Chapter 526: Massive Losses, Came Up Empty-Handed!

Wang Yun could feel the shock value surging steadily upward. While inwardly delighted, he was also savoring the satisfaction that came with showing off.

No wonder some people loved acting cool. It turns out, it really was addictive.

“No need to send Thirteen out scouting anymore. The next step is to monitor from the shadows and see where those inspectors start patrolling. And then we strike.”

He deliberately voiced his internal thoughts, just to bask in the glorious feeling of pretending to be mysterious and all-knowing. And sure enough, even without looking at the screen, Wang Yun could guess the live chat was flooded with 666.

***

Meanwhile, in the Program Observation Room—

The atmosphere among the royal family was tense and seething.

Several team leaders sat around the central console, all wearing expressions of confusion and frustration.

“When one of our team members was eliminated, not a single one of you noticed?” Eve stared sternly at the leader of Team Two seated directly across from her.

It was his team member who had just been knocked out.

The team leader looked nervous and helpless.

“Captain Eve, I really didn’t notice. The situation was chaotic at the time. Most of the inspectors had converged on the scene, and we were all focused on the fugitive hiding in Building 3…”

“So what?” Eve cut him off, voice sharp. “You didn’t catch the fugitive either!”

The squad leader fell silent, unable to refute her. He had dropped the ball.

“The teammate who got eliminated… he did manage to take down someone from Sakura Nation…”

His voice trailed off awkwardly, barely audible. But it would’ve been better if he’d said nothing at all.

Bang!

Eve slammed her hand onto the table. Even with her doll-like features, when she lost her temper, she radiated an intimidating beauty.

“So that justifies losing a team member? I don’t care why it happened. What I want now is a name. I need to know exactly who took out my teammate. I will not allow any of my people to die in vain.”

Her final declaration hit everyone in the room like a hammer.

A mix of tension and warmth spread through the air. Yes, they were getting scolded, but at least they were being cared about.

That kind of respect and value wasn’t something you found every day.

“Don’t worry, Captain Eve! I’ll find the culprit and bring them to justice for you, and for the whole team!”

The Team Two squad leader straightened up and quickly pledged his commitment.

Eve gave a nod and didn’t press further.

“Now, I’ll be reassigning our strategy. I want everyone alert and focused.”

With that, Eve began a full redeployment.

***

On the other side, Sakura Nation, who had also lost one of their program inspectors, was equally furious. They had already begun pulling surveillance footage from the surrounding area, but after combing through all of it…

It was useless.

There were simply too many people; there was no way to tell who had actually made the move.

But at the time, the only program inspectors surrounding them were from two factions. One was from the royal family, and the other from the Hahabaya Tribe. So naturally, these two groups were immediately marked as sworn enemies by Sakura Nation.

Whoever it was didn’t matter anymore. From this point on, aside from targeting rogue fugitives, Sakura Nation’s primary objective was to eliminate members of those two teams.

As for the fugitive hiding in Building 3? No one took him down.

Because he self-destructed.

He went straight to the production staff and declared that he was forfeiting the game and dropping out of the competition.

The pressure was too much—being surrounded by so many people, he didn’t want to be caught by any team.

So, he decided to take everyone down with him in a burn-it-all move.

Which meant, this time around, no one walked away a winner.

The citizens of the city, after learning this whole thing was just a game show and there was no “angel rain” giving out money, were furious and cursed up a storm. Some even vowed that next time they saw a fugitive, they’d help them hide out just to spite the teams who’d stirred up so much chaos for nothing.

Now, the program inspector teams had an even harder job on their hands.

The production crew, of course, found this absolutely delightful. The harder the challenge, the better the entertainment.

The viewers in the livestream were also having a blast. No one expected the fugitives to end up having the upper hand.

Because of this incident, the inspector teams launched a full-scale mobilization. Soon, they had almost completely flooded the southern district.

***

Inside the Dragon Nation’s Program Inspection Room—

Wu Yaoming was watching the livestream feed in silence, deep in thought.

“You think Ying Yuezi has any way of getting in touch with us again? We have no clue if she’s managed to get close to Wang Yun yet.”

Wu Mingyu chuckled and shook his head.

“She’s underestimating him. If she hadn’t been a captain last season, maybe, just maybe, she’d have a shot at earning his trust.”

He left the rest unsaid.

Originally, the same few captains were supposed to return this season, but Ying Yuezi had resigned from her position on her own. She had only one goal: to get close to Wang Yun and fully understand him.

But clearly, she was being a little too naïve.

“Doesn’t matter,” Zhao Youcheng said, not looking up from the map in his hands. “Whether or not Wang Yun trusts her, as long as she can feed us intel, that’s good enough.”

He was still poring over the map, eyes locked in concentration. He’d gone over it countless times and could recite every street by heart.

Where the hell could these people be hiding?

That question had been gnawing at Zhao Youcheng for days.

They’d practically turned the city inside out. They nearly flipped the entire city upside down, yet they still hadn’t found several key fugitives.

The number of A-rank fugitives they’d captured was pathetically low. Most of their catches had been B- and C-rank, and D-ranks were nearly wiped out already.