[Real World - A typical residential area]
I love Xiaoyi, and here he is – a scruffy, somewhat decadent man.
At the moment, he is sitting on the sofa, watching as a chat group member in the House of Dog Empire forum, nicknamed "Sister Astate," posted a racy GIF.
The content roughly depicted a woman in office attire, hesitantly trying to leave after being groped in the corner of a bus by a wolf.
Quite unkindly, the creator of this GIF had only left the legs, just the legs, making it difficult to trace back to the original since the creator's face wasn't shown.
Sister Astate: "Who can tell me the code for this? Then we'll be friends."
I love Xiaoyi took a deep drag of his cigarette, and flicked the half-smoked cigarette into the ashtray.
How are there still fools trying to solicit sources online.
Those guys would have used any link themselves if they had it, why would they share it with you? This behavior is more immature than a kindergarten student... yet more mature than a college student.
Great, I love such genuine youngsters.
He typed leisurely using the T9 keyboard: "I remember the shape of those legs, APEX-R99, a bit old, average appearance, lacking skills, and definitely not a member of a famous girl group. Nothing good to watch but the legs, let it go."
Sister Astate: "Got a link? Let me see it (with trembling voice)!"
The man stubbed out his cigarette, thought for a moment, and replied, "I looked at the link just half a year ago, easy to remember, a bit familiar, but I'm not giving it to you. After half a year, it's normal for the download link to be lost."
Sister Astate: "Xiaoyi, with your memory and observational skills, it's a waste not being a detective!"
The man didn't reply anymore, just sat on the sofa, looking at the cold, damp room, watching from dusk till sunset.
Suddenly, he seemed to snap out of it, mocking himself, "Forget it, time to start a new life. What was that game Xiao You mentioned? Oh, I remember now, 'Gateway to the Underworld'..."
With that, he got up and headed towards the gaming pod.
As the gaming pod made some noise, everything returned to tranquility.
Player, "I Love Xiaoyi," the game had started.
...
Meanwhile, on a donkey cart heading to Titan Town, "Braised Donut" looked gloomy and was in a foul mood.
He just felt he was really unlucky.
Others play the game, but it seems the game plays him.
Before entering "Gateway to the Underworld," he was once again overwhelmed by spam.
The trigger was a radical comment he posted on a trash app concerning dowry reform.
He had furiously criticized the issue of dowries not being taxed, bluntly saying one could manipulate interests through dowries. Upon discovering that a leader had a daughter, one could propose to try for marriage, break off swiftly after paying the dowry, and then shamelessly refuse to reclaim the dowry money.
This way, one could complete internal financial transactions, the leader would get rich off the money, and oneself could gain a higher status through legitimate means.
Of course, Braised Donut knew his suggestion had serious logical flaws, and it wasn't feasible in reality.
But in an era of universal connection, there must be a place to reveal the effectiveness of the trash app. By publishing such statements in the trash app and seeking validation, the outcome for Braised Donut was foreseeable.
Fortunately, as a veteran virtual gamer with 2500 hours, he had places outside of having two girlfriends to reward himself.
Especially now, with "Gateway to the Underworld," which was already exploding in popularity in his circle.
He had started full of anticipation.
He originally thought that upon entering the game, it would be a thrill of "Bored, I want to see rivers of blood," until he killed a chicken...
Looking at Titan Town, now visible with its city outlines, he couldn't help but feel sad.
"Brother, do you mind showing the way? I'm a bit tired from walking, and look at my shoes… for the sake of a fellow countryman, can you give me a ride?"
The slow-moving donkey cart suddenly stopped, and the old farmer riding the donkey glanced at the Braised Donut and then at the man suspiciously, hesitating for a moment.
Braised Donut reacted quickly, throwing out a Reconnaissance Skill, and he knew immediately that this was indeed a player.
It was just the nickname... "I Love Xiao Yi", you'd think it was a girl playing if you didn't know any better.
But at a glance, he was a complete, rough-and-tumble man.
"Buddy, although the game doesn't allow one to adopt the appearance of ancient gods, there's really no need to force yourself to use such a face." Braised Donut looked at the farmer who had stopped the donkey cart and said, "Let him on, will you? We don't have much further to go, he's my fellow countryman."
The farmer looked nervous, sizing up both men as if seriously evaluating their relationship.
Braised Donut was actually a bit annoyed, but then he quickly calmed himself down, remembering the chicken he had impulsively killed when he first arrived at the village.
He tried to sound as kind as possible and softly said, "Don't worry, he really is my fellow countryman; he won't hurt you. Right, buddy?"
Braised Donut looked towards Xiao Yi, then saw him shake his head before turning back to the farmer and saying, "See, let him on. There won't be any trouble, I promise."
The farmer sighed heavily and muttered, "It'll cost more."
Braised Donut: "..."
I Love Xiao Yi: "..."
Was that what you were hesitating about just now?
After a while, Braised Donut looked at I Love Xiao Yi, a somewhat awkward smile on his face, and asked, "What do you say?"
I Love Xiao Yi's gaze was vacant for a moment.
Braised Donut knew he was browsing his system panel, likely checking his balance of Demon Crystals, so he didn't rush him.
A moment later, I Love Xiao Yi looked at the stern-faced farmer and said, "Alright, but you need to give a discount!"
The farmer nodded.
I Love Xiao Yi then looked to Braised Donut and said, "You pay for me..."
Braised Donut paused, looking at I Love Xiao Yi's expression, as if to suggest he had some serious illness.
"I can share a mission with you." I Love Xiao Yi sent a screenshot of the mission directly to Braised Donut's panel face-to-face.
Braised Donut glanced at the character level.
High-risk Crimson Mission -[Corner of Shadows].
The mission required players to investigate hidden threats within Titan Town in Lancaster Territory, with Level Experience Points and currency rewards determined by the value of the information they provided.
A moment later, Braised Donut bowed his head.
When he raised his head again, he was all smiles. He jumped off the donkey cart, came up to I Love Xiao Yi, patted him vigorously on the shoulder, and said:
"We are fellow countrymen, after all. Giving you a ride, how could I possibly charge you?"