Global Collapse

But even just looking at the top of his head, she could see Mr. Green's frustration.

"I wonder what kind of program that pink-clad host is planning." 007 looked at the hot air balloon high in the sky, then at the glass roof above his head, and had some guesses in his mind.

Chu Changge, meanwhile, was looking at the Killing Teacher on the high platform—and probably noticed the questions from the audience, he began to gesticulate wildly as he introduced the program he had planned.

A slightly high-pitched sound came from the large speakers on both sides, and 007 could see the dust in the air vibrating.

"I believe everyone here has seen the Killing Game and knows my name, Killing Teacher. You also know that I, Killing Teacher, never engage in sensationalism or make any boring shows."

As he spoke, a look of certainty appeared on his face, and he suddenly opened his arms wide as if to hug someone.

The photographer's lens zoomed out as he moved, bringing the entire Killer Teacher into the frame.

The large screen on the platform showed a close-up of him opening his arms to embrace everyone.

But if you only look at the real scene without looking at the screen, it's really funny to see the less than 1.6-meter-tall Killer Teacher doing this action. Several upper-class people in the audience area laughed out loud.

The teacher, with his arms outstretched, slowly turned left and right, then solemnly tilted his head back: "Today's program will definitely not disappoint you! I'm so glad that you could all come here today! Welcome to today's—Ladder Game!"

As he finished speaking, his arm sank lower again, as if trying to open it as wide as possible.

At the same time, a loud "bang" rang out in the sky.

It came from those hot air balloons overhead.

007 shifted his gaze from the murderous teacher to the various hot air balloons in the sky.

White smoke billowed from beneath the balloons, followed by a series of rope ladders descending from them, one end of which was connected to the frame beneath the hot air balloon, while the other end almost touched the ground.

Several ladders slid down and hit the glass roof, making a "thud" sound.

The music that had been playing all along entered its most exhilarating and exciting phase.

In the square lined with rope ladders, amidst deafening music, the Killing Teacher revealed a pleased expression: "The inferior people are so ignorant and shallow. What's the point of letting them take turns giving speeches and listening to them spout those dry and meaningless things? Of course, I, the Killing Teacher, will not disappoint you."
“Even when giving a speech, we need to add a bit of competition. You have to understand that there are two hundred lower-class people here. If we just follow the rules and let them go up one by one to express their longing for the life of the upper class, or some flattery, we probably won’t be able to finish listening to their long speeches by tonight.”

A burst of laughter erupted from the audience.

"Opportunities must be earned. The superior people only listen to those who take initiative. See those hot air balloons in the sky? Climb up the ladder, get the permit from the balloon basket, and you can come to this stage in the spotlight and tell your story."

The lower classes, who had formed a circle around the square, all looked timidly at the sky.

The hot air balloons were very, very high; to the eyes of the lower classes, they seemed almost as high as the clouds floating in the sky.

The rope ladders hanging from the balloons looked so fragile, swaying slightly in the wind, that they seemed barely able to support the weight of a dog. Of course, due to malnutrition, most of the lower-class people present didn't weigh much more than a large dog.

Next to Chu Changge and 007 sat a high-class person who had come to watch the show with a large dog.

007 didn't recognize the breed of the dogs in the park, but he could tell that it was a big yellow dog with huge ears and shiny fur, obediently eating the dessert that its owner had taken from the table to feed it.

I don’t know if it’s because of his animal trainer profession, but the big yellow dog always looks at 007 with its bright eyes and wags its tail.

007 forced his gaze away from the dog and looked at Gu Mian. He was shocked by what he saw.

"Look what he's doing?" 007 whispered to Chu Changge, trying her best to keep their conversation from being overheard by those around them.

The "he" in this context refers to Gu Mian, a fact both of them are aware of.

Chu Changge was focused on watching the hot air balloons in the sky when he heard 007's words, and then he turned to look in Gu Mian's direction.

Gu Mian was still studying the ballot box number 1118 in front of him, and he was studying it even more "deeply" than before—he put his arm into the ballot opening, as if he was trying to dismantle the box from the inside.

The voting slot on the box was a rectangular opening, just big enough for a person's arm to pass through.

Fortunately, everyone else's attention is currently focused on the killing of the teacher and the balloons in the sky, and no one has noticed Gu Mian's evil deeds yet.

"What is he doing? Is he trying to dismantle the box?" 007 whispered her guess.

Chu Changge shook his head.

Gu Mian still needs to advance to the second and third stages to save Louis, so she probably won't dismantle the ballot box at the beginning.

After all, there are two thousand lower-class people participating in the first stage, and only the top fifty in terms of votes can advance to the second stage. If Gu Mian were to dismantle the ballot box right away, he wouldn't get a single vote, let alone squeeze into the top fifty.

Sure enough, Gu Mian felt around inside the box for a moment, then pulled her arm out, showing no intention of destroying the ballot box in front of her.

Seeing this, 007 breathed a sigh of relief. If Gu Mian had really destroyed the box, she wouldn't know where to cast her votes.

She then looked at Mr. Green standing next to Gu Mian. Mr. Green was standing behind ballot box number 1117. Just now, only the top of his head was visible, but now half of Mr. Green's body was in 007's sight.

He took a few steps toward Gu Mian, turning his head as if he were saying something to her.

007 saw him point with a distressed expression to the hot air balloon in the sky, then to the ballot box in front of him, as if to say, "We can't possibly climb up there."

The expressions on the faces of the other lower-class people were similar to those of Mr. Green.

They looked at each other, whispering amongst themselves, the square filled with the low murmurs of the lower classes.

"Those ladders don't look very sturdy..."

"And it seems slippery; I might slide down."

"No, no, it's too high, I don't dare to climb up."

Some people even wrung their hands together and took several steps back, not daring to look up at the ladders that could kill them.

Seeing that the contestants were all backing out, the Killer Teacher revealed a mocking smile: "See, the inferior are indeed inferior, not even as good as the dogs in the circus. Look at their timid expressions, they weren't like this when they came."

“At that time, they all had a smug look on their faces, thinking that it was finally my turn to show off. Of course I knew that the lower classes loved to get something for nothing, but I didn’t expect them to be so greedy. They wanted to turn back as soon as they encountered a little difficulty.

"What, did these lower-class people come here fantasizing that we would feed them and that they would live a life of ease, with everything done for them?" (End of Chapter)