The audience was dumbfounded. At this moment, they finally grasped what was happening. Song Juyao and the NPCs of the virtual world had long discovered the existence of temporary real human NPCs. They had been planning and plotting to wipe them all out, and now they had captured them all and invented a scientific device to reveal their true face hidden within the NPCs' bodies!
【Oh my goodness!!】
【I'm kneeling!】
【My mom asked me why I'm kneeling while watching this trial show.】
【Song Juyao... She's so amazing! All this time, she kept her cool, not showing any clues to us viewers... She's definitely a national-level talent!】
【Song Juyao is so awesome! Saying that she would try to rape a man in the real world because of his looks? Doesn't that sound ridiculous? She's absolutely innocent!】
【These temporary real human NPCs are done for. Look at what they did in the virtual world—disgusting and terrifying. They have the faces of humans but the hearts of beasts. Who would dare to associate with them?】
【…】
The production team was left stupefied, frozen in place.
Just a moment ago, they were frantically trying to contact someone to fix the biopods, and to find someone to see if there was a bug in the virtual world system. They didn't believe that it was Song Juyao's actions in the virtual world that led to the temporary real human NPCs' current state. But now, Song Juyao had delivered a resounding slap to their faces.
They were shocked. After all, the production team wasn't a scientific organization. They were just an ordinary group of people working on a reality show. Most were ordinary directors and producers. This was the first time they encountered something like this.
In the past, they always had full control over the defendants, playing with them at their mercy. But now, for the first time, a defendant had fought back so fiercely, in a realm they couldn't comprehend.
Now... What should they do?
In the luxurious clubhouse, Huo Sen and his gang were also dumbfounded.
They had just exclaimed "amazing," but now they were so speechless, unable to utter a single word.
This is fu*king... too powerful!
Song Juyao... As expected of that Song Juyao... She was really ruined by Huo Hai. If it wasn't for Huo Hai, she would have shone brilliantly in the real world!
As they thought this, their gazes towards Hou Sen became even more complicated.
Huo Sen gazed at the screen, where Song Juyao was shining brilliantly, captivating and filling him with curiosity and admiration.
In the virtual world, sitting beside the "Director of Education Bureau," the few people who were originally joking and enjoying themselves, not paying much attention to the NPCs around them, finally had their expressions change when they realized what had happened.
Fear was evident on their faces. What? This can't be true! It's impossible!
The "Director of Education Bureau" had already fallen into a state of extreme fright, trembling all over, clothes soaked with sweat, seemingly on the verge to pee in the next moment.
"Is this your real face?" Song Juyao tilted her head, "It's a beast that looks like a human."
She pressed a button, the light disappeared, and the figure also vanished with that. Then she pushed the imaging device towards the second person.
The second person was the young man.
When he saw Song Juyao coming towards him, his eyes widened in panic. He desperately tried to avoid her, shouting in terror, "I want to quit! Let me quit! Program team! Program team, let me out!!! Aaahhhh!"
If his true identity was discovered, he'd be done for. How many people were watching the show? Surely his parents, relatives, classmates, teachers... He couldn't imagine how he would cope once his true identity was exposed. It was too terrifying. Was he in a nightmare?!
However, despite his frantic struggles and screams, the program team didn't respond. Once the live feed was open, the program team could not control its closing time.
Song Juyao pressed a button, and in the young man's eyes filled with despair, another naked figure appeared. While the private parts were automatically mosaiced by the system, his face was completely exposed in the live broadcast.
Then, it was the turn of the "Prime Minister" and the Chainsaw Maniac...
They, too, let out screams of terror and despair, loudly calling for the program team. Tears and snot flowed uncontrollably, but they couldn't escape their horrifying fate.
One by one, their true identities were revealed to the audience.
【...I also signed up as a temporary real human NPC. Thankfully, I wasn't selected!!!】
【Ugh, it's so disgusting. I'll remember these faces, hope I don't run into them on the streets.】
【Oh my, that young man is a senior at our school. He seems well-behaved and has good grades, but his mind is so twisted. It's terrifying!】
【The Chainsaw Maniac is my neighbor... Our residential community is going crazy. Who can sleep peacefully in the same building with such a person? Me? Thanks for your concern; I'm already on my way to stay with my friend 😭】
【That said, why didn't the program team take them out? Allowing Song Juyao to expose their true faces like this??】
【Is the program team dead?? Why didn't they pull the participants out??】
【I have a bold guess. It's not that the program team didn't want to remove them; it's that they couldn't. The helmet is the reason!】
【I speculate that Song Juyao and the others didn't immediately capture those temporary real human NPCs because they realized they could run away at any time. So, they delayed, secretly worked on developing that helmet, and only when they were fully prepared, they went all out to capture them!】
The audience finally understood what had happened. In the last two hours of the live broadcast of the first episode of the new season of "Just Judgment," the biggest climax was ushered in. The ratings and discussions exploded, completely surpassing the first season.
This climax contained too many elements that captured people's attention, the hot search topic list has been completely slaughtered.
#Justice on Trial#
#The Strongest Defendant in History, Song Juyao#
#Temporary Real Human NPCs' True Identities Exposed#
#Judgement Show Accident#
#xxx#
#xxx#
#...#
Those temporary real-life NPCs whose true identities were exposed also made it to the trending topics, especially because some of them were entrepreneurs, the children of entrepreneurs, famous writers, etc….
【Even though it's a virtual world, they're too audacious, aren't they? They must have an inner desire to do such things.】
【Shouldn't that Chainsaw Maniac be arrested? If he's like this in the virtual world, who's to say he won't commit murder in the real world?】
【Song Juyao is going too far, exposing them like this. One of them is just a child. Is she trying to force them to die?】
【Can't these 'Holy Mother' people just leave? Pouring strong corrosive potion on a janitor's face and laughing while watching a disfigured child? This kind of 'child' should just die as soon as possible.】
【Song Juyao's schemes run deep. To think she can devise such a plan in front of 1.5 billion viewers. She's also quite terrifying. I wouldn't want to be friends with someone like her in real life.】
【Before you wanted to make friends with people of Song Juyao's caliber, you didn't take a look at your pee to see if you were compatible.】
The commotion online was so massive and boisterous that the social networking platform nearly collapsed. The companies had to call back their vacationing employees to work overtime and maintain the servers.
Ming Shu was bewildered, and kept sending messages to Tang Kai one after another.
"Senior, did you watch the live broadcast? Senior Sister is so awesome!!!"
Tang Kai was watching the live broadcast during his break. When he saw the message, he replied, "Why do you still call her Senior Sister?"
"Aaahhhhhh, I regret coming out early. Why did I come out early? Am I stupid? I should have found a way to stay by her side and witness all these things firsthand! Aaahhhhhh, this is the kind of plot that the ordinary me will only see in movies!"
Tang Kai: "Calm down."
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!! I feel so regretful!"!!!"
Tang Kai: "..."
Well, he also wanted to witness these events firsthand in that world. It would undoubtedly be shocking and an entirely new experience. However, Ming Shu might have had a chance to see it, but he didn't. After all, he was just a school doctor…
Thinking of this, Tang Kai felt comfortable watching Mingshu's regretful screams.
At that moment, Ming Shu sent another message, "Senior, do you know who will be the celebrity judge in the second episode?"
The first episode was about to end, and the celebrity judge for the second episode should have been decided already. However, it hadn't been announced yet because everyone in the entertainment circle was eager to be on the show. It was difficult to guess who had been selected. But with Tang Kai's status and connections, he probably already knew.
"It's hard to say. There might be changes. Song Juyao is not easy to deal with, and the talent agencies learned their lesson from us, so they'll likely make new plans. Some might withdraw."
"It must be Jiang Mi, right?" Ming Shu said. Jiang Mi had mocked her before, insinuating that she was useless. She also incited her fans. She was Song Juyao's black fan, and she hated her very much.
Tang Kai affirmed without hesitation.
Ming Shu thought, wow, that's great, now Song Juyao can teach her a lesson!
...
Only one hour remained for the live broadcast of the first episode in the real world, and the viewership had climbed to the highest peak, with nearly 2 billion people in the live stream.
Despite the remaining time, the program team had lost their spirit. They were facing very big troubles. First, the family members of the temporary real-life NPCs, who were exposed by Song Juyao, called to curse and blame them. They demanded an immediate removal of their family members' spirits from the virtual world. After losing so much face, how could the program team be let off?
However, they couldn't remove them at all. They were even worried that after the live broadcast ended, the virtual world system might not automatically eject them. If that happened, the show would be over.
Even the initially dismissive Chief Director Tan Wei, who didn't pay much attention to Song Juyao's high popularity at the beginning, had a very unpleasant expression now. He helplessly sat in his chair, watching the staff running around like headless flies. He couldn't even smoke anymore.
Mr. K hurriedly rushed over, and Tan Wei stood up as if he had found a savior.
"Mr. K, there must be something wrong with the system. Please check it out quickly!"
Mr. K didn't come alone; he brought a companion with him. After all, if there was a system problem causing the real people to permanently stay in the virtual world, it would be a serious issue.
At the same time, Tan Wei was also worried about another thing and cautiously asked, "Mr. K, what about the palace...? His Majesty isn't being disturbed by all this mess, is he?"
Mr. K replied, "His Majesty doesn't have time to bother with these things. But if things get worse, it may not necessarily be the case."
Tan Wei trembled.
It was summer, and the real world was scorching, but the people in the palace felt it wasn't hot enough. They not only turned off the air conditioning but upon that they turned on the heating instead.
"Increase the heating, and if it can't go higher, light up the floor heaters and the fireplace!"
Wearing a suit and glasses, a smart-looking steward was drenched in sweat, his handkerchief soaked in just a couple of swipes. But he still solemnly directed the maids and male attendants, keeping everyone busy.
"Slow down, don't disturb His Majesty!"
"Sir, something's wrong with the heating pipes..."
"How could it break?! Quickly call someone to fix it!"
A few elderly officials teared up, almost bursting into tears.
"His Majesty's condition is getting worse..."
"If this continues, it will lead to various natural disasters, and the country will eventually perish sooner or later."
"You age so fast these days, look at all those wrinkles on your face."
"!! And aren't you the same?!"
"What kind of suffering is she experiencing to make His Majesty feel so much pain? Other countries are helping with the search, and they've resolved hundreds of thousands of criminal cases, but they just can't find her."
"Our country is vast, and finding someone without knowing their name, age, or appearance is no easy task... But if this continues, it's going to be terrible..."
"In the end, His Majesty... How could he throw away his 'heart' just because he feels affected..."
"Sigh, enough talking about the past. The urgent matter is to find the destined one..."
"..."
People had no knowledge of what was happening inside the palace. Now all over the country, from all walks of life, people were discussing and watching the trial show. The nation's attention was focused on this live broadcast.
Inside the virtual world.
Jiang Baiqi observed Song Juyao's office. It was tidy and bright, with her trophies and certificates displayed on the shelves, and a faint pleasant fragrance wafted in the air.
He could imagine Song Juyao diligently working, probably hunched over her desk, completely absorbed.
He had been sitting here for almost three hours, yet he felt neither bored nor impatient at all. He sat quietly, picturing her working in this very room. Knowing that she was just under this roof made him feel incredibly at ease.
His phone buzzed with several messages from Jiang Bailuo.
Jiang Bailuo: [Bro??? What's going on??? Where are you???]
Last night, Jiang Bailuo watched Jiang Baiqi being taken away. He hadn't come back yet, and Song Juyao had also disappeared without a trace. Naturally, Jiang Bailuo was both scared and curious.
Jiang Baiqi ignored him until his parents started sending messages too, asking about his whereabouts. Only then did he reply casually, informing them of his location. Immediately, more messages of shock and curiosity bombarded his phone. Jiang Baiqi simply shut it off.
He stood up and walked out of the office. Passing an office with an open door, his footsteps stopped suddenly.
"Have you seen Yaoyao's boyfriend?"
"We have, but it's strange. We can't remember what he looks like... It's like he has a very faint sense of presence."
"I feel the same way! I have a photographic memory, so why can't I recall his appearance? Does this person have some special physique or something?"
"But with such a faint presence, he probably isn't good-looking, right? Handsome guys naturally stand out, don't they?"
"I'm telling you, Song Juyao is so beautiful and smart. Although Jiang Baiqi is also a genius, there are plenty of geniuses in this world. There must be someone more handsome and charming with a good personality...... He doesn't match our Yaoyao at all. I wonder what she sees in him."
"You know, being a genius capable of making something that even Mr. Albert is intrigued by is not an ordinary genius..."
"..."
The people who worked in this place were also human and couldn't resist the human nature of gossipping.
Jiang Baiqi stood in the corridor as people passed him, not even noticing his presence, just looking at their documents and going past him. The staff inside the room quickly changed the topic and started chatting about some other topic.
He lowered his eyelids, and his long eyelashes cast two shadows on his pale cheeks. His thin lips under the well-defined high bridge of his nose were tightly pursed.
Why did he make that helmet? He never seriously answered Albert's question. He had once doubted the reality of this world, why he existed in it like an outsider, like an intruder. This uncertainty made him feel out of place, disconnected from this world, giving him that faint sense of existence that was out of tune with this world.
Because of this doubt, he unconsciously created that strange device. However, the experimental results didn't meet his expectations; at best, it could only render people unconscious for a few hours. When he opened his eyes, he still saw this despairing world.
Song Juyao's appearance made him feel the meaning of his existence, like he had a purpose in this world. Even though the world was a gloomy place, as long as she was there, there was light for him.
But apparently, that wasn't enough. In the eyes of others, would his presence diminish her light? Would others, those who shone brightly like Jin Yu and Jin Yao, look down on him and attempt to snatch her away from him?
Someone walked past him, taking several steps before abruptly stopping and turning his head, "Jiang Baiqi?! Your sense of presence... it's truly extraordinary."
It was Albert.
Growing up in a military arms dealer family, Albert's conditioned thinking instantly presented him with two illegal professions that suited Jiang Baiqi well—spy and assassin. With Jiang Baiqi's miraculous sense of presence, he might excel at either.
Earlier, when he took an interest in Jiang Baiqi's mechanical bug technology, he sent someone to investigate. The renowned private detective assigned to the task took a long time to complete it because Jiang Baiqi's presence was too low. They managed to capture just a few pictures. After the mission, the detective yelled that the deal was a huge loss, spending every day playing the game of looking for Jiang Baiqi with his eyes wide open almost made him blind from the search.
But upon further reflection, it was quite sad.
Albert returned to Jiang Baiqi's side and slapped him on the back with gusto. "Do you want to meet my student? She's a bit busy, so how about I take you out for a meal first? Come on."
"Can't I go to the place where she's working now?"
"Oh, of course not. That involves the highest level of secrecy."
"Is the Olympic team short of people?" Jiang Baiqi asked suddenly.
Albert paused, his imposing gaze meeting Jiang Baiqi's calm, gray eyes.
Jiang Baiqi: "Does your family's arms business accept technology as a share?"
Although it was a question, his words carried the aura of a statement, as if he was utterly convinced that he could get what he wanted. He knew his abilities, but he had always brushed them aside and never taken them seriously.
In an instant, Albert felt the charm emanating from this inconspicuous young man. Though unremarkable on the surface, there was an underlying arrogance and dominance hidden deep in his body. Those calm and unwavering gray pupils seemed to say that he would definitely attain what he desired and accomplish what he set out to do.
And indeed, there was no reason for Albert to refuse such a genius. Whether it was the Olympic team or his own family.
Albert broke into a hearty and resolute smile, extending his hand to Jiang Baiqi. "Happy cooperation."
Jiang Baiqi shook his hand in return.
The world is so superficial. As long as he possessed wealth, fame, and power surpassing most people, it would offset most of his shortcomings. No one would question why he could stay by her side or doubt her vision.
When Jiang Baiqi came back, Song Juyao was already resting in her office. She was contemplating, and her pen wrote three words on the notebook.
--- The program team.
After writing, she circled it forcefully.
The production team was trembling in fear, and the audience was also watching anxiously.
Even though the production team had immediately used the bio-cabin to completely reduce the sensory input of those temporary real-life NPCs, putting them in a state of anesthesia where they couldn't speak clearly, they had still revealed some information when they were yelling earlier.
At this moment, there were only 20 minutes left until the end of the first live broadcast. The production team had no way to counterattack Song Juyao anymore. They only hoped that things wouldn't get any worse.
【Song Juyao probably won't guess the truth of this world, right?】
【If she does, I'll kneel down for her on the spot!】
【At most, she might suspect aliens or superpowers.】
【Song Juyao is truly, truly, truly amazing!!!】
【Trashy program group! More failures than successes!! Incompetent bungler!!】
【What about those temporary real-life NPCs?】
When Jiang Baiqi saw Song Juyao, she gave him a brilliant and warm smile. Jiang Baiqi noticed the fatigue in her eyes. If he had known that he would love her this much, he would have joined the Olympic team much earlier and stood by her side to share the pressure.
"Shall we eat first?" Jiang Baiqi laid out the packed meals he had brought from the cafeteria.
Song Juyao noticed that he had packed quite a lot, "You haven't eaten either? Do you want to eat with me?"
"Mm."
"You haven't seen me for a few hours, and you already feel lonely?" Song Juyao playfully teased, her eyes curved with mischief.
Jiang Baiqi blushed at the teasing. His ears turned red, and he served her a bowl of rice, and said in a husky voice. "Let's eat."
Song Juyao sat opposite him, watching him bow his head to dish out the food. The first episode was about to end, and she would leave soon. What would the virtual world be like after the real people left? Would it continue running automatically and autonomously, or would all the NPCs enter a sleep state until the second episode began?
If she suddenly disappeared in front of Jiang Baiqi, what would happen to him?
She had no way of knowing, no time to care.
How much time was left? Ten minutes? Five minutes?
She had to leave a suspenseful ending for the first episode, just like an excellent TV drama. Each episode had to end with a hook, leaving the audience curious and eager to see what happened next so they can't wait to watch the next episode.
The countdown for the end of the first episode: 5 minutes...
"I want to be by your side forever," Jiang Baiqi said. With his words, he was indirectly informing Song Juyao about his intention to join the Olympic team, hoping she wouldn't find him too clingy.
"You will always be by my side." In the second issue, you will definitely appear by my side.
Countdown to the end of the first episode: 3 minutes...
"Do you feel that something is off?" Song Juyao asked absentmindedly, taking a few bites of food before suddenly turning to Jiang Baiqi.
At this moment, the director's team was on edge, their hearts beat like thunder and their scalps instantly tensed. The audience couldn't help but clench their hands nervously.
Jiang Baiqi looked up at her.
Countdown to the end of the first episode: 1 minute...
"In regards to the speculation about those 'spirit-possession' people, they think that some organization may have acquired a certain technological weapon capable of killing people's spirits and then taking over their bodies... However, a chilling possibility crossed my mind, making me feel horrified: we… or maybe just I… am being played with, being watched..."
In the top right corner of the live stream, the countdown reached the last 10 seconds...
Song Juyao lowered her gaze to the bowl as she spoke, her voice filled with a haunting voice that seemed to be telling a horror story, sending chills down the spines of the production team, making their scalps tingle.
"I feel like this world..."
5, 4...
"Quick, quick!" The production team couldn't help but stand up, nervously and frantically staring at the numbers, a strong sense of foreboding driving them to desperately wish for this episode to end immediately.
Hurry, hurry! End it now!! Don't let her say it! Shut her up quickly!!!
3, 2...
Song Juyao raised her eyes suddenly, gazing directly at the invisible camera. Her dark eyes filled with certainty, striking at the very core of the audience's hearts.
"—is not real."
1.
The countdown ended, and the live stream plunged into darkness, with only a sea of barrage comments still floating over it.
In the Justice Trial studio, silence reigned as everyone was left speechless, their expressions blank.
Even the barrage went blank for a moment, and then, after a few seconds, it erupted with an overwhelming wave of screams.