He glanced at the task bar in his mind again; the task progress had reached seventy percent.
This task is not only related to the consciousness of the painter who originally occupied this data body, but also bears the responsibility of changing the density of this small world.
He went from someone who knew nothing about painting to finally reaching this point through two competitions. However, Qin Chu was well aware of the flexibility of this task; if he lost in the final round, the task's progress would definitely slow down significantly.
Therefore, he must achieve a ranking in this competition.
His brows furrowed even more as Qin Chu stared at the military academy student in front of him, calmly pondering the situation. If the last-minute changes to the final rules were a problem created by the mainframe, then this problem was indeed quite troublesome.
Bending down to pick up the paint box and take a look, Qin Chu finally decided to start.
He looked up at the model opposite him again.
The military academy student was clearly afraid of him and was also somewhat wary.
Qin Chu remained silent for two seconds, the image of a quail appearing in his mind.
But this is clearly inconsistent with the theme of the final.
Just as Qin Chu was completely at a loss as to how to proceed, Noah suddenly spoke up: "Sir, the painter's consciousness has reacted to the scene in front of us. He really wants to paint. Should we give him control of his body?"
Qin Chu was taken aback and began to ponder.
Having this painter participate in the competition is clearly the best option at present.
However, even if Qin Chu could quickly regain control of his body after relinquishing it, his reaction would still be delayed should any unexpected situation arise during the painting process…
Time ticked by, and Qin Chu stared at the drawing paper in front of him. Finally, he made a bold decision: "I will project the artist's consciousness onto it."
Qin Chu relaxed his control over his body and watched as his hands began to move. He skillfully squeezed out paint, mixed it, and then laid down the base color on the paper.
This is a very magical state. Qin Chu can see, hear, and even feel everything around him, but unless he deliberately fights for it, he has no way to control this body.
The painter's consciousness was not fully awakened; he should be relying on this part of his instinct to paint.
Qin Chu observed for a while; the painter was painting very quickly, clearly demonstrating considerable skill. Putting everything else aside, entrusting the painting competition to the other party was obviously much more reliable than Qin Chu handling it himself.
With the competition matters handed over to the painter, Qin Chu's thoughts settled down, giving him more time to ponder issues related to the main brain.
If the changes to the competition rules were orchestrated by the mastermind, it means the mastermind has become aware of the shift in his relationship with Levy. Whether he was deceived is uncertain, but the fact that such a change could be made so quickly suggests the presence of a mastermind's agent within the competition venue.
The mastermind is absolutely hidden in the virtual data world, making it extremely difficult to catch him, and it also poses a significant danger.
Actively luring out the mastermind was a risky move, and Qin Chu was under a lot of pressure.
If it weren't for the certainty that the mainframe had no intention of erasing human consciousness, Qin Chu wouldn't have taken this step in a world teeming with human consciousness.
However, he must obtain information related to the mastermind.
His time in the virtual world is limited, and it's impossible for him to travel from one world to another indefinitely; this is just the most conservative approach.
He must take the initiative.
The method for identifying the mastermind's messenger, as described by Levy, flashed through Qin Chu's mind. He subconsciously tried to observe his surroundings closely, but his eyes were controlled by the painter, and his focus was fixed on the painting and the model in front of him.
He had no choice but to abandon his observation and remain on guard.
Time passed slowly, and on the open rooftop, every art student and model participating in the competition could feel the subtle changes in light and shadow.
Qin Chu's eyes were fixed on the canvas, but his ears were keenly picking up the sounds around him.
The rooftop was quiet, except for the occasional bird flying by, the sound of paintbrushes scratching on paper, and the quiet conversation between the artist and the model.
After a while, a somewhat abrupt sound of wheels rolling came from afar.
Qin Chu glanced around out of the corner of his eye and saw the electronic proctor of the examination room walk by in the aisle next to him, making a routine inspection of the entire area.
The possibility of plagiarism in this art competition is low. Therefore, in order to avoid disturbing the participating art students, not many staff members were arranged in the venue, and only one electronic proctor was placed to record the entire process.
The sound of the mechanical wheels had slowly faded into the distance.
The painter put down his palette and bent down to get the paint.
As he twisted the cap, he exerted too much force, and the paint flew out, landing on the walkway beside him. The painter was not fully conscious; he paused for a moment in surprise and did not continue.
The sound of wheels, which had been moving away, stopped, then changed direction and headed back towards Qin Chu.
When the proctor arrived, Qin Chu bent down to pick up the paint, but hesitated before reaching out. This was because the electronic proctor was emitting a beam of light that scanned the paint on the floor.
Qin Chu was familiar with this type of ray; it was used to scan for any illegal items.
A moment later, the electronic proctor withdrew the beam, extended a robotic arm to pick up the paint and handed it to Qin Chu, then instructed in a tablet-like electronic voice: "Please take good care of your personal belongings. If you have any items, please raise your hand."
The match continued, and there were no abnormalities on the field.
The painter's consciousness began to flow again.
However, when Qin Chu bent down, he saw Levi.
The person was sitting a few seats away from him, acting as a competent model.
Qin Chu's thoughts wandered for a moment; this was the first time he had ever seen Levi model for someone else.
That's not the most important thing. The key point is that this guy is incredibly well-behaved in front of other art students. He'll bend over when asked to, and raise his hand when asked to.
Very competent.
Qin Chu was somewhat displeased.
Why aren't they so obedient in his studio?
Every time I ask Levi to pose, he ignores me and doesn't pose well, so I have to make him stand up and tug at him a couple of times.
Pulling his thoughts back, Qin Chu continued to ponder where the mastermind's informants might be located.
If the rules could affect the competition, then certain birds, beasts, or objects would be excluded.
This building has over a hundred floors. They're on the top rooftop, but the mastermind might be hiding on a lower floor...
The painting in front of Qin Chu gradually improved over time, eventually presenting a stunning appearance.
The match was nearing its end, and Qin Chu remained on high alert.
But until the painter finished the entire painting and contentedly withdrew, handing over control of his body to Qin Chu, nothing unusual happened.
When the time was up, staff members carefully collected each painting.
The venue became slightly noisy, and the host announced, "Now, please let the mentors give their scores."
The rules for the final and preliminary rounds are the same, and the scoring process will be made public on-site.
The big screen lit up, and all the art students nervously looked up at it.
Many models have spontaneously returned to their original artists.
Qin Chu glanced at Levi subconsciously and found that the guy had also glanced in their direction, but remained sitting steadily in his chair without moving.
The model in front of Qin Chu couldn't sit still any longer and got up to leave.
Qin Chu glanced at him, then kicked the partition in front of him.
The military academy student, who had just stood up, sat down again, trembling.
Levy glanced in their direction again, his eyebrows twitching slightly.
The scoring continued, and the artwork on the big screen kept changing, with art students occasionally letting out small cheers after receiving satisfactory scores.
Qin Chu's mind was not on that.
He remained on guard.
The painting on the screen finally switched to Qin Chu's, and unsurprisingly, it received the highest score of the entire event due to the artist's outstanding skills.
The art students who knew Qin Chu immediately congratulated him.
At the same time, Noah's notification sounded in Qin Chu's mind: "Mission progress 100%, mission perfectly completed. The Painter's consciousness has been fully awakened. Immediate teleportation is recommended."
Qin Chu was stunned, not expecting the mission to be completed so quickly.
He had been on guard for so long, and he was still a little unaccustomed to suddenly hearing the notification of success.
The atmosphere at the competition venue was harmonious and peaceful, with no issues whatsoever.
When the trophy was being awarded, Qin Chu pulled the host aside and asked, "Who suggested the rule of breaking up groups and exchanging models?"
"Isn't this suggestion particularly sarcastic?" the host laughed. "Actually, the judges felt that the result of the competition would be too predictable if it were conducted in the conventional way, so they discussed it together and calculated the result in the system."
That seems to resolve the issue; all of Qin Chu's speculations are based on the assumption that this rule is the work of the mastermind.
But it seems that's not the case now.
Noah reminded Qin Chu: "Sir, please transmit the painter's consciousness as soon as possible, otherwise the consciousness may be lost again if too much time passes."
Qin Chu stepped down from the podium and returned to his seat.
He asked Noah, "What are the requirements for the transmission?"
“There are no special requirements, but because it involves data connectivity issues, please try to keep the data volume coordinates as stable as possible,” Noah said.
Qin Chu looked up and saw that there were still several awards to be presented on the stage, and even acceptance speeches. There was no problem with sitting in his seat for a while.
So he said, "Okay, start the transfer."
During the transmission, Qin Chu looked at Levi and found it somewhat amusing.
Since the mastermind wasn't lured out, does that mean all their acting and fighting over this period of time was for nothing?
He turned his head and saw Levy smiling and talking to the military cadet next to him, seemingly completely unconcerned about the progress of their argument...
Qin Chu clicked his tongue, feeling that the argument could probably continue.
"Transmission progress 10%, channel opened."
"Transmission progress 35%..."
Noah was giving an orderly report on the progress.
The art student on stage is giving an acceptance speech, holding hands with his alpha and smiling happily.
He even mentioned Qin Chu: "Thanks to Milo from the painting studio next door who practices diligently every day, I've been inspired to spend more time on my paintings. Of course, I also hope that Milo can find his ideal alpha soon, and it would be great if they could reconcile..."
The venue erupted in good-natured laughter.
Qin Chu also looked up.
Before the laughter had subsided, a piercing alarm suddenly rang in Qin Chu's mind: "Warning, someone is attempting to intercept the transmission!"
"Interception failed, transmission process 80%..."