Chapter 757: The Reflection Room

The players who followed took their turns speaking next. But it quickly became clear they couldn't offer anything stronger than what had already been said, and simply repeating earlier points, linking alcohol to victory, discussing how it strengthened community bonds, made them sound like echoes of the first speaker.

Most of the audience would still remember the first endorser most vividly.

None of the remaining endorsers seemed to be forcing the issue, though. Under the rules, elimination could follow one of three possible standards, so they still had a real chance depending on how luck fell.

Soon it was the fifth endorser's turn, a player from Community 28.

His voice was solid too, slightly weaker than Community 15's player but noticeably better than the other three.

"Please believe me when I say I'm truly the best choice to endorse alcohol.

"Because I'm a professional wine and spirits taster, certified in the field.

"Before coming to the Gallery, I tasted more than 3,000 different beverages a year on average. I have the flavour profiles of nearly ten thousand different alcohols stored in my memory.

"The rules say that if the Alcoholic Beverages endorser survives to the final round without elimination and achieves the highest Heat Value among all endorsers, alcoholic products in the community will receive a Special Bonus.

"That Special Bonus could mean a price discount, an expanded selection, an improved flavour, or even a boost to its calming or pain-relieving properties.

"But whatever it turns out to be, it will be the endorser who ultimately decides.

"So please believe me, only a professional taster can genuinely maximise that benefit for all of you."

The Community 28 players in the crowd cheered and applauded right on cue, working the room's energy skilfully.

Lu Qi and the rest of the ordinary players found their attention drawn to this player. It seemed the ones bold enough to take the stage this early genuinely had something to offer.

This Community 28 player was noticeably sharper than the previous three. He clearly understood that he needed to demonstrate a fresh advantage to the audience, or he'd stand no chance against the Community 15 player at all.

And his biggest advantage was his identity as a professional taster.

The rules had mentioned a "Special Bonus" without specifying exactly what it was. If it had nothing to do with the actual taste of the alcohol, being a taster wouldn't matter at all.

But this Community 28 player had cleverly planted the suggestion through his wording, making the audience wonder: what if the bonus really is tied to taste?

Under that possibility, choosing a professional taster would obviously beat choosing anyone else.

Once all five players had finished speaking, a new prompt appeared on the large screens.

[!! FRENZY PERIOD !!]

[Keep gazing at the endorser you support to provide them with Heat Value!]

[09:59...]

Pounding background music kicked in across the venue, and the players erupted in enthusiastic applause, cheers, and screams, with a large concentration of noise centred around the areas where the Community 15 and Community 28 players stood.

Under the rules, applause, cheering, or screaming alone generated no actual benefit and didn't add to Heat Value directly. But these devoted supporters' actions still had genuine purpose. On one hand, they built momentum and visibly expressed their support, on the other, they drew the eyes of other audience members. Any audience member's gaze, if it landed on a given endorser for even a single second, would contribute Heat Value to him.

And audience members from other communities were increasingly pressing the interaction buttons on their screens too. There was no real cost to them in doing so, and with the cooldown constantly resetting, few players resisted using them at all in an atmosphere like this.

Caught up in the intensity, Lu Qi genuinely felt as if she'd been dropped into a concert or a live event.

Behind the five players on stage, the Heat Value numbers ticked and climbed continuously.

They struck various poses on stage or bowed to the audience in thanks.

Before long, the 10 minutes elapsed.

Community 15's player and Community 28's player both had impressive final numbers, reaching 17,539 and 15,984 respectively. The remaining three players each sat somewhere between roughly 3,000 and 5,000.

Lu Qi ran the rules back through her mind quickly.

1 audience member gazing for 1 second = 1 Heat Value = 1 minute of visa time.

Working from that, with a 10-minute gaze window, a single player could theoretically contribute up to 600 Heat Value.

That meant Community 15's player had earned support from roughly 30 players. The real number was probably higher, since many supporters hadn't kept their eyes on him for the entire duration.

The large screens shifted to signal a new phase.

[!! ELIMINATION PERIOD !!]

But before elimination officially began, the entire venue suddenly flashed with red light effects, and a spotlight fell on the Community 28 "taster."

A red warning message appeared on the large screens.

[This Endorser has committed a violation and will be forcibly confined to the Reflection Room until the game ends.]

[Please enter the Reflection Room within 10 minutes, or you will receive the Instant Death Penalty!]

The turn of events left the audience floor stunned.

The Community 28 endorser froze on stage for a moment, but quickly realised what had happened and quietly stepped down, making his way toward the venue's only Reflection Room.

The Reflection Room's door was identical in size to the other waiting rooms, but painted red, with the words "Reflection Room" marked on it. As he approached, the door opened automatically, then sealed shut behind him.

The other audience members exchanged uneasy glances.

But it didn't take long for players to work out the reason: this endorser had clearly lied. He almost certainly wasn't a professional taster at all.

The rules had already mentioned that an endorser who committed a violation would be confined to the Reflection Room until the game's end. It was now clear that lying counted as at least one such violation.

An awkward tension settled over the venue. Those who'd been cheering for the "taster" from Community 28 were visibly furious, since they'd been deceived as well. Even though the audience wasn't out any actual visa time, having their genuine enthusiasm betrayed like this was still deeply unpleasant.

Under the rules, when the game ended, each surviving endorser's top 10 contributing audience members would each receive 30,000 minutes of visa time. In other words, this game actively encouraged audience members to become a devoted fan of one specific endorser and stick with them from beginning to end. And every endorser's failure, whether from being confined to the Reflection Room or eliminated outright, meant their supporters' expectations went unfulfilled, an irreversible loss.

After this brief detour, the game continued. The large screens still displayed "!! ELIMINATION PERIOD !!" with a five-minute countdown ticking down.

[This round's elimination will follow Standard 1.]

[Endorsers ranking in the bottom 50% by Heat Value within the same product category will lose their eligibility and leave the stage.]

[Endorsers remaining on stage may choose to Unmask.]