257: Chapter 237 "Prisoners of the Demon King's Castle" Filming Set - The Advertising Guard and the Lone Stalker

As the lingering echoes of "What a hateful feeling" from General Kitty Cat and Golden Retriever Corporal faded away in the studio (along with the post-production sound effects), the cameo scene for Lee Chaeryeong and Shin Yuna was officially (and embarrassingly) concluded.

The two took off their heavy mascot costumes; the T-shirts underneath were soaked with sweat, and their hair was stuck to their foreheads in a mess, but their faces carried a flush of relief and lingering excitement.

"Is it over?" Lee Chaeryeong took the towel and water handed over by a staff member, still unable to believe it.

"It seems… yes." Shin Yuna gulped down half a bottle of water and let out a long sigh, "It feels like I've experienced a fantastic and shameful dream."

"But, it was actually quite fun, right?" Lee Chaeryeong looked at her younger sister. The two made eye contact and couldn't help but burst into laughter. Although the process was shameful, the experience of completely dropping their idol baggage, immersing themselves in absurd roles, and finally shouting that refreshing "What a hateful feeling" really brought a strange sense of release and joy.

They didn't leave immediately. Instead, guided by the staff, they sat in the resting area outside the shooting zone, preparing to watch the upcoming filming. On one hand, they were curious about Choi Yena's personal adventure; on the other hand… they also wanted to see what new tricks Director Jiang could pull off.

The set inside the studio changed rapidly. It was no longer the sweet and enclosed "Dessert Prison" but had been transformed into a grander, equally colorful, yet complex "Candy Castle Interior Corridor." The sides of the corridor were lined with exaggerated lollipop pillars, cotton candy cloud chandeliers, and the floor was covered with a carpet printed with twisted toffee patterns.

Choi Yena had changed back into her relatively sleek "Pisces Saintess" casual wear (still blue and purple themed, but with the overly complicated decorations removed). With a look of nervousness and a hint of confusion from just having escaped, she carefully hugged a "lollipop pillar" and snuck through the corridor.

Her performance was subtle. Her eyes vigilantly observed her surroundings, her footsteps were extremely light, and she stopped from time to time to listen, perfectly portraying the nervousness of being in enemy territory, isolated and helpless.

Not long after she started walking, she suddenly heard a rhythmic (and slightly heavy) sound of footsteps coming from the corner ahead, mixed with some… humming?

She immediately dodged behind a huge, rainbow-colored "spiral lollipop" pillar, held her breath, and secretly peeked out half her face to observe.

Just then, a squad of… Golden Retriever guards walked out from around the corner.

That's right, an entire squad, about five or six of them, all wearing the same light yellow Golden Retriever mascot costumes as Shin Yuna, only the style was more uniform, looking more like a "regular army." They walked with steps that weren't quite neat but were trying hard to be, and they were carrying… toy bone-shaped "spears" (made of foam).

Accompanying their march was a piece of background music with a simple melody, a brisk rhythm, and full of childish vitality and brainwashing potential—it was the "Woof Woof Guard Team Anthem" personally composed by Jiang Zhiyu:

[Woof! We are the guards of the castle! Woof! Bones are our delicious treat! Patrol! Guard duty! Keep your eyes sharp! Loyal! Brave! Wag your tails right! Woof woof woof! Guard the fortress of Lord Star Demon! Woof woof woof! Catch the troublemakers and don't retreat!]

The lyrics were childish and straightforward, the melody was catchy, and when hummed by a group of "Golden Retrievers" in muffled voices (because of the headgear), the effect was hilariously funny.

Choi Yena, hiding behind the pillar, almost laughed out loud and quickly covered her mouth.

At this moment, the lead Golden Retriever guard (slightly larger in size) stopped, used its furry paw to scratch its headgear neck (probably itchy), and complained: "Woof! The food lately has been getting worse and worse! Lord Star Demon only cares about researching candy magic and doesn't care about the nutrition of us dogs at all! Woof!"

The other Golden Retriever guards also stopped one after another, chiming in:

"That's right, woof! Yesterday there was only a little bit of meat scraps mixed with rice!"

"I miss the days when we had big bones to chew on after patrolling! Woof woo~"

"My fur isn't as shiny as it used to be! Woof!"

One of the Golden Retriever guards suddenly paused, and then, it actually pulled a pair of small toy glasses with spiral mosquito coil patterns on them from its mascot costume (don't know which pocket) and put them on its furry dog nose (headgear). The lenses of the glasses even emitted a faint, mysteriously feigned blue light (small LED lights).

It pushed up those ridiculous glowing glasses and spoke in a tone that was feignedly deep, like a TV shopping expert: "Fellow colleagues! Complaining won't solve the problem! Self-improvement starts with improving your diet! Woof!" It cleared its throat (the actor in the mascot costume trying hard), "According to my reliable intelligence (where did it come from?), the newly launched 'XX Brand' specially upgraded dog food is tailor-made for elite canines like us who work so hard! Woof!"

Its words attracted the attention of all the "dogs," and even the leader looked over curiously.

"This dog food is made from selected green, healthy, pollution-free, non-GMO top-tier raw materials, rich in various vitamins A, B, D, E, as well as minerals like calcium, phosphorus, zinc, and iron that are crucial to canine health! Woof!" It reeled them off like a pro, the red light on the lenses flashing faster, "Long-term consumption has very significant effects on our canine skin health, fur luster, endurance improvement, and running speed! And! There are chicken flavor, beef flavor, and ocean fish flavor to choose from, meeting different taste requirements! Woof!"

It paused, the red light on the lenses reaching its brightest, and its voice raised a notch, full of temptation:

"And! To celebrate our 'Woof Woof Guard Team' successfully assisting in capturing the Pisces Saintess and making a great contribution! 'XX Brand' is launching a limited-time discount event! Buy now, and all products are 20% off! 20% off, colleagues! Opportunity knocks but once! Don't just be moved, take action! For our shiny fur and strong bodies, go find the logistics department and apply for procurement now! Woof! Woof woof woof!"

After a passionate, information-heavy, and nakedly advertising-intended "speech," this "shrewd" Golden Retriever guard pushed up its glasses with satisfaction (the red light gradually faded), garnering "sudden realization," "eager to try," and "seems very powerful" worshiping (?) gazes from its colleagues.

The lead Golden Retriever guard clapped its paws (slap, foam sound): "Good! Well said! After we finish this shift, we'll go apply together! Let's improve our food! Woof woof!"

"Woof woof woof!" The dogs echoed, their morale seeming to rise a bit. Carrying their bone spears, they continued to hum the team anthem and walked away with steps that were slightly neater than before.

Choi Yena, hiding behind the pillar, witnessed this absurd scene from beginning to end. Only when the footsteps of the Golden Retriever guard squad and the humming of the childish team anthem completely disappeared at the end of the corridor did she slowly walk out from behind the pillar.

The expression on her face was extremely colorful, a mixture of "Did I see that right?", "Is this for real?", "This is too absurd!", and a deep sense of helpless sarcasm.

(Inner thoughts: This is purely product placement, right! And the kind that's forced! Director Jiang! You really go to any lengths for your sponsors! You can even seamlessly connect the daily complaints of the guard team to a dog food commercial! And 'to celebrate capturing the Saintess, there's a discount'?! This reason is way too stiff! The key is that the group of dogs (actors) actually acted so seriously! What the hell are those glowing glasses!)

She rubbed her forehead, feeling that the absurdity of this "Demon King's Castle" was far beyond her imagination. Here, not only would jailers get blown up by themselves because of a dispute over dried fish, but even patrol guards were addicted to TV shopping dog food commercials…

No, I have to get out of this bizarre place quickly!

She steadied herself, threw the ridiculous advertising interlude out of her mind, and her eyes became determined again. She sized up the candy corridor and chose a fork in the road opposite to the direction the Golden Retriever guard squad had left.

At the end of the corridor, there seemed to be a faint light, different from the sweet, artificial light inside the castle, shining in.

"Is it the exit? Or… another trap?" Choi Yena muttered to herself, clenching her fists (she was still clutching that unfinished dried fish she had used as a "bribe," subconsciously treating it as a self-defense weapon?), gathered her courage, and walked toward the light.

Her figure gradually disappeared around the corner of the corridor, leaving only the empty, candy-decorated passage, and the lingering, childish melody of the "Woof Team Anthem" and the advertising aftertaste of a certain brand of dog food…

Behind the monitor, Jiang Zhiyu watched Choi Yena's subtle stealth performance and her wonderful micro-expressions when she heard the ad, and nodded with satisfaction. He whispered to the assistant in charge of business: "Tell 'XX Brand' that the product placement shot was very effective, natural, and impactful; they can prepare the final payment and the subsequent cooperation agreement."

Assistant: "… Yes, President." (Inner thoughts: President, do you have some kind of misunderstanding about the word 'natural'? )

In the spectator area, Lee Chaeryeong and Shin Yuna were already laughing until they were swaying.

"Hahaha! Yuna! That dog with the glowing glasses looks just like you!" Lee Chaeryeong pointed at the screen.

"Unnie! No way! I'm much more handsome than him! And I would never promote dog food!" Shin Yuna protested, but she couldn't stop laughing either, "But that ad copy was memorized so well, the actor oppa worked hard."

"Yena Unnie's expression was too real, it was completely a portrayal of my inner thoughts." Lee Chaeryeong wiped away tears of laughter.

The filming continued. Choi Yena's "Great Escape from the Demon King's Castle" had just begun, and in this castle, there was no telling how many Jiang Zhiyu-style "creative ideas" and "business collaborations" were waiting for her.

The candy castle corridor seemed endless, and every fork in the road was decorated colorfully, but it also blurred her sense of direction. Choi Yena (Pisces Saintess) gripped that last remaining "Dream Star Dried Fish," like holding onto her last straw (or weapon?), and moved forward cautiously.

She had already dodged two waves of Golden Retriever patrol teams humming the "Woof Team Anthem" and discussing dog food discounts, and she had also avoided several "surprise fountains" that looked like traps and would spray colorful frosting. The air was so cloyingly sweet that it made people dizzy, but the instinct to survive and the desire to reunite with her companions supported her.

Turning a corner hung with "rock candy wind chimes" (which chimed at the slightest touch, she didn't dare touch them), the view suddenly opened up—it was a slightly spacious "Candy Plaza," and the ground was paved with "gummy candies" of different colors to form the emblem of the Star Demon Legion (a grinning lollipop). In the center of the plaza stood a lonely figure.

It was a Kitty Cat Guard.

It was wearing a pink mascot costume similar to the one Lee Chaeryeong wore earlier, but the style was simpler, more like a "guard" uniform, and it was wearing a small, crooked "candy soldier hat" on its head. It was facing away from Choi Yena, idly poking a few scattered "jelly beans" on the ground with its paw (mascot costume), and its tail (short) was wagging listlessly, looking a bit lazy.

Choi Yena's heart tightened, and she immediately wanted to retreat back to the corner. But the moment she lifted her foot, she accidentally stepped on a loose "chocolate brick" (prop), making a very slight "creak" sound.

The round ears of the Kitty Cat Guard (on the headgear) moved imperceptibly, and then it turned around abruptly!

The eternally smiling cat face "stared" at Choi Yena.

The air froze for a second.

"Meow! Intruder detected! It's the escaped Saintess!" The Kitty Cat Guard made a mechanical (but trying to be fierce) sound and struck a fighting pose it thought was cool—front paws extended, body slightly crouched (the round body doing this action was very funny).

Choi Yena knew she couldn't run anymore; at this distance, turning around and running would only expose her back to the enemy. She took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and her eyes became sharp. She recalled the success (?) of using dried fish to "seduce" General Kitty Cat earlier, and looked at the only "weapon" in her hand.

Perhaps… she could try again? This time it wasn't a seduction, it was an attack!

In a flash, she made a decision. Rather than being passively beaten, it was better to take the initiative! She would use this dried fish containing the "power of the stars" to take out this guard!

She gripped the dried fish tightly at her fingertips, aimed at the open, painted cat mouth of the Kitty Cat Guard (probably the weakness?), and with all her strength and the dignity of a Saintess (she thought), she shouted:

"Evil minion! Accept the sanction from the deep sea! Dried Fish Missile—Launch!"

Before the words faded, she flicked her wrist and threw the golden, crispy dried fish like a hidden weapon, swiftly and accurately, toward the "mouth" of the Kitty Cat Guard!

The dried fish drew a beautiful (she thought) arc in the air.

However, the scene that followed left Choi Yena, and everyone behind the monitor (except Jiang Zhiyu), dumbfounded.

The Kitty Cat Guard, facing the "hidden weapon" flying toward it, not only didn't dodge or block it, but its painted, originally cute cat eyes seemed to flash with a sharp light (an illusion, but the actor showed a sense of "excitement" through the slight turn of the headgear and body posture)!

Then, it made a move that collapsed Choi Yena's worldview—it suddenly opened its painted mouth that couldn't possibly move (but the chin part of the mascot costume could move a little, for ventilation), and thrust its neck (mascot costume) forward!

"Nom!"

It accurately and flawlessly caught the flying dried fish in mid-air and then started chewing "crunch, crunch"! The mascot costume also cooperated by making a satisfied "Meow~" sound, and it even stretched out its paw (mascot costume) to rub its non-existent stomach, looking like, "The taste is not bad, is there any more?"

Choi Yena: "…???"

She widened her eyes in shock, her mouth opened subconsciously, and she stood frozen on the spot, as if struck by lightning.

Shit! What is this situation?! My attack… my 'Dried Fish Missile'… had absolutely no effect! Instead, it was eaten by the enemy as a snack?!

She felt that her tactics, dignity, and even her basic understanding of this world (show) were all chewed up and swallowed by that stupid cat at this moment.

"Meow~ The taste is okay, just a bit salty." The Kitty Cat Guard finished chewing the dried fish, licked its paws (the ones painted on), and then "stared" at Choi Yena again. The cat eyes (illusion) seemed to carry a teasing look, "Saintess, do you have any more in stock? Hand it over, and this guard might consider being a little gentler with you~ Meow~"

Choi Yena instantly woke up from the shock, and a chill rushed from the soles of her feet to the top of her head.

Major crisis! The only "weapon" failed! The enemy looks stupid but seems hard to deal with!

Run! Must run immediately!

She didn't hesitate anymore, turned around, and ran madly in the direction she came from!

"Meow! Don't run!" The Kitty Cat Guard was stunned for a moment, seemingly not expecting the other party to react so quickly, and hurriedly took heavy steps to chase after her. It ran with a waddle, not very fast, but it won by being persistent, and while running, it shouted: "Stop! Hand over the dried fish! Meow meow meow!"