Chapter 10 Double Score

"Of course... since it's a double-score special question, it'll naturally be a bit harder. Please listen to the question..." Mr. You held up the question card and said, "Green Lantern... I presume everyone knows them." He glanced at the camera. "Their source of green light energy is 'willpower.'" He looked up at Feng Bujue. "In the DC universe, green represents willpower, so... what do the other colored lights represent? Please name at least four. Begin!"

This type of question was impossible to stump Feng Bujue. Even if it wasn't to collect writing material, he'd read up on it out of personal interest. So, after only a slight recollection, he began to answer, "Um... I'll go in order of color. Red light, rage; orange light, avarice; yellow light, fear; green light, willpower; blue light, hope; indigo light, compassion; violet light, love. And there's also black light, representing death."

The entire arena was silent. Mr. You looked at the answer in his hand, paused for a few seconds, and then suddenly said in a fast, decisive tone, "Completely correct!"

The audience erupted in applause, second only to the opening.

"Contestant Number One is truly knowledgeable. After three questions, he's already earned forty points. The other three contestants have zero points after two rounds. Contestant Number One is basically invincible." Mr. You explained, turning to look at the guest panel. "May I ask the three guests for their thoughts on Contestant Number One's performance?"

The camera focused on the guest panel. The Arrogant Woman actually spoke for the first time today. She only said two words: "Otaku." After saying that, she turned her head away again and gave a cold snort.

Plague slumped in his seat, propping up his cheek with his skeletal hand. The skin on his hand was so white it was practically transparent, and you could see the veins underneath. The pose only made his sickly appearance look more haggard. "Speaking of which... why isn't there a color that represents plague..."

The cameraman (a semi-transparent ghost) turned the camera to Hephaestus, whose commentary was still bizarre. "Tch... just some lanterns and rings that collect stray energy. If you want to mass-produce that kind of thing, you just need enough cyclops laborers..."

"Alright, thank you for the comments." Mr. You cut him off before he could finish and turned to Xiao Tan. "Contestant Number Two, please listen to question number ten." He burned the previous question card and read the next one. "Please spell accurately, in English – phenylketonuria. Begin."

Just as the ticking sound effects started, Mr. You turned around to interact with the audience. "As everyone knows, medical terminology is a very troublesome area in English, those long and difficult to remember..."

"Phenylketonuria, abbreviated as PKU," Xiao Tan replied. Then, he spelled the entire word out letter by letter.

Mr. You was stunned for a few seconds, using the hand holding the microphone to push up the sunglasses on the bridge of his nose, widening his small eyes as he carefully confirmed the answer on the question card. "Um... correct!"

Xiao Tan's score increased by ten points, and the audience applauded.

"It seems this question happened to hit on Contestant Number Two's area of expertise, or perhaps his English is particularly good?" Mr. You commented.

"This is actually pretty simple..." Before Xiao Tan could finish, Mr. You raised his voice on his own again and said, "Well then... next..."

Mr. You turned to Si Yu again. "Contestant Number Three, you and Contestant Number Four are the only ones with zero points right now. This question is crucial."

"Oh." Si Yu responded indifferently, her attitude seeming to say, "It's no big deal."

"Please listen to the question..." Mr. You held the new question card up to his eyes, glanced at it, and said, "Please tell me, what does the chemical formula appearing on the screen represent? Begin!" As he spoke, the same chemical formula appeared on the small screen on Si Yu's console and on the large screen in the arena: C6H12O6.

"Glucose," Si Yu replied after a brief moment of thought.

"Correct!" Mr. You said.

The audience erupted in another cheer.

"It seems our contestants are all very capable. Will the suspense be saved for the last round? Or will it be ended by the next question?" Mr. You turned to Bei Ling's direction.

"Hey! Are you implying that answering this question will give me negative ten points?" Bei Ling glared at Fatty You with narrowed eyes. "Even if I really get negative ten points, I'll still have a chance in the next round, right?"

"Heh heh... I say that because..." Fatty You held up the next question card in his hand. "This twelfth question is another special question."

A clamor arose from the audience.

"Please listen to the question!" Mr. You read from the question card. "Name three players who won the European Footballer of the Year award in the twentieth century. No need for full names, but... the three players cannot be from the same country. Begin!"

Bei Ling pouted again, with a troubled expression on her face.

"This question about the sports world might be very simple for the male contestants. I think if Contestant Number One or Number Two had drawn it, these twenty points would have been a freebie. Unfortunately, our female contestant was asked this question." As Mr. You spoke, he reminded her, "Thirty seconds remaining."

"Beckenbauer, Platini." Bei Ling actually managed to name two.

"So far... correct." Mr. You said. "Very interesting... these two that Contestant Number Four mentioned are not only outstanding players, but also later served as officials."

"Ronaldo!" Bei Ling seemed to suddenly remember the name and then said it.

"Contestant Number Four, may I ask... why do you think a Brazilian has won the European Footballer of the Year award?" Mr. You asked with a smile.

"Huh? Is he a Brazilian?" Bei Ling asked back.

"Uh... since you don't know him, why did you answer with that name?" Mr. You said.

"Because I have the impression that many football players have that name, so I thought... maybe one of them has won that whatchamacallit award." Bei Ling replied.

"Um..." Mr. You said. "Well, in any case, the answer to this question... is correct!"

The audience applauded, and Bei Ling's score suddenly jumped to twenty.

"Alright, ladies, gentlemen, and gender-neutral audience members..." Mr. You said with excitement, "The first round is now over. Let's take a look at the scores of the four contestants."

"Contestant Number One is far ahead with forty points. Contestant Number Two has ten points and still looks quite nervous. The calm Contestant Number Three also has ten points. And Contestant Number Four, thanks to her lucky performance on the special question, currently has twenty points." The camera followed Mr. You's explanation, giving each of the four contestants a shot.

"Well then... if there are no surprises, the contestant entering the coliseum will be chosen from Contestants Two, Three, and Four." Mr. You began to stir up the atmosphere, saying loudly, "Now, please hold your breath and focus your attention on the final four questions of the first round!"

He turned to Feng Bujue, picked up a question card. "This question..." He paused deliberately. "Is not a special question."

"You mean, it's okay even if I answer incorrectly?" Feng Bujue said.

"That's right, but I must remind you that the player with the highest score at the end of each round will receive a mysterious advantage." Mr. You made a "one" gesture with the hand holding the card, speaking in a very suggestive tone.

"Advantage, huh..." Feng Bujue said thoughtfully. "In any case... ask the question first."

"Please listen to the question!" Mr. You said. "Please tell me... 'There is surely a sense in such instances. He is dead who will not die eternally can never die. What the learned know well, died not for the dead, who thus remain, in the grave. Above man’s wisdom is it to know how is the soul that moves the wheel of the Cosmos.’" He paused there. "Who said the above passage? Begin!"

"Hmph... it really is the last round; this question is insidious..." Feng Bujue sneered, but his attitude seemed confident. "At the beginning of the story "Ligeia", the author quoted this passage from Joseph Glanvill to cater to the central idea of the whole article."

"Then your answer is Joseph..." Mr. You just started to say.

Feng Bujue interrupted, "But!" He pointed at Fatty You with his finger, "But... the author of "Ligeia" is Edgar Allan Poe, and this drunkard cannot be trusted lightly." He smiled and said, "Glanvill is a famous theist, and Poe took a fancy to this... In fact, Poe wrote that passage himself. He fabricated those few lines, then put a dash and wrote Glanvill's name to make others think he was quoting the works of his predecessors. In reality... it was Poe's work."

Mr. You said, "So... your answer is?"

"Without a doubt. Edgar Allan Poe." Feng Bujue said.

"Completely correct!" Mr. You waved his hand and burned the question card. The audience erupted in applause and cheers once again.

"Whew..." Mr. You breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Contestant Number One answered all four questions in the first round correctly, including a special question. The current fifty points are enough for him to take first place." He turned to Xiao Tan's side. "Then what will become of Contestant Number Two's fate?"

Xiao Tan was already covered in cold sweat, forcing a smile. "Heh... heh heh... I've already prepared myself to go to that whatchamacallit coliseum..."

"Is that so... hehehe..." Mr. You laughed. "However, the questions in the last round are indeed more difficult, so... please listen to the question!" He looked at the question card and said, "We all know... there is a fictional character named Kick-Ass. When he takes off his superhero costume, he is a student. What is this student's name?" Mr. You put down the question card, looking at Xiao Tan and said, "Begin!"

Xiao Tan was stunned as soon as he heard the question. He was a person who couldn't hide things in his heart, and you could tell from the expression on his face... that he didn't know the answer at all.

"Um..." Xiao Tan had watched the entire series of movies, and more than once, but he still couldn't remember the protagonist's name.

"Thirty seconds remaining." Mr. You reminded him while saying some sarcastic words to the audience. "Ah, I see from Contestant Number One's expression that he knows the answer. It's a pity that this question is not being answered by him."

The ticking sound effects continued, and Xiao Tan had no idea at all.

"Fifteen seconds remaining." Mr. You reported again.

"Alright, I don't know." Xiao Tan couldn't stand the tense atmosphere anymore, and he gave up without waiting for the time to run out.

A chorus of boos came from the audience.

"Unfortunately, Contestant Number Two's score has returned to zero once again, currently the lowest score." Mr. You said, then went to Si Yu's console. "Contestant Number Three, as long as you answer this question correctly, you are safe, and as long as Contestant Number Four doesn't encounter a special question again, then even if she answers incorrectly, the result will not change. It can be said that... this fifteenth question will most likely determine the result of the first round."

"Oh." Si Yu's reaction was the same as in the previous round.

Mr. You's mouth twitched twice. He'd been saying so much, but the other party was still completely unmoved. He could only pick up the answer card and ask, "Um... please tell me, the legendary... Ten Kings of Hell, which three kings are the second, fifth, and tenth halls? Begin..."

Si Yu gave the answer before the other party finished speaking: "King Chujiang, King Yama, King Zhuanlun."

Mr. You burned the question card: "Correct!"

There was a round of applause from the audience. At the same time, the cameraman very cleverly aimed the camera at Xiao Tan in the second seat, capturing a bitter face.

Mr. You returned to the middle of the stage, facing Bei Ling's side, looking at the last question card in his hand and said, "This sixteenth question..." He paused for a full ten seconds. "Is actually... "This guy seemed to have to pause every time he uttered two words. "Is actually another special question!"

The entire audience fell silent again in an instant.

"The current score of Contestant Number Four, Bei Ling Xiaogu, is twenty points." Mr. You said. "If she answers this question incorrectly, the score will return to zero again." His tone was full of cadence. "The suspense... has been saved for the last moment."

"Hey, Fatty, if I and him both get zero points, then who will enter the coliseum?" Bei Ling suddenly asked.

"Uh... Fatty..." Mr. You looked dejected. "Alright, it seems she's calling me..."

He couldn't deny it even if he wanted to; besides him, there was only a ghost cameraman in the middle of the stage. Putting the cameraman on a scale would probably only weigh about 21 grams.

"Ahem... if two people are tied for first place, there will be an additional question to decide the winner." Mr. You cleared his throat to cover up his embarrassment. "And if two people are tied for last place, those two contestants will enter the coliseum together."

"Oh?" Bei Ling smiled slyly. "Heh... then I'll just abstain from this question."

The audience was in an uproar, while Mr. You smiled without saying anything.

On the other side, Feng Bujue looked at Bei Ling and gave her a thumbs-up, first to praise her correct strategy, and second to praise her commendable loyalty.

Xiao Tan was simply moved to tears. No matter what the coliseum was, he felt much more at ease with two people going together.

"Giving up without even hearing the content of the question... it seems I don't need to ask you if you're sure." Mr. You smiled meaningfully. "Then... may I invite the two of you to the coliseum!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Tan and Bei Ling's seats rotated and sank downwards, and after descending into the dark space below the floor, the two were once again pulled away from their original positions by an invisible force, returning to two slides and moving at high speed towards the unknown domain.

The scene on the live broadcast switched at the right time, and the camera showed a vast desert. Before long, in this endless desert, Xiao Tan fell from the sky and landed face down on the ground. A few seconds later, Bei Ling also fell from the sky, safely landing with both feet firmly on Xiao Tan's stomach.

"Who will be the first executioner to appear in the coliseum today?" Mr. You said. "Although our four contestants cannot be considered high-level existences, the spectacle of any level of life struggling on the verge of death is unparalleled." He used a high-pitched tone to stir up the emotions of the audience, "Just who or what will take on this bloody task of fighting two against one?" He moved a few steps closer, staring at the camera lens, and the background music became eerie and tense.

Suddenly, Mr. You's expression changed, and he recited in a rapid tone: "Before that, audience members watching our program, please note that you can still participate in the activity of guessing the final winner by sending a text message or logging into our website through the interactive method at the bottom of the screen. You will have the opportunity to win a beautiful gift worth 1000 Ghost Coins provided by Thriller Paradise! Make a deal, come to Thriller Paradise! Win prizes, watch Deathly Questions! Thank you for your support!"

"Hey! Why are you inserting an advertisement at the most crucial moment!" Feng Bujue shouted.

"Hehe... it seems our Contestant Number One is a little anxious." Mr. You laughed. "However, before I announce the first executioner in the coliseum, let's first have our three guests comment on the players' first-round performances, and by the way, tell us their predictions for the executioner."

The camera focused on Arrogance once again. She looked down at Fatty You in the distance with an arrogant expression, and said, "If I'm going to comment, can you go find a corner and commit suicide or something?"

"Why would you make such a request... has your contempt for me reached this level?" Mr. You replied, wiping his sweat. "Uh... I'm afraid not."

"Hmph..." So Arrogance didn't speak anymore.

Next, the camera went straight to Hephaestus, seemingly the cameraman had seen through that Plague, who makes more reliable comments, should be allowed to speak last.

"Will the executioner be a cyclops?" Hephaestus's comments were as terrible as ever.

"If it is, go find a corner and commit suicide!" Fatty You shouted.

Finally, the camera went to Plague. He slowly opened his mouth to Mr. You: "The performance in the first round basically showed the areas of knowledge they each excel in. It's worth mentioning Contestant Number One, who can be said to be very well-rounded. As for the executioner... there's nothing to predict. Ah cough, cough cough... I am a knight, after all, so I naturally know what's in that desert, so... let the host announce it."