Chapter 623

“Sir, what are we gonna do now?”

“What can we do? This was Mr. Andrew Potter’s arrangement. I don’t have much of a choice.”

“Why did he ask for something like this? Isn’t he just putting pressure on us?”

“Maybe he’s trying to create some buzz for the show.”

The director mulled it over, but something felt off. Sure, the show was getting more popular, and the viewership kept climbing. At the same time, he felt like Andrew’s move was more about boosting Debra’s popularity. The show itself had attracted quite a bit of controversy, but the comments praising Debra had increased significantly. Just two days ago, she had been roasted online, and today, the narrative had completely flipped. The power of money was something else.

Thunder rumbled overhead. Debra halted her steps and looked back at Juan. “Let’s head back.”

It had already been three hours of hiking. The rain didn’t look promising, and if it turned into a downpour, they’d be in serious trouble in a place like this.

“There’s a depot ahead. If we turn back now, we might not make it in time.”

“But…”

“I’ll be fine.”

Juan walked ahead, pulling out a hiking stick from his backpack. He handed one end to Debra. “Hold onto this.”

He had felt fatigue, too. Debra was running a fever. He couldn’t imagine how exhausted she must be. He hadn’t known before that Debra was the type to swallow her pain, never showing any sign of weakness.

She hesitated for a moment before taking the other end of the stick. Sure enough, after another 500 meters, they spotted the depot.

Debra slowed down, studying the structure in the distance, and then abruptly stopped.

“Wait a second.”

“What’s wrong?”

Debra and Juan both halted. The cameraman, filming their every move, stopped as well. Debra circled behind the cameraman.

“Can you zoom in for me?”

“Sure.”

The cameraman wasn’t sure what she was getting at, but he obliged, zooming in on the depot as she requested. From where they were standing, they were still about 200 meters away from the depot. Debra squinted through the lens as the image came into focus.

“Something’s not right,” she muttered, asking the cameraman, “This is the third stop, right?”

“Yes.”

According to the map, there were eight stations total, but they weren’t competing to win, so they had taken their time reaching the third station.

“Did the production team send anyone ahead?”

“Nope, there’s no such arrangement.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Debra moved closer to Juan, lowering her voice. “That depot doesn’t seem right. Let’s take a detour.”

Juan glanced toward the depot in the distance, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. “What’s wrong with it?”

“It’s just…”

The sound of gunfire shattered the calm.

“Watch out!” Debra yanked Juan backward and dropped to the ground.

The cameraman shrieked as his equipment was shot out of his hands. Debra gripped Juan’s sleeve tightly.

“Someone’s lying in wait.”

“The production team?”

“Look, those are real bullets.”