Time flew by, and December arrived. The snow in City A also started falling heavily.
Early in the morning, an uninvited guest barged into the villa that the company had just delivered, rummaging through boxes and cabinets to help sort the luggage. Finally, turning back, he saw the main person still snoring away in deep sleep.
“Get up already, hurry up. Did you forget today is the day we film the third episode?”
Xiao Fen groggily opened his eyes. The impact of Song Hui’s face was too strong, instantly sobering him up.
“Right away.”
“What’s that red mark on your shoulder?” It felt like something flashed by in front of his eyes.
Xiao Fen pulled his collar straight and jumped out of bed, immediately rushing into the bathroom.
Half an hour later, while gnawing on a bun, he asked who was participating in the latest episode, where it was, and what the rules were.
“I don’t know the specific guest lineup for this episode, but we can each bring a teammate. I saw Zhong Jinghuan brought his agent, and since you don’t have many friends, I volunteered.”
“He brought his agent because he has poor connections in the entertainment industry, and it’s inconvenient to bring outsiders.”
“How much better are your connections?” Song Hui shot back.
“…” That was because he found making friends troublesome, okay.
Whatever, it didn’t matter anyway. Bringing anyone was the same.
“Be careful after recording starts, got it? Don’t end up dead without knowing how.” Xiao Fen advised him out of kindness.
“With a king like you leading, even a bronze can soar to the skies.”
“I don’t have time.”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a hand unceremoniously ruffled his hair hard.
Xiao Fen exploded in anger. “My hair!”
————
The car wound along the mountain ring road all the way up, finally arriving at the mountaintop. Stone lions flanked the gate pillars on either side of the entrance.
The yellowish walls, exuding a sense of age, extended left and right as far as the eye could see.
The jet-black gates slowly swung open to both sides. Xiao Fen looked out the car window. A exquisite black plaque with gold lettering was nailed to the wall pillar by the gate, reading “Crescent Moon Manor.”
The original book mentioned it: this was the Lu Family’s old residence, Lu Jin’s home.
A massive estate perched on the cliffside of the mountaintop, spanning a full 4,000 square meters.
The road, wide enough for two cars side by side, was edged with stone lanterns. Low, neatly trimmed shrubs and greenery lined both sides, interspersed with tall trees. It was winter now, blanketed in thick, pristine white snow, adding a unique charm.
Straight ahead stood a colossal villa with a magenta roof, walls of stacked gray stone, and a porch featuring a row of Roman columns and arches that screamed opulence.
The car pulled up in front of the Cupid fountain at the entrance. A butler, accompanied by several maids, welcomed them into the house.
“Mr. Xiao, Mr. Song, welcome to Crescent Moon Manor. I am the manor’s butler, Zhuo Yuzhou.” Butler Zhuo introduced himself. “This manor was purchased by Old Master Lu after he founded the company and made his fortune. The Lu Family Members have all resided here since. It has been one hundred sixty years now. Every item inside, even a single pane of glass, is an antique or a long-extinct artifact. Please treat them with care during the program.”
“With Boss Lu so rich, he wouldn’t be stingy about making us pay if something breaks, right?” Xiao Fen interrupted his lengthy speech.
Butler Zhuo’s expression stiffened slightly.
“So you’re really planning to make us pay?” That was a bit petty.
“I’ll consult the master later.”
With that, Butler Zhuo hurriedly led them inside.
By now, Ou Yu and several familiar faces from Fang Si Ting’s Pursuit Team were already seated inside. Among the additional dozen or so internet celebrities and artists were Zhong Jinghuan and his agent Brother Ka, whom Song Hui had mentioned would participate, as well as a young man with a high nose bridge and deep-set eyes, his head of red curly hair quite eye-catching—he looked like a mixed-race person, sitting with Ou Yu at the bar, probably his teammate.
“Teacher Xiao.” Zhong Jinghuan came over enthusiastically to greet him.
Brother Ka behind him looked a bit awkward. He hesitated, then still didn’t follow.
“I heard you personally recommended me to Chairman Lu and President Lu for this program.” Zhong Jinghuan’s smile wouldn’t fade from his face. “You’re my fan, right?”
Ou Yu, sipping red wine nearby, quickly took a gulp to stifle his laughter and avoid breaking character.
“Something like that.” Xiao Fen didn’t brush him off and smiled mildly. “Your agent went through a lot of hardship with me before. It was tough on him, always thinking of me even in the hardest times. Now that you’ve finally achieved a bit of success, I just mentioned it to Chairman Lu’s side. We’re all in the same circle—it’s all about helping each other out and supporting one another.”
Brother Ka finally stepped forward. “You’ve grown a lot more sensible than before.”
And outgoing, too.
“You raised me single-handedly. How could I forget that favor?”
Brother Ka smiled, a hint of pride in his voice. “Of course. Without my two-plus years of hustling resources and building connections for you, you wouldn’t have your current success. You resented me back then, and I always said you had a small mindset. You didn’t believe me, but now you finally understand my good intentions, right?”
“Brother Ka is a gold-medal agent. I was the immature one before. Let’s keep in touch from now on.” Xiao Fen said.
“Sure, after the recording ends, let’s grab a drink together.” Brother Ka hadn’t been doing well these past two years, dragged down by Xiao Fen. Now that Xiao Fen was hot and had matured, he was naturally eager to latch onto this connection.
They were all in the industry. Spouting off impulsively might win an argument in the moment, but Xiao Fen wasn’t like Zhong Jinghuan with his wealthy family background. Only by keeping a good temper, being flexible, and humbling himself could he go far. Plus, people might even praise him on camera for not acting like a big shot.
Wang Ze came over to help Xiao Fen adjust his camera.
“Where’s the earpiece?”
“We’re not participating this time.” Relief was evident on Wang Ze’s face. “Since the activity is confined to the Lu Family’s manor, our Program Crew determined there’s no danger, no emergencies, no fatalities. No need for the support equipment team to assist from the sidelines. Just be careful with your own cameras. If a camera gets damaged, the Live Stream Chat won’t open.”
Flying drone cameras were small and concealable but fragile.
Wang Ze mentioned it because of Xiao Fen’s high camera destruction rate.
“Has any flag you’ve set ever not come true?” Xiao Fen laughed.
Wang Ze’s eyes widened.
“The last episode already had 1.5 billion viewers in your Live Stream Chat. For heaven’s sake, don’t break the camera.” He just wanted to get away from this jinx now.
“How about you leave a few spares with me?” Xiao Fen said. “I don’t want any accidents interrupting the stream either.”
At those words, Wang Ze tensed up but agreed it made sense. He placed two extra sets of micro-cameras in Xiao Fen’s luggage.
In the time it took to say that, a few more people arrived at the manor.
Leading them was Film Queen Lin Xiu and her teammate, introduced as her personal voice actress. Following them in were Xu Haokong, carrying a bag, chatting and laughing with fellow actor Xue Chengge. Their friends trailed behind.
Lin Xiu was in her forties, but her face looked like someone in her early thirties. Tall and slender, with shoulder-length brown hair, she wore a simple, casual oversized hoodie and jeans. She gave the room a faint once-over. Before she could speak, everyone stood up and enthusiastically ushered her to the central seat.
“Hello, everyone. I’m thrilled to be recording the show with you all next. I just got back from Country F this morning and brought some local specialties.” With that, Xue Chengge and his teammate began distributing gifts from their bags to each guest. Only Lin Xiu pulled a face and refused hers.
Xu Haokong spotted Xiao Fen and started heading over enthusiastically to greet him.
Song Hui’s earlier words had gotten through, and he saw it as a good promo opportunity, so he’d agreed readily.
He’d only taken a few steps when Lu Jin suddenly stepped forward, blocking between him and Xiao Fen.
“What do you think of this manor?” he asked Xiao Fen.
“What do I think how?” Xiao Fen was momentarily stumped.
“You know, the size, the decor, the people inside, that sort of thing.” Lu Jin tried to sound casual, but his thick brows and deep eyes oozed smug superiority.
“Average.”
Lu Jin’s mouth twitched. “Don’t you have any taste? Every item here is a priceless antique or work of art.”
“Got it. You’ve been emphasizing that since we walked in. They’re just a few old things—why not slap price tags on them for everyone to see?”
“You were poor before and never saw good stuff. I don’t blame you.” Lu Jin huffed.
“Doesn’t stop me from beating you up.”
This guy was really asking for it!
A trace of grievance flickered across Lu Jin’s angry face.
“Welcome to the third episode of No Escape.” A passionate voice boomed from the second-floor staircase, interrupting the lively chatter below.
The grand living room had a high ceiling straight up to the second floor. The antique wooden staircase from the first floor climbed a few steps before splitting in the middle and extending left and right to join the second-floor corridor in a square layout. Director Wang stood at the railing overlooking the living room side, gazing down at them.
As soon as he spoke, the Live Stream Chat opened on cue.
【Why did the director go to the site directly this time?】
【Is he participating too? Probably not.】
【Where is this? So luxurious!】
【The famous Crescent Moon Manor, owned by the Lu Family. Heard its market value has hit 300 million now, and that’s only because of the suboptimal location.】
【The escape scenario is at the Lu Family this time? Interesting. The Program Crew has some guts.】
【The Lu Family is willing? Don’t tycoons care about privacy?】
【Think about those tycoons who let famous bloggers film their private lives. They can’t wait to flaunt their wealth right in your face. Plus, with this show so popular, they can show off and boost their fame. Win-win. I bet the other Lu Family Members saw the traffic potential and want a piece of the spotlight.】
“This episode takes place at Crescent Moon Manor. Thanks to President Lu for supporting our program.” Director Wang started with gratitude to the big boss sponsor. “The manor has over fifty guest rooms. Guests can pick any room you like later.”
“Why are there so few people this time?” said a female star in her twenties.
Xiao Fen recalled: this was New Rising Flower Li Fei.
“That’s tied to the program rules I’m about to explain. This episode’s Criminal Team has 14 people.”
【Huh? That few?】
【So the rest are all Pursuit Team? Even in a big house, it’d be easy to get caught. Waited a month for this—how long can it last?】
“At the same time, we’ve added a Victim Team of 8 people.”
“Pursuit Team, 5 people.”
【Total of only 27? Previous Criminal Teams were more than that.】
【So few. This one’s pure brainpower battle.】
【Yeah, the Pursuit Team this time is just Fang Yama, Tang Shen, Sister Xiaoxiao, Xu An, and Bai Zhu. No Action Team for searching, tracking, and cornering.】
Unnoticed, Ou Yu had moved to Xiao Fen’s side and gave him a slight nod, seemingly a greeting. Xiao Fen’s eyes flickered, and he returned a grateful smile.
Ou Yu quietly moved away.
“As usual, the Pursuit Team handles the investigation. The Criminal Team this time is responsible for carrying out murders. Note: only murders—no other crimes! Each criminal gets one injectant, the enhanced version used by previous guests. Each is a potent drug; even a touch causes coma. Coma equals successful murder.”
“Wouldn’t the criminals get caught immediately?” Li Fei voiced her concern. “It’s not slow-acting, so the killer has no time to escape. And we’re limited to such a small area in this manor—won’t we get nabbed quick?”
“Of course, by secretly drugging or using some trick.” Zhong Jinghuan scoffed. “It’s just tricky with five Vice Squad Officers watching the whole manor.”
“We each brought a ‘accomplice,’ though.” Xu Haokong laughed. “That lowers the difficulty.”
“How long is the evasion time this time?” The previous two episodes had time limits.
“No limit.” Director Wang said. “You may have noticed the Criminal Team and Victim Team numbers don’t match. That means the episode ends after all victims are ‘killed.’ At that point, criminals who committed the crime without the Pursuit Team finding evidence succeed in escaping. Those who didn’t get to commit theirs fail the mission.”
At the same time, since they were borrowing the Lu Family Mansion this time, the Lu Family’s servants and butler ensured everyone’s three meals a day and daily needs. President Lu and Madam Lu also participated together, but they did not occupy guest spots and had no live stream chat.
Madam Lu smiled gracefully. “You can treat us as NPCs.”
The live stream chat viewers immediately saw water army accounts stirring up the rhythm, saying the sister was so cute, though there were also plenty of mocking comments.
【Isn’t this just lacking the brains to participate in the show herself, but still wanting fame as an internet celebrity to flaunt her wealth?】
【Should be fine, though. No live stream chat means low attention. She can only get some screen time off the guests. I’m here for the show, not to watch her spend two and a half hours picking an outfit.】
【Hey, did you notice? The huge quartz clock on the living room wall shows the same time as ours.】
【Yeah, this live stream has no delay? It’s actually real-time?!】
【Probably because it’s limited to the manor with no outsiders involved.】
In truth, the program crew had mustered great courage for this real-time live stream, but given the enclosed and secure nature of the setting, plus Lu Jin’s strong advocacy, President Lu saw no need to waste time discussing such a trivial matter and agreed on the spot.
“Now, except for Xu An’s computer, all your communication devices will be cut off from the outside world,” Director Wang said. The program crew staff had already begun exiting one by one.
“The manor’s main gate will be locked tight, and the bridge leading here will be blocked.”
“Escape location this round: Crescent Moon Manor, commence.”
