If he hadn’t brought back those mutated plants, humanity would gradually face extinction in the second year after the superstorm due to a lack of water and food. In that case, the world would reboot itself with other survival challenges.
Lin Ya fell into a moment of silence. If he hadn’t been lucky enough to unlock the gathering skill, he wouldn’t have thought of collecting those life-threatening plants, let alone turning them into the research lab.
[123, having you is my fortune.]
[Hehehe… Thank you for the compliment, Host! By the way, do you want to know how that guy is doing? He actually came looking for you in the end.]
Lin Ya thought for a moment but still refused: “He should be doing alright, I guess.”
[That’s right! After learning that you left him a note with all your credit points, he cried so badly. He kept saying sorry to you and lamenting that if he had accompanied you, you wouldn’t have died.]
Lin Ya: “…Uh, I wouldn’t say that.” So, every way to die was different, huh?
[Oh, by the way, Host, I’ve sent you the storyline for this world! You are the one who needs a turnaround!]
“Mm.”
Lin Ya lay back on the soft pillow, absorbing the memories and storyline of this body.
This is a modern world where the original owner is named Shen Zhi Yi. He is 25 years old, comes from an orphanage, and was scouted by a talent agent at 18. He signed with a company and has been in the entertainment industry for seven years without much success. Without financial backing and unwilling to cater to capitalists, he was not frozen out of the company but remained unnoticed.
Earlier this year, Shen Zhi Yi’s manager, Sister He, managed to secure him a male second lead role in a TV drama, only for it to be snatched away by another artist from the same company. The competitor kindly switched it for a variety show, under the guise of resource exchange.
Though furious, Sister He had no recourse since the rival’s backer was also a shareholder in the company. Shen Zhi Yi had a good temper; as long as his bottom line wasn’t crossed, he wouldn’t get too angry. Although frustrated by his lackluster attitude over the years, Sister He understood his temperament and could only inquire about the participants in this variety show.
The original owner’s misfortune began with this variety show. On the surface, it appeared to be a normal travel show focused on budget traveling, featuring a group of low-profile participants with no power or influence. Following their participation, they were instructed by the director to fly abroad alone to an unfamiliar small country, where their phones were confiscated, and they were sent aboard a cruise ship with nothing but a backpack.
After boarding, the entire production crew vanished. Meanwhile, the cruise ship sailed towards an unknown area, and accidents began to occur, eventually escalating into a life-and-death struggle. There were exactly 1,000 passengers on board; after the disappearance of the original crew and captain, only tourists from various parts of the world remained.
Here, they were forced into a gruesome battle for survival. It wasn’t until a month later, when a passing ship discovered the motionless cruise, that this tragedy became public knowledge. It later became known as the 8.17 cruise tragedy.
The original owner, Shen Yi, died ten days after boarding the cruise.
With a glance at the storyline summary sent by 123, Lin Ya learned of the perspective from a reincarnated person in this world. The reincarnated individual, named Li Si Yan, had been one of the participants in this deadly variety show. After dying on the cruise, he revived just before joining the show again.
Knowing the truth before his death, he dared not report it, fearing retribution from those behind the scenes. Unable to continue in the show, he accepted the support of a wealthy benefactor who had long wished to sponsor him and begged them to hand over the show to someone else.
So, with the help of the benefactor, the variety show was exchanged for another, and the unfortunate recipient was the original owner, Shen Zhi Yi. Since then, Li Si Yan took over the role originally meant for Shen Zhi Yi. The two resembled each other, their roles fit, and Li’s acting skills weren’t lacking, allowing him to become increasingly popular through this part.
In the last life, all of this had belonged to Shen Zhi Yi.
When the 8.17 cruise incident was exposed, Li Si Yan, aware that the bizarre case had been classified as unresolved, feared reporting it to the authorities even more. Henceforth, the case gradually faded from memory, only for Li Si Yan to reveal everything when he was old and about to die.
Lin Ya opened his eyes to meet the white ceiling and quickly got dressed before heading downstairs. Since debuting, the original owner had not earned much; in the high-cost city, he couldn’t afford to buy a home and could only rent a two-bedroom apartment in an upscale neighborhood, with his car being a modestly priced vehicle.
Lin Ya drove straight to the mall. After ordering some supplies at the supermarket, he went to a clothing store to buy new clothes. After changing outfits and disguising himself, he headed directly to a shop selling livestreaming equipment and tiny cameras, bought what he needed, and returned to the mall.
Since he was going to play, he might as well go all out.
The forces behind the cruise primarily operate from abroad, and their reach within the domestic sphere isn’t as extensive. That’s why they insisted the original owner and others travel abroad rather than accompany the so-called production team.
He had to depart tomorrow. Before leaving, he needed to prepare. After all, among the 1,000 tourists were many significant figures.
In fact, he considered whether to notify the domestic police. Although he could expose the affair himself, having a country’s backing would be even better.
Both the original owner’s intention to make this matter public and his desire to continue acting later could only produce advantages for him; there would be no downsides.
Most importantly, included in that cruise were not only eight low-profile actors participating in the variety show, but also thirteen compatriots from China traveling.
However—
None of these things had happened yet, and he had no reason to report it. Even if he did, they might not believe him.
While he could attempt to gain their trust, it wasn’t necessary.
Coincidentally, 123’s system store sold invisible floating orbs and signal jammers; he could just acquire a large one when the time came.