Playing the Foolish Beauty in a Deadly Game - Chapter 44
The deafening sound of the suona horn blared, piercing straight into one’s brain. Lin Qiao was left stunned and agape. He took a deep breath and swiped to the next live-streaming room. To his surprise, this room was even more outrageous—they were wailing in mourning! A row of broadcasters, both men and women, were crying out loud, with exaggerated intonations, howling without shedding a tear.
Lin Qiao’s hand trembled as he swiped to the next room. This one seemed more normal. It was the owner of a paper扎shop(A shop that sells paper-made items for rituals or decorations) promoting their paper扎items (Items made of paper, typically used in traditional ceremonies or as decorations).
“Ladies and gentlemen, come on over. Let’s not beat around the bush. Let’s get straight to the goods.”
“You won’t know if the products are good until you see them. Today, I’m going to share with you the pride of our shop—handsome men and beautiful women Paper扎Figures (Human-shaped figures made of paper, often used in rituals or as decorative pieces).”
With a wave of his hand, the boss swept the camera across: “We have all kinds of beautiful paper women. Whether you prefer sweet girls, dominant women, spicy girls, or mature ladies, we’ve got you covered.”
“What? Custom orders? We don’t do custom designs. Let me tell you, folks… viewers, your purchasing power is lacking. Whenever we put up a link, it doesn’t sell out instantly.”
The paper扎shop owner’s expression turned contemptuous. Suddenly, he noticed the avatar [Brother Qiao] and realized it was a broadcaster.
“Welcome [Brother Qiao]. We don’t sell these to broadcasters, though. Fellow hosts, don’t come here to cause trouble, or you’ll be kicked out. Several hosts have come already. What’s so interesting about my place…”
Lin Qiao then realized that so far, the “Paper扎Figures Live-streaming Room” had the highest viewer affection value. Besides Lin Qiao, several other broadcasters were lurking in the live-streaming room. They could be NPCs or players, but the likelihood of them being players was higher.
The paper扎shop owner continued to shout: “Our paper men are handsome and our women are beautiful. It’s our female… viewers who are really supportive.”
“Look at these models of male paper people. We have burly fitness trainers and elite, domineering CEOs.”
“Fond of high school boys? College athletes? We have them all. Especially this ancient-style handsome man, ethereal and captivating. Who wouldn’t be moved by his charm?”
“What? Furry fans? We’ve got that too! Except for cat and dog types, we provide everything.”
Lin Qiao’s train of thought was interrupted, and he revealed an expression of someone who had never seen such a sight before. This… is possible?
Suddenly, a broadcaster named [Perfumer] left the paper扎shop live-streaming room and started their own live-stream in the next second. Lin Qiao followed and found that the person was a girl with a delicate appearance. The background was blocked off and covered with a pink curtain.
The Perfumer changed the live-stream’s name to “Edible Delights Live-stream” and then took out tools for perfumery and candle making. While working, she introduced: “Welcome, dear viewers, to taste my craftsmanship. Just contribute your affection values, and the one with the most will receive a delicacy made by my own hands.”
“Of course, you don’t need to come to me. Just provide your date of birth. If you feel offended, just recite the spell on the screen and give me the number of strokes in your name.”
“If you’re worried about exposure, you can also send me a private message.”
Lin Qiao thought the Perfumer was a player who had not only found a direction for live-streaming but also discovered the secrets of the live-streaming audience.
Lin Qiao quickly scanned through all the live-streaming rooms and noted down the ones he suspected were run by players. Strangely, there were very few players. Some players had no intention of broadcasting at all.
Another part of the players was too exposed. After being placed in this game dungeon, live-streaming companies had arranged their accommodations. If you looked closely, you would find that the layout of the residences arranged for players by the live-streaming companies in various cities was the same, and there were logos of the live-streaming companies on the items in the background rooms.
A male player was chatting with the live-streaming audience. He didn’t realize the undercurrents in the dungeon and thought the viewers were ordinary people. He had clearly let his guard down.
For the male player, other dungeons were fraught with danger. A moment’s inattention could cost him his life. This dungeon was not bad. The task was to raise pets and interact with the audience through live-streaming. It was not dangerous at all and quite leisurely.
“Yeah, I ate my Shiba Inu’s food. What can I do, viewers? The broadcaster is poor.”
“Look at the broadcaster, so poor that he has to compete with the dog for food. Can’t you feel sorry for me and give me some affection values?”
In the male player’s live-streaming room, a viewer named [Cats and Dogs Are Annoying] suddenly gave 200 affection values.
The male player immediately expressed his gratitude verbally, but [Cats and Dogs Are Annoying] sent a message saying, “I’m giving you affection values not because I feel sorry for you, but because you took the dog’s food, and I think it’s funny.”
“Why should people go hungry while dogs are fed so well, don’t you think, broadcaster?”
The male player remembered the game rule that dogs would give protection values and smiled awkwardly without responding.
[Cats and Dogs Are Annoying] sent another message: “Let’s get straight to the point. If you slap your dog twice, I’ll immediately give you more affection values.”
“Not just me, but other viewers in the live-streaming room also love to see this. If you don’t believe me, just try it. It’s just two slaps. Then you can cook something delicious for the dog and reward him properly, right?”
“If you’re going to live-stream, you have to be bold. If you’re timid and don’t do anything interesting, who will like watching you?”
“Never mind, never mind. This broadcaster can’t handle it. He’s just a coward.”
Seeing the number of viewers in the live-streaming room decreasing and his affection values only at 200, the male player thought about it. After all, the final victory depends on affection values and protection values…
The male player immediately called over his Shiba Inu and raised his hand high.
Lin Qiao’s heart leaped. He couldn’t do this. Don’t listen to the viewers.
But the broadcaster was not a viewer and couldn’t speak in the live-streaming room.
Lin Qiao could only keep entering and exiting, trying to attract the male player’s attention. However, the affection values in the live-streaming room kept rising, even reaching fifth place, just behind the Perfumer.
And there was a trend of surpassing the Perfumer. The male player couldn’t help but pick up a glass and smash it at the Shiba Inu.
Lin Qiao exited the broadcaster’s live-streaming room. He went to see how many players had been tempted by the viewers.
Fortunately, not every player was as reckless as the Shiba Inu male player. Many refused the viewers’ suggestions.
For example, the female player with the Bichon Frise even quarreled with the viewers in the live-streaming room.
After scanning through, Lin Qiao didn’t find the puppy player. His own [Brother Qiao] live-streaming room was at the bottom, with an affection value of 0.
Some NPCs still sang, danced, told jokes, and played games in their live-streaming rooms like normal. However, their attitude was not enthusiastic, and they hardly interacted with the viewers, so their affection values were not very low either.
Some players, unlike the Perfumer, did not have special skills, so they imitated these NPCs and did the most ordinary live-streaming.
Everyone was experimenting. Lin Qiao decided to play it safe first. After changing his clothes, he started the live-stream and named it “Confessional.”
Inside the church hall, both the Meow Meow Religion and the Woof Woof Religion had sent representatives to attend the meeting. The human representative stood on the stage, explaining the actions of the players.
“So far, the number of participants in the Best Streamer Competition has exceeded one thousand. At the time of registration deadline, there were a total of 1,789 people, including 200 sacrificial individuals.”
“The current highest-ranking entity is Happy Sè Sè Paper扎Shop. They have collaborated with our live-streaming many times. After gaining a certain amount of affection values, they will close their shop to make room for the sacrificial individuals.”
“We annually exchange affection values for currency for Happy Sè Sè Paper扎Shop, and this time, the exchange cost will still be jointly borne by our three parties.”
“We have also hired professional streamers to conduct the live-stream, which has a guiding effect on the sacrificial individuals, hoping to reduce their acts of animal abuse.”
The human representative’s tone turned somber: “Ranking second is Edible Delights Live-stream. This streamer is a perfumer player who has secured the second position by leveraging their unique skills.”
“As for the third place…” The human representative displayed the live-stream of the male player abusing his Shiba Inu: “The abusive behavior has not decreased but has actually increased earlier. We cannot intervene in the live-streams of the sacrificial individuals.”
The atmosphere in the church hall was very solemn. The human representative continued: “There is a live-stream room that has been rising rapidly in the rankings. Let’s take a look. Hmm? Confessional?”
When the live-stream was opened, the church hall fell into silence. Inside the live-stream room, a young boy dressed in a priest’s outfit was curled up on a soft sofa. He was wearing a pure black priestly robe with a white collar, draped down to his elbows. Although he was completely covered, the boy had tears in his eyes, his cheeks flushed with a light pink, and his nose slightly red, looking as if he was on the verge of crying… which was quite embarrassing.
His delicate and beautiful face, pressed against the black clothing, appeared extremely vulnerable. Clearly trying very hard to suppress his fear, he still trembled with fright. As he shrank further into the sofa, his white calf accidentally slipped out from under the robe. His feet were bare, stepping on the soft cushions of the sofa.
The priestly robe was chaste and ascetic, but on the boy, it only made him look more delectable. That calf, quickly hidden back under the black robe, seemed to suggest that someone should come over and strip off the robe, revealing the fair and tender skin beneath, and perhaps pinch it a few times, causing the boy to cry softly and beg for mercy, and then deliberately bully him even more.
Lin Qiao bit his finger, like a small animal, feeling ashamed, angry, and annoyed by the malicious comments from the live-stream viewers: “Please, stop talking, please don’t say anymore.”
The despicable viewers not only didn’t shut up but also said: “Aren’t you a little priest? How can you let the penitent be silent?”
“Come on, forgive me, good child, come and forgive me, recite the lines I give you! I’ve tipped with affection values; you wouldn’t deny me this small wish, would you?”
The bullied and humiliated young priest, trembling, raised his hand as if he had been treated terribly, yet still looked with kindness and sanctity: “I forgive you, I pardon you, I accept you.”
“You can do whatever you want to me, even consume me.”
The live-stream’s chat flew by, and the affection values soared.
[Curtain of Stars]: “The evil spirit is pressing down on the noble and devout little priest, bullying him fiercely. Even though he’s already crying, the little priest still has to cry and forgive the other party. I just want to say more, faster, and more intense. Was the guy just now a lecher ? This level is not good enough; he only knows how to Makka Pakka (a nonsensical phrase, possibly implying something trivial)?”
[Seeing My Kowtow]: “I’ve seen this little priest before. I know where he lives, hehehe. I even took a picture of his little butt. I have to say, the little priest’s touch is really nice!”
[Earthling]: “On the upper floor, is there anything that I, the Supreme VIP, am not worthy to hear? Just bragging, did you really touch him?”
[Seeing My Kowtow]: “Of course, as soon as he entered the breakfast shop, I had my eyes on him. I took advantage of the absence of the shop’s orange cat and finally got my fix. I didn’t do much, but that day, a black cat came and beat me up, and also hit the orange cat.”
[Green Bamboo Rabbit]: “This little priest is so much fun. I saw him crossing the street. I even threw him a hundred-yuan bill. If he picked it up, I could follow him home and sleep with him every day.”
“But unfortunately, he said that everyone uses mobile payment now, so he didn’t pick up the money. He didn’t scream in fear and run away, and he didn’t let the black cat come and beat me up. So, in a way, he likes me.”
[A Fish in the Sea]: “So you’re the one who later turned into a phone. You really have guts.”
[: (Half-Retired)]: “You really have guts.”
[Thirty-Three]: “You really have guts.”
Not only the live-stream viewers, but even the atmosphere in the church hall became subtly strange.
The human representative asked curiously: “Is this a little… uh, priest from your religion?”
The representatives of the Meow Meow Religion and the Woof Woof Religion both shook their heads. This was not their priest; their religions did not have priests.
The representative of the Woof Woof Religion suddenly spoke up: “He probably isn’t a sacrificial individual. A few days ago, we sent him a Doberman, and he was chosen by two pets at the same time.”
The human representative muttered to themselves: “Since he’s not a sacrificial individual, he should know his limits. I hope he doesn’t go overboard and end up in the top five.”
Neither the players nor the other NPCs in the Best Streamer Competition knew that their live-streams were being monitored.
Lin Qiao, of course, had no idea either. He now deeply regretted wearing the priest’s outfit. Originally, he did this to test the attitude of the live-stream viewers and, to be honest, it made him feel extremely secure.
Lin Qiao had already guessed that the live-stream viewers were likely the omnipresent evil spirits. He wanted to experiment with whether, in this dungeon, items other than the pets’ protection values could deter the evil spirits.
For example, crosses or talismans, black dog blood or glutinous rice, peach wood swords, and so on.
In addition to the priestly outfit, he also got a Taoist outfit, but who knew that this group of evil spirits would get excited and start playing some strange games!
Lin Qiao had no choice but to listen to the audience recount their experiences from the beginning, and by the end, he was trembling with fear. It was inevitable. The confessions of the evil spirits were nothing but a series of ghost stories, one after another, detailing the psychological journey the spirits went through while harming humans. It was terrifying, bloody, and extremely perverted, sending shivers down anyone’s spine. It was like listening to a madman or a pervert’s understanding of the world, and after that, Lin Qiao had to recite embarrassing lines. It was clear to Lin Qiao that this kind of priest play had a strong sense of immersion for the evil spirit audience. The affection values soared, and Lin Qiao’s face turned pale as he said, “No, I don’t want to be a priest anymore. I’m going to change my clothes.”
The live-stream chat was not pleased and did not want Lin Qiao to leave.
[Seeing My Kowtow]: “He still has time to repent. How can the little priest leave?”
[:(Half-Retired)]: “Boohoo, even if I die and am nailed in a coffin, I would still shout with that decaying voice! The little priest smells so good! The little priest smells so good!”
At that moment, Lin Qiao’s live-stream received a notification that several broadcasters had entered. It was unclear whether they were players or NPCs. However, one name caught Lin Qiao’s attention: [Nelson].
If Lin Qiao remembered correctly, the name “Nelson” had appeared in the “Airplane Escape” dungeon. It was the little boy with golden hair. For some unknown reason, he had turned into a child and had been hiding among the NPCs until he revealed his true identity at the end. After leaving the dungeon, gamers would forget the specific details of the dungeon and the names of other players. Nelson could not possibly remember Lin Qiao. Because of this “forgetting” game mechanism, players were not afraid of revealing their real names. However, Lin Qiao was different. As an illegal immigrant, he remembered everything that had happened in the dungeon.
[Nelson] stayed in Lin Qiao’s live-stream for a while, constantly going in and out. Lin Qiao was puzzled.
[Nelson] lingered in Lin Qiao’s live-stream, and then Lin Qiao’s phone in the dungeon vibrated. A message from “Player who looks like a puppy” read: “Brother, I saw you.”
“Nelson is me. Your live-stream is so interesting.”
“I kept going in and out of your live-stream. Did you feel it, brother?”
“Is it because my frequency is not fast enough?”
“After watching your live-stream, I learned that I can live-stream in the same way as you, right?”
“Why isn’t brother speaking? Is it because I’m bothering you?”
“(Puppy crying emoji) Remember to watch my live-stream, okay? I really like you, brother.”
Lin Qiao pursed his lips and took a deep breath. He couldn’t possibly associate the puppy player with the little boy from the previous dungeon. Without knowing the name, who could tell they were the same person? Lin Qiao directly blocked the other party, so angry that he was no longer afraid: “I, I’m not going to broadcast anymore.”
Seeing the name [Nelson] in the live-stream made Lin Qiao’s headache worse. It wasn’t that Lin Qiao disliked Nelson; it was just that his animal-like vigilance and intuition made him sense danger. The gap between the little boy from the previous dungeon and the puppy player in this dungeon was too large, both in personality and appearance. After closing the live-stream, Lin Qiao even doubted whether they were really the same person. Could it just be a coincidence with the name?
After Lin Qiao closed the live-stream, the people in the church hall breathed a sigh of relief. After all, Lin Qiao was ranked fourth, which was quite dangerous.
A night passed, and the competition among the live-stream players became more intense. Everyone, from being hesitant at the beginning, to competing for the top five, all wanted to be the one with the highest affection values. Some players still did not live-stream, with affection values at 0.
“Ow-ow-ow,” the Shiba Inu scratched at the door. His fur had been shaved off in many places, and his mouth and ears were bleeding. He limped as he walked. The male player live-streamed until four in the morning and then climbed into bed to sleep. His affection value ranking was fourth. The male player felt secure and wanted to go off the air to sleep well. However, as soon as he closed his eyes, he heard the scratching at the door. The male player covered his head and cursed under his breath.
His phone prompted: “Protection +1, Protection Value +1, Protection Value +1…” The male player was too sleepy to pay attention, but soon he felt something was wrong. The room was getting colder. It seemed that something was pulling at his blanket. He thought it was the dog and cursed again. Suddenly, a voice spoke in his ear: “Hehehehe, I really like you, streamer! Streamer…” The male player opened his eyes wide, but the room was empty.
The male player felt eerie and muttered, “It’s almost daylight; it shouldn’t be this bad…” Before he could finish, something grabbed his foot and pulled him out of bed. The male player was shocked: “What the hell! Who! Who the hell is messing with me! Damn it!” He let the Shiba Inu into the room and stayed close to the dog. His phone kept prompting: “Protection Value +1…” “Why only +1! Can’t it add more?” The male player was dissatisfied.
The Shiba Inu, however, stared at the reflective vase with flowers on the bedside table and barked.
The male player’s scalp tingled. He saw something on the vase. He slowly moved closer. The reflection in the vase was like a mirror.
The male player widened his eyes and clutched his heart.
After seeing what was in the reflection, he fell straight down. In the mirror-like reflection, there were many “figures” standing. They were in the male player’s room, densely packed, and doing the same thing as the male player: looking at the vase.
Lin Qiao had a good sleep, feeling very secure while hugging the black cat. After yawning and waking up, he suddenly remembered the live-stream from yesterday and asked, “Did you go out that day to vent for me?”
The black cat lazily opened its eyes, looked at Lin Qiao, and then turned its head away. Lin Qiao laughed and said, “Thank you, but why did you hit that little orange cat? Don’t bully other cats.”
“I’ll go buy breakfast and apologize to the little orange cat on the way.”
“Meow.” The black cat flicked its tail. Humans are so annoying. Why didn’t he kiss this time?
The black cat tucked its paws in, huffed, and didn’t care about the human’s kiss.
But before the black cat could react, Lin Qiao suddenly leaned in and planted a kiss on it.
The black cat was pleased but still turned its back to Lin Qiao. Who, who cares about the human’s kiss? Who cares?
As for intimate actions, the Doberman was extremely open. He didn’t ask for a kiss from Lin Qiao but took the initiative to lick Lin Qiao’s cheek.
Lin Qiao, seeing the protection value on his phone increase by 150, left the house to buy breakfast with a sense of relief.
“Boss, two buns!”
After calling out to the boss, Lin Qiao squatted down and petted the little orange cat at the door, saying, “I’m sorry, our black cat hit you last time.”
The little orange cat didn’t react much.
When the boss brought over the buns, he sighed, “So that black cat is yours. It’s quite fierce. But it also helped drive away the evil spirits in my shop. Our little orange cat is still young and not very experienced.”
Lin Qiao took the buns and listened to the boss say, “Be careful recently. There’s a stalker around here. I really don’t know which is more terrifying, evil spirits or humans.”
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