Ten minutes later, Lu Zhixing arrived.
By this time, the sky had gradually darkened, and looking at the entrance of Longtan Park, Lu Zhixing suddenly had the feeling, "This is really a dragon's lair and a tiger's den."
If one were to impersonate a tree in a park filled with older men and women and various pedestrians, one might not be far from a social death...
Originally, Lu Zhixing wanted to wait a little longer, to enter when there were fewer people, but then he thought that choosing a time when the park was less crowded might actually make it more likely for him to scare little children in some dark corner while impersonating a tree.
Furthermore, the park closed at 9 p.m., and Lu Zhixing was still unsure how long the impersonation would take. If he misjudged the time, he would either fail the impersonation and have to postpone it to the next day or end up locked in the park, sleeping on a bench overnight.
Forget it, social death be it.
Anyway, no one knows who I am. As long as I don't feel awkward, the awkward one is someone else.
Lu Zhixing put on a black face mask and a duckbill cap, then pulled the hoodie over it, minimizing the chance of being recognized by acquaintances.
Afterward, with the mindset of "The wind howls, and the waters of Yi River are icy cold; a brave man departs, never to return," he stepped into the park.
...
A few minutes later, Lu Zhixing arrived in front of the lawn, looking at the sign that read "The grass is lovely, do not tread on me," he fell into deep thought.
He had intended to just find any lawn and plant himself there, but the issue was, I know I'm a Big Tree, but does the park's management?
Walking on the lawn might be considered uncivilized behavior that could lead to intervention, and wouldn't that interrupt the impersonation?
After some hesitation, Lu Zhixing decided to find another spot.
Finally, after wandering around most of the park, he found the perfect location: an inconspicuous corner with few people around, and most importantly, for some reason, there was a tree pit here!
The trees nearby were all intact, only this one spot was vacated by a tree pit. Lu Zhixing guessed maybe the tree had fallen ill or died and had been uprooted, but the park hadn't yet planted a new tree.
Perfect, this is quite suitable, isn't it?
Lu Zhixing looked around to make sure nobody was watching, quietly stepped into the tree pit, opened his arms slightly and let them dangle down, standing upright, vaguely forming the shape of the Chinese character for "wood."
Then, he calmed his mind, and his field of vision began to blur. Although his eyes were open, able to sense everything around, these sensations felt as if they were becoming more and more distant.
It was as if he had truly become a tree!
After that, Lu Zhixing saw the impersonation progress bar start to slowly increase.
"It really works!"
Lu Zhixing let out a breath of relief, previously worried that his actions of wearing a cap and a mask would affect the impersonation— "Have you ever seen a Big Tree wearing a cap and mask?"
But it seemed that his worries were unnecessary, the game wasn't that perverse.
"Hang in there, based on the current rate of progress, just about one hour of impersonation should be enough..."
Lu Zhixing gradually entered a state where he and the material world were as one. When a breeze blew, he would sway gently with the wind, as if he really had become a tree.
...
Some time later.
The faint sound of voices came from afar, gradually approaching Lu Zhixing's position.
A young girl dressed in sportswear, holding a phone stand, stopped her jog not too far away and started walking while chatting with the audience on her phone screen.
"Alright, that's it for today's outdoor exercise!"
"As a game broadcaster, sitting for long periods is bad for health, so you have to run regularly and exercise. You should learn from the broadcaster, don't just sit and play games every day. It's good to go out to the nearby park now and then to get some fresh air."
"Too bad the broadcaster can't get up in the morning and can only go running before going off the air at night."
While she chatted casually with her viewers, she unwittingly walked towards where Lu Zhixing was.
Lu Zhixing was instantly panicked, watching helplessly as the broadcaster got closer and closer to him.
"What luck! How could I run into a broadcaster in the park!"
"Alright, hopefully she's a lesser-known broadcaster with little popularity..."
During the impersonation, whether Lu Zhixing's eyes were open or closed didn't seem to affect the performance, so he chose to keep his eyes open—at least that way he could watch for any danger.
Seeing the broadcaster getting nearer and nearer, he felt powerless and hoped she was a broadcaster with little popularity to minimize the adverse social impact of this encounter.
However, as the person drew closer, Lu Zhixing's heart sank.
She wasn't a minor broadcaster at all!
Her name was Xu Jing, a well-known game zone broadcaster across the internet. Unlike the other broadcasters who could be considered dropouts from nine years of compulsory education, she was a high achiever, a graduate from the Department of Literature at Jinghai University—essentially, Lu Zhixing's senior.
Besides, Xu Jing, whose name suggested tranquility, appeared gentle and peaceful. Yet, she possessed a knack for sports, had participated in a survival show organized by a live streaming website, and had breezed through it.
Not only that, but she was also enthusiastic about extreme sports and motor racing. It was rumored she had competed in an amateur women's racing competition and achieved quite remarkable results.
It was precisely because of this talent that she stood out among many broadcasters and won the affection of her audience.
Lu Zhixing felt a chill in his heart.