novelraw Chapter 160: Possessed by Bad Luck
Chapter 160: Possessed by Bad Luck
Chloe Sterling reluctantly shrank back under her covers. The nights in the northern countryside were a bit chilly, and you needed a thick blanket to sleep. "Riley, can you make a beauty pill? The kind that makes even the worst dark circles disappear with just one dose. I bet people would buy it, no matter how expensive."
Ever since using the weight-loss pills Riley Perry had given her, her faith in Riley was boundless. Doesn’t supply follow demand? She had a demand right now, so she quickly made a wish to the great Riley!
Riley Perry said, "...Just go to sleep. In your dreams, you can have anything." ’One pill to make dark circles disappear? Do you think you’re playing a matching game or something?’
...
「In Holly Summers’s room.」
The production team’s doctor was applying medicine to her wounds. She was relatively lucky; although her knees and arms were scraped, her face was fine. Well, it wouldn’t affect filming tomorrow.
"Ouch, be more gentle."
The male doctor glanced up at her, then sped up his movements. After a cursory application, he began packing up his first-aid kit. "All done. Just be careful not to get it wet, and you’ll be fine. If you change the dressing on time, it won’t leave a scar."
After the doctor left, Holly Summers tried to make small talk with Roxanne Fulton to build a rapport, but Roxanne’s reaction was extremely cold. "Get some rest. We have to climb a mountain tomorrow. I can’t imagine it will be easy."
Holly knew Roxanne didn’t want to talk to her. Resentment festered in her heart, but she forced herself not to show it.
’Director Warren must be sick in the head. In the past, it was always team missions, but this time it’s all solo tasks. How is she supposed to expose Riley Perry’s true colors now?’
’She had no idea how Riley Perry had managed to anger *that person* so badly, but it seemed they wouldn’t rest until she was destroyed.’
...
「The next morning.」
For once, the director didn’t wake everyone up at the crack of dawn.
The eight guests ate a peaceful breakfast, and at eight o’clock, the livestream started again.
"Today, you’ll be working in teams. The teams will be formed in pairs based on the order you appeared in the courtyard."
Riley Perry wanted to roll her eyes. Director Warren was hell-bent on splitting that million-dollar prize between two people. She really wanted to ask: ’Is this some kind of sick joke of yours?’
Then, the four new teams were announced. Riley Perry glanced at Director Warren again, and sure enough, he guiltily looked away.
Silas King was with Simon Ford, Chloe Sterling was with Ethan Shaw, and Victoria Koenig was with Roxanne Fulton. And she was actually paired with Holly Summers.
The bullet comments flooded the screen: [I’ve never seen such a bizarre way of forming teams.]
[I feel like Director Warren did this on purpose.]
[I have to say: Nice one, Director Warren!]
[Damn, you guys really love to watch the drama unfold, don’t you?]
[Yeah, let’s go! Let them fight, let them fight!]
[Those two are one step away from coming to actual blows on the show, and Director Warren puts them together. You have to admit, the director’s got guts!]
Riley Perry spoke up. "Director, Holly Summers is radiating bad luck. I don’t want to be tainted by it. I’m requesting to be a solo team!"
Holly Summers fumed, "You’re the one radiating bad luck, Riley Perry! This is a livestream. Can you stop spouting nonsense just to get attention?"
Riley Perry ignored her. "Director Warren, I said I’m requesting to be a solo team!"
Director Warren waved his hand. "No. Teams must consist of two people, and you have to reach the summit together to complete the mission. Also, the production team has prepared some food along the mountain path. That will be your lunch. Be sure to look for it. If you can’t find it, you’ll just have to go hungry."
A smug smile crept onto Holly Summers’s face. As she expected, *that person* was very effective. She had only sent a text last night, and today she was already assigned to Riley Perry’s team. ’She’d like to see how Riley Perry was going to cheat right under her nose!’
’If Riley dared to try anything, she would expose her on the livestream!’
The production team’s van drove the guests to the local tourist spot, Mount Cairn.
The production team must have booked the entire area. The mountain path was sealed off, with two staff members standing at the entrance like a pair of sentinels.
Eager to show off, Holly Summers hurried to the entrance, but the two staff members stopped her. "To enter Mount Cairn, you must first answer a question."
Holly Summers replied, "Please, ask away."
The staff members waited until all eight guests had arrived before speaking. "We have prepared a total of eight questions. You only need to answer one correctly to proceed up the mountain. However, if both members of a team answer incorrectly twice, you will have to wait here for half an hour. After thirty minutes, you may try to answer the questions again. You can only go up the mountain after answering correctly.
Are the rules clear?"
The guests nodded. The staff member began with the first question: "This is a simple calculation problem. Without using any tools, calculate: 123 * 256 * 849 + 38,788 - 23,441 + 66,678 + 28,772 - 59,832 = ?"
Seeing that no one else was going to speak, and not wanting to waste any more time, Riley Perry answered directly, "It equals 2,766,067."
The staff member said, "..."
Seeing the silence, Riley Perry had to ask, "Was that wrong?"
The staff member looked as if they were questioning their own existence. "...It’s, it’s correct. Your team passes."
[Isn’t a math question just giving Riley Perry free points?]
[It seems like no question would be too hard for her.]
[Seriously, Riley Perry can do university-level math olympiad problems in her head, and you’re asking her these childish arithmetic questions? Who are you looking down on?]
[If there are more questions along the path, won’t Riley just breeze through everything?]
Holly Summers felt no joy at all for passing the stage. This was supposed to be her moment to shine. How did that little bitch Riley steal the spotlight again?
"Well, we’ll be on our way then. Good luck to the rest of you."
With that, Riley Perry headed up the mountain.
The remaining guests continued with the questions. One of the staff members pointed to the forest behind him. "Name ten plants that you can identify right now. If you get them right, you can pass."
The guests looked at each other. Who could possibly do that? The only things they could name were pine trees and grass.
That definitely wasn’t ten species.
So, no one spoke up, afraid of wasting one of their chances.
"Is no one going to answer? In that case, you only have six questions left."
While they were busy answering questions, Riley Perry, with her backpack on, was already walking up the mountain. Director Warren had said yesterday that they also needed to find food. She figured they had to find their own picnic lunch, so while she walked, she released her Divine Sense to start searching for food.
Not far down the path, she found a bag of duck legs under a large rock. No questions asked, she took it.
’The director is pretty ruthless. Getting a meal today isn’t going to be easy.’
After walking a little further, Riley Perry glanced at Holly Summers striding ahead, then veered off the path into the woods. Under a tree, she found a bundle of sausages.
She continued forward for a few more minutes and found a large piece of beef.
"Good thing the temperature is low right now, or this beef would have spoiled."
Coming out of the woods, Riley Perry saw Holly Summers waiting up ahead.
Looking at the two staff members standing not far from her, Riley understood. It was time for another challenge.
"Alright, everyone’s here. Your team can answer the question now. However, the director says Ms. Perry’s IQ is too high, so this stage won’t be a test of intelligence. See those bricks and stones over there?
You can choose to move the stones three meters away, or you can choose to break bricks with your bare hands. If you break all ten bricks, you can pass."