Chapter 776: Maracas Boy
9-11 minutes 28.04.2023
“There’s no need for you to go in person. Our analyst is 99.9 percent correct. She is not the person you’re looking for.” The young man was done counting the money. “This is a happy trade. If there’s another work like this, you can find me again. I’ll give you a discount.” The young man zipped up the bag and prepared to leave. Suddenly, he felt his legs weaken. “What’s going on?” The young man gasped. The joy in his heart disappeared. “What did you do to me?”
“Nothing. I only tried to make our trade happier.” Guinea Pig put the report away. “Do you know why the hackers won’t come to meet us in person?” He took a syringe out of his pocket. He walked to the young man and held the man by his chin. “The real players will not take the seat so easily because they’re afraid they’d become part of the trade.” The needle stuck into the neck, and Guinea Pig started his experiment. One hour later, he exited the room. The other doors opened, and people in masks walked out. “Deep Space Tech’s singing competition is entering the promotional. To prevent cheating, the competition will be held offline. Tonight, we’ll go to the main venue at Xin Lu. We’ll be able to find Sunny Boy there.”
“Guinea Pig, I heard that all the contestants will be masked, and the security at the intelligent city will be tough!” A man in a raccoon mask said.
“We only need to confirm his identity. Unless necessary, avoid all conflict.” Guinea Pig looked at the people around him. “Do you have any other questions?”
“Sunny Boy is now a core member of Death Chat Group. Will this anger Crow targeting him like that? That madman has been finding reasons to kill people,” Raccoon was worried.
“You’re afraid of Crow but not me?” Guinea Pig’s tone changed. The people were silenced. “I’m not trying to scare you, but Sunny Boy is a real monster. Once he loses control, he’ll be scarier than Crow and me.”
“Understood. We’ll be there.”
“I’ve already given Sunny Boy’s info to Death. She’ll be there to help you.”
…
After saying goodbye to Li Feng, Han Fei left her house. The offline competition would begin at 8 pm. Han Fei planned to take back Sunny Boy from Vegebun. When he was at Seaglass Cat’s place, Han Fei asked about Vegebun again. He sighed in relief when he understood that she was not implicated. He asked Li Xue to protect the girl.
“The group of criminals’ lair is in the countryside. If they want to target me, they have to come to an intelligent city.” Han Fei had planned everything. “The security here is tight. If they do something, they’ll be exposed.”
The singing competition organized by Deep Space Tech and Immortal Pharma was the year’s biggest event. The auditions lasted for days to find the voice that could touch the world. Han Fei believed the enemies would make a move on one of those days. He wanted to pull all these rats out of their holes.
“Unmentionables are too scary. So I will target their underlings first.” To ensure that Devil and Cat could enter the final, Han Fei started practicing with Seaglass Cat. Their voices did more than touch the soul. They could crush the soul.
They departed around 5 pm. They were already very early, but when they arrived, the venue was full. The audience followed the guidance of the robots and entered the auditorium from passages six and seven. Celebrities had special limos, so they wouldn’t interact with the public.
“There are so many sponsors and A-listers, and this is just the first day of the promotional.” Han Fei looked at the venue. It was as large as the movie festival. He sighed, “Perhaps the two giants are trying to use this event to change their public image.”
The service robots were all in uniforms and masks. Han Fei and Seaglass Cat took the audience's path. Perhaps to show off their technology, all the service robots were robot butlers controlled by photon computer. It was trying to say that no one would affect the fairness of this competition.
“Will we meet Ye Xuan here?”
“The chance of that is low on the first day, but as long as we keep pushing forward, we’ll meet her eventually. It’s quite exciting. She is an idol who has a lot of fans.” Seaglass Cat smiled.
“You admire your work, but you don’t know the other half of her creations.” Han Fei didn’t explain. He closed his eyes to rest in the dressing room. “Better don’t interact with Vegebun until the event is over.”
The auditions were held in Perfect Life’s surface world. Han Fei tried to log in there but he couldn’t, and he had given up. To participate in this event, he had no choice but to ask Vegebun to use his skin.
The competition started at 8 pm. The festival began. The audience seat was filled. Media was everywhere. They were guessing the masked singers’ identities. Things were heated on the internet too. Every participant had their own fans and supporters. The ranking kept changing. Seaglass Cat was quite excited seeing the monitor. This was the big stage she dreamed of.
“Don’t worry too much. Just enjoy the stage.” Han Fei had been to many big events. No matter how big the stage was, his focus was on capturing the Unmentionable. The participants were led by the service robots to the stage. The singers were all very good. No wonder Seaglass Cat was worried. At around 9 pm, Han Fei’s room was opened. It was their turn. Seaglass Cat took a deep breath to calm herself. Han Fei walked out directly so that he could go home and play the game as soon as possible.
“Please make sure all of your devices are in place. Please follow me.” The robot reminded them gently. They took the long corridor and then an elevator. “Please be ready. The elevator will stop behind the stage. You have 10 more seconds to prepare.” The number on the screen kept changing. After the service robot inspected their devices, it moved quietly to the side.
When the number turned three, the elevator doors opened. Han Fei and Seaglass Cat walked out. The giant black screen slowly rose, and the spotlight shone on them. This was Seaglass Cat’s first time performing on a real stage. The blinding light made her head buzz. The cheers made her flustered.
“Don’t be nervous. This is your dream.” Han Fei helped Seaglass Cat. “If you can’t do it, just hide behind me.”
The screen was fully raised. Seaglass Cat hid fearfully behind Han Fei. Even though they wore the same mask and uniform, she still acted like a kitten who had found her master.
“It’s cat! I want to bully her so bad!”
“Hey, what are you talking about?”
“Isn’t that the deaf singer who was boosted into promotional by Seaglass Cat?”
“The man’s name is Maracas Boy.”
Before they started singing, there were already many arguments online. Many people thought Han Fei was a joke. He didn’t sing once, but he was in the promotional. Many people waited for him to make a fool of himself.
“Are you feeling better?” Han Fei turned around to ask.
“Yes.”
“Then, let us begin.”
The song Seaglass Cat created rang out. Sunny Boy sang for the first time. His unique voice carried the soul of the cryptic world. The light was twisted, and the devil opened his eyes. Han Fei’s voice was kissed by a Pure Hatred. His voice was dark like the night. The audience was stunned. Even the internet users were quiet. They didn’t expect Maracas Boy to be such a good singer. The chill was spreading. The live audience felt a chill coursing through their veins. It was gripping and horrifying.
Inside the VIP dressing room, Ye Xuan looked at Han Fei and Seaglass Cat on the monitor. She said confidently, “The person has been changed! This is the real Sunny Boy! He’s the real danger!” Then, she remembered something and took out her phone, “They got the wrong person! The mission has to be stopped!” She kept calling the same number, but no one answered. The murderers were not part of the citizen database. After they entered the intelligent city, they didn’t dare to use their black market accounts lest they were arrested.
“Damn it!”
On the big stage, the devil was singing. Everyone was guessing who he was. Once the song was over, the audience was silent before thunderous applause exploded.
“Is that Sunny Boy?”
“Look at trending! The fake Sunny Boy is friendly and kind, the real Sunny Boy is misunderstood as the devil. He has given his only kindness to a stray cat.”
“That is some good promo!”
The music ended, and the light focused on Han Fei. He looked around as if taunting the killers. ‘I’m right here. Come and get me.’
The screen fell back down. Han Fei carried the shaking Seaglass Cat backstage. They followed the service robot back to their room.
“Cat, someone might have targeted us already. I have to leave first. Jin Jun will come to fetch you.” Han Fei had arranged everything.
“You have to be careful too.”
“Don’t worry.” Han Fei changed and left. The special path from the dressing room to the auditorium was safe. Han Fei didn’t run into anyone suspicious. However, once he exited the special path, he could feel the greedy gazes.
“They know the venue well. They are quite good.” Han Fei wore a hat. He was dressed completely differently from normal. “Where will they make their move?”
