. He turned the volume to the highest setting and watched the video of him inside the janitor's closet. It was the video of him getting help from Laohu during the production mission.
"I thought you got these deleted?" Lin Zhi exclaimed.
"See?" Laohu said.
"It's over. You can't be a part of that group anymore. Be thankful that this is the only thing they've exposed." Lin Zhi frowned as he looked at the uploader.
"Who the fuck is this bucktooth guy?" he exclaimed. Laohu chuckled, causing Lin Zhi to glare at him.
"W—What are we going to do now? Are we just giving up?" Laohu stopped mid-chuckle and then looked at Lin Zhi with a blank stare. The way his lifeless eyes bore into Lin Zhi's made the young guy shiver and look away, unable to hold his gaze.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Give up?" Laohu asked, his voice turning cold.
"Giving up is for the dead."
"But you said it was over," Lin Zhi said in a small voice.
"It is over," Laohu confirmed.
"It's over for your career in EVE. However, it's not the only way we can locate the briefcase."
"It's only over…for now."
***
[Current stats: - Vocals: A+ .
- Dance: A+
- Visual: A+
- Rap: A+
- Leadership: A+
- Music Production: A+]
June laid in his bed, looking up at the dust-filled ceiling. He was tired out of his mind, yet he couldn't bring himself to sleep. Instead, today's events kept replaying in his mind. Up until now, June was wondering if everything was real. He finally accomplished the mission he desperately worked for. He finally finished his objective—to debut. June sat up from his bed when those words were internalized in his mind.
"Hey, Fu," he loudly said.
"I accomplished the mission. Does that mean I'll go back to my original body now?" June's heart ached a bit with the thought of going back to his original body. Even if he tried hard to deny it, performing had been something he enjoyed. And maybe, just maybe, being June was more enjoyable than being Jun Hao. [...] "Or meet my sister?" June asked.
"You told me I could meet my sister after I debuted." He still wanted to meet his sister, though—just to be reassured she was doing alright. [Correction, host. I told you that there's a possibility that you'd meet your sister once you accomplish your main objective.] "Well, I've done it," June said.
"I've debuted. You'll keep her safe, right?" [Of course, host. That is all part of the contract. However, you still haven't accomplished your mission.] June frowned, his eyebrows creasing.
"What do you mean? I've already debuted." [And I sincerely congratulate you for that, host. However, that wasn't the objective.] June remained silent, his mind going back to the first time he met Fu. [The title of your objective is: Become A Top Idol. Please continue to work hard until you reach this objective.] June's eye twitched as he looked at the topmost portion of his user interface. Indeed, the title was: Become A Top Idol. [Becoming the center means you're one step closer to our objective.] June covered his face with a pillow and pressed hard, hoping it would make him pass out and forget about his frustrations. However, in the end, his annoyance fell through, and he screamed into the hard pillow.
"I can't believe this," he muttered, looking a bit insane.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"I've already maxed out all my skills, too. What more can I do to become a top idol?"
"And I don't even want to become the center! That Jordan guy speaks for most of their interviews. I bet he can't even sleep at night with the amount of work he has," June continued to complain. It seemed like he was finally saying the words he couldn't say when he was still in the concert dome.
"Ah, fuck. I don't even know what to do. I still need to pack my bags and move to a unit for eight guys. I just know the fucking smell is going to be atrocious."
"However, my landlady is still demanding for me to pay the rent for the rest of the month even though I'm moving out tomorrow! I still don't have any fucking money to do that. Now, I need to ask for money from Grandma once more," he continued to rant.
"Well, at least that bucktooth guard saved Lin Zhi's video and posted it without asking for anything. But still, this is probably one of the unluckiest days in my life. How the hell did I debut as the center of the team?" Fu ignored June's complaints and continued explaining the next course of action. [This time, missions would not pop up spontaneously and will need to be sought.] June stopped when he saw Fu's new instructions.
"Sought?" [Missions will arise in different locations. If an upgrade is direly needed, the host needs to hunt these missions. However, take note that the missions will not spawn in the same places.] [One location=one mission.]
Great. Now, it has gotten even more complicated. June was basically playing the real-life version of the video game that went viral a few years back—the one where everyone was busy hunting those ugly creatures in different locations. [Boosters and side quests will still pop up spontaneously.] At least June still had those. [Good luck, host. I'm looking forward to seeing you become a top idol.] [Don't stray away from your path. Always remember that your sister's safety is at stake if you rebel against the system.] June sighed, already accepting defeat. There wasn't anything he could do, so he'd just have to become Fu's slave once again. At least, it wasn't too bad this time around since he already found joy in performing.
"Fine," June grumbled.
"I'll try to make my way to the top."
[Great! Fu looks forward to cooperating with the host.] [Now initiating phase two of the mission: Become A Top Idol—
Conquer the world with your talent!]