Chapter 37
The live broadcast room was bustling with excitement, the cheers were like a mountain roar and a tsunami, resounding through the sky.
Among them were also angry curses. Taking the broadcaster as the center and his parents as the radius, the insults went all the way back to his ancestors.
One second they're deeply in love, the next they're so hateful they want to tear each other apart—such stark contrasts are commonplace in the live streaming room.
After all, players watch live streams not just for entertainment, but also to remember the details of completing the game.
When the streamer dies and the live stream disappears, viewers remember the wrong way to pass the level, and all their time, points, and energy go down the drain. They inevitably feel resentful, like they bought fake study materials before the exam and still managed to complete half of them. They are even less willing to watch the small streamer.
The unbalanced live-streaming mechanism has created an extreme situation of polarization.
The popularity of top streamers is soaring, while other live streaming rooms are deserted.
It's like a Manchu Han Imperial Feast piled up on the upper table, leaving no trace of meat on the lower level.
The gap between streamers and challengers widened dramatically, and a hierarchy of discrimination was formed imperceptibly. Players felt particularly resentful and envious of the imbalance in popularity.
Less than half an hour after the event started, dozens of live streaming screens disappeared from the projection pool in the center of the area.
Even though there were quite a few new players among them, it still sent chills down the spines of the audience.
While some curious onlookers were terrified, they took the time to click into Xu Qingran's live stream and couldn't help but exclaim in astonishment: "She's still alive, she's incredibly lucky."
The person next to him glanced at it.
Although you can't see the live stream without watching, you can see the streamer's avatar, room number, and popularity score at the top.
The topic of Xu Qingran's good fortune in making it to the front page caused quite a stir, and this person was one of the disgruntled ones.
Seeing that the other person was being sarcastic towards Xu Qingran, he responded with a sarcastic remark.
"Tch, doesn't she even look at how many points she earned in the last live stream? Anyone with a brain would know to buy a few more high-level items for self-defense. What's so strange about her surviving a face-to-face kill?"
He looked at the pitifully low popularity score with schadenfreude: "Too bad all that is past glory! Look, she didn't encounter the special NPC from last time in this trial, how many people are willing to stay and watch her stupid actions?"
The audience in the same section were also attracted by his loud voice, and when they got closer, it was indeed him.
"Is this Xu Qingran? I heard Yan Yue didn't team up with her either, so I stopped paying attention to her. The amount of attention she's getting this time is completely different from last time!"
The spectator smirked and continued to mock, "And I heard that the madman was also matched with her. This is the price of overdrawing one's luck."
madman?
The others were stunned, then gasped in horror: "You mean that psychopath who even killed his own people?"
"Who else could it be but him? It was the same with the previous 'Dog Harm' game. After killing the Ghost King, he also killed the surviving players, claiming that he was the one who killed the BOSS and that no one else had the right to reap the benefits."
Recalling the inhumane massacre, he couldn't help but shudder. With disgust and aversion, he also revealed a malicious smile: "So Xu Qingran's trial has come to an end. Instead of worrying about her, we might as well watch other people's live streams."
Realizing the "madman" was exceptionally skilled, some people suddenly became curious and wanted to watch his gameplay live.
Other players informed them that the person had never streamed before.
"He has offended a lot of players. He may not stream because he is afraid of being ambushed at his respawn point. He also kills his teammates before entering a dungeon to prevent his whereabouts from being exposed by the live stream camera."
"Sigh, he's clearly so capable, who would have thought he's an antisocial pervert? I wonder what kind of trauma he went through before entering the game."
"I've heard some rumors. It's said that the guy was accidentally lured into a pig butchering scam, where he was cheated out of his money and his virtue, and died a particularly tragic death! What's worse, those scammers were insatiable and tried to use the same trick on him a second time after he was reborn, but they were exposed!"
"After that, the madman went completely insane. He not only tortured the people who had deceived him to the point of being neither human nor ghost, but also took his anger out on other people, especially those who seemed friendly and kind."
A pushover?
At this moment, viewers who clicked on Xu Qingran's live stream suddenly noticed the number of players in the instance in the upper left corner.
The number 2 is so desolate and forlorn.
Only half an hour into the game, there are already only two people left in this instance?!
The viewer immediately felt a chill run down their spine and looked down to see one of the comments standing out: "If the madman knew Xie Xubai was in Yan Yue's instance, and Xu Qingran couldn't find him even if she stayed, would he go crazy?"
I bet...
I was originally very jealous of Xu Qingran, but now all I can say is, I mourn for her and wish her good luck.
Damn it, is there anyone who can punish this idiot lunatic? What's the difference between keeping this kind of vengeful bastard around and a ticking time bomb?!
Only a minority of people noticed Xu Qingran's predicament; most viewers gathered in Yan Yue's and other top streamers' live streams, excitedly discussing how to clear the "Dragon Slayer" dungeon.
The survival period is ten days, which is quite demanding. After all, the A-level Ghost King dungeon is fraught with danger, and every day is like walking a tightrope over a cliff.
Moreover, the difficulty of the dungeons will increase exponentially over time. "Marrying the Mountain Girl" will massacre a village in five days, "Dog Harm" will massacre a market in seven days, and "Dragon Slayer" might even massacre a province on the tenth day!
Some people think that the first day is the easiest, so they should try to defeat the BOSS now and solve the problem once and for all.
His foresight was also based on the well-known proverb "The dragon-slaying boy becomes the dragon himself," and the intriguing ending makes one wonder if the "boy" in this instance is the root of the trouble.
Adding to the fact that Jiang Kaile is the Ghost King, it makes things even more terrifying to think about.
Most of the top streamers on the homepage of the popularity ranking share the same strategy for clearing the game, including three members of the strategy guide group [6].
However, instead of participating themselves, they used coercion and enticement to get other players to make the first move.
As expected, dozens more live stream screens disappeared from the viewing pool in an instant.
A [6] hiding behind the scenes glanced over the corpses of players scattered on the ground and subtly examined the boy who was clutching his wounds and had a sinister look on his face, as if to say, "I knew it."
In order to attract viewers and increase the popularity of the live stream, he confidently explained to the live stream camera: "See? Just as I initially predicted, this Ghost King has no strength at all in the early stages. He can even be injured by A-level items."
Hesitation leads to defeat.
[6] As he spoke, he revealed a confident sneer: "I guess many challengers are scared by the trials they went through, thinking that there is a reversal in the dungeon, and they are hesitant to take action. But I will not be as indecisive as they are."
"Listen up, everyone watching the live stream! Save your points, don't waste them on those idiots. What's an A-rank Ghost King? I'll just wipe this dungeon out!"
For every player who resolutely chooses the kill route, there are those who hesitate to act, deciding to collect all the clues before taking action.
For example, Yan Yue and another person [6].
However, Xie Xubai's appearance caused the content of their respective instances to be vastly different.
The Jiang Kaile that Yan Yue and his group encountered was confident, arrogant, and full of momentum. He made it clear from the start that he wanted to usurp the position of Jiang family head and asked the players for advice.
The other [6] encountered a boy who was a ghost king, just like most players had seen, a pitiful little guy who exuded a gloomy aura.
The boy had pale skin, and his white robe hung loosely on his shoulders, making him look thin and frail.
His eyelashes drooped, filled with sorrow and resentment, as he earnestly begged the player to help him deal with the villains of the Jiang family.
There are many villains in the Jiang family. Apart from the most difficult Jiang family head, the most troublesome one is Master Jiang.
Jiang Ye, also known as Jiang Shi'an, the eldest uncle of the Jiang family and the elder brother of the head of the Jiang family, is currently the chairman of a subsidiary of the Jiang Group.
According to the information obtained by using props in [6], Jiang Ye, as the eldest son, failed to inherit the position of the group's president and has always been resentful about it, and has been making things difficult for the Jiang family head both openly and secretly.
As the only son of the Jiang family head, the young man was naturally also the target of Jiang Ye's secret bullying and belittling.
It is said that when he was young, he was kidnapped by a group of people and almost lost his life.
Later, various signs indicated that Master Jiang had secretly bribed mercenaries to kill him, the heir, in order to seize the position of family head. However, due to a lack of evidence, they had to give up in the end.
So the young man had good reasons for asking the players to deal with Master Jiang: firstly, Master Jiang was dishonest, and secondly, there was a mortal grudge.
Whether you're a cautious observer or one of the few players who decide to take the redemption route, you need to gather as many clues as possible to piece together the truth, and you can't refuse the boy's request.
However, their collection efforts were not smooth.
Even though they knew that Jiang Ye, who had been singled out by the Ghost King, was not easy to deal with, they did not expect that the other party would be so violent from the start!
After realizing that the players had come with the intention of uncovering the truth, the luxurious villa was instantly transformed into a dangerous and treacherous labyrinth of traps.
The corridor stretched to an infinite length, its walls covered with thick, pulsating veins. On the floor rolled the heads of blue-skinned, faceless men, covered in sharp teeth; one bite and the hard marble tiles shattered.
One player reacted too slowly and was accidentally bitten on the ankle.
Before he could look down, with a crack, blood gushed out from the broken bone fragments, raining down on the floor.
The attacked player immediately let out a heart-wrenching scream and collapsed to the ground, unsteady on his feet.
Before his companions could even grab his hand, they saw countless heads grinning as they swarmed forward.
Like army ants that have smelled meat, they opened their blood-red mouths and in an instant devoured the defenseless player, leaving only a few bare bones.
Throughout the entire process, Jiang Ye, who had transformed into the Mountain of Flesh Demon King, sat in the main seat of the villa.
Hearing the screams coming from downstairs, he slowly poured himself a glass of red wine and swirled it in his hand.
Smelling the overflowing aroma of wine, his small eyes, which were squeezed into slits by his fleshy face, narrowed contentedly.
Seeing Jiang Ye treat the players' lives as a joke, the audience was furious.
Fortunately, the top streamer they chose was capable enough. Even after a lot of trouble, they finally managed to defeat Jiang Ye and found some clues in the bedroom.
But why does it look so unpleasant?
Just then, several cryptic shouts came from different sections: "That idiot is really lucky!"
In the live broadcast room, the audience's reactions are a barometer of the trend.
If deafening cheers erupt simultaneously like this, it must mean that one of the streamers has made a brilliant move or found a key clue to break the deadlock.
Without a second thought, the others crowded around, asking with great interest, "What's going on? Who's lucky?"
"Who else could it be but that idiot!"
On the overall player strength ranking, there are two people whose faces players can instantly picture just by hearing their nicknames.
One is a madman who specifically targets and persecutes good people, and the other is a fool with an IQ of less than 100, Chan Sheng.
The others were taken aback by what they heard.
They had initially thought "idiot" was an adjective, but it turned out to be a real description of Chan Sheng, which surprised them greatly: "Didn't they say the council chairman didn't participate in the trial?"
"He didn't go into the instance with the Speaker of Parliament this time, he went with Hu Chang instead. I don't know how Hu Chang persuaded the Speaker of Parliament."
"Hmm?" The listener was even more surprised.
When Chan Sheng first came into the public eye, he was quite popular, after all, not everyone can have A-level combat talent from the beginning.
The audience was stunned when they saw the shockingly low IQ score.
Seeing that the cicada could run and jump naturally, they figured that the infinite game couldn't really throw an idiot into the dungeon, so they watched on with a bit of wishful thinking.
Who knew that he was truly foolish, eating the food given to him by the monster without any guile at the beginning, and poisoning himself to death in less than ten minutes!
Even before he died, while spitting blood, he blankly said to the monster who poisoned him, "Thank you, it tastes good, but I can't get used to it," leaving the audience speechless.
After that, Chan Sheng became unstoppable, constantly unlocking 108 ways for a fool to die in the trial pool.
Because failure erases memories, and Chan Sheng is completely unsuspecting, he often makes the same mistakes and gets eliminated, which makes viewers' scalps tingle and many unfollow him.
If it weren't for the Speaker of the Council taking pity on him and stepping in to include Chan Sheng in the strategy group, he would probably still be repeatedly dying at the respawn point.
At this point, the story can basically be categorized as a heartwarming tale of a mentally challenged child receiving help from kind-hearted people, and it no longer deserves further attention.
The key point is that after being guided through one trial by the council speaker, Chan Sheng actually unlocked the special-grade defensive skill [Scapegoat]!
Feature 1: Preserves tactile sensation, ignoring pain.
Feature two: It can die in place of others without any restrictions—note that it is without any restrictions. Even if the player is in a state of complete control, they can be rescued immediately!
They're strong, obedient, and having them around is like having an extra life.
Who wouldn't love a teammate like that?
From then on, Chan Sheng completely shed its label of being a drag on the game and was warmly welcomed by players.
His live stream may not be famous, but he has a large group of loyal fans (both male and female) who love him and see him as pitiful and well-behaved. His popularity is unparalleled on the charts.
Other viewers thought, "If Chan Sheng and the council president break free and follow Hu Chang, won't these mom fans go crazy on the spot?"
They were curious about where Chan Sheng's good fortune lay, so they clicked into the live stream with the intention of watching the excitement. To their surprise, there wasn't a single curse in the comments; it was so harmonious that it was practically bubbling with warm orange bubbles.
Wow, Chan Sheng is so cute, and Xie Xubai is so gentle.
This special NPC actually taught Chan Sheng how to pick locks! He's so kind, I love him!
Finally, someone is willing to pamper our silly child instead of thinking about how to trick him into dying all day long. I'm almost moved to tears!
The audience members who had just entered were stunned.
They looked at the live stream screen, where Chan Sheng and Xie Xubai, both wrapped in bandages, stood side by side at the back door of the villa, with several unconscious servants lying on the ground.
Xie Xubai's patient and clear voice slowly entered their ears: "...Yes, that's it. Your fingers are long and slender. With diligent training, they can become very flexible."
To the audience's surprise, as the young man guided Chan Sheng step by step, the steel needle that Chan Sheng had awkwardly tucked between his fingers suddenly began to pulsate slowly.
The steel needle danced in the sunlight, gradually becoming smooth from its initial stiffness, a flash of silvery light passing by, like the gentle fluttering of a dragonfly's wings.
Xie Xubai saw this and couldn't help but want to praise him, so he smiled and said softly, "You did a great job."
Chan Sheng held the steel needle in his hand like he had received a new toy, holding it up to examine it closely with a silly expression.
Xie Xubai was distracted by the sounds coming from inside the room.
Hearing heavy footsteps approaching, he patted Chansheng, signaling for a surprise attack. Chansheng hesitated for a moment, then handed something to him.
Pink, strawberry-shaped... fruit gummies?
Meeting Xie Xubai's surprised gaze, Chan Sheng opened his clear black eyes and whispered, "Eat it, and you won't die."
The scene where Chan Sheng and Hu Chang swapped positions without attracting the attention of any NPCs remains vivid in my memory.
Xie Xubai realized in just half a second that as long as he ate the strawberry gummy, Chan Sheng could die in his place at the crucial moment.
The mothers in the live stream were so relieved that their smiles froze on their faces; they almost had a meltdown.
Hey, what are you doing?! He was just teaching you how to pick locks on a whim, but you're giving him your life in return!
Xie Xubai probably won't want him, he's so strong.
It has nothing to do with strength. Rather, it's that the stronger a person is, the more they cherish their life. Ancient emperors even tried every means to achieve immortality! Who can resist the temptation of having an extra life?
Oh no! I thought Silly Chan had escaped death, but in the end she still couldn't avoid dying for someone else. What an idiot...
At that moment, the young man in the live stream glanced at Chan Sheng with mixed feelings and quickly reached out to the hand holding the gummy candy.
The mothers were heartbroken to see this.
Who would have thought that even after the young man withdrew his hand, the strawberry gummy remained in Chan Sheng's hand?
And there was also a round... orange-flavored hard candy next to it?
Upon seeing the orange candy, Chan Sheng's expression became even more stunned. He looked at Xie Xubai in disbelief, only to be lightly tapped on the forehead by the latter.
"How could you just give away something so important?" Xie Xubai said with a helpless sigh.
But perhaps his ability to survive by taking the place of the cicada is his way of life. Thinking of the plight of most players, Xie Xubai could only sigh.
He didn't show it on his face, but smiled and said, "But my candy is cheap, 10 yuan for a bag of 30 pieces, it's very sweet, you can try some later."
In the pause between words, Xie Xubai reached out and shoved Chan Sheng hard in the chest, while simultaneously stepping back and ordering, "Chan Sheng, do it!"
Chan Sheng was thrown backward by inertia, and the metal door that was suddenly pushed open grazed past the tip of his nose.
The moment he heard Xie Xubai's command, his stunned gaze turned extremely sharp, and without thinking, he threw a punch.
Bang!
Before he could undergo the transformation, Jiang Shi'an, the master of Jiang, was sent flying backward, his back slamming hard against a tree, the pain making him see stars.
He grimaced and, backlit, saw a tall, slender figure standing under the shade of a tree, calmly looking at him with lowered eyelashes.
How could the proud and arrogant Jiang Shi'an bear being stared at in this manner by the person suspected of being the attacker?
He flew into a rage, his hands, which were braced on the ground, blistered with blood, and he roared as if about to burst out.
He wanted to gouge out the man's eyes and then torture him until he knelt down and begged for mercy!
Xie Xubai: "Master Jiang, do you guess that the Jiang family head knows about your plan to short-sell the company, only to be scammed and end up owing hundreds of millions in debt?"
Thump.
Jiang Shi'an, who had been standing up aggressively, suddenly felt weak in the knees and fell back down.
Five minutes later, Jiang Shi'an huddled timidly in a chair barely half his size, stealing glances at Xie Xubai's expression: "Sir, you have to believe me, I didn't do Jiang Kaile's kidnapping. I have evidence..."
Chan Sheng stood guard beside Xie Xubai, keeping an eye on Jiang Shi'an's unusual movements to prevent him from suddenly attacking someone, while using his fingertips to pry open the wrapper of the orange candy.
The wrapping paper is the common kind of plastic paper, printed with orange patterns, and the rest is transparent, reflecting colorful light in the sunlight.
Chan Sheng looked curiously at the plastic sheet; his substitute candy was generated directly, and there was no such thing.
Squeeze it, and it makes a crunching sound, like leaves rustling in the wind.
He carefully picked up the orange candy again; it was crystal clear, orange-yellow, and smelled very fragrant and sweet.
Chan has died many times, but the mom fans in the live stream remember him. This is the first time someone has given him candy.
Chan Sheng glanced at Xie Xubai, and seeing that he didn't turn around, he secretly stuffed the candy into his mouth.
He subconsciously puffed out his cheeks, but couldn't bear to bite down, only gently licking them with his tongue.
Hmm...
It was indeed very sweet.
Author's Note:
This is the update from the 14th. I apologize for the late update. I sincerely apologize and will send 200 small red envelopes as compensation. The update for the 15th will be delivered before midnight tonight, or I will send another 100 red envelopes.
I appreciate your encouragement to update, it makes me feel that my writing is appreciated.
It's just that I need to take half a day to clear my head before each extra chapter, otherwise even I, Yuncheng, can't stand what I write, let alone present it to you all.
So, the extra chapter of 15,000 words, please wait a little longer...
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