Chapter 194
The shop owner stared at the customs clearance record board as if he had lost his parents.
Not only did they not lose a single player in six consecutive rounds, but the time was also compressed to eleven minutes!
Oh my god!
This feeling is just as devastating as being beaten in three minutes in an escape room. It's the kind of experience that would get you accused of faking your career if you posted it online. This is the first time I've ever experienced such a Waterloo since I opened the shop!
Upon seeing Xie Xubai still walking this way, the shop owner's contorted face twitched violently. This guy was really going to kill him off.
Suppressing his murderous rage, he refused before the young man could speak, saying, "Alright! The boss is suddenly feeling unwell and will be closed for the day!"
Xie Xubai only needed a dozen seconds to walk over, but he waited in the same spot for several minutes.
He only took a step after most of the players had left.
With each step he took over the fifty-meter distance, his demeanor subtly changed.
When Xie Xubai stood in front of the boss, the corners of his mouth were actually turned up, and his dark eyes reflected a faint halo in the sunlight: "Are you feeling unwell, or are you too cowardly to continue playing?"
Before the shop owner could speak, the young man's long, narrow eyelashes drooped down, trembling like thick raven feathers.
As her eyes curved into a smile, a light, mocking laugh took flight.
"But it doesn't matter, since the game you designed is so boring."
Xie Xubai laughed and said, "I'm so sleepy from playing all this."
The shop owner was initially just holding back his anger, but the word "boring" struck him like a heavy hammer blow, instantly turning his face pale.
The moment those two sentences were uttered, it was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, creating a huge wave of negative comments that flooded the back-end panel of the store, which only the owner could see!
You're right. The beginning was somewhat interesting, but it got less and less fun as it went on. The level design was just too simple.
Players are getting faster and faster each time. If we play another game, it will probably be under ten minutes. The boss is obviously panicking and won't let us play.
How can someone with such poor skills open a shop?
I'm not having it! Why did I apply three times in a year and still not become a shop owner, while this clown got to open a shop? Did he get in through connections?!
They just throw together some random puzzles to fill the gaps in viewership, but unfortunately, they can't stand up to scrutiny; anyone with real skill can crack them in no time.
:Damn it, you let outsiders mock you face-to-face! Are you just going to stand by and watch?
This is outrageous! The owner should just close down as soon as possible!
...
Since amusement parks don't require admission fees, live streaming viewership becomes the lifeblood of shop owners.
Viewer reviews are directly linked to viewership. Channels with many negative reviews are not worth watching unless you're a gossip enthusiast.
Especially the negative reviews that questioned the level of skill and ability.
Xie Xubai's mouth never stopped.
"The clues provided are less straightforward and clear, and more perfunctory. The key information can be seen at a glance, and the final outcome can be seen. It's all the old clichés from storybooks."
"The initial chase was completely unexciting, consisting of the same old combination of 'hordes of monsters' and 'face-slamming' attacks. Does anyone really enjoy this kind of monotonous chase game? Why don't I use this time to participate in a marathon obstacle course?"
"A design might be refreshing at first, but after a while, you'll find it's just a rehash of the same old thing. Don't you get bored looking at the repetitive and cumbersome steps? Or have you already exhausted all your creative ideas after racking your brains to come up with this little bit?"
The young man spoke in a moderate tone, his voice like a gentle stream, but it was precisely this slow and deliberate manner that gave people a sense of looking down from above.
The shop owner watched helplessly as his live stream views plummeted. Many viewers were so angry they switched channels, their faces flushed red, wishing they could rush up and grab Xie Xubai by the neck: "Shut up!"
"I won't shut up." Xie Xubai smiled. "If you're so capable, then refute me. Don't you like refutating yourself? Oh, so you can't refute me at all. What, you couldn't help but make a face like you're about to kill me. Did I touch a sore spot and make you angry?"
Shop owner: "..."
He almost exploded on the spot.
The thin, ghostly figure on the billboard screen, whose standard smiling face was barely holding together, became increasingly stiff amidst the incessant ringing of complaint calls, almost cracking open.
The situation seemed to have reached a point where it couldn't be resolved without closing down. Just then, Xie Xubai suddenly turned around, took a few big steps, and laughed loudly in front of the billboard.
"Honorable citizens of the kingdom, I know you are watching!"
Xie Xubai burst into laughter, his tone even more arrogant: "I'm a seasoned gamer, so my words were a bit harsh just now. Please forgive my bluntness! It's fine if you don't forgive me, I won't change anyway!"
"Listen up, everyone! I'll only say one thing: if this kind of trash game can satisfy you, then it just means that the true level of your gaming kingdom is nothing special!"
Xie Xubai: "They're all trash!"
The citizens, who were initially uninterested and about to change the channel, were immediately enraged upon hearing this.
You're skilled enough to silence the shop owner with your criticism, but what's the point of spreading your sarcasm and condemning everyone?
In an instant, they no longer wanted to change the channel, and their malicious attacks on the shop owner rained down on Xie Xubai.
You've only played a few games and you're already so arrogant?
Seriously, what classic masterpieces could a twenty-year-old kid, still wet behind the ears, possibly play? He's utterly ignorant and arrogant!
These are all minor issues.
Many citizens are completely unreasonable; as monsters, they only harbor a chilling murderous intent after being insulted.
He dared to slander the game kingdom.
Unforgivable!
Kill him!
: Skin him alive, gouge out his eyes, and tear his mouth apart!
Kill him! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!
If Xie Xubai has a player panel, he will hear the system constantly emitting cold, high-pitched notification sounds.
[Ding! Unfortunately! Citizen A's favorability towards you has dropped to "dislike." No matter how crowded the place, it can instantly detect your unpleasant aura and will try every means to trip you up.]
[Citizen B's favorability towards you has decreased to "hostility." Once your actions are exposed, you will be relentlessly pursued by them in any situation.]
[Citizen C of the Kingdom has just posted a high bounty on you!]
...
[Congratulations! With just a few words, you've incurred the hatred of most of the kingdom's citizens. You're already facing a gruesome end in the citizens' comment section!]
Captain Xu and the others, who were walking on the road, suddenly had a bad feeling. They stopped abruptly and looked back in the direction where Xie Xubai was.
A few seconds of silence.
Someone spoke first: "The eldest brother is acting strangely. He suddenly said some harsh words about severing ties, and he looks like he's going to his death heroically."
"Nonsense, do you think you're the only one who figured it out?"
The speaker was an A-level, who had been secretly mocking Xie Xubai, but now unconsciously showed his protection of Xie Xubai, which made him extremely irritated: "He's already so strong, and he still wants to send us away, which means that what he wants to do next must be very dangerous. If we stay there, we will only hold him back!"
"What should we do then?" someone asked with a worried look. "Even the big boss thinks it's dangerous, he might even die. He didn't take any payment to help us through this challenge, are we just going to sit idly by?"
"If I say I can't help, I'll just cause trouble!"
"But we can't just do nothing!"
"You're all being so eager and enthusiastic, surely you can't bear to part with Yan Chuyi, this free and unpaid laborer?"
"Fuck you, what nonsense are you spouting!"
The group immediately started arguing, while the silent majority looked at Captain Xu.
Captain Xu frowned, looking at the elderly and children in the group with a troubled expression.
It's around 4 p.m. now, and the sky is still quite bright, but what we'll encounter next is anyone's guess.
If they were delayed and couldn't leave in time, the dark and open area would be extremely dangerous, with nowhere to hide. As the team leader, even if he really wanted to stay and wait for Yan Chuyi, he had to consider the team's needs.
The logistics staff member seriously raised a crucial question: "Captain, he doesn't have any props on him."
At first, when I asked them for mental energy replenishment potions, I could say it was because I was reluctant to part with them, so I was just taking advantage of them.
But in the speedruns later on, every second counts. If Xie Xubai had any reserves, he would have used them in the levels without hesitation. Why would he need to push himself to the limit and rest for a full twenty minutes before the last match?
When Xie Xubai took the initiative to sever ties with them and stayed behind to face danger alone, whatever doubts he had about him no longer mattered.
The key point is that if Xie Xubai gets into trouble, he won't be able to use his abilities or have any defensive items, and his situation will be very dangerous.
Another logistics staff member said, "Captain, I'll stay here to meet Yan Chuyi. If anything goes wrong or there's an unexpected incident, I'll let you know."
Captain Xu nodded and assigned two other combat team members to stay behind as well.
Strangely enough, upon hearing that they were preparing to stay and support Xie Xubai, some players who had been clamoring to leave also stayed.
A rough count revealed that there were more than ten people.
Brian didn't stay. He knew that even if he found the train station, he might not be able to smoothly enter the next level. He planned to figure out all the conditions for passing the level before coming back to find someone. Xie Xubai was a good ally, and he wanted to make friends with him.
Before leaving, Brian gave the logistics team a spatial bag that could only be opened by a specific person, who was then to pass it on to Xie Xubai.
Back to Xie Xubai's side.
The empty streets were deserted, yet the atmosphere was unusually tense, on the verge of exploding.
The citizens' resentment was so intense that it transformed into a thick, crimson mist that seeped from the billboards, gathering around Xie Xubai and surging wildly.
However, because the chessboard cannot kill pieces independently, they could do nothing to Xie Xubai and could only watch from the sidelines, seething with resentment.
Xie Xubai laughed and said loudly, "Don't be unconvinced! I bet if I were the owner of this shop, it wouldn't be as boring as it is now!"
The audience couldn't hold back any longer and became extremely angry.
@&*@! Shameless!
Then go do it! I support you! Go now! I'm going to spend money to write bad reviews!
Are we really not going to let him try? I want to see what kind of flower he can design!
They're a bunch of emotional monsters, how could they withstand such provocation?
Before long, some enthusiastic viewers actually strongly requested that Xie Xubai be the shop owner!
Other citizens who heard this request while watching the live stream couldn't sit still and flocked to respond.
It's not about seeing how amazing Xie Xubai is, it's about giving him a bad review! To ruthlessly belittle him, to hurl insults at him!
The thin, ghostly figure's non-existent brow twitched violently. It caught sight of the slight curve at the corner of Xie Xubai's mouth, and a sense of absurdity washed over it like a tidal wave. It realized that this was Xie Xubai's true purpose.
He wants to be the boss!
As expected, Xie Xubai nodded reluctantly: "Since everyone's response is so enthusiastic, I'll show you a little something. There's no need to limit the number of people. Let me be the shop owner and design the game, and then let the shop owner and I play one-on-one!"
"No! This is against the rules!" The elongated shadowy figure's ominous premonition grew stronger, and he quickly rejected the idea.
Xie Xubai raised an eyebrow dismissively: "Whether it's in accordance with the rules or not shouldn't be up to you to decide, right? I've heard that the legendary Black King is also paying attention to this game. Shouldn't everything be based on His Majesty's wishes?"
Yes, His Majesty the Black King is watching this game!
The furious audience paused, leaving large gaps in the comments section. Many of the strange characters hastily deleted their previous comments containing profanity, tidied their language, and tried to appear more refined and dignified.
But the atmosphere didn't cool down at all; instead, it reached a climax with the increasingly enthusiastic atmosphere!
The shop owner and the skinny man couldn't get a word in edgewise and found themselves in a difficult situation.
Some viewers finally couldn't stand it anymore and started making sarcastic remarks.
"Enough! You lowly human, who do you think you are? It's a great honor for His Majesty to even glance at you, how could he possibly grant you such an unreasonable request?"
*
In the ink-wash painting space, Xie Xubai looked at the cloaked figure whose vital parts were being choked by black mist and asked calmly, "Do you think this request is unreasonable, Your Majesty the Black King?"
He suddenly chuckled, then changed the subject: "No, calling you Black King is an understatement. You're at best a Black King's agent."
Cloaked Man: "..."
It glanced at the black mist binding it, and the killing intent released by the evil god's body was even more intense than that of the citizens and Xie Xubai.
Even though he was completely out of his mind, he still wouldn't let Xie Xu suffer any loss.
He scoffed, "I could never agree to that. Go ahead and kill me if you dare."
Killing him/her would cause the entire chessboard world to collapse, and all players would perish as a result.
Furthermore, since the two parties who initiated the game did not determine a winner through the game itself, it was considered a violation of the rules, and Xie Xubai would also die.
The only one who was happy was probably the system, so the cloaked man was certain that Xie Xubai wouldn't do that.
"I don't need to kill you. There are many ways to threaten you." Xie Xubai raised his hand, and the black mist immediately rubbed against it happily, lingering around his slender fingers several times before "spitting out" a black object into Xie Xubai's palm.
The cloaked man's pupils narrowed slightly.
That was the thorny black crown that she had tried to put on Xie Xubai, but it slipped from her hand and fell to the ground and shattered!
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