Screens in the central squares and commercial districts of first- and second-tier cities across the country lit up with the countdown for the second episode of No Escape.
At the same moment, related entries appeared on major online platforms, Weibo headlines, and short video hot searches.
“What’s going on? We didn’t hear anything about this before. How is the second episode starting just like that?”
“Yeah, this is too sudden. Wasn’t it supposed to be November? Why is it airing in October already?”
“Aaaahhh, I want to go to Ouyou’s live stream room!”
“Fen Treasure, Mommy’s here to cheer you on!”
Inside the main live stream hall.
“Welcome to the second episode of No Escape. What new rules do we have in this episode?” the host asked.
Director Wang smiled and said, “For the second episode, we’ve set the escape location in a thousand-year-old town deep in the mountains—Tengcha!”
A drone-shot aerial view appeared on the screen, zooming in from afar—from sheer cliffs thousands of feet high and barren of grass, to rolling, densely forested mountains, from winding streams to ring-mountain roads thin as earthworms. Finally, it reached the end of the road: a small town built along the stream.
Tranquil, serene, rustic.
“The guests must evade capture in the town for a full fifteen days. At midnight on the sixteenth day, any criminals not caught can leave the town, but they can’t use any vehicles—they have to rely on their own two legs.”
“But if the Pursuit Team knows this rule, they’ll definitely be waiting early at the only road out of town to the highway. Where can they escape to then? The mountains?”
“That’s right, the mountains.”
In the Live Stream Chat.
【Playing so big? Those are undeveloped primitive forests—even experienced hikers wouldn’t dare rush in.】
【Yeah, the Program Crew isn’t treating the guests like people at all. What if they get lost in the forest and rescue doesn’t come in time? They could die.】
【I heard that for this episode, every guest and Vice Squad Officer signed a life-and-death waiver. If they’re scared, they can surrender to the camera ahead of time and wait for the officers to handcuff them. But if they die unexpectedly—for real—the Program Crew isn’t responsible.】
【This waiver wasn’t specially made for Brother Fen, was it?】
【Possible. All those wild moves in the first episode scared the Program Crew to death.】
“Of course, we’re not that heartless,” Director Wang changed his tone. “If they can accumulate 20 points over these fifteen days, the entire Criminal Team can leave via the highway, and the Pursuit Team won’t start chasing for 24 hours. The criminals succeed as soon as they escape Tengcha Town’s jurisdiction.”
The big screen showed the town’s jurisdictional area. Besides the residential zones, the town’s collective assets included several surrounding mountains stretching endlessly.
A glance at the despairing green and the barren yellow of the rocky hillsides.
“What’s a point?” the host asked cooperatively, explaining for the audience.
“Out of the thirty guests, two are randomly selected each day to receive a task. Task difficulty is randomly assigned, and every guest gets one chance. If completed, the entire Criminal Team gets points. If not, the Program Crew reveals that guest’s key clues to the Pursuit Team, and the guests are on their own.”
“That’s crucial,” the host said. “In the first episode, besides Xiao Fen and Ou Yu, and Lu Jin who broke through in the Revival Match afterward, the entire Criminal Team was wiped out. So this time, we’ve selected a batch of even stronger players with stricter standards and a wider screening range.
“Right now, the Criminal Team guests don’t know each other’s info, nor do the Pursuit Team members. They entered the town at different times, lurking with various identities—the chance of getting caught is actually very low.
“But if the Pursuit Team gets key info, based on what we saw in the first episode, getting caught in this small town would take minutes. However, the Pursuit Team has one rule: they can’t catch the wrong person. If they do, the entire Pursuit Team fails, and the Criminal Team wins directly.”
The director took a sip of water and continued amid the netizens’ curses: “For fairness, we’ve reset the show prizes. Instead of needing to participate from the first episode to the last for 500 million, now as long as they join for five full episodes and escape successfully each time, they get 500 million.”
The first episode had nearly been a total wipeout, something the Program Crew hadn’t anticipated. Even more surprising, their Crown Prince had performed abysmally, needing the Revival Match to save face. A few more like that, and the crew would be in trouble.
The key point: without Xiao Fen, the Revival Match only drew tens of thousands of viewers.
Laughable—no one cared who revived.
The host said excitedly, “That means Xiao Fen and Ou Yu have already led by winning one episode. They’re one step closer to the grand prize.”
“Exactly, so we hope the other players work hard in the coming episodes. Anyone has a chance at the final prize.”
【This show is treating the guests like toys!】
【Ou Yu totally lucked out in the first episode, right? Without following Brother Fen, he’d have been caught 800 times. So unfair!】
【Don’t try to stir things up between my bro and Brother Fen.】
【Exactly, does my bro need 500 million? He was just playing around, boosting the show’s popularity and mentoring the juniors.】
Ou Yu’s fans also spoke up for Xiao Fen, suppressing the occasional black fans who popped up.
For this live stream, to prevent a repeat of last time, the Program Crew had coordinated ahead with local authorities and informed the town’s residents. For those who didn’t want to participate, including nearby villagers, the crew respected their wishes and arranged for them to leave temporarily. Plus, every traveler entering the town received a notification SMS half a day early: staying here meant possible involvement in simulated crimes and murders, with life and identity info broadcast nationwide.
Unexpectedly, tourists got excited instead. A chance to appear on camera for over a hundred million viewers? Even if it exposed their most embarrassing black history, fine.
Friends called friends; many rushed over via various transports. But by the time they reached the Town Entrance, they saw it sealed by the Program Crew and turned back disappointed.
Everyone within the town was added to the Live Stream Chat blacklist, forbidden from watching.
————
The moment Xiao Fen and several Pursuit Team members received the Program Crew’s SMS, their DNA instantly activated.
No time to curse Song Hui—he glanced once and charged forward.
Seeing it headed their way, Tang Shen yelled in shock, startling Peng Xiaoxiao into stepping back half a pace.
After the feint, he whipped around and bolted the opposite direction.
Tang Shen and the others reacted slowly, frozen in place until he was far gone.
“Boss!”
Fang Si Ting had already pursued over ten meters, vanishing in a blink.
Tang Shen scratched his head awkwardly, comforting himself that he excelled in theory and experiments—his brain was top-notch.
“Why’d you take so long?” Bai Zhu arrived with nearly a hundred people marching in unison. “We’ve been drilling here for a week.”
“Your secret operation is this?”
“Yeah. Let me tell you, the wild delicacies here are amazing—tons of wild mushrooms…”
He excitedly led them to the town’s only Inspection Office, with the Vice Squad Officers’ Dormitory right behind.
Xiao Fen’s lean body nimbly wove through the street crowds. Seeing no one chasing, he slowed down.
Suddenly, a hand shot out from the alley mouth. Pain stabbed his shoulder like icy fire. His body reacted faster than his mind: he twisted, ducked, covered the wrist, hooked fingers to wrench and repel the attacker back into the alley.
Fang Si Ting wasn’t one to eat vegetarian; he struck the elbow joint while sweeping a kick, forcing him back two steps. As the stance wobbled, he pressed the attack, only for crossed hands to block and deflect.
Seeing Xiao Fen’s responses growing strained, he ramped up, hammering with kicks until a gap appeared—then he slammed toward the waist.
Xiao Fen arched back, his flexible waist bending just enough to evade, spun upright—only for a fist to come crashing down.
“Don’t hit the face!” Xiao Fen blocked with his hand, retreated two steps to reset, then lunged with feints before hammering a right fist at the nose.
“But I’m the exception.”
No sooner said, his fist was engulfed in a palm. Next instant, acid pain shot through the arm as it was twisted behind.
He bent, spun with the torque for a cicada-shedding escape.
“Coming through, make way.”
An old man rode a bicycle out of the alley.
“No fighting on the road—stay safe.”
Xiao Fen dodged the bike; the next moment, his other hand was seized. He was shoved against the alley wall, both hands pinned overhead, stared down at.
“Fang Si Ting, you bastard!” Xiao Fen glared up, his fox eyes in the alley shadows nearly spitting fire.
“What else can you do besides glare at me?”
“I dodged the bike—you snuck in.”
A fair fight, and who won wasn’t certain.
“Winning’s what matters.”
This time, he’d pin him from the start.
“You’re immoral.”
“No morals for the immoral.” The guy was a serial sneak-attacker now.
Wang Ze and Fang Si Ting’s off-camera handler arrived panting. “Stop fighting—let go. We’re delivering the cameras. Personal live streams are about to start.”
“Inspector Fang, Xiao Fen’s rules are special this time. Didn’t you see?” Fang Si Ting’s handler said.
The two exchanged glances.
Wang Ze figured it out: rules that long, tensions high between them—one spark and boom—they hadn’t had time.
“Here’s the deal: other guests’ faces and info are unknown, but the Pursuit Team already knows Teacher Xiao, Teacher Ou, and Boss Lu well. Hiding them in this tiny town isn’t fair. So until the Pursuit Team finds evidence on these three, they can move freely—the team can’t arrest them.”
The rule clearly favored Lu Jin and Ou Yu.
Fang Si Ting slowly released Xiao Fen’s hands.
The instant he did, Xiao Fen kicked mercilessly at his shin.
Anticipating it, the other sidestepped, elegantly adjusting his cuff.
The smug look only fueled Xiao Fen’s rage; he glared hatefully.
The two parted toward opposite street ends without a backward glance, taking the Program Crew’s Invisible Earpieces and putting them on.
As the two Mosquito Drone Cameras powered up, Xiao Fen had already composed himself, smiling and waving at the one straight ahead.
On closer look, the camera had vanished, who knew where it flew.
This time, the cameras’ bodies were coated in the latest Stealth Coating—nearly impossible to spot with the naked eye.
【Fen Treasure!!! Two weeks no see, wuwuwuwu, miss you so much! Quick, let Mommy inhale inhale inhale.】
【What happened to your hand?】
【And your hair, clothes—all messed up.】
【Eyes bloodshot, hair disheveled, clothes wrinkled, suspicious red marks on wrists, face all defiant. Spill—who’d you fight with just now?!】
【Our precious cabbage, raised so carefully, got rooted by a pig. Fen, how are we old moms supposed to live?】
【Good boy, you’re still young—not ready for romance.】
【Just came from the Pursuit Team side. Fang Yama was alone, shaking his hand secretly when the stream started—probably fought someone and took a hidden injury.】
【What’re you saying, those two secretly dating? Joking, right?】
【Sis, your gossip antenna’s off. Upstairs lovebrains, quit stirring.】
【What? Xiao and Fang just finished rolling in bed?】
【…】
The Live Stream Chat veered wildly off-topic into chaos and wailing. Xiao Fen didn’t know—and wouldn’t care if he did. Him dating Fang Si Ting? Pigs might fly first.
