[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-m-the-cleanup-crew":3,"chapter-i-m-the-cleanup-crew-i-m-the-cleanup-crew-chapter-252":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I'm the Cleanup Crew!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2286088,4472,"Chapter 252: 251 Just Really Unlucky…","i-m-the-cleanup-crew-chapter-252",252,"\u003Cp>It seems Li Ang really falls for this act—just act a little vulnerable, and he’ll give you extra “favor”~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the atmosphere was now perfect, and after investing so many rounds with hard work, Princess Wang Nuwei finally set aside her worries about the anomaly, feigning nervousness, her voice trembling slightly with helplessness as she asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Li Ang, are you sure nothing will happen?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Relax.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tapping twice on the mirror in the private booth, Li Ang summoned out the black goat he’d hastily shoved inside, then instructed it to locate the anomaly’s holder while fixing his gaze on the puppet troupe onstage, speaking gently without turning his head:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I just had… a friend check. All the audience members’ souls are normal—no signs of control or possession. Simply watching the play should be safe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides, since the news broke, the Morning Star Troupe has performed over ten shows—if anything were going to go wrong, it would’ve happened already, not now…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Li Ang finished speaking, a strange sound came from the stage: countless wooden beads, each the size of a tear, spilled uncontrollably from the female puppet’s face, clattering onto the stage floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From every audience member’s perspective, the female lead—who should’ve been smiling and accepting Elijah’s invitation to begin their beautiful twelve days—suddenly began weeping unnaturally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On Agatha’s beautiful face, though a playful, radiant smile still shone, large, desperate, agonizing tears streamed uncontrollably from her bright eyes…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…“\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So… you mean nothing happens unless I show up?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the puppets onstage suddenly freeze and begin trembling violently, Li Ang truly couldn’t hold it together anymore; the audience below, now noticing the anomaly, erupted in chaos over the female lead’s sudden tears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why is she crying? Did something happen to the actress’s family?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh come on, we came all this way to see a play, and now it’s ruined.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is this the level of the Morning Star Troupe’s lead? Tsk, tsk, tsk—since Andre was blacklisted, their plays aren’t worth watching anymore.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bastard! I traveled all this way just for this… is this fair to us?! Refund our money!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ladies and gentlemen! Please listen to me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the audience’s murmurs of curiosity, regret, or anger, the Central Cross Theatre’s manager rushed out from backstage, shoved past blocking actors, and reached the microphone, bowing repeatedly to the crowd while sweating profusely and apologizing:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The actress playing Agatha has had a family emergency, so her emotions may be unstable, affecting your viewing experience—we sincerely apologize.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rest assured, our theater will take full responsibility. After the show ends, ticket fees will be fully refunded, and guests who traveled far will receive a small gift… Quickly! Come out and apologize to everyone!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the theater manager’s words, the audience’s anger finally eased slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet for some reason, despite the manager’s repeated signals, the actress playing Agatha showed no reaction whatsoever—she remained in place, still weeping large tears, smiling serenely at the audience below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s wrong with her?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She messed up and still dares to smile? Is this the standard of Morning Star actors?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not just Morning Star—Master Wang Erde hasn’t produced any sincere new works in recent years.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“True… Master Wang Erde’s new works these past two years have been meaningless. Even the slightly decent ones—given these actors’ skill—they’d never be performed well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…“\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This… I’m sorry, she’s probably overwhelmed by guilt, so she’s just… momentarily stunned…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After forcing himself to defend the actress, the portly theater manager, wiping sweat with a handkerchief, forced a smile and begged:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ladies and gentlemen, the stage needs to be reset, and the actors need to prepare again. So… while they’re preparing, could we first invite Master Wang Erde out to speak with you for a few moments?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The anomaly’s holder must be him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching the middle-aged man brought onstage to interact with the audience, Li Ang glanced at the glass of the couple’s booth—and indeed received confirmation from the black goat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the anomaly’s holder is confirmed: Master Wang Erde. His ability likely relates to puppets, theater, and manipulation—with no prior records of harming anyone…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having obtained relatively complete intelligence, Li Ang did not linger. He opened the couple’s booth door and pulled Princess Wang Nuwei swiftly toward the exit corridor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though things seemed safe for now, given the completely unknown nature of the anomaly, it was wiser to get Princess Wang Nuwei out first, then have her bring others to organize the audience’s evacuation as soon as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, he himself should retreat a bit—to set up his sniper rifle at a distance where he could monitor the scene without being the first target if the master suddenly went berserk…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nonsense! It’s not my script that’s flawed!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Li Ang and Princess Wang Nuwei were about to enter the exit corridor, Master Wang Erde onstage, seemingly enraged by some audience remarks, roared down at them:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s the actors who are incompetent! My scripts are the best! But with their skill, they can’t convey the essence! They can’t portray the complex, profound emotions! If Andre were still here…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Unlikely.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sooner had Master Wang Erde finished roaring than a middle-aged man in the front row—evidently a drama critic—snorted and retorted:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Drama, by nature, is an art of compromise—a medium meant to condense stories spanning days, years, even decades into two or three hours.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So learning to balance structure and emotion, adjusting script difficulty according to the actors’ skill level—that’s precisely what a playwright must master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Forgive me, but if your plays collapse into worthlessness without outstanding actors, isn’t there a chance… your old-fashioned content is itself worthless?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…“\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the “friendly exchange” from the stage, even without the black goat nearby to observe Master Wang Erde’s soul state, Li Ang knew—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something big was coming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>True to form, after hearing the man’s words, Master Wang Erde—who had seemed mentally stable moments before—was instantly “triggered.” His bloodshot eyes widened violently, teeth clenched, as he raised his hand toward the audience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Worthless? I’ll show you just how stupid your evaluation was!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Master Wang Erde’s roar, over three thousand audience members in the Central Cross Theatre—including Li Ang and Princess Wang Nuwei, who had already entered the exit corridor—shuddered simultaneously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next, in the terrified expressions of the three thousand spectators, they lost control of their bodies; their skin and flesh lost human form, rapidly hardening into wood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And one by one, perfectly transparent threads descended silently from the azure sky above the harbor city, precisely fastening to every joint of these three thousand puppets…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This should be about right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After inhaling a deep breath of the fresh, briny sea air, Master Wang Erde gazed at the tranquil, beautiful harbor town and its three thousand “residents” living peacefully. At last, a satisfied smile appeared on his weary face—and the hand he’d raised toward the audience finally came down with a heavy thud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Twelve Days Together, Act One, Scene One—begin!”\u003C\u002Fp>",1153,"2026-06-20T03:18:31.831Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","f001264085927c2d95ac2b7866a08c042b4cc42e717255dc7fd998919d79e195","i-m-the-cleanup-crew-chapter-253","i-m-the-cleanup-crew-chapter-251",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-m-the-cleanup-crew-cover.jpg"]