Yi Xing watched the departing figures of the few people, very grateful for their contributions. He was the one whose alarm should have gone off, yet he didn't spend a single cent. He turned around and continued walking beside the rickshaw.
The rest of the journey was very safe. The only drawback, if there was one, was that he didn't reach his destination within the stipulated time, and the alarm on him started ringing. He couldn't do anything about it; the rickshaw driver's speed was simply too slow, and he couldn't take over the driver's position to pull the cart.
Fortunately, when the sound went off, he wasn't far from Gao Yuan's house. Before the hunters could arrive, Yi Xing disarmed the alarm, completing the third mission. He let out a long breath, wiped the non-existent sweat from his forehead, and spoke to the camera.
"I finally managed to turn off that annoying sound. Luckily, no hunters came. If they had, I definitely wouldn't have been able to escape. With such a loud noise, even if Brother Tian Liang came, he'd be caught."
The music made him very anxious. He leaned against the wall to rest for a while, then took his phone from his shoulder and looked at some of the messages he had missed. During his escort, there were two notification sounds. At the time, he was focused on observing his surroundings and had no time to check the details.
"Luo Jin, Ada Choi captured. Remaining Speeding Up members: 7."
"Even Brother Luo Jin was captured. That means we've lost another important member," Yi Xing sighed, straightened his body, and the expression on his face gradually became serious.
Based on the experience from the last recording, this last mission is usually particularly difficult. He pondered countermeasures in his mind, wondering whether to go do the mission or find a place to hide until the game ended. Unable to make up his mind immediately, he decided to first check the mission difficulty. If it was truly impossible to complete, then hiding would be the same.
As for forfeiting, that option would never even appear in his mind. Either he chose not to do it, or if he did it, he would persevere to the end. Giving up halfway was absolutely impossible for him.
(PS: Currently surviving Speeding Up members: Wang Junkai, Yi Yang Qianxi, Jia Nailiang, Du Chun, Xie Na, Tian Liang, and Yi Xing.)
"Hey, Xiao Xing Ge, where are you?"
"I'm at Gao Yuan's house. What's up?"
Wang Junkai's voice came from the other end of the phone. It was almost the final time, and he wanted to contact a particularly reliable person to stay with, which would give him a strong sense of security.
"Don't move from there. I'm coming to find you now."
"Okay."
Yi Xing, learning that a certain younger brother was coming to find him, stopped his steps and hid inside a small house. He found a particularly suitable hiding spot and was about to see how big the space inside was and how many people could hide there, when he saw a familiar face: it was Xie Na.
"Sister Na, you really found a treasure trove! This place is too safe!"
"I actually really wanted to go on missions with you guys, but I can't read maps. I don't even know where I am right now, so I had no choice but to find a hidden place to hide. Since you're here, how about taking me with you for the next mission?"
Xie Na crawled out from inside, her clothes covered in dust, which showed how long she had been hiding there. While others were participating in "China Speeding Up," she was participating in "China Hide-and-Seek."
"No problem. Jun Kai is also coming to find me, so the three of us will go together then." Yi Xing agreed very readily, without any hesitation. His inner thoughts gradually changed. Before, he planned to decide his next move based on the mission difficulty, but now he didn't care. If there was a mission, he would complete it properly!
The two of them started chatting. Yi Xing thus got the chance to formally introduce himself to Xie Na. At the beginning, he was busy chatting with Xiao Ju and hadn't greeted the new guest performers. He probably didn't even know who he was.
"It seems I haven't introduced myself to you, Sister Na. My name is Yi Xing. You can call me Yi Xing, Xiao Xing, or Xiao Yi, whatever you prefer."
"I know some information about you. I did a background check before the show and know about your performance on some shows. Do you have any hobbies?"
"Traveling. I've basically been to most major cities in the south. I plan to see the scenery in the north when I have time later."
He answered truthfully. Compared to traveling, he still preferred playing games, but saying he played games would sound a bit low-class, so he chose a more respectable hobby.
"Traveling is good. When I'm not working, I also like to wander around and see things. Have you traveled abroad?"
"I just graduated from abroad this year."
"Oh, I didn't realize you were a returnee from abroad. What school? Tell me so I can be impressed."
Upon hearing this, Xie Na thought he must have gone abroad for a gilded education and joked, as background checks wouldn't focus on someone's academic qualifications.
"Cambridge."
"..."
The answer of those two words made her fall silent for a moment. She understood the reputation of Cambridge. It seemed she had to re-evaluate the person in front of her. She thought he was a fake, but he told her he was the real deal.
A "pleasant" phone ringtone broke the awkward silence. It was a call from Wang Junkai. He had already arrived near Gao Yuan's house but hadn't seen a certain person's figure, so he called to ask about the situation.
"Hello, Jun Kai, you should be here by now, right?"
"Yes, Xiao Xing Ge, I'm here."
"Can you see a cluster of small houses nearby?"
"I can see them."
"Walk this way. Sister Na and I are waiting for you here."
"Okay, I'll be right there."
Wang Junkai happily hung up the call and walked towards the location the person on the other end had mentioned. Soon, his figure appeared in front of the house. Seeing the two figures inside, he walked in.
The scene before him left him a bit confused. Yi Xing was performing movements in front, and Xie Na was exercising along with his movements. Was this some new form of entertainment? Without much thought, he quickly stood on the other side and joined in.
After completing the entire set of movements, he asked doubtfully, "Xiao Xing Ge, what were you and Sister Na doing just now?"
"We were doing warm-up exercises. Sister Na said she had rested for too long and needed to stretch her muscles and bones, so I thought we could do it together. I don't need to say more about what happened next, do I?"
"Oh, I thought you guys had founded some organization, and this was something you had to learn to join the organization." Wang Junkai scratched the back of his head, smiling sheepishly.
"You should read fewer novels," Yi Xing said exasperatedly. This kid's imagination was truly wild.