Am I really hallucinating?

Chapter 398 Warm-up
"Is Mr. Jeromelo here?" the staff called out the name of the next person to rehearse, but there was no response after scanning the room.

Soon another person came up and whispered in his ear, "Jermelo isn't here today, skip him."

The man nodded and proceeded to call out the next person in an orderly fashion.

A murmur arose from the surrounding crowd, and people began to discuss the matter.

"Jeremyro hasn't been in very good form lately..."

"I heard his sister died in the earthquake, it must have been a huge blow to him. Maybe this performance is also for his sister?"

"If it's really not working out, let's log off now. We've been here for days and haven't seen him. Hey, you're all from Baidu Records, have you met him privately?"

"I've met him a few times, but he didn't seem very willing to talk. He kept muttering to himself as he ran back to his hotel, like he was possessed."

Some people expressed sympathy.

However, quite a few people are just watching for fun and enjoying the show.

After all, he's a top star right now, and Jerome's relationships with most of his peers are just so-so. If something happens to him, most people will definitely gloat.

Suddenly, the lighting behind the singers rehearsing on stage went awry, vaguely revealing what looked like the large, menacing face of a black sparrow.

However, the flash was too fast, and most people didn't see it clearly or only thought it was a jumbled and meaningless graphic.

But everyone in the monastery band noticed.

Tao Zhi almost couldn't hold back when he took a sip of water, while the others were startled by the sudden, eerie noise.

Fortunately, they recovered quickly.

"Is there a problem with the equipment?" the staff immediately asked the equipment team.

The equipment team quickly checked, and finally looked up in confusion, replying, "There's nothing wrong."

"Do you even know how important this performance is? Get a thorough inspection done right away! If it's not working, just replace the whole set. There's still time!"

"understand!"

This little incident immediately put everyone on edge.

“Mr. Music?” Doris asked the person next to her.

"I was just bored and fiddled with the equipment. I'll be able to control the lighting and other special effects during the performance if necessary. I'm just testing the waters for now," Zheng Fan said as he walked out with his hands in his pockets.

He didn't go on stage during rehearsals, which is standard practice for the monastery band, and no one else said anything.

If Mr. Gundam were to handle every little detail, wouldn't that mysterious and interesting character lose its charm?
Zheng Fan had a legitimate reason for skipping the rehearsal.

He couldn't possibly make a mistake anyway.

"Is Jeremiah alright?" Mora asked Doris, having already heard about Jeremiah and the insect-eating creature from Doris.

“We’ll fill in when he can’t come. I’ll be very sorry if we can’t do it, but that’s all. Whether he’s fixated on petty acts of pretending to be a chivalrous hero and can’t truly avenge his sister, or whether he wants to leave something for her by building the superstar career he and his sister have created together, is entirely up to him,” Doris said calmly, without revealing much emotion.

In this atmosphere, the rehearsal time flew by.

It was late, and apart from a minor hiccup where no problems were found until the very end and a few sets of equipment were changed just to be on the safe side, the rehearsal went very smoothly overall. We're just waiting for the official performance tomorrow.

However, Jerome did not arrive, and considering his recent unstable condition, Baidu Records was hesitant about whether to let him perform.

Such stage performances are also a gamble for musicians. If mistakes are made, it will naturally have some impact on their reputation, especially given Jermaine's current status, the impact will be amplified.

Most importantly, Jeremiah had a way out; his sister's death was the perfect excuse for his mental state. Of course, even if it wasn't an excuse, in other people's eyes, Jeremiah's situation was pretty much the same.

After the last singer finished rehearsing, the list was checked and it was almost time to end.

It was a bit of a shame not to see Jerome, and some people had already left after their rehearsals ended.

Doris and the others stayed until the very end.

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded, and a person rushed into the scene. At first glance, it seemed as if a security guard outside had slipped through the net.

"I've written it!" Jeremiah shouted at the empty stadium, leaving everyone bewildered. His disheveled hair showed he hadn't taken care of himself in a long time, and he was covered in sweat with dark circles under his eyes. If some of his fans saw him, they would be heartbroken.

The others were somewhat taken aback. This was the first time they had seen Jeremiah here, and he was like this? Had Jeremiah lost his mind?
The monastery band, who had just gotten up to leave the venue, sat down again upon seeing this.

"Jeremy? Can we still rehearse now? Should we take a break?" His agent caught up with him, driving him all the way from the hotel to here and then sprinting into the stadium – it was exhausting.

"Rehearsal? Yes, let's rehearse." Jeremiah snapped out of his daze, casually tying his hair up and sweating. He was now far from his usual melancholic prince demeanor, exuding a capable, bold, and exceptionally dashing air.

He picked up the microphone and went on stage.

The rehearsal piece was his signature song, which is very iconic.

After spending so many days holed up in their rooms doing nothing, they come here unkempt and immediately go on stage for rehearsals. How good can they possibly be? Some people thought that.

But when that voice came through the live equipment, the people in the audience were reminded of the fear of being dominated by this singing monster.

……

The day of the performance.

As evening fell, a bustling crowd gathered outside the stadium, forming great rivers that flowed towards the stadium.

A large number of spectators walked toward this place, and the Nolan Tower, a landmark building on Nolan Street in the distance, was now even equipped with white lighthouse lights.

The light from the lighthouse swept across the crowd, having no effect on normal people, but the fantasy elements were immediately severely interfered with and restricted.

Police and law enforcement officers directed the flow of people along the sides and in the middle of the road, preventing the massive gathering from causing much chaos.

In the sky, a swarm of white drones flew back and forth without pause, scrutinizing the flow of people below while also conducting meticulous security checks.

Inside the venue, people gradually took their seats, and cameras in every corner recorded the entire process.

The entry process proceeded smoothly, and even those who planned to give the performance a great start couldn't get past the drone security check outside.

After numerous attempts, the path of gaining access to the event through the general audience channel has proven to be extremely difficult.

If the external checks are this strict, the situation inside the venue is even more so.

To the average person, there was nothing unusual or even a disturbance during the entire entry process.

Those secretly observing the situation also realized something was wrong.

"Wait a minute, didn't Lao Wu say they were exposed and caught? How come we haven't heard anything about it on our surveillance?"

"Check on Lao Wu and the others' location!"

"no!"

After searching, they discovered that several of their accomplices, who were supposed to blend into the crowd, had vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye after sending out the signal that they had been exposed... as if they had evaporated!
how come……

What methods did the bureau use to handle the situation?
Suddenly, they heard a flurry of footsteps, and when they turned and saw the uniforms of the Disposal Bureau, they knew they had become the first sacrifices of the night.

……

Down in the audience, Doris and the others had finished their makeup. Doris was wearing a pure white dress and looked absolutely stunning.

Although it slightly evoked memories of the past for Mora and the others, the white dress was Doris's go-to outfit at the convent. While the intricate patterns on this dress were quite elaborate, unlike the simpler dress she wore at the convent, it was still too easy to create illusions at first glance.

"Makeup artist, why aren't you doing my makeup?" Zheng Zheng, dressed in a robot skin, was harassing the makeup artist.

Makeup artist: ? ? ?

Those around them couldn't help but feel tense, and they were quite curious about this bald-faced robot that suddenly appeared when everyone was gathered, since they had never seen the most unique member of this monastery band before.

Doris gestured to Gao Song, who snapped his fingers to indicate that he understood. He then picked up his handbag, ran to Zheng Fan's side, opened it, and handed over the contents.

"What is this?" Zheng Fan was surprised; there was actually a pleasant surprise.

"It's kind of like makeup. Doris said it would suit you well, and you should like it," Gao Song said.

Zheng spread out the clothes.

A black priest's robe.

“I really like it,” Zheng Fan said with satisfaction.

Robot priests are so cool!

After Zheng Fan changed into this outfit, the monastery band members, who were already fully dressed and made up, gathered together.

"There's still a while before the main performance, but let's go warm up the crowd."

"Huh? Wait a minute, you already have a lot of tasks to do, and the warm-up is arranged by someone else..." Tickman and Deng Min said hurriedly. These guys really never stop for a moment. They don't intend to follow the plan from the very beginning!

But naturally, the five ignored them and strode briskly toward the stage.

Zheng Fan twirled the electric guitar in his hand with one hand, his posture elegant.

The monastery band had already completed their warm-up act simply by appearing on stage, before they even started performing.

A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the stands.

(End of this chapter)