Chapter 89

After Ma Le's performance ended, the brief power outage was quickly forgotten. The subsequent developments unfolded like a movie, with Effie nearly going mad at Katniss's bold actions. However, everyone else highly praised Katniss's originality, and Haymitch even called her a genius. Thus, everyone ignored Effie's roaring and celebrated together with drinks.

Only one person had a peculiar expression, and that was Lingzhi. The twin-tailed girl with glasses occasionally glanced at Ma Le, who was standing beside her with a blank expression and stiff movements. Only she knew that this Ma Le was just a puppet spirit, created during the power outage. So, where did the real Ma Le go?

Over the next three days, the contestants began to rest and recuperate. Ma Le still frequently disappeared, leaving a substitute and no one knew where he had gone. Lingzhi often thought that if this guy hadn't met her and didn't have her convenient abilities to help him, would he still be so reckless as to run around everywhere? If not, how would he complete the side quests and get high scores?

Three days later, the final scores for each contestant were announced, and people waited for the results in front of their TVs. Due to the involvement of adventurers, the overall level of this competition was raised. Helias and Moon Lake both received perfect scores, and the old man Sorus also got nine points. As for plot characters like Cato and Glimmer, although they received perfect scores in the original story, now, under the shadow of the powerful adventurers, they only got seven points. The scores of other plot characters were even more dismal.

However, the eleven points for the protagonist Katniss remained unchanged. The adventurers here were all very smart and understood the difference between fiction and reality. In movies, it's common for the protagonist to take risks and ultimately win, but in reality, rash actions often lead to failure. In short, Katniss's provocation of the sponsors and subsequent praise were due to the protagonist's halo effect. If any adventurer dared to imitate her, they would most likely be eliminated. This is a truth derived from the countless failures of adventurers: never try to mimic the protagonist's adventurous behavior.

On the screen, Ma Le, who could be considered the most peculiar existence among the adventurers, received four points, the only one to fall below five points. Lingzhi looked at the expressionless Ma Le beside her and sighed softly.

In a beautiful rose garden, an old man was carefully trimming roses. This old man looked to be in his sixties or seventies, with white hair and a high, arched brow. His deep-set eyes and a large, hooked nose gave him a fierce and wise appearance. His bushy beard and slightly disheveled hair made him resemble Marx.

The old man selected the most vibrant white rose, cut it, and held it to admire it. At this moment, a peacekeeper approached and reported to the old man. The old man nodded, and the peacekeeper left. Soon, a middle-aged man with short hair and a strangely trimmed beard entered.

The middle-aged man bowed respectfully to the old man, who nodded and, while playing with the white rose, asked, "Seneca, I heard that a girl received eleven points. What's the story behind this?"

"I think she deserves it. It wasn't just my decision; all the sponsors were captivated by her!" This middle-aged man was Seneca Crane, the organizer and chief designer of the 74th Hunger Games. During the Games, every move he made would become the top news in the Capitol and throughout Panem, as he would lead the direction of the Games.

The old man smiled and sat on a nearby bench. "I heard that the girl... shot an arrow at you?" Seneca laughed and countered, "No, it was just an apple!" The old man immediately interrupted, "But it was an apple next to your head!"

The old man's tone was gentle, but Seneca sensed something else. Although he was the organizer of the Hunger Games and one of the most famous and popular figures in the Capitol, he did not dare to be careless in front of this old man. Because this old man was the current ruler of Panem, the most respected person in the Capitol, President Snow.

President Snow nodded and gestured for Seneca to sit down. Seneca appeared somewhat restrained, lacking his usual confidence. He hesitated for a moment before sitting down. President Snow smiled and asked, "Do you know why we need a victor? Or, to put it another way, if we want to intimidate the districts, why don't we just select 48 people and immediately let them fight to the death? Wouldn't that be faster?"

Seneca thought for a moment and shook his head with a smile. Snow leaned forward and said a single word: "Hope!" Then he explained, "Hope is the only thing more powerful than fear. A little hope is effective, but a lot of hope is dangerous. As long as we can control the situation, giving them a little hope is more effective than constant suppression."

Seneca nodded. "I will try my best to control it and not let you down!" Snow was slightly taken aback by this, then waved his hand and continued trimming the roses. As Seneca was about to leave, Snow suddenly called him back. "By the way, have you heard about the recent series of disappearances?"

Seneca shrugged. "I've heard about it, but I don't care. What could be more interesting to me than the Hunger Games?" President Snow shook his head. "But the first disappearance happened the day after the tributes arrived in the Capitol, and one of the missing was a stylist from District 12. I think this needs to be investigated."

Seneca smiled. "That should be the peacekeepers' job." "Exactly!" Snow replied. "But at least, while the peacekeepers are investigating, you should fully cooperate." Seneca bowed respectfully. "That is my duty, Mr. President."

...

After the scoring session, the next step for the contestants was to prepare for the final event before officially entering the Hunger Games arena: the personal interviews.

In this segment, the most famous entertainment host in the Capitol, known as the ageless Caesar, would interview each of the 48 tributes in a lavish studio. The entire process would be broadcast live nationwide, making it the second most popular TV show after the live broadcast of the Hunger Games.

The contestants, dressed in elaborate gowns, walked onto the stage like stars, answering Caesar's questions. Some were composed, some were humorous, and some were silent and at a loss. Whether adventurers or plot characters, few had the opportunity to step onto such a grand stage, so the entire interview process was filled with highlights and was highly entertaining.

District 12, as usual, was scheduled last. Ma Le, who was at the end of the line, whispered to Lingzhi in front of him, "Do you remember the plot in the story? Peeta confessed his love for Katniss during the live interview." Lingzhi nodded. "Of course I remember. What's your point?" Ma Le leaned in close to Lingzhi's ear and whispered, "I want you to do the same thing!"

Lingzhi felt her ear tickle from Ma Le's breath and quickly covered her ear and turned her head away. She then looked at Ma Le with a look of disgust. "What, you want me to confess my love to you, you glutton? Dream on, you toad lusting after a swan!" Ma Le was slightly taken aback and then explained, "Don't misunderstand, I want you to confess to Peeta!"

"Why?" Lingzhi asked, puzzled. Ma Le replied, "Don't ask why. You just need to express your affection for Peeta during the interview. That will greatly increase our chances of survival!"

Lingzhi thought for a moment and seemed to understand a bit. She asked tentatively, "You don't mean to use that love angle, do you?" Ma Le smiled but did not confirm or deny it. Lingzhi quickly shook her head. "That's impossible. In this situation, that method won't work!" Ma Le insisted, "Just trust me. Confessing won't cost you anything!"

The love angle refers to the fact that in the original story, due to Peeta's confession, he and Katniss were seen as a couple of tributes. During the Games, their mutual support was seen as a symbol of love by the audience. The citizens of the Capitol were not heartless; many expressed support for their relationship, and some even openly criticized the cruelty of the Hunger Games, where lovers had to fight each other. In the end, under pressure, the organizers changed the rules to allow two people to win together.

However, the situation was different now. There were already two victors, so the love angle was not as effective. Ma Le wanted Lingzhi to confess to Peeta, which, in Lingzhi's view, would create a love triangle. Logically, if the love in the original story could save two people, a love triangle should save three!

But in reality, this was extremely difficult. As mentioned earlier, the low-probability events that the protagonists could achieve often led to tragedy when attempted by adventurers. Moreover, with a third party involved, the love story would not seem as sacred and could even reduce the audience's favor towards District 12. According to Lingzhi's knowledge, this method had been tried before, and the result was the complete annihilation of District 12.

However, no matter how Lingzhi explained, Ma Le insisted on her doing it. As the interview was nearing its end and it was District 12's turn, Lingzhi hesitated for a moment and then said, "Alright, I'll trust you one more time!"

As soon as she said this, Katniss, the first to be interviewed, was already walking off the stage in her flaming dress. Peeta, who was second in line, took a deep breath, tried to stay relaxed, and, with a composed demeanor, walked onto the national live broadcast stage.