"Hello, viewers! The sixth episode of Actor: Inescapable Justice is about to begin!"
"I'm your host, Zhang Bingbing."
At 7:30 PM, the number one trending livestream on Douying was buzzing with excitement. A stylish, bespectacled, and sweet-looking female host smiled at the camera.
"By now, everyone should be familiar with our show. We simulate real crimes with professional actors playing various criminals, committing illegal acts while the investigation team works to track them down, all in a live broadcast!"
This show doesn’t just entertain, it dissects crime and prevents it. It showcases the nation’s cutting-edge surveillance technology and elite detectives, sending a strong message to potential criminals, “You will be caught.”
Why use actors to play criminals? Well, we obviously can’t use real ones, right?
With award-winning actors immersing themselves in their roles, their performances are so convincing that they sometimes outthink real criminals. But no matter how well they play their part, they always get caught in the end.
The show has become a nationwide sensation. Not only do audiences praise the actors’ brilliant performances, but they are also amazed by the detective team’s skills.
For example, in the last episode, Film Emperor Wang Bo played a bank robber who escaped into the mountains. He thought he had gotten away, but within an hour, the investigation team tracked him down using drones and advanced surveillance tech, pulling him out of hiding. The audience was hooked!
This show made one thing clear, “With today's technology, who still dares to commit crimes?”
After its debut, the national crime rate plummeted.
Episode 1: Zhang Songwen played a drug dealer tasked with selling three kilograms of drugs but was caught halfway through.
Episode 2: Wang Baoqiang played a midnight serial killer, but he was ultimately outwitted by the detectives.
Episode 3: …
Host Zhang Bingbing recapped the previous episodes, her confidence evident. She knew the investigation team’s capabilities inside and out. No matter how perfect the crime seemed, no one had ever completed a mission successfully.
The livestream chat exploded.
“Bingbing, stop teasing us! Just tell us the crime theme and the actors!”
“Is it Zhang Zhehui? I want to see him go on a rampage with a knife!”
“I just want to see if they can actually succeed. Wang Bo nearly got away with the money last time.”
“Impossible! This is a crime-busting show. If someone commits a perfect crime, how would the show save face? I just hope they last longer this time.”
Zhang Bingbing finally revealed the episode’s theme, "This episode’s theme is Accidental Killing.
The setup: A younger sister is stalked by a classmate after a school trip. One day, the classmate follows her in his car and tries to assault her. In a desperate struggle, she accidentally kills him. Her older brother, determined to protect her, does everything he can to erase the evidence and prevent the investigation team from convicting her.
Mission: The brother must keep the detectives from charging his sister for at least half a month.”
The audience went wild, “Two actors this time? This is getting even better!”
“Finally, some real storytelling! I was getting bored of single-player crimes.”
“Half a month? Crime-solving is so fast nowadays. They'll be caught in five or six days tops.”
Next, the actors were revealed. Su Xiaoxiao, Golden Eagle Award-winning actress, playing the sister who killed. Liang Wei, Golden Horse-winning actor, playing the brother covering up the crime.
The chat went berserk, “Damn! They got a film emperor and a top actress?! The showrunners are going all out!”
“This is going to be legendary. With their acting skills, they might actually fool the investigation team!”
“I can’t wait to see how Liang Wei helps Su Xiaoxiao escape justice.”
The show's popularity skyrocketed. Unlike past episodes with a single actor, this time, two A-listers were playing criminals, bringing in a massive audience.
The real challenge? The show had partnered with the city’s real crime investigation unit. They could access any public surveillance system. If the actors could hold out for even a week, they would be considered legends.
Before the episode began, Zhang Bingbing made one final announcement, "To keep things fair, both the investigation team and the actors are banned from using the internet or personal phones. Their communication devices are provided by the show."
"Alright, viewers, the episode officially starts now!" The screen cut to Su Xiaoxiao’s first-person perspective. She was standing in a bloodstained living room. A man lay on the ground, blood pooling beneath his head, staining the white tile floor.
Her voice trembled. "Brother… Brother… I-I killed someone…"
She turned and ran toward another room. The door creaked open. The camera zoomed in on a man sitting up in bed, groggy and confused. His face appeared on-screen.
Everyone froze. The director, the crew, the host, the viewers. Everyone.
“Who the hell is this guy?!”
“Where’s Film Emperor Liang Wei?!”
“I don’t recognize him.”
“Wait… did Su Xiaoxiao go into the wrong room?!”
“Did she enter the wrong house entirely?!”
