192: Chapter 190: Feel the sulphuric acid's counterattack!

Choi Yena looked at Jiang Zhiyu's brilliant (and wicked) smile, swallowed hard, and asked cautiously,

"Jiang PD... could you, could you give me a little hint... what type of program is it?"

Jiang Zhiyu sat up straight, resuming his inscrutable appearance, though the wicked grin at the corner of his mouth remained.

"It's a secret~"

"In any case, look forward to it! The next filming will be your home field, so work hard!"

After saying that, he ignored the bewildered and curious Choi Yena, redirected his attention to the monitors, and began directing the filming preparations for the "Wood" attribute area ahead.

Choi Yena was left sitting alone on a small stool, her heart racing. Jiang Zhiyu's words "It'll be very interesting~" and that devilish expression echoed in her mind, filling her with an indescribable... anxiety and curiosity about the upcoming "solo program."

Filming in the "Wood" attribute area hadn't yet gone deep. Just as Kwon Eunbi, Jang Wonyoung, and the others stepped into that jungle of artificial vines and fake trees, preparing to face a new "elite monster" (perhaps a "Forest Golden Retriever"?) and new puzzle challenges, a clear and brief command from General Director Jiang Zhiyu came through the headsets of all the staff members simultaneously:

["Wood" area filming paused. Notify all members that today's main segment recording is over, and they can prepare to wrap up.]

The instruction was quickly conveyed to the eleven girls on the field through the floor directors and staff.

At first, everyone was stunned.

It's over?

They had just exhausted themselves (and used an extremely absurd method) to defeat the Mechanical Kitty Cat, and their fighting spirit(?) was high as they prepared to charge through the five stages to save their companions. And then... it just suddenly ended?

"Mwo? It's over?" An Yujin had a face of disbelief, looking at the cameras and lights that were still running around them.

"Really? We don't have to fight anymore?" Kang Hye-won also blankly lowered the prop branch she had just picked up (possibly a Wood-attribute Sacred Object?).

Jang Wonyoung blinked and looked around warily, suspecting this might be a new trap from Jiang PD.

As the leader, Kwon Eunbi confirmed with the floor director: "Director-nim, is it really over? The subsequent rescue..."

The floor director nodded, a slight smile of relief on his face (the staff was also under a lot of pressure filming Jiang Zhiyu's show): "Yes, Jiang PD instructed that today's main recording content is sufficient, and everyone can rest. The PD will personally explain the specific wrap-up and follow-up arrangements to everyone."

After the news was confirmed as true, an indescribable complex emotion—a mixture of immense exhaustion, relief, and the joy of surviving a disaster—flooded the eleven girls like a bursting dam.

There were no expected tears of joy; instead, there was an uncontrollable burst of noise that almost lifted the roof of the temporary studio—

"Hahahahahaha!!!"

"Wow—!! It's finally over!!"

"Off work! Off work!!"

"No more wearing headgear! No more shouting slogans!!"

"Oh my god! I thought we were going to fight until tonight!"

Laughter, cheers, mixed with a bit of sobbing (from laughing too hard) and exaggerated exclamations instantly filled the "Wood" attribute area. The girls hugged, high-fived, and patted each other's backs, their faces showing the ecstasy of complete relaxation and a bit of the heartache of "finally making it through." Even the usually reserved Sakura laughed so hard her gums showed, and Jang Wonyoung was squatting on the ground clutching her stomach, sweating from laughing so much.

At this moment, any idol baggage or goddess image was thrown to the winds. There was only the pure joy of workers who had completed an extremely arduous (and shameful) task and could finally get off the clock!

In the middle of this sea of joy, Jiang Zhiyu walked out from the backstage passage at a leisurely pace, hands in the pockets of his utility vest. Behind him followed Choi Yena, whose mood was complicated after just being spoiled by him.

As soon as Yena saw her sisters, her eyes lit up like a bird returning to its nest. She ran a few steps and happily rushed into the crowd, instantly surrounded by the girls who greeted her with a flurry of questions (mainly asking how she was after being "captured," even though they knew it was fake).

"Yena-ya! Are you okay?"

"We almost came to save you!"

"Did you see us defeat that big cat?"

Surrounded in the center and feeling the care of her sisters, the little bit of disappointment in Yena's heart vanished, and a happy smile appeared on her face as she chirped away, sharing her backstage experiences (omitting Jiang PD's "solo program" preview).

Jiang Zhiyu stood quietly a few steps away, a customary, seemingly forever calm smile on his face, silently watching this group of girls who had instantly switched from "combat mode" to "after-work carnival" mode. His gaze swept over every face overflowing with genuine joy and exhaustion, and a trace of almost imperceptible satisfaction flickered deep in his eyes.

Once the initial excitement had calmed down a bit and the girls' attention began to refocus, Jiang Zhiyu lightly clapped his hands.

The crisp applause wasn't loud, but it strangely caused the noisy scene to quiet down quickly. Everyone's gaze turned in unison toward this PD who had controlled their "fate" for the entire day.

Meeting everyone's eyes, the smile on Jiang Zhiyu's face deepened slightly, and he spoke in a calm tone:

"Everyone worked hard today; your performances were all very outstanding."

He gave them validation first, then changed the subject:

"However, today's 'getting off work' doesn't mean the temporary end of our twelve star envoys project."

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere that had just relaxed tightened subtly for a moment. Smiles remained on their faces, but a look of vigilance had appeared in their eyes.

Jiang Zhiyu acted as if he didn't see it and continued:

"Next, we need to film a—Special Episode—for the twelve star envoys variety show."