People in Yu-Gi-Oh! The hyper-converged audience is also integrated

Chapter 284 The Clown
Upon hearing this, the candidates quickly tidied themselves up, their hair still wet, their clothes covered in sand, their faces showing signs of fatigue, but their eyes gleaming with anticipation and excitement.

Out of some unspoken understanding, Qiqi, who had been keeping a cold face, took a step and walked to a short distance from Mickey. She stopped and remained expressionless, her eyes calmly looking ahead.

Seeing this, Mickey grinned and began to give orders: "Come on, everyone, watch my instructions! Tall people, stand back, don't block the handsome guys and beautiful girls in front! Those in the front row, squat down a few of you, yes, yes, keep your expressions natural, don't look like you're going to a funeral!"

He paced back and forth in front of the crowd like an experienced director, waving his hand now and then, putting his hands on his hips, speaking in a loud voice.

The students' tension dissipated considerably after he made them laugh, and a few good-natured laughs rang out.

"Don't look down. You've passed the test, be confident!" Mickey looked at the corner of the road.

During a break in the line, Mickey pointed to Qiqi beside him and loudly introduced her to the two hundred examinees: "Let me introduce you all. This is an agent from our Investigation Team Two of Department Five. Her name is Qiqi, the 'Qi' in 'one, two, three, four, five, six, seven'!"

Most of the two hundred candidates looked on as if they understood, and all turned their gazes to the girl who was upright, with a clean and fair face, but was extremely dull.

Why introduce her specifically at this time?

These two hundred people will eventually be assigned to various departments, and they won't all be assigned to Investigation Team Two.

In the crowd, Tang Xin gently nudged Li Guanqi's arm and whispered, "Qiqi, that's a really easy name to remember. She looks... a little silly, but so cute~"

Li Guanqi's gaze lingered briefly on Qiqi, then he nodded slightly, his tone complex: "Indeed."

He always felt that this girl named Qiqi had a scary gaze, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why.

Seeing that everyone was in position, Mickey nodded in satisfaction. He raised his unlimited memory camera, scanned the two hundred young faces in front of him through the viewfinder, cupped his hand to his mouth, pointed at Qiqi beside him, and asked loudly in a drawn-out tone, "What's her name?"

The two hundred candidates were all stunned. Someone was about to shout, "Seven—"

Before they could react, Mickey quickly and loudly counted down: "Three! Two! One!"

The crowd took a deep breath and burst into a simultaneous shout: "Qiqi—!"

When pronouncing the word "seven," the corners of the mouth need to be stretched to the sides. When these two words are shouted quickly and loudly, most people's mouths will unconsciously turn into a beautiful arc, and their eyes will squint slightly because of the moment of exertion. Finally, a bright smile will bloom.

"Crack——!"

Mickey quickly raised his camera, pressed the shutter precisely, and the flash captured the two hundred disheveled yet radiant faces in this special moment.

In the photo, all the candidates who shouted "Qiqi" had a smile on their faces, whether they were nervous, tired or confused before, with their mouths turned up and their eyes crinkled.

Only Qiqi herself, who was treated as a "tool," remained expressionless.

A name is for others to call you, not for yourself to call yourself.

She didn't even raise an eyebrow, simply watching the group of examinees who were laughing so hard they were practically falling over because they were calling her name, a faint... hint of joy flashing across her eyes? Perhaps it was just an illusion.

Mickey put down the camera, looked at the image on the screen, and whistled triumphantly: "Perfect!"

After the group photo was taken, Qi Mengsi walked out from one side and came to the front of the candidates.

The moment she appeared, the lively atmosphere that had just been created by taking photos instantly cooled down. Upon seeing her, all the candidates reflexively and seriously took a half step back.

The two hundred survivors had all personally or witnessed the terrifying Rikka Domain.

Tang Xin subconsciously reached out to pull on Li Guanqi's clothes, but found that she couldn't budge them. She looked up in confusion and saw Li Guanqi standing straight, staring calmly at Qi Mengsi.

"Ahem—" Qi Mengsi cleared her throat, breaking the momentary silence. Her voice clearly reached everyone's ears, "The afternoon is for rest and free time. The location information of the canteen and rest room has been sent to your supercomputing rings. I suggest you all change your clothes and tidy your appearance first."

Upon hearing this, the candidates were taken aback and didn't react for a moment.

Free time? Rest? These two words seem like a distant memory to them.

"In addition," Qi Mengsi continued, "please gather at 7:00 PM sharp in conference room 501 on the third floor of the south building. The exact address has also been sent. Please make sure you arrive on time."

Finally, she uttered two words crisply and decisively: "Disband!"

The word "disband" is like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up ripples.

After a brief silence, an incredulous cheer erupted from the crowd.

"Oh my god, I can finally rest for a while!" A girl burst into tears of joy and collapsed onto the beach, ignoring her soaked clothes.

"Eat! I need to go to the cafeteria, I'm starving!" Another boy clutched his stomach, his eyes shining.

"Play ball! Anyone want to have a beach duel?!"

"Take a shower! I'm going to soak in hot water for three fucking hours!"

"Sleep! I want to sleep until the world goes dark!"

"I'm eating!" Tang Xin excitedly raised her arm, then frowned, pulled up her collar and sniffed, "Hmm, it's sticky."

Looking at her childlike appearance, Li Guanqi's tense nerves relaxed, and a faint smile appeared on his lips: "Go change your clothes first, and then go to the canteen to see what food they have."

"Let's go! Time for lunch!"

The candidates dispersed in twos and threes, all talking about how difficult their exam experience had been, while only one person walked forlornly down the road.

Mickey grinned as he looked at the group of young people who had instantly regained their energy. He raised his camera to examine the group photo he had just taken, and his gaze paused slightly when he saw Lu Li in the corner.

There are a few people in this group photo who don't look quite right.

In the monitoring room, the three team leaders simultaneously turned their gazes to Langley, their tone questioning.

"Are you just going to let Lin Chen go like that?" The group leader of Group Five spoke first, his brows furrowed.

"Judging from the life curve monitored in the background, he is obviously a wearer, and the degree of fusion is very high. Under such an impact of the ocean current, the life loss is less than two percent. Even Xia Sheng, who has an epic symbiosis card, cannot do that."

"His clown mask, based on preliminary assessment, has a fusion rate of over 90%. You're just going to let someone like that go so easily?" The leader of Group Twelve's voice was slightly deep, tinged with dissatisfaction.

Langley casually shrugged, his tone indifferent: "Everything depends on evidence. Our speculation is just speculation. Without substantial evidence that he violated the rules, I can't just arrest someone out of thin air." "Evidence? You wouldn't..." The leader of Group Twelve stared sharply at Langley, a smile playing on his lips, "...mixing in personal feelings? During the duel commentary, I felt you were always siding with him."

"Oh, how strange," the group leader sneered. "Has the dinosaur-headed guy in Group Two had some worldly desires?"

His expression was stern, and his voice was low: "Lanley, this is not like your usual style, where you would rather kill the innocent than let the guilty go free. This is more like you, isn't it?"

"Heh." Langley chuckled, leaning back in his chair with a hint of despair. "Anyway, I'm in charge of this assessment. Even if you take this to the minister, he'll just say 'Listen to Langley.' You don't believe me? Try it."

Upon hearing this, the other three group leaders exchanged glances and reluctantly swallowed their anger.

In fact, they had privately reported the matter to the minister, and the reply they received was just as Langley had said: "Listen to Langley."

Langley rubbed his throbbing temples, a wave of indescribable weariness washing over him.

She let Lin Chen go not because of any personal feelings, but because of the order given by her superior, the Purifier - the Sixteen Witches, through direct soul connection.

[Lin Chen is an informant; let him go.]

Thousands of miles away, in the city of Dairi and the fortress.

The massive mechanical spaceship emitted a muffled roar, and a beam of eerie blue light cascaded down from its hull, showering over three thousand figures upon the ground.

These figures had different expressions, most of them carrying a sense of bewilderment and frustration at being eliminated.

Lin Chen mingled in the crowd, looked up at the mechanical spaceship that was rapidly rising and disappearing into the distance, his expression filled with confusion.

They... just let me go like that?

Frankly speaking, anyone who isn't blind could see the strangeness in his actions as he seized the control panel. Under those circumstances, it would be a dereliction of duty for the Spirit Control Bureau not to arrest him and torture him for three days and three nights, thoroughly searching his soul.

Is the power of that codenamed swordsman within the Soul-Binding Division truly so immense?

He had always known that the swordsman's skills and background were far superior to Chu Linfeng's, so in most cases, he chose to obey the swordsman's orders. But the current situation was even more exaggerated than he had expected.

The problem is... how do we explain this to Chu Linfeng?

Not only did he fail in his mission, but he was also "released" unharmed.

"Hey—brother!" A familiar voice rang out from not far away, and Lin Chen's hair stood on end instantly.

He looked up abruptly, and not far away, a figure was walking towards him with a smile; it was Chu Linfeng.

Today, he wasn't wearing his signature clown makeup. Instead, he wore a bright red suit and had a warm smile on his face, looking just like a good brother he hadn't seen in years, radiating a friendly aura.

Lin Chen suppressed the turmoil in his heart, lowered his eyes, and said in a somewhat hoarse voice, "I'm sorry, the mission failed."

He was prepared to survive, whether it was punches, kicks, or knives, thanks to the power of the mask.

At least, he hoped so.

"No, brother, your mission was a complete success!" Chu Linfeng laughed as he approached, familiarly putting his arm around Lin Chen's shoulder and patting him hard on the back. "You did a fantastic job! You're a genius!"

Lin Chen was taken aback by the enthusiasm and praise, and replied somewhat blankly, "I failed to get into the Spirit Control Division. I have let you down, and I am willing to accept any punishment."

"No, no, no, you did very well, very well." Chu Linfeng's lips brushed against Lin Chen's earlobe, with a sticky smile. As he spoke, he gently stroked Lin Chen's back, a touch that sent a chill down Lin Chen's spine. "You did too well, really."

"You actually—" Chu Linfeng's voice couldn't contain his excitement.

"Successfully got your little sister in there! Hahaha—that's awesome, that's awesome! I love you to death, bro!"

Lin Chen shuddered violently, his blood freezing instantly. He tried to break free from Chu Linfeng's affectionate embrace, but found himself like a frog entangled by a venomous snake, unable to move.

“That swordsman…” Chu Linfeng’s hand was still roaming over Lin Chen’s back, his tone as gentle as if he were coaxing a child, “He’s lying to you, my good brother. He’s a sword appraiser from Da Ling Peak. What kind of place is that? It’s very prestigious and upright. How could they use such despicable means as ‘sword slave markings’ to control people?”

"Even if you disobey his orders, you won't explode and die. He's just scaring you to make you obey."

“But—” Chu Linfeng’s tone changed.

He loosened his grip on Lin Chen, but then his fingertips lightly brushed across Lin Chen's cold cheek, the touch sending a shiver down Lin Chen's spine.

Chu Linfeng's smile became even more sinister: "You should know very well who is it that can, in a single thought, truly... reduce you to ashes, leaving not even a trace."

Upon hearing this, Lin Chen's pupils suddenly contracted, and a chill ran from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

For the wearer of the mask, there is essentially no difference between a 0% fusion rate and a 99% fusion rate.

They are all just tools, consumables.

Only the Joker himself, who made these masks, can be considered a real person. The Joker can destroy any mask he makes at will and release all the damage that the mask took for him while he was wearing it.

The more damage the mask reduces, the more painful it is when it breaks.

Lin Chen took a deep breath, his voice hoarse: "What...what do you want me to do?"

"Don't be nervous, my brother." Chu Linfeng's smile remained unchanged. "That Luli, oh no, now we should respectfully call her Miss Luli."

"Isn't she very obedient to you, Brother Lin Chen?"

He patted Lin Chen on the shoulder, his tone light and cheerful, and turned to walk away with a smile: "Wait for orders."

Lin Chen watched Chu Linfeng's departing figure, slowly clenching his fists, his eyes flashing with a fierce light.

He never did that.

I want to kill someone!

(End of this chapter)