Chapter 48
The sun was setting, and it was almost late autumn. It had been almost two months since Master Zhan's shop had opened. The town was still bustling as always, but Zhan Mu's business was up and down, and he hadn't made a fortune.
Cui Yongguang also contacted Zhan Mu in the middle and did ask him to make a banner, but they did not establish a long-term cooperative relationship and only made a small profit of 300 yuan.
The big tree at the door cast a halo of light. Zhan Mu bought a reclining chair. When he had nothing to do, he lay on it and blew away mosquitoes with a small palm-leaf fan. Looking at this posture, he seemed to have a comfortable feeling of entering old age early.
"Alas... When can I have money?" Zhan Mu drank his favorite cola, his tone melancholy and sad.
The students have returned to school, so the town has become deserted.
"Hey, do you think I'm a genius?" Zhan Mu stood up and turned to Lu Chao who was squatting in the room playing computer games.
It's totally out of the ordinary. You, a digital life, are playing Plants vs. Zombies!
"Why did you suddenly think of asking this?" Lu Chao didn't even turn his head. He picked up the small spray at hand and sprayed it on his face to moisturize his skin. He bought this skin care product specifically for the maintenance of his fluid-based skin.
Zhan Mu glanced at him and muttered: I haven’t become rich yet, but you have become a lady first.
——The owner of the exhibition hall is reluctant to buy one for himself.
"Although I don't have a high level of education, I don't know why, but I always have an inexplicable self-confidence, and always feel that sooner or later I will succeed - to be on par with Steve Jobs, kick Bill Gates, and punch Jack Ma!" Zhan Mu started again, indirectly full of confidence, and continuously living a life of idleness and waiting for death.
Zhan Mu opened his Blue Ant and showed it to Lu Chao, saying, "I've been doing some research on the stock market lately. Would you like to give me some pointers?"
"No, I told you not to get involved in virtual currency." Lu Chao said, "Alright, just be content. Being able to steadily earn tens or hundreds of yuan a day online and offline is already pretty good. Little by little, it will add up to a lot, and sooner or later, quantity will become quality. Who knows, one day we might even find a major client and form a long-term partnership."
"I still feel that our shop is too small." Zhan Mu twisted and turned on his recliner, looking impatient. He waved the palm-leaf fan in his hand and pointed it toward the sky, saying firmly: "We should move around a bit and try to make it a large printing factory."
"Money! Where are you~ Money! What should I do without you~" Zhan Mu opened his hands and wailed at the sky.
In fact, Boss Zhan is currently quite well-off, and he definitely has thousands of dollars in cash flow in his pocket, but desires are like ravines that are difficult to fill, and he is not satisfied and is unwilling to stop there.
Zhan Mu’s pursuit is to own a commercial enterprise building of his own, preferably in the capital Yuzhou.
Having won this round, Lu Chao clicked the cross on the interface, yawned, and felt sleepy. Zhan Mu was irritated by his lazy look, like a boss resentful of his employees slacking off.
Zhan Mu: "Hey, I remembered something. Can you tell me my fortune and tell me when I can make a fortune?"
Lu Chao slumped down on the table, refusing to pay attention. Zhan Mu, however, persisted, saying, "Hey, you don't understand how depressed I am. Others have become internet celebrities with millions of dollars in their teens, and some are traveling the country on their own roads in their twenties... Damn, these are the real deal. How can I not be anxious? I really want to be rich."
"There are more people who earn a million a month on the Internet than the National Bureau of Statistics. How do you think they rely on their mouths?" Lu Chao snorted twice in a strange way and continued to feel sleepy.
Zhan Mu got off the recliner, folded it up, and put it back in the shop. He expressed his sorrow at being imprisoned and underappreciated. He said, "But there are always people in this world who can do that. It's a pity it's not me. Sigh... I've even been paying attention to metaphysics lately. I've heard people say that accumulating virtue and doing good deeds, and the blessings of a past life are all important. One is luck, two is fate, three is feng shui, four is accumulating good deeds, and five is reading."
"Oh~" Lu Chao stood up and took out a copy of "Folk Dream Interpretation" from the cabinet above his head. He rolled his eyes and said, "No wonder you've started studying seriously recently. I see."
"You don't know, but now I feel happy when I see a dead bird on the roadside. I think this is a good deed, so I quickly dig a hole and bury it. There is a god above my head, please bless me to make a fortune."
As he spoke, Zhan Mu clasped his hands together, with a pious expression, and muttered, "Come on, come on, come on, come on!"
"To be honest, money, especially big money, has little to do with your hard work." Lu Chao couldn't stand it anymore, so he moved his swivel chair and started talking to Zhan Mu from the heart.
"Let me give you the simplest example: reincarnation. That's fate. There's also the place of birth. For example, if you're just lying around at home, doing nothing, and your house gets demolished, costing you tens of millions in compensation, does that have anything to do with hard work? Furthermore, if you find a good husband or wife, and their family is wealthy, does that have anything to do with your hard work?"
Lu Chao picked up his spray and pressed it against Zhan Mu's face again, saying, "Sometimes one needs to relax. No pain, no gain; that's what encourages diligence. But in life, more often than not, if I gain, I'm lucky; if I lose, I'm doomed. Understand?"
Zhan Mu wiped the moisture off his face and said a little depressedly, "Yeah, I originally thought I could become one of the top 100 ups in the game area, but who knew I would run to the countryside to start a business and even opened a copy shop, and ended up in such a mess."
-
The topic came to an end. Because he was too free, Zhan Mu even took out the brain-computer device for the game "Desperate Situation" that he hadn't logged into for a long time.
The forum is still bustling with discussions about how to play the new dungeon, and the previous distribution of 500,000 yuan in prize money has ended.
Other new maps have been released recently.
At times like these, Zhan Mu would feel a sense of loss, like sadness for the past, and more like regret for the ruthlessness of time.
As soon as he entered the main city, he saw Lu Chao who also appeared, just like when they first met, still wearing the same tattered scarf.
It was daytime, the sun shining brightly. The faint system light poured down on Lu Chao's face, and everything was peaceful and beautiful.
"We have known each other for almost a year," Zhan Mu said.
He looked at his Chief of Staff Lu. His facial features were just right, a mixture of handsomeness and beauty, an aesthetic balance between 0 and 1. It was a great face that was impeccable.
Zhan Mu looked at him, his emotions stirring.
Lu Chao nodded, stretched, and sighed, "It seems so. I can't remember clearly. Coming back to this game feels like a dream. I almost forgot that I was trapped here for more than two years."
"What to play?" Zhan Mu clicked on the interface and saw a new game called Infinite Corridor. "How about this?"
"Okay, let's go." Lu Chao agreed.
Zhan Mu and Lu Chao were also waiting in line in a group of five. After they entered, a girl with wavy red hair teased them, saying, "Wow, it's Lu Chao! I haven't seen this model in a long time."
Lu Chao smiled, knowing that he was half out of fashion.
Now the official of Desperate Game has launched new characters, including both handsome men and beautiful women, and he is just a former top star.
The Infinite Corridor is just a map. Once you enter it, it is still a 5v5 mode. Whichever team destroys the other team first wins. Moreover, it is a team competition of 100 people.
The setting is that there are no elemental attributes and you can only run, jump and fight.
Zhan Mu opened his eyes and saw a long path under his feet leading to darkness, and all around him were towering buildings. The whole scene looked eerie, dark, depressing and heavy.
The dialog box works, but no one talks.
Zhan Mu took two steps and heard a hoarse scream from above his head. When he looked again, he saw a person falling directly from the road above and dying in front of him.
The health bar was emptied and the player was eliminated.
The map was so huge. Zhan Mu only then noticed that there was a long corridor above his head and a long, winding road layered on top of each other under his feet.
Zhan Mu lowered his head! A dialog box popped up, and Lu Chao said that it was limited to their team. Zhan Mu squatted down and looked down. Sure enough, he saw Lu Chao in another corridor not far away.
At the same time, he saw a huge monster like a flesh worm emerging from the dark abyss, with water droplets on its body, swimming up as if looking for food.
As soon as the voice came out, the sense of oppression was overwhelming.
Outside the team, Zhan Mu listened to the team's voice chat. The entire team was already in an uproar, discussing endlessly.
Qiqi doesn't like to eat - Game Anchor Version: "Here it comes, the big mouth bug is coming brothers, don't be afraid."
IdbUg7: Wow, Qiqi, is that you?
Isn’t it awesome, Brother Kun: It’s me, really! Wow, I actually matched with a big internet celebrity live broadcast!
Zhan Mu was stunned. He recognized him. This was the gaming up that he had been following and had accumulated millions of fans in just half a year.
Obviously, there are props inside the copy, and players need to find them. Qiqi has already grasped two swords, jumped up, and dropped directly from the sky. In fact, he should have jumped down from a high place, and swooped down to chop at the big mouth worm.
The operation was very steady. He just grazed the bloody mouth of the big-mouthed worm and peeled off the worm's skin with two cuts. It was very impressive.
The world in the copy is filled with 666 barrages.
The big tiger lost its strength and collapsed to the ground. It fell in the direction of the tall building where Lu Chao was. He frowned, stretched out his hand, and shot out a small sharp claw with a thin thread from his crossbow, which nailed upwards. It happened to land at Zhan Mu's feet and flew up with Lu Chao.
"Is there any reward for killing that bug?" Zhan Mu asked.
"There's no reward. This is a kill dungeon. The one who survives to the end is the winner." Lu Chao explained, "That bigmouth is just an obstacle boss set up for the players in the dungeon."
“…Xiu’er.” Zhan Mu chatted with him casually.
Unfortunately, in the blink of an eye, the same crossbow shot into Zhan Mu's shoulder, dragging him down to the next level.
Lu Chao wanted to grab his hand, but he only touched it and watched him collapse to the ground. He was not eliminated, but his health was slowly decreasing.
"He's alone, go!" The people coming seemed to be a small group. Lu Chao heard them clearly. They even spoke clearly: "Clear these small fry first. Brother Qi is broadcasting!"
They were speaking in-team voice chat, but Lu Chao, being a bug-level character in the game, could of course hear the private chats between other teams. It turned out to be Qiqi's scavenger.
"You're such a big anchor, why are you still playing dirty?" Lu Chao was amused and glanced at Zhan Mu below, who was pulling the small sharp claws on his body, breathing with difficulty, and slowly recovering his blood.
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Chao joined them in fighting, and even eliminated everyone with hand-to-hand combat in just a few moves.
Meanwhile, a voice message popped up in the private chat of Qiqi, the game streamer version of "Qiqi Doesn't Like to Eat." "Brother Qi, Team 2 is completely wiped out. We ran into a formidable opponent this time. Their control is incredibly smooth. I feel like I can even compete with you."
"Damn it, even if three or four teams come together, we still can't win."
"What's Lu Chao's background?"
Here, Lu Chao was annoyed and said, "It's just a game, and you, a famous anchor, have the nerve to hire so many people?!"
"Find a way!" Qiqi, a well-known anchor, said impatiently, "I told you I wanted to reach 100 consecutive wins and become the MVP. I can't lose after 97 games. Otherwise, how can I be worthy of my fans? There are other teams, let them go!"
"Wait, this looks familiar. That's Lu Chao's suit..." Qiqi landed on the ground, looked up at the building, and saw Lu Chao wearing his original skin. There was not a trace of krypton gold on his body.
"I remember there was a Lu Chao Guild before, with a bunch of dream boys and girls. Didn't it disband?" Qiqi sent a voice message to his assistant in the team. Anyway, they were all cooperating with him as actors.
"Yeah, that's right, I'm not sure. His ID is Lu Chao." Crybaby Cathead replied, "He's actually a player who launched the server."
Over here, Lu Chao dealt with a group of people and jumped down from the long suspended path. He landed next to Zhan Mu and looked at his low health. He asked, "Do you want to continue fighting?"
"Do you have any blood-recovery potions?" Zhan Mu shook his head and said, "My vision keeps flashing red. I can't play anymore."
"I haven't found it yet. If you want to win, I will guard you and wait for them to fight one-on-one and then kill everyone." Lu Chao hugged the drowsy Zhan Mu.
Zhan Mu: "This is not good. Qiqi should be live streaming. What if your identity is exposed..."
Lu Chao seemed to be hesitant, but the anchor quickly interrupted his hesitation. He saw that not far away, people appeared on almost every floor where there was a place to stay, and they were all pointing outward, drawing their bows and shooting arrows at the two of them.
Even someone reminded them of the team's internal news.
If not grandpa, what to call him: @最帅的展宝 @陆朝 you two should admit defeat and quit the game. Qiqi must win this dungeon today. He is giving back to his fans. It’s just a game, don’t take it so seriously. Qiqi said he would give a red envelope as compensation afterwards.
Having said that, the people who came to beat them up showed no mercy.
When Lu Chao read these words and combined them with their behavior, his originally depressed mood turned into irritability and even anger.
"Impossible." Before Lu Chao could finish his words, Qiqi had already rushed over, and the weapons in his hands had changed to two swords, and he suddenly stabbed at the unarmed Zhan Mu.
Zhan Mu was yanked by Lu Chao, and he turned around and kicked with a whip kick, directly kicking one of the two swords in Qiqi's hand away. He sneered: "Is this the measure of a famous anchor?"
In the livestream room of tens of thousands of people, Qiqi and a stranger named Lu Chao were in a tense standoff. Soon, Zhan Mu's photo and ID were revealed, revealing him to be a streamer playing the game "Desperate," though he was unknown.
Netizen 1: No way, when did Qiqi's operation become so bad?
Netizen 2: I've won over 90 in a row recently, maybe I'm tired. It's okay, Qiqi, take a break, it's just a game.
Netizen 3: Why do I feel that the people Qiqi matches with are very similar, like toy artists? Hahaha, I just mentioned it casually, fans please don't argue.
Public opinion in the live broadcast room suddenly changed. Qiqi was so angry and eager to prove herself that she immediately started fighting with Lu Chao with real weapons. The funny thing was that Lu Chao didn't use any weapons at all.
Half a minute later, Qiqi was killed instantly by Lu Chao. The funniest thing was that he immediately went offline and pretended to be dead.
After Qiqi was eliminated, dozens of people quit the game one after another.
Netizens exclaimed: No way, is it really a scam?
Everyone was skeptical about his skills, public opinion in the live broadcast room exploded, and his popularity directly rushed to the top of the fan site list.
In the game copy, apart from Lu Chao and Zhan Mu, there were only a few real players left. They cautiously showed their heads out, not daring to offend Lu Chao, who had fought against dozens of people alone and remained unscathed.
"Well, the potion." A girl with glasses came over and handed it to Zhan Mu.
Lu Chao took it for him, thanked him, and was about to feed it to Zhan Mu himself when he saw the man disappear, as if he was taking his helmet and leaving the game.
-
Lu Chao returned to reality and looked at Zhan Mu, but was surprised to find that he did not take off his helmet. He sat upright and motionless, staring blankly, not knowing what he was doing.
"Hey. Zhan Mu?" Lu Chao waved at him, but he still didn't move. Thinking that something had happened to him, he went to take out his brain computer, but was met with a red face and an expression of emotion.
Lu Chao was extremely amused and asked, "Why, are you tickled by me?" He even rubbed his chin with his fingertips as if teasing a dog.
"Well, a little bit." Zhan Mu lowered his eyes and did not reject his offensive gesture.
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