Chapter 316 - 242: The Gradually Changing Audience

Chapter 316: Chapter 242: The Gradually Changing Audience

Peter really liked the feel of *Beyond Reach*.

He kind of regretted relentlessly slandering this Shadow of Evil online, especially having never seen it.

But back then, everyone was saying it, so he just went along, like everyone else in the group.

Thinking it was a heinous Shadow of Evil that twisted right and wrong.

And so, impulse and ignorance consumed his reason.

In fact, back then he had seen some objective evaluations of the Shadow of Evil, or even reviews with spoilers.

But he never read them carefully. Instead, his mind was solely focused on how to refute them.

Or, more simply, he would just decide they were paid to write positive reviews.

No evidence, just a purely subjective judgment.

Looking back now, he wasn’t quite sure why he had been so hostile back then.

’Is it because the pressure in my real life is too great, and I have nothing truly meaningful to do, so I can only vent online?’

Young Peter did not yet know the term "setting the tempo."

People whose lives are full of stress are a giant powder keg; just a few sparks can set them off.

The people who set the tempo do it for different reasons. Some do it for money, some out of hatred, and some for no reason at all—perhaps just for fun, enjoying the thrill that comes from manufacturing conflict online.

It’s just that beneath some people’s ordinary exteriors lurks a chaotic evil heart.

On the big screen, the farce ended where the Tiefling and the Sir had simultaneously tricked the Guard Corps and the doctor.

They waited for the Griffin Knights to leave and, just as the doctor was heading downstairs, they sped away, leaving him standing at the bottom of the stairs, utterly bewildered.

The doctor’s baffled expression again drew a wave of laughter from the audience.

"I didn’t expect this Shadow of Evil they were giving away free tickets for to be so interesting," someone in the audience whispered.

"Yeah, I thought only Shadows of Evil that no one wanted to see did these kinds of promotions."

After this scene, the title of the film finally appeared.

*Beyond Reach*.

Two white words on a black background. The font had no artistic effects; it was stark and cold, seeming to hint that the plot would not be as lighthearted as the opening.

「The scene changed to the Sir’s mansion.」

In an exquisitely decorated hallway, a line of people sat anxiously on chairs, waiting to be interviewed.

Although Peter had never seen the inside of Grace’s home, he imagined it probably looked a lot like this.

"Not bad taste," Grace commented.

"Huh?" Peter didn’t know what she meant.

"The taste in furnishings. It’s not like those merchants who’ve gotten rich in the last few decades, stuffing their homes with anything and everything expensive. It’s not tasteful at all."

The Grace family, being old nobility and influenced by the prevailing attitude in their circle, had always looked down on the nouveau riche who had risen through business.

The pecking order was everywhere.

The camera angle was interesting. Instead of showing the interviewees directly, it panned across their shoes.

One after another, pairs of exquisitely crafted leather shoes, oiled and waxed to a blinding sheen, were scanned by the camera before it settled on a pair of dirty old boots.

Peter was very familiar with boots like that. His father wore a similar pair, and they were considered pretty good at the Factory.

The pay for a Mechanician was still a bit better than that of a regular worker. Most workers would just make do with their shoes no matter how damaged they were, as long as they could still stuff their feet inside.

The camera then panned up, giving the owner of the boots a close-up.

He was dressed in ragged clothes, like a street loiterer. It might have been a painstakingly crafted "street style" popular among young people, but next to the other interviewees, he just looked like a bum.

Most importantly, he was a Tiefling—the same one from the opening scene who was driving the Magic-guided Vehicle.

The audience realized it was a flashback. The story would now show how a Tiefling ended up hanging out with a noble Sir, street racing late at night, and duping the Guard Corps.

Each interviewee answered two questions.

"Describe your relevant experience."

The first few candidates reeled off their qualifications: education at some prestigious academy, years of experience in the caregiving industry, a list of who they had served, and so on.

"Why do you want to be a caregiver?"

The answers were all about altruism, wanting to help the vulnerable, making a contribution to society, and other such platitudes.

The only one who was even remotely honest said he was in it for the money.

As he listened to these answers, the Sir remained expressionless, as if this interview had nothing to do with hiring a caregiver for him.

Peter thought for a moment. ’If it were me,’ he mused, ’I’d probably give similar answers. It’s hypocritical, sure, but at least it sounds good, right?’

He didn’t even have the courage to say he was doing it for the money.

Altruism. He didn’t deny that such people existed, but there certainly weren’t many of them.

Peter had cared for a patient with mobility issues before: his grandmother.

His father had no time, and they couldn’t afford a caregiver, so the responsibility fell to the grandchildren.

It was fine at first, but as time went on, he couldn’t help but grow resentful. He even lost his temper with his grandmother from time to time. He knew it was wrong, but he just couldn’t control it.

And this was his *own* grandmother.

Taking care of a stranger...

’It must be an absolutely torturous job.’

After a long buildup, the protagonist finally made his "grand entrance."

He made an impression the moment he entered the interview room, first by repeatedly winking at the pretty secretary. It was incredibly sleazy.

Relevant experience?

None. But he’d taken care of small animals, and he figured taking care of a person couldn’t be that different.

Why was he here?

He hadn’t had much to do lately. Any money was better than no money.

He made it sound like caring for the Sir was a lousy last-resort job he was only trying out because he had no other options.