Chapter 176: The Drone Is Destroyed!

Chapter 176: The Drone Is Destroyed!

Ye Ling naturally recognized the group led by Sterling.

These people had been quite arrogant when they cheated their way through the Bamboo Forest Maze.

He smirked and said, "Gentlemen, as invited participants, you are welcome to enter. Please, go right in!"

Sterling laughed and led the Voster Organization members inside.

Seeing this, Ye Ling called over a nearby security guard, "You take charge here. I need to handle some matters."

"Sure!" The guard nodded.

Ye Ling then left for the office center.

The modified drone he had purchased was stored there, and he intended to use it to counter the cheaters.

Sterling, however, had no idea that Liyuan Farm had already made all the necessary preparations and proceeded confidently toward the Bamboo Forest Maze.

They were here to make a name for themselves and saw no reason to be discreet.

When they arrived at the Bamboo Forest Maze, Sterling was surprised to see a large crowd and a lot of noise.

What surprised him even more was the presence of many journalists, both from their country and others, including the blonde journalist who had interviewed them the previous day.

"Sterling, they've invited so many journalists," one of the Voster Organization members said in surprise.

Sterling was also surprised but quickly added, "Isn't that great? We were planning to invite journalists ourselves, and now they've done it for us. Isn't that perfect?"

The others nodded in agreement.

Indeed, it was perfect.

At that moment, some of the journalists, both domestic and international, noticed Sterling and his group.

With the Bamboo Forest Maze—Bagua Array—being such a hot topic, many journalists were eager to uncover newsworthy stories, such as the top contestants and the Voster Organization.

Many journalists knew that these individuals were renowned Hollywood maze scene modelers and some of the best maze players in the world.

Several journalists approached them, asking questions:

"Mr. Sterling, do you have confidence in completing the Bamboo Forest Maze?"

"Members of the Voster Organization, what are your thoughts on the Bamboo Forest Maze?"

"..."

The journalists bombarded Sterling with questions, but he remained silent until they were all out of breath. Then, he spoke like a king, smiling, "Ladies and gentlemen, you shouldn't ask such low-level questions. We are the world's best maze experts, capable of both solving and creating mazes."

"So, the Bamboo Forest Maze is child's play for us, especially this so-called Bagua Array. It's just a laughable legend. Just wait and see, we will complete the Bamboo Forest Maze in record time and claim the 10 million prize."

His words were brimming with confidence.

Zixu Daozhang and several other Daoist masters were already present, along with Zhang Lin, Zhao Han, and Chu Heng.

Zhao Han, as usual, was there because Liu County had given him a strict order to monitor the situation closely during the Bamboo Forest Maze event.

Chu Heng, on the other hand, had heard from Zhang Lin that the Bamboo Forest Maze—Bagua Array—could not be solved without understanding the Bagua diagram and the principles of the I Ching.

He planned to get close to the Daoist masters and see if he could invite one to the show as a guest to teach the contestants about the Bagua diagram and the I Ching, which would be a significant draw.

He believed that once everyone confirmed that the Bagua Array was unsolvable, the show would become even more popular.

Zixu Daozhang and the other Daoist masters had heard Sterling's boasts and frowned. "Zhang Layman, aren't these foreigners too ignorant? Do they think the Bagua Array can be solved by someone who doesn't understand the Bagua diagram and the I Ching?"

Zhang Lin smiled. "Daozhang, it's not just them; foreigners are always this arrogant. They'll be crying soon enough."

Zixu Daozhang nodded, having experienced the power of the Bagua Array firsthand.

Finally, when the atmosphere reached its peak, Lin Muxue emerged with a microphone, drawing everyone's attention, especially the photographers.

Everyone recognized her as the project director of Liyuan Farm, and many journalists considered her a social media influencer, even though her online account only shared videos of farm work and had no intention of becoming a full-fledged influencer. However, after her provocative dance video went viral and was subsequently banned, everyone saw her as a true influencer, and her popularity rivaled that of many top-tier influencers, especially with the attention Liyuan Farm was receiving.

Lin Muxue smiled at the crowd. "It's a great honor to have you all here today, and I'm glad you've come to participate in our Bamboo Forest Maze event. However, as you can see, there are many people here, so even though everyone wants the 10 million prize, we can't all enter at once."

"To ensure fairness, we will record the time it takes for each participant to complete the maze. If multiple people complete it, the one with the shortest time today will win."

Although everyone knew it was impossible for anyone to complete the maze and win the prize, these rules had to be stated to prevent a stampede into the Bamboo Forest Maze, which would make the event unmanageable.

With this announcement, people became less anxious and even entertained the idea of letting others go first to scout the maze.

Lin Muxue then added, "Additionally, we have invited some special guests, the members of the Voster Organization. They are the best maze players in the United States and experts in maze research. They will be the first to enter the Bamboo Forest Maze, and I'm sure you're all curious to see how the best maze players in the United States will perform."

Lin Muxue was lavishing praise on Sterling and his team, making sure everyone knew just how impressive these foreigners were. This way, when they inevitably struggled or failed, it would only highlight the true difficulty of the Bamboo Forest Maze.

"These incredible people are having such a hard time with the Bamboo Forest Maze. Just imagine how challenging it must be," Lin Muxue said after her praise. "Now, please welcome the members of the Voster Organization to come forward and begin the registration process. They will enter the maze shortly. To give everyone a better understanding of the capabilities of the top maze players from the United States, we have arranged for the most skilled photographers from 'The Brainiest' to follow them and broadcast their journey on the screens at the entrance. You'll be able to see everything clearly."

After finishing her speech, Lin Muxue had someone escort Sterling and his team. Meanwhile, the photographers from 'The Brainiest' were preparing their equipment.

Sterling and his team were surprised to find that photographers were arranged for them.

"Do they think we might cheat and want to catch us in the act?" one of them thought. "If they think one photographer with a camera can keep up with our speed, they can go hang themselves."

They quickly got ready to enter the maze. They planned to go in all at once to avoid wasting time and to claim the 10 million yuan prize as quickly as possible.

The screens at the entrance began to show the preparations of Sterling and his team, as the photographers started their live broadcast.

"Everyone, please head to the entrance for the timing preparations," Lin Muxue called out.

Sterling led his team to the entrance and whispered into his earpiece, "Dex, we're going in!"

Dex's voice immediately responded, "Sterling, don't worry. The drone is already in the air and will soon be over the Bamboo Forest Maze. Once it scans the area, we'll have the data to guide you."

Meanwhile, at the van, the black team member was operating the drone, which was already flying over the maze and scanning the area. On the screen connected to a computer, a map of the maze, resembling a complex octagonal pattern, was forming as the drone's data was integrated.

As Sterling entered the maze, Dex's voice came through his earpiece, "Sterling, the scan is complete. Follow my instructions now. Go straight ahead!"

Sterling glanced up at the sky, but no one would notice the drone. He then led his team into the maze at a rapid pace.

They wanted to set a record that no one could match, proving their superiority and the inferior intelligence of the locals.

The photographer from 'The Brainiest' watched in disbelief. Running at such a speed from the start was insane. How was he supposed to keep up with them while carrying a camera?

This was going to be a tough job.

At the entrance, the tourists watched the live broadcast on the screens, noting the foreigners' confidence.

Sterling and his team quickly passed the first corridor and reached the first fork, leaving the photographer behind.

This made them feel smug.

However, they didn't hear the usual path updates. Instead, they heard Dex's startled exclamation, "Oh no, something's wrong! Another drone has appeared!"

Sterling was taken aback.

Another drone? Could someone else be trying to cheat the same way they were?

This was the only explanation he could think of. The farm's organizers couldn't have discovered their plan; if they had, they would have exposed and disqualified them immediately. The only possibility was that the organizers wanted to use their failure to promote the Bamboo Forest Maze.

But could that be true?

Dex's voice came again, more frantic, "Damn it, they're coming for us... How can they be so fast... Damn, what are they shooting? ...Sterling, can you hear me? Our drone has been shot down. We can't guide you anymore."

"F..." Sterling's face turned pale.

He hadn't expected someone else to use the same cheating method, and they had acted first, destroying their drone.

"Sterling, what do we do now?" one of his team members asked.

Sterling forced himself to calm down. "We'll have to rely on our own skills. We've memorized the path. Are we, the professional maze masters, going to be outsmarted by tourists?"

"Let's focus on completing the maze. If they use a drone to cheat, they'll eventually slip up. If someone beats our time, we'll investigate and report them. As long as we find the evidence, we'll still be the fastest."

The others nodded in agreement.

Indeed, they were professional maze masters. They didn't believe they could be outmatched by tourists. They had memorized the path and could complete the maze without the cheating method, though they wouldn't be able to achieve the same shocking speed.

But as long as they won the 10 million yuan prize, the result would be the same.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end