It's so painful! So hard! So difficult!

Nancy imitated the words of begging for mercy in a pretentious manner. She looked full of energy and didn't seem to be angry at all. But no one would doubt that she would definitely go all out. Of course, for Bai Lin,

"Just keep that kind of talk to yourself."

Absolutely, nothing.

The crowd outside watched as Bai Lin suddenly broke through a wall on the celebratory stage and emerged. Behind the curtain, the pink-haired elf, the instigator, was exposed, her figure visible to everyone. Tomoe was keenly aware of this and even overheard part of the conversation between the two.

But due to the sheer volume of information, the most meaningful words she heard could be summarized as follows:

MD, is this guy going to provoke the organizer again?

Bai Lin walked calmly to the side of the crowd, while Nancy also jumped and changed a spell, turning the screen originally used for displaying people into a piece of cardboard, casually blocking it in front of herself, and walked out from behind the curtain. The former honestly returned to the team, and the latter also worked very hard to open the business.

"Thank you all for waiting for so long. I believe you have heard that due to Ms. Lin's lack of cooperation, we have decided to increase the difficulty of the game."

It seemed that she had heard similar words too many times. Ba gritted her teeth and didn't bother to say a word to Bai Lin, who whistled to show that it was none of her business. She directly asked the organizer loudly,

"What are the rules of the game?"

"For the final round, we'll keep things simple. It's basically photography. The person with the lowest-scoring photo will receive a five-minute penalty!"

"……ha?!!"

Ba was completely confused and didn't seem to understand what the other party was saying at all. But at this moment, why would Nancy care whether she understood or not?

"As for the specifics, please explore them on your own—experiment with them yourself with your own lives."

"Well, without further ado, the game begins now!"

Amidst Tomoe's cries of surprise, the light enveloped everyone once again. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself alone again. However, the scene around her felt incredibly familiar.

The swings swaying in the dusk, the log houses on stilts beneath a shimmering golden leaf, the still-burning boiler, the scent of the countryside drifting in from the distant Liangshan Mountains. Everything was a place she would never forget, a place worth remembering. It was a place she longed to return to day and night.

Yes, this was her hometown. However, time had passed and it was now deserted. That was all.

Chapter 1107: Memorable Times

For a moment, Ba fell into deep thought. Their entire tribe, small in number, had always lived in seclusion. Although they had been oppressed in the past, their inherent racial abilities meant they didn't need much in the way of products. A small contribution, which could be met with minimal labor, was nothing to them, despite the subtle signs of increasing oppression.

But the memories are still peaceful and beautiful.

Initially, some young people, out of playfulness, inexplicably obtained tickets and were brought here. The rest of the people followed the trail, actively seeking it out, and were also brought in. After all, due to their unique characteristics, their clan could maintain vitality until almost death... Consequently, it was precisely because they left in full force that the entire clan was trapped here.

In the end, the peaceful life was completely shattered by such an inexplicable event.

For a moment, Ba's mind raced. But she knew standing there and wondering was pointless. She still had a responsibility and a vision to lead everyone out.

"I'm sorry, I didn't fully understand the rules just now. But the one with the lowest score will be attacked, that's clear."

"This means that we are competing with each other this time, right? Then..."

A flicker of reluctance flickered in Ba's eyes. She recalled the images along the way, then instantly extinguished them. She put on a resolute expression and reached for a large black SLR camera resting on a nearby tree stump. It was the only out-of-place object in the area. Although Ba didn't know what it was, her intuition told her that she should use it.

Now that things have come to this, we can only fight each other, right?

Obviously, in her mind, this kind of competition is nothing more than a fistfight, a knife-and-slash, a back-and-forth fight to take the other's life. Yes, Tomoe picked up the camera with this mindset. But——

"...How do I use this thing?"

It's impossible for modern people to quickly master the use of a SLR without fully understanding its operation. Ba was instantly mired in confusion. The resolute straight line became tangled.

-

"Time limit: 15 minutes. Photography theme: 'Nostalgic Times'."

As the uncle opened his eyes again, he immediately heard the announcement. Presumably, it was being transmitted to four people simultaneously.

Although he didn't understand how to win the game, nor what the so-called punishment was, the uncle didn't know either. He only knew that the remaining three were stronger than him. In this first round, he just had to follow the rules and complete the tasks according to his own understanding.

"But you really picked a place that people don't like."

The uncle looked around. This was still the same building where he worked, but this time he was directly at his workstation. Next to him was another SLR camera.

Although he was a bit rusty, the uncle actually knew how to use a DSLR. As a child, he had briefly enjoyed photography, but soon gave it up due to academic pressures, and he never had the chance to pick it up again. However, in this critical moment, knowing the basics was a blessing.

In contrast, he was worried about the remaining three girls. The one with white hair was fine, but would the others really use something like this? Or did SLRs exist in this world? Or were his props different from theirs?

He shook his head and put aside those distracting thoughts. His own survival was the most important thing at the moment.

This so-called photography theme is truly irritating. In a company like this, how can there be any nostalgic memories?

Photography is all about the overall sense. But judging by lighting, composition, and shot size is not the right criterion. When you look at a building, do you judge its corner by its quality? You must consider its overall aesthetic. From this foundation, you'll discover the subtle details that make it stand out, and the outstanding features that add value.

Creating this sense of unity depends not only on basic techniques but also on the photographer's state of mind. In one experiment, sixteen photographers were given sixteen different identities for the same model: a lawyer, a construction worker, a teacher, a doctor, a prisoner... The result was a stark difference in the photos they produced.

What is the world like in their eyes, what are the people like in their eyes, the mood and the whole of the work are dominated by their own emotions. And for this environment, for the uncle.

This is simply a catastrophic situation.

The uncle smiled bitterly and fell into deep thought.

Compared to the other two's difficulties, Bai Lin seemed quite relaxed. As expected, what she got was different from the other two. It was actually a mobile phone, the model she was most familiar with in her lifetime.

"Wow, so thoughtful, but this environment..."

Looking around, she saw a beach. Surrounding it were settlements, a peaceful life, and a gentle sea breeze. The midday sun shone through the shadows of the trees, lazily falling on her shoulders.

Where Bai Lin was sitting, there was a small table with two sets of bowls and chopsticks on it, and in the bowls there was still some unfinished roast duck rice.

"You're trying to disgust me on purpose."

That's right, this was the most leisurely time she had ever spent with her only disciple in her life, and it was also the last normal time between them. After that, the good disciples she taught killed their companions one after another.

Bai Lin sighed, her brows furrowed for a long time. She put her phone aside, leaned against the tree chair, looked up at the sky as if she had given up thinking.

It wasn't difficult to take a picture. Perhaps it was precisely because things had come to this point that she might miss that beauty, even if it was just a facade. Even if she had completely rejected the imprint Vantotino had left on her life, it would still be good to take a few steps and capture the shore where she had a nighttime conversation with the poet.

But she did nothing.

As for our Katie, she was looking at the phone in her hand and seemed quite interested.

Judging from its structure and principle... this little thing was fashioned using magic. While it's a makeshift magical item and quite crude, considering its size and functional restoration, and the time it took to complete, it could actually be considered exquisite.

Normal magicians wouldn't create something that was no more than a toy. However, referring to the memories she had read to Bai Lin, Katie thought this little thing was fully functional, and the creator must be quite talented.

If it could really restore its functions completely, I should have sent her those "messages" crazily during the time when Bai Lin was not around, right?

Chapter 1108 Focus, Her Love

Katie shook her head, temporarily discarding those distracting thoughts. Compared to operating a DSLR, Katie, having already accessed Bai Lin's memories, found familiarizing herself with this crudely made imitation phone much easier. She was confident she could master it immediately. She could also read the concepts of photography from Bai Lin's mind.

It can be said that she grasped the key points at once.

Looking around, she saw that this was the same house she and Bai Lin had always lived in. It was a perfect fit for the photography theme of the report. Looking back, despite all the hardships in her life, she always had the right person by her side.

No matter where in her memory she is, she should be able to take a suitable photo.

Nancy, who was standing outside, watched all this with a smile on her face. It was obvious that she was relatively satisfied with her arrangements.

She chose to leave the difficult SLR camera with Ba, hoping to see her frantically researching such a thing, much like watching a kitten play with a toy, only to get more anxious the more it plays. It was a kind of outsider's joy, a kind of wicked fun.

Of course, because we didn't want to actually hurt Tomoe, they were the first to be notified. The surroundings were also very relevant to the theme, so taking a photo would definitely earn you points...

"Hey, let's go broadcast the countdown early to scare her! If she really can't figure it out, just extend the time a little bit."

Indeed, Nancy also had her own subjective advantages. She was the one who set the competition content, the judges who scored, everything was up to her. In other words, she could have whoever she wanted to win.

This was a game she played. There were no essential rules, and even if there were, they were all based on Nancy's own principles.

Obviously, she didn't want the little red fox to lose in the first round, so she made such an arrangement. Her target was clear, Bai Lin. Her intuition told her that this environment would achieve the effect she wanted. Even if Bai Lin devoted all his energy to overcome his inner barriers and take the photo -

She would also give a low score. Even if it didn't make Bai Lin doubt herself directly, it would still be good to disgust her. Let Bai Lin first taste the severity of "punishment", and then she would feel the immense pressure.

She wouldn't know who lost this round, nor would she know what was happening with Katie. Even if she braved death, her mind would only become increasingly confused in this closed environment. Her goal was to completely toy with her through a double blow, both physically and mentally, and then force Bai Lin to agree to her previous request.

Because Bai Lin had to lose in the first round, Katie didn't make the challenge too difficult because Nancy didn't really care about that side.

As for the uncle, he was just a figurehead. Although Nancy sensed a subtle presence from him, she simply followed her instincts and gave him a difficult challenge without giving it much thought.

"I didn't expect it...it looks quite difficult for him. If his filming is so bad, we should just deal with him directly!"

Nancy instantly finalized her lively idea, and it was obvious that she still had principles.

Time ticked by, and everything unfolded just as Nancy had predicted. Tomoe frantically clicked and tapped on the SLR camera. At least the lens cap was off. He hoped this wouldn't lead her to believe the device needed disassembling.

When the countdown reached eleven minutes, she announced in a melodious voice that there were only ten minutes left.

"Did you know? When making games with health bars, some companies make the player's health bar look more fragile when full, and more than it actually is when it's low. This creates more tension in the player and makes it easier to create the thrill of a low-health counterattack."

Nancy, wearing what looked like reading glasses, read what she thought was a "newspaper." It was a fragment of memory from Bai Lin's mind, which she had casually plucked. She considered this suggestion and decided to tell the little fox the time more frequently.

You are really doing a good deed just by sitting still, Bai Lin.

As for the uncle, there didn't seem to be much progress either. He had checked the film count, but it seemed to be inexhaustible, automatically refilling as he took pictures. This was a good thing.

However, without a clear idea in mind, no matter how many photos he took, it would never be a good work. This environment was too irrelevant to "nostalgia" for him, and no matter how much he looked, he had no clue.

Time passed by bit by bit, and he seemed a little annoyed.

Let alone here, even if I were to move to another place, after working so hard for so many years, would I really still have the eyes to discover beauty when I picked up a camera? Even if I returned to the place where I had happy times, what would I photograph wouldn't be considered a work of art, at best a complete record of it.

However, photography itself is a record of the photographer's inner world. The uncle still remembered this. Now, he felt like he was memorizing unfamiliar math formulas and not knowing how to apply them to a difficult math problem. Looking at the answer sheet he had written his entire life, everything seemed completely unfamiliar.

But he definitely couldn't hand in a blank paper. He didn't want to die here. The uncle gritted his teeth, patted his chest, then leaned over carefully, examining every item in the office.

From childhood to adulthood, from adulthood to childhood. There will always be a moment, a moment invisible from ordinary perspective, but with a unique touch of the heart. No matter what, there will always be, even if it is as dry as a dead tree, what keeps you moving forward is not the burning and clear feeling?

Suddenly, he noticed a small piece of origami on his workstation. He slapped it on the spot when he remembered what it was.

You even forgot something so obvious?

It was a small gift his daughter had folded for him. He had always kept it at his workstation, the first light to reach the outside world in this narrow space. It was also the sun that connected it and brought it to him.

It's just that the uncle hasn't paid attention to the sun in who knows how long. Time spent staring down at a computer screen, time spent busying himself, has long since diluted his instinctive desire for sunlight. When he came to his senses, he had even forgotten it.

He picked up the camera and pointed it at the small piece of origami.

Retain temperature, speed, tenderness and anger,

How good it is to focus on today,

Grasp the concentration of life,

Express your feelings and attitudes openly.

Leaving behind fleeting glimpses of light and flying shadows.

Chapter 1109 15-Minute Vacation

Take away the memories, remember the beauty. After taking this photo, the uncle breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, the bell rang, indicating that time had run out. From the sky, his score was also announced:

67 points.

On a 100-point scale, it was neither too high nor too low, a passing grade. Thus, the uncle considered himself safe for the time being.

Focusing on Tomoe again, she saw that she was struggling to understand the mechanism, which was almost incomprehensible to her, at the same time as the bell rang. After barely taking a photo that was not even clearly focused, she received her score.

72 points.

After a long struggle, Ba, of course, had no idea how biased the organizers were towards her. She simply felt more exhausted than a full-scale battle. She collapsed, then sat on the ground, gasping for breath.

Katie Pellow, on the other hand, was the one who had it the easiest. As a qualified woman, she not only managed to capture beginner-level photography within the first few minutes of the game, but also immediately started taking selfies.

Yes, she found selfies fun. If she could keep this phone, she would definitely drag Bai Lin to take a lot of selfies with her, so she was practicing her photography skills well.

64 points.

Katie held up her phone and received the information about her score with a little surprise.

"That score sounds pretty low, but it doesn't really matter."

Katie put away her phone and looked out the window at the vast white distance.

Because of the design of this game, even without giving them any chance to communicate, everything was already decided. She was very clear about this, and the other person who was also bathed in the white sunlight -

Bai Lin is also very clear about this point.

"You look very comfortable here. Are you comfortable?"

A voice came from behind Bai Lin, waking her from her reverie as she lay on the beach. Perhaps because she was truly comfortable here, Bai Lin had even removed her armor and donned sunglasses. From every angle, she looked like someone on a seaside vacation, save for her expression. Her lips didn't seem to hold a smile.

Hearing that, she stretched. Nancy's shadow behind her was reflected in her sunglasses. The movement naturally caused her sunglasses to slide down a few inches, revealing her clear golden eyes. For a moment, it seemed like the ocean before her: boundless, flat and vast, yet with endless waves.

"Not bad. I do have the idea of ​​living by the sea in my old age... After all, I was born in a city by the sea. Although, I'm more concerned about living by the sea than retiring."

She slowly stood up and moved around a bit, not even bothering to turn around and look at Nancy. But Nancy smiled softly.

"Looking at it this way, you look pretty good, and you don't lose face for us elves."