Chapter 2 Let's Set Sail, ███! "And you, Mr. Host,..."
Bennu confirmed his statement: "Players can complete the game by finishing the main storyline."
"My job is to guide players through the game?"
Bennu shook his head: "The players' survival status and the progress of the mission don't determine your reward. You just need to do one thing well!"
Xue Chao astutely extracted the key from the file: "Popularity score?"
"That's right!"
Bennu picked up a corner of the file, flew up and closed it. Another icon appeared on the desktop at some point, the same as the background, a smaller All-Seeing Eye.
Upon opening, a dazzling array of game platforms immediately took over the screen. Before Xue Chao could even see it clearly, a blank game room page popped up, displaying a bright red countdown.
A small blackboard will appear in the upper right corner of the screen:
[Game Host Rules]
1. Host an exciting game for the audience.
Bennu said:
The criteria for evaluating a host's performance are as follows:
The live stream function in the game room will automatically turn on at the start of each game.
"At the end of each game, the popularity score is calculated by combining data such as the game's on-demand rate, total number of viewers, peak number of online viewers, average number of online viewers, audience interaction rate, and average viewing time per person."
"【Popularity Value】Maximum value is 100 points, 40 points is passing, below 40 points is rated D, and for every 15 points above 40 points, the rating increases by one level. The host will be given a corresponding reward based on the rating level."
"This is the sole criterion for evaluating the host's performance."
Xue Chao: "What if you fail?"
"Of course, we'll just wipe them out!" Bennu blew a cheerful, colorful toilet paper whistle, his childish voice crackling and off-key, echoing through the cold, gloomy villa. "The company doesn't keep useless people. Incompetent trash is just a waste of resources and air. Making way for real talent is their only value!"
The fishy smell, mixed with the cold midnight wind, climbed up Xue Chao's back, like a slippery dead fish clinging to him, the scent of death following him like a shadow.
"So, sir, are you a piece of trash?"
"..."
I'll die...
Xue Chao straightened his lips, his phoenix eyes lost their alluring smile, and became fierce enough to hurt people.
He may be lazy, but he has one thing in common: he values his life.
This life isn't exactly one of luxury and extravagance, but it's ordinary and he's content with it. He doesn't want to ruin his life at such a young age.
The game room is now in preparation, generating initial information for you randomly...
[Room Avatar: (A chubby, gray-blue pixelated bird)]
[Room Name: Set Sail, ███!]
Room ID: 4902
[Host: Zhang San]
[Currently running the instance: Set sail, ███!]
[Randomly matching players to a room...]
[…2/8…5/8…8/8…]
The area with the largest share of the unlocked area is called the "Camera Area." Eight players appear one after another, like students entering an online meeting for an online class, dividing the entire area into eight equal parts and only displaying their avatars and names.
Bennu: "To increase the game's appeal and encourage player engagement, not all players will be able to get a live stream camera position! There is a limit to the number of cameras that can be unlocked in each game, which is determined by the player's [contribution]."
Total number of game slots for this copy: 5
Bennu blinked his pixelated beady eyes: "And you, Mr. Host, have the privilege of [betting]."
Xue Chao raised an eyebrow: "Bet?"
"Before the game starts, you can select a certain number of players to set [predicted camera positions]. Players who set predicted camera positions will automatically have camera positions at the start of the game."
"At the end of the game, if the predicted player's ranking in the room is in the top 1/3, the platform will give an extra 5 popularity points; if the player is in first place, the platform will give an extra 10 popularity points. Conversely, if the player's ranking is in the bottom 1/3, 5 popularity points will be deducted from the room; if the player is in last place, 10 popularity points will be deducted."
[The number of prediction bits for this copy is 1]
Instantly, all the small black screens turned on their cameras, and eight completely different people appeared on the screen. Their appearances were faintly visible in the flickering static, looking like eight ghosts that could crawl out of the TV at any moment.
You have 3 minutes left.
Please make your choice.
【00:02:59】
"Players who predict camera positions will automatically have a camera position at the start of the game." This means that at the beginning of the game, only players who predict camera positions may have a camera, while other players need "contribution points" to unlock camera positions one by one.
He needs to choose one of these eight players who can generate buzz and help the game get through the quiet early stages.
In the camera's view, the bus travels alone on the kilometer-long approach bridge, passing through the drizzling rain like a forest under the dark clouds, heading towards the huge cruise ship home port in the sea.
"We are expected to arrive at Terminal 1 of Giant International Cruise Terminal in two minutes. Passengers, please take your seats and prepare to disembark. Have a pleasant voyage!"
The bus was quiet, like a gently swaying cradle at night, making people drowsy. Most of the passengers were resting with their eyes closed, and those who did open their eyes had no expression, like a group of plastic mannequins.
Yan Bocheng sat in the last row, secretly observing and looking for other players who might be among them.
This large busload of people, I don't know how many copies it contains.
He fiddled with his smartwatch for a while, and when his chubby body, which seemed to lack exercise, moved, a cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
The car's heater was on, but he kept feeling cold drafts, so he asked the woman next to him, "Excuse me, do you have any tissues?"
The glass window reflected the woman's indifferent and silent face. She was dressed in all black, with long hair like a curtain. She glanced at him upon hearing his words, and Yan Bocheng noticed the two white rose earrings hidden in her hair. They didn't look like plastic or fabric; they looked like real flowers.
"Yes." She pulled a tissue from her pocket.
"Thank you, thank you." Yan Bocheng felt that her melancholy had a certain air of a gamer, and tentatively asked, "It's peak tourist season now, many people are traveling abroad, are you traveling alone?"
This information was inferred by him based on the bus announcements, travel magazines hanging on the back of the bus, and other people's tour group uniforms; of course, he himself did not know it.
He had no idea who "he" was, where he was going, or what he was doing, so he could only try to get information out of him.
The woman lowered her eyes and simply replied, "A family member just passed away, so I'm going out to clear my head."
Yan Bocheng hissed inwardly, speechless with frustration.
No wonder he was dressed all in black with white flowers; it wasn't melancholy, it was the sound of someone rushing to a funeral.
Too much of a good thing can be bad, so he could only awkwardly say, "...Please accept my condolences."
"Hmm, someone died so soon?" A child's innocent voice came from the front row, trailing off, clearly indicating that the child had just woken up.
Yan Bocheng was startled and hurriedly asked, "What dead person?"
"Didn't you all say to accept our condolences?" The hooded boy yawned, glancing at the group of people in front of him, clearly uninterested.
He shouldn't have agreed to help the guild leader accumulate points for the upcoming guild tournament. What does the guild tournament have to do with him?
He didn't like it either; a group of people scheming against each other reduced the fun of the game by half.
He tapped the watch face with his fingertip—all passengers are equipped with special smartwatches provided by the cruise port, which include port maps, boarding process guides, check-in tips, and more, making it very convenient.
But to the player, there is an almost transparent screen covering the dial, which is the player's game panel.
The game panel can be floating, but to create a more immersive experience, some dungeons will be localized at the beginning, using items from within the dungeon as a medium.
The boy blinked, and a full fifteen seconds passed, but there was still no indication of the predicted location.
He didn't see any annoying old acquaintances or any interesting people. In such a clear situation, who else would he choose but him? Why did the host hesitate?
...An enemy, a rival guild member, or a newbie?
The newcomer is more likely to be crying their eyes out in front of the screen, questioning everything and everyone.
It's even more boring now. He thought childishly.
"Where am I? You kidnappers, let me out of the car!!"
Suddenly, an angry shout came from the front row. A bespectacled man with a furious and seemingly deranged expression stood up abruptly and began pounding on the car door.
"They definitely drugged me! It's all hallucinations! What kind of game is this? It's human trafficking! They want to transport me abroad and rip me off, right?! You're dreaming! Stop the car and open the door!!"
The man kept banging on the door, kicking and pounding, but the sturdy glass door remained unmoved, and the bus continued to move forward steadily.
He was exhausted from all the commotion, so he stopped to catch his breath. Just as he was about to turn his anger towards the driver who had ignored him, he suddenly realized that it was too quiet around him.
From the moment he opened his mouth until now, no one has spoken, nor has anyone stopped him.
As the anger subsided, a strange fear took over.
The bespectacled man turned around stiffly, and everyone in the car, including the driver, turned their heads at the same time, staring at him expressionlessly, like spectators watching a circus from the sidelines.
He was the monkey who was about to be burned to death by the ring of fire.
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