01- Brand New Variety Show?

Brand New Variety Show? ?

It was already midnight when Gabriel woke up.

He rubbed his sleepy eyes.

To his surprise, he found himself lying on a large, warm bed that smelled pleasantly fragrant.

Confused, Gabriel sat up, only to hear a flurry of footsteps outside the room, accompanied by hurried and anxious conversations between several women.

Their voices seemed strangely familiar, though not from real-life encounters. It felt like he had heard them before in TV shows or variety programs.

At that moment, he overheard a conversation between two women outside the door.

"Have you finished packing? Hurry up! By the way, isn't that amateur awake yet?"

"I'm almost done! Oh no, I totally forgot about that amateur!" the other woman exclaimed, as if suddenly remembering something important.

Immediately after, the door to Gabriel's room swung open.

The two women barged in without a second thought, paying no attention to whether Gabriel was dressed or not.

In an instant, Gabriel's eyes widened.

The voices of the two women were very familiar to him—not because they were his friends, but because they were two of the biggest stars in the entertainment industry!

Jenna Ortega and Zendaya! 

"What the heck is going on?" Gabriel's first instinct was to cover his upper body with the blanket.

"You're still in bed? Hurry up! If you don't get moving, they'll be here any minute, and we'll have to run!" Chris Evans looked at Gabriel with an exasperated expression.

"Yeah, haven't you seen the task card? Hurry up, we're packing and getting out of here. You should get ready too," Zendaya added as she and Chris hurried out of the room, closing the door behind them.

Gabriel began to piece things together.

Apparently, he had had too much to drink the night before and somehow found himself transported to a parallel world, one that closely resembled his own.

As memories started flooding into his mind, it hit him.

"I'm on a variety show!"

Gabriel suddenly realized.

And not just any show—he was on a live variety show with a bunch of celebrities!

"Wait, the mission card?"

Turning his head, Gabriel spotted a task card on the bedside table.

The title on the card read, "2022 Celebrity Variety Show – Star Escape."

He opened the card and saw that the instructions were simple, containing only a few lines:

"Congratulations, Gabriel, you have been selected from millions of applicants as an amateur contestant."

"For the next three months, you will participate in a thrilling escape-themed variety show alongside various celebrity artists."

"From the moment you step out of the room, every move you make will be broadcast to the entire audience."

"We believe that, with your IQ of 144, you won't let us down."

"Starting now, you will have 6 hours to escape. After those 6 hours, the Skynet team will begin pursuing you."

"If you are captured within the next three months, the show will end for you."

"If you manage to evade capture, you will win a prize of 50 million dollars."

After reading the task card, Gabriel began to grasp his current predicament.

It was clear that this was a high-stakes show, designed to capture the attention of the masses.

The show aimed to explore serious topics like social security, surveillance, and public safety—through the lens of a reality show.

Not only did the cast include celebrities, but also a few amateurs chosen from the general public.

More importantly, once the show officially began, all participants—both celebrities and amateurs—would become wanted criminals.

At that moment, the television across from Gabriel, which had been off, suddenly turned on.

A trailer for the variety show, "Star Escape," began to play.

The opening featured a calm male voice, accompanied by wanted posters of each participant.

"July 15, 2020."

"A total of six celebrities and three amateurs will become wanted fugitives and go on the run across the country."

"They have only six hours to erase any traces of their whereabouts and disappear into the crowd."

As one wanted poster after another flashed across the screen, Gabriel's expression darkened.

"Scarlett Johansson, Jenna Ortega, Robert Downey Jr., Zendaya…"

"Hugh Jackman is in this too!"

Just like real wanted posters, each one displayed a photo of the artist, along with a bounty.

For example, the bounty for catching Hugh Jackman was $500,000.

However, these rewards were clearly intended for members of the Skynet team who would be tracking them during the live show.

The calm male voice in the trailer continued.

"Six hours from now, Skynet agents—equipped with top-notch resources, will begin hunting down all 18 fugitives from every direction."

"Are they ready?"