Rebirth 09: Starting from taking charge of Running Man on CCTV

The night breeze in June, carrying moisture, rushed in from the exit of the Water Cube, making it much cooler than during the day.

The eight people changed into the dry new team uniforms provided by the production team, and their hair was blown dry and fluffy. They were all in high spirits and moved towards the Bird's Nest in a swarm.

The two hundred meters felt like an eternity, with the eight of them laughing and reminiscing about their embarrassing moment in the water.

The red team led the way.

Deng Chao zipped his jacket up to the top, put his right hand in his pocket, and unconsciously pinched the map that had been folded twice.

"Brother Xiang, do you remember that spot?"

Liu Xiang nodded slightly.

"On the west side of the second floor, go in about fifty meters from the third pillar."

"Okay." Deng Chao lowered his voice, "Charge as soon as we get there, don't give the Green Team any time to react."

Wang Baoqiang rubbed his hands together behind him.

"Brother Chao, I don't think it's that simple."

Deng turned back.

"How so?"

"The clues provided by the production team were too precise," Wang Baoqiang said, frowning, speaking with a strong Hebei accent.

"The five-pointed star is directly marked on the map, as if it's telling you the answer. This director doesn't seem like the type to do this kind of thing."

Baby followed at the back, jogging to keep up with the pace, and chimed in with a soft, Cantonese-accented Mandarin.

"Brother Baoqiang is right, Director Chen wouldn't be that kind, would he?"

Deng Chao was silent for two seconds.

"Let's go take a look first."

He quickened his pace.

The green team is about ten meters behind the red team.

Li Chen walked at the front, clutching the map covered with red dots in his hand, examining it again and again under the streetlights.

Thirty-six points.

Shen Teng leaned over for a peek, and his lips twitched.

"This isn't a clue, it's like giving you a workbook to do."

Chen He peeked out to look.

"Brother Chen, where are all thirty-six points?"

"They're everywhere, from the first to the fourth floor. In the auditorium, in the corridors, in the equipment rooms, next to the lawn... everywhere."

Zheng Kai was flexing his ankles on the side.

"That means..."

"Let's search one by one." Li Chen folded the map and stuffed it into his pocket. "No matter what clues the red team gets, we have thirty-six chances."

Chen He suddenly turned around, staring at the backs of the four members of the red team in front of him, his eyes darting around twice.

"Brother Chen, have you noticed...?"

"Um?"

"Deng Chao never took his right hand out of his pocket the entire way."

Upon hearing this, Shen Teng slowly spoke.

"Trying to steal?"

Chen He immediately shook his head.

"It's not stealing! It's tactically gathering intelligence!"

Zheng Kai rolled his eyes.

"Why don't you just say you want to be a thief?"

"Zheng Kai! Can't you speak properly?!"

The four of them, bickering and arguing, stepped into the shadows of the bird's nest.

11:40 PM.

The Bird's Nest No. 1 Athletes' Entrance.

Lighting technician Zheng Hao had adjusted the entrance passage lighting to the lowest brightness in advance, leaving only two cool white spotlights shining obliquely down from above.

Eight people stood in a row.

The path beneath our feet is the same one that Olympic athletes once walked.

Above them was a dome made of interwoven steel and concrete, like a giant net, covering the empty stadium in the night.

There were no spectators, no cheers.

The only sound was the whistling of the wind as it passed through the gaps in the steel structure.

Shen Teng shrank his neck.

"This place...it's really a bit cold at night."

Baby unconsciously took half a step closer to Deng Chao.

Deng Chao caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of his eye, said nothing, and moved slightly closer to her side.

The captain's instinct.

At the end of the passage, footsteps approached from afar.

Chen Yang, dressed in his usual dark jacket and carrying his signature red megaphone, calmly walked to the front of the eight people.

He scanned everyone's faces.

"Everyone's here."

The loudspeaker was raised.

"Welcome to the ultimate mission of the first episode of 'Run, China'!"

The sound echoed in the empty venue, carrying a metallic quality.

"During the day today, four gold-inlaid jade medals, specially commissioned by Olympic masters, were lost in the park."

"Your mission..."

He paused for a moment.

"Find them."

Zheng Kai raised his hand.

"Director, how do we find him?"

"The Bird's Nest main stadium, from the first to the fourth floor, is open to you in all areas."

Chen Yang spoke in a calm and unhurried tone.

"We've placed a lot of clues inside the venue, and you can use these clues to track down the medals' locations."

"certainly."

He glanced at Deng Chao, then at Li Chen.

"You already have some clues."

Deng Chao gripped the map tightly in his pocket.

The corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.

He remembered the precise five-pointed star marking on the west side of the second floor clearly.

"Both teams start at the same time, and the team that finds the medal first wins."

Chen Yang put down the loudspeaker.

"Any more questions?"

Shen Teng raised his hand.

"Once you find the medal, you can just take it?"

Chen Yang glanced at him.

His lips twitched slightly, but he didn't smile; something flashed in his eyes, though.

"Found it, you'll know what to do."

Shen Teng's eyelid twitched.

This answer is problematic.

"Set off."

As soon as Chen Yang finished speaking, Deng Chao was the first to move.

"Walk!"

He grabbed Liu Xiang's arm and rushed towards the left stairwell, with Baby and Wang Baoqiang following closely behind.

The sound of four people's footsteps echoed rapidly in the empty concrete corridor.

As Deng ran, he pulled a map out of his pocket and, using the pale emergency lights in the corridor, poked his finger at the five-pointed star.

"On the west side of the second floor, there is a wall of honor for Olympic champions."

"Brother Xiang, lead the way!"

Relying on his familiarity with the venue, Liu Xiang made two turns and walked through a long, narrow corridor.

Ahead, a huge display board that occupies the entire wall came into view.

Photos of the gold medalists from the 2008 Beijing Olympics are neatly arranged under the lights.

And right in the center of the display board.

A completely transparent acrylic explosion-proof box.

It is half a meter high and thirty centimeters wide, and its perimeter is fixed to a metal bracket on the wall with bolts.

The inside of the box is lined with dark blue velvet.

Four gold-inlaid jade medals lay quietly inside.

The program logo is engraved on the front of the medal.

On the back are the five characters "Run, China!" in gold foil.

Deng Chao rushed to the front of the box, placed both hands on the acrylic surface, and his eyes lit up.

"Here it is! Right here!"

Baby ran up from behind and couldn't help but exclaim when she saw the medal.

"So beautiful!"

Wang Baoqiang also came over, his face beaming with joy.

"Got it! Found it!"

However, Deng Chao's smile froze three seconds later.

A brass lock hung on the chest door.

The keyhole faces outwards.

There is no key.

"Hold."

Deng tugged at it twice, but it didn't budge.

He looked down and saw a line of small characters engraved on the lock.

"Only the true key can open it."

Deng Chao turned to look at Liu Xiang.

Liu Xiang squatted down to examine the lock's structure and shook his head.

"The explosion-proof box has a brass lock; we can't break it open. We need to find the key."

Baby bit her lip.

"Where's the key?"

The four people looked at each other in bewilderment.

On the Green Team's side, the situation was completely different.

Li Chen spread out the map and quickly assigned tasks.

"Thirty-six points are too many; searching them one by one is too slow. Let's split up."

"Zheng Kai, you're quick, you're in charge of the third and fourth floors."

"Shen Teng, come with me to the first floor."

"Chen He".

Chen He was peering in the direction where the Red Team had disappeared.

"what?"

"You're in charge of the second floor."

Chen He's eyes darted around.

"Brother Chen, I think we should first..."

"Let's follow the red team and see where they're going?" Shen Teng finished speaking for him.

Chen He grinned.

"Brother Teng understands me."

Li Chen thought for a moment and nodded.

Go ahead. Don't get caught.

Like a cat, Chen He crouched low and slipped away in the direction the red team had disappeared.

Zheng Kai had already dashed down the third-floor staircase.

"I'm leaving now! You guys take your time!"