Chapter 52

After enjoying the show, I realized I didn't recognize the face in the live stream at all.

Although Yan Yue once topped the popularity chart, it was only temporary, and he was pushed down within two minutes of clearing the game.

Based on a traffic of 3,000 people per section, and excluding those who participate in the first round of challenges, the entire live broadcast hall has nearly 50,000 sections!

The teams from different continents were further apart, which limited the spread of information.

Fans have their favorite or most supported streamers, and they won't easily switch to another streamer's channel unless that streamer dies or completes a game.

Therefore, very few people actually have the opportunity to see Xie Xubai's appearance in person.

Who is this person? Why is their profile picture different from the one in the live stream?

It's not the streamer, it's the special NPC mentioned before.

Holy crap, this face is absolutely stunning! No wonder the fans made such a fuss last time.

Has no one measured his beauty score? His peak score is at least 90 out of 100. If this news gets out, the live stream's popularity will definitely skyrocket.

You might not believe it, but someone once tested his looks, and he only scored 60, which is the passing grade...

Only 60? This face? Are you kidding me?

Don't worry, we were even more shocked than you were. We only just found out that special NPCs have cognitive interference and their base stats are pitifully low.

I seriously doubt that his 28 points of attack power is fake; it must actually be over 95, otherwise how could he have subdued the Ghost King?

Attack power isn't capped at 100; I'd guess it's over 200.

Friends, that's too conservative! 300 is the limit for humans, not for NPCs. I'd guess 500.

Be bolder, I'll bet 1000!

Wow, so many people are guessing, is the moderator even here? Why not just open an indefinite guessing contest with a prize pool!

Perhaps due to the overwhelming demand in the live stream, the moderators actually opened a prediction pool.

The points for opening the pool are crowdfunded by the participants, and will continue even if Yan Yue dies midway.

Once the prize pool reaches a certain amount, it will appear on the prediction leaderboard. On the day the answer is revealed, a regional announcement will be issued, which is also a way to indirectly increase the popularity.

All the audience members were eager to try their luck, with the majority choosing 300 or more, feeling that they were sure to make a profit.

During this process, more and more viewers flocked to the live stream.

Seeing the Jiang family members bowing and scraping, they were so shocked that they couldn't help but rub their eyes.

Good heavens, is this really the Jiang family I know? Who took their place?

Before clicking into this live stream, I always thought his eyes were inside his nostrils.

Oh, Mr. Jiang, so you can actually bend your head! Anyone who didn't know better would think you were paralyzed from the waist down.

It must be Dr. Xie, a truly miraculous doctor. I admire him greatly.

I still prefer your previous arrogant self. I suggest you come back to your old ways (laughs).

:hhhhhh I'm so happy I'll get rich.

The lively and cheerful atmosphere in the live stream did not affect the situation inside the instance.

Although Xie Xubai contacted many people, he acted quickly and decisively, getting straight to the point when he met them, asking questions that hit the nail on the head, and leaving as soon as he got the answer, without any hesitation.

Before long, he took Chansheng on a tour of most of the Jiang family compound, gathering a lot of information.

Tsk, I was wondering why Chan Sheng, that idiot, suddenly had so much popularity. Turns out he had a big shot supporting him. Fools sometimes have good luck.

If it were another big shot carrying the team, the audience might not necessarily be jealous of Chan Sheng's good luck. After all, popularity and strategies are useless even to a fool.

The problem is that Xie Xubai, who was with him, would actually take the time to teach Chan Sheng how to walk this road, how to detour that road, and which way to escape to the shortcut.

And the Jiang family members from earlier.

Xie Xubai seemed to know that Chan Sheng didn't understand the complexities of human nature, so he simply used "weak," "powerful," "especially bad," and "vengeful" to help the silly boy memorize quickly and avoid the possibility of conflict between him and the little BOSS.

Suddenly I hallucinated that a kindergarten teacher was with the children.

Seriously. I broke it into pieces and fed it to him.

Enough, enough! Why can't I have such good fortune? Am I not devoted enough to my wife's beauty?

Something's not right! There's clearly something wrong here. Why would an NPC be so nice to the player?

Who knows what kind of bad scheme they're plotting?

Hey, when will all this paranoia stop?! Life is so hard, and we finally get a little something sweet to cheer us up, and you come out here spouting conspiracy theories.

Conspiracy theory? You should take a look at how many challengers have died before you talk to me like that.

If one day the first clear of the trial requires mandatory participation, a lot of people in this live stream will probably die.

Yeah, yeah, you're the only one with a sense of crisis! Tell me why you're still here. The registration page for the first trial is set to be invisible only to you, right?

The comments section erupted into a heated argument once again.

Once the first trial is completed, all dungeons will run simultaneously, and the time flow in the game lobby will be synchronized with the dungeons in real time.

Even if you don't do anything else, just watching the live stream all day can be very draining.

But the audience didn't seem to mind at all. When they got tired of arguing, they would go out for a meal, rest for a bit, and then come back to continue arguing.

That's just how strong the hostility is.

That evening, when Xie Xubai gently comforted Jiang Kaile, the audience, who were arguing heatedly, all paused.

The live stream here shows a heartwarming and harmonious interaction between parents and children.

On the other side, the barrage section was filled with profanity and the air was thick with tension, resembling a world at war.

...That's very strange.

It seems that the perilous and eerie trial is on the other side, not on their side?

A viewer clicked in and, seeing this, became extremely excited, eagerly asking: "Was there some exciting scene that was censored just now, making you all so noisy? Tell us quickly!"

Despite the explicit nature of live streaming, there are still rules and restrictions.

If a streamer's actions are deemed unethical and are verified by multiple reports, the system will temporarily suspend the live stream and broadcast some harmless clips instead.

Maintaining order rigidly within a chaotic and collapsing set of rules is somewhat ironic.

The reactions of the new viewers really got the barrage comments going.

The parties involved were completely unharmed, while they were the ones who were furious. It was a bit like a dog-eat-dog fight, but then the owners turned around and were seen calmly drinking tea together – a rather peculiar situation.

After a long pause, a comment finally appeared in the live chat: "The way these NPCs interact is quite heartwarming, hahaha..."

In the latter half of the night, monsters raged outside.

The foolish Chan Sheng escaped another calamity by staying overnight thanks to Xie Xubai's help, and even became friends with the young Ghost King.

Seeing the two fluffy heads huddled together, whispering secrets to each other, the moms almost fainted from cuteness.

They found it particularly amusing when they saw Jiang Kaile, who had abandoned his cold-blooded and ruthless demeanor, proudly raising his chin and swearing an oath as Young Hero Jiang.

Who would have thought that the Ghost King would be like an ordinary middle school student, with such a cute and quirky side?

He conceals the symptoms of his alienation, afraid of worrying his family; he loves sweets and is easily frightened. Wow, seeing this strange king, my feelings are a bit complicated.

:Me too……

Has anyone previously proposed a hypothesis that the NPCs and bosses in the Infinite Game are actually real people?

Seriously? This green-faced, fanged creature doesn't look human at all.

I understand what you mean. There's just no way around it; players and NPCs have different perspectives and it's easy for them to be on opposite sides. Besides, the boss's aversion to players is innate; it's part of the dungeon mechanics.

Yes, if you come from other live streams, you'll notice that Xie Xubai is special. He changed the Ghost King, allowing the Ghost King to coexist peacefully with the players.

However, it takes dozens of dungeons to get one Xie Xubai.

This group of viewers fell silent and did not continue the discussion.

Seeing that Chan Sheng's mom fans were still enthusiastically cheering for their own babies, they suddenly felt a little relieved.

Oh my, when has our silly child ever been so happy? It's truly amazing to be friends with the Ghost King!

How on earth do you see happiness on faces covered in bandages...?

Look at her eyes and mouth. Silly Chan rarely smiles. I wonder what she looks like under the bandages. I feel she must be very cute.

I don't know what Chan Sheng went through before entering the game. He started with a body full of bandages, but they didn't look like they were from extensive skin damage.

You don't even know what he looks like? Didn't he change the bandages?

Anyway, there wasn't any during the live stream. He died faster than the filth in the early stages, but later he joined the strategy team and had cleaning tools available.

The poor children keep dying; I feel so sorry for them. I don't know when it will end.

A discordant voice chimed in: "Give me a break. Compared to others, at least they don't feel pain. They're also stupid and heartless. I don't know what's so pitiful about them."

Was the person in front of me an idiot? If you were the one constantly dying for others, would you be happy? You can't even decide your own life or death, isn't that pathetic?

I have a short temper, try calling him stupid again and see what happens. If you're so capable, then don't ever enter the Trial Pool again.

You can use points to check your ID in the bullet comments.

You can insult anyone in Chan Sheng's live stream, but you can't call him stupid. After all, his fiercely protective "mommy fans" can really chase him down to the trial pool and kill the keyboard warriors.

The man chickened out, his momentum weakening considerably.

Why are you getting angry at me? He became a scapegoat on his own, who can you blame?

The man muttered under his breath, "That's the fate of a cicada. What's the use of arguing with it?"

Facts are facts, but the "mommy fans" are being unreasonable.

I initially thought it was great that Chansheng's live stream was gaining popularity, but now that I see what kind of weirdos are in there, I immediately rolled up my sleeves and started maintaining order in the live stream.

They extended their affection to Xie Xubai and Jiang Kaile, and attacked anyone who spoke ill of them.

With sarcastic remarks, barbed words, and witty remarks, the entire combo transformed the chaotic livestream room into a strangely peaceful and tranquil space.

During halftime, a significant disturbance erupted in the entire game lobby.

All those who chose to go to the kill route early gradually stepped on landmines and died, resulting in the complete annihilation of the group.

The number of live stream screens in the viewing pool decreased exponentially!

When the red dragon appeared and destroyed the world with its ferocious, scorching breath, the A-level boss dungeon "Dragon Slayer" finally revealed its hideous and terrifying fangs to all those who dared to underestimate it.

Those who follow the redemption route and collect clues also have a tough time; the Jiang family is practically a den of poisonous insects, and none of them are easy to get along with.

You must be careful along the way and avoid killing anyone, otherwise you'll be facing despair in the monster horde later on.

Players like Yan Yue, who encounter special NPCs, have a unique experience.

The Demon King Jiang Kaile directly pointed to the position of family head, preventing them from dealing with the Jiang family members, thus giving them more time to cautiously explore.

However, they were no more lenient than the other players because the changes happened very quickly.

After the monster horde of the first night passed, viewers were still laughing and joking in the comments, teasing Yan Yue and his team for being oblivious.

If I were with Xie Xubai right now, I could be sleeping soundly in Jiang Kaile's bedroom with Chansheng.

As a result, the special item, the ancient book of Jiang family secret techniques, was stolen in one morning. The Jiang family head was furious, and all the servants of the Jiang family were ordered to go berserk and launch a battle royale against all the players!

The entire Jiang family compound instantly transformed into a chaotic battlefield ravaged by monsters. Upon seeing the rallying order, Chan Sheng was summoned to the side of other players, nearly giving up his first kill once again.

Yan Yue's live stream suddenly stopped for some unknown reason. When it was restarted, the man was covered in wounds, and there was another equally wounded assassin by his side.

Through their weary, fragmented words, the audience hears a shocking piece of news.

Hu Chang has betrayed us!

At first, they thought Hu Chang was simply going against Yan Yue, stealing ancient books to harm him, but the more they listened, the more horrifying it became.

Hu Chang can produce god-level items, and behind him is a deeply hidden mysterious organization dedicated to making high-record players fail to complete the game, thus keeping all players in an infinite game.

--Depend on!

The audience couldn't help but curse.

Regardless of whether the concepts are right or wrong, every first-time completion of the trial is a matter of life and death, and all those who attempt it are heading towards a death from which there is no return.

Hu Changhe and his group behind the scenes acted on their own initiative, which was tantamount to extinguishing the torch in the hands of the pioneers.

The key point is that they are so powerful that they can actually produce god-level artifacts!

I have no idea when these bastards established their organization or when they started interfering in the trials.

The thought of the tragic deaths of many challengers, and the possibility that their interference was behind every attempt to reach hope only to fall short, sent chills down their spines.

Soon someone compiled the message and sent it to the frontline strategy team, angrily questioning them about whether they knew about it.

After all, Hu Chang was a member of the strategy team, and he even got Chan Sheng's assistance from the council chairman for this trial!

Did the Speaker of Parliament know Hu Chang's true identity? How many moles like Hu Chang are hidden within the frontline strategy team?

Or is it that the true purpose of the conquest team, including the Speaker of the Council, is to abandon Earth in order to gain complete power in the infinite world?

If that's the case, then all the effort the challengers have put in to get this far has become a joke!

Once a chain of suspicion is formed, it becomes uncontrollable.

If not handled properly, it will lead to a complete loss of trust among players, and even the collapse of the hard-won order.

Upon hearing this news, the person in charge of the frontline strategy team was shocked and immediately issued a statement promising to investigate the truth as soon as possible and give everyone an explanation.

Even if Hu Chang manages to escape temporarily in the instance, he will still face the ambush and interception of the strategy team after he comes out.

Unless he never streams, never enters the trial pool, and never appears in the player lobby again.

Subsequently, a swift and thorough purge was launched within the strategy team. Everyone's movements and interpersonal relationships were investigated, and those suspected were directly detained for trial.

The strategy group almost fell apart on one side, while on the other side, the live streams of Yan Yue and other players were also in complete chaos.

One shocking piece of news after another left the audience dizzy and disoriented.

Before they could recover from their shock, they saw Jiang Kaile chasing after Chan Sheng's trail.

Upon witnessing Chan Sheng nearly being disemboweled, the boy went berserk in rage! A raging fire shot into the sky, forcefully cleaving a bloody path through it.

Seeing Jiang Kaile about to go berserk, the audience was terrified and thought in despair, "It's over, Barbie Q is really coming this time."

Who would have thought that the special NPC Xie Xubai would reappear, and with such a grand display, leading the entire Jiang family to interrogate the Jiang family head.

They single-handedly turned the tide amidst the roaring mountains and tsunamis!

But that's not all; the real climax is yet to come.

The elders of the Jiang family stepped forward and immediately declared that Xie Xubai was no ordinary person, stating that he was a person cherished by Buddha. A large group of people then went to the altar to invite Buddha.

Not only were the Jiang family members puzzled, but the comment section was also buzzing with discussion, with all sorts of speculations and theories about Xie Xubai's identity emerging.

Wife, what other identities do you have that I don't know about?

Truly, the strong are full of surprises.

Honey, you're so strong, it's almost ridiculous! What am I going to do? I can't help but love you even more.

Waaaaaah, how can there be such a perfect wife? Gentle, considerate, powerful, beautiful, and stunningly gorgeous! Ahhhhh, my destined wife!

"Take it easy on the front. If even bigger bombshells drop later, I'm afraid you won't be able to handle it."

It was originally just a joke.

Who knew that the next second the wind would surge, the earth would shake, silvery lightning would streak through the thick dark clouds, and a strong wind would blow everyone present off to the side, creating a scene resembling the end of the world.

Until a ray of golden light pierced through the layers of dark clouds and irresistibly enveloped the young man in the center of the altar.

In an instant, the Buddha's light shone forth, and all the gods and Buddhas in the sky responded to the call. Under the overwhelming power, Xie Xubai revealed a figure completely different from the past.

Her snow-white robe sleeves fluttered, and her cascading black hair cascaded down her sides.

The young man had a cool and aloof expression, holding white jade prayer beads in his hand, with a touch of vermilion between his brows, exuding an otherworldly and refined air. Standing against the wind like a pine tree in the snow, his lowered eyelashes seemed to allow one to smell the faint fragrance of white sandalwood emanating from him.

After a brief silence, the comments section went completely wild!

Author's Note:

The next chapter ends from the player's perspective, revealing a new dungeon 0w0. The publication time will be changed during revisions, but the actual update didn't exceed midnight. You can verify this by clicking the little red flower!

To celebrate the successful bonus chapter for Cloud City, we're giving away 100 small red envelopes on a first-come, first-served basis!