The male supporting character was actually myself.

"Hey, Brother Wang!" Liu Yihong, a handsome young man who looked even more clean and sharp after changing his hairstyle and suit, came out of his private dressing room, greeted him warmly, and leaned over to whisper, "There was so much trouble at the show, I wonder who's going to be the unlucky one to take the blame."

Wang He exchanged a few pleasantries with a smile, then quietly asked from a secluded corner as he walked towards the hall, "Have you seen Qin Xiaoyao?"

"No, the makeup artist said that time was tight this time, and all three actresses were changing clothes and getting their hair and makeup done downstairs. They might have deliberately separated us. Do you think they'll target her?"

"No, Qin Xiaoyao has a high online approval rating right now. You know the rules of the game, she should be safe for now, but Sun Dieqi is probably going to be in trouble."

"There's nothing I can do to help." Liu Yihong shrugged, a misleading smile on his face, but his words were full of helplessness. "Even if they want to make an example of us, we can only watch helplessly. Look at this imposing formation; those soldiers are no joke."

"May the angels protect us, and hopefully we'll all escape this calamity," Wang He sighed.

Upon receiving the signal, Andrea tilted her head and looked in the direction from which the prayer was coming. "Huh? Is it praying to me? Should I take this job or not?"

She thought for a moment, then spread her wings and followed in Wang He and Liu Yihong's footsteps, flying slowly behind them, wanting to join in the fun and perhaps even harvest some energy along the way.

"Next, please welcome the stars of the reality show 'The Vanished Bride': Qin Xiaoyao, Wang He, Liu Yihong, Sun Dieqi, Zeng Hao, and Fang Fei! Let's give them a warm round of applause as they come on stage!"

The host, full of energy, tried his best to demonstrate a confident and steady stage presence, extending his arms and bowing slightly to allow the three male and three female actors who had been arranged to enter the stage from the left and right sides respectively.

"Little Yao, Little Yao, you're the only one who shines!"

"Congratulations, congratulations! The victor is king, and the world comes to offer its congratulations..."

As the lead actors waved and took to the stage, countless slogans cheering for their idols flooded the online comments section, and the number of viewers in the live streams on various platforms skyrocketed.

Jiang Chen and An Dailin sat side by side on the second-floor railing, looking down at the souls that had been corrupted by demons and were emanating a faint black aura. He couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Let's get started already, I can't wait to see the show!"

Chapter Twenty-One: You've All Been Deceived

The host briefly introduced the six individuals' outstanding performances on stage, after which the six took their seats according to their assigned positions.

As professional actors, they naturally couldn't steal the spotlight from the criminals.

So Qin Xiaoyao sat on the most conspicuous and luxurious throne in the middle, with Wang He and Liu Yihong on her left and right sides respectively, while Fang Fei, who had the lowest audience support, was placed in an almost invisible corner.

After the main actors took their seats, the host warmed up the atmosphere and then invited the show designer, Qiao Yi, up to the stage.

"Qiao Yi is so handsome!"

Wow! A handsome and talented man is so charming!

"Qiao Yi, Qiao Yi, we love you..."

…………

The supernatural horror show design clearly satisfied the audience, with even the reporters at the front cheering and warmly welcoming this handsome, emotionally intelligent, and talented show designer.

"Thank you! Thank you all for your kindness." Qiao Yi, dressed in bright and beautiful clothes, suddenly turned completely black, but returned to normal after only a moment.

With his signature professional smile on his face, he walked briskly onto the stage, waving to the cheering crowd below, "Thank you so much for your support, thank you all."

The host enthusiastically handed him the microphone, following the established procedure, and asked him to talk about the design inspiration for this paranormal show.

Bored while waiting, Jiang Chen suddenly sat up and patted the sleepy little ball of fluff, "The show is finally starting!"

“I must admit one thing—” Qiao Yi glanced at the audience, a cold smile playing on her lips, “I am guilty.”

As soon as the words were spoken, the audience fell silent, and everyone looked at each other, wondering what had happened.

The host was also dumbfounded; this was not what was agreed upon beforehand!

"What's going on?" The director was stunned for a moment, and just as he was about to stop her, he heard Qiao Yi's rapid twist in the follow-up, "If designing a show that is realistic enough to fool people is a crime, then I must be a heinous criminal."

The humorous reversal made everyone laugh, and the host breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing the atmosphere become even more lively and the viewership ratings on the big screen skyrocketing, Qiao Yi smiled and made another startling statement: "Your Excellency is the most heinous and unforgivable sinner."

The scene fell into a sudden, chilling silence.

Who would dare say such things about the head of state in front of a live broadcast camera?

"After all, it was His Majesty the President who invented reality shows, presenting us with a perfect stage." Qiao Yi's smile widened again, "allowing us to showcase our abilities and present one wonderful reality show after another to the audience."

To have a group of real people pretend to live in different times and spaces, winning everyone's hearts and becoming heartbreakers—isn't it unforgivable to condone such deception and entertainment of the audience?

The reporters looked at each other, momentarily unable to discern whether it was praise or mockery.

The host's back was already soaked with cold sweat. Seeing that the audience below the stage all looked relaxed, he rolled his eyes inwardly and thought: This joke was really bad. He thought he was being humorous, but he didn't know that he would definitely suffer the consequences after offending the head of state!

"The host should take control of the situation and have Qiao Yi sit aside to calm down. He can speak during the Q&A session later," the director immediately ordered.

He also shoulders a heavy responsibility and doesn't want any mistakes to occur in this live broadcast that costs hundreds of millions.

Just as the host, who had received the signal from the earpiece, was about to step forward to take back the microphone and steer the conversation back on track to avoid offending anyone, Qiao Yi seemed to have anticipated the other party's actions.

He took the microphone and walked a few steps forward to the area where the reporters were seated. He skillfully shook hands with them and waved to the camera, appearing confident and in control.

"Actually, what I want to tell everyone today is—you've all been fooled." He said coldly with a mocking smile, "Reality shows have never been for the true purpose of entertaining the masses; in fact, they are a very shrewd political tool of His Majesty the Führer."

You all really enjoy watching trials of criminals, don't you?

But are the criminals truly guilty?

Qiao Yi turned around and gestured for everyone to look at the big screen.

"What the hell? What is he doing? Tell Qiao Yi to shut up!" The director was so anxious he almost cursed, but no one listened to his orders. Everyone was staring at the big screen as if they were under a spell.

The cameras broadcasting live across the entire network also focused on that area.

A staff member whose eyes turned completely black typed a few keystrokes on the keyboard, pressed the play button, and the image immediately appeared on the big screen.

"Meow? This is footage I shot!" The little white cat perked up excitedly when it saw the footage of the oppressed residents of the 12th Ward playing on the big screen. "Host, wasn't my filming amazing? Look at the angle, look at the lighting, super professional, right?"

Barren land; dilapidated houses.

The residents, pale and emaciated with lifeless eyes, were like walking corpses.

They were driven to work by whips, while the garrison soldiers, their faces ruddy from eating, uttered vulgarities and dragged any girl who looked pretty into the house...

The audience, living in the prosperous 39 countries, had never seen such a filthy scene. Everyone stared blankly at the big screen, and no one made a sound.

The scene shifts to the white-haired head of state and his son, Gu Deqiang, having a private conversation in a luxurious study.

"That's not just a problem for Fallen Moon City; it concerns the rule of twelve districts and thirty-nine federal states..."

"The truth and history of the power struggle three hundred years ago have been altered and concealed. In reality, the first leader of the Federation, the Holy Heavenly King, relied on superhuman power to build the Federation headquarters..."

"He murdered his father and brothers. To secure his throne, he nominally enfeoffed his three younger brothers and nine generals who had served him since his humble beginnings as kings, but in reality, he banished and confined their entire clans to the Twelve Districts..."

"Through over three hundred years of deliberate propaganda and manipulation, everyone believes that the people of District Twelve are descendants of war criminals, born sinners..."

"Only in this way can we rely on the strength of the thirty-nine countries to suppress the millions of people in the twelfth district..."

"Over the years, the Federal Headquarters has tacitly allowed the stationed troops to burn, kill, and loot. When there are resistance groups in various districts, the headquarters sends peace ambassadors to kill a few scapegoats and cooperate with the resistance groups to govern..."

"The fear of killing, burning, and looting will only create a stronger rebel army, so we need to give them a glimmer of hope—my money-making reality show. See, the intense internal conflict has been diverted with minimal effort..."

"Praising Qin Xiaoyao to death is a key strategy that achieves multiple goals!"

"Qin Xiaoyao has aroused public outrage, and the Federal Headquarters has ordered the revocation of the reward and the suspension of supplies for three years as punishment... At that time, it will be perfectly reasonable for the people of the thirty-nine countries to station troops there..."

The words spoken by the head of state on the big screen were terrifying. Qin Xiaoyao and others on the stage, the audience below the stage, and the viewers watching the live broadcast online were all stunned.

No one has ever seriously considered whether the so-called benevolence behind a reality show that provides sinners with a stage to showcase themselves and win rewards is genuine or fake.

When the truth was presented to the public in this way, even Gu Deqiang, who was sitting comfortably on his sofa watching the follow-up remedial measures with great interest, was stunned!

It took him a few seconds to realize what was happening.

"Who did this?" Gu Deqiang stood up, his face pale. His heart pounded as he looked at the father and son's private conversation, which had been filmed so clearly at such close range. "Impossible! There couldn't have been anyone there at the time!"

Judging from the flexible movement and filming, it is absolutely impossible that a pinhole camera was installed in advance, nor that the sound was simply recorded and then artificially synthesized.

Gu Deqiang remembered the entire process of the father and son's private conversation very clearly. Even though modern technology is advanced, it is impossible to completely reproduce the expressions and movements of the two of them one by one!

This video was definitely filmed by someone on site!

"It's impossible, impossible..." Gu Deqiang felt a wave of fear wash over him. He turned around abruptly and saw the Saint Heavenly King's dark pupils with no whites in the priceless portrait hanging on the wall. His blockhead suddenly had an epiphany, and he sat down on the ground, "Is...is it the power of a non-human being that has descended?"

In contrast, the head of state was more composed and calm.

He stared at the "unexpected changes" on the big screen with a gloomy expression. After a long struggle, he finally dialed the number and said coldly, "Tell Qiao Yi to shut up. You know how to handle emergency public relations."

Uncovering the inside story is indeed a tricky and troublesome matter, but the most urgent task is to catch the traitor who leaked the secrets!

The head of state's white beard trembled slightly as he watched the father and son's heartfelt conversation being edited into fragments. His well-maintained hands, though showing signs of age, suddenly gripped a document in front of him.

It clearly stated on the sign: "Signature appointing General Gu Deqiang as Director of the Federal Headquarters Security Bureau..."

"Stab!"

The newly signed document was crumpled into a ball and torn to shreds.

The head of state stared furiously at the big screen, convinced that the video was evidence that his son was plotting to oust him and seize power!

Who else could it be but him?

That's the Federal Headquarters' study!

It has the highest security level in the world, bar none.

It's impossible for anyone to have planted a camera beforehand to take pictures; it's impossible for such clear audio to be recorded; it's impossible for anyone to break through the multiple layers of security and take any pictures in the head of state's study, which was personally guarded by his son.

The answer is obvious—it was that stupid kid who did it.

No wonder he unusually came to ask me all sorts of questions that night and discussed things with me for a long time; he never had that kind of patience before. It turns out that from that moment on, Gu Deqiang had been laying the groundwork for usurping the throne!

"Foolish child! Stupid child!" The leader was furious, slamming his fists on the table. His back was hunched, and his usual calm and collected demeanor was long gone.

He scratched his head, completely baffled.

Why would an only child who has been taught from a young age be so foolish? Doesn't he know that only under his father's guidance and protection can he achieve high position and smooth sailing?

With his limited abilities and intelligence, how could he possibly outmaneuver a bunch of old foxes!

I've been working so hard to pave the way for his future, how come this stupid and clueless child can't understand?

There's nothing to worry about with live streaming online. After all, there are world-class professional public relations teams and top-level channels for disseminating information. Just accuse them of fabricating videos, spreading rumors, and causing trouble, and someone will naturally handle it.

Without concrete evidence, these remarks will soon be suppressed.

"Sigh... this is the only way for now." The leader seemed to have aged more than ten years in just a few minutes, and when he opened his eyes again, he sighed deeply.

"The live broadcast signal was cut off, and a message was released to the audience informing them that the press conference had been hacked and that terrorist and false statements were being spread. The audio was maliciously synthesized to smear the image of the head of state and the leaders of 39 countries. A thorough investigation will be conducted."

Before hanging up the phone, he hesitated for a moment, and his voice became a little dejected and low. "Also, issue an announcement: General Gu Deqiang is unwell and needs to rest. All his upcoming schedules are cancelled."