Chapter 272: New Variety Show
Third Elder’s eyes glinted as he said fiercely, "Are you saying they used some tactic to lure us away and then came here to install cameras? That’s impossible. There wasn’t enough time."
"Third Brother, the superpower users out there are much stronger now. You can’t keep looking at things the old way." Fourth Elder sighed in resignation. ’This Third Brother of ours is such an old fossil. Does he really still think our family is the best in the world?’
"It could have also been a coordinated effort," Second Elder guessed.
Before they could come to a conclusion, a subordinate came rushing in to report.
"Elders, look—" He tremblingly held the Light Brain over his head for them to see.
The screen was filled with hundreds of densely packed, split-screen feeds. Third Elder, getting on in his years, squinted at it for a long moment. "What is this?"
Fourth Elder was horrified. "Th-this... this is our home! Look at this feed, that’s us!" He was so shocked he could barely speak clearly.
Second Elder leaned closer. The scenery in the feeds was identical to their estate. And when he looked at the feed Fourth Elder was pointing to, he saw the very same group of them, gathered together and talking.
’We’re being livestreamed by these cameras... from every angle?’
The realization dawned on Third Elder, and he exploded, "These bullshit cameras! I’m going to rip them down!" With that, he rolled up his sleeves and charged off.
Second Elder and Fourth Elder didn’t try to stop him. He had a short fuse; trying to hold him back would only get them hurt in the process.
And so, they simply watched as Third Elder went to tear down the nearest camera. He finally yanked it free with considerable effort. Just as he was chuckling smugly...
"BANG—"
The camera in Third Elder’s hands exploded. Fortunately, he reacted quickly. The moment he sensed something was wrong, he instinctively hurled it toward a distant decorative rockery.
But his palm was still seared, peeling a layer of skin. His entire hand looked pitted and raw, as if a pot of freshly boiled water had been poured right over it.
The instant he threw it, the camera exploded again. Third Elder was hit by the second blast and knocked unconscious by the shockwave, collapsing to the ground.
"!" Second Elder and Fourth Elder rushed over and helped him sit up. "How are you? Are you okay, Third Brother?"
Fortunately, members of The Mysterious Clan had strong constitutions. If an ordinary person had been caught in that blast, they would have been half-dead, if not killed outright. But Third Elder slowly regained consciousness after only two minutes.
His first words upon waking were, "Don’t... don’t touch those cameras..."
After that cautionary tale, they didn’t dare touch them. All they could do was try their best to ignore the unsettling feeling of being watched.
...
「The Lottery Shop.」
Most of the customers were glued to their Light Brains, all because of the day’s big event.
On the Human Social Sphere, a variety show had shot to the top of the trending list. Everyone found it odd. ’In this day and age, there are still variety shows to watch?’
They clicked in and saw it was a live variety show with four different sections to choose from. Just as people clicked into the first one, the main screen erupted with a loud explosion.
It was incredibly realistic.
The customers watching on their Light Brains all jumped involuntarily.
"Where did this variety show get a bomb?"
"Wow, it looks so powerful~"
"Who’s filming this show?"
A series of questions swirled in everyone’s minds, but they were quickly forgotten. It was just too entertaining to watch for fun.
Inside the lottery shop, Lily Hart was also watching on her Light Brain, finding it more and more hilarious. The Rivers Family had discovered the cameras pretty quickly and immediately tried to tear them down.
And ended up getting blown up for their troubles.
’Hmph. Let’s see how you like being watched all the time.’
After checking in on the Rivers Family, Lily Hart switched to the Shaw Family. They had few members and were relatively quiet. Out of the hundreds of camera feeds, only two or three showed any signs of life.
And when people did appear, they were bundled up tightly, as if they couldn’t bear the light of day. Lily Hart found it boring and quickly skipped ahead.
Next, she went to the O’Malley Family. After browsing through the feeds, she pinpointed the camera in Frank O’Malley’s bedroom. The guy was fast asleep, hugging a thin blanket.
His pajama pants, which were sticking out, were a cute, cartoony green.
Lily Hart didn’t watch for long, quickly checking in on all the families. So far, only the Rivers Family had realized they were being livestreamed. The White Family and the Shaw Family had found the cameras.
However, they had cautiously opted to observe for now, not rashly trying to remove them. Only the O’Malley Family remained blissfully unaware, having taken no action whatsoever.
Outside, the customers were still enjoying the spectacle, glued to their Light Brains with glee. Ever since the apocalypse began, most variety shows, movies, and TV series had disappeared into the mists of time.
Every day was a monotonous loop: wake up, go out and kill zombies, come back to trade for supplies to ensure you didn’t starve, then go to sleep.
But after Boss Hart appeared, life had a little more excitement. You could come by for scratch-off tickets, and there was a convenience store and a bathhouse where you could hang out and grab a bite.
And now, a new variety show had even appeared to give everyone a good laugh.
Roman Rowe ran over excitedly. "Boss Hart, have you seen it?" he asked, plopping down next to her and glimpsing the familiar scenes on her Light Brain.
"Yes, yes, this is it! It’s hilarious! I even heard that idiot Frank O’Malley snoring!" Roman Rowe pointed at the Light Brain, doubling over with laughter.
He nearly fell on top of Lily Hart, but Frost Shaw, who had followed him over, grabbed him by the collar and set him upright. "Sit properly," Frost Shaw said seriously, before taking a seat on Lily Hart’s other side.
The corners of his mouth quirked up, but he quickly pressed his lips together to suppress the smile. He remembered Lily Hart telling him this was a secret that couldn’t be shared with anyone else, and that made him even happier.
’It was their own little secret. Heh.’
Lily Hart laughed too. "I saw. No idea who’s behind it, but The Mysterious Clan isn’t so mysterious anymore."
Roman Rowe nodded and clapped. "Exactly! Serves them right for being so arrogant. They can change their name now. Forget The Mysterious Clan, they should just call themselves the Bullshit Clan."
The three of them looked at each other and burst out laughing again. It was just too funny—every facet of The Mysterious Clan’s life was being laid bare for the public to see.
Now everyone could see what a pathetic bunch The Mysterious Clan really was.
...
「The Rivers Family Estate.」
When Third Elder woke up again, the first thing he saw was the camera in his room. Rage immediately consumed him. He pointed at it and roared, "Tear them all down! Now!"
Only after he finished yelling did he realize his left hand was as thickly bandaged as a dumpling.
Second Elder said earnestly, "Calm down, Third Brother. We’ve already thought of a solution."
Third Elder was instantly relieved. ’Second Brother is the clever one; he’ll definitely be able to handle this.’
After reassuring their third brother, Second Elder led Fourth Elder out of the room. Once outside, he glanced up at a camera on a pillar, gritted his teeth, and kept walking.
Lily Hart happened to see that look and got the strange feeling that he was staring right at her through the screen. ’He must have figured something out,’ she thought.
Then, Lily Hart watched as the Rivers Family’s Second Elder led a group of subordinates to cut pieces of cloth into small squares, which they then used to cover up all the cameras.
The feed went dark for a moment, but soon, the camera was filming again, completely ignoring the cloth covering it.
Lily Hart had a clear view of the Rivers Family’s Second Elder, a smug smile spreading across his face. Three minutes later, another subordinate approached, trembling as he held up a Light Brain.