Chapter 761: Testing the Mechanism

The sudden appearance of two Community 2 players on stage made other prospective candidates hesitate instinctively.

Everyone understood that Tobacco offered no real advantage as a category. The only reason to take the stage for it was that the lane was less crowded, making it easier to fight through to the top. But based on how the first two rounds had gone, endorsers competing normally typically numbered around 4 or 5, which meant a niche category like Tobacco really only made sense with around 3 endorsers at most. Pushing it up to 4 or 5 would defeat the entire purpose.

Taking the stage required a 5-minute window and an upfront payment of 30,000 minutes of visa time. If two or three players simultaneously tried to exploit this same loophole, Tobacco could easily get crowded into a competitive category after all, which would be a genuinely bad outcome for everyone involved.

So many players hesitated instinctively, and in the end, aside from Community 2, only 2 more distant players stepped onto the stage.

With 4 endorsers total, Qin Cheng spoke first.

He didn't display the same performative enthusiasm as the other players, speaking instead in his usual measured tone. "I'm a doctor. I don't smoke.

"But I've chosen to endorse tobacco.

"Because this is the New World, this is the Gallery, and I stand for every player's right to live however they choose.

"I fully understand the harm tobacco can cause, but I also genuinely believe that as long as a decision doesn't harm anyone else, it's a right we're born with.

"So, I hope those of you who share this belief will support me. Some principles are worth defending, whatever the cost."

Listening to Qin Cheng's speech, Lu Qi felt something click into place.

Clearly, he had come prepared before stepping onto the stage. As an endorser, he hadn't tried to sing tobacco's praises directly, since no matter how eloquent he might have been, most players would never rank tobacco's value above alcohol or luxury goods.

Instead, Qin Cheng had extended the value outward, moving past the product itself to a broader principle it represented: I may not agree with you, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.

Combined with his dual identity as a doctor and a non-smoker, this framing left a genuine impression on the crowd. Even if other players tried to raise a similar point later, without a comparable claim to authenticity behind it, it would struggle to threaten Qin Cheng's position.

This game was called the Endorsement Game, and there were many ways an endorser could win support: the approach of an entertainer, the approach of a product pitchman, or the approach of a politician or debater. Jiang Chenyan's style leaned closer to product pitching. Gao Jialiang's leaned toward entertainment. And Qin Cheng's leaned toward politics and debate. Adopting a distinct speaking style was, in itself, a way of establishing an endorser's individuality.

Next, another Community 2 player spoke.

"I'm 44 years old this year.

"Someone who once mattered a great deal to me used to smoke. So I stepped onto this stage on pure impulse, moved by that memory. But if any of you are interested in hearing more, I'd be happy to share the full story later."

The moment he finished, the audience erupted again with screams and applause. It clearly sounded like something with real weight behind it.

Lu Qi was genuinely startled. "Wait, that's not Yao Yuan. Is that Uncle Zheng?"

She'd actually recognised Zheng Chunhua's voice the instant he began speaking, but found it hard to believe. What was he doing up there? Whether by looks or by eloquence, Zheng Chunhua held no advantage whatsoever, arguably falling short of even an average player.

But thinking it over, Lu Qi began to understand. Zheng Chunhua was clearly taking an unconventional route, aiming to complement Qin Cheng through differentiation. With no real advantage on any front, he was leaning on this contrast, an intriguing hint of a story, to pull the audience's curiosity in.

Just as the audience wanted to know exactly how attractive Gao Jialiang really was, they'd be curious what this story actually turned out to be.

But there was a subtle trap here: only a newly confirmed endorser received a formal speaking turn. Anyone who wanted to speak again would have to wait for a Cross-Examination phase, and the rules had mentioned this could occur, but with no fixed timing, no one could predict when.

Zheng Chunhua's strategy was clearly to bluff his way through, banking as much Heat Value as possible while he had the chance.

Thinking it through, Lu Qi felt a twinge of regret.

"That's a decent enough strategy, but why did Uncle Zheng have to take the stage at the same time as Qin Cheng? Couldn't he have used the same approach on the next product category instead?

"If they'd staggered themselves and both managed to survive to the end, wouldn't our community have been guaranteed a win?

"Or maybe Uncle Zheng is trying to act as insurance for Qin Cheng? That way, no matter which of them gets eliminated, our community is guaranteed at least one endorser making it to the next round.

"Maybe Uncle Zheng figured that even if he personally lost 30,000, it would still be worthwhile for the community overall.

"Or did he get some kind of hint from Qin Cheng or Yao Yuan beforehand?"

The remaining two endorsers had finished speaking as well, but with Qin Cheng and Zheng Chunhua having already covered so much ground, they simply couldn't come up with anything more compelling.

The pounding background music kicked back in, and the game entered another Frenzy Period.

Lu Qi fixed her gaze firmly on Qin Cheng, even cutting back her blinking, determined to make sure she'd land among his top devoted supporters.

Even with both Qin Cheng and Zheng Chunhua on stage at once, every Community 2 player understood the priority: protecting Qin Cheng came first.

Among the other endorsers, Jiang Chenyan and Gao Jialiang's Heat Values continued climbing steadily, with Gao Jialiang even showing signs of overtaking Jiang Chenyan. Appearance really did carry an outsized advantage among the wider pool of unfamiliar players.

Among the four Tobacco endorsers, Qin Cheng's Heat Value grew the fastest, still nowhere close to matching Jiang Chenyan's or Gao Jialiang's, but as long as he could secure first place within the Tobacco category specifically, he didn't need to worry about elimination for now.

Before long, the endorsers' Heat Values locked in for the round.

But just then, a new notification 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!]

A red spotlight fell on Zheng Chunhua.

His body stiffened for a moment, but there was nothing to be done. He stepped off the stage and made his way toward the Reflection Room.

Lu Qi froze, momentarily unable to accept it.

"Why? Did Uncle Zheng actually lie?

"Was he trying to word things ambiguously on purpose, hoping to slip past the Gallery's sincerity detection somehow? That seems like a genuinely reckless gamble."